Chapter Four

"I...don't...believe...it," Rudy murmured after Chris had been led away.

"It doesn't make sense," Steve agreed. "Jaime just agreed to marry him; why would Chris try to kill her? And why would he buy a brand-new car, just to wreck it? It just doesn't add up..."

"You don't think he did it," Oscar said, noting his friend's face was more worried than angry.

Russ frowned. "Maybe he's been working for the other side and was leading her on the whole time, gaining her trust, and -"

"I don't think so," Steve interrupted. "I looked in his eyes when I first got here, and there was no guilt...the man is grieving. He loves Jaime..."

"And so do you, Pal," Oscar added quietly.

"Believe me, if I'm wrong about him, if he did this, the NSB will have trouble finding the pieces of him I'll leave behind. But you've always said that when nothing makes sense to trust my gut – and my gut says he didn't do it." He stared into the cubicle at Jaime, who looked smaller and so very fragile amongst the monitors and equipment. Steve swallowed hard, trying to force his own emotions down along with the lump in his throat. "She deserves to have the man she loves by her side...and I think I can help."

- - - - - -

Steve parked his car down the block from Chris' house, unsure of who might still be investigating there. Shocked (but somewhat relieved) to find it deserted, he ambled quickly up the driveway. He noted the pry marks at the bottom of the closed garage door, then made his way slowly around the unfamiliar house until he found a door to the garage, located all the way in back. The lock and the knob had no tool marks on them, but Steve found they turned loosely and easily in his hand and he stepped inside the garage.

Everything seemed to be in its place – and the structure was immaculate. There were no signs of oil or coolant leaks on the cement floor; Williams obviously took great care of his vehicles. Steve also noted a second door, leading into the house from the garage, but he had seen all he needed to see and hurried back to his own car to call Oscar.

- - - - - -

The basement corridor known as The Hole seemed even darker and more threatening than usual as Oscar, Russ and Steve made their way to the tiny interrogation room at the very end of the hall. A single voice could be heard shouting the second they'd stepped into the basement.

"You set your own fiancée up to die – for what?" Hansen was thundering. The answer, if there was one, was too soft to hear. "Dammit – tell me why you did it! Was it money? Were you planning to sell her?"

"No..." Williams anguished, pain-filled voice replied with surprising force.

A metallic rustle and a low thump were followed by silence. Steve didn't wait to hear what might be coming next. Instead, he grasped the handle and pulled the solid steel door directly off its hinges. Hansen and his Chief Investigator, Bill Parr, loomed over a bruised and bloodied Chris Williams. When the door flew off, Parr had picked their prisoner up by the chain of his wrist shackles and was about to either punch him or throw him; upon seeing Steve, he lowered Williams carefully back onto the hard metal bench.

"You're interfering with an NSB investigation, Austin," Parr snarled.

"Maybe the NSB would be interested in knowing they've got an innocent man," Steve countered, with Oscar and Russ both standing – arms folded – directly behind him.

"That's for us to determine," Parr said coldly. "You'll have to leave now."

"Bill..." Hansen said evenly, "maybe we should hear him out."

"You know as well as I do that he's guilty. It was his car that -"

"That was found way too quickly and much too easily," Steve interrupted. "Who headed the team that found it? Oh, let me take a wild guess – you did, didn't you, Mr. Parr – Sir?"

"I don't care much for your tone, Colonel, and I don't like what you're insinuating!" Parr snapped.

"Ugly, isn't it?" Steve mused. "In these cases, the truth usually is. Your good friend, Senator Renshaw, told us everything." Chris sat up a little straighter, rustling the chains that held him. Steve turned to a stunned and silent Hansen. "Jack, take those off of him; we need to get him back to Jaime."

Under Oscar's watchful eye, Russ moved into the room and led Parr away in handcuffs while Steve attempted to explain what had just happened to two very shocked men. "Chris, the back door to your garage opens pretty easily. Anyone wanting to get access to your car would've had no problem."

Chris nodded painfully. "I've got an order in to have that fixed."

"Good. Anyhow, I found pry marks on your garage door, like someone was very determined to make it look like a burglary. Trouble is, a burglar – or a car thieving attempted murderer – would have checked the doors before making such a blatant, out-in-the-open move. Against that aluminum door, pry tools would've made quite the racket and you have neighbors close by on every side. No criminal would risk it, and it would certainly draw attention if you did it yourself. It had to come from the investigating team...and that brings us to Parr. He did a shoddy job at a cover-up; that door should've been bent to hell."

"But why...why Jaime? And with my car?"

"He wanted to lock Jaime away when she tried to retire," Steve said simply. "You attempted to help her. Renshaw told us that Parr was furious – said Jaime cost him a promotion and made him look like a fool. Not that he needs much help in that regard." Steve smiled. "We can fill you in on the rest later, but let's get you back where you belong now: with your fiancée."

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