Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(72)

“Not if she loved you.” He’d met Noni only once, because the case had been mainly Denver’s, but she’d seemed like a gal who would stick. “Of course, you’d have to admit that you initially asked her out as part of a case.” Ryker blanched. “They kind of insist on honesty.”

“Shit.”

Ryker nodded, his chest relaxing as he got back in synch with Denver. “We can come up with an excuse for you to see her.”

Denver sighed, and his eyes finally focused. “Right now we have enough on our plates. Let’s get Greg to his family, find out who Dr. Madison really was, and save your woman from whatever danger is after her. Oh, and find the Copper Killer.”

They did have a lot going on. As if on cue, the computer in the corner dinged. “What?”

Denver glanced toward the screen. “Another bite. They’re coming, brother. We need to get ready.”





CHAPTER


25


Zara finished up her bowl of chili while Grams and Greg chatted happily about recipes and spicy foods. After a couple of uncomfortable moments when Greg couldn’t stop looking at Grams and kept smoothing back his hair like he was heading to church, they’d moved into a mutual love of all things edible.

Ryker had been gone for a couple of hours, and Zara couldn’t help but worry. Not only about his safety, but also how quickly the guy had wanted to escape his suddenly full apartment. As a loner, he didn’t seem comfortable with houseguests. He’d all but had CONFIRMED BACHELOR stamped across his tough features as he’d run away like a wounded dog. She set her dish in the sink, wandered into the guest room, and noted the queen-sized bed with a dark blue bedspread. The furniture was almost utilitarian and without any warmth. A few throw pillows would warm it up a little.

Sighing, she returned to the living room just as her phone dinged. Hustling for her purse on the counter, she dug it out. “Hello?”

“Zara? It’s Brock. I’m at the law office, and there’s an issue.”

She swallowed. Was Ryker in trouble? “What’s up?”

“Detective Norton was just here. Apparently the techs started running prints from the break-in at your house, and your prints came up. They think the prints are yours because there are so many, they have to be.”

“That makes sense.” She bit her lip.

“Yes. But your prints also matched a bunch found in Julie Pentley’s room at Lazy Horse Motel.”

Zara stopped breathing.

“Zara?”

“Holy crap, they got those results fast.”

Brock snorted. “It’s a priority, and they were looking for similarities between the two crime scenes.”

So the cops were already suspicious of her. Thank goodness she’d already told Brock everything about Julie. “What do I do?”

Brock paused. “You need to go to the police station and make a statement, and do it now. I told Detective Norton that you’d be right down in order to prevent him from sending uniforms to escort you.”

Her stomach lurched. “Okay.”

“It gets worse. There’s now a conflict between my representing Jay and my representing you, and since I’m already his lawyer on this case . . .”

She nodded. “I understand. You can’t represent us both.”

“No. But I’ll call in a couple of favors and get you a lawyer from a different firm.” More papers rustled.

Her chest warmed. “You’re a good guy, Brock. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of it.” She had a couple of friends who worked at other firms, and she’d call them for recommendations. No way was she meeting with Detective Norton without representation.

“All right. The detective informed our senior partners of the case, so you’re suspended for the duration of the investigation.” Brock was silent for a minute. “I fought for an hour to make sure it’s with pay, so don’t worry about that. If you need anything, let me know. I’ll help if I can.” He clicked off.

She woodenly sat there for a moment.

“Everything okay?” Grams asked, looking up from her chili.

Zara nodded. “Yes. Just some business I need to take care of.” She quickly texted Ryker with a brief recap of what had happened. Then she started calling friends and leaving messages for them to call her back. Where was everybody? Geez.

Finally, she went into the master bathroom and freshened up, putting on pink lipstick and brushing her hair before slipping into a pencil skirt and warm sweater. The last thing she wanted was for uniformed police officers to start knocking on doors in her neighborhood looking for her. So she grabbed her coat and headed out to the living room. “I have to go take care of some things.”

Greg frowned. “It’s after eight at night.”

“I know.” Brock had promised the police she’d be down that night, and Detective Norton didn’t seem like a guy who’d just wait around for long. Zara tried to appear calm. She needed to throw up. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

A knock sounded on the door, and Heath poked his head in. “Just got a text from some lawyer named Brock? Ryker had given him my number for some reason. Rumor has it you need your own lawyer.”

Grams pushed away from the counter. “A lawyer? Why would you need a lawyer? Is this about the break-in at your house?”