You Belong to Me by Karen Rose Page B

hand.
    She passed a parked car with a man in the driver’s seat. Watching me . He got out and, ignoring her, pulled an armful of books from his trunk. Okay, not watching me .
    ‘Lucy.’
    She heard the voice a split second before hitting a hard body full on. Stifling what would have been a shriek, she looked up. And up some more.
    ‘Thorne,’ she breathed in relief. ‘You scared me.’
    He’d gripped her shoulders to steady them. Thomas Thorne was a huge man, at least six six. Even Fitzpatrick would have to look up at him. Right now Thorne’s handsome face was scowling. ‘You didn’t pick up your phone.’
    She thought of the call she’d left unanswered. ‘I was talking to the detectives.’
    His scowl deepened. ‘Without me?’ he growled. He had a deep, gravelly voice that carried through a packed courtroom without a microphone.
    If she hadn’t known him so well, she might have been unnerved. ‘I had an alibi.’
    His eyes narrowed. ‘Famous last words. Are you that stupid?’
    Annoyed, she took a step closer, lifting her chin. ‘No. Any other questions?’
    Did the little girl live? She heard Fitzpatrick’s quiet voice in her mind. That’s what he’d asked after she’d told them she’d cut off a human leg with a Sawzall and once again she thought of the first time she’d seen him, standing across her autopsy suite. His feet had been spread solidly, arms crossed over his chest, his face stoically stern. She especially remembered the tears in his eyes. They’d startled her that day.
    The victim had been a three year old girl. He’d cared, just like he’d cared today.
    JD Fitzpatrick was a very dangerous man indeed.
    ‘What?’ Thorne asked, giving her a little shake. ‘You just went somewhere.’
    Lucy refocused on his face. ‘I’m fine. I’ve had an eventful day.’ She told him what had happened, leaving out the missing body parts that the police wanted kept under wraps.
    ‘Shit,’ he murmured, but even a murmur from Thorne vibrated like a shout.
    ‘Indeed,’ Lucy said. ‘Mazzetti and Fitzpatrick are verifying my alibi. I had a class full of students every day last week and had room service delivered almost every day. There was no way that I could have made it from Baltimore to LA and back again to kill Russ Bennett, or whoever that victim really is.’
    ‘They’ll come to talk to Gwyn,’ he said and she sighed.
    ‘I didn’t tell her. I thought it would be worse for her in the long term if I did. But I did tell them she was with her mom the day Bennett disappeared.’
    Thorne winced. ‘She’s gonna be pissed that you kept this from her.’
    Lucy lifted on her toes so that she could pat his cheek. ‘You’ll sweeten her back up,’ she said, hoping it was true. ‘Just give her a new whip. She’s worn the old one out.’
    ‘I’ll put it on your tab,’ he said dryly, but he’d stopped scowling. ‘I’ve got to run. Let me see you to your car. Let’s go.’ He started walking and she had to nearly skip to keep up with his long stride. ‘If the cops want to talk to you again, you call me,’ he ordered. ‘And next time, do not say a word until I am physically at your side.’
    She nodded dutifully. ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘I’ve met JD Fitzpatrick,’ he added crossly. ‘I didn’t like him.’
    Her brows lifted, surprised. ‘Why not?’
    Thorne’s mouth curved ruefully. ‘He’s a straight cop. I grilled him for a long time on the stand, but he never slipped once. Told the goddamn truth.’
    Lucy frowned, unsurprised to hear that Fitzpatrick had integrity, but disliking the thought of him being grilled. She and Thorne argued about his career many an evening. Lucy’s feelings were mixed. As were Thorne’s. ‘Did you get your client off?’
    ‘No. He was guilty.’ Thorne shrugged. ‘But he got a fair trial so I slept that night.’ He stopped when they got to her old Chevy. ‘Call me when you get home.’
    ‘Okay.’
    He waited until she’d unlocked her car door.