“So were you. The only difference is that you’restilla prick, and I’m the detective going to take you down.”
“She can’t swoon, fall into your arms, and tell you she picked the wrong man.”
“Yeah, because she’s dead, isn’t she?”
“You had a crush on her, and she despised you. Stop trying to honor her memory. She was a fucking junkie piece of shit.”
“Interesting you say that. Almost like you’re glad she’s dead.”
“Are you enjoying the ambiance? Want a croissant to go with the coffee? A line of blow? A couple of hookers?”
He slides a bookmark in and folds the book shut, tapping the cover without looking at me. “Tell me again how you found Sofia Ivanov’s body?”
“You’ve got it all in my witness statement, Brody. I found her in the bedroom when I came back from taking a piss. What more do you want from me?”
“How’d she die silently from stab wounds? You’d have heard her screaming, right? I don’t get it. I think she screamed, and then you shut her up with the knife, didn’t you? Cut her throat so she couldn’t make a sound. What was it, laughing at the size of your manhood, and you couldn’t take the insult?”
“You’ve had my statement. This is turning into harassment, Brody.”
“Not this time. Hunter Lombardi, I’m arresting you for the murder of Sofia Ivanov.”
I roll my eyes. “This again? Wasn’t it embarrassing enough last time you took me in? I was out within an hour. You’ve got nothing.”
He grins. “Got a witness. You’re not walking out of it this time, Lombardi. We fucking got you at last.”
“Bullshit. You’ve got nothing.”
“Yeah, we’ll see. Now am I cuffing you, or are you coming quietly?”
“I’ll have your job for this, Brody. Arresting an innocent man three times for the same crime.”
“Only you’re not innocent, are you, Lombardi? You murdered your wife on the wedding night, and I’ve finally got someone who saw it all go down.”
“Who’s this mystery fucking witness?”
“It’s Oswald Lewis. That name ring any bells?”
“Can’t say it does.”
“He’s the guy you kicked the shit out of in Rome a couple of hours back. What was it? Wanted to shut him up for good?”
“I’m not discussing this further until I speak to my lawyer.”
“Funny. It’s never the innocent who say that. Only the guilty. Sure, you’ll get your lawyer. Won’t get you out of this one, though. Not this time.”
“Yeah, we’ll see, won’t we?”
9
Bex
* * *
I walk into his office. It looks a lot like Melanie’s. Even got her mock-ups on the wall behind him. Hell, this is Melanie’s office. What’s he doing here?
He’s sitting behind his desk, wearing the same suit he wore in Rome. The jacket comes off. He rolls his sleeves up, massive biceps and tattoos swirling along his skin like snakes. He points to the chair in front of me.
I don’t sit down. I bend over it, placing both hands on the leather seat, feeling the cold suppleness of it as I press down. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He walks around the desk, loosening his tie as he approaches.