Page 37 of Locked In Ice

Lane stiffened at those words.His words.Words he’d given when he’d been arrested before, and the cops wanted to know where he’d been going.What he’d been doing.

Lane hadn’t been able to provide an alibi for the murders he’d been charged with committing.He’d been out, walking late at night.He did that all the time.Just walked into the dark.As he tried to get away from demons that just would never leave him in peace.

He’d had no alibi before, and the cops had locked him up.Only his sister had believed his protests of innocence.

But he’d still lost months.So much time.Caged up.And the man he’d been before the nightmare?He’d changed.

Now it was happening all over again.He had no alibi.I can’t go back in a cell again.I won’t.

“Here.”Ophelia let his hand go, but then immediately pulled out her phone and slapped it down on the table.“This will speed things along.”She swiped across the screen.“There’s Lane leaving the hotel.See, he’s right under the streetlamp so you can clearly see that’s him.”Another swipe.“And here he is turning east on Bright Way.East, not west.West would have taken him toward the police station and your holding cells.But he didn’t go that way.”Another swipe.“Walking in the park here.Really shouldn’t be doing that.I’ve heard there have been some muggings in that area.”She clicked the pic.Details appeared.A time stamp.A location.“Oh, look at that,” Ophelia noted in mock surprise.“Unless Lane has some magical powers that I don’t know about, I just don’t see how he could be in two places at one time.”

His heart seemed to jerk in his chest.

“I think that’s called an alibi, but, seriously, it’s been a while since I have actually done my lawyer routine.”Ophelia pushed the phone closer to Shay.“Tell me if I’m wrong, would you?”

Ophelia followed me?She took pics of me?

“Why the hell…” Shay spoke slowly, with quiet fury in each word, “did you not just tell me from the beginning that you had photos of him?That you could alibi him?”

“Because I wanted to know more about the murder.Cops always get chatty when they are trying to trip up suspects.Figured you’d talk more to me this way.If I gave you the pics first, well, we wouldn’t all be in the station together right now, would we?”

He sucked in a breath.Beneath the table, his hands fisted.

“And since we are here,” Ophelia continued in her silky voice, “how about you let us see that cell?And you make that appointment for us to view the body?”

Shay shot to her feet.“Why in the world would I do that?You arewastingmy time—”

“I would do it because I thinkyouwere set up, Detective O’Brien.I think someone might have just tried to frame my partner.Someone was watching, someone saw Lane today and realized he’d make a great fall guy.The man you viewed briefly in the video?Tall, muscled, with dark hair?He could have even been wearing a wig so that he would look more like Lane.”

“You followed me?”Lane asked, aware that his voice came out as a growl.

“I prefer to think of it more as I was looking out for my partner, but, sure, following works, too.”Her gaze never left Shay.“And I didn’t waste your time.I just cleared your prime suspect for you.Now I’m offering you my services.I know you dug into my background after you met me yesterday.How could you not when I served up two perps for you with big, beautiful bows tied around them?I think you already knew I had a law degree.I think you know I spent time at the Bureau.Probably pulled some strings to get that info.”A pause.“And I think you know—deep down—that I could help you on this case.So let me see the cell.Let me view the body.If I can’t help, I’ll get out of your way.”

“Get out of my town,”Shay snapped.“Both of you.”

“Right.Sure.We’ll do that,” Ophelia agreed.“But really, viewing the cell will take like—what?Five minutes?And it’s already been cleared by your crime scene team.Consider it payback for me gift wrapping Royce for you.”

Shay stormed for the door.Jules followed right behind her.

The door slammed shut.

“I think that’s a yes,” Ophelia told him.“Let’s just sit here for a moment and see, shall we?”

He didn’t reply.

Another soft sigh slipped from her.“On a scale from one to ten, how pissed are you?”Ophelia asked as her head slowly turned and her blue eyes landed on him.

Again, he didn’t reply.

“It’ll take that as a nine?Maybe a ten?”

“Why in the hell did you follow me?”

“Eleven it is,” she declared with a wince.

Chapter Eight

“That’s the first question you have when we’re finally alone?”She jerked her thumb toward the mirror behind her.“And I’m sure you’ve been in enough interrogation rooms to know that someone is probably behind that glass watching us.Maybe the loves-to-be-silent Detective Carter hustled in there.Just a friendly reminder in case you feel the urge to say something that should really just be kept between us.”Her blue eyes blinked innocently.

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