But catching Reese’s worried expression, thinking of Lee’s murder and the accusations against her, she knewperfectwas exactly the wrong word.
Reese was just about to leave for work the next morning, when Detective Heath Ford showed up at his apartment.
“Thanks for seeing me,” Ford said as he stepped out of the private elevator into the high-ceilinged entry. “This is an unofficial visit. I came to talk to you off the record. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“I was just heading out,” Reese said, not inviting him farther into the room. “What is it?”
“We both know you didn’t spend Saturday night with Kenzie Haines.”
Reese lounged back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. “That right? How do you know?”
“Because you never left your apartment that night. I checked with the guard in the lobby. He said you were home all weekend. No visitors.”
Reese shrugged. “You just came up in my private elevator. Maybe I slipped out without him seeing me. Better if no one knows I’m dating an employee.”
“I guess it’s possible. In that case, maybe I should add you to our suspect list. You’re dating Haines’s ex-wife, which gives you access to her pistol, and you have no confirmed alibi.”
“You’re reaching, Detective.”
“Maybe. What was your relationship with Lee Haines?”
“I didn’t have one.”
“But you do have one with his ex-wife.”
“That’s right.”
“How far would you go to protect her?”
Reese’s jaw tightened. “She didn’t kill Haines, Detective.”
Ford reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked tired, as if he’d been putting a lot of overtime into the case. Reese hoped he was. He trusted the detective to eventually find the truth.
“I came here to tell you ballistics confirmed Kenzie’s revolver was the murder weapon. I thought you should also know there was no forced entry the night of the murder. Do you know if Kenzie has a key to her husband’s home?”
“I doubt it. They’re divorced.”
“They share custody of her son. Or they did before he wound up dead. Why don’t you ask her?”
“I don’t need to ask her. I know she didn’t kill her ex-husband.”
“I want to talk to her again, Reese. You can bring her down to the station sometime today, or I can have her picked up. I can hold her up to forty-eight hours without filing charges.”
After a year in detention, Reese knew exactly what the police could do. “Fine. We’ll be there as soon as I can make the arrangements. Nathan Temple is her attorney. He’ll be with her when she comes in.”
“She might want to think about cooperating instead of lawyering up. Just makes her look guilty.”
“Bullshit. She needs someone to stand up for her. That’s what Temple is paid to do.”
“Be careful, Reese. You’ve already stuck your neck way out for this woman. You don’t want this coming back to bite you on the ass.”
“You finished?”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
As soon as Ford was gone, Reese called Nate Temple. The attorney agreed to meet him and Kenzie at police headquarters. Then he phoned Kenzie at the office.
“I need you to clear my schedule for the next couple of hours. And clear your own. We’re meeting Nathan Temple at police headquarters. I’m on my way to pick you up.”
