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“I did,” she admitted. “I considered stopping at that pub a few blocks down, but I decided to go on home. Made a right on Pine.”
Disappointment flared in his weary eyes. He’d known the turn shown in the video was wrong for going straight to her place on Shelby.
“You went home. Didn’t stop anywhere?”
“I did. No stops.” Images of bloody clothes and rivers of red rushing down her skin flashed one after the other in her brain. She shut out the memories.
Graves heaved a dramatic sigh. “This guy Brant was very much like his friend Hughes. He had a record of close calls and a rap sheet that made even a veteran like me wonder how he could still be walking the streets.”
Finley kept the comment that rose to the tip of her tongue to herself.
Not anymore.
“Thanks for coming in and explaining your being in the vicinity of my new murder case, Ms.O’Sullivan.”
Again.He didn’t say it, but she knew he was thinking it.
Finley stood. “Happy to help.”
Liar.
Graves hefted himself up. “Don’t worry yourself. Although we haven’t found any usable prints or other evidence just yet, I’ve asked the forensic techs to go over the victim’s clothing extra closely. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a hair or some kind of fiber that’ll give us a starting place.”
Brant collapsing into her and sliding down her body zoomed into her mind.
Almost made her flinch.
“Good luck,” she offered with a smile that reminded her about the headache still lingering despite the two aspirins she’d taken.
She left the dinky office and took her time exiting the building. She didn’t want to be seen as rushing away.
Perception was more than half the game in these situations.
She left through the rear exit and managed to drag a decent breath into her lungs.
Then she spotted Matt propped against her Subaru. Waiting for her just like the last time she’d been called to this detective’s office.
Damn Nita. She must have told him where Finley was.
Finley plastered on a smile and strode toward the man who had taken such good care of her last night.
She stopped in front of him and nodded. “I owe you big-time for babysitting me last night.” Then she leaned against her car next to him. “I don’t know what triggered the meltdown.” She shrugged. “Maybe it was a long time coming. The upside is I saw Mengesha today. We talked it through.”
Liar. Liar.Perfect timing for the appointment with Mengesha, as it turned out.
“I thought we’d catch up over lunch,” Matt said rather than comment on her monologue. “Nita said you were here, and I hoped to catch you.”
He would likely have heard anyway. Matt knew everything that went down in this city if it related to the mayor’s, DA’s, or chief of police’s offices.
“Another one of Dempsey’s thugs got his,” she admitted.
If he didn’t already, he would also soon know that she had been nearby. Damn it. But she wasn’t going there until he brought it up.
“When did this happen?”
“Last night. Downtown. There’s always somebody getting shot downtown.” This was true. Crime—particularly violent crime—was up everywhere.
He nodded. Then he turned those piercing blue eyes on her. “I’m worried about you, Fin.”
