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He’d camp out here until his father arrived. He grew increasingly uneasy as he realized he no idea how the confrontation would go down. Despite his best plans, there was no way to anticipate the wily Cobra Snake. Equally uncertain were his own future actions. Could he pull the trigger if he needed to?

Taking a deep breath, like Ina had taught him, Leo tried to find thoughts that would help him focus. Immediately he pictured Audrey, her brown eyes inches from his as she gently kissed his bruises, her soft lips soothing the cut on his forehead, the feel of her body when they’d made love…

“Te amo
, Audrey,” he whispered.
“Te amo. Te amo.”
Leo tried to bite back tears.

“Commander Scott called Bill and me into his office,” Darnell said after her tears had subsided. Her voice was weary. “I was terrified something was up, but Bill told me to calm down…that it was probably just a routine assignment or something.” Darnell exhaled and wove her fingers together in her lap. “I just don’t think I can talk about Bill, ma’am. It — it hurts too much.”

“What’s painful about discussing Bill?” Ina asked, doing her best to tread lightly.

“He’s dead,” Darnell answered.

“Dead?”

“Bill was murdered, ma’am.” Darnell’s tears began anew.

Ina paused for a moment, pushing puzzle pieces around in her head. “Wait a minute…Bill had a daughter. Is her name Cameron?” Darnell nodded, but did not look up.

“And the man in military prison for the murder — is his daughter’s name Audrey?”

Now Darnell met her eyes. “I think so. How’d you know that?”

“Leo Scott was dating Audrey. And his brother’s engaged to Cameron.”

Darnell stared at her. “What?”

“Darnell, were you ever a suspect in the murder?”

“No. Nobody knew about our affair except the commander.” Ina tilted her head. “Why did the commander keep your secret?” Darnell broke away to stare off into space.

Ina had lost her again.

With each rumble of thunder and tick of his father’s clock, Leo felt sicker. Then his stomach lurched at the sound of a car in the driveway. He tried to compose himself, but tensed all over again when he heard a key slide into the front doorknob.

“Mary?” his father called into the darkness, then flipped on the hallway light.

From his hiding spot, Leo watched him shake the water off his jacket. CS turned toward him and came into the study. When he stooped to turn on the desk lamp, Leo rose in the corner.

“Jesus!” His father inhaled sharply as he straightened. “You scared me!”

Leo said nothing, his hands behind his back.

“What’re you doing here?” CS asked. “You should be in Annapolis.”

“I got kicked out,” Leo said flatly. “I was separated from the Navy.”

CS took one menacing step forward before Leo stepped closer as well, raising the gun and aiming it squarely at his father’s chest.

His father stopped in his tracks.

“Sit down,” Leo ordered, sounding more authoritative than he felt. The weapon in his hand seemed to do something to his voice.

But his father didn’t move.

“It was you,” Leo sneered. “It was you.
You
murdered Mr. Walsh.” CS’s eyes threatened to leap from their sockets. This time he did sit, staggering backward and collapsing into his desk chair, never taking his eyes off his son.

Leo noticed his fear, and couldn’t deny how good it felt. But he braced for the fight he was sure would be coming.

He almost dropped the gun when CS said, “Final y. I’ve been waiting for this moment for over a year.”
Oh my God, he did it.
Audrey’s sweet face floated before Leo’s eyes once again. “Mr. Rose’s been rotting in prison for a crime
you
committed!”

CS seemed to deflate. “How’d you find out?” Leo laughed bitterly. “You wanted me to go to the Academy so bad. Well, my company officer was Lt. Darnell Keaton.” CS flinched.

“Jase and Cameron found out about Lt. Keaton’s affair with Cam’s dad, and we started to suspect her for Mr. Walsh’s murder. But then I discovered you knew about their affair, and I realized the lieutenant was terrified of you. She hated me because I was your son. What’d you do to her, Dad?”

“I found out about the affair,” he said simply. “You have to understand, Leo…Your mother wasn’t giving me what I needed! Any red-blooded man would’ve needed some comfort in that situation. And Darnell, well, Darnell refused me. She was in
love
with Bill,” he spat.

Leo shook his head. His father actually seemed to think he could justify his actions. “What’d you do to the lieutenant?” he demanded.

“I called them both into my office,” his father began. “And I — I confronted them about the affair. I dismissed Bill — it’s never the man’s fault in that situation. I mean, have you seen how beautiful Darnell is? Of course I couldn’t resist her…”

“Focus on your breathing, Darnell,” Ina said. “A little slower, a little deeper.”

Darnell nodded. She cowered in her chair like a frightened child.

“Commander Scott knew about your affair, but he didn’t tell anyone?”

