Deadly Heat (Deadly #2)(87)

“So you’ve said.” One shoulder lifted. “Just give us an alibi. That’s all we need.”

“How about today?” Sam circled around the table and headed toward him. “Tell us where you were when Bob Kyle was killed.”

His lips pressed together.

“You went to the fire station.” Kenton gave him the reminder, not that Monica thought the guy actually needed one. “You left. Where’d you go?”

“Lora’s. You found me there. You know exactly where I was.”

“You’ve got some time unaccounted for there, Malone.”

Killing time?

Malone swallowed. “After I left the fire station, I went straight to Lora’s place.”

“Shit.” The curse came from the captain. “I’m getting him a union rep. We’re not doing this—”

“I’m not gonna stand by and let a friend die.” Malone’s chin was up again. “I went back to search her property, and I was there the whole damn time!”

“Then you’d better hope a neighbor saw you.” Kenton’s body was bow tight. “Because, Malone, it’s not looking good for you. Not good at all.”


“This is one hell of a mess.” Those were the first words Kenton spoke when he and Sam entered the viewing room.

“That’s my cop you’re trying to tear apart in there.” Captain Lawrence finally tried to defend Malone. Right. Too little, too late. “He’s cooperated and answered your questions—”

“And didn’t give me a single alibi,” Kenton snapped. He wasn’t in the mood for any of the captain’s bull. Not then. Not when he could still picture Bob Kyle’s charred remains. “Your detective is the picture of cooperation.” His eyes never left Monica’s face. “What did you see?”

“Not enough.” She exhaled and began to pace with quick, long strides. “He didn’t slip up, not once. He’s angry, but he’s still controlled.”

Yeah, that’s exactly what Kenton had thought. Malone was angry, but it didn’t seem to be the killing rage of a murderer. Instead, the guy just seemed pissed that he was being questioned. Malone had met his stare for most of the interview. There’d been no nervous gestures or slip-ups with his story.

“I’m sending men to Lora Spade’s neighborhood.” Lawrence gave a decisive nod, and it was the first decisive thing Kenton had seen the guy do since he’d f*cked up the media interview and spilled too much information. “They’ll find a witness. My man will be cleared.”

Then the captain was gone. He rushed out, probably so he wouldn’t have to keep looking them in the eyes.

Kenton waited. One beat. Two. When he was sure they had privacy, he said, “Come on, Monica, give me something that I can use against this guy.”

“He could be Phoenix.” One shoulder lifted, then fell. “But I need more. I can’t say yet what I believe.”

Fuck. Not helpful. “Hell.”

“His dad died in a fire,” Jon said. “He hangs out with firefighters. He slept with Kenton’s girl—uh, sorry, Kenton. The guy has means, and he has motive. One hell of a lot of motive.”

“Going after criminals.” Sam nodded. “That’s definitely motive for a cop.”

“More than just cops.” Monica glanced over at Malone. He’d just sat down. He turned his chair toward the glass and stared.

Not that he could see anything.

“How long are we gonna be able to keep him?” Sam asked.

Kenton stared back at Malone. Had the guy been threatening Lora? Rage bubbled inside him, nearly choking him. “We’re keeping him until Captain Lawrence’s men get back, and we see what we’ve got.” He glanced at Jon. “And then, if we cut him loose, I think we need to cover our bases.” This wasn’t a job that he wanted the Charlottesville PD handling.

A nod from Jon. “Babysitting duty.”

“You are the best when it comes to trailing.”

“Guess while I’m doing that, you’ll be watching Lora’s ass, huh?”

“Damn straight.” Because that gnawing in his gut told him that she wasn’t safe. “I’m heading to the fire station now.” Garrison and the others could just deal with it.

“I might take another go at our detective.” Monica’s voice was quiet, contemplative. “Not making any promises, but I’ll see what I can get.”

Good. “Call me. If you find out anything, call.”

“You know I will.” Her gaze went back to the cop. “If I can get him to break.”





CHAPTER Seventeen


Chaos ruled at the fire station. Even as Kenton jumped from his vehicle, a fire truck swiped by him, sirens blazing.

Phoenix.

He ran for the station’s entrance and shoved open the front doors. “Lora!” He shouted her name as he raced toward the check-in desk.

“She’s gone.”

His gaze whipped to the right. Max walked out, shaking his head. “She was on the truck.”

Kenton’s heart shoved into his chest. “Was it—” No, no, Monica would have called him if they’d gotten a tip-off from Phoenix.