Page 105 of Ice Cold Liar

But the detective wasn’t talking.He was far too busy bleeding out.

ChapterTwenty-Two

They’d separatedhim from Naomi.

Fury heaved inside of Eb.He glared at the one-way mirror on the police station’s dingy wall.Back to this same freaking spot.When they’d called nine-one-one, the safe house had been swarmed.Again.He’d eventually wound up at the station.So had Hunter.And Naomi.And Henry, of course.But at least Eb had been able to arrive under his own steam.He’d driven his Impala to the station, with Naomi and Henry tucked in his ride.A cop car had tailed him.

Hunter had been deliveredinthe back of a patrol car.

The detective had been rushed away in an ambulance.Though there had been no need for the rush.Clark Anderson had been dead even as the EMTs had worked feverishly on his body.Hunter and Eb had tried to help him, too.

There is no helping the dead.

Eb stared into that one-way glass.After arriving at the station, the cops had immediately separated him and Naomi.Why?They’d already talked plenty and if they had wanted to lie and collude, they would have already gotten their stories straight on the drive over.A separation now was just a pain in his ass.“I’m really getting pissed off,” he announced deliberately.“A local cop just tried to kill me.I don’t appreciate being treated like the bad guy.So how about you get your ass in here to?—”

The door swung open.His head turned slowly toward it.

A local cop didn’t greet him.Madeline filled the doorway.Dark shadows lined her eyes.Her skin seemed too pale, and her clothes were wrinkled.And, yep, he was pretty sure that was blood on her.

“Sorry,” she said, voice brisk.“Busy day.Night.Whatever.Been dealing with a few things.Like…you know, a man trying to kill me in the hospital.”She marched to the table.Hooked a chair leg with her foot, dragged the chair back, and flopped down.Hard.“I got the pleasure of dealing with all that red tape, and as I’m explaining what happened to my very displeased superiors, I receive word that you killed a local cop.”

She’d gotten the wrong word.“I didn’t fire the gun.”

“Right.Sorry.”She rubbed her forehead.“This stupid headache I have will not stop.Let me try again here.YourfriendHunter killed the cop.”Her cheeks puffed up before she exhaled.“Why was the cop out there?Did you call him?”

“What?No.”Eb shook his head.“Clark Anderson said you sent him.That Brock had confessed all to you.That Brock attacked you, and the perp died.”

“True.He confessed.He attacked.”She looked down.“I have his blood on me.”Stilted.“It’s on me.”She kept looking at the blood.

The moments ticked past.Finally, Eb said, “I want to see Naomi.”

Her head slowly lifted.Madeline blinked, as if waking from a fog.“I’m not usually in the field.I sit in my office.I plan the missions.Like chess, you know?”

Hell.Was his boss—former boss—in shock?Her pupils were pinpricks.Her tone way off.He was also pretty sure her fingers were quivering.“Madeline, are you okay?”

She blinked.Twice.“Of course.”Her shoulders straightened.“He attacked me.I defended myself.I also got the confession.Like I said, I’ve been busy.”She licked her lips.“Brock set the fire at Naomi’s.He took the bat from her truck bed, and he killed Ivan.He…he’d been setting a lot of fires for Ivan in this town.No one crossed Ivan and got away scot-free.”She swallowed.“I didn’t send the detective to you.”

He waited.

Silence filled the room.More moments ticked slowly past.

“There were a lot of fires,” she repeated.“Someone else should have noticed that pattern.I noticed it after just minimal digging.People died in some of those fires.Homicides.But…no investigations.No links discovered.That’s just piss-poor police work.Or else it was deliberate…as in, a dirty cop.”Her head inclined.“Instead of figuring that everyone in the department was inept, my money was on a cop being involved and deliberately suppressing any investigations into the arsons and deaths.”

“And I’m betting Clark Anderson was that cop.”Adrenaline fueled his blood.I want to see Naomi.“When Clark showed up—you know, before he tried to kill me and Naomi—the detective said he was following your orders.”

Another blink.A slow one.“The man was a liar.”

“You didn’t send him to the safe house.”Just so they were clear.

“Why would I have done that?I was at the hospital.Brock attacked me.”Her gaze fell to her blood-stained clothes once again.Not a lot of blood.Flecks.“But I have the confession.I got the confession.For Hudson’s murder.For Ivan’s.I did my job.”

“Madeline.”

A shudder shook her.Her chin lifted.“Yes?”

He’d never seen her like this.He had the feeling his former boss was hanging on by a thread.“I think when you get your team to dig, you’re going to see that Detective Clark Anderson was tangled up with Ivan.Clark was on the take.That’s a conclusion you and I have both reached.”

A slow nod.

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