The Gauntlet Assassin (20 page)

She backed it up and observed it again, looking for details. The man walked with a normal gait, no limp or injuries that she could tell. He wore black athletic shoes and slacks, like someone who worked in an office. His torso was longer than average, leaving him short squatty legs. The light-gray sweatshirt was partly zipped, showing a white shirt underneath, maybe a t-shirt. Had the police viewed this footage yet? If so, why was she still wearing the damn ankle monitor?

Lara froze the clip just as he was about to turn away and studied the image for markings. Overall, his face was small and square with an average Caucasian nose and a small mouth. Pale skin with no freckles and no sun damage. His strong chin was all that kept his face from being nondescript. Sunglasses hid his eyes. She tried to zoom in, but the generic software on the hotel NetCom didn’t allow it.

She uploaded the clip of the man’s face from the auditorium and compared the two images side by side. Same nose and chin. The mouth in the auditorium clip was obscured somewhat by the mustache, which Lara now knew was a fake. Why had he worn it to the orientation and not to the hotel? Because she’d spotted him and blown his disguise?

A loud pounding startled her. Lara pulled her 9-millimeter and spun toward the door.

Chapter 23

“It’s Detective Harper. I need to talk to you.”

Her shoulders relaxed at the familiar name, then tightened again.
Crap
. She didn’t have time for another round of questioning. Lara closed the files and wondered if she could get away with ignoring him. No one was supposed to know her room number.

“Lara, I know you’re in there. Open up. I’m not here to arrest you.”

Reluctantly, she reholstered her weapon and trudged toward the door. She wanted to stop in the bathroom and make sure her hair and makeup still looked decent, but she didn’t let herself. Except for the contest cameras, her looks didn’t matter. She didn’t want men looking at her that way.

Certain it was Harper’s deep smooth voice, Lara unbolted the door and stepped aside to let him in. “Can we make this brief? I’m in the middle of something.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Like what? You don’t compete again until tomorrow.”

“You’re keeping track?”

“Of course. You’re my favorite contestant.” He smiled, all charm this visit. “I watched your performance in the Puzzle. Amazing. I don’t think anyone will beat it.”

Lara fought back a smile, not trusting his new tactic. She glanced back at the hotel room, glad her new space had a living area. “This isn’t a good place to talk. It may have cameras recording.”

“When I got your room number from the director, I told her our conversation needed to be completely private. She reassured me there are no cameras in this VIP suite.”

Her relief was physical, as if a pressure was suddenly gone. “Let’s sit down.” She gestured for him to go first, then locked the door and followed. The detective sank into the soft club chair, so she took the matching couch and sat at an angle to face him.

“Have you dropped the charges yet?”

“Why would we do that?”

“Because you know I didn’t do it. The hotel sent you video footage showing a man in the hallway outside Kirsten’s door around 8:36 p.m.”

“That doesn’t prove you’re innocent. Who is he? You know him, don’t you?”

“I don’t. Have you run the image through CODIS?”

“Yes, but with the hood and sunglasses, it’s pointless.”

Lara thought about the second image she had of Blondie in the auditorium.

The detective leaned forward. “What is it? You know something. I saw it on your face.”

Lara mentally kicked herself. Her expressive nature often worked against her. “I was just thinking that with the hood and sunglasses he looked like that image of the Unabomber. You remember him, don’t you?”

“Don’t try to distract me. I need your help, Lara. If I don’t close this case soon, it’ll get shuffled to the back of the workload and Kirsten will never get justice.”

Lara hesitated. Was there a way to tell him about Blondie without mentioning the commissioner? “If I tell you what little I know, will you drop the charges against me?”

“It’s not up to me. But if you give me another suspect, I can push the DA to shift his focus.”

Law enforcement still in her heart, Lara had to tell him something. She knew how frustrating it was to come to a dead end and feel like she’d failed the victim. “I looked at the hotel footage and the guy seemed vaguely familiar. Then I remembered seeing someone dressed like him at the back of the auditorium during the Gauntlet orientation.”

“Dressed how? Give me the details.” Harper tapped his Dock, preparing to take notes.

