Bailed Out (The Anna Albertini Files #2) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,5

when I saw that The Quiet Man was on the old movie channel. It’s a family favorite.”

Pierce rolled his head, and his neck cracked. “You didn’t call her after Danny Pucci made his first appearance in court today?”

I caught my breath and hid the reaction as soon as I could. Pierce had done his due diligence before coming to interview me, now hadn’t he? “I did call her but didn’t catch her. There’s no way she killed him.” I sat forward, desperation ticking through my veins.

“Really?” Pierce tugged his phone from his back pocket and scrolled along the face. “Danny Pucci was arrested a year ago for domestic battery against one Contessa Carmelina Albertini. She pressed charges, and he got a slap on the wrist since it was a first offense.” Pierce looked up, his gaze hard. “I doubt it was the first time he hit her. Hell, Anna. She might have a decent self-defense case here.”

Fury nearly choked the fear out of me. Not quite, but close. I slammed my hand on his desk. “Tessa would never shoot anybody. She doesn’t have it in her.” Probably. Well, maybe. If she was in fear for her life, she’d shoot. I would, too.

“Where did she get the gun?” Pierce asked smoothly.

“That wasn’t her gun,” I retorted. “That gun was long, silver, and shiny. She has a smaller Lady Smith & Wesson, just like me.” Relief caught me with enough smoothness to calm me a little bit. Why would Tess shoot Danny with somebody else’s gun? She wouldn’t. “I told you she didn’t do it.”

“How long has Aiden Devlin been dating your sister?” Pierce expertly switched topics.

If he was looking to trip me up, he’d failed. “Aiden and Tess aren’t dating. I have no idea where he has been for the last two weeks.” It wouldn’t do to lie to Pierce right now, and I didn’t see a reason not to tell him the truth. “Before you ask, I don’t know why Aiden was at Tess’s apartment or if he had any prior relationship with Danny Pucci.” But I was sure going to find out.

“So you don’t know why Devlin’s knuckles were as beat to shit as the dead body’s?” Pierce asked.

Yeah, I’d noticed that as well. “Nope.”

Pierce twirled a pen on his desk. “This isn’t looking good for your sister.”

Considering I hadn’t talked to her yet, I didn’t know how bad it looked. “Did you test her hand for GSR?” I asked the question like I knew what I was talking about and hadn’t binge-watched Law & Order all day Sunday, where is actually how I’d learned about gunshot residue. A homicide case was way above my pay grade.

“She tested positive,” Pierce said, seeming relaxed but definitely not missing anything.

I rolled my eyes. “If she picked up the gun that had been used to kill Danny, then the residue would be on her hand. You know that.” I thought that was the truth.

“I also know that only a moron would pick up a gun in that situation,” Pierce retorted. “Unless she was frightened by Devlin. But I’d have to ask what he was doing there.”

I swallowed. “Did you test Aiden’s hand?”

“Yep. Positive as well,” Pierce said, watching me like a bird of prey. “According to him, he was target practicing yesterday, but that’s all he’d own up to—so far. I’m off to interview him next.”

“What about Tessa?”

Pierce shook his head. “She lawyered up right away with Clark Bunne. Wouldn’t say a word.”

Relief cooled the hot ball of anxiety in my stomach. Okay. Good. “Well, then. I guess I’ll go talk to her and figure this out. Let’s hope you’re as good of a detective as you think you are.” With that zinger, I stood.

“Albertini? You’ll have to talk to her tomorrow,” Pierce drawled.

I stopped cold, still facing him. “Why?”

“Because I just arrested her for suspicion of murder. She’s being processed now.”

Chapter 3

I paused at the door to the station, looking out at the darkened night. Pierce had arrested my sister? Oh, I wasn’t sure about him before, but this put us squarely on the opposite side of pretty much everything. Even though I was a prosecuting attorney, darn it.

Either way, I couldn’t just leave now. Looking around the reception area, I fumbled in my purse like I’d forgotten something, shook my head, and then returned back up the stairs toward Pierce’s office. Just in case anybody was watching, which I didn’t really think was happening. Of course, there were cameras, so