shoulder as Al entered the observation room. He sauntered up to the glass and crossed his arms, studying me as much as he was studying what was going on in the interrogation room.
“He was with his producer until ten the night of the first murder,” I said. “Then she dropped him off at a nightclub where he met up with Falstaff. They closed down the club around two.”
“Would his producer confirm his alibi?”
I snorted in a very unladylike manner. “I’m sure she’d say anything to keep him out of trouble, but I think it’s legit. Todd takes his career very seriously—it’s everything to him. I have no doubt he was going over the plans for the next day’s show with Sebille until she took him to the club. Of course, I also have a feeling they weren’t just chatting about recipes.”
“Girlfriend?”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe. There’s something going on there—at least on her part.”
I heard Al purse his lips, mulling over what I’d told him. “And the other murders?”
“Alibi for every single one of them.”
“With his producer?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh.”
I frowned and glanced up at Al. “What does that mean?”
“Just odd that he’d have such an airtight alibi for all the murders. And that each one would be confirmed by a woman who may or may not be romantically involved with him.”
As much as I hated to admit it, Al was right. Todd had an active social and professional life, but even the biggest celebrity took a night off every now and then for some alone time. We hadn’t received the tried and true “I was home alone sleeping” excuse for even one of the nights in question.
“Are you saying his alibis are too good?” I asked.
Al shook his head. “No,” he said slowly. “I’m just saying that innocent until proven guilty is one thing. Overlooking guilt because you want him to be innocent is another.”
“If you didn’t think I could be impartial, you shouldn’t have put me on this case,” I snapped.
“I know I can count on you to be impartial, Red,” Al called over his shoulder as he headed for the door. “I just want to make sure you know it.”
I was still frowning over Al’s remark when Nate left the interrogation room and joined me on the other side of the glass. “I’m going to let him go,” he said. “Everything seems to check out.”
I nodded absently. “Okay. Good.”
Nate gave me a nudge with his shoulder. “You okay?”
I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Yes, I’m fine! Why are you asking?”
Nate blinked at me. “I could be wrong, but I think it has something to do with being polite.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, forcing away my frustration. “Sorry.”
Nate shrugged. “No problem.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s just past one. You hungry?”
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
Nate laughed in a loud burst, making me smile in spite of myself. “Like you said,” he explained, “a girl’s gotta eat. It’s just lunch—no strings attached.”
I thought about protesting, but my stomach growled, ratting me out. “All right. But I get to pick the place.”
For some reason the smile Nate gave me as he opened the door made other, more pleasant things happen to my stomach, but that ooey-gooey warmth vanished instantly when I stepped into the hallway and saw who was lurking there.
“Well, well, well,” Mary said, breaking out of her highly stylized lounge against the wall to slink toward us. “If it isn’t my favorite detective. I’ve been looking for you.”
Huh. So, she wasn’t there just to make my life miserable. She’d been waiting for Nate. For some reason that pissed me off more than if she’d been stalking me .
Nate gave her a curt nod. “Mary.”
Mary took a step closer, pointedly placing herself between Nate and me and blocking my view of his face. “You stood me up, you naughty boy,” she reprimanded, her voice taking on a sultry heat I wouldn’t have thought possible from a human
“He was with his producer until ten the night of the first murder,” I said. “Then she dropped him off at a nightclub where he met up with Falstaff. They closed down the club around two.”
“Would his producer confirm his alibi?”
I snorted in a very unladylike manner. “I’m sure she’d say anything to keep him out of trouble, but I think it’s legit. Todd takes his career very seriously—it’s everything to him. I have no doubt he was going over the plans for the next day’s show with Sebille until she took him to the club. Of course, I also have a feeling they weren’t just chatting about recipes.”
“Girlfriend?”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe. There’s something going on there—at least on her part.”
I heard Al purse his lips, mulling over what I’d told him. “And the other murders?”
“Alibi for every single one of them.”
“With his producer?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh.”
I frowned and glanced up at Al. “What does that mean?”
“Just odd that he’d have such an airtight alibi for all the murders. And that each one would be confirmed by a woman who may or may not be romantically involved with him.”
As much as I hated to admit it, Al was right. Todd had an active social and professional life, but even the biggest celebrity took a night off every now and then for some alone time. We hadn’t received the tried and true “I was home alone sleeping” excuse for even one of the nights in question.
“Are you saying his alibis are too good?” I asked.
Al shook his head. “No,” he said slowly. “I’m just saying that innocent until proven guilty is one thing. Overlooking guilt because you want him to be innocent is another.”
“If you didn’t think I could be impartial, you shouldn’t have put me on this case,” I snapped.
“I know I can count on you to be impartial, Red,” Al called over his shoulder as he headed for the door. “I just want to make sure you know it.”
I was still frowning over Al’s remark when Nate left the interrogation room and joined me on the other side of the glass. “I’m going to let him go,” he said. “Everything seems to check out.”
I nodded absently. “Okay. Good.”
Nate gave me a nudge with his shoulder. “You okay?”
I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Yes, I’m fine! Why are you asking?”
Nate blinked at me. “I could be wrong, but I think it has something to do with being polite.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, forcing away my frustration. “Sorry.”
Nate shrugged. “No problem.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s just past one. You hungry?”
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
Nate laughed in a loud burst, making me smile in spite of myself. “Like you said,” he explained, “a girl’s gotta eat. It’s just lunch—no strings attached.”
I thought about protesting, but my stomach growled, ratting me out. “All right. But I get to pick the place.”
For some reason the smile Nate gave me as he opened the door made other, more pleasant things happen to my stomach, but that ooey-gooey warmth vanished instantly when I stepped into the hallway and saw who was lurking there.
“Well, well, well,” Mary said, breaking out of her highly stylized lounge against the wall to slink toward us. “If it isn’t my favorite detective. I’ve been looking for you.”
Huh. So, she wasn’t there just to make my life miserable. She’d been waiting for Nate. For some reason that pissed me off more than if she’d been stalking me .
Nate gave her a curt nod. “Mary.”
Mary took a step closer, pointedly placing herself between Nate and me and blocking my view of his face. “You stood me up, you naughty boy,” she reprimanded, her voice taking on a sultry heat I wouldn’t have thought possible from a human
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