Page 23 of The Warrior
“Is Karen Marie a friend of yours?”
The woman nodded. “We’re all friends here.”
“Did you confront the man?” Hans asked with surprise.
“I didn’t get a chance to. You have to understand that at the time I thought he was desperate because he’d lost his house. If I’d known he was an Nman, I would have reported him right away.” She folded her arms. “He took off when I came close. I only saw him from the side, but he had a large scar on his neck and jawline.”
“Did the man look like this?” Hans showed her the picture we had of Jonathan.
She wrinkled her forehead. “Do you have a picture of him without the beard?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
She studied the picture. “It’s hard to say. I only got a glimpse of him from the side, but it could be him.”
“Was the man you saw shaved?”
“Yes, he was.” She looked speculative. “Do you think he shaved at our house?”
“I can’t tell. Would you mind us looking around to be sure he’s not hiding somewhere?” I asked.
Her eyes softened in a grateful smile. “That would be very kind of you. The thought that a real Nman has been here is scary. If you could make sure he’s gone I would appreciate it.”
“Good idea. Laura,” Hans said with a nod, “you search, while I ask some more questions.”
If I had wanted a chance to prove that I didn’t need a man to hide behind, I’d hit the jackpot with Hans. No Nman would have let me search the house for a potential criminal by myself. Hans on the other hand seemed comfortable with hiding behind me instead of going first.
I was disappointed that Jonathan hadn’t hidden in the house since I wanted to prove myself and catch him.
Our next lead was Karen Marie, who turned out to be a woman in her late twenties with pretty red lips.
“When the man approached me, I thought he was looking for shelter,” she explained when we asked her what happened. “He had a nice smile and I expressed my sympathy for him and all the people who lost their homes.”
“Did anything strike you as unusual with him?” I asked.
“Yes. He complimented my hair and said that I smelled nice.” She tilted her head. “That wasn’t the strange thing, though. It was the way he kept looking at my breasts. At first, I figured I had a spot on my clothes, so I asked him if something was wrong.” Karen Marie placed a hand on her collarbone and leaned back. “I knew something wasn’t right with him from the way he answered me.”
“Why? What did he say?”
She frowned. “He said that I had really nicetits.”
“Did you feel threatened by him?”
She shook her head. “Not at the time, but now that I know he was an Nman, I can’t stop thinking that he could have raped or kidnapped me. Except he had kind eyes.”
“Not all Nmen are violent. Most treasure women,” I said in defense of my people.
Karen Marie looked thoughtful. “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced he was trying to flirt with me in a clumsy way.”
“Flirt with you?” I had read enough old-time love novels to know what it meant. But I had no experience with flirting myself. With women being won in tournaments in the Northlands, flirting with unmarried males wasn’t done. “What do you mean he flirted with you?” I asked.
“It’s something people used to do in the olden days as a way of showing sexual interest. I read about it in a book once.” Karen Marie was distracted when a group of women called out to her as they passed by.
“Do people flirt here?” I asked Hans, who stood next to me.
“I’m not familiar with the expression, but let me do some research.” Hans used his wristband to call up information while I continued questioning the witness.
“Did you see what direction Jonathan took off in?”