Lara repeated Blondie’s description. “He also had the same body type and clothes as the man in the hotel hallway.” She shrugged. “He’s on the camera footage for the auditorium. Would you like to see it?”

“You’ve been doing our job for us.”

“Somebody has to.” She smiled to soften the sting. “I had some free time this afternoon.”

“Show me.”

Lara uploaded the images side by side on the big screen. “He has the same nose and chin, but the hoodie makes it hard to get a positive ID.”

Harper tapped the auditorium photo. “Send this one to me.” He recited his number and Lara quickly sent the files to his iCom.

The detective stared at her for a long moment. “You’re the prettiest suspect I’ve interviewed in a long time.”

“Does that line ever work for you?”

He laughed. “I like you, Lara. Will you have dinner with me?”

“Thanks, but I’ve already eaten.”

“Will you join me anyway? Have a drink and keep me company while I eat? I have a long night of work ahead.”

She remembered what that was like. Sitting in the conference room at the department looking through bank statements and phone records until two in the morning. Eating cold Chinese food by herself while she worked. He seemed like a good man.

“Why not? It’ll be a relief to get out of this room for a while.”

“Where would you like to go?”

“I can’t leave the property without permission, so how about the restaurant downstairs?”

“Is it fancy? I’m not dressed for anything upscale.”

Lara laughed and pushed off the couch. “They cater to Gauntlet contestants and tourists. I doubt they have a dress code.”

“You haven’t eaten there?”

“No.” She had no intention of explaining her dietary peculiarities. “I’ll meet you down there in ten minutes.”

Lara changed out of her camera-happy competition clothes and into a pair of faded jeans. She put on a snug sleeveless blouse that she almost hadn’t packed. Slipping on some earrings, she chided herself for acting like she had a date and changed her mind about going. She picked up her iCom to text him, then reversed her decision, thinking it couldn’t hurt to have the detective on her side. Lara slipped on a pair of sandals and touched the ankle monitor. Maybe she could convince him to let her off surveillance.

The hostess led her to a cozy corner table. Detective Harper had put away his Dock and ordered a beer. An unexpected surge of pleasure filled her body. She hadn’t sat down to dinner with a man since Ben had been killed. She’d had a brief thing with her chiropractor a few years back, but that had been meaningless sex just to keep her from exploding. This dinner was meaningless too, Lara reminded herself. Just filling some time with an attractive man…who happened to be detective. Why were they always cops?

He stood when she arrived. “Lara.”

She loved the way he said her name, drawing out the first vowel like a caress.

He looked relieved to see her. “For a minute, I thought you had changed your mind.”

“For a minute, I thought I had too.” Lara smiled and sat.

“What can I get you to drink?”

She almost never drank alcohol and tomorrow was possibly the most important day of her life. “A glass of red wine, please.” A couple of sips, she told herself. To help her sleep. With no body fat and no solid food in her stomach, an entire glass would go straight to her head.

“I’m having a steak sandwich. What about you?”

“Just the wine. I already ate.”

“Okay.” He signaled their server and placed the order.

When the waitress was gone, he took a long drink of beer, then blurted out, “I’m jealous that you’re in the Gauntlet. Anybody who works out and considers themselves reasonably intelligent has a fantasy about competing in the contest…and winning.”

“I suspect that’s true. I was fascinated after watching it the first year and I started training immediately.”

“You must be incredibly dedicated. I know you beat out five firemen from Oregon to win the spot.”

“I can be a little obsessive.”

“I assume you know you were only one of twelve women in the competition.” Harper sipped his beer, then continued. “Eight were eliminated in the Challenge and so far, you’re the only one to make it out of the Puzzle. I’m betting you’ll be the first woman to survive the hand-to-hand tournament too.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’ll be the smallest and oldest person to enter the Battle stage. I’m a little worried.” Lara hadn’t admitted that even to herself, and she didn’t know why she’d told Harper. The Battle was the only part of the Gauntlet that had a live audience. Hundreds of wealthy people paid a premium to watch the contestants go one-on-one with a variety of nonlethal weapons.

“Size and youth won’t win this,” Harper said, touching the back of her hand. “Speed and agility are more important in both the Battle and the Obstacle. After that, your self-discipline and determination will get you through the Marathon.”

