Elizabeth had no trouble imagining this man snapping someone’s neck with his bare hands.
But she didn’t believe he’d snapped Blake’s. It didn’t add up.
“Walk me through your last few days,” Gordon said. “Start with the weekend.”
“I was here most of the weekend training.”
“What time did you leave the base Saturday?”
“About 1930.” The SEAL shot a look at Elizabeth as she scribbled that down. “Went to a bar. Met up with some friends. Had a few beers, went home.”
“What time?”
“About 2300.”
“Were you alone?”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“Went home, hit the rack, got up about 0500. Came to base for training all day. Went home about 1800, watched TV and went to bed.”
“So Sunday, you basically worked and went home, is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“Is it uncommon for you to work weekends?”
“No.”
“What about Monday?” Gordon asked.
The man darted yet another look at Elizabeth’s phone. He cast a glance at the clock.
“Got up about 0500, went for a run.”
“How long?”
“Twelve miles.”
Twelve miles ? Holy crap. Elizabeth jotted it down.
“Got here at 0800. Had a planning session with my team and left the base about 1300. Spent some time packing. Then watched some baseball and went to bed.”
Gordon eased forward. “Packing for what?”
The man hesitated. “I’ve got leave coming. I was planning to go down to Cozumel, do some diving.”
“And when did you plan to go?”
“This afternoon.”
The room got very quiet. Just the sound of her pencil scraping against the paper. Pretty convenient timing for an international trip, but Elizabeth didn’t look up from her notes.
“Back to Monday,” Gordon said. “Did you see anyone Monday night or Tuesday morning?”
“No.”
“Anyone at all who can corroborate your whereabouts?”
“No.”
“Tell us more about Monday night. Did you call anyone? E-mail anyone? Leave your apartment for any reason?”
“I didn’t get online, no. I was by myself, like I said, watching the game.”
“And you didn’t call anyone?”
“No.”
“Anyone call you?”
“No.” He glanced impatiently at the clock.
“What about Tuesday morning?”
“Reported to base at 1100.”
“Eleven in the morning? Is that unusual?”
“We work unusual hours. Sir.”
Elizabeth caught the contempt in his voice but didn’t look up. This guy clearly didn’t like FBI agents—a fact she felt sure wasn’t lost on Gordon.
“I was here until late Tuesday, until late Wednesday,and then back before dawn today. Check the base records if you want.”
“We have,” Gordon said. “We spent most of yesterday, in fact, going over your background.”
The SEAL’s face hardened. He stood up. “That case, I won’t waste any more time on this. I’ve got a meeting with my CO.”
“One more thing, Lieutenant. I wouldn’t be taking any trips out of the country if I were you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Just some friendly advice.”
He scowled and walked out the door.
Elizabeth’s shoulders slumped as the tension in the room disappeared. She glanced at Gordon.
“You don’t really think he’ll leave the country, do you?”
“Not the traditional way,” he said. “We’ve got his passport flagged.”
She glanced down at her notes. For some reason she still didn’t comprehend, Gordon had handpicked her for his team on this. Out of all the available agents in the San Antonio field office, he’d chosen her. Why? She wasn’t sure. She assumed he wanted her opinion, but she felt strange offering it to such a seasoned investigator. So since their arrival yesterday, she’d basically acted as his silent assistant while he checked in with the local field office and conducted preliminary research on Gage Brewer. Unfortunately, that research hadn’t yielded much. Brewer didn’t have a criminal record, and his military record—what they’d been allowed to see of it—was exemplary. They’d also
But she didn’t believe he’d snapped Blake’s. It didn’t add up.
“Walk me through your last few days,” Gordon said. “Start with the weekend.”
“I was here most of the weekend training.”
“What time did you leave the base Saturday?”
“About 1930.” The SEAL shot a look at Elizabeth as she scribbled that down. “Went to a bar. Met up with some friends. Had a few beers, went home.”
“What time?”
“About 2300.”
“Were you alone?”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“Went home, hit the rack, got up about 0500. Came to base for training all day. Went home about 1800, watched TV and went to bed.”
“So Sunday, you basically worked and went home, is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“Is it uncommon for you to work weekends?”
“No.”
“What about Monday?” Gordon asked.
The man darted yet another look at Elizabeth’s phone. He cast a glance at the clock.
“Got up about 0500, went for a run.”
“How long?”
“Twelve miles.”
Twelve miles ? Holy crap. Elizabeth jotted it down.
“Got here at 0800. Had a planning session with my team and left the base about 1300. Spent some time packing. Then watched some baseball and went to bed.”
Gordon eased forward. “Packing for what?”
The man hesitated. “I’ve got leave coming. I was planning to go down to Cozumel, do some diving.”
“And when did you plan to go?”
“This afternoon.”
The room got very quiet. Just the sound of her pencil scraping against the paper. Pretty convenient timing for an international trip, but Elizabeth didn’t look up from her notes.
“Back to Monday,” Gordon said. “Did you see anyone Monday night or Tuesday morning?”
“No.”
“Anyone at all who can corroborate your whereabouts?”
“No.”
“Tell us more about Monday night. Did you call anyone? E-mail anyone? Leave your apartment for any reason?”
“I didn’t get online, no. I was by myself, like I said, watching the game.”
“And you didn’t call anyone?”
“No.”
“Anyone call you?”
“No.” He glanced impatiently at the clock.
“What about Tuesday morning?”
“Reported to base at 1100.”
“Eleven in the morning? Is that unusual?”
“We work unusual hours. Sir.”
Elizabeth caught the contempt in his voice but didn’t look up. This guy clearly didn’t like FBI agents—a fact she felt sure wasn’t lost on Gordon.
“I was here until late Tuesday, until late Wednesday,and then back before dawn today. Check the base records if you want.”
“We have,” Gordon said. “We spent most of yesterday, in fact, going over your background.”
The SEAL’s face hardened. He stood up. “That case, I won’t waste any more time on this. I’ve got a meeting with my CO.”
“One more thing, Lieutenant. I wouldn’t be taking any trips out of the country if I were you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Just some friendly advice.”
He scowled and walked out the door.
Elizabeth’s shoulders slumped as the tension in the room disappeared. She glanced at Gordon.
“You don’t really think he’ll leave the country, do you?”
“Not the traditional way,” he said. “We’ve got his passport flagged.”
She glanced down at her notes. For some reason she still didn’t comprehend, Gordon had handpicked her for his team on this. Out of all the available agents in the San Antonio field office, he’d chosen her. Why? She wasn’t sure. She assumed he wanted her opinion, but she felt strange offering it to such a seasoned investigator. So since their arrival yesterday, she’d basically acted as his silent assistant while he checked in with the local field office and conducted preliminary research on Gage Brewer. Unfortunately, that research hadn’t yielded much. Brewer didn’t have a criminal record, and his military record—what they’d been allowed to see of it—was exemplary. They’d also
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