Just Past Midnight by Amanda Stevens

Author:Amanda Stevens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2004-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Darian and Richard met Sergeant Addison in a cramped office in the downtown high-rise that housed HPD headquarters. Darian took a seat across from Addison’s desk while Richard stood to the side, arms folded, one shoulder pressed against the wall. She wondered how he could remain so calm, but then, as a defense attorney, he’d been in countless, similar situations. This was a walk in the park for him.

She tried to assume a professional persona, as well. Pretend this is just another case, she instructed herself. Think about the angle of the wound, the position of the body, the blood-splatter pattern on the bathroom wall. What did those things tell her about the killer?

He was efficient and methodical, but he wasn’t afraid to take chances. He’d attacked a man in a public rest room, which probably meant that he’d either been willing to deal with any witnesses who came upon him or else he considered himself too smart to get caught.

The crime struck Darian as a cold, passionless killing. One done of necessity, not pleasure.

“Thanks for coming down, Dr. West,” Addison said as he leaned back in his seat and regarded her across the desk. “I just have a few questions I need cleared up. This won’t take long.”

Darian nodded, but suddenly she remembered the afternoon that Officer Canton had come to her home to question her. He’d seemed friendly enough at first, but then his expression had hardened as his tone turned accusatory. He’d thought her guilty of setting the fire that had killed three people, and she wondered now if Sergeant Addison’s friendly demeanor masked similar doubts.

“What was your relationship to the victim?” he asked.

Darian folded her hands in her lap. “I didn’t have a relationship with him. He attended my workshop at the university a couple of nights ago, and then afterward, he caught up with me in the parking lot. He told me that he was a reporter for the New York Times, and that he was also writing a book.”

“What kind of book?”

“A murder mystery. He said he wanted my input. That’s not unusual,” she added quickly. “I’ve met several writers over the past few years.”

“So you agreed to meet with him at the Mirabelle?”

“Yes. His credentials checked out. I didn’t see the harm.” Darian winced. Did she sound too defensive?

“Was Melcher in the bar when you arrived at the hotel?”

“Yes.”

“What time was that?”

“A few minutes before five. I glanced at my watch to make sure I wasn’t late.”

“Was he alone when you joined him?”

“Yes.”

“How did he seem? Was he nervous? Excited? Agitated?”

Darian frowned. “He had a few drinks in a relatively short period of time after mentioning that he’d been on the wagon for the past six months. I suppose that could mean he was anxious about something.”

“What did you talk about?”

A tricky question to answer. Darian didn’t want to out-and-out lie to the police, but neither did she want to become the centerpiece of their investigation. For all she knew, Melcher’s death had nothing to do with her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.