Free US Marshall 01 - Cold Ridge by Carla Neggers Page A

be here if was able to. He'd known Carine since childhood and had almost married her in February, and Manny was a friend. They'd gone on missions together. "He must be on leave-he'll have heard about Manny's predicament. Word like that travels like wildfire."
    "I don't think he's here because of Mr. Carrera. Not directly."
    Sterling nodded, sighing. "Of course. Carine." He pictured Tyler North, a compact, rugged man, incredibly loyal despite being something of a loner himself. "Well, she won't like it, but I suppose having him here will be a distraction for her."
    "What do you want me to do?" Turner asked.
    "About Tyler?"
    Sterling thought a moment. He hated the situation he was in, how out of control it felt. Boston 's best homicide detectives were on the case, but he wasn't involved-they didn't answer to him. A man, an employee, had been found murdered in a house he owned. Everything about him and his life was fair game. Yet the murderer was probably a drifter, a petty thief or a drug addict, who'd wandered in after Louis stupidly left the door open and, for reasons that might never be known, decided to shoot him.
    The police had no motive, no murder weapon, no suspect in custody. Until they did, Sterling thought, he and Jodie, Gary Turner, Carine Winter, Manny Carrera- none of them would have much room to maneuver.
    " Tyler 's a friend," he told Turner. "Do nothing."

Six
    Boston Public Garden, which dated back to 1859, was one of Carine's favorite places in the city. Its curving Victorian paths, lawns, gardens, statues, benches and more than six hundred trees were enclosed within arched, wrought-iron fences, making it feel like a retreat, as if she'd stepped back in time.
    If only she could step back to yesterday morning, she thought. She could warn Louis not to go back to the Rancourt house alone-delay him, get in the car with him, talk him into watching the pigeons with her.
    She crossed the small bridge over the shallow pond where the famed Swan Boats, a century-plus tradition, would cruise during warmer months. They were put away for the season, and now just fallen leaves floated on the water. But she didn't linger, instead took a walkway over to Tremont Street and the Four Seasons Hotel. When the Rancourts had people in town on business, they tended to put them up at the Four Seasons. Manny Carrera couldn't afford it on his own. Neither could she, but if she wasn't paying the tab, she'd stay there. Maybe Manny would, too.
    She entered the elegant lobby and wandered over to a seating area that looked across Tremont to the Public Garden, its soft sofas and high-backed chairs occupied by a handful of well-dressed men and women in business attire. Carine felt out of place in her barn coat but didn't worry about it-she didn't plan to stay.
    She spotted Manny on a love seat in front of a window as he drank coffee from a delicate china cup. He wore a dark suit with a blue tie and motioned for her to join him, shaking his head as she sat on a chair opposite him. "I saw you beating a path across the park. Got a brainstorm I was here?"
    "It's not a park. You're not supposed to walk on the grass."
    "Then what is it?"
    "A public botanical garden. It was designed by Frederick Olmsted. He did Central Park, too, which
is
a park."
    "Ah."
    She leaned forward. "Manny-"
    "I'm stuck here, Carine. You're not. Why don't you go home?"
    "I am home. I live in Boston now."
    "
For
now, you mean."
    "Why are you stuck here? Did the police say you can't leave? You're not under arrest or you wouldn't be here."
    He shrugged, not answering. He had broad shoulders, a thick neck-his suit was tight around his upper arms and thighs. He was six feet tall and strongly built. Carine doubted the PJ Physical Abilities and Stamina Test had given him any trouble. He and Ty both insisted a pararescueman didn't have to be big, but Manny was one who was.
    "Manny, I'm not trying to interfere in your business. I just-" She sighed, uncertain how she could explain why