The FBI had the power to throw a ton of resources at a crime, which Mason’s state department did not. A tiny piece of him resented that he and Ray would have done all the legwork of the initial investigation if Carson Scott had turned out to be Joe Public. Instead Scott’s position and death commanded the strongest investigative force in the country.

Mason put away his ego. Anyone who could solve Carson Scott’s murder was more than welcome. This morning he was to sit in on the interview with McKenna Drake, the woman Scott had seen a movie with the evening before he vanished. He followed Ava to a smaller room down the hall from the command center. Inside, McKenna was already talking with Zander Wells.

McKenna Drake was stunning, and Mason tried not to stare when she glanced up at him with huge turquoise eyes. Contacts? The eye color was definitely unusual, but Mason had a hunch that it was real. The woman’s black hair was long and styled in the thick, loose ringlets that movie stars wore these days. She was tanned, and glowed with that “I’m an athlete” sheen that hard-exercising people in their twenties often displayed. Upon closer inspection he noticed her eyes and nose were red. She clenched a tissue in her hand, and Zander had placed the tissue box within easy reach.

“Ms. Drake was just telling me that she’s known Carson Scott for about a year. They met at a fund-raiser and have gone out socially a few times,” Zander explained.

“Call me McKenna, please.”

Mason and Ava pulled out chairs and sat. “Did you talk to or receive any messages from Carson after your movie?” Mason asked. The beautiful woman shook her head.

“Did Carson ever mention to you any fears or worries he had for his safety?”

“He was always worried.”

“He was?”

“Yes,” McKenna stated. “Everywhere we went, he was concerned about who was trying to take his picture or shake his hand. He hated having people approach him in public when he wasn’t ‘on the clock.’ ” She made air quote marks with her hands.

Mason raised a brow at Ava. This sounded like a different man from the one Nissa Roberts had worked with. According to her, he had been a devoted public servant. But she’d admitted he had been done with politics. Maybe she’d downplayed his actual feelings about being in the public eye.

“Was he like that before the scandal last fall?” Ava asked.

McKenna tipped her head in thought. “I’d say it got worse after that. He didn’t want to go out much last fall. He was terrified of being seen in public with me even though I was single.” She wrinkled her nose. “He wasn’t thrilled that I was a dancer for the Blazers, but I have an MBA. Anyone who plays the airheaded cheerleader card with me usually shuts up pretty quick when they find that out.”

“It’s unusual that you find people with that sort of degree in your profession,” Mason agreed.

Turquoise eyes gleamed. “I have a plan. My time as a dancer will support the image of the gym and dance studio I plan to run. My name will be synonymous with fitness.”

“Was being seen with Carson part of that plan?” Ava asked quietly. “The sight of a good-looking congressman on your arm can get someone a lot of publicity. Especially a man that the tabloids and reporters like to talk about?”

McKenna’s gaze rapidly shifted to anger, and Mason was thankful he wasn’t sitting in Ava’s chair. Ava deflected the visual blow with a raised brow. Clearly she’d been expecting the reaction. Guilt flashed across McKenna’s face as she realized she’d let her buttons get pushed.

“It may have started like that. He’s famous and powerful. Who wouldn’t want to be seen with him? But once I got to know him, I genuinely liked him. He’s one of the good ones, you know? Down to earth.” She gave a small laugh, flashing perfectly white teeth. “He went into politics because he actually thought he could help people.” Her voice cracked, and she visually deflated. “I liked Carson. He was fun.”

“Did it bother you that he dated other women?” Zander asked.

McKenna snorted softly. “It did. Any woman would want to be exclusive with him. But he made it clear he wasn’t looking for a relationship. He was a good friend who’d call when he was in town.”

“Any odd occurrences during your evening out a few days ago?” Mason asked. “Did anyone unusual bother him? Did he seem stressed over something? Did he mention having to meet someone the next day?”

“I’ve racked my brain trying to remember anything like that. I knew he had a town-hall-type meeting to attend the next day, but he didn’t seem stressed about it. Nothing out of the ordinary happened during that night.”

“What time did you last see him?” Zander asked, making a note on his pad.

“It was around eleven. He dropped me off at my place. We’d gone to the restaurant after the movie and had a few drinks and a bite to eat. He wasn’t drunk at all,” she added hastily. “Neither of us was.”

“Which vehicle was he driving?” continued Zander.

“The Ford Explorer.”

Mason flipped back through his pages of notes and looked at Ava and Zander, who were doing the same thing with their notes. “I don’t have an Explorer registered to him. There wasn’t one at his place, either.” He swore. “At least not in his parking spaces. We need to check the lot’s other spaces. What color was it?” he asked McKenna.

“Umm . . . silver, I think.”