“Why don’t you think he did it?” Ryker asked. Brock was a smart guy and wouldn’t be easily fooled.
Brock looked over his shoulder. “Get Jay to hire you, and then we can talk without violating privilege.”
Zara put a hand on Ryker’s arm, her voice soft. “This is a bad idea.”
Yeah, more than likely. Ryker planted his palm over hers and walked inside, pretty much forcing her into the opulent vestibule. She was nuts if she thought he’d let her work a murder case without him, especially since she had been in contact with the victim. A lot. Now he wondered again about Zara’s malfunctioning brakes.
It was a nice place. A three-story chandelier cast light all around them while a living room with a stunning view of the faraway mountains awaited.
Pentley was seated on a couch, wearing slippers, thick gray sweats, and a matching T-shirt, his hair mussed and scruff covering his jaw. He looked up and focused bloodshot eyes. “What the hell?”
Brock hurried around a leather chair to sit next to Pentley. “This is Ryker, our investigator. He’s the best, Jay. Finds leads where nobody else can, and he’s able to keep quiet when necessary. We need him on this.”
Ryker kept amusement off his face.
Jay absently rubbed the left side of his rib cage, which no doubt still smarted. “Not a chance.”
A man, around forty or so, sat in an overflowing leather chair beside Pentley’s, a blue ski jacket over his broad frame, a notebook in his hand. Shrewd brown eyes studied them all. He rubbed a hand through his thick brown hair. “Now that your lawyer, your paralegal, and your investigator are here, Mayor Pentley, you need to answer my questions.”
Pentley glared at Zara and then Ryker before turning to Brock. “I said no.”
Brock frowned. “Why not?”
Pentley opened his mouth and then shut it again, his gaze on the detective’s tapping pen. “I didn’t have anything to do with Julie’s death, and I won’t act like I did.”
“Yet you won’t talk to me without your attorney present,” the detective said quietly.
Jay clasped his hands together in his lap. “Because I’m not stupid.”
“That remains to be seen,” the detective replied.
Ryker fought a grin. The cop really didn’t like the mayor, now, did he? “In or out, Mayor? I will find out what happened to your wife.” Yeah, it may have sounded like a threat, but if Jay caught the undercurrent not to mess with Zara, it was worth it. Either way, Ryker was investigating the issue.
Pentley cut him a harsh look, obviously ready to tell his attorney everything about their skirmish. But if he did, he’d have to go into what a wife-beating scum he was, and, boy, would that make him look guilty. Finally, he snarled. “Fine. I’ll hire your little firm to investigate Julie’s death, but I’m telling you, I have no clue who would’ve wanted her dead.” He flashed his political smile. “Except for Zara here. I mean, Julie broke us up. Right, sweetheart?”
Irritation clawed through Ryker, and he lifted his chin.
The detective studied Zara. “Is that true?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. Jay and I briefly dated, and we broke up long before Julie ended up dating the egomaniac. Which, considering they’re in the middle of a contentious divorce, didn’t turn out very well.”
“Contentious?” the detective asked.
Brock shot Zara a hard look. “Julie was mentally unstable and addicted to drugs, and Jay was trying to get her help. It’s that simple.”
“Nothing is ever that simple,” the detective countered.
Brock turned his attention on the cop. “Detective Norton, I hope you keep your personal opinions to yourself and work this case with an open mind.”
Detective Norton lifted an eyebrow. “My mind is wide open. Now, where were you yesterday afternoon between noon and three, Mayor?”
Zara stiffened next to Ryker. He kept his gaze on the cop, but his mind ran through the day before. Exactly when had Zara visited Julie at the motel? Had Zara just missed the murderer? Time slowed down, and his system went on full alert. God, what if she had been there? His muscles involuntarily bunched like an attack dog’s. He forced himself not to look at her and to keep the concern off his face.
She dug a notepad out of her pocket and began taking notes, her hand visibly shaking, as she leaned against the wall. Her teeth bit into her lower lip.
