go over what I do know first.” He began ticking items off on his fingers as she stood in the center of the room, watching him. “Stephen Carmen is dead. And lo and behold, an hour or so after the dust settles, you come tiptoeing out his back door.”
She said nothing.
“It’ll take the lab a few hours to match your prints, but by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have you on that, too.”
“I told you—”
“Ah. I forgot that part. You and the victim are related. You visited his library regularly. Your prints would logically be…well, everywhere.”
“Yes,” she conceded cautiously.
“Do you think a grand jury will believe you when you tell them that you habitually fondled Carmen’s fireplace poker?”
“Fondled?” She nearly choked. And in spite of every sane thing she knew about brazening out the hard spots in life, Tara’s gaze fell to his hands.
Her mind emptied of every plan of attack she might have had. His hands were a dichotomy, she realized. Though they were a gentleman’s hands with buffed, trimmed nails, they had a girth and a width to them that would be strong and persuasive. She could very easily imagine them…well, fondling.
Why was she thinking this?
“On top of all that,” he continued, “you resisted arrest.” He watched her mouth open in outrage, then snap shut again. He gave her a point for self-control. “And you committed assault upon my person.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously as though she was contemplating more.
“I think even Cal Mazzeone is going to have his hands full with this one.” Fox sat back against the sofa, pleased with himself.
“Let’s try him.” She went for the sleek, ultramodern phone on a chrome-and-glass table by one wall.
Fox came to his feet. “Put it down.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Then charge me with something! Either you have cause or you don’t.”
Neither of them was getting an upper hand here, Fox realized. He did not intend to call this night a draw.
The silence between them drew out. Then he shrugged—a lazy gesture that brought to mind humid summer heat, Tara thought. He walked toward her. There was a lazy sense about the way he moved. He did it with more grace than a man should lay claim to. Tara eased back to give him plenty of room.
She let him take the phone from her hand. Even as he punched in a number, he watched her in a way that made her stomach do a slow roll. Like he was the devil himself and she was something he’d wanted for a very long time.
“Don’t worry about the stepsister,” he said suddenly to someone on the other end of the line. “I guess you could say that I have that situation…in hand.” He eyed her once more, another slow cruise of his gaze. “She doesn’t have the ruby. It’s not anywhere on her person. Trust me, I can be sure.”
Tara’s heart chugged. He was talking to whoever it was like they had no idea where the Rose was. Was it possible?
She opened her mouth to tell him that the stone was somewhere on the library floor, in the far corner, near the window. She caught herself just in time as he put the phone down. “Maybe Stephen…dropped it,” she offered. “You know, in the scuffle.”
“Who said there was a scuffle?”
“You did. You were the one who mentioned the fireplace poker. Or did he just stand there and let himself be conked with it?”
She was quick. It went with all her sharp edges, he thought. “Trust me. That rock is nowhere in the house.”
Then he saw her face change. Stark horror, a raw kind of distress, passed over her expression like a cloud over the sun. He felt another visceral tug of something that wanted to soften toward her, but he’d never met a woman who needed pity less or who irritated him more.
He left her and headed for the door. “You won’t want to leave the city for the time being, you hear?” Then he opened the door and stepped into the hall, closing it quietly again behind him.
Tara stared after him then she ran to throw the locks. She caught herself just in time and peered out through the peephole. He was still standing there, no doubt waiting for the sound of metal rolling. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
He’d quit. He’d given up. He was gone. She couldn’t believe her good fortune! But where was the Rose?
Tara turned slowly and leaned her back against the door. After a moment, she heard him move off outside and her breath rushed out of her. Then her gaze fell on her telephone table and her heart kicked all over again.
She ran to the table. It was glass—there was no way to misplace anything on it or beneath it. She dropped to her knees anyway and ran a frantic hand over the carpet. She gave a cry of outrage.
Her date book was gone.
Chapter 3
The lady was well and truly miffed.
Fox allowed himself to grin as the echo of Tara’s infuriated howl rolled down the hallway on his heels. It gave him his first sense of satisfaction in hours. He stepped into the elevator and took the date book from his pocket. It was going to be interesting reading, he thought, flipping through it. Then his cell phone rang.
“You’ve got it in hand?” Rafe demanded when Fox answered. “What does that mean? Where are you?”
“I’m at 1222 Poplar Drive.” As the elevator began its descent, Fox glanced down to make sure his jacket showed no signs of his earlier scuffle. “Where are you?”
“Headquarters. I—” Rafe broke off. “That’s the stepsister’s address.”
“Yes.” Fox stepped into Tara Cole’s elegant lobby and looked around at the top-notch Persian rugs and the marble reception desk. He knew that if he laid his palm against it, he would feel a chill.
It suited her. She was one cool customer.
“So where was she tonight?” Rafe asked.
“She was in the dead gentleman’s home.”
“What?”
There would be time enough later to explain why he didn’t have Tara Cole in custody at this very moment. In fact, Fox knew that he would have to explain—to Plattsmier if no one else. “I don’t want to pull her in yet.” He stepped outside onto Poplar Drive and crossed the street against traffic. At least one car honked its horn at his leisurely pace. “She didn’t kill him. I’ve got a hunch.”
“A hunch,” Rafe echoed. They generally respected each other’s gut instincts. “So is she involved at all?”
“I
