It was just as well that he stopped working on his project for a while. The feds would be snooping around the inlet and probably come calling. Maybe he ought to send Clarence away for a few days, to cool him off and keep him away from any questions that might come their way. If that idiot spoiled things before he got his chance to set off his bomb, he'd kill him. Clarence was getting on his nerves anyway.

"No, no, no," Fern admonished, rising from her lounge chair. "A platypus has the bill of a duck, Mr. Velasquez. Yours resembles a French horn."

She strode to the c.r.a.pe myrtle and pointed to the snout Chauncey was tr.i.m.m.i.n.g.

"You need to thin this out and lengthen it, make it flatter. You see?" She grasped the area in question and smashed it together with her hands.

"Ah, Senora Bush. You break the tree." He grasped her hands and gently pried them from the myrtle. "It is not a platypus, it is a squirrel."

"A squirrel? Well, no wonder I couldn't recognize it. Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Liberty noticed the two arguing in the backyard, but kept her gaze on the red oak and the tree house above. She eased toward the tree and began to climb. With Addy in town and the rest of the tenants otherwise occupied, she hurried to her destination.

Scampering to the door, she quietly knocked.

"Tommy? It's me, Liberty. I moved into your house-I mean your sister's house. I was hoping you and I could talk."

She could detect no sound from within, but she knew he was in there. Everyone said he never left the tree, and the few nights she had checked from her bedroom window he hadn't. She admired the small house that seemed to blend in with the natural contours of the tree. Peeking through the branches, she could see the inlet and bay beyond, a spectacular view, and a clear sight line had been trimmed near the window. Had Tommy been able to see the reporter from up here? Had he gone down to the sh.o.r.e, threatened by a stranger in his territory? Had they fought and Tommy attacked?

She needed to get inside and meet the man, talk to him and learn what he was, or wasn't, capable of doing. Then she needed to find the connection between the radioactive waste in the Chesapeake and Tommy. Were the two incidents related? It was too coincidental not to think so.

"Tommy? It's okay. I just want to talk with you. Addy said it would be all right."

A sound on the other side of the door gave her hope.

"I lived in a tree once too. I didn't have a nice house like this, but the tree was big and beautiful, and I wanted to save it from some bad men who wanted to chop it down. That's what I do, Tommy. I keep trees and other things from being hurt. I want to help you too, Tommy. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Like what happened to the man down by the water."

She waited a while longer, and just as she was about to give up, the lock in the door turned. A young man in his early twenties, with light brown hair and hazel eyes, stood inside the door. He was thin and pale, not delicately so, but in a way that fit the frame he was born with.

"Addy said it was okay?"

"Sure, like I said. Can I come in?"

Tommy hesitated, appearing timid, afraid, and uncertain.

His mental age was probably at most half his real age. If he was indeed childlike, she would need to treat him as such.

"How about I tell you about the time I was living in the big old redwood tree in California and it started to rain?" As Liberty eased into the house, Tommy backed up cautiously and stood by his bedside. "Mind if I sit down at your table here?"

Tommy shook his head, and as she sat, she noticed the clear view of the inlet and a small house in the distance, a tractor stuck in the mud near its banks. He could see everything.

"You have a very nice place. I can understand why you wouldn't want to ever come down."

Tommy averted his eyes and she wondered at his evasiveness. Was he simply afraid of her? She could use that to her advantage.

"You don't ever leave the tree, right, Tommy?"

"You said you were going to talk about the tree you lived in."

"I will. I'll tell you all about it, but I just want to ask you a few questions first. Then you can ask me all the questions you want about my tree. Okay?"

When he didn't say anything, she continued. "I lived in a redwood tree in California. A redwood tree is really tall, a lot taller than your tree, Tommy. But my tree was in a big forest and I couldn't see much where I was. You can see a long way out your window at the water and the sh.o.r.e."

"Mr. Velasquez cut the branches so I could."

Liberty tucked that bit of information away. So Chauncey Velasquez had been up here too? Addy said only a couple of people had ever been in the tree house. She hadn't mentioned Chauncey. Did Tommy want a better view, or was it Chauncey? Or was it Addy?

