Page 82 of The Liar

“Something like that.”

“And you brought your husband?”

I sighed. “If me being here is a problem, I’ll go and wait in the car.”

I needed to make a phone call anyway.

Sewell hesitated, then nodded. “That might be best. No hard feelings.”

“Sure, buddy.” No point in antagonizing him. Not when we might need him later.

I pulled Joanna into an embrace.

“Don’t turn your back on him,” I murmured against her ear.

“I’m not alone,” she whispered back. “I’ll be fine.”

I released her, my fingers automatically clenching around the air. I wanted to grab her and insist she come with me, but I had to trust that she knew how to take care of herself. She was a kickass detective. She could handle any trouble that came her way.

I left the apartment and took the elevator down. As soon as it opened, I noticed an officer guarding the building manager’s door. Good. Perhaps that’s what Joanna had been arranging when she’d left the room. That recording had to be protected. Who knew what else we might find if someone combed through the footage?

As I left the building, I scanned the surrounding area, checking to make sure no one was lying in wait. I hurried to the car, unlocked the door and got in, immediately locking it behind myself.

I called Zeke, aware that Joanna had already woken him up.

“What is it with you two?” he grumbled upon answering. “Can’t let a guy sleep.”

“I’ve got another favor to ask.” God only knew what he was going to ask in return at the end of all this.

“Go on.”

“Joanna’s partner, Detective Hanson, has been shot. He warned us not to trust another detective in the Homicide unit. Detective Charlie Sewell. I’d really appreciate it if you could go searching for the skeletons in Sewell’s closet. He’s with Joanna right now, so the sooner I know whether she’s in danger, the better.”

Zeke sighed. “I’ll get on it. But don’t leave her alone with him, just in case. If he did something to Hanson and is worried he might talk, he could do something reckless.”

JOANNA

I knocked on the door of the apartment beneath Portia’s and waited. After a few seconds, the man I’d seen through the window earlier opened the door and groaned.

“What now?” he asked. “I’m still trying to clean blood drops off the floor from that guy the paramedics dragged through here.”

“I have a few questions,” I told him. “Considering a man was shot outside your apartment, surely you can understand that.”

“Wait. What?” He blanched. “I didn’t realize he’d been shot. I just saw all the blood and thought he must have fallen and cut himself on something.”

Clearly, no one had enlightened him.

“Can I come in?” I asked.

“You may as well.” He stood aside to let me in, then closed the door behind me. He gestured at a worn gray sofa. “Have a seat.”

I sat and he flopped onto an armchair, hanging his head and massaging his temples.

“Perhaps it’s best if I give you a quick explanation.” This guy obviously wasn’t in the mood to waste time, and neither was I. “The woman who lives above you was reported missing. When we arrived, her apartment had been broken into and we found a man with a gunshot wound on the fire escape outside your apartment.”

The man frowned. “Was he involved in her disappearance?”

“We’re not sure yet.” I wasn’t about to speculate in front of him. “Did you hear anything unusual before the paramedics arrived?”

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