I stayed in the corner, trying not to groan. I felt a grudging admiration as I watched Ajax work his magic on her. It was strange, seeing him operate on a woman other than me, but I wondered if this performance was partly to let me see how good he was at seducing his prey.

“How did you hear about Gordon’s death?” Ajax asked.

“Erica called Hal Barker. He’s the senior associate on the team. Hal told the rest of us.”

“You must have been surprised.”

“Well, sure, but I already knew something was wrong. Erica had called earlier to see if I knew where Gordon was. She said he was missing. Although at the time, I figured that was just an excuse.”

“An excuse for what?”

“To see if Gordon was with me. Erica watches me all the time. She thought Gordon and I were having an affair.”

“Were you?”

“No.”

Her denial was swift and sharp, as if even the idea of an affair with Gordon disgusted her. Ajax heard it, too. He glanced at me for help, and I came over and sat on the bed next to Penny.

“Is there something we should know about Gordon?” I asked.

“Nothing at all.” She pretended to be calm, but I saw her chest rise and fall like the rapid breaths of a bird. “Erica was suspicious of all the girls. I guess when you take your husband away from another woman, you’re always looking over your shoulder to see if someone is trying to do the same thing to you.”

“It doesn’t sound as if you like Erica very much,” I said.

“I don’t like women who turn a blind eye to who their husbands are.”

“Who was Gordon?” I asked.

Her wild eyes met mine. Somehow, I knew exactly what she was going to say. “He was a monster.”

Ajax and I exchanged a glance.

“Why would you call him that?” he asked.

Penny looked down at her lap. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. If it gets back to the firm that I’ve been talking to you, I’m out, and I need this job. I need the paycheck. Look, I’ve worked for Gordon for two years. This was my first job out of high school. I was lucky to get it, because the firm is very exclusive.”

Ajax put a hand on her shoulder. “Anything you tell us doesn’t go any further than this room.”

He knew that was a lie. Penny should have realized she was being played, but behind those scary eyes, she was a single city girl on her own in a small town, and she was being talked up by a very handsome cop.