landlady and her bedridden husband. He claimed to be schizo, but the SA thought he’d just been high. His lawyer was going for the insanity defense. Really big guy.”
Murphy went quiet for a moment then shook his head. “They brought him in wearing shackles, hands and feet. Tess sat as far away from him as she could. Guy was my col ar, so I was sitting on the other side of the glass with the SA-Patrick Hurst. But there was a guard in the room with her. Guard gave Tess a look.” Murphy looked away, his lips twisting in a grimace. “Slimy bastard. Like he hated her, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.” And felt some shame because he did. “What did the suspect do?”
“Bided his time, then lunged over the table, grabbed her.” He set his coffee on the table. “Got the wrist shackle chain around her throat and threatened to break her neck.”
Aidan winced. “What did the guard do?”
Murphy tucked his tongue in his cheek. “After a half beat, he jumped in, but the big guy had Tess. I was in there in less than fifteen seconds but he’d already hurt her. Spun her around and slammed her head into the concrete wall, then held her there, choking her. I’l never forget the look in her eyes. She thought she would die that day.”
“You pul ed the guy off her?”
“Me, the SA, and two guards. She was passed out by then. He broke her arm and fractured her skul . She has a scar around her neck from the chain.”
Aidan thought about the colorful scarf she’d tied around her neck that morning and understood. He thought about a murderer’s hands around her throat and was coldly furious. “So you went and sat with her at the hospital.”
“Yeah. I called her brother for her. He was on the plane from Philadelphia that night. I went back the next day to see how she was doing and we started talking. She couldn’t talk, actually. She had to write on a notepad because he’d damaged her voice. But after a few days she could talk.” His mouth bent up. “She reminded me of my little sister, sassy as hell. And we became…
friends.”
“Does she stil ?”
40
Karen Rose
[Suspense 5]
You Can't Hide
Murphy’s brows lifted. “What? Remind me of my sister? Yes.” He sat back in his chair, thoughtful y studying Aidan’s face. “Does she remind you of your sister, Aidan?”
Aidan considered lying, decided against it. “No.”
Murphy laughed softly. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Mention it again and you will be.”
“Why? She didn’t do this, and you know it. We’l clear her and then you’l be clear.”
“Doesn’t matter, Murphy.” Because women like Tess Ciccotelli were extremely high maintenance. Aidan reached backward and grabbed a sheet from his printer. “These are al the florist shops within a five-mile radius of Cynthia Adams’s apartment. I thought we could find out if anybody’s been buying lots of lilies lately.”
“Give me half the list.” Murphy waited until Aidan was sitting back behind his own desk before adding, “She’s unattached.”
Aidan paused midway through dialing his first number. “What?”
“She’s unattached. Was engaged, now she’s not.”
Leave it alone, Reagan, his sensible brain warned. The stupid brain did not concur. Shifting in his chair, he glared across the desk at Murphy who was ignoring him, having already dialed the first number on his list. Aroused and pissed off about it, Aidan made it through calls to five different florists, then smacked the receiver down. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“You know damn well why what,” Aidan hissed. “Don’t be an asshole,”
Murphy looked up, smiling. Smug bastard. “She broke it off with the guy two weeks from the altar.” His smile faded. “Rumor had it her fiancй cheated on her.”
Aidan shook his head, floored. It would seem he and Tess Ciccotelli did have more in common than he’d originally thought. “Then he was an idiot.”
“On that we agree. You got any lilies yet?”
“Roses,
Murphy went quiet for a moment then shook his head. “They brought him in wearing shackles, hands and feet. Tess sat as far away from him as she could. Guy was my col ar, so I was sitting on the other side of the glass with the SA-Patrick Hurst. But there was a guard in the room with her. Guard gave Tess a look.” Murphy looked away, his lips twisting in a grimace. “Slimy bastard. Like he hated her, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.” And felt some shame because he did. “What did the suspect do?”
“Bided his time, then lunged over the table, grabbed her.” He set his coffee on the table. “Got the wrist shackle chain around her throat and threatened to break her neck.”
Aidan winced. “What did the guard do?”
Murphy tucked his tongue in his cheek. “After a half beat, he jumped in, but the big guy had Tess. I was in there in less than fifteen seconds but he’d already hurt her. Spun her around and slammed her head into the concrete wall, then held her there, choking her. I’l never forget the look in her eyes. She thought she would die that day.”
“You pul ed the guy off her?”
“Me, the SA, and two guards. She was passed out by then. He broke her arm and fractured her skul . She has a scar around her neck from the chain.”
Aidan thought about the colorful scarf she’d tied around her neck that morning and understood. He thought about a murderer’s hands around her throat and was coldly furious. “So you went and sat with her at the hospital.”
“Yeah. I called her brother for her. He was on the plane from Philadelphia that night. I went back the next day to see how she was doing and we started talking. She couldn’t talk, actually. She had to write on a notepad because he’d damaged her voice. But after a few days she could talk.” His mouth bent up. “She reminded me of my little sister, sassy as hell. And we became…
friends.”
“Does she stil ?”
40
Karen Rose
[Suspense 5]
You Can't Hide
Murphy’s brows lifted. “What? Remind me of my sister? Yes.” He sat back in his chair, thoughtful y studying Aidan’s face. “Does she remind you of your sister, Aidan?”
Aidan considered lying, decided against it. “No.”
Murphy laughed softly. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Mention it again and you will be.”
“Why? She didn’t do this, and you know it. We’l clear her and then you’l be clear.”
“Doesn’t matter, Murphy.” Because women like Tess Ciccotelli were extremely high maintenance. Aidan reached backward and grabbed a sheet from his printer. “These are al the florist shops within a five-mile radius of Cynthia Adams’s apartment. I thought we could find out if anybody’s been buying lots of lilies lately.”
“Give me half the list.” Murphy waited until Aidan was sitting back behind his own desk before adding, “She’s unattached.”
Aidan paused midway through dialing his first number. “What?”
“She’s unattached. Was engaged, now she’s not.”
Leave it alone, Reagan, his sensible brain warned. The stupid brain did not concur. Shifting in his chair, he glared across the desk at Murphy who was ignoring him, having already dialed the first number on his list. Aroused and pissed off about it, Aidan made it through calls to five different florists, then smacked the receiver down. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“You know damn well why what,” Aidan hissed. “Don’t be an asshole,”
Murphy looked up, smiling. Smug bastard. “She broke it off with the guy two weeks from the altar.” His smile faded. “Rumor had it her fiancй cheated on her.”
Aidan shook his head, floored. It would seem he and Tess Ciccotelli did have more in common than he’d originally thought. “Then he was an idiot.”
“On that we agree. You got any lilies yet?”
“Roses,
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