Fatal Series 01 - Fatal Affair

holiday issue.
    “Senator O’Connor and I were involved for a number of years. I assumed you’d want to speak to me at some point. May I offer you something? Coffee or a cold drink?”
    Before Freddie could accept, Sam said, “No, thank you. Do you mind if we record this conversation?”
    Natalie shook her head, and Sam gestured for Freddie to turn on the recorder.
    Sam began by noting the people present and the location of their interview. “Can you tell me where you were on Tuesday between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m.?”
    While Natalie might have been expecting them, she clearly hadn’t been expecting that. “I’m a suspect? ”
    “Until we determine otherwise, everyone is. Your whereabouts?”
    “I was here,” she stammered. “With my husband.”
    “His name?”
    “Noel Jordan.”
    “And where might we find him to confirm this?”
    “He’s the special assistant attorney general at Justice.” She rattled off an address in the city. “He’s at work right now.”
    With the wave of her hand to encompass the room, Sam said, “Swanky digs for a guy on a government salary.”
    “His family has…they’re wealthy.”
    “Can you tell me the nature of your relationship with Senator O’Connor?”
    Hands twisting in her lap, Natalie said, “We were involved, romantically, for just over three years.”
    “And it ended when?”
    “About four years ago,” she sighed. “A year or so after he was elected.”
    “Were you in love with him?”
    “Very much so,” she said with a wistful expression that had Sam speculating that Natalie’s feelings for the senator remained intact.
    “Why did the relationship end?”
    “I wanted to get married. He didn’t.” She shrugged. “We argued about it. Several times. After one particularly nasty disagreement, he said our relationship had run its course and we should think about seeing other people.”
    “And how did you feel about that?”
    “Devastated and shocked. I loved him. I wanted to spend my life with him. I had no idea he was that unhappy.”
    “Did he love you?”
    “He said he did, but there was always something…off, I guess you could say. I was never entirely convinced he loved me the same way I loved him.”
    “Must’ve pissed you off to get dumped by the guy you’d planned to marry.”
    Raw blue eyes flashed with emotion. “I was too crushed to be pissed, Sergeant. And if you’re wondering if I killed him, I can assure you I didn’t. In fact, I was quite certain I was over him until I heard he was dead.” Tears suddenly spilled down her porcelain cheeks. She wiped at them with a practiced gesture that indicated she’d done a lot of crying in the last few days. “Since then, I can’t seem to turn off the waterworks.” Pausing for a moment, she added, “I have a nice life now with a man I adore, a man who’s good to me. I’d have nothing to gain by harming John.”
    “Do you still have a key to the senator’s apartment at the Watergate?”
    “I, um, I don’t know.” She appeared genuinely perplexed. “I might.”
    “So you had one when you were dating?”
    “I lived with him there for the last year or so of our relationship.” Red blotches formed on her cheeks. “I don’t recall giving the key back to him when I moved out.”
    “I need to ask you something of a personal nature, and I apologize in advance if it offends you.”
    “Everything about this offends me, Sergeant. A good man, a man I loved, has been murdered. It offends me on a very deep level.”
    “I understand. However, my job is to find out who killed him, and to do that I have to ask you about his sexual preferences.”
    Taken aback, Natalie said, “What do you mean?”
    “Was he into anything kinky?”
    Her cheeks went from blotchy to flaming. “We enjoyed a satisfying sex life if that’s what you’re asking.”
    “Did he tie you up?” Sam asked, playing a hunch based on the type of porn they’d found on his computer. “Did he get rough? Want more than the usual deal?”
    “I don’t have to answer that,” Natalie stuttered. “It’s my personal business, his personal business.”
    “Yes, it is, but aspects of his murder were intensely personal, so if you’d answer the questions, I’d appreciate it.”
    Natalie took a long deep breath and exhaled it as she spun a huge diamond engagement ring around on her finger. “He was a creative lover.”
    Sam used her trademark steely stare to let Natalie know she’d have to do better