Tilting his head, Jack flashed the famous smile and put the gun in
a small holster at his waist.
“And
you’re Laura Kate O’Connell… as you’ve said.”
She balanced her weight on both legs and braced for his inevitable question.
“Mind if I ask what you’re doing here?” He kept the smile,
but his voice remained firm. Under other circumstances he would be as charming as he was attractive in his plaid shirt with
the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his dark eyes shining with audacity.
“No, I don’t mind,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
He stepped off the landing and still towered over her. His smile disappeared.
“I work here, if it’s any of your business.”
“At this time of night?”
“I
have a trial tomorrow,” he said. “I’m going to ask you again, Miss O’Connell, what are you doing here?”
A rascally grin spread from his lips to his eyes. “Ghoulish nose trouble?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You do know what happened here earlier today, don’t you?” “I do,” she snapped. She decided to stick with the suicide story
for the time being. “Royce Lee killed himself. I hoped Mather Morris would be here.”
“He’s not. You didn’t see his car, did you?”
“No,” she said, throwing her head back, letting her pose challenge
him.
He grit his teeth until a muscle jerked
along his jaw. “So why did you come inside?”
“Royce
Lee was my attorney.”
“Sorry
to give you the bad news, but he can’t advise you at this time.”
“Don’t be a horse’s ass.”
He laughed. “I try not to be, but it’s hard. So, let’s start over.
Why are you here?”
“If you
have to know, I’m here to find out what happened to Royce. Hannah said—”
“Hannah?”
“Hannah Tower.”
“What’s
she told you about Royce’s murder?”
“How
are you so sure he was murdered?”
“That’s
what Mather says. So what’s this with Hannah?”
She
wondered what to make of Jack Rhodes. He was infuriating, but he also filled her head with unsettling thoughts – like
how fine his physique was and how his eyes held hers just a little longer than was appropriate. She twisted a golden ring
on her right hand, a habit she often fell into when trying to figure something out, and wondered if he could be Hannah’s
lover. She didn’t know if Rhodes was married, but that wouldn’t have mattered to Hannah. “I just talked
to her, and…”
“You just
talked to Hannah? Why? When?”
“Slow
down. Why are you so fixated on her? She’s not the one who’s dead. Although she might have been killed if she—”
“What are you talking about, woman?”
Woman? Laura Kate glared at him. “I’ve about had it with
your rude questions.” He held
up a hand and overdid the look of chagrin. “My apologies,” he said. “Now, would you please explain how Hannah
might have been killed?”
“When
Hannah came here this afternoon—”
“Hannah
was here? Today?”
“Are you
going to let me finish a sentence? Yes, Hannah came here around five. She says that Royce took a shot at her before he killed
himself.”
“That’s rich.”
His lips twisted. “I know ol’ Royce would have wanted to take the beautiful
Hannah into eternity with him, but I don’t see him getting up from the dead and
shooting at her.”
“What?”
“Mather says Royce Lee was shot dead some time this morning.”
“This morning?”
“If Mather says it, then it must be true.”
“But Hannah…” she paused, her mind grinding. “Hannah
said he shot at her this afternoon.”
“It
didn’t happen. She lied.”
This
news was breathtaking, but the remarkable thing was she believed Hannah’s story. People exhibited certain mannerisms
when they lied. During the lie they wouldn’t look directly at you or they spoke louder than usual, or repeated your
question back to you — giving themselves time to think of a viable lie in answer. Hannah had done none of these things,
except for being nervous, which was understandable given her experience, and being evasive about the new love in her life.
Laura Kate firmed her voice.
“I am
certain Hannah didn’t lie about being shot at.”
He put his hands on his hips and looked at her like she was a fascinating ditz. “You can certainly
think what you like.”
