Nicholas Anthony hereby agrees to consult on the script with the goal of lending authenticity to the project.
“You know I can’t sign this,” he said, his eyes still seething.
“I won’t ask you to. I tried to tell Sylvia but she didn’t want to hear it. You’ve met her now. You see how she is.”
Nick rubbed a hand down his face. “We talked about this, Finn. It’s not just that I can’t sign it. You shouldn’t sign it either.” He got up and shut the door, keeping his voice low. “Mike Tran is already trying to rope you into Steven’s case. You saw what he’s doing. He’s grasping at straws, trying to paint the picture that Steven murdered Gilford Dupree and you helped him cover it up. Joey thinks Mike is going to try to convince a judge that you and Steven were in this together. You know as well as I do that once you sign this form, Sylvia’s going to fire off a press release, just like she did before. Mike Tran’s going to see the news about your shiny newtrue crimeTV deal and dig in his heels. You can’t afford that kind of attention.”
“I’m not going to sign it,” I assured him. I’d just have to findsome way to get that through to Sylvia. “I’ll make her take your name out of the offer. I’ll tell her I’ll only agree to the deal if it remains a work of fiction.”
Nick took the arm of my chair and slid it gently toward his until our knees were touching. He cupped my face in his hand. “I’m not trying to create obstacles for you. I know how much this deal means to you. I just want you to be smart about it.” He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “And you know you can ask me anything you want. I’ll consult with you in private,” he said, placing a soft kiss at the corner of my mouth, “gratis, any hour, day or night. No producers,” he said, pressing a kiss to the other side. “And definitely no agents,” he said, kissing me full on the mouth.
I smiled. “Where do I sign?”
He stole a last searing kiss. “I’ve got to get back to work, but I’ll be in touch to discuss the conditions of my offer.”
“Sure you don’t want to discuss it now? I might have a few conditions of my own.”
He grinned as he caught my lower lip between his teeth. Apparently he’d found his appetite, and it wasn’t for donuts. “You should go before I feel a need to lock that door,” he said in a rumbling voice I could feel down to my toes. “I’ve got a lot to do if I’m going to get out of here at a reasonable hour tonight.”
“Sounds important. What are you working on?”
“I’m checking into Brendan and Owen Haggerty.”
I pushed my chair back so I wouldn’t be distracted by the hungry way he was still looking at my mouth. “Did you find anything?”
“Brendan called his office on Friday night. He left a message saying he was taking a week of personal leave and would be offline for a few days. That’s probably why Mike Tran wasn’t surprised whenyou told him Brendan wasn’t returning your calls. He’s either taking some time off or he’s done a good job of covering his bases. I’m inclined to think the former.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“Brendan was at UVA getting his master’s degree in public policy when Gilford Dupree went missing.”
“So? Charlottesville is only two hours away,” I argued.
“I’m not discounting anything. I’m just telling you what I found.” Nick didn’t have to say he wasn’t considering Brendan a likely suspect. It was written all over his face.
“What about Owen?”
“I’m still working on that. Mike doesn’t have much on him besides his medical records. Owen’s health had been deteriorating for a few years before he died.”
“Did you uncover anything about the letter we found?”
Nick’s hand rasped against the stubble on his jaw. “Without a date, it’s hard to know what it was about. He could have been apologizing for anything. We have nothing to suggest he was referring to anything illegal. For all we know, it could have been a simple argument between him and his wife.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a finger. “But I’m looking into it. I promise.” He took my hand and kissed my palm, sparking a flare of warmth that shot to dangerous places. “You going to be home later?”
“I promised Mrs. Haggerty I would drive her to her book club meeting.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t returned her husband’s gun to her yet. I could come over after work and take my chances on the couch.”
I laughed. “Find Brendan so I can get Mrs. Haggerty out of my house. When she’s gone, I’ll leave you a key.”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“Those are the conditions of my offer.”
“Throw in that red negligée I saw in your drawer and it’s a deal.”
“Solve the case, and we’ll discuss it,” I said coyly.
“Finn,” he said softly as I stood to go. “I’m not sure there’s anything left to solve here. You heard what Penny said—the things she knew about Steven. You saw the receipt for the mulch. I just want you to be prepared for the possibility that we might not find another suspect.” He didn’t bother saying the rest. That Steven might be guilty. That he might have had an affair with Penny. And if so, the only thing Nick could do for me was try to keep me out of Mike Tran’s sights.
