Page 79 of Wasted

“Detective McCully.” One of the two responding officers walked to them from the house. “We need you to take a look at this.”

“Right.”

Victoria stepped aside as McCully passed them to join the officers on the front porch.

“That guy might be the sorriest excuse for a detective I’ve ever seen.” Cillian’s voice dropped to Victoria, low and frustrated. “And I’ve seen some doozies.”

She folded her arms across her buttoned coat as a shiver tracked through her. Being out in the cold this long was not helping her nerves or composure. “I know.” She turned her head to Cillian as they both stood facing the officers investigating the evidence on the porch. “But please let me deal with him. I know how to handle people like him.”

“So do I.” Cillian’s tone said he still had confrontation or intimidation in mind.

She sighed. She hated to go there, but… “I grew up with a forceful man used to getting his way, remember?” She angled another look at Cillian. She didn’t want to speak negatively about her father with him, but this approach was the only one she could think of to get him to follow her request. She did not want to end up in jail again, thanks to Cillian’s well-meaning defense of her innocence. “I think I can claim the most long-term experience.”

His eyebrows raised. The corner of his mouth twitched. “You win.”

“Thank you.”

Detective McCully started down the steps toward them.

“I’ll hold you to that.” She sent Cillian a warning glance she hoped would remind him to behave.

McCully stopped in front of them and crossed his arms over his chest. “Looks like somebody really did take a shot at you.”

“A shot? It was a lot more than?—”

Victoria grabbed Cillian’s wrist to silence him. So much for his agreement to let her handle the detective. And how was his skin so warm in this cold?

She forced herself to focus on McCully and keep her expression neutral. “Yes, sadly, someone did. We’re concerned it might be someone who wants to silence me and keep me from discovering who the killer is.”

“Is that what you were doing here today? Interviewing your suspects to solve the mystery?” The detective’s mocking tone warned her to keep silent. He lowered his hands to his hips. “This isn’t some book or TV show. And if you were doing that, you could be charged with interfering in a police investigation.”

Victoria hid the inner flinch at his threat. He would no doubt love to arrest her again and keep her imprisoned even longer than that one agonizing night.

Cillian rotated his wrist in her grip and, suddenly, he was holding her hand in his, hanging low at their sides.

She should pull away. What if the detective saw?

But she didn’t pull away. She couldn’t. Because the sheltering, strengthening contact sent courage spiraling through her.

She didn’t look at Cillian but kept her hand in his as she met McCully’s hostile gaze. “Mrs. Kline and I know each other from working for Mr. Briscoe. We were sharing memories of our time there.” Completely true. Those memories just happened to be helpful for determining who had motive and means to kill Thomas. “Surely you see, Detective, that someone else, a violent person, is trying to keep some information from coming out regarding the murder?”

“Could be.” McCully smoothed his mustache with his fingers. “Could be you hired the shooter to divert suspicion away from yourself.”

A grunt rumbled in Cillian’s throat.

Victoria squeezed his hand, hoping that would stop him from confronting the detective again. “I would never put Mrs. Kline or…” What should she call Cillian? A friend? She quickly reworded. “…Any person in harm’s way, even if I do hope to prove my innocence to you.”

“Seems like you need to look at the evidence a bit longer, Detective.” Cillian spoke before she could stop him. But at least his tone was controlled, albeit something akin to a leash on a tiger. “We’ll leave you to it.” He tugged gently on Victoria’s hand to turn her away, letting go to lightly touch her back as he guided her down the driveway. At least that would prevent the detective from seeing they had held hands.

Victoria looked over her shoulder at McCully.

His eyes narrowed as he watched them, but he didn’t say a word.

“Just keep going.” Cillian moved to her side, and they continued to walk down the driveway to the vehicles they had parked along the street when they’d first arrived. “He can’t hold us for anything.”

She sighed. “I had hoped this would at least show him I’m innocent.”

“Yeah. So much for the smoking gun changing his mind.” Cillian gave her a rueful smile as they stopped in front of her car.