“What are you doing here?”

Chapter Twenty-Two
Gabby

“I’ll ask again,” Detective Schone said. “What are you doing in here?”

Gabby folded the envelope and shoved it in her pocket as she turned around to face the detective. “I needed to get something for Kennedy.”

The detective didn’t break eye contact. “This is a crime scene.”

How convenient. “You said Baines’s death was a suicide.”

“And you insisted it wasn’t, so now we’re looking a little deeper.”

“Good.” But anxiety welled up inside Gabby. Accountability, an investigation. Exactly what Gabby had wanted, but for some reason hearing the words made her fidgety. Worried.

The detective’s gaze bounced to Gabby’s pocket. “Is it?”

“Of course. I think—”

The detective kept staring. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing.” Gabby held up her hands, hoping the envelope was thin enough not to show a bulge in the side of her pants.

“I could physically search you.”

Gabby slowly lowered her arms. “You forget I actually went to law school. Graduated and took the bar and everything, so no, you can’t.”

“Trespassing.”

That was technically true, but Gabby didn’t give in. “Try again.”

“You’re not helping your case,” Detective Schone said, speaking in her now-familiar clipped way that created uncomfortable silences and awkward fumbling.

Gabby fought not to react. “Am I a suspect in something?”

“Who else would want your ex-husband dead?”

Ten years ago, Gabby would have laughed and said, No one. Now? That list might be pretty damn long. “That’s your job to figure out.”

“Give me your best guess.”

Gabby hated this game. Her frazzled nerves kicked to life. She had to concentrate to keep her words slow and clear. No babbling. “I don’t know. A business associate? Disgruntled employee? Someone he ticked off?”

“His brother.”

A warning signal blared in her head. Not Liam. She refused to entertain even a fleeting thought about Liam killing Baines. Liam wasn’t that guy. “Liam is grieving.”

“He voluntarily turned over business documents that potentially confirm criminal activity by his own brother. Had the boxes packed and ready for pickup by the time we arrived at the office with a search warrant.”

That sounded like typical Liam behavior to her. He wouldn’t want to risk the business by being accused of hiding information. “So?”

The detective made a strange humming sound. “Convenient, don’t you think?”

“Liam was as stunned as I was to find out about missing money.”

“Yeah, you seem devastated as you crawl around your dead husband’s mansion. Oh, sorry. Ex-husband.”

Gabby could only tolerate so much sarcasm before she exploded. Detective Melissa Schone inched close to that line. “Goodbye, Detective.”

Gabby tried to edge around the other woman. The detective was tall with a slight build but managed to take up a lot of space. Maybe it was the gun, but there was something challenging about her, as if she wanted to dare you to try it.