Simon Says Die

another question, and I missed it?”
    He blinked at her, obviously not appreciating her sarcasm. “What’s the identity of the second body buried in your yard?”
    She shoved back from the table and stood.
    â€œSit down, Mrs. McKinley. We aren’t finished.”
    â€œAm I under arrest?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThen we are most definitely finished.” She strode toward the door, but the detective jumped up and grabbed her arm.
    The door burst open. Pierce stood in the doorway.
    â€œLet her go.”
    The detective released Madison and swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he looked up at Pierce. “The interview isn’t over.”
    â€œSure it is.” He guided Madison out the door.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Casey whispered furiously as he followed them.
    â€œWhat I should have done in the first place.” He turned to Madison. “Do not say another word without an attorney.”
    Hamilton came running up to them, shaking his head in disgust at the detective. “She’s not leaving yet. We aren’t finished asking questions.”
    â€œYes, you are.” He led Madison to the reception area, with Casey and Hamilton following close behind.
    â€œI can hold her overnight without arresting her, Agent Buchanan.”
    Pierce turned around. “You’d better decide right now how you want to play this. If you hold her, the front-page story in tomorrow’s newspaper will be about Savannah-Chatham Metro PD’s harassment of a young widow and how they threatened to arrest her when she called the police for help—three times—because a man was stalking her. The story will explain that you’re blaming that same widow for the crimes of the very man who abducted her. Shall I continue?”
    Hamilton’s face turned bright red. “You’re being entirely unprofessional.”
    â€œI might say the same about you. You’re taking the easy way out, instead of investigating these crimes the way you should.”
    â€œGo on, get out of my station. Make sure you get her a good lawyer. I promise you. She’s going to need it.”
    M ADISON HAD TO practically jog to keep up with Pierce and Casey’s long strides as they exited the police station. She was really, really tired of all these long-legged men making her run all the time.
    â€œYou just stirred up a hornet’s nest.” Casey tossed Pierce’s car keys to him.
    â€œIt was either intimidate the man or let him railroad Madison into jail. We have to act fast. He’s not going to drop this.”
    â€œAct fast how?” Madison asked.
    He didn’t seem to hear her. He and Casey continued to talk about the case while they walked through the parking lot, as if she weren’t there. The only way she knew Pierce hadn’t forgotten about her was that his hand was on the small of her back.
    That hand might as well have been a leash for as much attention as he was giving her.
    â€œGuys, I’d like to be included in any plans you’re cooking up. It is my life after all.”
    Pierce opened the passenger door and handed her the car keys. “Turn on the heater and lock the door. I’ll be right back.”
    â€œWait, I want to—”
    He closed the door, shutting her inside. She slapped her hand against the window in frustration as he walked between some parked cars to another aisle, apparently to Casey’s car.
    She tried to sit patiently, but the more time that passed, the angrier she got. It was her freedom, her life at stake. She needed to get going, find Damon. And she knew just where to start.
    She shoved the keys into the ignition.
    A FTER TALKING TO Casey, and getting Madison’s knives and gun from him, Pierce headed back toward his car. He was tempted to start calling Madison “trouble” like her brother did. She’d certainly caused him a lot of trouble today, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.
    He and Casey had brainstormed on what to try next. Casey was going to head over to the medical examiner’s office to see if he could get any information on the second body found in Madison’s backyard. Pierce was going to go ahead and take Madison up to the spot off the interstate where she said she’d awakened inside her car after the abduction. He didn’t know why it was so important to her to go there when the police had already combed the area, but if it made