Page 17 of His Impossible Heir

“Who says it is a stranger?” the detective replied, using that shrug that was the epitome of French casualness. “The man was in your suite. You are a beautiful woman. Perhaps this man…wanted something that you were unwilling to give to him?” he suggested, adding another Gallic shrug. “You rejected him and…there was a scuffle.”

The other detective nodded in agreement with the first. “You had motive and opportunity.” He leaned forward, his dark eyes watching her carefully. “Tell me,” he urged, “Did this man make a pass at you? Maybe he took it too far? You brought him up to your suite, but changed your mind? Maybe you decided that you didn’t want to have sex, or perhaps he became too rough?”

“No!” she gasped, shocked at the clearly painted scenario, shaking her head emphatically. “I’ve never seen the man in my life!” she asserted yet again. “I just arrived in Paris earlier today!” Then she blinked and shook her head, pressing her forefinger against her forehead. “Wait. I got back from the event around midnight so it’s actually tomorrow now, isn’t it?” She sighed, deflating. “Or today. But the next day. Or…whatever.” She lifted her eyes to the man, pleading with him now. “Can I call someone? If I could just call my friend, then I can clear this up.”

“You can call someone soon,” the detective replied.

No phone call? She’d answered their questions at the hotel, then endured the humiliation of being dragged out of the hotel, through the nearly empty lobby. Then she’d been left in this room for…Amanda had no idea how long she’d been here. They’d asked her the same questions, over and over again. She’d had only a couple of hours of sleep in the past…however many days it had been. She was beyond exhausted. And now, she was angry!

“No!” she replied, unwilling to keep answering the same questions. “I’m not talking until I get a lawyer to represent me. You’re just trying to railroad me for some ridiculous reason.”

“Railroad?” he asked, tilting his head quizzically. “What is this…railroad? I thought railroads were how trains traveled.”

Amanda sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “It’s an American phrase and, honestly, I’m not exactly sure what it means other than you’re trying to push me into saying something just so that you can close this case without having to do any real work to solve it.”

Another officer stepped into the interrogation room, handing a paper to the detective. The man read through the new information, nodding to himself.

Amanda waited, feeling herself tense up as she waited to hear whatever was on that newest piece of paper.

The detective didn’t leave her in suspense for long. He slid the paper into the file folder, then looked across the table at her, his expression bored. “Apparently, the victim checked into the hotel earlier today. You say you’re a writer. Perhaps this man is a fan of yours? And maybe you…?”

“Stop!” she snapped, lifting a hand to stop whatever bullshit conjecture he was going to put forth next. “Whatever is on that paper, I guess you’re trying to wrap up disconnecting facts so that you can blame me for his murder.” She leaned back in the amazingly uncomfortable chair, folding her arms over her chest. “I’m not saying another word until I can make a call.”

“You’re kidding!” Emma gasped. She lifted a hand, stopping Rayed’s question. “No!” More silence. Then Emma abruptly leapt to her feet. “No!” Then she looked around. “Tell me exactly where you are! I’m on my way! Don’t sayanythinguntil I get there!” She scribbled a note and nodded. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just…stay safe!”

Emma ended the call and looked around at the elegant dining room, not sure what she was looking for. She felt a surge of panic rising in her chest.

Rayed touched her wrist gently, stopping her. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked.

Emma glanced over at Daniesh, who had arrived about ten minutes ago for a breakfast meeting with her husband. She hesitated to say anything with Daniesh around, not wanting to hurt Amanda’s chances with him. She’d seen the chemistry developing between Amanda and Daniesh last night and wanted to help the romance along. It would be wonderful if Amanda found the same happiness with Daniesh that Emma had with Rayed.

However, she couldn’t hide anything, especially not something this big, from her husband.

So she blurted out what Amanda had just told her. “Amanda was arrested last night for the murder of some guy who was found dead in her suite last night. She’s at the–”

Emma didn’t have time to finish her explanation before Daniesh stood up so quickly, his chair toppled over. “Where is she?” he demanded, his voice low and lethal.

Emma didn’t hesitate. She handed over the paper with the information from Amanda. “This is the police station where she’s being held.”

Daniesh grabbed the paper and turned, rushing out of the robin’s egg blue breakfast room, unaware of the deadly expression on his face.

He was already on his phone with one of the top lawyers in France before he made it outside. Daniesh handed the paper to his guard. “Get me to this address as quickly as you can!”

The guard looked at the address, nodded, then murmured something into his microphone. Within seconds, Daniesh was on the road at a breakneck pace.

When he entered the police station ten minutes later, he was nearly vibrating with fury. He couldn’t help but picture Amanda, the gentle beauty with the most amazing smile, terrified while sitting in a foreign country’s prison system.

“Your Highness,” a man in a spiffy suit and red, silk tie greeted him as he stepped through the door. “I’m Monsieur Jalois. I’m here to represent Mademoiselle Thomas.”

The man was obviously well trained, because he didn’t extend his hand in a normal greeting, which would violate royal protocols. But hell, Daniesh even being here in the police station, or “commissariat”, as they are called in Paris, was a violation.

“What do you know?” Daniesh demanded, clenching his fists by his sides.

“Mademoiselle Thomas has been interrogated for the past several hours. The police think the man who was shot in the head was a fan of her novels, snuck into her suite, and was hoping for an autograph from Ms. Thomas.” He cleared his throat as Daniesh’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I agree, Your Highness. It is a ridiculous scenario. My staff have already procured permission from a judge for her release.”

“Excellent,” Daniesh replied, nodding his head. “When can I see her?”

“The police are bringing her out of the jail cell now. She should be here in–”

---