A Murderous Game (20 page)

"Is that right,
Detective?" Gage asked. "Or should Abby be contacting a lawyer?"

Simms shrugged. "The spouse is
always considered a suspect in a murder case." His eyes shifted to Abby.
"No offense, just routine until we can eliminate you." He smiled at
her, almost in apology, but Gage had no illusions this detective would go easy
on her or anyone else he believed guilty.

Abby furrowed her brow. "I
didn't kill Dick," she said, matter of fact, as if she expected they'd
take her word for it. She looked at Simms for several seconds. Gage saw the
moment she realized they didn't believe her. Her eyes widened. He felt her
fingers flex against his.

"She's been through enough tonight."
He stood up abruptly. "If you want to talk to her again, you're going to
have to do it another time."

Baker started forward, but Simms
held up a hand and shook his head. He pulled out a business card and handed it
to Abby. "We appreciate your time, Mrs. Carpenter. If you think of
anything that might be helpful, please call me at this number."

He stood up. "I'd appreciate
it if you would notify me first if you need to leave town for any reason."

At her quick intake of breath
Simms's expression softened. "Don't be alarmed; it's just procedure."
He flicked a glance toward Gage. "That goes for you, too, Faraday,"
he advised in a less conciliatory tone. "Don't leave unless you clear it
through me first."

Gage crossed his arms. "I
wouldn't dream of it."

"What?" Abby shot up.
"Why are you—" Gage touched her arm.

"Let it go," he said
softly. "It's part of the game."

Simms chuckled, but when he spoke
his voice held no humor. "A man's been murdered, Mr. Faraday, and from
what I've observed I have to wonder if you might not have had motive of your
own. Regardless, I don't play games, and I'd advise you not to make the mistake
of trying to engage me in one."

Abby began to object and Gage wove
his fingers through hers to hold her back.

Simms looked pointedly at him
before turning to his partner. "Let's go," he said. He gave Abby a
parting nod. "Mrs. Carpenter. Sorry to intrude on your night."

When the detectives reached the
door, Simms turned back around. "Just one more question, Mrs.
Carpenter." He waited until Abby looked at him. "Your ex-husband's
gun, do you remember what kind it was?"

"I…he..." She shook her
head. "He didn't own a gun."

Simms cocked his head. "Are
you sure about that?"

"No, Detective," she said
with a swallow, "right now I don't feel sure about anything."

He gave her what might have passed
as a smile and nodded. "Goodnight then."

Rachael bolted out of her chair.
"Oh, Detective Simms," she called after him. "You know, I
probably despised Dickhead as much as anyone. Why once, just trying to
enlighten him, I explained the correlation between cheating men and septic
waste. Instead of appreciating the lesson, he called me an interfering bitch. I
really didn't appreciate it. In fact, you should probably add my name to that
list of yours."

Without looking back Simms informed
her rather blandly, "I already have Ms. Gooding."

