Page 55 of Colton's Last Resort

Her eyes widened. “She...what?”

“I thought you were her friend,” he hissed. “You say you knew her. How could you not have known what she was doing?”

Laura’s lips parted. “She didn’t tell me.”

“I’m supposed to believe that?”

Her eyes heated. “Do you really think so little of me?”

“Adam knew.”

She gripped the stem of the martini glass. “Why did neither of them think to involve me?”

“You’ll have to take that up with your brother. He said she had three clients the week of her death, two the day she died. I need to know who they were.”

“I don’t have that information,” she said coolly, pulling away from him. “You didn’t answer my question.”

She’d asked about his list of suspects. “You won’t like it.”

“It’s a little late to spare my feelings,” she informed him.

Remorse chased off his anger. He fell prey to so many mixed emotions around her, and it floored him. He’d never known anyone who could make himfeellike this.

“Tallulah,” he said.

She laughed shortly, without humor. “If she’s at the top of your list, you’re reaching.”

“Erica Pike,” he continued. “Knox Burnett. Adam. Joshua. You.”

Laura stiffened. “Me?”

“You don’t have an alibi for the time in question,” he said. “Not one anyone can corroborate. I can’t cross you or the others off my list until you give me one.”

“I’m a suspect.” On the outside, she was all ice. “This may be the worst date I’ve ever had.”

“It’s not personal, Laura.”

“No,” she agreed. “You’ve made that very clear. Haven’t you? And it’s surprising.”

“What is?”

“That a guy like you can be so by the book.”

He felt a muscle in his jaw flex. “A guy like me?” he repeated.

“You don’t really think I hurt her,” she said.

“No, I don’t thi—” Fumbling, he course-corrected quickly. “That’s not the—”

“You don’t really think my brothers killed Allison either,” she surmised.

He caught his teeth gnashing together and stopped them before he ground his molars down to the roots. “It doesn’t matter what I think. I go where the facts are.”

“Speculation figures into detective work,” she said. “I’ve read enough true crime to know that. What would be Adam or Josh’s reason for drugging our yoga instructor? For that matter, why would Tallulah or Erica do such a thing?”

“I don’t have motive,” he said. “Just a list of people who claim to be sleeping at the time of her death.”

“You’ve ruled guests out?”

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