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She wasn’t kidding. She believed what she was saying.

Andy shot back, “Come on, Ruthanne. Are you seriously suggesting that if I wanted to get rid of Marcus, I’d do it here in Safehaven? That I’d kill him in Uncle C.’s shop and leave the body right there to be found? I wouldn’t try to stage it like a suicide? I wouldn’t make it look like an accident? I wouldn’t even bother to make it look like I had to defend myself? How stupid do you think I am?”

Ruthanne frowned, but she didn’t argue.

“I stayed with Quinn last night because for the lastthreenights someone has been breaking into Time in a Bottle—someone who nearly killed Uncle C.—and I’m not getting any help from the police!”

Her face tightened, she started to speak, but Andy, fueled by outrage and, yes, fear, was only picking up speed.

“As for Quinn, we hadn’t seen each other in sixteen years. How the hell would I convince him to commitmurderfor me? What’s in it for him? Or is he supposed to be a total psycho and decided to kill Marcus for the fun of it? If he’s the hardcore criminal Chief Millard always claimed he was, wouldn’t he come up with a better plan than this? Wouldn’tboth of us togetherhave come up with a better plan than this?”

Once again Ruthanne started to respond, but this time she was interrupted by thecrackleof the radio.

“Car One? Ruthanne?”

Ruthanne snatched up the mic. “Car One go.”

The dispatcher said jubilantly, “They got him. Just like you said. He was right there in the victim’s motel room, searching through his things.”

Andy let out a long breath and slumped back against the worn seat. He stared up at the scratched and dirty ceiling, and muttered, “Jesus Christ…”

What were you thinking, Quinn?

Ruthanne, her gaze resting dispassionately on Andy, questioned, “Is Rafferty in custody?”

“Yep. They’re bringing him down to the station now.”

“On my way. One out.” Ruthanne hung up the mic, said sternly to Andy, “Let’s go see your boyfriend.”

Chapter Nineteen

“One more time,” Chief Millard said. “Let’s hear your story. From the top.”

Andy was sitting in the chief’s office, watching Millard dunk a glazed twist into his coffee. From years of practice, Millard was able to transfer the doughnut from the mug to his mouth without dripping coffee. With mad LEO skillz like that, he ought to have this case wrapped up in no time.

Oops. Spoke too soon. A fat drop of coffee splattered on the file in front of Millard.

Quinn’s file.

Andy had asked about Quinn and been told, as if he were a recalcitrant teenager, to worry about himself. And hewasworried about himself given that Millard once again seemed to be living up to his lowest expectations. Was it a good sign or a bad sign that he was being “interviewed” in the chief’s office while Quinn was being held somewhere else? No way was Millard forgoing the pleasure of interrogating Quinn himself, so he must be saving the best for last.

All at once, Andy lost patience. He’d recounted his “story” three times now. Once to Ruthanne and twice to Millard. Despite the obvious precariousness of his position, he was done.

“Quinn dropped me off. I tried to unlock the front door. I found Marcus’s body. I asked Mrs. Dubonnet to phone the police.”

Millard’s bristling brows drew together like offended caterpillars. He dropped the last bite of doughnut in his mug and sat back in his chair. “So you know. I don’t care for that tone, Andrew.”

“You know what I don’t care for? The fact you didn’t take these break-ins seriously, and now Marcus is dead.”

Millard’s eyes narrowed. “Take a friendly word of advice. Quit wasting everybody’s time with this bullshit story of phantom burglars. It’s time to come clean. Did you offer Quinn money to get rid of your boyfriend? Or was it all Quinn’s idea? I could believe that. Quinn’s a psycho. He wouldn’t need any encouragement from you.”

Andy resisted the urge to clutch his head and howl. “This hasnothingto do with Quinn.”

Millard shook his head regretfully. “He always had some weird influence over you. It used to worry Cutty.”

“That’s not true. Uncle C. liked Quinn.”

“Sure. He liked him. But he thought he was trouble. Because hewas.”