As soon as he got her alone, he had to question her about her timeline. Had she left any evidence? Or had anybody seen her? The murder took on a personal hue. Panic coated his throat. For a second he felt powerless, and then his mind took over. In the worst-case scenario, he could get her out of town and to a safe place to live, but what about her grandmother, who was still on vacation?
Vans screeched to a stop outside.
Pentley craned his neck to look out the window next to the door. “The press is here.”
Ryker took a step back and out of the line of sight from the door. The absolute last thing he needed was to be caught in a photo or on video.
The detective cleared his throat. “Mayor? My question?”
Pentley placed both manicured hands on his sweats. “Yesterday during that time I was working in my office.” He jerked his head toward Brock. “In fact, I was on the phone with my attorney several times, because we were working on answering discovery requests for the divorce. I made several copies of insurance policies, land deeds, and vehicle titles to fax to Brock.”
The detective looked from Pentley to Brock and back. “Can anybody besides your attorney corroborate your alibi?”
Jay glanced at Ryker. “Not right now, but I’m sure my new private investigator will be able to round somebody up. Right, buddy?”
The detective narrowed his gaze and looked from the mayor to Ryker. “Do you two know each other?”
“No,” Ryker said easily, “but I’m about to know everything about the mayor.”
Jay’s lips tightened.
Ryker rolled his shoulders. What time had he smacked Jay around? Obviously Jay thought explaining the situation would end up working against him, for now. It had to have been around one in the afternoon. Jay could’ve still had time to drive to the motel and kill Julie before three in the afternoon, although he would’ve been sore from the fight. “How certain are you about time of death?” Ryker asked.
“Preliminary report sets TOD between noon and three, but after the autopsy, we’ll have a better idea, hopefully.” The detective scratched in his notepad. “So nobody was at City Hall with you, Mayor.”
“I was the only person working in City Hall yesterday.” Jay kept his voice level, but his eyes flashed. “Not many public employees work weekends, Detective. I will keep thinking about the day and if I saw anybody. Right now nothing is coming to mind, but I’m a little bit in shock. While Julie and I were having problems, I just can’t believe she’s dead.”
Ryker studied the mayor. He wasn’t mentioning the blonde, and that made sense, because cheating spouses always looked bad to the law and juries—especially during a divorce. Or was Pentley actually protecting the woman? It was doubtful, but Ryker needed to calm the hell down, look at all angles, and stop just reacting out of fear for Zara.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Detective Norton said. “Who filed for divorce?”
“She did,” Jay said. “But I’m fairly certain she was seeing somebody else.”
Look who was talking. Ryker made a mental note to find out who the blonde on Jay’s lap had been.
“She was not cheating,” Zara burst out, her face turning red.
Detective Norton’s head snapped up. “Who was she seeing?”
“Dunno,” Jay said, scraping both hands down his face. “It was just a feeling I got last time I talked to her. She said something about knowing what a real man was like.”
“But no names or other clues?” the detective asked, his focus zeroing in.
“No,” Jay said, his shoulders slumping.
“I’ll need copies of a
ll correspondence between you.” The detective wrote something down.
Jay nodded wearily. “We’ll get everything to you.”
“When was the last time you saw your wife?” the detective asked, his voice a low rumble.
Jay’s gaze strayed to Zara. “I saw her last week at a motel on the north side of town. She asked me to drop off some of her clothing, so I did.”
Zara drew in air next to Ryker. Was that when Jay had hit Zara?
Ryker stood straighter in place, a ball of lead in his gut. The entire situation sucked, and his fingers curled into a fist as he felt the desire to punch Jay again. “Have you spoken with her since?”
“No. She was upset about the competency hearing, and she became abusive. Kicked me and hit me, so I had to leave.” Jay shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t her fault. She truly wasn’t herself.” He sighed heavily. “Is there any chance this was a drug deal gone bad? I mean, I know she was using again.”
