31

Maria stood there as Conrad drove off to park the car.

Morgan hurried to her side. With gun drawn, she escorted Maria into the hotel.

Two FBI agents stood on either side of the door.

Maria was hustled into the room where two more blue-jacketed men stood. Her throat constricted. They didn’t look very friendly. Convincing them of her innocence might be harder than she thought.

Her stomach clenched. She was getting a funny feeling. One she didn’t like.

“Where’s Layla?” Morgan asked. “You were supposed to bring her with you.”

“She’s at a friend’s.”

The woman actually gritted her teeth as she spoke. “That wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen. Where is she?”

“Why do you need to know?” Maria’s instincts were screaming and it took everything she had not to panic.

“Because she needs to be moved to a new location.”

She? Not they? Maria’s pulse sped up. “Don’t you mean we need to be moved to a new location?”

Morgan wouldn’t look at her.

Maria touched Morgan’s arm. “What’s the problem? What’s going on? I want to know. I have a right to know.”

One of the agents stepped forward. He was large and imposing. “I’m Nat Daniels, special-agent-in-charge.”

Maria nodded.

Nat Daniels turned to Morgan. “We don’t have time for this, Reed. We’ve got a job to do. You said the girl would be with her. She’s not and that’s not our problem. You can deal with that later.”

Maria backed away. Something bad was happening here and she needed to leave. Needed to get to Conrad.

A second man stepped forward. “Maria Hammond, you’re under arrest for the murder of Julianna Vance. Put your hands behind your back.” He put a hand on her arm.

“Who is Julianna Vance?” She jerked away from him. “I didn’t kill any—”

Two of the other FBI agents forced her to the floor. They twisted her arms behind her back.

“Do not resist arrest.” Someone’s voice droned in her ear.

Her face was smashed against the carpet and she couldn’t breathe. Cold metal cuffs were snapped around her wrists. She was pulled up from the floor by her arms.

She stared at them. This couldn’t be happening. She’d thought they were on her side. They were supposed to listen to her, not arrest her. They were supposed to be concerned about Raymond or whoever was calling her. How could they believe she killed someone?

Someone knocked on the door. The agents looked at each other, and then at Morgan Reed. She shrugged.

“Conrad Travis. Sunberry Police Department.”

“Who invited him to the party?” Nat Daniels glared at the door and then at Morgan.

“Not me,” Morgan said. “I thought he was dropping her off. That was the plan.”

Conrad knocked again, louder and more forceful.

Nat Daniels grimaced. “You apparently didn’t have your plans straight. We can’t have him drawing attention to himself or us. Let him in.”

Maria struggled to keep tears from falling.

Conrad must have known what they were going to do, and he hadn’t even warned her what was about to happen. Maybe she’d been wrong about him.

The fourth agent opened the door.

Conrad’s gaze took in the room full of agents, and then found her. His eyes widened. “What is going on here?”

Morgan Reed stepped in between them. “We all need to stay calm. She’s under arrest.”

Conrad went to Maria. “Why? You surely didn’t have time to listen to her account. What happened?”

She turned so he could see the handcuffs. Her voice shook as she spoke. “They arrested me. For murder.” Tears seeped out.

His hand moved towards her cheek. He wiped away her tears. She was grateful for the physical contact. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Don’t worry. We’ll work it out.” He turned back to the group who stood silently watching them. “We were told you wanted to question her. Nothing was said about an arrest.”

Maria’s muscles relaxed. Conrad hadn’t abandoned her to the FBI wolves.

The leader stepped forward. “It wasn’t your business. It was on a need to know basis.”

“This woman and her child are my business, and I’m not going to let you arrest her. Putting her in jail will only make her a bigger target.” He turned to Morgan Reed. “How could you let this happen?”

“I…I…”

“Don’t bother with an explanation. Save it for your bosses.” His tone was more than disgusted—it was on the verge of angry.

He hadn’t betrayed her.

“Take the cuffs off her. She isn’t a danger to anyone.”

“She resisted arrest.” Nat Daniels told Conrad.

Conrad looked at her. A smile tugged at his mouth and he winked. “Did you resist arrest, Ms. Hammond?”

“Not really. I was just surprised. I reacted without thinking.”

He put a hand on her arm and turned to the others. “I don’t know why you arrested her, but you’re making a mistake.”

“No mistake.” Morgan said. “Forensic evidence doesn’t lie.”

“In this case, it does.” Conrad’s voice was firm. “We have proof she wasn’t even in the state at the time of the murder.”

Nat Daniels looked at Morgan. “Why wasn’t I told about that?”

Morgan’s cheeks flamed red. “I didn’t know.”

“There seems to be a lot of things you don’t know, Marshal Reed.” Nat looked back at Conrad. “What’s the proof?”

“We have her, her car, and her child on video at a gas station in Kentucky at the approximate time of the murder. Along with a receipt with the time stamped on it. There’s no way she could have killed Julianna Vance. The time of death is while she was on the road in Kentucky.”

Nat Daniel’s face flushed red. “Where’s the proof?”

“Back at the station. The plan was supposed to be you interviewing Maria, and then we could go back to the station and give you the evidence.”

The two men locked eyes as if assessing the integrity of the other. Nat Daniels held out a hand. “I’m Nat Daniels.”

Conrad shook the offered hand. “Conrad Travis, Sunberry Police Department.”

“I’ve got your word that this evidence exists?”

“Absolutely.”

The two men stared at each other.

Nat Daniels nodded. “Take the cuffs off her.”