compare this statement with the other one, just to make sure I was telling the truth. So I told the truth the best that I recollected it. Everything had happened so quickly.
Just as he was finished asking questions, a shiny black Jeep Cherokee barreled down the road and lurched to a stop. Dust was still settling when Nick Basanelli jumped out, slammed the door, and made a beeline for me. His brown eyes were sharp, his shoulders back, and his stride very quick for a guy that big. He looked like a guy intent on rescue, and everything inside me perked up as much as possible, under the circumstances. Reaching us, he dropped to his haunches to face me. “You okay?”
Tears pricked my eyes again. He’d come for me. “No.”
He turned to look up at Pierce, staying at my level of sight. “Any leads?”
Oh. Yeah. Nick was the head prosecuting attorney, and this was a murder scene involving one of his employees. I worked for Nick. That’s why he was there. Not out of some totally unrealistic need to make sure I was okay after meeting me once for a few minutes. Geez. I really needed to find a date or two. My face flushed. I also needed to stop looking at big strong men to cuddle into. I was a prosecutor, darn it. That made me a badass, whether I felt it or not.
Pierce stared evenly at Nick. “Not yet. Just processing the scene now,” he said. “I have the lake deputies out looking for the boat, but we didn’t get much of a description.” No judgment lay in his tone.
“Okay.” Nick grasped my arm and assisted me up. “If she’s done, I’m getting her out of here. Let me know when you’re finished with the scene. I want to walk through.” Without waiting for Pierce’s agreement, Nick led me around the Jeep, his arm around me. A camera flashed, and we ducked. “Nosy press,” he muttered, helping me into the seat. The vehicle smelled like smooth cologne and male.
I settled into the leather seat, my head still spinning as he shut the door, crossed around the front, and stretched inside next to me. My mind ran through the entire scenario again, and the sound of bullets hitting wood echoed through my head. I shivered. “Thank you for getting me out of there.” No way could I drive right now.
“Of course.” He started the engine and pulled away from the lake house. From this angle, it looked like a paradise and not a bloody disaster. “Tell me what happened.”
I couldn’t. Not one more time. It was just too much. “Read the reports.” I hugged the blanket closer around my body and stared out the windows at the beautiful homes with the incredible lake views. Neighbors stood out on their stoops, some at the edge of their driveways, watching the swirling lights at Scot’s place. Nobody ventured close, as if unwilling to leave their slices of paradise for the darker side of life, hoping they’d never be touched by it.
Nick remained silent for several miles as he drove away from the houses and down the twisting and turning lake road. The sun finally broke through the clouds, sparkling the water into a glimmering blue instead of the depressing gray. “I need to know what happened from your perspective.” His voice was low and calm. Somehow reassuring.
He was right. He was now the head prosecutor for the county, and he’d end up prosecuting whoever had done this. I was a witness, so at least I’d probably disqualified myself as an attorney on this one. So I ran through the events again, this time closing my eyes to make sure I got it all. I couldn’t think of anything I’d missed, but something felt just out of my reach. Something I’d noticed or heard. What was it?
Nick asked questions similar to the ones asked by Pierce, his voice calm, his mind obviously quick. He spent a little more time asking me about Scot Peterson in general. My impressions, what I’d noticed while working for the office, any guesses I might have. His questions had a logical connection to the case and each other, and the way his brain drew those parallels was impressive.
I finished answering and opened my eyes to see we were closer to town. “Why did you really take this job?” I surprised myself by asking. There were tons of ways for him to reach the point of running for