Read Online Silent Witness by Lindsay McKenna - Free Book Online

Placing his hands on his hips, he looked beyond her. “Sorry.” And he was. When her lower lip trembled, he again found himself wanting to reach out and touch her, to try and soothe the pain he saw in her face. The ache in his own heart was very real. Whetherhe wanted to or not, he felt deeply for Ellen. Far more than he should, and he didn’t understand why.
    Ellen wiped her eyes self-consciously and mustered a slight smile she didn’t feel. “How could you know, Lieutenant? I didn’t tell you.”
    He nodded, and said apologetically, “I reckon we’re both struggling, then. Your husband died and so did my marriage. We’re a fine pair, aren’t we? Only I’m not so sure that divorce isn’t a continuing kind of dying process that has no finish, no end. It’s an ongoing emotional torture.”
    Ellen took a deep, ragged breath. “I can’t argue with you. Since Mark died, I’ve had a huge hole right here.” She pointed to her heart. “I was glad to get this assignment, if you want the truth. It got me away from everyone who knew us back in D.C.” She held his sudden, intense gaze. “In a divorce, there’s no walking away, especially if children are involved. It’s a painful situation for everyone.”
    Cochrane grimaced. “Life isn’t pretty, is it? Never mind, don’t answer that.” He forced himself to get back to work. Talking with Ellen Tanner was easy. Too easy. Speaking more to himself, he muttered, “This place is too meticulously clean. Kane’s too neatly dressed.”
    â€œIt’s suspicious to me, too,” Ellen admitted. “Suicidal people usually don’t care about their appearance when they’re in that frame of mind.”
    â€œYou’re very observant. Suicide types usually have sloppy homes. They’re depressed. They don’t care whatthey or their place look like. This officer’s home is too spit-and-polish perfect. Had she worn the uniform somewhere at an official function and then come home?”
    Ellen brightened. “Did anyone find a letter from her? An explanation why she took her life? If she did?”
    â€œI understand there was no suicide note found,” Jim stated, perplexed. “I’ve never seen a suicide yet where the person didn’t leave a note.”
    â€œSo,” Ellen said, “you think this was a murder?”
    â€œIt’s angling that way. As I said, we’ll know more after the M.E. performs the autopsy,” Jim said. “Let’s go. We’re done here.”
    Never had Ellen wanted to hear those words as much as now. She nearly tripped on Cochrane’s heels getting out of the condo. Lifting her face to the sunshine, she gratefully took several deep breaths to steady her unsettled stomach, then hurried to catch up with Jim as he strode along.
    â€œWhere are we going now?” she asked.
    â€œWe’ve done everything we can do here. I need to get back to the JAG office and drop this film off to Chief Hazzard at our crime lab. I want you to take the rest of the day off while I run a lot of errands. I have to get my case files squared away so we both can make sense of them in the coming week. I’ll drop you off at your hotel. You can come in at 0800 tomorrow morning. We’ll start working together then.”
    Jim realized Ellen needed time to deal with beingaround a dead body. He understood that seeing Susan Kane had resurrected her husband’s death for her—big-time. He kicked himself, knowing he should have been more sensitive to begin with, asked more questions. Instead, he’d been so tied up with his own reaction to having an untrained partner that he’d let her fall through the hole all by herself. A good partner didn’t do that. He swore silently he’d make it up to her in some way.
    â€œGood, because I don’t even have my bags unpacked yet.” Ellen gave him