Simon Says Die
him.â
âBut I wasnât trying to kill Damon.â
âHamilton wouldnât believe that.â
She chewed her bottom lip again. âI didnât think about that.â
âNo kidding.â
She narrowed her eyes.
He continued, before she had a chance to argue. âYou think Damon wants to confront you, hold that over you. Why, as blackmail? To get money?â
âProbably. But thereâs no proof, so he doesnât really have anything to hold over me.â
âDonât underestimate him. From what Iâve seen, heâs very resourceful. Hell, he probably saved the bullet. I donât suppose you were thoughtful enough to keep the gun, so Hamilton could run ballistics against it and prove where the bullet came from?â
Her wide-eyed look answered that question.
He shook his head and tapped his hands on his thighs, deep in thought. He studied the problem from every angle, and he kept coming back to the same thing. He needed to know what game Damon was playing.
And there was only one way he could figure out how to get that information.
âYouâre going to have to give Damon what he wants,â he said.
âWhat do you mean? Money?â
âNo. I want you to talk to him. Alone.â
D AMON SAT IN his wheelchair in the middle of the courtyard behind the police station, while Madison sat on a wrought-iron bench across from him. Damon had refused to speak to her inside the police station, because he didnât want anyone to overhear their conversation. This courtyard was the only place all parties would agree to.
And heâd insisted on having Madison open her blouse to prove she wasnât wearing a wire, something Pierce had violently objected to. In spite of his protests, sheâd whipped her blouse open, turning around in front of Damon to prove she wasnât wired, before buttoning it back up and sitting down on the bench.
Pierce, Lieutenant Hamilton, and half a dozen police officers stood guard thirty feet away. Damon held up his handcuffed hands, which had a length of chain running from them to his wheelchair.
âYour boyfriend is a bit paranoid, donât you think?â
Pierce was definitely paranoid. Heâd left nothing to chance. In addition to cuffing both Damonâs hands and legs to the wheelchair, Pierce had cuffed Madisonâs hands to her bench.
As she stared at the man who had taken so much from her, she had to agree that Pierce had been wise to cuff her. Because right now all she wanted to do was leap across the clearing and strangle her former husband.
The sunlight glinted off the ring on Damonâs left hand, making Madison start in surprise. It was a wedding ringâthe ring sheâd given him.
He noted her interest, and held up his hand, a sardonic smile on his lips.
âWhy?â she asked.
âI take my vows seriously.â He leaned slightly forward. âUntil death do us part. Neither of us is dead. Yet.â
She glanced sharply at Pierce, positioned well behind Damon. He nodded reassuringly. She drew a deep breath. âWhy did you kill my father?â
Damon raised a brow. âNow, why would I kill my esteemed father-in-law? Shame on you for even thinking that.â
She yanked her fist, but the chain kept her from moving more than a few inches.
He laughed. âYou still havenât learned to control your temper. Thatâs going to get you killed someday.â
âIs that a threat?â
âWith all these guns trained on me? Of course not. I have far more self-control than that.â
âYou wanted to talk. So talk.â
His grin faded as he leaned forward as far as the chains would allow. âYou want me to get right to the point? Fine. I left you with a million dollars of my money. Honestly, at the time, I had other resources and thought you might need the money, at least until your fatherâs money came through. But things have changed. I want it back.â He spoke in a low voice, so low that she almost couldnât hear him.
She leaned forward too. âYou arenât getting a single penny. Iâm not paying my fatherâs murderer.â
He glanced at the policemen watching them. âI suggest you lower your voice, my dear, and be very careful what you say. I didnât roll in here without making sure I held all the cards. What did you think all those photographs meant when I held you in that room?â
She curled her hands
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