Page 60 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

“Are you?” The detective flicked his gaze to Julia.

“Absolutely not,” she answered.

“Then why would the doctor think that?”

Julia pressed her lips together as Mitchell fielded the question. “You’d have to ask the good doctor. There is no way Mrs. Harrington knows what is in his mind.”

“Care to hazard a guess, Mrs. Harrington?”

“I couldn’t possibly even if I tried. There are no problems between Grant and me. We have a stable, normal relationship.”

“You don’t argue?”

“Of course, we argue. I said we had a normal relationship. But there is no bitterness, no animosity. We argue, then we work it out.”

“Sounds like you have a pretty great relationship.”

“I’d say so. I’m very happy with it.”

“So, the doctor’s wrong. Did you tell him that?”

“Yes, I did.”

As the detective leaned forward, the weight of his scrutiny descended on her shoulders. His questions, though professional, seemed invasive, probing into every corner of her life. “Then what led to the fight?”

Julia paused to collect her thoughts. “When Grant arrived, he approached us. Dr. Carter had been holding my hand at the time, and I wanted my husband to know that it was not what it seemed. I told him that and Dr. Carter took that as a defense to an abusive husband. He…took it upon himself to pull me away from Grant and punch him. Grant defended himself, and it just escalated from there.”

“So, Dr. Carter threw the first punch in a misguided attempt to protect you from what he perceived was an angry husband.”

Mitchell heaved a sigh. “Again, detective, you’d have to ask Dr. Carter why he did what he did.”

The detective flicked his gaze from Julia to Mitchell before he leaned closer, skepticism coloring his voice. “And you expect us to believe that a respected doctor would hurl an accusation like this without any basis?”

“It’s the truth,” she said with a shrug.

“All right,” he said with a bob of his head. “If we have any questions, is it all right if we follow up?”

Julia nodded as they all rose to stand. “Yes, of course.”

“Oh, uh, one last thing. In these sorts of cases, we usually recommend some time apart for the spouses. Do you have somewhere you can stay?”

“I will be staying at Harrington House with my husband. There is no reason for there to be time apart. The accusation is ridiculous.”

The detective pressed his lips together, his eyebrows wiggling. “Well, okay, then.”

The man shuffled from the room, leaving Julia with Mitchell. “As always, Julia, you prove to be an exceptional asset to Grant. With your statement, I hope to get these charges dismissed very quickly. It’ll only be the doctor’s statement that holds us up.”

“Thank you, Mitchell. I’ll wait if you think Grant will be released soon.”

“No need. I’m certain Grant will want you home. I’ll keep you informed. He wanted me to pass along that you’d talk soon.”

She plastered on a smile though the words struck her as odd. “All right. I’ll head home. Thank you, Mitchell. Tell Grant…uh…tell Grant I’ll see him at home.”

“I will. Thanks, Julia. We’ll be in touch.”

She offered him another fleeting smile as she left the interrogation room behind, exiting into the waiting room and giving it a quick scan. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she found it empty of anyone she knew. With her pulse quickening, she hurried across the room and into the hall.

She hoped to avoid another confrontation with Kyle. She couldn’t hear all the misinformation he found so compelling.

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