Scandal Never Sleeps (14 page)

“I didn’t pay that much attention to who Maddox talked about. You were merely his friends to me. So I didn’t know that Gabriel was Bond or . . .” It probably sounded silly, and now she wished she’d paid more attention to the tabloids. But she couldn’t change the past. “I listened because Maddox seemed to want to talk.”

“If he was talking, it was because he trusted you.” Dax shot her a speculative look. “I’m going to guess that you’re still here because you care for Gabe at least a little.”

She flushed guiltily and cursed having such fair skin. Sometimes, it revealed her every emotion. Still, she wasn’t going to incriminate herself. It would be stupid to forget that Dax was Gabriel’s friend. His loyalties lay there, no matter how nice he seemed.

“Good. Look, Everly, I’m going to ask you to do something that’s not fair to you. Gabe needs some time to process everything that’s happened. Don’t judge him until he’s had a chance to really think about everything.”

“I’m not going to judge him at all,” she lied.

She’d already judged him. Yes, he’d lost a good friend, so he wasn’t at his best now. But even on a good day, he was a playboy who couldn’t possibly take a relationship seriously. He could offer a woman orgasms—and not much else. She’d already gotten everything good out of Gabriel Bond.

Now that she thought about it, his attitude reminded her of her mother’s. From what Everly could tell, her mother always believed she’d married beneath her. No matter how much her dad had loved her mother, he hadn’t been enough for her. She’d needed more and eventually she’d left her family behind to find it. Everly had no desire to replay her dad’s life. Though she’d loved her father dearly, he’d spent years pining for a woman who couldn’t love him. Gabriel might desire her, but he wouldn’t build a life with a woman who brought nothing but herself to the relationship. Certainly not a woman he thought slept her way into a career.

“I’m going to be professional with him,” she assured Dax. “I have a job to do. As long as that’s the extent of our relationship going forward, we’ll be fine.”

Dax shrugged. “That will work for now. If you stay close to him, he’ll come to the proper conclusions.”

“And what are those, Mr. Spencer?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “That you’re not the type of woman who would hop from one man’s bed to another so quickly, especially not for monetary gain.”

Everly bristled. “Of course not.”

“That you’re the kind of woman who will only sleep with a man to gain comfort, because he makes you feel safe. You would do it because you want love.”

The whole conversation was making her uncomfortable. Daxton Spencer didn’t know her. She certainly hadn’t slept with Gabriel Bond because she wanted his love.

God, she hoped she wasn’t fooling herself.

“That makes me sound like a helpless twit. I think I preferred it when everyone believed I was a whore.”

“No, you’re too smart for that. But you’re also innocent.” He studied her with knowing dark eyes. “You don’t come from the same world we do, and that might be a good reason for you to run as fast as you can. I’m asking you not to because I think you’re good for Gabe. I think he needs you. And this situation is going to get worse before it gets better.”

A shiver went down her spine, and she told herself the cause was nothing more than a blast from the air conditioning. Did Dax know something she didn’t? Should she tell the cops she was getting messages and pictures from someone who said they knew the truth about Maddox’s death? What if they gave her more proof that Gabriel was a killer? She couldn’t say anything or turn over whatever she had to the police until she figured out if this mystery person was legit. Then she’d find out what he knew—and wanted.

In order to do that, she had to start connecting the dots between Gabriel and whatever else was going on.

“Why do the police suspect Gabriel of murdering Maddox?”

The smile slid off Dax’s face and he went carefully blank. “Because he was the last person Mad met with, I suppose.”

Everly’s bullshit meter started ringing. Dax was lying. Or at the very least, he wasn’t telling her the whole truth. He’d been full of expression until she’d asked that question. Her father would have called that his tell.

She sent him a plastic smile. Sometimes being female and curvy meant people underestimated her. Everly found it annoying most of the time, but she’d also learned to turn it to her advantage. “He should be released soon, then.”

Being the last one to see Maddox alive shouldn’t make Gabriel a suspect. But he was. And there had to be a better reason.

Dax gave her a noncommittal shrug and nod. “Why don’t I find a more comfortable place for you to wait?”

