Page 61 of Innocent Intent

Davis followed Cassidy down the hallway, through the bedroom, and to the closet. He stopped at the door while she walked inside and moved to a drawer built into custom shelving, where she removed a gun safe. She carried it toward Davis, who stepped out of the way as she placed it on the nearby credenza and keyed the code, which opened the safe—gasping when she found it void of a firearm.

“It should be here,” she said with a disappointed look on her face.

Davis refused to allow himself to be affected.

“Should be but isn’t. You want to explain that?”

“I can’t. I didn’t take the gun out of here. I assumed it was in there. I’ve never used it. Never had a reason to . . .” Her eyes met Davis’s, and he knew the minute she realized what his thoughts were.

Until now.

“You can’t believe that I would be stupid enough to use a gun that I own to kill my husband.”

“Stupid or smart? No one would ever accuse you of being stupid, Evans. You’re a brilliant woman who knows how these things work. You’ve been intimately involved in hundreds of cases. You know how incredibly insane it would be to shoot your husband with a gun that was registered to you. It would be a gross error in judgment that might lean in your favor.”

“Or someone else took that gun.”

“Who, Evans? I watched you open the case. I couldn’t have done it. No one else could either without that code. I’m assuming it was only shared with you and your husband.”

“I assume you’re asking all this because it has been brought to your attention by someone else that the gun even exists.”

She purposely avoided answering my question.

“Yeah, it has. I need to take you in.”

“You’re arresting me?” Her eyes widened, and he gauged her reaction, noting that she was genuinely surprised. Possibly because she’d gotten caught and not because she was innocent.

“Don’t have much of a choice at this point.”

“Okay.” She extended her wrists toward him, and Davis felt the gut punch from such a simple but logical reaction. Things were changing faster than he liked.

“I’m not going to cuff you, Cass. I assumed you’d go willingly.”

“I will, but I don’t want there to be any reason for your character to be in question.” The accusation was there, and it felt like another gut punch.

I’m no longer sure if you’re truly innocent.

“You let me worry about that,” he said lowly. “Let’s go.”

20.

Cassidy sat in the holding cell, staring at her hands. She occasionally glanced around, feeling her world again spiraling out of control. Her gun was missing. Did that mean they found it? Was it the one used to murder Niles? If so, that meant she was going to be arrested.

Arrested for a crime she did not commit. The one ally she had no longer trusted that she was innocent because he refused to tell her anything. No one said a word about what was going on with the case. No one communicated with her at all, and Cassidy was fearful of what that meant.

They’re not telling me anything because they’re going to officially charge me.

Davis had arrested her, bringing her in like an official suspect and politely asking her to get in the holding cell. Once she had, he locked her in and walked away, giving one last glance that didn’t offer much hope.

She exhaled a shuddering breath as she lowered her eyes to her hands yet again. There was so much nervous energy, and she couldn’t do anything about it. If Davis was no longer in her corner, no one was there.

“This can’t be happening. How is this happening?”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing myself, Cass.”

She lifted her eyes to find Captain Allen Jones, an old friend and colleague, staring pensively at her. His arms were locked across his chest.

“I’m sure you have,” she uttered sarcastically.

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