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The whole of the apartment, at least what Mia had seen of it, was luxurious and spacious. The kitchen Darius had brought her into was like something out of an exclusive house and home magazine, with its granite floor and worktops, gleaming steel cupboards, and every available kitchen electrical appliance on display.
“Darius?” Mia prompted anxiously as his silence continued.
He took another sip of the tea before lowering the mug. “You’re asking if I believe that two men, after knocking you unconscious and shutting Honey in a bedroom, left the building this morning carrying a rug with Fletcher’s body wrapped up inside it?”
It sounded so—so incredulous, Mia wasn’t sureshebelieved it any longer. Maybe that bump on the head had done more damage than she’d originally thought.
Maybe, but someone had to have knocked her unconscious in the first place.
Yes, but that didn’t mean she’d seen a murdered man before they had.
Then where was Giles’s precious Aubusson rug?
Maybe those delivery guys took it away to be cleaned, the voice of reason derided inside her.
Maybe they had, but if that was the case, where was Giles Fletcher?
Probably in his office like he usually was the other four days of the week, that annoying voice mocked.
Maybe Darius was right not to have involved the police until they knew more about the situation or had spoken to Giles.
“Mia, I believe you saw exactly what you thought you saw,” Darius said softly.
She looked sharply across at him. “You do?”
His smile was derisive. “You look as if you think I shouldn’t.”
Mia winced. “It is a little…out there. And there was no body in the apartment when you arrived,” she reminded.
“There was no rug either.”
She sighed. “You only have my word there was a rug there to begin with.”
“Security marked one down as being removed from the building this morning by two men.”
“Maybe they were taking it away to be cleaned. Maybe if you were to phone Giles’s office,” she continued when Darius didn’t argue that point, “you’ll find that he’s sitting at his desk right now working, like he does every other weekday. If he is, he won’t be in the least pleased to learn that his apartment was broken into after he left for work this morning and his antique rug was stolen.”
“And maybe Fletcher’s body was wrapped inside that rug and carried out of here inside it because it was soaked with his blood after his throat was cut.”
“Oh God,” Mia groaned as the nausea once again churned in her stomach and rose up the back of her already sore throat.
“Mia, I spent years in the military.”
“Yes?” She eyed him uncertainly.
He nodded tersely. “It’s because I did that I have a pretty good idea what death smells like.”
She blinked. “Death smells?”
“Very distinctively.”
“Did Giles’s apartment smell like that?”
“Yes.”
Then Mia knew what death smelled like too; blood, gore, and other unpleasant bodily fluids.
“I’ll check in with Fletcher’s office while the doctor examines you, just to confirm that he isn’t in today,” Darius assured her as a ding of the elevator notified them the doctor had arrived.