Darnell’s voice quivered. “It was the worst day of my life. I worked so hard to become a lieutenant, and the commander threatened to tear it all down. He’d seen us kissing, apparently, and told us both our careers would be ruined. He was so hateful. He was angriest with me. He told me I was wrecking Bill’s marriage…I was a whore…” She shuddered. “Those eyes…He — he dismissed Bill from his office.

I didn’t want him to go. I was so scared to be alone with the commander.” She looked up, eyes wild.

“You’re doing fine, Darnell.”

“T-T-The commander told me our fate was up to me. If I’d try, try — ” She closed her eyes for a moment. “If I’d try to
satisfy
him, to
please
him, maybe he’d ignore the affair. Maybe he wouldn’t court martial us both.” Darnell covered her mouth with a trembling hand.

Her rocking motion reminded Ina of Leo as he’d described how his father beat him. The commander had cut a wide swath of destruction.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Darnell cried. “I didn’t want to destroy Bill’s career. It was all my fault we were in this mess. So — so I let him.” She clenched her teeth. “I let the commander take me. Right there in his office.” Her breathing was ragged and shallow. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I just laid there. I didn’t say no.” Ina struggled to mask her disgust. “The commander raped you.”

“No.” Darnell shook her head. “I didn’t fight him. I didn’t say no.”

“You did
not
consent, Darnell! He blackmailed you into having sex with him! What else were you to do?” Darnel stopped her rocking for a moment and slowly raised her eyes. “I’m dirty,” she muttered. “I’m a whore. It’s a good thing Bill died, because I don’t deserve him.”

“She wanted it all along,” CS said. “Darnell had refused me for years, but this situation finally gave her the opportunity. I knew she always wanted me.”

Leo’s stomach churned. “You raped her.”

“That’s what Bill said!” his father thundered. “I did no such thing!

We — we made a deal, that’s all. An even exchange: she’d submit to me, and I wouldn’t prosecute them.”

“But Mr. Walsh found out?” Leo asked.

CS swallowed. “The July fourth barbecue. It was so hot that night.” He paused and looked straight ahead.

It seemed to Leo like his father had gone somewhere else.

“It’d been a week since I chewed them out for the affair, and when Bill and I started laughing about how drunk Denny was, it seemed to break the ice. I’m not sure why Denny got so hammered — maybe it was the pressure of the promotion he and Bill were gunning for.

But JoAnne was sure ticked off at him.” CS sighed. “We were watching JoAnne and Patti try to wrestle a drink away from Denny when I put my foot in my mouth. I told Bill his wife was good looking, but nothing like Darnell — guy talk, you know. I was trying to pay him a compliment for bedding a girl like that.”

Leo shuddered.

“That’s when Bill looked at me like he’d figured something out.

He accused me of rape. I told him he was crazy, and I explained how Darnell
agreed
to it, to save him. But he wouldn’t back down. He said the captain would court martial me when he found out! Can you believe that? Then he grabbed Patti and hightailed it out of there before I had a chance to explain any further.” CS shook his head. “A little while later JoAnne asked me to help get Denny home. I knew I had to prevent Bill from destroying me, from destroying our family. I had to make things right.”

“Darnell, did you murder Bill?”

Darnell blanched. “No! I loved him! Denny Rose murdered Bill.”

“Why?” Ina asked. “What was his motive?”

“Denny and Bill were competing for a promotion. I was too horrified to attend the court martial, but I read in the papers that Denny was an alcoholic who’d hit his ex-wife, and that night, the night Bill died, well, Denny got blitzed. He claimed he couldn’t remember what happened.” Her mouth curled in a sneer. “Some excuse.” Ina’s phone rang, and she ignored it. “How long was it between Commander Scott calling you into his office and the murder?”

“One week.” She looked down. “I wouldn’t talk to Bill. I couldn’t after what happened to me. I guess I blamed him.” Darnell began to cry again.

This is a traumatized, grieving woman
, Ina thought.
Not a murderer
covering her track
s.

Darnell sniffed. “The last time I saw Bill I was so mean, so cold.

He died before I could say I was sorry. He died before I could say goodbye.”

The office phone rang again, and again Ina didn’t answer.

“Darnell, do you think the murder could have something to do with Commander Scott learning about your affair?” She wiped her cheeks and shook her head. “Denny was convicted.

He’s guilty. Nobody thinks that.”

“Leo Scott thinks that.”

Darnell froze, her face flushing deep red.

“Last night Leo broke into my office,” Ina explained. “I caught him after he’d read one or more of my charts. I think he was after yours, Lieutenant.”

Darnell opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“Leo told me he and Bill’s daughter didn’t believe Denny was guilty. I think Leo believed
you
might be the murderer. I think he had to read your chart to find out.”