"That was nice of him. I'm sure that made it so much better. Did you see anything the day Scott Vinson, the reporter, was killed?"

"Caw! Caw!" Tommy shouted, and jumped onto his bed, bouncing from one end to the other and flapping his arms.

This guy was a total freak. s.h.i.t. She didn't have her service revolver. If he went berserk and attacked her, she'd have a tough time fending him off in this confined s.p.a.ce. Liberty got up and inched toward the door, never turning her back on him. Hearing a noise outside, she glimpsed Addy's car moving down the road.

She didn't want Addy to be p.i.s.sed off at her for coming up here, and she needed to calm Tommy down quickly.

"Sorry, buddy, sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm leaving now, okay? I just want to be friends. I want to talk, that's all."

Tommy stopped flapping his arms and stood still in the middle of his bed.

"That's right, see? Everything's going to be just fine. We'll talk another time, I promise."

Liberty grabbed the doork.n.o.b and yanked it. Hurrying to the ladder, she nearly slid the entire way down.

"Now that resembles a swan," Fern p.r.o.nounced.

"It is a seahorse," Chauncey argued, taking a bite out of the tree with his large pruning shears.

Liberty casually strolled through the yard and observed Chauncey with the potential weapon in his hands. He snipped and sliced with confidence, the cords in his forearms standing out from years of hard work on fishing boats. His dossier stated that he seemed to have no family and had moved to the Cooper house shortly before the murder. She needed to corner him soon.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

Though Karen couldn't hear what the two FBI agents talking with the chief were saying, she could see the expressions on their faces through the gla.s.s windows of the sheriff's office. Just what this town needed, more feds. The diner gossip said they were here investigating the Vinson murder, but Karen knew the real reason. Still, it bothered her that the townspeople believed the department needed help to solve the crime. Almost a week had pa.s.sed and the trail was getting cold.

She got up and poured herself another cup of coffee, still keeping an eye on the men in the office. She had been the one to find the camera case, their first real break, and it had definitely belonged to Vinson. The department was a.s.sembling a team to dredge the waters near the Cooper sh.o.r.eline to try to find the camera, and hopefully they would. But would the film be viable and show anything worthwhile?

Her phone rang and she answered immediately.

"It's Liberty. Can you talk?"

"Go ahead." Karen sat at her desk.

"I just met the Cooper boy. I was-"

"You what?" Karen shot out of her chair.

"I went to see him. Man, what a wacko. He was flying around the room like a seven forty-seven when I left him. He was pretty calm at first, but when I mentioned Vinson, he went off. I'm telling you, the kid knows something."

"s.h.i.t, McDonald. What the h.e.l.l did you do that for? Tommy doesn't leave the tree house and he freaks out when strangers are around. You can't go messing with him like that."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this thing. If he had something to do with the murder, then we'll get a warrant and check out the Cooper place to see what else we can find."

"Tommy? There's no way in h.e.l.l he had anything to do with it."

"If he didn't, there's nothing for you to worry about, is there, Deputy? It'll take a lot of work to get it out of him, but we will. The FBI has all kinds of shrinks on staff."

Karen collapsed into her chair and pressed a fist to her throbbing head. She needed to regain control of this investigation.

She'd drive out to the Coopers' right away and talk to Tommy before it was too late.

"Here, let me help you with that," Liberty offered. She took two bags from Addy, carried them into the house, and set them on the kitchen table.

"Thanks." Addy groaned. "I had a lot to get at the hardware store today. I want Dale to replace some broken hinges and doork.n.o.bs, and fix some other things around here when he's done painting the house. He's doing a great job, don't you think?"

"Yes. It must be tiring to be responsible for this big place and a brother who, well, who needs a lot of attention."

"Tell me about it. I get sore just from climbing up and down the tree."

"Turn around," Liberty ordered. When Addy hesitatingly obliged, Liberty placed her hands on Addy's shoulders and began to ma.s.sage them.

"Oh, G.o.d, that feels good." Addy sighed and dropped her head.