“Julie didn’t do drugs,” Zara blurted, her voice heated.
Triumph surged into Jay’s eyes before it was quickly veiled. “You and Julie haven’t been close for years, so you wouldn’t really know. She did do drugs, and that was part of the competency issue. My wife was horribly clinically depressed, Detective.”
Brock spread his hands sympathetically, his gaze on Zara. “We have evidence of self-destructive behavior that includes everything from suicide attempts to picking up strange men for the night. She needed help, and we were trying to get that for her through the competency hearing.” He leaned forward and read several lines from a notepad. “The doctor would’ve diagnosed her with a drug problem, we’re certain.”
Zara vehemently shook her head, and Ryker gently slid an arm around her shoulders to play with her hair. She settled immediately. Yeah. He could do this. He could cover and protect her calmly and rationally without losing his temper or drawing attention to his brothers.
“We wanted to help Julie, not hurt her.” The lawyer was smooth with just the right amount of concern and genuineness. No wonder he often won in court.
There was only one way to get to the truth of whether or not Julie was doing drugs. Ryker focused on the detective. “When will the autopsy be concluded?”
Norton glanced at his watch. “I’ve put a rush on it, but that could still mean the end of next week.”
“I’ll get it done sooner.” Jay reached for his phone and texted something, his hand shaking. “My chief of staff will light a fire under the coroner. We have to find out what happened to Julie.”
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll take care of the press,” the detective said, standing. “Do you want to make a statement or have the officers outside escort them out of the subdivision? They’re technically trespassing.”
Jay stood and smoothed back his hair. His handsome face fell into sad lines. “I should probably make a statement.” Without looking at Ryker, he moved past them to the door.
Ryker rolled his eyes.
The detective nodded, his expression veiled. “I’ll come with you.” They left with Brock in their wake.
Zara moved toward the door. “Oh, I want to watch this,” she whispered.
Ryker grasped her arm and held her back. “Stay out of the picture for now, darlin’. Considering you were probably the last person to see the victim alive.”
Zara stumbled and paused. “Besides the killer, you mean.”
That was exactly what he had meant. He had to shove down the thought that the killer could’ve gotten to her that day, too, or he’d lose his fuckin’ mind. His entire body flushed with heat, and he took a moment to regain control. “I want to hear what else Jay says to the detective when he gets finished using this whole thing to his advantage with the press,” Ryker said. “At that point, we have to sit down and figure out what kind of mess you’re in. Did anybody see you yesterday?”
She paled. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be totally sure.” She winced. “And I went through all of Julie’s things.”
“Why?” Ryker asked, the blood rushing through his head.
She looked down at her notepad. “Brock had made some allegations about drugs, so I looked around her stuff to see if I could find any. I didn’t find one tiny bit of evidence that Julie was doing drugs. Not one.”
Ryker grasped her chin and lifted her face to meet her eyes. Shit. This was getting worse and worse. “Did you touch anything?”
She blinked. “Yes. I searched the whole room.”
Well, fuck. He automatically sought for an exit. This was bad. She was in trouble, and running might be the only option until Ryker found the real killer or proved that Jay did it. “They’ll dust for prints, darlin’. You haven’t been arrested before, have you?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm for her.
“No.” Her eyes widened, and the pulse fluttered in her neck.
“Are your prints on file to be a paralegal?” This was beyond bad. It put in danger not only Zara but also anybody around her, including his brothers.
She slowly shook her head. “No. Only people taking the bar exam get printed, and paralegals don’t take the bar exam. Nobody has ever fingerprinted me.”
“Okay. That’s good.” It was also probably only a temporary reprieve. If anybody tied Zara to Julie, the cops could probably get Zara’s fingerprints, and that would put Zara at the scene of the crime.
“Am I in trouble?” she whispered, any remaining color draining from her face.
He slid an arm around her, offering her warmth and protection. “Yeah, baby. You’re in deep shit.” But he’d get her out of it if it was the last thing he did. For now, he had to protect his brothers and stay away from the cameras flashing outside.
