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Authors: Mell Corcoran

Shadows of Doubt (45 page)

BOOK: Shadows of Doubt
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“Yes, we figured that out too. It was hard to comprehend but I never knew he harbored such hate for me and...” He tried to find the right words. “... I am so sorry I got you involved in all of this. That I caused you such pain and suffering.”

She looked at him now, surprised that the pain she saw in his eyes wasn’t for Nila but for her.

“What are you talking about? You think you did this?” He looked down, avoiding eye contact. “Don’t do that, you look at me!” She yanked on his hand and he looked back into her eyes. “Albert is a nut-job who used his former prestige to hide behind while he did his own little crazy dance across the world. He picked me because he thinks you have some sort of thing for me but he could have easily picked Abby or even Caroline! This was not your fault. I don’t want to ever hear you say anything so stupid again!” It was hard to miss the grin that spread across his perfect lips but she tried not to let it get to her. “What are you grinning at?”

“Your mother said almost the same exact thing to me while you were missing. It’s because of her that I figured out where he had you.” He rubbed his thumb absentmindedly across her fingers as he held her hand snugly. “And you must know by now, Lou, I very much do have some sort of thing for you.”

She could feel her face get hot and her breath hitched when he said it. “Yeah well I should imagine any guy would after seeing me strapped naked in a chair.” She tried to make light of it and chuckled nervously.

“I covered you immediately, I promise. As soon as I could, I got my jacket over you so you were covered before the others came in.” The childlike quality in his face as he reassured her of her modesty was almost more than she could stand. But it was an effective dodge tactic obviously by his reaction.

“Thanks, I’m sure it wasn’t a pretty sight.” It was cruel, she knew it but she couldn’t help herself. She had to rib him a little and she could tell it worked.

“I... uh...” When he saw the grin hit her eyes he furrowed his brow. “That’s just mean! Of all things you should know I am a gentleman and would never exploit such a grave situation for a cheap thrill!”

“Oh! So now I’m a cheap thrill!” She had to laugh but it hurt incredibly to do so.

“Stop being such a brat, you’re going to hurt yourself just for the kick of watching me squirm!” He let go of her hand and tried to adjust her pillow to make her more comfortable.

“I can’t help it...” She hissed through the pain. “You just set yourself up so badly for it.” She drew in a deep breath as the worst of the pain passed.

He brushed her hair from her face, smoothing it very carefully. “I’ll argue with you when you’re better. Hardly a fair battle with you in this state.” She turned her head to look at him again, pinning his hand with her cheek. Her face fit so perfectly in the palm of his hand. He hoped it wasn’t hurting her. When she smiled he knew it was alright, and he happily left his hand right where it was.

“So what does everyone think? I mean its not like the department could know the truth so what’s the story?” She blinked lazily and listened for his reply.

“Well that is a little convoluted and I am sure we will need to go over certain things later, but bottom line is you took the suspect down. He got a good swipe in on you before he dropped. Since your captain was at the gala, you had gotten word to him for back up. Evidently he was a tad late but got to you in time. Viola’, here you are.” Max grinned down at her and his heart broke to see her looking so battered and bruised.

“Suspect? What suspect? Bender doesn’t get to go down in infamy?” Her eyelids began to feel ever so heavy.

“I found Albert’s little henchman propped up sitting in the hall. Dead as a doornail with one of Albert’s knives sticking out of his chest. We just did a little rearranging and he’ll be pinned with the other murders. Bender still gets to live in infamy for Katarina Purrs’ demise.” He reached over with his other hand and stroked her hair. He could see that she was about to fall asleep. “I know its difficult for you, having to cover all this up with a lie, publicly. I’m very sorry about that. I promise you, though, Albert and any soul that helped him over the years will see justice.

Lou yawned and grimaced at the pain of it. “Oh I know. I’m good with it.” She let her eyes close and snuggled into the palm of his hand. “Hey is your house done yet?” She tried to keep her eyes open but just couldn’t.

“Not yet.” He watched her fight the sleepiness that washed over her and it made him grin.

“Bummer. Maybe my Mom will let you stay over so we can talk more later. I might fall asleep on you. Sorry, just so sleepy.” She barely got the last word out before she was out cold, sound asleep with her head still tucked in his hand.

“I am not going anywhere, ever.” He risked leaning down to kiss her cheek softly then propped himself as best he could without disturbing her so that she could sleep as she was. If he had his way, he planned to keep her in the palm of his hand forever.

About the Author

A native Southern Californian, Mell Corcoran resides just outside
Los Angeles with her family, two cats, a hoard of wild frogs, bunnies, squirrels and any other wild animal that happens to wander in the yard. Yes, she is a huge animal lover and has been known to stop traffic to help critters cross the street.

For many years, Mell’s day job has been in the legal profession but she has always had a strong passion for writing and a deep love of literature, regardless of genre. It was this passion that finally led her to focus her energies primarily on writing.

Mell and her mother, who also happens to be her best friend, are well known for their shared love of a good mystery and crime fiction. This shared interest is what inspired the special relationship between her characters, Lou and her mother Shevaun. When she is not dreaming up new plot lines for a juicy murder mystery, Mell can often be found attempting to play golf or laughing with her family.

BOOK: Shadows of Doubt
4.46Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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