Page 70 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
‘Did you get any fingerprints? Did anyone see it happening? Did they get a licence-plate number?’
The detective took a drink of his coffee. ‘Slow down, Hoss. It’s not like on TV. It takes time.’
‘How long?’ Brody demanded.
The detective stared at him for a long moment, and then turned his gaze back on her. ‘Sorry to hear about your breakup with the senator, by the way.’
Genieve felt Brody’s hand curl into a fist at her shoulder, but she just rolled her eyes. Everybody at the table knew what was going on here. She might have stripped away any reason Morgan had for pressing charges, but he knew the truth. Or had strong suspicions. ‘Thanks,’ she said dryly. ‘It’s been a bad day.’
Nina sighed and shook her head.
‘What are you doing here?’ Morgan asked her quietly.
‘They were scared of you,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why.’
His tension eased, and he settled back in the booth. The two of them were sitting close. Their shoulders brushed, but neither pulled away. The guy looked tired, both physically and mentally. For her part, Nina seemed softer. More open. The two warriors had been butting heads for a while, but there was an intimacy about them now. Like a switch had been flipped.
‘Do you have any suspects in mind?’ the detective asked, returning to the subject at hand. ‘Either of you?’
‘No,’ Genieve said miserably. She’d tried using her superpower as she and Brody had driven over in the car. Too much panic had clouded her thoughts. She couldn’t think of anyone who might do this to her.
Brody shook his head tersely.
The detective looked at his watch. ‘Genieve, you and I need to get over there. I’ve got a patrolman holding the scene.’
A patrolman and how many reporters? Had her neighbours been woken? Were they standing out on the sidewalk along with everyone else, staring at her house and trying to see inside? Her skin prickled.
‘OK.’ She needed to just get this over with. It couldn’t be worse than what she was building up in her mind. She scooped up her purse as Brody stood up. When she slid over, she was surprised to see him offer his hand. Tears stung her eyes. He wasn’t stoic. He just approached problems with more strategy than emotion. She put her hand in his and felt his warm palm seal tight. His fingers closed around hers, and his hold was strong.
Nina stood too, and smoothed her skirt. The detective glowered at a guy across the way who was watching, and planted himself beside her.
‘Where are you heading?’ he asked her.
Her cheeks turned a little pink. ‘My penthouse.’
The detective’s handsome face fell back into a scowl – especially when he looked at Brody. ‘Can you take her?’
Genieve’s brow knitted. Now wait. How did he know Nina didn’t have a ride? Had he assumed that, because she’d shown up at the same time, she’d come with them? And why was it his problem? A different lightbulb went on in her head. Or had the detective known exactly where her beautiful blonde boss had been? At, say, a cute little Colonial on the Potomac?
Tension radiated from Brody. ‘You won’t leave Jenny’s side?’
He didn’t want to make her face the crime scene on her own, she knew. The two men faced off, and the protectiveness in the air was practically stifling.
The detective nodded. ‘I guarantee it.’
They left the restaurant and swapped partners as they headed to their cars. Genieve watched Brody walk down the street without her, and she rubbed her hands together, trying to hold onto the heat from his touch. She didn’t want to do this on her own, but she knew she had to. She glanced at the detective and found him watching Nina go with just as much hesitancy. He snapped out of it when he felt her stare. Their gazes connected as he opened the car door for her, and Genieve suddenly felt better. He was in a hard spot, too, but he was trying to help.
She wasn’t alone. If Nina trusted him, she could, too.
* * *
The drive to her rowhouse didn’t take long, but to Genieve it felt like for ever since she’d been there. Her own home seemed like a strange mutation of some place she used to know, with a patrol car sitting out front and yellow tape lining the edge of the property. A group of reporters hovered outside that yellow line like hungry vultures, and neighbours dressed in robes peered through the openings in the crowd, trying to get a better look.
So much for lying low…
The detective pulled up behind the patrol car and shifted into park. His car was unmarked and, for a moment, the gawkers ignored them. Genieve knew the reprieve wouldn’t last for long. She didn’t wait for the detective to get the door for her, but got out and headed up the sidewalk. With his long strides, Morgan quickly caught up with her.
‘Careful.’ He touched his hand to her back. ‘I should have warned you that reporters are still here.’
