Simon Says Die

stared out over the battlefield. “Damon . . . mentioned the place a few times. I thought someone there might remember him, that maybe they’d spoken to him and might know where he’s staying.”
    â€œYou thought the man that you think is trying to kill you might hang around that place, so it was a good idea to go there?”
    She winced. “When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound like a very good idea. But I always keep a gun with me.” She frowned at him. “Or at least, I did.”
    He wanted to shake some sense into her. Thank goodness Casey had sent an agent to keep an eye on her. The agent had later told Pierce he spoke to her right outside the FBI building, that she had claimed to have a headache and seemed upset. Right now, Pierce was the one with a headache.
    And its name was Madison.
    He had to concentrate to keep his voice even, and his exasperation from showing on his face. He needed information, and getting Madison’s hackles up wouldn’t get him anywhere.
    â€œAnd did they?” he asked. “Did anyone at MacGuffin’s remember Damon?”
    â€œNo. And before you ask, no one remembered him anywhere else I went either. I got nowhere today.” She waved her hand in the air. “Honestly, I don’t see how you detective-types figure out who the bad guys are, or where the bad guys are, with so little to go on.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll check out the museums. Damon was always big on art. If he’s in Savannah, he couldn’t resist going to the museums. Someone has to remember him.”
    She wasn’t going anywhere without him, but he’d straighten her out about that later. He watched her closely as he asked his next question. “I need you to answer me truthfully, Mads. Did Damon ever hit you?”

 
    Chapter Seven
    M ADISON’S FACE TURNED bright red, and she looked genuinely outraged. “Do you really think I would have stuck around if Damon had ever hit me?”
    â€œIt happens. Even strong women can feel trapped in those situations, unsure what to do. Leaving isn’t always as easy as you’d think it should be.”
    She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Well, regardless, he never hit me.”
    He waited for her to shove her hair back behind her ears. That was her “tell,” like a neon sign letting him know she probably wasn’t telling the truth. It wasn’t an infallible test, but judging by the look on her face, he was confident she wasn’t lying now. Damon hadn’t abused her. Relief swept through him.
    â€œThen what was so horrible about your marriage?”
    â€œWhat makes you think it was horrible?”
    â€œYou think he’s trying to kill you. Is that your idea of a good marriage?”
    She wrapped her arms around her middle. “It wasn’t always that way,” she said, her voice quiet and small. “When I met him, he was charming. He doted on me, and I was crazy about him. My brother tried to warn me things were going too fast, that I didn’t know enough about Damon. Actually, no one in my family liked him very much. But I didn’t want to listen. We were married two months after we met.”
    Two months, about the same amount of time he’d known her when she’d ended their relationship. He hoped that thought hadn’t figured into her reasons for leaving him. Being compared to Damon didn’t sit well with him one bit.
    â€œGo on,” he said. “What happened to make it all go wrong?”
    She smoothed her jacket and drew little circles on her jeans with her fingernail. “The first five or six months were wonderful. After that, I guess the strain of lying all the time was too much for him. That’s when I saw the real Damon.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œIt started when I saw him with another woman in a restaurant. He didn’t know I was driving by, never saw me.”
    â€œHe was having an affair?” Pierce asked.
    â€œI thought so, but I couldn’t see how that was possible. We were happy, or so I’d thought. I didn’t want to confront him and feel stupid if she was just a business associate. But after that, I started watching for signs, hoping I was wrong.”
    She sighed. “I couldn’t let it go. It kept eating at me. We argued. I accused him of cheating. He was so surprised he started laughing. He was genuinely