CHAPTER 9

Caleb knew he had made a mistake as soon as he walked into the room. The dark-haired woman stiffened and sat back in her chair, an attempt to put as much space as possible between them.

What had he been thinking? That she would welcome him into the room? He should have asked Ridge to go ahead of him and introduce him. It wouldn’t have eliminated her fear, the shock of coming face to face with her attacker. But it might have lessened the impact.

Still there was more than fear in her eyes. There was anger. And questioning. She appeared to be trying to make sense of what was happening around her. It was that confusion—in her eyes and in her body language—that convinced Caleb she was an innocent victim of Evans’s. Just like the hundreds, maybe thousands, who stood to be hurt by him. Or already had been.

Caleb prayed to God that he and Ridge could do a good job with this interrogation. If she knew enough, they could be on the verge of a major break in the Evans case. Danielle Kemp had only to provide them with a few important details, and they would be well on their way to a warrant.

Maybe even prosecution.

The latter thought was so appealing it didn’t matter to him at the moment whether Danielle Kemp was guilty or innocent. One woman’s temporary discomfort was a small price to pay. He waited for Ridge to begin.

Danni studied the face of the man who had attacked her. For a moment, he met her gaze, then he turned to the older man who had preceded him into the room. Judging from how the first man carried himself, he was in charge. And the scowl on his face indicated he wasn’t happy to be here.

Well, neither was she. She stood to leave.

“Sit, Ms. Kemp!” The unhappy man barked.

“Not until I find out why you’re holding me here.” She pointed to her attacker. “And why is he here?”

“Danielle . . .”

Her attacker knew her name!

“I’m Caleb Samuels.” He spoke softly. “I’m a special agent and undercover officer for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.”

“The TBI?” Danni looked from the younger man to the older man, and then back again. “I don’t understand.”

Samuels nodded toward his partner. “This is Martin Ridge, my boss and the head of the Drug Investigation Division.”

“But why—? I don’t—”

Lieutenant Hale stepped into Danni’s peripheral vision. “Ma’am, these gentlemen only want to ask a few questions. I’ll be in the hall if you need me.” He offered her a reassuring smile. “Please, have a seat.”

As the door clicked behind him, Danni lowered herself into a chair. “What’s this all about?”

The younger man spoke again. “We’re investigating a crime that’s related to the break-in last week. As Lieutenant Hale said, we only want to ask you a few questions.” He gestured to the older man, who was now occupying the chair at the end of the table, opposite her. “We appreciate your time today. Don’t we, sir?”

The older man grunted.

“May I?” Samuels pointed to the chair next to Danni.

She nodded, and he took a seat.

“I want to begin with an apology.” He ran his hand through his well-coiffed hair. “What happened last week was unfortunate, but I want you to know I did it with the full intent of keeping you safe. I had to react quickly, and with force, to protect you from what could have been a deadly situation.”

Danni considered his face as he spoke. His chiseled features would be somewhat handsome in other circumstances. “I was undercover that evening, and I’m sure my choice of wardrobe added to your misunderstanding.” He placed his badge on the table between them.

His credentials looked legitimate, and his explanation seemed reasonable. Perhaps his story was plausible.

“I hope my dog didn’t hurt you too badly.” Danni apologized.

Samuels rubbed his forehead. “Not as much as your vase.”

Heat rushed to Danni’s cheeks. “If I’d only known.”

He grinned. “Of course. You had no idea.”

“But why were you on the street that morn—?”

Ridge interrupted from the end of the table. “Now that we’ve made small talk, let’s move forward with the business at hand.” Considering the lines in his face, the older man appeared to wear a permanent scowl. “We need a few answers from you, Ms. Kemp.”

Danni tilted her chin upwards. “I hope it won’t take long. I’m already late for work.”

Ridge shook his head and grunted. “That will depend on how forthcoming you are.”

“Ms. Kemp.” It was Samuels again. He hesitated. “May I call you Danielle?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

He flashed a near perfect smile. “How well do you know Robert Evans?”

“What do you mean? Rob is . . . my fiancé.” She rethought her reply. “Well, actually, we’re about to become engaged.”

“So you know him very well.” Ridge asked, making it sound like an allegation.

“Of course. I wouldn’t marry someone I didn’t know. Would you?”

“That’s unfortunate.” The older man shook his head and set his coffee cup on the table.

Danni glanced to Samuels, but he remained quiet.

She continued. “Rob and I have dated for more than two years. Of course, I don’t know everything about him.” Not that it was any of their business. “We live separately.”

“I understand he travels for a living?” Samuels asked.

“He does. He manages entertainers.” She glanced toward Ridge. “A long list of them.”

“Do you have any idea how much Mr. Evans earns a year?”

Danni leaned back in her chair. “What does all of this have to do with a burglary at Rob’s apartment? You’re acting as though he’s the criminal. It was his place that was burglarized.”

She looked from one man to another, but neither responded.

“As I’ve said, Rob and I aren’t married, and I don’t expect to know everything about his financial matters.” She took a moment to calculate. “I would guess he earns in the mid-six figures.”

“Only six?” Ridge sneered. “So can you please explain to me how he maintains an overseas bank account in the millions?”

Danni started.

“Perhaps you weren’t aware of that, Ms. Kemp?” Ridge seemed to delight in surprising her.

She folded her hands in her lap and chose to remain silent, wondering what these men were after.

“Danielle,” Agent Samuels’s voice soothed, “this may be a surprise to you, but we believe Robert Evans is involved in the international distribution of drugs.”

Danni choked out a laugh. “You are kidding, right? Rob?” She glanced from one man to the other, and then shook her head. “You heard that from someone in the music industry, didn’t you?”

All of this was becoming perfectly clear.

“Rob is not well-liked among his peers. They’re jealous because of his success.”

Samuels’s dark eyes softened. “So you believe what we’re suggesting is rumor?”

“Where else would something like that come from?” She searched the agent’s face for a connection. He must understand peer rivalry. He looked to be about Rob’s age, perhaps in his early thirties, although he was much rougher around the edges. Attractive, but not handsome like Rob.

She took in a long breath, exhaled, and forced a smile. “Look . . . Rob is a genteel kind of a guy. He would rather play tennis or travel on that bus of his than to get his hands dirty.” She looked directly at Ridge, not trying to hide her dismay. “Much less deal in a petty street crime.”

“Petty street crime?” The older man mocked her with a heavy sigh.

Samuels nodded. Thankfully, one of them understood.

“Rob isn’t the kind of person who would go out looking for trouble, no matter what gossip you might have heard about him.”

“Our sources are not gossip, Ms. Kemp.” The older man stood and crossed the room. “We’ve been watching your boyfriend for weeks. You may not know him as well as you think you do.” He stood over her, his face contorting in anger. “Or is this your attempt to distance yourself from him?”

“Are we finished now?” Danni struggled to get to her feet, but her knees buckled, and she fell backwards into her chair. She looked from Ridge to Samuels.

“We’re not finished, Ms. Kemp.” Ridge turned to walk back to his seat. “And you won’t leave until we say you can leave.”

“I don’t understand.”

Ridge pivoted and pointed his finger at her. “Let me make myself clear then. If you don’t give us the information we need about Robert Evans, we will charge you as an accessory to the crime.”

“Crime? What crime?” None of this made sense. It was Rob’s condo that had been broken into. Her stomach began to churn.

The corners of Ridge’s lips tightened, and his already pasty skin turned whiter. “Transporting illegal drugs across state lines for the purpose of resale. Money laundering. And conspiracy to commit fraud against the US government.”