Private Affair(97)

Max jumped into the conversation. “The man who killed Claire Lowden kidnapped Ms. Winters and brought her here. It was Troy Masters. We figured it out and came to rescue her. When we got here, the security guard was already dead.”

Fisher looked at the two dead men on the ground. “Neither one of these is Masters.”

“The guard must have discovered Masters dragging Ms. Winters here. The other guy is Damon Davidson—the ex-con who cut me up yesterday in Baltimore,” Max supplied.

“The guy who put you in the hospital?” Fisher clarified.

“Yeah.”

“And you left against doctor’s orders.”

“How do you know that?”

“We’ve kept you on our radar.”

Max sighed. “Okay. I found out Ms. Winters had been kidnapped—presumably by Masters,” he said, leaving out the other suspect.

“And you didn’t call the police for help?”

“Not after the help I was getting from Hamilton,” Max snapped.

Fisher gave him a long look. “Hamilton is dead.”

The information drew a gasp from Olivia, who hadn’t known about the two previous murders. “How?” she asked.

“He and Tommy Larson were found dead at Larson’s home.”

The blood had drained from Olivia’s face. “Oh no.”

Max saw Fisher take in her reaction.

“So the next question is, where’s Troy Masters?” he asked.

“In an underground room beneath the cabin.” Max gestured behind himself and decided that the only way they were going to get out of this was to tell the truth—or most of it. “He was holding Ms. Winters there. When he came at her with a knife, I shot him.”

“He’s dead?” Fisher asked.

“Yeah.”

“I think we’re going down to headquarters,” Fisher said.

“Good idea. I think I need to sit down,” Max answered. He could feel the stimulant he’d taken wearing off.

Olivia gave him a worried look.

“I’m okay,” he said.

He was still thinking their best chance of getting out of this was to tell the truth. But he was sure there was one thing Olivia wanted to leave out.

“I got to Ms. Winters as Masters was trying to rape her,” he said.

The detective’s gaze swung to her, and she nodded. Then her bottom lip began to tremble.

Max looked at the cops who were still surrounding them. “She needs to sit down, too.”

Once again they were taken to Howard County police headquarters in separate cars, although under friendlier circumstances.

This time Olivia went in first. Then Max, followed by Shane and Jack. As Max told his story to Fisher, he gathered that the detective didn’t think much of the way Hamilton had handled the case.

Max was running on fumes, and he’d hoped they could go right back to the hotel, but when they stepped outside, a crowd of reporters was waiting for them.

“The reunion   killer is dead?” a man from one of the local television stations shouted.

“Yes,” Shane answered.

“And Ms. Winters was a target?”

“Yes,” she said.

“He kidnapped you?” someone else asked.

“Yes.”

“Can you tell us what that was like?”

Max glanced at her, seeing the rigid set of her jaw. “Ms. Winters needs to rest,” he said. “Get the rest of the story from the cops.”

“I’ll have something to say later,” she told the crowd.

“Were you trying to throw them a bone?” Max asked when they’d climbed into the back of Shane’s SUV.

“Actually I was thinking about something I want to say, but not now,” she said wearily.

“So we’re going back to the hotel?” Shane asked.

“Yeah. I need some sleep,” Max said.

When Olivia finally unlocked the door, Max was swaying on his feet.

“You need to get back in bed,” she told him.

“I know. After a shower,” he answered, hearing the exhausted sound of his own voice.

He knew that he and Olivia had to talk, and that the three Rockfort men needed to compare notes about the lead-up to the scene at the cabin, but he couldn’t do either one right now.

He threw off his clothes, took a quick shower, and pulled on shorts before climbing under the covers, and he didn’t wake until hours later, when he realized Olivia wasn’t with him.

He lay still for a few minutes, testing his body. He seemed to be in pretty good shape, all things considered. But where was Olivia? After their conversation in the hospital, he’d hoped the two of them would stay together. Now he wondered if her experience in the underground room had changed things. And what had she told Fisher?