Death's Door. Meryl Sawyer

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СКАЧАТЬ The obvious answer was Mount Everest, but there was another mountain in Africa that was nearly half a mile taller. This was because the earth wasn’t round like a basketball, but elliptical, meaning it was wider at the equator. This width translated to additional height, making some obscure African mountain taller than Everest. This was exactly the type of question Total Trivia gamers adored, but it would have to be phrased properly to add the key element of the shape of the earth.

      Madison was usually good at rewriting confusing questions, but her mind was still muzzy from lack of sleep. She scooted the stack aside and turned on her computer, wondering why Aiden had been in her office. It certainly wasn’t to rework questions. Though Aiden was great with the computer and finances, he was terrible at rewrites. He left those to Madison.

      Still suspicious about Aiden’s motives, she opened her e-mail folder and found hundreds had come in while she’d been away. She could have checked them from home, but she hadn’t bothered. Squinting at the screen, she scrolled through the list to see if any of them were really important.

      Madison was still answering e-mails when she heard Jade walk into the cubicle. A quick glance at the time on her computer told Madison that nearly two hours had passed.

      “There’s, like, someone to see you from the police,” Jade informed her. “How cool is that?”

      Right behind Jade was one of the homicide detectives who’d questioned her at the station the day Erin’s body had been discovered. Suddenly there was a weight in the center of her stomach. She ventured a sideways glance under the desk where Aspen was sleeping. The dog couldn’t be seen from the opposite side of her desk where the detective stood watching her.

      Madison rose, extended her hand and forced a smile. “Detective…”

      “Lincoln Burgess.” The stout man with sparse gray hair and a walrus mustache shook her hand. A trace of stale cigarette smoke rose from his lightweight sport coat as he moved. “Mind if I sit?”

      “Please.” Madison slowly sank into her own chair. She’d mentally prepared herself for this moment but now that it had arrived she couldn’t help being edgy.

      “I just had a few follow-up questions.” His tone was conversational but it did nothing to ease her nerves. “It’s about the dog.”

      Dread rolled over her like a silent, all-encompassing fog. She waited with what she hoped was a neutral expression on her face.

      “The dog you had with you at the crime scene. Had it been in the house?”

      Madison had prepared herself for this interrogation with Rob’s help. No sense in lying more than necessary. Forensic experts would know Aspen had been in the house. Work around this—don’t fight it.

      “Yes. Erin told me she had a golden retriever for me. When I came to pick up my cell phone, he was in the kitchen with his bill of sale and everything.”

      The detective’s pale blue eyes narrowed. “When did she tell you this?”

      “On Friday night when we went clubbing. Erin said a woman she’d met had a dog she couldn’t keep. Erin knew I was looking for a pet and bought him for me.”

      Two beats of silence. “You never mentioned the dog in your interview.”

      She ladled on the charm with a vapid smile. There were some advantages to being blond. Men automatically thought you were stupid. “No one asked about Aspen. Why is he important? Aren’t you looking for Erin’s killer?”

      “Her death could be linked to the dog.” Detective Burgess’s eyes had no depth or light to them. Madison couldn’t tell if he’d bought her naive act.

      “Really?”

      “Do you have the bill of sale?”

      “Yes. It’s at home. I mean, it’s at the home on Fisher Island where I’m house-sitting. Why?”

      “We’re going to need to see it.”

      Madison nodded, noticing he hadn’t answered her question. She had the sickening sensation that he was going to take Aspen away from her. She cursed herself for not following up on Rob’s suggestion that she try to contact the Everglades Animal Defense League and arrange to shuttle Aspen out of the state to protect him the way Erin would have had she lived.

      Out of the corner of her eye, Madison saw Jade hurrying up the aisle with Paul Tanner at her heels. Great! Just what she needed. How could the guy interrupt an ongoing meeting? But a strange, excited feeling feathered through her chest.

      Paul Tanner strode through the cube farm wearing arrogance like a second skin. But Madison couldn’t help noticing all the female heads turned in his direction. For an instant she regretted taking so little time to dress. She had on no makeup except for lip gloss. Her willful hair was going in all directions this morning and she’d done little to tame it.

      What Paul Tanner thought of her didn’t matter. Then it occurred to her that a distraction might be useful. She wasn’t much good at picking her way through a minefield of lies.

      Jade rushed into the cube, saying, “I told Mr. Tanner you were—”

      “I thought I might be able to help.” Paul Tanner directed his comment to Detective Burgess, who didn’t look too thrilled to see him.

      “It’s okay, Jade,” Madison told the girl and she backed out of the cube.

      Paul looked directly at her with a tilt of his lips meant to pass for a smile. The beat of her heart suddenly filled her skull. Get a grip, she told herself.

      “I thought you were still out on leave,” the detective said to Paul.

      “I am, but I heard you wanted to ask Madison a few questions about the dog. I thought I might be able to help, since I was on the scene immediately after she discovered the body.”

      Detective Burgess considered this a little longer than Madison thought necessary, considering Paul’s presence on the scene was an established fact. “Miss Connelly claims to have a bill of sale for the dog. Did you see it?”

      Paul shifted his gaze to Madison and a nimbus of dread snaked through her. What would the man say?

      “The envelope on the kitchen counter next to the pizza box?”

      Amazing. Paul had been sprinting through the house in response to her screams, yet he’d had time to notice the box and the envelope beside it. From a distance she heard herself answer, “Yes. The bill of sale was in the envelope.”

      “She never mentioned it during the interview at the station,” the detective informed Paul.

      Paul shrugged, glanced her way and said, “She probably didn’t think it was important. After all, she’d just found her best friend’s body.”

      “Right,” Detective Burgess grudgingly agreed. “But the interview was hours later, after she’d taken the dog to the vet for some eye problem.”

      “Have you made any progress in finding Erin’s killer?” Madison asked. Her father always said the best defense was a good offense.

      “Her killer might have been the person who sold СКАЧАТЬ