“You don’t need me to open it. You can go through it.”
But why should I have to when you are now here?
I rolled my eyes and opened the door. He stalked through it, a king entering his new realm.
“Hey,” Ginny called from the vicinity of the living room. “How did the date go?”
“It wasn’t a date, and were you aware Atticus was sitting outside the door?”
“Yes.”
“And you ignored him?”
“He demanded I rise and let his royal ass into the apartment. I told said royal ass he could get himself in here. He threatened to eat me.”
I glanced down at the raggedy creature stalking toward my room. “Did you?”
He mentally sniffed. In other words, yes.
I shook my head and headed into the kitchen to make myself a hot chocolate. I wasn’t going to risk a coffee, because I rather suspected I was going to have enough trouble sleeping as it was.
“Considering it wasn’t a date,” Ginny commented, “you’ve dressed rather seductively. I’m surprised he didn’t rip that thing right off you.”
He certainly wanted to....I flicked on the kettle, then reached into the fridge to grab the milk. “Why? Everything is covered.”
“Woman, you really have no idea how a man’s mind works, do you? It’s not what is on show that counts, but where their imagination leads them.”
I snorted. “Which is why pornos and ‘business’ clubs featuring strippers and lap dancers remain so damn popular, because it’s all about the imagination.”
“That is beside the point. What happened?”
I half shrugged. “He was quite open about his reasons for being there and his connection to Tane.”
“And you believed him?”
“I spoke to Michael on the way home, and he confirmed what René said.” I hated lying to her, but orders were orders, even if they sucked. “How’d the interview with Monica’s fiancé go?”
She snorted. “Mark Marlowe and Monica Ashworth are perfectly suited to each other. They’re both arrogant twerps.”
The kettle whistled; I switched it off, then said, “You want something to drink?”
“Coffee would be good. Thanks.”
I made the two drinks, then carried them over, placing hers on the coffee table before sitting on the sofa opposite. “What did he say?”
“He tried to claim that Monica invited him up here, but when I said we had her phone records and knew that to be untrue, he declared she was diminishing his family’s reputation with her overtly obvious affair, and he’d come up here to confront her.”
“So he not only knew she was alive, but that the kidnapping was likely staged, and he said nothing to either Tane or us?”
“He claims not to have been aware of the kidnapping, which is possible given how hushed the whole thing is being kept. I mean, not even Francesca or Marnee’s parents have been advised of their murders yet.”
“Yes, but Lowell questioned the man. Mark must have suspected something was up; he’s not obtuse, surely.”
She grinned. “When it comes to women, many men are. Besides, it’s not like their marriage was based on love or caring.”
“Yes, but the thing is, her affair with Luke wasn’t overt. Have you seen anything in the gossip mags or online about them? The fact they were cousins, however far removed, would have scandalized the more conservative sections of society, but there has been radio silence.”
“Just because she and Luke weren’t fucking like bunnies in public doesn’t mean no one knew. Her friends certainly did—maybe one of them accidentally said something.”
