Page 61

Jacques nodded. “And then the gunman opened fire on Ms. French.”

Beaumont’s gaze shifted to Danny. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Sarley was hit,” Jacques said. “He’s currently in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.”

“Did he see the face of the man who shot him?” Beaumont asked.

Danny shook her head. “It was a drive-by shooting. No one saw his face.”

“Whoever fired the shot is guilty of attempted murder. If someone hired him to make those shots, that person is also guilty of attempted murder.”

Beaumont shook his head. “I didn’t hire anyone to shoot anyone else.”

“But you hired Sarley to break into Ms. French’s apartment,” Remy said. Not a question.

“I was following orders, helping resolve what was presented as a potentially damaging misunderstanding.”

Jacques’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out. The message was from Swede.

While Jacques read the message, Beaumont went on. “Sarley was to follow Ms. French and retrieve the papers. Nothing else. I didn’t hire a gunman. I wouldn’t do that.”

“You realize you paid someone to stalk me and commit a crime by breaking and entering my apartment,” Danny said. “That’s a crime. You could go to jail and lose your commission.”

“I was following orders,” Beaumont said. “I do what I’m told.”

“That’s not the worst of it.” Jacques looked up and stared straight into Beaumont’s eyes. “Were you aware that, during that timeframe, Colonel Jeffries returned from Germany a day earlier than expected?”

Beaumont’s gaze shifted from Jacques to Remy and back to Jacques. “He’s not always required to stay the full length of exercises. It’s been years. I can’t always remember what his past plans were.”

“Curtis Hale has an email from you about the hotel reservation he paid for. In that email, you specifically said Jeffries was expected back early from Germany and needed a room that night. You made the hotel arrangements in the same hotel Ms. French made arrangements to stay in and that she had to get approval from her command to do.”

Danny gasped.

Beaumont’s face paled. “I don’t get into the specifics of Colonel Jeffries plans. He expects me to arrange flights and hotels. I do that.” The major glanced toward the door. “Is this meeting being kept confidential?”

“We’re not the police, FBI or the Army CID,” Remy said. “We just want to know what happened that night and who was involved. This meeting was purely voluntary. We can’t detain you or promise immunity. That’s for you to negotiate with whoever finds issue with your actions.”

Jacques pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Beaumont. “This is my number. If you have anything else you want to share, call me. Day or night.”

Beaumont took the card, pushed back from the table and stood. “I’m done here.” He headed for the door. He opened it, looked left, then right, frowned and stepped out.

Jacques followed him to the door.

Beaumont hurried past Beau and Anton, who’d come to stand guard at the door while he’d been inside. He didn’t slow, glancing over his shoulder as he rounded the corner at the end of the corridor.

Danny came to stand beside Jacques. “What frightens a man more than being caught hiring a man to stalk me and break into my apartment?”

“He didn’t know Sarley had been shot,” Jacques said.

Danny stared down the empty hallway. “Beaumont asked if anyone had seen the shooter’s face.” She glanced up at Jacques. “As if he were looking for confirmation.”

Jacques nodded. “He knows who the shooter is.”

Danny curled her hand into the crook of Jacques’s elbow. “He’s afraid he’ll be the next target.”

Caleb emerged from the conference room next door and joined Danny, Jacques, Remy, Anton and Beau. “I take it that didn’t go well.”

Jacques tilted his head, his gaze on the empty corridor. “Actually, I think it did. We have another piece of the timeline.”