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the head last night between one and three a.m. Lane paused as his gaze swept over
Claire.  Where were you then, Ms. Kramer?
Noah turned back to Claire. She d gone ashen. Her eyes were too wide.
 In the& in the head? Claire whispered.
Just like her parents.
Because he d read the autopsy reports on them. He d needed to read them, had to learn
as much as he could, after he d met Claire.
 It s all right, Noah told her and he made sure that his voice was calm.  Look at me,
Claire. Look at me.
Her gaze met his.
 It s all right, he repeated. They had to be very careful here. If Claire hadn t left last
night, his staff would have been able to vouch for her.
I didn t count on her leaving.
That had sure wrecked his plans.
Claire nodded slowly.
 I don t know that it is all right, Lane drawled.
Noah glanced back at him. The blond was scratching his jaw.
 I mean, a man is dead. Half of his head was blown away and 
Noah heard Claire s sharp inhalation of breath. His jaw clenched.  Be very careful
how you proceed, Detective, Noah warned him.  You don t want to make any enemies
today.
Lane s eyes widened.  You threatening me?
Noah had to laugh.  Threats are useless. Why bother with them? I make promises.
Lane glanced at his partner.
 Ms. Kramer hasn t answered our question, Gwen said, voice tight.  We need to
know her whereabouts. It s come to our attention that she and the victim had an&
altercation last night.
 Bullshit, Noah snapped before Claire could speak.  I m the one who had an
altercation with the drunken idiot. He came into my hotel and insulted my guest, so I
threw his ass out. He flashed his teeth in a hard grin.  End of altercation.
 But Ms. Kramer  Gwen pressed.
 I didn t kill him, Claire said. She eased to Noah s side. Stared at the detective.
 That s what you really want to know, isn t it? If I killed him? Claire shook her head.  I
didn t.
Gwen pursed her lips as she assessed Claire.  A woman fitting your description was
seen at the senator s hotel, right around the time of his death. Actually, the senator s
manager, Vincent Finch, didn t just say she fit your description. He s sure that she was
you.
 He s wrong, Noah said flatly.  And there are plenty of blonde s in this city.
 But there aren t that many who would probably take a savage satisfaction in blowing
out Senator Harrison s brains, Gwen said. Her voice was low, and her eyes were still on
Claire.  After what happened to you, I could see where you d want payback. Your
boyfriend killed your parents. Maybe you just got around to evening up that score.
 I didn t kill him, Claire said, voice soft.
 Why don t you come down to the station and answer a few questions for us? Lane
asked her, and the jerk was trying for a solicitous tone. The man must think Noah was an
idiot.
You aren t getting Claire any place near your station.
 We have a plane to catch, Noah said.
Lane shook his head.  We have an active murder investigation, you can t just leave 
 I can. We will. Noah cocked his head to the right.  We ll be in New York for the
next few days. If you want to reach me or Claire, you can contact my attorney. He
rattled off the name and number of his lawyer. The lawyer in question was a lady who
would chew up and spit out anyone who ever came after Noah.
Then he rolled back his shoulders in what he hoped appeared to be a careless shrug.
 Now, I m sure you have plenty of work to do. After all, there s a killer out there for you
to find.
He took Claire s elbow and walked with her toward the doors.
 Ms. Kramer? Gwen called out.
And, of course, Claire glanced back.
Noah sighed.
 I m curious& are you glad he s dead? Because, in your place, I would be.
Noah had to give Gwen credit. The woman was very skilled at the good cop role.
 Yes, Claire whispered.  I m glad. Then she walked through the door. Noah made
sure that she didn t have the chance to stop again.
***
 Well, well&  Lane exhaled as Noah York and Claire Kramer left the hotel.  That
went pretty much as I d thought.
Yeah, it had gone nowhere.
Gwen rubbed the back of her neck. Tension was thick there, knotting the muscles.
She d been awake for almost twenty hours, and she needed to crash.
Unfortunately, every time she closed her eyes, she saw Colby Harrison s body.
 You think she did it? Lane asked as his arm brushed against hers.
Gwen looked over at him. He d been her partner for a year.
Her lover for six months.
 If I d been her, I would ve probably killed him, Lane added.  I mean, shit, you read
the file on her. The fellow s son went full-on stalker over the woman. He had a gun to
her head when the cops arrived. Everyone there knew just what he d done, but then the
Senator started spinning that bull about Claire being the mastermind 
Gwen s sigh cut through his words.  Men. You see a pretty face, and you forget the
danger.
He blinked at her. Then he leaned in close. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered,
 You re the only pretty face I see.
Gwen wouldn t let her reaction to his words show. She d learned to be very careful
with Lane. With everyone.  I m saying I think there is more to Claire Kramer than meets
the eye.
Lane ran a hand through his hair, tousling the short locks.  Despite what he said, I m
betting that Noah York is going to put an army of lawyers in our path, not just one lady, if
we go after Claire Kramer again.
Lawyers didn t scare Gwen.  Then we just have to be sure that when we go after her,
we have enough evidence to knock our way right through that army. And she knew just
where they had to start with that evidence.  Let s go get Vincent Finch. I want him
brought into the station. She had plenty of other questions to ask the guy.
If Claire Kramer had killed the senator, Gwen wasn t about to give the woman a free
pass. She might feel bad for what Claire had been through
But you don t get to kill in my town.
***
The plane was in the air. Noah exhaled slowly. He d wanted to get away before the
cops stopped them, but& well, we re still clear.
Claire was beside him. She wasn t looking at him, though. Her gaze was locked on the
window.
The pilot was up front. They were alone in the back. Secure. So he waited, knowing
that sooner or later, Claire would turn to him.
Five minutes later, she did.
 Do you think I killed him? Claire asked as her delicate eyebrows arched.
Noah shook his head.
 Why not? She seemed confused.  I don t have an alibi. I don t 
 You misunderstand me, Claire. He caught her chin. For this part, he needed her to
look directly into his eyes.  I don t care if you killed him.
Her lips parted.
 But I will make sure that no matter what else happens, those cops stay away from
you.
 I didn t do it!
He kept staring into her eyes.  Were you at his hotel? Say no. It would be so much
easier to cover up if she just
 I was. Her gaze lowered. Her long lashes shielded her eyes.  I asked the bellman at
our hotel where the senator had gone. He-he d been there when the taxi driver got the
destination. She eased out a soft sigh.  I thought about talking to the senator alone.
Asking him to pl-please stop. To just leave me alone.
Anger surged within him. She shouldn t beg.
Then Claire s lashes lifted. Something new was in her eyes. A spark. Anger of her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]