The doorbell rang, and Julia looked up.
Kate pushed up from the floor. “You stay put, queen of the couch. I’ll get it.”
Two men dressed in suits stood on the other side of the door when Kate pulled it open. “Can I help you?” she asked.
The taller of the two pulled ID from his breast pocket. “Ma’am. I’m Detective Peterson. This is Detective Carson. SFPD. Are you Mrs. Harrison?”
Kate pushed the door open wider. Tingling fingers of dread tiptoed up her spine. “Actually, the name’s Alexander. What’s this about?”
His companion’s eyes narrowed. “I recognize you from the newspaper.”
“That’s right,” Detective Peterson said, recognition flickering over his face. “The press conference. You’re the woman without a past.”
Kate doubted they were here to chat about a picture in the paper. “What can I do for you?”
Detective Peterson flashed a smile. “We have a few questions about your accident the other day.”
The accident. Of course. Silly of her to be on edge so quickly. Stepping back, she gestured inside. “Won’t you come in?”
Shoes clicked behind her on the hardwood floor as the men followed Kate into the living room. Julia sat up from her spot on the couch. “Detectives, this is my daughter, Julia. Julia, these men have a few questions about the accident.”
Detective Peterson stepped closer to the couch. “Cool cast. They didn’t have nifty colors like that when I was a kid. You got lots of signatures on it?”
Julia shrugged. “Not yet.”
“Bet you’ll have it filled up before long.” He studied her battered face. “Looks like you got a little banged up. How are you feeling?”
“Okay.”
Detective Carson flipped open a notebook. “Ms. Alexander, can you tell us where you went on Thursday?”
“I was here in the morning. Ryan, Julia, and I drove into the city. We parked in Ryan’s building garage. He went to work, and Julia and I walked downtown.”
“How long were you away from the vehicle?” he asked, jotting notes.
“I’m not sure. A few hours, maybe.”
“Did Mr. Harrison drive the vehicle after you left it in the garage?”
“I don’t believe so, no.”
He continued making notes. “Did Mr. Harrison know you were driving his car?”
“Yes. He knew I was going to take Julia to her softball practice when we were done, then come back and get him.”
“So he knew you’d be alone in the car?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Yes. What’s this about, Detective?”
Peterson stepped up next to Carson and smiled. “Just following up on some conflicting information. Are you living here, Ms. Alexander?”
Kate’s adrenaline jumped. “Not exactly. You obviously read about me in the paper. We’re taking some time getting to know each other again.”
“Of course you are,” Peterson said. “How would you classify your relationship with Mr. Harrison?”
“I don’t know that I would.” Nervous tension ran through Kate at the vague questions. “What does this have to do with my accident?”
“Are you aware Mr. Harrison’s insurance company is grumbling about his repaying the claim he collected after you supposedly died?” Carson asked.
Kate’s stomach clenched. “No. He didn’t mention it.”
“Probably didn’t want to worry you.” Peterson flashed that smile again. For some reason, it did nothing to calm Kate’s nerves.
“Do you know how much that claim was for, Ms. Alexander?” Carson asked. When she shook her head, he raised his brow. “A million dollars.”
Kate’s eyes widened before she checked the emotion.
“That’s a lot of money. Even for a man like Ryan Harrison. Especially five years ago.”
Bile rose in Kate’s throat. Knowing exactly where this was going, she turned toward Julia. “Honey, go upstairs.”
Julia rose from the couch. “Mom—”
Kate ushered her toward the stairs. “It’s okay. I’ll be up in a minute.” She waited until Julia rounded the corner, then set her jaw and turned back to the detectives. “If you’re trying to imply Ryan had anything to do with my accident—”
“The brake line was punctured,” Carson said.
“What?”
“Three holes. Too evenly spaced to be the result of a rock. We pulled the vehicle from the water this morning. You lucked out. If you’d gone in anywhere else along that highway, you’d have dropped right into the ocean, drown before help got there.”
Kate eased down to the arm of the sofa. Someone had tampered with the car. Someone had intentionally tried to hurt her.
And Julia in the process.
“Would have taken a little while for the brake fluid to drip out, which is probably why the brakes didn’t go out right away,” Peterson added. “Whoever punctured the line knew that.”
“Ms. Alexander,” Carson said, “Did you drive Mr. Harrison’s car Tuesday morning?”
Kate’s brain was a mass of confusing thoughts. “No.”
“Did Mr. Harrison?”
“Um.” Why was she having trouble thinking clearly? Tuesday… She’d spent Monday night here. In the guest bedroom. The next day, they’d gone out to see Janet Kelly. She’d had her CT scan. They’d gone back to her house in Moss Beach and made love. She swallowed. “Yes. He went in to his office for an hour that morning, I think.”
“Was he alone?”
“I think so. I don’t know.”
The detectives exchanged glances.
“Do you know this woman?” Carson asked, handing her a photo.
Kate studied the picture and shook her head shook. “No. Should I?”
“Her name’s Janet Kelly. Her body was found yesterday.”
Kate glanced up sharply.
“A black Jaguar matching the one we pulled from the bay was spotted in front of her house around the estimated time of death Monday morning, roughly nine a.m.”
No. That wasn’t right. They’d gotten a late start. They hadn’t reached Janet Kelly’s houseboat until after noon. She swallowed hard, unsure what to tell them, not wanting to give too much away. “You must be mistaken.”
Carson handed her another photo. “How about this man? Do you recognize him?”
Kate’s eyes grew wide when she looked at the photograph of Jake. Steel-gray eyes gazed back at her. Fear tickled the back of her throat. “Yes. Why?”
“Jacob McKellen was a silent partner in Grayson Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian company Harrison’s conglomerate recently acquired,” Carson said coldly. “We pulled his body from the bay last week.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Kate leaned against the counter in Simone’s kitchen and massaged her scar. Time ticked by silently on the clock above the stove. The only sound was the pounding in Kate’s brain.
She stiffened when Simone swept into the room. “Well?”
Simone set the cordless phone on the table. “Ryan and his lawyer are at the station. So far, they’re cooperating.”
Kate braced both hands on the counter. Her heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds. Everything she’d believed up to this point was turning out to be a lie.
“Richard Burton’s one of the best attorneys in the state, Kate. Their questioning won’t last long. He won’t let it.”
“Oh, God,” Kate muttered, unable to fight back the panic. “Ryan knew Jake didn’t die in that plane crash.”
Simone leaned back against the table and crossed her arms. “That’s yet to be proven. What can be proved is that Ryan’s secretary saw Jake in Ryan’s office the day before that crash here in San Francisco. And that Ryan appears to be the last person to have seen him alive.”