So the big guy wanted her away from the interrogation? “I’m fine, but I am really thirsty. Do you think they have a vending machine or something around here?”

His face tightened but he took the bait. “I’ll find one. Coke, Pepsi, or something else?”

“Anything diet is fine. Thank you.”

Dax nodded her way, then went off in search of her drink. Halfway
down the hall, he asked the officer stationed there, who gave him directions.

As Dax walked away, her cell buzzed in her pocket. She found a text from Scott asking if everything was all right. And another from Tavia asking the same. So the rumor that she’d followed Gabriel to the station after he’d been hauled in had made the rounds through the office grapevine.

She quickly wrote them both back to say that she was fine and waiting for more information. Once she’d finished, she pocketed her phone, then peered into the room where Gabriel was talking to Roman.

How had all those reporters figured out so quickly that Gabriel had been brought in for questioning? If the police simply wanted questions answered in their investigation, they could have interrogated him far more easily at the office. Instead, they’d threatened to arrest him. Which meant they must have some motive or proof that he was a suspect.

Obviously, Dax wasn’t being honest with her.

Maybe the Internet would be. Well, not honest, but it might give her a clue as to why this interrogation seemed way more serious than routine.

She strode down the same hall through which Dax had disappeared and gave the cop standing there her most innocent smile. “I’ll be right back. I have to call the office and let them know Mr. Bond likely won’t be in again this afternoon.”

The officer nodded. “Yes, I wouldn’t expect him back today. He’s going to have his hands full.”

So everyone knew more than her. The officer made Gabriel sound like the primary—and perhaps only—suspect.

Digesting that supposition, she slipped away and found a bathroom, entering quietly. She was in luck. No one seemed to be here and, according to her little screen, the signal was strong. She pulled up the
search engine on her phone and typed in the words
Gabriel Bond
,
Maddox Crawford
, and
murder investigation
.

Capitol Scandals popped up in seconds.

She clicked through and the site assaulted her with the tawdriest headlines.

SENATOR CAUGHT WITH PANTS DOWN

FEDERAL JUDGE SELLS DISMISSALS FOR COCAINE

IS PRESIDENT HAYES THE HOTTEST COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF ALL TIME?

But the biggest headline, with the huge red print, caught her eye.

BREAKING NEWS:
GABRIEL BOND KILLS
BEST FRIEND MADDOX CRAWFORD

SEE THE VIDEO THAT WILL ROCK WALL STREET

Tabloid journalism alone wouldn’t motivate the police to suspect Gabriel, but if they had a video . . . She clicked the link and enlarged the shot on the screen. It was still small, but she could see Gabriel in what looked to be a fancy restaurant. Someone sat across from him, but only part of that man’s back was visible. Gabe leaned forward, and while only a portion of his handsome face entered the view, she could tell he was very angry.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Gabe growled in a low voice. “I told you to be very sure because you would wreck her life and she would be hurt. You said you’d changed.”

“Relax, Bond. Everything is going to be fine. It’s really for the best, you know.”

She would know that voice anywhere. Deep but with that hint of world-weariness Maddox Crawford had always possessed.

As she watched, Everly felt a little shiver slide through her. Was this video of their final conversation?

“For the best? You talked to her. You know what’s happening. You just don’t care, you son of a bitch. Of course you don’t give a shit. You know what I should have done?”

Maddox’s hand fisted on the table, but his voice remained calm. “Don’t say something you can’t take back. Calm down. Everything is going to work out in the end. I need you to give me a little time.”

“So you can go through another fifty women? I’m supposed to believe you’ll change if you get a little more pussy? Fuck you, Mad. I’m going to kill you for what you’ve done. I’m not going to do it today. I’m not going to do it tomorrow. I’m going to wait until you think you’re safe. Then I’ll be there. Do you understand?” He stood, throwing his napkin down in obvious disgust.

“I understand you are one overly dramatic motherfucker, Gabe. Please sit down. I can’t tell you everything. It wouldn’t be good for you. But something’s happening, and I need time to sort it out. I need to ask you if you’ve ever heard the name Sergei?”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what you need. Don’t ever call me again, Mad.” Gabriel walked out of view.

