I scream louder than I ever have in my life.
He’s in my backseat. And there’s no Bradley to defend me.
“No, no, no,” I say, frantically trying to open the door.
Ever since Bradley threw him out, I’ve worried he was going to return. And now he’s found me. It must be the police. Someone let him know.
“Please!” I manage to stumble out onto the asphalt, but he’s right behind me. He tries to grab my arm, and I jump away like he’s poison. I scramble away from him until the Mazda is between us.
“Everything OK?”
A police officer is standing on the station steps. Neil turns and waves.
“All good. I gave her a scare.” He flashes his grin, and I see the officer stiffen a little.
“Mr. Rotman?”
“In the flesh. Just talking to a friend.”
“Yes, sir.” He nods and walks away, without another glance in my direction.
“Relax,” Neil says, turning back to me. I see in the security lights that his hair is turning grey. When did that happen?“You’re totally safe. You’re at a police station, remember? Don’t be scared.”
“I thought you were going to murder me!”
“I just want to talk to you.”
“Then call me on the phone!”
“You blocked my number.”
“So you broke into my car? That’s an insane thing to do! I’m going to press charges.”
“I didn’t break in, actually.” He tosses a key from one hand to another, then slides it across the roof of the car. “You left this at home.”
I try to catch the keys, but my hands are shaking, and they fall to the ground.
“You need to leave me alone,” I say. “You have a problem, Neil.”
“I know I do. OK? And I didn’t want to come here. But I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. When I heard about the disappearance, I knew I had to help you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Those people in there?” He points to the police station. “They think you murdered Grace Little. And it sounds like the case is building quite nicely. Are you saying you don’t need Bob Sinclair? A man with thirty years of experience in homicide cases?”
Of course—I should have known. Sinclair isn’t a free lawyer. He’s probably the most expensive lawyer in the city.
“You did that?”
“Of course I did. As soon as I heard.”
“You know about Grace?” I’m having trouble processing everything he’s telling me. “And Bradley?”
“I know everything, Brie. I have friends at the station. I’m not about to let you throw your life away.”
I bristle at the implication that he canletme do anything. “I don’t want your help. I don’t want Sinclair. I’ll get a court-appointed lawyer.”
“Don’t be an idiot. You need Sinclair. And it’s not what you think. I’ve moved on. See?” He points across the parking lot to a red Mercedes. A pretty blonde woman sits in the passenger seat. When she sees us looking, she blows Neil a kiss. “That’s Allegra. She works in my office. We’re seeing each other. You have to understand that I’m not trying to get you back. I just want to help.”
