lovely.”
“Glad you like them.” I felt his eyes boring into the back of my head.
I reached for my purse. “Would you pick up Sammie for me, honey? I might like to visit Abbie before I go to the sheriff’s office.”
“No problem,” he said softly.
I made sure my phone was in my purse. “I’ll pick up something from the deli for dinner, okay? How about subs? And a movie? We can watch a movie tonight.”
He cleared his throat.
I slowly turned around. Max had his arms crossed.
“I should go now,” I said.
“I think you should tell me what’s going on first.” The only part of him that moved was his mouth. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and he looked a bit like a panther ready to pounce. I rarely saw Max’s aggressive side. A hard-nosed businessman who had learned at the feet of his harder-nosed father. I didn’t like it.
I clasped the handle of my purse until my knuckles turned white. “Detective Scott says that by talking to me over and over again, things I’ve seen but don’t remember might come back to me.” As much as the detective had annoyed me, I couldn’t believe I was defending him.
Max studied me very much like the cops had. Then he took a deep breath and glanced at his watch. “Something’s not right here, but I need to go pick up Sammie. This is the last time I’ll allow you to go to the sheriff’s office without a lawyer. I want you to tell Eric that, okay?”
Great. All I needed was a lawyer friend of the Cunninghams picking my brain. He’d be like all of Max’s family—Harvard educated and smart as a whip. That would be worse than talking to Detective Scott. And despite lawyer/client privilege, I’d wonder what the lawyer was telling the family.
“Okay.” I didn’t meet Max’s eyes, just studied his very firm chin. He had a nice chin, with a tiny little cleft right in the middle.
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” he asked.
My gaze snapped up to his. “Like did I murder him? Is that what you mean?”
He closed his eyes for a second, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Then he crossed the room in three steps and pulled me into his arms. “No, honey. I know you didn’t kill him. I just love you so much. The thought of something happening to you makes me crazy. I’m sorry.”
Well, I’d succeeded in distracting him, but now I felt worse. With his words, he heaped red coals of shame upon my head. How much more could I take? I had to find my answers and fast.
Chapter Nine
With my arms full of yearbooks, a bag from the drugstore, and my purse, I brushed past a surprised Abbie at her front door. I was out of breath from running up the stairs. She lived above an antique shop in the middle of town, and I didn’t know how she could stand walking up and down those stairs everyday.
I dumped everything on her taupe leather sofa, whirled around, and faced her. “I have another interview with Detective Scott today.” I glanced at my watch. “In exactly ninety minutes. I need you to help me prepare. I hope you have some time. If you’d answer your phone or get a cell phone, I’d be able to get in touch with you.”
She shut her front door and faced me. “I was in the shower, so I didn’t hear the answering machine. And I hate cell phones.”
“I brought bribes.” I pointed at the stuff I’d dropped. “I also brought a notebook to make notes in. And I have all of Russ’s yearbooks. I need to make a list of things to distract the police so I have more time to check into Russ’s past and see who was blabbing to Jim Bob.”
“Have you talked to Max yet?” she asked.
“No.” I met her gaze. “I tried. Then Karen walked in and started talking about her mother. I couldn’t do it after that.”
She studied my face a moment more, then she glided to the couch and fished through the plastic bag, pulling out two plain stenographer’s pads and six Cadbury eggs. She grinned and bounced an egg on her palm. “My very favorite. You’re serious
“Glad you like them.” I felt his eyes boring into the back of my head.
I reached for my purse. “Would you pick up Sammie for me, honey? I might like to visit Abbie before I go to the sheriff’s office.”
“No problem,” he said softly.
I made sure my phone was in my purse. “I’ll pick up something from the deli for dinner, okay? How about subs? And a movie? We can watch a movie tonight.”
He cleared his throat.
I slowly turned around. Max had his arms crossed.
“I should go now,” I said.
“I think you should tell me what’s going on first.” The only part of him that moved was his mouth. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and he looked a bit like a panther ready to pounce. I rarely saw Max’s aggressive side. A hard-nosed businessman who had learned at the feet of his harder-nosed father. I didn’t like it.
I clasped the handle of my purse until my knuckles turned white. “Detective Scott says that by talking to me over and over again, things I’ve seen but don’t remember might come back to me.” As much as the detective had annoyed me, I couldn’t believe I was defending him.
Max studied me very much like the cops had. Then he took a deep breath and glanced at his watch. “Something’s not right here, but I need to go pick up Sammie. This is the last time I’ll allow you to go to the sheriff’s office without a lawyer. I want you to tell Eric that, okay?”
Great. All I needed was a lawyer friend of the Cunninghams picking my brain. He’d be like all of Max’s family—Harvard educated and smart as a whip. That would be worse than talking to Detective Scott. And despite lawyer/client privilege, I’d wonder what the lawyer was telling the family.
“Okay.” I didn’t meet Max’s eyes, just studied his very firm chin. He had a nice chin, with a tiny little cleft right in the middle.
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” he asked.
My gaze snapped up to his. “Like did I murder him? Is that what you mean?”
He closed his eyes for a second, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Then he crossed the room in three steps and pulled me into his arms. “No, honey. I know you didn’t kill him. I just love you so much. The thought of something happening to you makes me crazy. I’m sorry.”
Well, I’d succeeded in distracting him, but now I felt worse. With his words, he heaped red coals of shame upon my head. How much more could I take? I had to find my answers and fast.
Chapter Nine
With my arms full of yearbooks, a bag from the drugstore, and my purse, I brushed past a surprised Abbie at her front door. I was out of breath from running up the stairs. She lived above an antique shop in the middle of town, and I didn’t know how she could stand walking up and down those stairs everyday.
I dumped everything on her taupe leather sofa, whirled around, and faced her. “I have another interview with Detective Scott today.” I glanced at my watch. “In exactly ninety minutes. I need you to help me prepare. I hope you have some time. If you’d answer your phone or get a cell phone, I’d be able to get in touch with you.”
She shut her front door and faced me. “I was in the shower, so I didn’t hear the answering machine. And I hate cell phones.”
“I brought bribes.” I pointed at the stuff I’d dropped. “I also brought a notebook to make notes in. And I have all of Russ’s yearbooks. I need to make a list of things to distract the police so I have more time to check into Russ’s past and see who was blabbing to Jim Bob.”
“Have you talked to Max yet?” she asked.
“No.” I met her gaze. “I tried. Then Karen walked in and started talking about her mother. I couldn’t do it after that.”
She studied my face a moment more, then she glided to the couch and fished through the plastic bag, pulling out two plain stenographer’s pads and six Cadbury eggs. She grinned and bounced an egg on her palm. “My very favorite. You’re serious
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