And she watched as Mad’s head fell forward. He cursed audibly, then tossed some cash on the table.

The video ended abruptly.

She watched it through again. Okay, so that explained why the police considered Gabriel a suspect. He’d clearly had motive and intent, but her head still rang with questions. Obviously, he’d been angry, but who was the female they’d fought about? And who was Sergei? Even if he knew, Dax wasn’t going to tell her anything more than he had. She might get something from watching the interrogation. She wasn’t sure why Roman Calder had allowed her here, but she wasn’t about to miss the chance.

Everly straightened her clothes and tucked her phone away.

It was past time to put her heart on the back burner and start thinking with her head.

She had her mentor’s murder to solve. She hoped that when she was done, her investigation didn’t prove that the man she’d fallen for hard and fast during their weekend together had killed in revenge.

•   •   •

G
abe glanced at the clock. They’d been asking him the same questions for hours. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that last one.”

Roman sighed. “Probably because you’re hungry. We were supposed to have lunch two hours ago. Is this really how you want to roll, detective? It’s so cliché to hope that my client will give more if you starve him. Are you planning on denying him bathroom breaks as well?”

The detective shrugged, obviously willing to play the bad cop. Gabe wished the good cop would show up. “You can eat once you’ve sufficiently answered our questions.”

“He’s answered every single one,” Roman shot back. “Several times.”

The detective ignored him completely, choosing to focus on Gabe. “Were you aware someone was filming you when you threatened Crawford’s life?”

Ah, finally a new one. “No. I wouldn’t have done it if I had known.”

“So you admit you didn’t want anyone to know you planned to kill Mr. Crawford.”

Maybe the detective wasn’t smart after all. “I admit I didn’t want to be recorded without my knowledge. Is this a good time to point out that, according to that video, I wasn’t planning on killing Mad for a few years?”

“He’s being sarcastic.” Roman shot him a dirty look and leaned in, his voice dropping low. “Is this a good time to remind you that we’re being recorded here, too?”

Gabe was getting really sick of the whole conversation. “I’m pointing out the flaw in their theory. They seem to think that snippet lays out my nefarious plans to murder my best friend. If it does, then it should clear me because I threatened to kill him a few years down the road, not a few hours.”

Roman gaped at him. “Do I need to staple your mouth shut?”

“Please don’t. He has a point.” Detective Johnson sat back, his look turning thoughtful. “I assume you had good reason to be angry with him. I’ve read about Crawford. He wasn’t the nicest guy in the world. You seemed to be fighting over a woman. I understand he had a very busy love life.”

“As I’ve stated several times, Mr. Bond was angry with Mr. Crawford over a personal issue. The actual point of contention isn’t relevant.” Roman had been doing his best to deflect questions from Sara. The news that Gabe’s sister had been involved with Mad and was pregnant with his illegitimate child would be like pouring gasoline on a blazing clue for the police. The press would follow. They would race to his house in the Hamptons before he could reach Sara, and once he cut through the swarm of reporters, he’d have to try to move his sister somewhere else with them following.

They’d dig until they found out about Everly, too. It was just a matter of time. Would he leave her hanging in the wind or try to protect her as well?

“I disagree,” said the thirtysomething detective. “I think the woman those two fought over is incredibly important to this investigation, but we’ll figure it out with or without Mr. Bond’s help. How about we talk about what you did the rest of that day?”

He tapped his left hand against the desk. This was one line of questioning he would rather avoid. “I went to the park after I left Cipriani. I decided to take off from work that afternoon and I wandered around the park to think for a bit.”

“And I suppose there’s no convenient video of you doing that currently posted on the Internet.” Johnson slanted him a dubious stare.

“Likely not.” It would be easier if there were. “Can’t you have the city pull the security feeds from the park?”

The detective didn’t answer him directly. “And the rest of your day?”

Shit.
How much did he tell the police? How much did they already know? “I spent it alone, thinking about that conversation with Mad. I had dinner at home. My housekeeper can verify that. I went to bed around midnight.”