Page 44 of Evidence of Deceit

Whoa, he was a lot sharper than Sam anticipated. She hadn’t expected that he would google her.

“Get right down to business. My kind of discussion,” she said. She sat on the sofa and pulled out the pictures that Phil had printed of his car and plate.

He took the pictures, raised his brows, sat back in the chair and stared at her.

“I’m assuming this is your car. Several afternoons ago, you kidnapped my client, threatened her and two little boys witha gun, then drove her to meet her husband at the Art Deco hotel.”

He cleared his throat. “I didn’t kidnap anyone. Claire Willis came with me willingly.”

“Humph.” Sam sat back in her chair, steepled her hands.

“You’ve got some big cojones if you’re going after Keith Willis. He plays hardball.”

Troy was sharp. Sam had to give him that. “I’ve dealt with bigger fish than Keith Willis. He’s a bully. But I’m not here to talk about Keith. I’m hoping you can provide an alibi for Claire.”

Troy tapped his fingers on the desk. “I’m not at liberty to discuss my clients. As for Claire, why would I want to provide her with an alibi?”

Oh, he was playing games with her. She wondered if he knew Keith was dead. “Well, Claire is both my friend and my client. You and she were the last people to see Keith alive. She didn’t kill him.” Sam glared at Troy. “Maybe you went back and murdered him?”

Hearing that, Troy sat up straight. His mouth fell open. “Whaaat? Keith is dead?”

Sam waited a minute for that to sink in. “Yes, he was killed either that night you kidnapped Claire or the next night. And Claire was with two bodyguards that night. His body wasn’t found right away.”

“Holy shit.”

“Claire tells us you were somewhere in the lobby watching them talk. You need to contact the Black Pointe police and tell them you had Claire under surveillance.”

“Gotta tell you this takes me by surprise.” He fiddled with some papers on his desk. “Keith wasn’t the nicest of people, to put it mildly, but he paid very well for my services. I told him I didn’t think bringing Claire there was smart, but did he listen? Nooo.” He shook his head. “How did he die?”

“You’ll have to ask the police. I just need you to alibi Claire.”

Silence.

He sighed. “Well, it’s the best I can do for her under the circumstances. I watched them the whole time, and she never went upstairs. Keith was alive and well when we left.” He pursed his lips. “Damn. The man is going to drive me crazy, even in death.”

“Tell me about it.” A small ding reminded Sam that she had another appointment. “I need to get back to Black Pointe.”

Troy came around his desk, shook hands with her. “It was a pleasure.”

She had her hand on the doorknob when she turned to face him. “You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who would want to kill him, do you?”

Troy snorted. “Anyone who ever met him.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Claire stepped off the plane and walked down the corridor into a cacophony of noise, scents, and people. Her body was trembling. Unlike escaping from Keith and arriving in Florida by bus with no money weeks ago, her return to New York was first-class all the way. KnightGuard Security had made the reservations for her. The irony of her original escape from New York was not lost on her. Claire had protested the expense, but Sam said it was the least she could do. Besides, she didn’t have access to Keith’s money.

Even in death, memories of Keith made her shudder. The police were not looking at her as a suspect anymore since she had an alibi for the days he might have been killed. No one knew who the woman was. However, Claire had been summoned to New York by Keith’s lawyer to discuss Keith’s will. Claire didn’t care one way or the other about his will or any of his possessions. However, the lawyer told her she had decisions to make.

She’d booked a room at The Plaza. There was no way in hell she was going to stay at the penthouse that had been herpersonal house of horrors for four years. She only had her carry-on. She wasn’t planning on staying in New York any longer than she had to.

“Claire. Claire.” She looked over and saw Sheri waving frantically at her. A friend. It was good to see her. Sheri ran over, grabbed her bag and hugged her.

“It’s so good to see you,” Sheri exclaimed. She looked Claire up and down. “You’ve gained weight and look happier.” Sheri nodded to herself.

“Yes. Florida’s been good to me,” Claire said. “I’m so happy you got the time off to stay overnight with me.”

“Me too. So, when do you meet the lawyer?”

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