“You shouldn’t go anywhere alone,” Michael insisted.
Michael’s frown could ignite a fire, yet it didn’t faze her. “You needn’t worry about this, Michael.
You’re no longer my attorney.”
“You’re out. I’m in,” Nick said, grinning. “You’re going to have to catch me up on the investigation. You know, background information in case Isabel is pulled back in by Samuel.”
“Why am I out and he’s in?” Michael asked Isabel.
Because you’re a bonehead, and he isn’t. If they had been alone, she would have said exactly that, but they weren’t alone, and so she said, “It’s complicated, and I’d rather not go into it now.”
“Like it or not, I’m back in, babe,” Michael told her.
“I don’t like it.”
“Too bad.”
“Michael, you’re such a pain.”
“And you’re not?”
“I’m trying to be polite.”
“It’s not working.”
Nick felt as though he were watching a tennis match. “You see what I’m seeing?” he whispered.
Dylan nodded. “Yes, I do. I’m not sure I like it.”
Nick agreed. There were sparks flying all over the kitchen.
“I’m through discussing this,” Isabel said, then turned to Dylan. “Xavier is interested in buying some of my other songs. I’ll download what I can, and I have a few on an old flash drive here, but it’s saturated with blood. Do you think a technician could clean it without wiping the songs?”
“How did your flash drive get blood all over it?” Nick wanted to know.
“It was in my pocket. When that poor Detective Walsh fell into my arms, there was blood everywhere.”
“I can get a technician to clean it for you,” Nick said.
“Thank you.”
Her mind was suddenly racing again. “There’s so much to do. Xavier wants to hear some of my songs, but I’ll have to organize them first and put them all in one file.”
“And make a couple of copies,” Dylan suggested.
“Yes, I will,” she agreed. “But getting all my songs together will take time.”
“What about copyright?” Michael said.
“Taken care of.”
“That’s smart thinking,” Nick said.
She wished she could take credit. “Dylan made sure I protected each song.”
“With everything going on, you aren’t still planning to go to Scotland next Monday, are you?”
Dylan asked.
“Everything is scheduled. I can’t see any reason to cancel.”
“Who’s going with you?”
She didn’t want to answer because she knew all three brothers would try to stop her.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“But you will take someone with you?” Dylan persisted.
Here we go, she thought. She might as well get the storm over with now. Bracing herself, she said,
“I thought I’d go by myself.”
“Someone should go with you. Someone who can drive,” Dylan said. Turning to Nick, he explained, “Kate was going to go with Isabel, but a problem at work needs her attention, and she can’t put it off.”
“I’m perfectly capable of going by myself. In fact, I much prefer it. I can go at my own pace, take detours if I want, and I . . .” She stopped when she realized Dylan’s and Michael’s minds were set, and so she decided to humor them, which meant telling a little lie. “Oh, all right. I’ll ask Damon.
He’ll go with me.”
“Oh, hell no,” Michael blurted.
Isabel pushed her chair back and stood. Hands on hips, she frowned at him and demanded, “What is wrong with you?”
Michael also stood, towering over her. Looking just as irritated, he snapped, “Hell if I know.”
ELEVEN
ISABEL WATCHED MICHAEL WALK OUT OF THE KITCHEN AND FELT LIKE THROWING HER HANDS
up. “He is the most aggravating man.”
She didn’t expect Michael’s brothers to agree with her and was pleasantly surprised when they both nodded.
Determined to put him out of her mind, an almost impossible feat, she ran upstairs to get the bloody flash drive, then placed it in a Ziploc bag and handed it over to Nick.
“I’ve got to go into the office for a little while this afternoon. I’ll drop it off then,” he said. “If they’re slammed—and they usually are—it might be a few days before anyone can get to it. Are you okay with that?”