Despite disliking the man, Gage was
hard-pressed to suppress a grin. He glanced at Rachael. She didn't look amused.

~~~

"So what do you think? Did she
pop him?"

Gene clicked his seatbelt and
turned on the ignition. "She had motive, but from what I observed so did
Faraday."

"Guy seems to have a problem
with cops," Baker said.

"I'd say he has a problem with
anyone he thinks might pose a threat to Abby Carpenter."

"He's probably worried if we
nail her for murder, he'll lose his playmate."

Gene glanced across the seat at his
new partner. Baker had been in the unit less than a month. His uncle had
contributed major bucks to the mayor's reelection campaign. The general consensus
among the other detectives was Baker got the job because of his uncle's
generosity. Although he wouldn't add fuel to the fire, Gene figured they were
probably right.

It wouldn't be the first time
politics had preempted fairness, or even common sense. Baker was overeager, and
he didn't have the experience to move right out of patrol into violent crime.
Gene had his orders, though, so he'd do as he was instructed and teach the guy
the ropes. With a little luck, the rookie wouldn't knit a noose big enough for
both their necks.

"Is that your take?"

"That she's his lover?
Yeah, without a doubt.
You're not going to tell me you don't
think so?"

"If they're having an affair,
we'll know soon enough. But it does appear Faraday's appointed himself her
protector. Carpenter might have told us a lot more if he hadn't shown up."

"We could bring her down to
the station."

Gene pulled the radio out of its
holder. "Not until we've got more to go on. Here." He passed the
radio across the seat. "I want a car posted outside her townhouse. No one
goes in, no one goes out I don't know about it."

Baker nodded. "So which one of
them do you think did it? Or do you think they're in it together?"

"I won't know who did it until
I have all the evidence. I've heard enough about Dick Carpenter's womanizing to
know it couldn't have been easy on her. So she had motive. Whether it was
powerful enough—" Gene shrugged.

"If she and Faraday are more
than what Carpenter claims, then the same goes for him," he continued.
"That doesn't make either one of them guilty. Obvious suspects, yeah, but
obvious isn't always the right answer." Gene flicked his partner a glance.
"Let's not make the mistake of closing the case before we know what the
hell we've got."

Baker radioed in to headquarters.

Gene really wasn't sure what he
thought about Abby Carpenter. He'd have preferred to question her alone,
without Gooding or Faraday present, but they hadn't had much choice about that
tonight. They'd only gone to inform her about the murder and see what they could
find out.

They hadn't gone with a warrant,
and even though she was the spouse, she hadn't formally been identified as a
suspect. Although he'd known about Carpenter's affairs, and the couple's
tumultuous separation had created a media scandal, he hadn't been aware their
divorce had recently been finalized. 

Faraday was an interesting
development, one he may not have discovered for several days if the guy hadn't
rushed to Carpenter's side. Gene wouldn't have had the enlightening opportunity
to observe the two of them as he had this evening if he'd sequestered her for
questioning.

"So what did you think about
Gooding?" Baker asked from beside him.

"She didn't like us upsetting
her friend. It seems Mrs. Carpenter has a lot of protectors. If we go after
her, it'll be interesting to see which of her defenders proves to be the
fiercest, Faraday or Gooding."

"She's a wiseass," Baker
said. "But if you could get past that, I'll bet she'd be worth the
trouble. Did you notice those legs?"

Gene thought a man would have to be
dead not to notice Rachael Gooding's legs—or any other aspect of her incredible
body. Yeah, she had attitude, attitude and sass.
Worth the
trouble?
He smiled to himself. He imagined she'd be worth that and a
whole lot more.

"I wouldn't tempt fate to find
out if I were you," he advised Baker, part in truth and in part because
the mere thought of a woman like her being wasted on someone like Baker really
would be a crime. "In case it slipped your notice, we didn't endear
ourselves to Miss Gooding. In fact, if she thought she could get away with it,
she just might have force-fed us both one of those nice little cocktails she
had in mind."

A few minutes later, Gene pulled up
to the curb in front of a convenience store and put the car in park.

"I'm going to get a cup of
coffee. You want one?"

"Yeah."
Baker reached for his wallet.

"Forget it; you get the next
one." He left the car running and went into the store. It was going to be
a long night.

~~~

"Bastards."
Rachael hissed when the door clicked shut behind the detectives. She walked
over to Abby and wrapped her arms around her. "Don't you let them upset
you,
honey.
"

Gage smiled. The flippant little
tease was a serious mother hen. As his gaze traveled over Abby's face, his
smile faded. She looked exhausted.

She hadn't been in love with her
ex-husband. If he hadn't been positive before, he was sure of it now. As much
as the knowledge thrilled him, it didn't mean Carpenter's murder hadn't upset
her. He'd also seen the haunted look in her eyes when she realized the police
considered her a suspect.

He'd do what he could to protect
her. Even so, the next several weeks were going to take their toll. The press
would have a field day over the death of a senator's son. It had already begun.

Gage sighed. If only he could take
her away somewhere until everything blew over. Unfortunately, neither one of
them would be going anywhere.

"It's late," he said,
glancing at Rachael. They'd agreed earlier that Abby shouldn't be alone
tonight. He'd informed Rachael three would be a crowd, at which point she told
him she never had liked crowds.

