kind of flirtatious. I adjusted myself in my seat and stared at him. His eyes on the road, concentrating on his phone call. Hmmm . . .
I let my eyes roam taking him in. I realized I never noticed how handsome he was. He had smooth, honey-colored skin, piercing hazel eyes, and long thick eyelashes. His close cut, coal black hair was wavy. I wonder how it feels. I lifted up my hand toward his head. He glanced at me. I put my hand back down. I watched him speaking into the phone, his full lips moving as he talked, suddenly it made me want to bite – no – nibble on them and . . . His voice was so sultry. He stuck his tongue out and ran it slowly across his bottom lip . . .
Oh. My.
And he smells so good.
I leaned over, closed my eyes and sniffed. Mmmmm.
What is that?
When I opened my eyes he was looking at me, phone to ear, his scrunched up face asking “what’s wrong with you?” I coughed pretending something was in my throat.
I shook my head. There definitely was no “us” and there never would be. I bit down on my own lip and wondered how in the world I was going to get away from him.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Melborne, South Carolina
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. He sat at the end of the table in the interrogation room dressed in a gray T-shirt and blue jeans. He was leaning back, one leg pushed out straight, his arms crossed over his chest. His hair was scraggly, as was the stubble on his face. His skin was reddish from too much sun and he looked like he hadn’t slept in a week.
Now he looked like a murderer to me.
We (as in me, too) were talking to Darius Hamilton, alleged killer of one Miss Gemma Burke. Only he was denying it with all the fervor of a man unjustly accused. The Sheriff’s call to Bay had been to inform him that Former Mayor Daddy was bringing Naughty Killer Son over to the police station for questioning. We’d have the protection of the entire Melborne police department and Darius Hamilton’s father.
Sheriff Haynes didn’t go into the interrogation room with Bay. That would probably work out fine because if Darius was the killer, and he had fled over state lines, Bay as a federal officer had legal jurisdiction.
The Melborne sheriff really meant it when he told Sheriff Haynes that they would cooperate fully. That also meant I got to hear what Darius Hamilton had to say. Bay and I agreed that it was too bad that Miss Vivee hadn’t come. She’d have been overjoyed to watch Gemma’s murderer captured all thanks to her investigative work.
“We know you were in Yasamee last Friday.” Bay locked eyes with him. “We also know that you tried to blackmail Gemma Burke,” he spoke accusatorily.
Former Mayor Daddy was sitting in the small room behind the glass with me, the sheriffs and two other deputies. He let out a gasp as soon as the accusation came out of Bay’s mouth about his son’s criminal activity.
“Well, I didn’t blackmail her. So tell her that it’s not a crime to come to see a person.”
“I can’t tell her anything,” Bay said.
“Well bring her in here,” Darius said waving his arms around, “and I’ll have my father tell her. He’s a lawyer and he knows the law even if you people over in Yasamee don’t.”
Bay looked at the one-way mirror. He couldn’t see through it, but it was obvious he was looking at us. He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Darius, you know why we’re here. Let’s not play games. Gemma is dead.”
“Dead?” Darius’s chair screeched across the floor as he pushed it back. He stood up and walked to a corner of the room. “No,” he said and turned around looking at Bay pleadingly. “No. Not Gemma.”
“She died last Friday.”
“How?”
“I think you know how, Darius. And it would go a lot better for you if you just cooperated and tell me about it. I don’t have time to play your little games.”
Darius’ eyes got wide. He walked back to his seat as if he were in a shock. “You think I killed her?” he said slowly. “I killed Gemma?”
“Yes you did. And I’m glad you’re willing to admit it.”
“No.” His whole face frowned up. “I’m not admitting to anything. I didn’t kill her.”
“C’mon, Darius,” Bay said and opened up the