Page 59 of Diamonds

Maddox crosses his arms.“Unless this got placed in your bagafterSunday.”

“I suppose it’s a possibility.”I tap my fingers against my purse.“But I’m pretty good about keeping this safe.Women are protective over their handbags.And I?—”

Bill clears his throat in the corner.

I’d forgotten he was here.

“I hate to usher you out,” he says.“But I’d really like to be getting home.”

Maddox nods.“Of course.Sorry, Bill.Mind if I take a leak before we go?”

Bill frowns.“Of course.Down the hall and to your right.”

“Great.”Maddox looks at me.“Do you need to go before we head out?”

I don’t.But I also don’t want to be alone in this room with Bill.He seems like a decent guy, but I get an uneasy feeling around him.It’s probably just his job.He’s around death all the time, after all.He’s an ally to the stiff and lifeless.I imagine it’s hard not to pick up a macabre vibe in his line of work.

“Yes.I’ll run to the loo myself.”

“Help yourself,” Bill says.“Ladies’ is right next to the men’s.”

“Thank you.”I place the cards and the envelope back in my purse and follow Maddox down the hall.

The hallway is long, and we pass several doors.One is cracked—the placard on its front readsWilliam K.Lassard, M.D., Head Coroner.

Maddox stops at the door.

“What are you doing?”I ask.

“I…” He scratches his chin.“Do you get the feeling that we’re not getting the whole story from Bill?”

I swallow.“I get a weird feeling from him.But you were the one who said you trusted him implicitly.”

“I thought I did,” he says.“But remember Sunday night when I told him that we thought this involved Rouge?He clammed up, got sweaty.”

“You don’t think she’s threatening him?Getting him to cover for her?”

Maddox peers inside Bill’s office.“I’m just saying that some due diligence might be worthwhile.Will you keep watch while I look around?”

“Okay.But please be careful.And don’t rip the office apart.I don’t want Bill to think that we were snooping around.”

“Of course.”He gives me a quick kiss and then steals inside the office.

I fix my eyes down the hall where we came from.The doors leading to the room we were in with Bill aren’t moving.

But my heart races anyway.It’s late, but it’s entirely possible that Bill isn’t the only one here.If there’s another coroner working overtime, or even a cleaning crew?—

“Hurry, Maddox,” I hiss into the office.“Are you finding anything?”

“Nothing so far,” he says.“Just… Wait a minute.”

“What is it?”

“Holy fuck.”

“What?Something about May?”

“No.It’s something about…someone else.”