Read Online Tina Whittle_Tai Randall Mystery 01 by The Dangerous Edge of Things - Free Book Online Page B

not?”
    “She asked me not to. I saw no reason to get the police involved because there wasn’t a crime. Not then anyway.”
    Trey again. “Then why did you lie to me Wednesday afternoon, about where you were going that night?”
    “Look, Trey, no offense, but I couldn’t exactly tell the truth without having to explain everything, and I knew where
that
would lead.”
    Landon had a look of perplexed frustration on his face. “Didn’t Eliza’s moves strike you as strange? Or alarming?”
    “No, just odd. Then Marisa called me about the murder. She told me that it could be some kind of set-up, so she sent you to take care of the house and Trey to take care of Tai.”
    Marisa. The CEO of Phoenix. Her name sure was coming up a lot for someone I hadn’t seen yet.
    Landon’s voice was all business. “Listen to me, Eric. The media are going to be crawling all over this thing, which is a royal pain in the ass, especially with Senator Adams’ reception coming up. The cops want you back here ASAP.”
    “But my workshop isn’t done until Sunday afternoon. Can’t you talk to the detectives?”
    Landon didn’t reply. Eric kept talking.
    “If I have to cancel, it’s going to cost Phoenix big time. And it’s not like I had anything to do with her death; that should be obvious. You know the strings to pull.”
    Landon neither argued nor agreed. “We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m alerting legal that you’ll be talking to them as soon as you get back to Atlanta. Until then, you talk to no one. No reporters, no strangers at the bar, no one. Got it?”
    “I’ve got it, don’t worry.”
    “Good,” Landon said. “Keep every scrap of paperwork—receipts, tickets, billing statements. You’ll need all the alibi you can get. As for Tai, I think we’ll all feel better if she’s safely back in Savannah.”
    I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so.”
    Landon’s voice was flat. “Excuse me?”
    “I’m not going.”
    Eric made a noise of frustration. “Then we need to extend the personal protection order.”
    Trey shook his head. “My job is premises liability. I don’t usually do—”
    “No, you don’t,” Landon agreed, his eyes lasered on mine. “Which is a moot point, because the better idea is for her to go back home.”
    “Atlanta
is
my home,” I countered. “I own a business here, which I’d like to get back to.”
    Landon’s cheeks pinkened, but his gray eyes went hard. “There’s been a murder, do you understand that?”
    “I’m the one who found the body; I understand that better than anyone!”
    “So understand this. Trey is escorting you back to your hotel, where you are picking up your things and getting in your car and heading back to Savannah. Got it?”
    “I got that you don’t get to tell me what to do. So I’m staying.” I shot a look Trey’s way. “With or without a bodyguard.”
    “Personal protection,” he corrected.
    ***
    The meeting ended swiftly after that. Landon threw me out, then had a quick confab with Trey. I couldn’t make out everything they were saying behind the closed door, but I did catch the word “liability.” Suddenly, the door opened, and Trey came out. He didn’t look the least bit perturbed, but Landon glared at me and slammed the door. Hard.
    “Did you just get in trouble?” I said.
    “No. But I think you did. Landon requested your dossier.”
    “Oh.” I folded my arms. “I’m still not leaving town, you know.”
    “I know. Marisa told him so. She said that until Eric returned, your hotel room is on her dime. Her words.”
    He held the elevator door for me. I got on.
    “So the Executive Partner of Phoenix Corporate Security Services is intervening with Landon on my behalf?”
    “Correct. She also okayed the extension of the personal protection order for as long as necessary.”
    “Why?”
    “Because Detective Ryan has requested that you come into the station for a formal interview, and she decided that a security presence is still