grudgingly, "but please be brief. Darren is late for an appointment."
Marla followed her into a comfortable living room. Her gaze swept the furnishings and fixed on the cocktail table, on which lay a couple of long-handled blades ending in curved hooks. Studying them, she didn't hear Darren come in.
"Miss Shore. What can I do for you?"
His curt tone brought her head up sharply. He stood a few feet away, freshly showered if his damp black hair and shaven jaw were any indication. Her gaze widened as she took in the man's physique. Wearing a navy knit shirt and jeans instead of a suit, he couldn't hide his bulging biceps or his muscular torso. Her mouth went dry as she imagined one of those lengthy objects in his meaty hand.
Moistening her lips, she sought a cautious reply.
"I want to talk to you about Ben."
His expression visibly relaxed, which made her wonder what he was afraid she might say. "Horrible, wasn't it? The poor louse must have screwed one of his clients."
"Detector Vail thinks Ocean Guard's board members might be involved." Biting her lower lip, Marla restrained herself from blurting out about the murder weapon.
"I know. We've already had a discussion on the subject." With a weary sigh, he gestured her to a seat on the couch. "I tried to explain to the lieutenant how we're working toward a common goal, or at least I thought so until we began having these problems. Now it seems someone is intent on stopping us."
He studied her from under his thick-set brows. "How is your job going? Were you able to get substitutes for the chefs?"
"I got Carmel Corvinne from The Creole Palace, and tonight I'll meet the guy from Medina." Resisting an urge to glance at her watch, she plowed on. "Our fundraiser should be a successful event," she predicted.
"I hope you're right." Sitting in an armchair, he twisted his hands. "I realize Ocean Guard has its difficulties, but it is a worthy cause, and I'd hate to think we have a traitor in our midst, not to mention a murderer."
_What about your knife that was found near the body, pal?_
Marla couldn't mention that without offending him, so she tried a different approach instead. "What do you know about the relationship between Digby Raines and Ben? Babs mentioned something about a sex scandal."
Darren grimaced. "I only remember what I read in the paper, and this is going back eight years or so. Ben had a client who was accused of prostitution. She was a housewife who brought people into her home. Apparently, the woman videotaped her escapades. Ben got hold of one of the tapes and tried to sell it. The whole thing got washed over in a deal with prosecutors."
Clasping her fingers together, Marla leaned forward. "What does that have to do with Digby?"
"The videotape showed the woman having sex with Digby Raines. There may have been nude photos as well."
Marla swallowed a lump in her throat as an incident in her own life surfaced in her consciousness. She'd been in a similar situation when Bertha Kravitz threatened to expose certain photos from her shameful past. But instead of murdering the old woman, she'd succumbed to blackmail. It made her the perfect suspect when Bertha was killed and Dalton discovered their connection.
"Just because Digby might have held this incident against Ben, he didn't necessarily murder him over it," she said, her tone harsher than intended.
"Digby is in trouble at the polls. He might have been afraid Ben would bring the old skeleton out of the closet and cause further damage to his campaign."
"So you believe Digby is capable of homicide."
"I didn't say that." Darren jumped to his feet.
Changing tactics, Marla pointed to the objects on the cocktail table. "What are those? How interesting."
"They're part of my collection."
She lifted one by its wood handle, wrapped in cloth like a mummy. Her arm sagged from the weight. Was this considered a knife? It had a blade, albeit a curved one with a dull edge. Maybe you couldn't
Marla followed her into a comfortable living room. Her gaze swept the furnishings and fixed on the cocktail table, on which lay a couple of long-handled blades ending in curved hooks. Studying them, she didn't hear Darren come in.
"Miss Shore. What can I do for you?"
His curt tone brought her head up sharply. He stood a few feet away, freshly showered if his damp black hair and shaven jaw were any indication. Her gaze widened as she took in the man's physique. Wearing a navy knit shirt and jeans instead of a suit, he couldn't hide his bulging biceps or his muscular torso. Her mouth went dry as she imagined one of those lengthy objects in his meaty hand.
Moistening her lips, she sought a cautious reply.
"I want to talk to you about Ben."
His expression visibly relaxed, which made her wonder what he was afraid she might say. "Horrible, wasn't it? The poor louse must have screwed one of his clients."
"Detector Vail thinks Ocean Guard's board members might be involved." Biting her lower lip, Marla restrained herself from blurting out about the murder weapon.
"I know. We've already had a discussion on the subject." With a weary sigh, he gestured her to a seat on the couch. "I tried to explain to the lieutenant how we're working toward a common goal, or at least I thought so until we began having these problems. Now it seems someone is intent on stopping us."
He studied her from under his thick-set brows. "How is your job going? Were you able to get substitutes for the chefs?"
"I got Carmel Corvinne from The Creole Palace, and tonight I'll meet the guy from Medina." Resisting an urge to glance at her watch, she plowed on. "Our fundraiser should be a successful event," she predicted.
"I hope you're right." Sitting in an armchair, he twisted his hands. "I realize Ocean Guard has its difficulties, but it is a worthy cause, and I'd hate to think we have a traitor in our midst, not to mention a murderer."
_What about your knife that was found near the body, pal?_
Marla couldn't mention that without offending him, so she tried a different approach instead. "What do you know about the relationship between Digby Raines and Ben? Babs mentioned something about a sex scandal."
Darren grimaced. "I only remember what I read in the paper, and this is going back eight years or so. Ben had a client who was accused of prostitution. She was a housewife who brought people into her home. Apparently, the woman videotaped her escapades. Ben got hold of one of the tapes and tried to sell it. The whole thing got washed over in a deal with prosecutors."
Clasping her fingers together, Marla leaned forward. "What does that have to do with Digby?"
"The videotape showed the woman having sex with Digby Raines. There may have been nude photos as well."
Marla swallowed a lump in her throat as an incident in her own life surfaced in her consciousness. She'd been in a similar situation when Bertha Kravitz threatened to expose certain photos from her shameful past. But instead of murdering the old woman, she'd succumbed to blackmail. It made her the perfect suspect when Bertha was killed and Dalton discovered their connection.
"Just because Digby might have held this incident against Ben, he didn't necessarily murder him over it," she said, her tone harsher than intended.
"Digby is in trouble at the polls. He might have been afraid Ben would bring the old skeleton out of the closet and cause further damage to his campaign."
"So you believe Digby is capable of homicide."
"I didn't say that." Darren jumped to his feet.
Changing tactics, Marla pointed to the objects on the cocktail table. "What are those? How interesting."
"They're part of my collection."
She lifted one by its wood handle, wrapped in cloth like a mummy. Her arm sagged from the weight. Was this considered a knife? It had a blade, albeit a curved one with a dull edge. Maybe you couldn't
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