had been met with monosyllabic answers, until she’d backed off, figuring it was impolite to pry.
“Okay, I don’t know much about him,” she admitted. “But he passed a background check to get the job. And I think after this many years, I’d know his heart. He would never hurt anyone.”
“You’re telling me your ex-Special Forces bodyguard who gets paid to beat down anyone who even dares to touch you would never hurt anyone?”
“Not without reason,” she insisted, but her resolve was weakening. She thought she knew Dexter, but she’d been burned enough times in the music business to know it wasn’t wise to put complete faith in anybody—not even yourself. Still…”Why now? Why would he do this?”
“You had just come off a tour. Did he have any reason to believe you might be firing him any time soon?”
Roxxy gripped the phone. “Actually, I was planning to go back to school full time in the fall. He was the only one who knew my plans.”
“Mmm-hmm…” the D.A. answered in a tone that conveyed he had seen it all and was now incapable of surprise. “I’m going to send a few units to pick up your friend in the Bronx or wherever he’s holed up. I think we might be closing this case sooner than later.”
Despite what Dexter might have done, Roxxy’s heart ached for him. “Maybe I could talk to him when you bring him in. He doesn’t like to talk to people, but maybe he’ll talk to me or at least tell me why he did this.“
“You realize if Steve Kass hadn’t gotten you out of the city, this guy would have already killed you by now, right?” the D.A. asked her.
“Yes, but—“
“Yes, but nothing. He’s murdered one of mine, so here’s how this thing’s going to go down. We’re going to pick up Dexter. Your host will be released from the county jail, but when he gets back, you’re going to act like you don’t know word one about this case until we come and get you.
“Wait, you want me to keep on lying to him?” Roxxy asked. “Why?”
“We’ve learned the hard way is best to keep a witness in protection until we’ve got the suspect firmly in hand. But don’t worry, it’s not some mafia guy who can put a hit on you from jail, so this should only take a few more days. Soon we’ll come get you, and you’ll be able to return to your old life, stalker-free.”
He hung up then, apparently considering the conversation finished, but Roxxy didn’t replace the phone in the cradle for a long time.
Funny, but her old life didn’t sound that appealing anymore. In fact, the only thing less appealing was continuing to lie to Andrew for however long it took until the D.A.’s office came to retrieve her.
ANDREW DIDN’T QUITE KNOW WHAT to make of what had happened to him that day. First, he’d been brought back to the police station in Buellton by his ex-girlfriend’s father. He’d figured out from the sheriff’s questions alone that the man at the motel must have been Steve, who he’d been trying to get in contact with for over three days now with no return calls, but the sheriff and his deputies had been downright reluctant to believe his tale of a friend in New York who had asked him to hide some sort of unnamed informant at his ranch.
“So you’re trying to say somebody from the New York mob came all the way to Montana to poison your friend and do God knows what with the witness and then left the body in the hotel to decay so bad, the manager came in because he was getting complaints about the smell?”
Andrew made a mental note to check in with Ray Bob, the manager/owner of the motel. Even though he’d bought Sinclair Township, Ray Bob owned the motel and could technically run it however he pleased. Still, it didn’t look good for a motel in his township to only have as-needed maid service. Andrew suspected quite a few of Buellton’s transits and meth heads were taking advantage of the motel’s low weekly rates and “no questions asked”
“Okay, I don’t know much about him,” she admitted. “But he passed a background check to get the job. And I think after this many years, I’d know his heart. He would never hurt anyone.”
“You’re telling me your ex-Special Forces bodyguard who gets paid to beat down anyone who even dares to touch you would never hurt anyone?”
“Not without reason,” she insisted, but her resolve was weakening. She thought she knew Dexter, but she’d been burned enough times in the music business to know it wasn’t wise to put complete faith in anybody—not even yourself. Still…”Why now? Why would he do this?”
“You had just come off a tour. Did he have any reason to believe you might be firing him any time soon?”
Roxxy gripped the phone. “Actually, I was planning to go back to school full time in the fall. He was the only one who knew my plans.”
“Mmm-hmm…” the D.A. answered in a tone that conveyed he had seen it all and was now incapable of surprise. “I’m going to send a few units to pick up your friend in the Bronx or wherever he’s holed up. I think we might be closing this case sooner than later.”
Despite what Dexter might have done, Roxxy’s heart ached for him. “Maybe I could talk to him when you bring him in. He doesn’t like to talk to people, but maybe he’ll talk to me or at least tell me why he did this.“
“You realize if Steve Kass hadn’t gotten you out of the city, this guy would have already killed you by now, right?” the D.A. asked her.
“Yes, but—“
“Yes, but nothing. He’s murdered one of mine, so here’s how this thing’s going to go down. We’re going to pick up Dexter. Your host will be released from the county jail, but when he gets back, you’re going to act like you don’t know word one about this case until we come and get you.
“Wait, you want me to keep on lying to him?” Roxxy asked. “Why?”
“We’ve learned the hard way is best to keep a witness in protection until we’ve got the suspect firmly in hand. But don’t worry, it’s not some mafia guy who can put a hit on you from jail, so this should only take a few more days. Soon we’ll come get you, and you’ll be able to return to your old life, stalker-free.”
He hung up then, apparently considering the conversation finished, but Roxxy didn’t replace the phone in the cradle for a long time.
Funny, but her old life didn’t sound that appealing anymore. In fact, the only thing less appealing was continuing to lie to Andrew for however long it took until the D.A.’s office came to retrieve her.
ANDREW DIDN’T QUITE KNOW WHAT to make of what had happened to him that day. First, he’d been brought back to the police station in Buellton by his ex-girlfriend’s father. He’d figured out from the sheriff’s questions alone that the man at the motel must have been Steve, who he’d been trying to get in contact with for over three days now with no return calls, but the sheriff and his deputies had been downright reluctant to believe his tale of a friend in New York who had asked him to hide some sort of unnamed informant at his ranch.
“So you’re trying to say somebody from the New York mob came all the way to Montana to poison your friend and do God knows what with the witness and then left the body in the hotel to decay so bad, the manager came in because he was getting complaints about the smell?”
Andrew made a mental note to check in with Ray Bob, the manager/owner of the motel. Even though he’d bought Sinclair Township, Ray Bob owned the motel and could technically run it however he pleased. Still, it didn’t look good for a motel in his township to only have as-needed maid service. Andrew suspected quite a few of Buellton’s transits and meth heads were taking advantage of the motel’s low weekly rates and “no questions asked”
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