Page 98 of Colton's Last Resort

“I was with him,” Erica agreed with a nod. “CJ and I...were intimate. It happened in his bungalow. So he couldn’t have done it. He couldn’t have killed Allison. And he wouldn’t have. He may be the one-night-stand kind of guy. But he’s not the type of man who would murder someone.”

Laura set her champagne aside. She placed her hand considerately on Erica’s arm. “You need to tell the police. You’ll have to in order to clear Mr. Knight of all suspicion.”

Erica absorbed this news. Her eyes widened, but she nodded slightly. “Of course.”

Laura squeezed her arm gently. “It’s a good thing you’re doing, Erica.”

“Do you think Adam will fire me?” she whispered faintly.

“It hasn’t interfered with your ability to do your job,” Laura noted. “I think we can all vouch for that. I’ll speak with Adam, and we’ll see about moving forward from this once the investigation’s over.”

Erica nodded. “Thank you, Laura—for being so understanding.”

Laura simply nodded. As Erica slipped away, Laura looked around. She found Joshua near the bar, talking to Valerie. Adam was at center stage, cuing the band for his speech. Alexis and Tallulah stood shoulder to shoulder as they chatted with Greg and Tallulah’s nephew, Mato, who held a tray of canapés on an upraised palm.

She spied CJ Knight at last as he spoke with Knox and Kim Blankenship.

If CJ had been occupied with Erica at the time of Allison’s death, Noah was right. Guilt now lay squarely at the feet of...

“Ms. Colton.”

The chill started at the base of her neck. It trickled down her spine as she pivoted on her heels to confront Doug DeGraw. He wore a suit in charcoal gray with a black shirt underneath. He’d gone without a tie, and the shirt was buttoned to his throat. His Adam’s apple jutted over its neat collar and his cool smile turned her blood to ice.

“Mr. DeGraw,” she greeted him. “I see you decided to join us. How was your lunch at Annabeth?”

“Superb.”

She forced a smile. “Mr. Knight is correct. Our chef rarely disappoints.”

“The food was all right,” he said with a wave of his hand. “It was the company that was divine.”

Her brows came together. “The company?”

“I slipped the maître d’ a fifty. He seated CJ and me next to Ms. Fitzgibbons’s table.”

The smugness of his grin...the light that entered his eyes... They made Laura take a steadying breath. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” He took a step toward her while Adam spoke into the mic on stage and those around them quieted. “You needn’t worry. Ariana knows she will benefit from the attention of a man like me. And she’s more than willing to take it.”

Her lips numbed, and she realized she was pressing them hard together. “What did you do to her?”

“Do?” He chuckled. “Nothing she didn’t ask for. In her own way.” With a wink, he slithered off to stand with CJ and the others.

Laura’s heart drummed. She barely resisted the urge to place her hand over her mouth as she searched the crowd desperately for the red hair of Ariana Fitzgibbons.

When she couldn’t find her, she walked briskly to Roland. When he leaned down to hear what she wanted to say, she kept her voice low. “Doug DeGraw. Do you know who he is?”

“CJ Knight’s manager,” he said.

She nodded. “Can you keep an eye on him for me?”

“Yes.”

“If you see him leave the party, I’m going to need you to call me on my cell phone,” she explained. “Immediately. Can you do that?”

“Of course I can.” His wide forehead creased. “Should I be concerned about anyone’s safety?”

“Not at this time,” she said, again looking around, wishing Ariana’s face would pop out of the crowd. “The moment DeGraw exits the rock labyrinth...”

---