“Yeah?” I cleared the surprise from my throat. “What did he say?”
“I showed him a photo of Theresa Hall. He said he didn’t think it was the same woman he’d talked to, but…” He shook his head, frowning at the lawn over steepled fingers.
“But what?”
“Before I showed him the photo, I told him why we were looking for her—that she was more than just a witness, but a person of interest in the case. He was cocky. Told me I was barking up the wrong tree, like it was no big deal.”
“So?”
“So he’s a law student, straight A’s and honors at GMU. Last summer, he interned with a staff attorney at the public defender’s office. He knew exactly what we were after. He just kept repeating the same story, insisting that he’d seen her leave the bar alone. But then I showed him Theresa’s photo, and something changed. He clammed up. Said he didn’t think it was her. But if it wasn’t the same woman in the photo, why was he so upset about it?”
My stomach turned. Of course Julian was upset. Because I’d lied to him. At the gym, he’d looked at me as if he wasn’t quite sure who I was. As if he wasn’t sure he knew me. He’d had no idea how on the mark he was. Vero was right. Even if I was foolish enough to call him to apologize, I’d be lucky if he’d ever speak to me again.
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. “You can’t seriously believe Theresa was involved in this.”
“Until I have a reason to rule her out, yeah. I do.”
I jammed my hands in my pockets, scraping my knuckles on the pointed teeth of Steven’s key. There had to be a way to throw Nick off Theresa’s scent. And mine.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Fine,” I said through a sigh, “just tired. It’s been a long night. Steven showed up about an hour ago, drunk out of his mind.”
Nick’s posture grew rigid. An abrasive edge sharpened his voice. “You want me to put in for a restraining order? If he’s giving you a hard time, I can—”
“No, it’s nothing like that. He just wanted to talk.” Steven had never been an angry drunk. If anything, it just brought his guard down and made him a little more honest. “I let him complain about Theresa for a while and then I drove him home.”
Nick’s laugh was a low rumble in his chest. “If you ask me, the guy sounds like an idiot.”
“Why, because he gets drunk and falls back on old habits?”
“Because he let you go.”
I hunched into my coat. “I guess he had his reasons.”
“That’s no excuse.” Nick pressed his lips shut tight, as if he’d like to say more but wouldn’t.
“Have you ever been married?” I had a hard time believing Nick had always been single.
“Came close once.”
“What happened?”
He blew out a long frost-laden breath. “She changed her mind. I guess she didn’t want to be saddled with a cop for the rest of her life.”
“Well, clearly she missed out.” He tipped his head, his crooked smile inviting me to elaborate. “According to Georgia, we should all marry cops for the health insurance.” His sudden burst of laughter creased the skin around his eyes. The silence in its wake felt loaded, heavy. I looked down at my feet.
“Hey,” he said, bending low to catch my eye. “Don’t worry about the custody hearing. By the end of this investigation, I’ll have enough dirt on Theresa to give any judge a reason to put on the brakes. And Georgia told me about your book deal. With paychecks like that, your ex won’t have a leg to stand on.”
My polite smile crumbled. “Georgia told you about that?” The last thing I needed was for Nick to ask me what the book was about.
“She paraded the news around the whole damn department. She’s pretty proud of you.”
My throat closed around a mountain of guilt. If Georgia had any idea where my source material came from, she wouldn’t be bragging about me. I rose to my feet. “Speaking of that, I should probably get inside and get back to work.” Nick stood up, too, his attention shifting to the narrow gap between Mrs. Haggerty’s bedroom curtains.
“You doing anything tomorrow?” he asked as I reached for the door.
“I don’t think so.”
“Feel up to a little field trip?” His eyes gleamed in the dark.
“What kind of field trip?” I asked warily.
“Just a little research for your book.” This was probably Georgia’s idea. She’d probably put him up to this. And right now, I didn’t have the heart to disappoint her.