"Yeah, I've got an early day
tomorrow. I'm covering the White House this weekend so I'll be shooting up to
DC in the morning." Rachael kissed Abby on the cheek. "I'll call
tomorrow night to see how things are going, but you can reach me on the cell if
you need me."

"Thanks, I'll be fine."
Abby hugged herself.

Despite the assurances she gave
Rachael, Gage thought Abby looked a lot more vulnerable than she'd ever admit.

He gave Rachael his cell phone
number. "If you can't reach Abby here, you can call me." He put an
arm around Abby's shoulder. She glanced up, a small frown furrowing her brow.

When they were finally alone, Gage
pulled Abby against his chest, satisfying the need he'd had all night to hold
her. He stroked her back, trying to offer comfort. Her hands went around his
waist. "I'm sorry you've got to go through this," he said softly.

"Thank you. I know it's
selfish, but would you hold me just like this a little longer?" She
tightened her grip as if he might refuse.

"As long as you
want,
green eyes." He kissed the top of her head.
"For as long as you want."

She sighed deeply and leaned into
him. Gage's throat went dry. His chest felt tight.

This…forever
!

God, he thought, releasing a shaky
breath, I'm in love with her. The realization rocked him. He'd been planning a
mutually enjoyable relationship. Take it a day at a time and see where it led.
He knew that would never satisfy him now.

He'd been holding her silently for
several minutes, absorbing this newfound knowledge, when he felt Abby tremble.
He tucked his chin against his chest so he could see her face, but she turned
it away from him.

"What is it?" He cupped
her jaw and lifted her head. She wouldn't look at him, and he suspected the
tears swimming in her eyes were the reason. She was too damn proud. He ran a
finger over her cheek. "Tell me," he said, brushing his lips across
her temple.

"I can't, it's too
horrible."

"Tell me," he coaxed
again, trailing his lips over her ear. "Tell me."
Trust me
. He
silently willed her.

"I killed Dick…I can't believe
I killed him."

The words slammed against Gage's
heart, paralyzing him. No! She hadn't said what he thought she had. He couldn't
believe it. He wouldn't believe it. He took her by the shoulders and held her
away, laboring to catch his breath.

"Oh Gage, he made me so angry.
I know it was stupid, and I feel so guilty. He's dead. Dick's dead. And now
that he's gone I'm sorry I did it. I never wanted him dead. I just wanted him
out of my life. But I can't take it back now."

Denial screamed through him.
"No!" It burst from him. He shook her. "You don't know what
you're saying. I don't believe it. You're just upset."

She stared at him, her mouth open,
looking so innocent after just telling him she'd killed her ex.
"Gage."

"No, I don't want to hear
this," he said forcefully.

She stepped back, regret in her
eyes. "I'm sorry." She turned away. "I didn't realize you'd get
so upset. I shouldn't have told you. I just, I just can't stand the
guilt."

"Goddamn it, Abby." He
grabbed her and turned her back to face him. "I just realized I'm in love
with you. Now you're telling me you killed a man, and you don't think I'd be
upset?" He swore again, his breath coming out harsh and fast.

He jerked her into his arms again.
"All right look, don't tell anyone else. I need to think. Just…damn
it…just give me some time to think." He had to find a way to protect her.
If she killed Carpenter, the bastard had probably pushed her to it. Maybe it
had been self-defense.

He tightened his hold. He'd take
her to another country, someplace safe where they'd never find her. He'd have
one of the company planes fueled tonight and they'd... What the hell was he
thinking? That would be stupid. He'd hire the best defense team money could
buy. If they could get O.J. off then—"

"Gage."
Abby was trying to pull away, but he wasn't ready to let her go, not when he
might only have weeks, or days, to hold her.

"Gage," she said again,
and something in her voice gave him pause. He looked down. Her eyes were huge,
searching his.

"Oh,
no!"
She shook her head. "You thought I meant—" She
reached up and caressed his cheek. "Oh Gage, I didn't really kill Dick. I
only
meant.
. .You see, it was a game, but after
tonight it didn't seem so…oh God, what a mess."