A Profiler's Case for Seduction - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,46
it would instantly prove his innocence in the scene the night before and would also discount him as the man in the tape with Melinda. Melinda’s captor had also been medium build and in good physical condition.
Nick Jeffries had been invited to the four-o’clock briefing. Mark and his team had managed to play nice with the local law enforcement, and Nick had made it easy as the liaison between the two.
Certainly Nick had a personal interest in seeing the crimes solved. Not only had he made notification of death to Peter Burris’s wife, but when Suzie Burris’s life had been threatened, Nick had not only protected her but also had fallen hard for the new mother and recently widowed woman.
The nice thing was that unlike what so often happened in cases where the FBI was brought in, there was no pissing contest between the two law enforcement agencies.
They were all working for an arrest and conviction and it didn’t matter who got the job done or who took the glory, just as long as it got done. It was a united effort. Unfortunately, the Vengeance police force hadn’t been able to come up with any more than the FBI.
A dark-haired man who appeared to be in his early forties hurried toward them, his arms full of papers and a couple of textbooks.
“Excuse me,” he said to Richard as he unlocked the office door and disappeared inside and then closed the door behind him. Richard looked at Mark.
“Could be him,” Mark said softly. Andrew Peterson couldn’t be ruled out by his body type and size alone. Mark knocked on the door.
“Enter,” Andrew yelled through the door.
As they opened the door and stepped inside the small office, Andrew looked up from his desk, his gaze narrowing slightly as he faced the two men. He rose to his feet. “I was expecting it to be a student. Can I help you, gentlemen?”
As Richard made the introductions, Mark stared at the man who might or might not be part of the puzzle. Andrew Peterson was a nice-looking man. His blue eyes held a touch of wariness, which wouldn’t be considered unusual in the circumstances of being confronted by two FBI agents.
Andrew motioned them to two straight-back chairs in front of his desk. “We thought it was time we had a little chat with you,” Richard began as he and Mark sat down.
“About?”
“Melinda Grayson,” Mark said flatly, watching Peterson’s features carefully for tells. There was a faint flare in his eyes and his mouth tightened. The tells were barely discernible, but Mark had been trained to watch for them, to recognize them.
“Professor Grayson,” Andrew replied. “A terrible thing that happened to her, but what does that have to do with me?”
“We were just wondering who broke off the affair, you or her, or if the affair is still ongoing?” Mark went straight for the man’s jugular.
Andrew sputtered incoherently and blinked several times like an owl unexpectedly caught in the daylight. He turned his gaze from Mark to Richard and then back again. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, we think you do,” Richard replied smoothly.
“We know about the affair, Mr. Peterson. What we need to know now is if it has ended or if it is still ongoing,” Mark said, his gaze pinning the man in his chair. “Or perhaps you’d feel more comfortable answering our questions down at the courthouse.”
Andrew jumped out of his chair and for an instant Mark thought he intended to run from the office. Instead he walked over to the door and closed it, then returned to his seat behind his desk, his eyes glimmering with the shame of a guilty man.
“Please, I’d much rather answer your questions here. This is rather a delicate situation.”
“Adultery is usually a delicate situation,” Richard said drily.
“So, tell us about you and Melinda,” Mark said, noting that a fine sheen of sweat had appeared just above Peterson’s upper lip.
“There really isn’t much to tell,” Andrew replied. “I knew Melinda around campus, but our paths rarely passed because we’re in different departments, housed in different buildings.”
He leaned back in his chair and stared at a photograph on his desk. Although Mark couldn’t see anything but the back of the picture frame he guessed that it was the requisite photo of Andrew’s happy, smiling family.
Andrew shook his head and instead focused his attention out the nearby window, as if unable to look at the picture while he talked about Melinda.