Oh, moving to Cisco had been a fucking terrible idea.
As he tucked Zara close, something in him roared to life: the fighter he’d tried to quell for so long. He’d known someday the showdown would occur, and he’d figured at some point Sheriff Cobb would win.
Not now. Now Ryker had way too much to lose. “We’ll figure this out, Zara. I promise.” As the cameras flashed again outside the door, he wondered if they’d all have to run this time. Maybe getting lost was his only option once again.
Chapter
19
Zara couldn’t believe it. Julie was dead. Really dead. The words kept going through her head all day, and she couldn’t get them to stop. It was unbelievable and so unfair.
Her heart hurt, and her stomach ached. Her temples pounded until her eyes stung. Julie had been a good friend, and somebody had brutally stabbed her. How frightened the poor woman must’ve been before death.
Zara had hung around while the detective questioned Jay Pentley for a few hours, handled the press for another hour or so, and then finally sat down with a game plan for dealing with the publicity. Brock had steadfastly sat by his client’s side, once in a while cautioning Jay not to answer, but for the most part letting the detective take the lead. Ryker and Zara had watched and listened before finally heading to Zara’s home after darkness had fallen. They’d grabbed burgers and eaten on the way, taking several home to Greg, who’d been dropped off earlier by Denver.
Zara batted away tears as she changed clothes in her bedroom while Ryker got Greg settled into the spare room. During the horrible day, she’d forgotten all about poor Greg. He’d descended on the burgers like a normal teenager.
The door opened, and Ryker entered, shutting it behind himself. “That kid ate all the leftover burgers.”
Zara finished tugging down her T-shirt and turned to sit on the bed, her entire body exhausted. “Growing boy and all that.”
Ryker studied her for a moment and then crossed the room to crouch between her knees, his warm hands flexing on her thighs. His gaze was steady and concerned. “I’m sorry about your friend.”
A tear escaped her furious blinking. “Who would kill her like that?”
His eyes darkened. “Best bet is the husband. He would’ve lost half of his assets in t
he divorce, and that guy’s an egomaniac. Anybody else would’ve thrown you to the wolves and had me arrested for hitting him. He’s too embarrassed by us both—it’s all ego.”
“Maybe, but I don’t see him taking a chance like that. Although he did like to hit Julie. The idea that she was really leaving him would’ve pissed him off.” Zara set her hands over Ryker’s. “Thank you for being with me today during all of that. I felt better having you at my back.”
He nodded, his gaze sober. “I’m planning to stay right here with you, baby.”
She warmed and leaned toward him. “Thank you.”
He rubbed reassuring circles on her legs. “We need to figure out who killed Julie before you become an official suspect. It’s your best way to keep your job and freedom.”
“Okay.” It was almost surreal. She’d never kill anybody, and it was nice that Ryker hadn’t even once considered that she had.
“Tomorrow we’re going to run through everything you know about Julie and Jay.” Ryker’s hands tightened. “You don’t talk to the police or Brock without me, okay? And you never talk to the media.”
She nodded. “I understand. But you have to keep working on Greg’s case, too.” She frowned. “What exactly is his case, anyway? He mentioned losing his brothers and needing you to find them. What’s that all about?”
Ryker shook his head. “Client confidentiality. If he wants to share his story with you, he will. Not that he’s told me everything, either.”
Zara frowned. “Do we have a duty to notify the authorities since he’s a minor?”
“Probably, but as two adults who were subjected to the system as kids, do we want to do that to him? I’d rather help him a different way.”
“I just wondered if we had a duty. No way would I give that kid up to the system.” Her urge to protect Greg caught her off guard, although she’d been a lost kid once, too. Not everybody had a Grams waiting with open arms to make the world right again. Maybe Zara could make the world a good place for Greg, or at least help to do so.
“So Greg stays with us for now.” Ryker rubbed his hands down her legs to caress along the arch of her foot.