“We are investigating your attack at the Four Seasons. Cassie, there are no wrong answers. Don’t worry about anything you say. Can you tell us what you remember?”
Cassie looked at each of the men in the room. When panicked eyes met Ian’s, he gave her an approving nod. “I’m not sure. Some things don’t make sense to me.”
“It’s okay, Cassie. Just tell us what you can,” Andy encouraged.
“I was assigned to a protection detail for Senator Robert Bynum. His aide, Sebastian Ames, was seated next to me.” She tried to move her right hand, still bound to her body to protect her shoulder. “There was something about him. I couldn’t place it. My gut said something was off, but I had a job to do. I put the feeling away. Everything was off.”
“How so?” Andy asked.
Cassie sighed. “The Whitmans and Ian and Monique were unexpected. My supervisor was unprofessional. And Ames—all night long, he kept touching me. I warned him off, but he didn’t seem to understand no. I was becoming unfocused, angry and anxious. I made the decision to report my boss immediately after the dinner. And, Ian…god, Ian. For five minutes, I was a princess. I wanted to grab your hand and run. But I had a job to do.”
Cassie stared off into space. “After dessert, Ames pinched my thigh. I think he did it to provoke me. I decided to go to the restroom to regroup, wanting to put a plan together to get rid of Ames and not blow my cover with Bynum. That was my tactical mistake; I knew better. We were down two agents. Before I got there, though, I started to feel sick and threw up. I told myself it would only be a little longer. When I opened the stall, Ames was standing there and asked me if I remembered him. At the beginning of the night, he said we met at Houseman’s Pub years ago.
“Then everything got foggy. Not just what I remember, but…” Cassie groaned as she tried to move her right hand. Her fingers looked like little sausages. “Ames was angry. He threw something in my face and grabbed my throat. I remember trying to get free. He said he was there six years ago. My neck—he bit my neck. I felt his tongue against my skin. He said he loved my taste. He was going to assault me and… I remember struggling. I couldn’t breathe. He had a knife.” Cassie’s heart rate increased. “He stabbed me. I was dizzy. I couldn’t get away from him. Over and over, he stabbed me.” She opened her eyes and wiggled the fingers on her gloved hand. “My gun. I fired; I think. I was so tired.”
Andy grasped her hand. “You fired twice. Your second shot killed him.”
“I don’t feel a bit of guilt. Murderers feel that way.”
“You are no murderer, Cassie. You are a law enforcement officer defending yourself. Given a chance, he would have killed you. What else do you remember?” Andy guided her.
Cassie scrunched up her face as images whizzed through her mind. “He said I would bring a good price.” She rubbed her neck. “He called me a whore and a frigid bitch. He told me I was going to ruin everything. They should have killed me.” Cassie grew frantic.
“Did he give you an idea of who they were?” Andy asked.
“No. What was I ruining? What did I do? Why can’t I remember?” Tears fell from her eyes.
“You need to give yourself time, and even if you don’t remember, we will keep investigating until we get your answers.” Cassie took a tissue Kieran offered and wiped her eyes.
“I have to ask you a tough question. Ian told us about the baby,” Andy said.
Cassie’s face went white.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry,” Ian said, pained.
Cassie screamed at Ian, “There’s your proof.YA gryaznaya shlyukha. Ne brak.”
Kieran looked at his brother. Ian shook his head but stayed quiet.
Javier pulled an envelope from his pocket with a pen. “Cassie, I need permission to exhume William Thomas. We need a sample of his DNA.”
“No, no, no. Please. Let him be. Haven’t I hurt him enough? I have his hair. Take it from that,” Cassie begged.
Kieran placed his hands on the footboard of the bed, his voice soft. “Where is it, Cassie?”
“It’s hidden in the back of my closet. There’s a compartment under a few floorboards.”
“Cassie, your home was broken into. Christian told us you had a book. It wasn’t there,” Kieran sounded as pained as Ian.
She curled into a ball, wrapped her left arm around herself, and rocked. Her eyes scrunched up as more tears rained down her face. “I didn’t want him to die. I swear.” Her lips quivered. “My poor little boy. You have to believe me.” The monitor alarm wailed.
“Cassie, look at us. No one thinks the baby’s death was your fault. It was a tragedy. YOU did nothing wrong. Please, Cassie, let us try to get your answers,” Andy pleaded.
Cassie forced herself forward and ripped the form from Javier’s hand. Grabbing at the pen with her left hand, she signed it and threw everything back at them.
Tucker stood in the doorway. “The interview is over.”
Chapter Thirty
