Page 5 of Fighting for Mallory

“Luca.” Mallory spoke in a weak, pitiful voice. “Is it true? Is Bentley dead?”

He wanted to hold her free hand but didn’t know if it had been swabbed for DNA. “Yes.”

She lifted her bloody hand. “Is this his blood?”

“Mallory, I don’t know. Are you able to tell me what happened?”

Tears trickled from her deep brown eyes. “I don’t remember. What’s going on, Luca? Am I really under arrest for…for…murdering Bentley?”

“Yes. Concentrate, sweetheart. You left me a message that you and Bentley were at Senator Keane’s house,” he prompted her.

She closed her eyes and drew her brows together. “Luca, I’m sorry. My memory is blank.”

He opened his mouth to question her further, but a doctor interrupted them.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Hayes. I’m Dr. Gibson. I have the results of your lab work.” He glanced meaningfully at Luca.

“I want Detective Martinelli to hear the report.”

“Your blood alcohol level hardly registered. But you ingested enough Rohypnol to knock an elephant off its feet. You’re lucky it didn’t kill you.”

“Which means Mrs. Hayes would have been too impaired to commit murder.”

“That is the assumption, yes.” He paused. “Unless you had a rare reaction to it which includes uncontrollable rage, among other things. We’re pumping you full of fluids. When the bag is empty, you’ll be released back into police custody.”

When they were alone, Mallory let out a low wail. Luca heard grief and fear in the sound. “I don’t want you to worry about a thing. After Brielle heard what happened, she called her father to represent you. Cameron is flying in from Denver on the Stones’ private jet and due to land any minute at LAX.” He ran a hand through his hair as he hesitated to tell her more bad news. “While you were unconscious, Judd Nelson convened a special grand jury. They returned an indictment of first-degree murder, Mallory. It came down only moments ago. I received an alert on my phone right before Dr. Gibson saw us.”

Though tears ran in rivulets down her cheeks, Mallory remained calm. “He’s not wasting any time, is he?”

“No. He’s grandstanding in front of a large crowd on the courthouse steps as we speak.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a forensics unit. Mallory’s ruby dress, covered in Bentley’s blood, her delicate undergarments, and her jewelry had already been bagged and tagged. Now, the team was here to take more pictures, swab her body for Bentley’s DNA, and get samples of her own. A female officer asked if she wanted a rape kit. Her face flushed with humiliation, and she turned toward Luca. He nodded.

“Please step outside, Detective Martinelli.”

While he waited, Luca’s mind whirled with questions?none of them good. What happened last night at Senator Keane’s home? Why did the limo driver’s tattoo scare her? Who slipped her Rohypnol and why? And the biggest question of all?who killed Bentley Hayes?

Truth be told, no one wanted to kill Mallory’s husband more than he did. He should have been nabbed and thrown into an interrogation room as soon as he showed his face. Judd Nelson was personally handling the case and might come after him when witnesses started discussing Luca’s history with Mallory. Nelson could do his worst to him, and it wouldn’t matter. Luca had a rock-solid alibi.

The forensics team left with their evidence. Luca stood outside the cubicle and heard Mallory ask the female officer if she could take a shower.

“You’ll be allowed to take a shower at the women’s central jail after you’ve been processed. Now get dressed.”

The press waited in full force to pounce on Mallory as Finnigan led her from the ER to his squad car. He and Luca shielded her from a barrage of questions and the flashing cameras. Some wondered why an LA SWAT officer, with whom D.A. Hayes had a personal relationship, was transporting her to jail. Others questioned Luca’s presence and speculation abounded.

Finnigan guided Mallory into the back seat of his squad car. Before he closed the door, Luca leaned down and declared, “I’ll be right behind you, Mallory. I won’t leave you alone.”

* * *

Another swarm of reporters nested outside the women’s central jail. Dread curled in Mallory’s stomach. Her legs hardly supported her weight when Finnigan took her by the arm and lifted her from the back seat. Cameron McAdams, thank goodness, stepped forward and draped his jacket over her head as he and Finnigan flanked her. Questions struck her like bullets.

“Why did you kill your husband, Mrs. Hayes?”

“Were you aware of a land grab scheme between your husband and Senator Keane?”

“Are you having an affair with Detective Luca Martinelli? Is that why you killed your husband?”

Cameron shoved a reporter aside. “Get out of our way. D.A. Hayes has no comment.”

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