[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

trembled on the edge of an incredulous smile. "You'venever taken a girlfriend home to meet your family?"
"Never." For the first time Blade allowed himself to put into words the stark truth that had confused,
irked and tormented him for years. "I was looking for you. If I couldn't find you, I wasn't going to have
anyone."
Chapter 17
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"So this is Anna Tarrant."
Ray shook the hand of the woman who had been the cause of all the ruckus. She was small and very
attractive, with a mouth to go to war over, and the kind of mesmerising eyes that made him want to keep
on looking.
He caught the hard edge of Lombard's gaze and backed off fast. No sense in buying into any more
trouble; he'd already seen enough this week to last him. The past few days he'd been hip deep in
politicians and slick lawyers, all trying to save de Rocheford's ass. It was a lost cause, but that didn't stop
the legal vultures from feeding off the carcass for as long as they could, although he didn't know where de
Rocheford stood with the money any longer. Technically he now owned very little.
Anna placed her briefcase on the interview desk and began removing the small items of her past. An
officer catalogued each item and bagged it. Blade hovered protectively as the interview proceeded and
she told her story in simple chronological order, ending with de Rocheford's last attempt to kill her.
"I escaped," she finished baldly.
Ray sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. This was the part he knew he wasn't going
to like. "How?"
"Seber came into the room they'd locked me in. I got away, then climbed down the cliff to the beach.
There was a boat with a motor. I came ashore at a beach with a boat ramp, a little further up the coast. I
called Blade. He came and got me."
Ray sighed at Anna's simplistic series of statements. He had no doubt that each one contained its own
version of the truth. "Have you got anything you want to add to that explanation?"
"No."
Blade's arm settled about her shoulders. "My fianc�e's safe," he said softly. "Surely that's the most
important thing."
Ray met Blade's bland gaze and didn't push any further. He knew what Blade had done; knew and
respected his reasons, even if he couldn't condone any of it. He decided that Anna's simple series of
statements was all he ever wanted to know about what had happened at the de Rocheford estate  on
the record or off.
He ended the official interview and began outlining the prosecution proceedings. "Seber is a practical
man: he talked. And once he started talking, he didn't stop. The man is certifiably weird. Not only did he
impersonate a police officer, he kept police-style records on all his clients and anyone else who attracted
his attention in the course of his 'duties.' We've got Seber and de Rocheford on one count of murder 
the lawyer, Emerson Stevens. Seber also implicated de Rocheford in the kidnapping and attempted
murder of Miss Tarrant."
Ray shook his head in incredulity at Seber's cold-blooded efficiency. "He taped all his conversations
with his clients, just in case something went wrong."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Henry killed my mother, too," Anna said flatly.
Ray was caught in the net of her gaze again. He frowned. There was something about her eyes, aside
from that luminous grey colour. For a moment there he'd got the distinct impression she had looked &
not through him, butinto him.
She lifted her brows, and he realised he'd been staring. Incredibly, he felt his cheeks heat. "Have you,
uh, got any evidence to support that statement?"
"Henry told me he gave her sleeping pills when she was already on some other medication," she said in a
low voice. "She simply never woke up. Seber may be able to confirm the allegation. I think he was
listening at the door when Henry told me about giving her the pills."
Ray was hardly surprised. "We're already investigating that angle," he admitted, and suppressed a grin.
He would go talk to Seber again; he could hardly wait. The man was like Father Christmas; his goody
sack was solving half the crimes in the city.
He rose from his chair and shook hands with both Anna and Blade. "With what we've got from Seber,
we shouldn't have any problems getting convictions. He collected evidence by the book."
Ray strolled to the door, grasped the handle, but didn't open it immediately. He stared at the wood grain
as if it were utterly fascinating. "Seber also nailed a number of petty criminals. One of them was the
manager of Joe's Bar and Grill. Apparently he was running a brothel out of the restaurant. A couple of
the girls confirmed everything." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]