Page 47 of I'm Watching You

‘No sweat.’

‘I saw the six o’clock news. I guess you saw Lindsay today.’ Malcolm didn’t hide the fact that he disapproved of Zack’sunmarriage to Lindsay.

‘Yep. And I’m in no mood for lectures about Lindsay, our marriage, or unsigned divorce papers.’

Malcolm held up his hands. ‘You’ll get none from me today.’

‘Good.’

‘Still, this investigation is going to be a hornet’s nest. Is Ayden going to let you stay on the case?’

‘Yes, but Warwick’s taking the lead.’

Malcolm frowned. ‘He eased up on you at all? Or is he still being an ass?’

‘Like always, he’s expecting me to screw up.’ Zack bit into a slice of warm, buttery Italian bread. ‘Warwick will have to wait until hell freezes over before I drink again.’

The comment pleased Malcolm. ‘Any leads on the Turner case?’

‘No forensic evidence on the body. Turner’s wife has an ironclad alibi, as does his number one drug-dealing client and his law partner.’

‘What aboutyourwife?’ Malcolm kept his voice neutral.

‘Lindsay doesn’t have an alibi. She says she was home alone. Frankly, her alibi is so lame, it could be true. But I need to be sure. The judge should sign my search warrants in the morning, and then I’ll work my way through her phone, computer, and office records.’

Malcolm traced a callus on the palm of his hand. ‘Lindsay can be tenacious when it comes to protecting battered women.’

‘But I’m betting she’s no killer. She hates all kinds of violence.’

They sat in silence for a moment as Zack ate.

‘So what are you two going to do about your marriage?’

Zack jabbed his fork into a cluster of ziti. ‘We’re not talking about that, remember?’

Malcolm stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles. ‘Cut the crap and answer the question.’

Zack chewed his ziti slowly. ‘I’m going to do my best to save our marriage.’

‘Shit, Zack, have you lost your mind? She left you.’ Malcolm was a man of strong opinions. During Zack’s recovery he’d been a rock. But even though Zack had regained his balance, his brother remained overprotective.

The truth behind his failed marriage shamed Zack. ‘She had good reason.’

‘She should have stuck by you when you got sick.’

Sick. Zack shook his head. ‘It’s not like I had cancer, Mal. I was a drunk. I let her down.’

Malcolm shook his head. ‘Marriage is for better or worse in my mind. Sickness and health.’

‘I guess this is the worse part.’

‘How can it ever get better between the two of you? Lindsay is obsessed with work. She can be abrasive. And she is now a suspect in a murder investigation. No one in their right mind would want her.’

Zack grinned. ‘And your point is?’

Malcolm’s eyes darkened. ‘This isn’t funny.’

Zack sobered. ‘No, it’s not. My marriage is sloppy. Sucks right now. But once, it was pretty great. I want that back.’

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