AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She jumped, and Sean squeezed her hand as she turned to face Fran. “Fran.”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” She smiled at Sean. “I’m Frances Buckley, WCF’s director.”
Sean extended his hand and smiled his award-winning grin, melting Lucy’s resolve to flee from him.
“Sean Rogan,” he said.
“Patrick’s partner,” Lucy explained.
“Very nice to meet you,” Fran said, giving Lucy a smile that showed her approval of Lucy’s choice in escort. Lucy resisted the urge to explain to Fran that they were just friends. That might be hard to prove, since Sean was still holding her hand.
Sean said, “The room is crowded. I hope they’re all paying customers.”
“Even in this tough economy, we were able to surpass what we raised last year.”
Lucy saw Cody stride into the room and scan it, spotting her just after she saw him. He walked over. “Lucy, can I talk to you privately?”
Lucy felt a distinctly protective shift in Sean’s posture, and Cody glanced at him with stern eyes. “Sean, this is my friend Cody Lorenzo, with the D.C. Police Department. He volunteers at WCF. Can you give us a moment?”
“Go ahead.” Sean dropped her hand, but Lucy felt him watching her follow Cody outside the ballroom into the hall.
“What’s wrong? You’re agitated.”
She couldn’t imagine he’d be this upset that she’d come to the event with Sean.
“Tell me the truth, Lucy. Did you change the meeting place with Prenter?”
She blinked several times, switching her focus. “What? Why on earth would I do that?”
“Before I came here, I stopped by Club 10. Prenter boasted to the bartender that he was going to get laid, that he was meeting a hot blonde who liked to talk dirty online.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. Fran has a copy of all my transcripts!” Cody hesitated, and Lucy grew enraged. “You think I could have played the game that far?”
“No, not under normal circumstances, but if the chats weren’t getting what we wanted out of him, maybe you pushed a little too hard, got in too deep. I’m not blaming you, Lucy, but—”
“Hold it. What makes you think it was me? Maybe he was chatting online with someone else. I did not change the meeting place, nor did I talk about anything sexual. Read the damn logs—I flirted, nothing more. Why don’t you believe me? Why would you think that Fran would have allowed it?”
“You’re sharp. You could have changed the logs. Or logged in from home and not copied the transcripts.”
She shook her head and squeezed her lips tight. That Cody could think she was capable of such a thing! He knew exactly who she was and where she’d been in her life. He knew what had happened to her, and why her volunteer work was so important. She would never jeopardize her career with the FBI or Fran’s trust in her by crossing the line with a suspect.
Cody reached out to her. “I’m sorry, Lucy—I had to ask.”
“You didn’t ask. You accused me. And you shouldn’t have had to ask in the first place! You should have known that I would never do anything like that. There is a logical explanation: Prenter was meeting up with another woman. Or he was lying through his teeth. You know how these rapists are, embellishing the truth to make themselves feel powerful and in control. It was a fantasy in his head, not one I deliberately put there.”
“You’re right, I just—”
“Leave it.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Maybe she was overreacting, but his accusation had stunned her. “Did you learn anything else? About the man and woman Prenter argued with in the alley?”
“No, I came here directly from the bar. I’m really sorry, Lucy.” He glanced toward the reception.
“Are you upset that I’m here with Sean?”
“No,” he said, but she didn’t believe him, and he made no pretense to convince her that he was being truthful.
She nodded, still shredded inside over Cody’s accusation. Jealousy was another burden she didn’t need. “Excuse me, I’m going to the restroom.”
She walked briskly down the hall. The feeling that someone was watching her was strong, and she suspected that Cody was staring after her, feeling guilty.
