Page 50 of Brutal Ice

“We’re going to get the coffin repaired.”

Royal tensed. They were going to put her back into that glass hell?

“Something happened to the lock—I don’t know what. But we’ll make sure all the kinks are worked out before showtime. You know there are always a few mishaps before the big show.”

“Mishaps,” Royal tasted the word. “Your leading lady often nearly gets killed?”

“No!” A fast denial. “This is very unusual. You can rest assured that additional safety precautions will be put in place, I promise.”

Royal didn’t trust the guy. Not at all.

“I’m afraid word leaked to the press. Probably because of the patrol cars that came rushing to the scene.” Micah winced. “They’re out front in force, so you probably want to slip out the back when you leave, Violet.”

She nodded. “My car was out back anyway.”

She wouldn’t be driving off in her car. He’d be taking her from the scene. And Royal would make arrangements for someone else to pick up her ride.

Micah looked for all the world as if he had something else to say, but the guy retreated. Finally. Royal watched him scurry away and then said, “I don’t really like him at all.”

“I can see that.” A pause. “You think he was involved, don’t you?”

“I think I’ll be finding out.” Why not put his cards on the table? He tugged her closer. “And, yeah, he’s at the top of my suspect list.”

Time to get her the hell out of there. Especially if a hungry pack of reporters had already closed in. Violet grabbed her bag, tucked the business card she’d been given inside, and they headed into the hallway. They maneuvered through the tight quarters and past some dancers, and Royal spotted Curran.

Detective Curran Barlow. A very new promotion.

Curran caught his eye and dipped his head in acknowledgement. He approached Royal slowly. His holster was attached to his right hip. With one quick glance, Curran took in Royal and Violet and the fact that Royal was still holding Violet’s hand.

Like he’d be letting her go anytime soon.

“Boudreaux,” Curran announced loudly. “Heard you were the big hero today.”

“Hardly,” Royal dismissed.

“Yes, he was,” Violet declared, voice adamant. “Royal got me out of the coffin just in time.”

“So glad he could save the day.” Curran raked her with a speculative glance. “I know you spoke with some of the other officers here, but I haven’t gotten to interview you. It’s Violet Murphy, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I know you were at the station two weeks ago. I saw you, but you didn’t see me.” Curran stood just an inch or two shorter than Royal. Curran’s dark eyes were sharp. Assessing. “I’m the new detective on the block. They’re not exactly shoving high-profile cases like yours my way. They leave that to the seasoned guys. So when you were at the station reporting your abduction, I didn’t get to speak with you.”

Curran was a better detective than anyone else on that force, new guy or not. He should have been the one on Violet’s case.

“Then the Feds came in, of course. Since we were dealing with a kidnapping. Then it just turned into a pissing match between the local cops and the Bureau.” Curran’s tone was annoyed. “Waste of time.” A shake of his head. “I got called in today because it seemed to just be a situation involving some faulty equipment. Supervisors thought I’d be in and out.”

“Yet you’re still here,” Royal noted. Very much not in and out.

“I don’t think the situation is as simple as others may have believed.” Curran leaned closer. He pointed upward. “You could access the lights from the catwalk. I went up there. Wanted to take a look at things myself. Checked all the other lights. Very secure. Those babies wouldn’t come down, not unless you wanted them to fall.”

Royal understood exactly what Curran was saying. Someone wanted the light to fall. Someone wanted Violet to be hurt.

“Haven’t found any conclusive evidence yet,” Curran added. “But I’ve got some good crime scene techs checking every inch of the place. When I know more, you’ll know more.” He rubbed a hand along his jaw. “Heard there was an incident at your place last night, Violet.”

She nodded. “Someone broke the front windshield of Royal’s car and threw a big rock through my window.”

“You got any enemies?” Curran asked.

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