Lara smiled. “Thank you. I feel better.” She sipped her wine. “But I probably shouldn’t drink much of this. I need to be at my peak tomorrow.”

“You need to stop worrying. You’ll be great.” He leaned forward. “I hated having to arrest you. It was one of the worst moments on the job for me. Right after one of the best moments, meeting you in person. I’ve been following your blog for a year.”

Stunned, Lara could only ask, “Why me?”

“Because you’re a pretty ex-cop and I always root for the underdog.”

She burst out laughing. “The odds against me are shrinking. I’m not such a long shot anymore.”

Jason and another contestant followed a server to a nearby table. When Jason spotted her, he rushed over. “Did you hear about Jodie Hansen in the Puzzle?”

Lara’s stomach knotted in dread.

“She beat your time by sixteen seconds.”

The news was crushing and Lara swore out loud. Now she wouldn’t earn the 50 extra points for winning the phase. She mentally played back her performance in the Puzzle and kicked herself for wasting time on the obvious. It had cost her the win. But she wouldn’t let Jason see her agonize. “It’s not over yet. I still plan to win both of my rounds in the Battle.” She sounded more confident than she felt.

“But you can’t win the overall contest without those 50 Puzzle points.” Jason looked happy. “Unless you also win the Marathon.” He clearly believed that wouldn’t happen and Lara suspected he was right.

Harper spoke up. “She can win. If Texas loses his first round in the Battle, Lara has a shot.”

“That won’t happen.” Jason shook his head. “I’ll let you get back to your drinks. I thought you’d want to know.”

“He’s a jackass,” Lara whispered after he left.

“Yep. I could see that before he opened his mouth.” Harper grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Don’t let it worry you. I still think you can win this if the voters keep giving you 20 or more popularity points for every phase.”

Their server stepped up with the food and wine. “I hear they posted the lineup for the Battle tomorrow.”

“Who am I up against and what time?” Lara had to know.

The server grimaced. “Sam Duggar from Texas at noon.”

A heavy silence followed.
Crap on a stick.
Sam was six-feet-two and over two hundred pounds. Her next thought was that someone, possibly both the commissioner and the director, wanted her out of the competition. Her arrest had been a liability, and Morton probably wished he’d never met her.
Aside from keeping him from bleeding to death,
Lara mused.

Finally, Detective Harper said, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

For the next hour, Lara put the Texas giant and the mysterious shooter out of her mind and simply enjoyed the company of a charming man. At one point, she caught herself checking to see if he wore a wedding ring. He didn’t. She figured he was likely divorced. Law enforcement was hard on family life, which was part the reason she’d never married or had kids. It was time to ask. “Is your family here in D.C.?”

“I’m a widower and my daughter lives in Portland.”

“Oregon?”

“Yep. We’re both rooting for you. She’ll finish her two-year degree next year and hopes to get a job with the new AmGo facility.” He grinned. “No pressure.”

“Have you ever visited the state?”

“Once. What about you? Any family?”

Lara shook her head. “I was married to the job for sixteen years and my only brother died.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lara pushed aside her half glass of wine. “I should go. It’s been nice talking with you.” She pulled a ten from her wallet to pay for the wine and stood.

“Did I offend you?” Harper looked upset.

“Not at all. I have to prepare mentally and physically for tomorrow.”

“Let me pay the check and I’ll walk you to your room.”

Lara started to protest, then realized she wanted another five minutes with him.

They left the restaurant and crossed the hotel lobby in silence. Lara felt a little giddy from the wine, another pleasurable feeling she hadn’t experienced in a while. They stepped into the elevator. When the doors closed, Caden Harper turned to her. “Lara.”

She looked up, and he gently took her face in his hands and pressed warm soft lips to hers. Lara surrendered to the kiss.

Chapter 24

Three and a half months earlier: Fri., Jan. 27, 7:50 a.m.

Paul strode through the security station, smiling boldly at the guard. Go ahead and harass me, he thought. He was too happy to care. He had a girlfriend! Plain, nerdy Paul Madsen was dating a smart, gorgeous, sophisticated woman. Amazing what removing a little flesh from the nose could accomplish. The guard smiled back, seeming a little surprised by his exuberance.