Explosive Alliance. Susan Sleeman

Opa. “I don’t remember if he was there. Do you?”

      “I only had eyes for my Timbers, but he must have been in his seat. I would have noticed if he arrived after us and got between me and my football game.”

      “Makes sense.” Skyler flipped the page in her notebook. “What time did you arrive?”

      “I didn’t look at the clock.” Krista took a quick sip of water. “But I’d guess it was about ten minutes before the match started.”

      “I concur,” Opa added.

      Skyler jotted a note, then looked up. “What happened after you took your seats?”

      Krista ran through the events in her mind and nothing except her worry of being recognized stood out. “The match started, and it was just the usual things you’d expect. Vendors. People coming and going.”

      Skyler’s eyes bored into Krista. “When did you first notice the man who left the backpack?”

      Krista forced herself to meet Skyler’s intimidating gaze. “I accidently spilled Opa’s water. When he started coughing, I went down to the mezzanine to get more.”

      “That’s when I first saw you,” Cash said with no inflection in his tone to give away his thoughts.

      She nodded as the memory of his intense study and blatant flirtation made her uneasy. She took a quick cleansing breath before she blushed again and drew attention to the attraction between them, then looked Cash straight in the eye. “Then maybe you saw me when I returned, too.”

      “I saw you,” he said, and this time, she saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

       So the flirting continues. Great.

      Despite the desire to look away, Krista kept her focus on him. “That’s when I bumped into the bomber, which means you saw him, too.”

      “Ah...” The flicker in his eyes turned to full-bloom amusement. “I wasn’t exactly focusing on the bomber.”

      Brady snorted. “I could’ve told you that.”

      Cash crossed his arms, the taut muscles flexing. He fired a testy look at Brady.

      Brady laughed. “Hey, man, it would’ve been great if you’d seen the guy, but no one blames you for looking at Krista instead of an ugly old bomber.”

      Chuckles traveled around the table but did nothing to alleviate Krista’s tension.

      Skyler was the only team member who didn’t seem amused. “You bumped into the bomber?”

      Krista nodded. “He was leaving as I was returning from the water fountain. I noticed he’d left his backpack, but when I tried to tell him, he ignored me and kept going. So I stepped in his path to stop him. He stared at me for a minute, then brushed past me.”

      “Why didn’t you tell me, Liebchen?” Opa asked, sounding hurt.

      “I thought he was just a rude man, and I love you, Opa, but I can’t tell you about every rude man I encounter.” She gave Cash a pointed look. “I figured he was headed to the bathroom and would come back for his pack later, so I took my seat. After he didn’t return in fifteen minutes, I looked in the pack. I saw the bomb and remembered Deputy Dixon. I went to tell him about it. He agreed to look at the backpack.”

      Cash pushed off the window and planted his feet. “That’s when the other woman saw the bomb and her warning sent everyone into panic mode. Krista wanted to go after Otto, but she agreed to let me go instead. I scoped out the bomb and rendered it safe.”

      Skyler’s pen hovered over her notebook as she stared at Krista. “Now would be a good time to give us a physical description of the bomber.”

      Images of the creep slunk through her mind. Her hands trembled. She clenched them harder while dredging up the nerve to speak of him.

      “Are you all right, Ms. Curry?” Darcie asked.

      No. She doubted she’d be all right for a very long time. But she wanted this monster caught, so she forced herself back to the moment in the aisle. “He’s Caucasian. Maybe six feet. Thin. I’d say in his late twenties. He wore jeans and a green Timbers sweatshirt with the hood up. I saw a bit of black hair on his forehead. The rest was hidden. His face is long with a pointed chin. His eyes are grayish blue.” Memories of the hatred in his eyes sent a cold chill through her body. “His eyes were mean. Extremely mean.” She shook her head. “Maybe I should’ve known he planned to kill people...all of us. If I had done more to stop him, he might not be free to try again.”

      “Don’t blame yourself, Liebchen.” Opa’s papery-soft hand settled over hers and she clung to him. “You couldn’t have known.”

      “It sounds like you saw him well enough to help our sketch artist render an accurate drawing,” Skyler said. “Are you willing to meet with him?”

      Krista nodded. “I’ll never forget his face. Never.”

      “I’ll set something up for tomorrow. Is there a time that’s best for you?”

      “I teach preschool and the kids need me there. I have two sessions a day. I start at seven and get off at four.”

      Skyler frowned. “I’d rather not wait an entire day. What about a lunch break? Could we do it then?”

      “Yes, if your artist comes to the preschool at noon.”

      “I’ll make sure it happens.” Skyler pulled her gaze from Krista for the first time since the questioning had begun. “Anyone else have questions?”

      Brady looked right at Krista, not the least bit uncomfortable pinning her with a hard stare. “We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t at least ask Ms. Curry if she’s involved in this.”

       Here it comes. The accusations.

      Opa grasped his chest. “Och, not my Krista. She’d never do a thing like this. Don’t you have security cameras that caught our arrival? If so, you can see for yourself that she carried no backpack.”

      “To get through security she would have had to stow the pack with the bomb in advance,” Jake said.

      She crossed her arms. “How could I have gotten materials in here? I have no access.”

      “But a friend might.” Skyler watched Krista carefully, measuring, weighing.

      “I just returned to Portland two weeks ago. After being gone for four years, I know few people in town, let alone someone who works here.”

      Skyler didn’t seem fazed by Krista’s protests. “You were in a premier seating area. Seats like that are hard to come by. How did you get tickets to such an area if you’ve just arrived in town?”

      “Opa’s friend Erwin gave them to us. He has season tickets.” Krista hated that she sounded defensive when she was telling the truth. “We did nothing wrong.”

      Skyler offered Krista an apologetic look. “You aren’t the only person we’ll talk to. There’s a long list of people with access to this place who we’ll thoroughly investigate. I’d appreciate your patience as it will take time to work the list to rule out any connection to you.”

      Translated, Krista was a suspect and would be one for some time. If they dug deep enough into her assumed identity, they’d eventually discover her real name and her supposed role in Toby’s death. Then her life would dissolve in chaos again. People would hurl the title murderer at her again. Add bomber to it. Taunt and embarrass her and Opa. Her throat closed with the thought, and she chugged her water under Darcie’s watchful eyes.

      “You can certainly rule out my Timbers as suspects,” Opa announced, taking the attention from her. “None of the players would ever be involved in such a thing.”

      Krista had to smile at the staunch support of his team.

      “Sorry,