SEVENTEEN
While Nathan drove, Erin texted Mom to check on her, then a call came through with a Washington area code. Erin’s heart jumped. She quickly answered. “Erin Larson.”
“Dr. Larson,” a familiar voice said. “This is Detective Munson with the Seattle PD.”
“What can I do for you?” She glanced at Nathan, tossing him an apologetic look.
He gave her a brief concerned glance before focusing back on the road. She hoped he couldn’t hear the call, but sometimes voices carried in small spaces.
“I’m calling to give you information regarding the boating accident.” She suddenly remembered that Detective Munson had called the day she’d gone in search of Nathan, and she never had the chance to return the call. Fortunately, she’d been able to quickly get a replacement cell with her same number before their Boston excursion.
Her heart rate kicked up. “I thought it had already been resolved.”
“Not so much. In fact, I’m no longer sure it was an accident.”
Her stomach knotted. She wasn’t certain she wanted to listen to this while Nathan was sitting next to her, possibly able to hear the detective. Nathan already had enough to worry about. She considered offering to return the detective’s call when she had more time to talk. And more privacy. However, she was anxious to hear what he had to say.
She angled away from Nathan. “Please explain.”
“We had trouble tracking down the boat to start, and then we couldn’t locate the owner. But we finally found him. It would appear he was physically separated from his boat before the incident.”
Erin frowned. “I’m not following you.”
“There’s no other way to tell you, other than to just say it. The boat owner was murdered. We believe he was murdered so that his boat could be taken. Given this new information, I want to rule out the possibility that the boater intentionally targeted you and Miss Edwards.”
Erin tensed and tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. “I’m so sorry that someone was murdered. Are there any other leads you’re tracking? Other possible motivation for the murder or other targets? I can’t think of any reason why Carissa and I would be targeted.”
“I agree it was probably an accident, and you and Miss Edwards were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. But I think it prudent to be certain and to rule out that the boating incident was deliberate.”
Erin cracked the window for more air. “Thank you for your thoroughness. Have you spoken with Carissa? Does she know?”
“Yes. And I’d like to talk to you in more detail. Miss Edwards shared that you’re in Montana. Can you come back to Seattle for additional questioning?”
“At the moment, I’m on the East Coast on a business trip. What else can I do to help? I’m happy to speak with you over the phone or even a video chat for the time being.”
“Just answer a few questions for me now. Can you think of anyone who would want to harm you?”
“No. There’s ... just no reason.”
“No ex-boyfriends?”
Erin glanced at Nathan. “I can only speak for myself when I say there are no past boyfriends who would want to harm me.”
Nathan stared straight ahead and worked his jaw.
Erin kept her breaths even. “I can’t speak for Carissa, though. But I can’t believe anyone would try to hurt her. Still, I think you’re right to cover all the bases.” God, keep Carissa safe.
“She’ll be coming in to talk to me this afternoon. What about someone connected with your job as a forensic evaluator for the State of Washington?”
Erin squeezed her eyes shut and racked her brain. Had someone been unhappy, displeased with the outcome of a case due to something she’d written in a report? “I’m behind the scenes. I review criminal and civil information, write up relevant history for those who struggle with mental health issues. I’ve ... I’ve never been called upon as an expert witness even. As far as I know, I have no enemies.”
“I’ve been looking into this. Your report is what tells the court if someone is competent to stand trial, isn’t that correct?”
She cleared her throat. “Um ... well ... yes. But the outcomes of the reports are in the hands of legal professionals. As for my job, I haven’t been working in this position all that long. In fact, I’m working under a more senior evaluator. I can’t think of anyone who would target me.”
“Well, keep thinking on it, and please contact me if you remember something.”
“I promise I’ll get back to you if I think of anything that could help.”