"That's right, let it go." Liberty ran her hands up and down Addy's back and shoulders. She traced a line from Addy's neck to her waist, then let her hands slip to the front of Addy's stomach and gently pulled Addy into her. She kissed her neck and shoulders while she rubbed gentle circles. When Addy relaxed against her and her head fell back, Liberty nibbled the underside of her jaw.

She let her hands roam farther north and cupped Addy's b.r.e.a.s.t.s, stroking them with her thumbs.

"Oh, yes," Addy hissed.

Liberty smiled. It wouldn't be long now. The tug in her belly made her even more eager to get Addy between the sheets. It was there she discovered the most important secrets about a woman.

And she would discover Addy's. Once Addy opened up to her, so to speak, Liberty would be able to get her to talk about Tommy.

She wanted to know more about his mental capacity and any violent tendencies. She'd have the two new agents in town dig into any police records concerning him.

Movement outside the window caught Liberty's eye, and she was surprised to see Karen striding rapidly toward the house.

This was going to be good. The back door was open, with only the screen door separating them from the outside. Would Karen stop to knock? At the moment, she resembled a charging bull, blind to all but the red cape in front of her. True to Liberty's prediction, Karen barged into the kitchen without stopping.

Addy leapt from Liberty's arms, hastily pulled her knit top down, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Karen. Hi, we were just, uh..."

Karen was so angry, and so intent on talking to Addy, even though she didn't know what she would say, that she was stunned to find her in Liberty's arms. She almost threw a punch at Liberty.

She clenched and unclenched her fist, and her body shook so violently she had to stop and force herself to calm down.

"What are you doing, Addy?" Karen asked through clenched teeth.

"Afternoon, Officer. Is there a problem?" Liberty asked.

Her smug expression infuriated Karen because she couldn't say or do anything about it. She couldn't warn Addy any more than she already had about Liberty, and she certainly couldn't tell her that Liberty was with the FBI, possibly investigating her and her brother. If Addy learned who she really was, she'd kick her out of her house and blow her cover, and Karen would probably lose her job. Liberty knew exactly what she was doing by seducing Addy, but she was going too far.

"No problem, Ms. McDonald. Addy, we need to talk. Come on." Karen held the screen door open for her.

"Excuse me, Officer?" Addy bristled. "Are you ordering me into the backyard?"

Karen momentarily controlled her anger, though it took every ounce of her strength.

"I'm sorry. Would you please come outside? I have something important to discuss with you."

"Excuse me, Liberty," Addy said.

"Certainly." Liberty smiled warmly at her.

Addy stalked out into the yard but didn't stop. She was angry at Karen for insinuating that she had staked a claim on her-and at herself for having been caught in such a compromising position.

Liberty's caresses aroused yet embarra.s.sed her. It would serve Karen right after what happened with Miss Wilson, but why did she feel so guilty when Karen saw her with Liberty?

Karen caught up with her, grabbed her shoulder, and spun her around, snapping, "What the h.e.l.l do you think you're doing with her?"

"What the h.e.l.l business is it of yours?" Addy snapped back.

She wished Karen would remove her hand from her shoulder. The heat that seeped into her skin and Karen's nearness set her body on fire. Some of their best lovemaking had been make-up s.e.x. Just the memory of some of those encounters made her weak.

"I thought we were going out next week."

"What of it? We're having a friendly dinner, nothing more."

"Addy, you know I want more than that."

"Well, your chances are going from slim to none if you keep this up. You have no right to tell me who I can see."

"Okay, all right." Karen held up her hands defensively. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "That's not why I came. I want to talk to Tommy."

Addy's anger deflated and she was instantly wary. "Tommy? What for?"

"I need to ask him a few questions. Don't worry. It's nothing. Tommy trusts me. I've spent most of my life around him. If he gets upset, I'll stop."

"What are you going to ask him about?" Addy glanced up at the tree house. "I told you, he doesn't know anything."

"We need to be certain. Better me than someone else. And I a.s.sure you, if the feds find out about Tommy, they won't ask permission. Please, Addy."

"I'll go with you."