I swung my leg. “Because Christian Poe doesn’t litter. The candy wrapper is pretty incriminating since nobody else eats that weird shit, but it’s not like you. I could see you leaving behind the scarf if you were in a hurry, but eating a piece of candy after the murder suggests the killer wasn’t in a rush. I’m sure it’s not a rare candy, and maybe you gave a piece to Marlene that the killer took after he killed her. I know I shouldn’t trust you, but I need to know what happened last night after we left the restaurant.”
Christian widened his legs, his left arm resting on the table. “Marlene was a lovely lass. What happened to her is an abomination. You know how women like to rabbit on about things? Well, she wouldn’t stop talking about the band she wanted to see playing at the Red Door. For personal reasons, I don’t like going there. She didn’t mind the bike ride too much, especially with her suede coat, but she finally got the scarf away from my neck to keep warm. And feck you and your tattoo. I have half a mind to put one on your neck that says EAT ME.”
I chuckled. “I might have no complaints. So if you’re innocent, why did you speed away last night? That made you look even more guilty.”
He drummed his fingers on the table. “Viktor’s always had my back, but I didn’t want him to be forced into making a decision on my fate just yet. The good detective seems eager to lock me away, and had I appeared, I’m quite certain I’d be sitting in Breed jail as we speak, whether Viktor agreed to it or not.”
I shivered from the cold.
“Does this bother you?” he asked.
Before I could answer, Christian got up and crossed the room. When he returned, he unfolded a musty blanket and draped it over my legs.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to ignore the tension between us.
He stood before me and tilted his head to the side. “Raven Black, you’re the biggest mystery I’ve ever known. You’re the last person I would have expected to be on my side. It would be easier for you to see me thrown in jail. No more Vampire to deal with. No more partner.”
“Did you and Marlene…”
His brows arched. “I’m not into corpses.”
I glared up at him. “I meant before.”
Christian removed his jacket, and it fell to his feet. “Ah. So you want to know if you won our bet.”
I looked at his red button-up shirt. “Maybe I don’t think you have restraint around a woman so… voluptuous.”
He slowly began undoing the buttons on his shirt, his eyes steady on mine. “Do you see any lipstick stains? Love bites? Scratches from long nails?” His shirt fell to the floor, and he did a slow turn.
I saw a strong man with beautiful skin and a V-cut that was visible above his low-slung jeans.
“Well?” he asked, his arms wide.
I shrugged. “I’m all out of dollar bills, so you might want to reconsider the second part of the act.”
He gave me a peevish glance and returned to the bed.
“Love bites and scratches heal quickly on you,” I pointed out.
He grabbed a raggedy old sweater and pulled it over his head.
I was certain Christian was telling the truth. He didn’t smell like sex, and his shirt didn’t have a single wrinkle. No missing buttons, no unsightly stains, and no look of self-satisfaction in his eyes.
“For what it’s worth, I think most of the team has your back,” I said, brushing the dust off the table next to me. “But you might want to lie low for a while, just in case the authorities come sniffing around. Wyatt’s attempting to bait the killer, assuming he’s one of the men on the Breed dating site. I can’t imagine another reason she would have flown out here. It turns out Penny was a bit of a recluse.”
“Ah, yes. Penny. Did you finish reading her diary?”
“Not yet.”
“Maybe you should fast-forward to the end. There might be some evidence in there.”
I watched his shadow on the wall behind him. “I’ve always hated skipping to the end.”
He moved to my left and turned around. I scooted over to give him enough room to sit, but he leaned against the table, his troubled eyes staring at our shadows, which were larger than life.
I tugged at a frayed piece of thread on the blanket. “Niko said we all collect enemies. You just met one of mine, but it makes me wonder… who’s yours? You said you don’t like going to that club for personal reasons. Do you think someone noticed you together and killed Marlene to get back at you?”
“It’s possible,” he murmured. “I left her before the band came on. I should have stayed.”
