Finally, there was movement down the corridor and Fiona appeared. I shot to my feet. Even from a distance, I could tell she was upset. Her cheeks were washed out and her shoulders were slumped. Beside her, Ariadne marched like a warrior emerging successfully from battle. Her chin was up, her back straight, and she strode purposefully toward me. Fiona kept pace with her even though Ariadne was moving much more quickly simply by virtue of her long legs.
I hurried to meet them, and pulled Fiona into my arms. She exhaled in a shudder and buried her face in my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I will be.” She sounded tired. “I’m just so sick of this. I didn’t do it, but they’ve got a photo that Bergen must have taken on the yacht, and apparently, they found my fingerprints in the gallery.”
I drew back and noticed the two detectives not far behind them. “Let’s talk more elsewhere.” I put an arm around her waist. “Come on, beautiful.”
Ariadne fell into step beside us. “No charges have been pressed. If they hassle you at all, I want to know immediately,” she told us. “If they had enough evidence, they’d have arrested you. They’re just hoping you’ll crack if they press hard enough.”
We exited the building, into the gray light of the afternoon. I blinked as my eyes adjusted, and noticed Fiona doing the same.
“Do you need to speak to Fiona?” I asked Ariadne.
“Not unless Fiona has something specific she’d like to talk about.” She directed the comment to Fiona, who shook her head.
“I’ll review their evidence so far and see if I can poke any holes in it,” Ariadne said. “But until they press charges, I won’t make anything official. Unless you’d like to sue for harassment?”
“No.”
I was surprised by how quickly Fiona replied.
“They have their reasons for suspecting me,” she said. “I don’t like it, and I think they’re being narrow-minded, but I can understand why they’re pursuing me as a suspect.”
Ariadne snorted. “Be petty, woman. It’s far more fun.”
Fiona gave a small smile. “Maybe next time.” She turned to me. “Is there a car here for us?”
I nodded. “I drove.” I took the keys from my pocket. “Come on.”
We farewelled Ariadne, and once we were in the privacy of the car, I leaned over and kissed Fiona.
“I’m sorry this is happening,” I told her.
She sighed. “It is what it is.”
Concern pricked my heart. Where was her usual fiery spirit? I didn’t like seeing her defeated.
“Can you tell me everything that happened after they picked you up?” I asked.
She ran me through the conversation, including the temper Ariadne had been in when she arrived. I smiled at the thought. Even if Fiona hadn’t given them hell, at least someone had. When we reached the office, I parked in the basement and we took the elevator up. Once again, Kade and Ronan were already waiting for us in Ronan’s office.
I tipped my chin to them in acknowledgment. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
