Trapped
Page 27
The similarity now was too great. As much as she didn’t want it to be true, it made sense. Brushing at her tears with the backs of her hands, Darby couldn’t look at the officer as she quietly said, “My husband killed them.”
“It was an unfortunate accident, Mrs. Grisom. Besides, I thought you said your husband was out of town.”
“He was. But he did this. I know it.” Fueled by grief, conviction, and a sense of security due to her surroundings, she began to open up to the officer. “Sean is a very possessive man. We had a fight last night and he—”
“Apologized.”
Darby’s head whipped up and her heart stopped as she saw Sean walk into the exam room. Dropping his garment bag in the corner, he came over and gathered her stiff body in his arms.
“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” He dusted her head and face with kisses. “I should have been here for you. I’m so sorry this happened when I was away.”
Planting her hands on his chest, Darby shoved him away. The last thing she wanted was to feel his hands on her. She would never have had the nerve to do such a thing if it wasn’t for the officer standing right there. She didn’t care what her parents’ deaths looked like; she knew Sean was behind it. She looked up at him and saw the raw anger in his eyes and a lot of her bravado faded away. Now she was back to being scared witless. The exchange seemed to intrigue the officer, but Darby didn’t care. For all his polish, Sean was a murderer. She saw that truth with absolute clarity. Now her only priority was to save herself and her baby from the lunatic she’d married in haste.
“Get him out of here!”
“Darby—”
“Mrs. Grisom,” Sergeant Ciminelli began, “I realize you’re upset.”
“He killed my family,” she said in a deadly calm tone.
Sean backed away from the bed. As he did, he reached into the pocket of his suit coat and produced two rumpled boarding passes. “I’ve been in New York since yesterday evening.” He patted his other pockets, then pulled a folded slip of paper from one and a business card from another. “This is my hotel receipt and the name of the gentleman I met for breakfast.”
“See what I mean?” Darby asked. “Who but a guilty man would carry his alibis around in his pockets?”
“Let’s step into the hallway,” Sean suggested, placing his arm around the shoulder of the officer, guiding him out of the room.
Darby slammed her head against the pillow and again hot tears welled in her eyes. Grabbing the call button, she pressed it over and over until a petite and clearly irritated nurse entered the room. In the split second the curtain was drawn back, Darby saw Sean and the sergeant sharing a handshake.
“Yes?” the nurse asked as she gave cursory glances to the machines tethering Darby to the bed.
“I need a phone.”
“We don’t allow telephones in the rooms. Is there someone I can call for you?”
“Yes. I need the police.”
The nurse blinked, then peered back over her shoulder as she pushed apart the curtain. “Officer?”
“Not him,” Darby cried. Too late.
Sean and the officer returned. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the sergeant was totally charmed by Sean. The sergeant took up a position at the end of her bed next to the nurse while Sean moved to the head and draped his arm around her shoulders. “I was just explaining your condition to the policeman.” His fingers dug into the flesh at her shoulder.
Ciminelli smiled understandingly. “I’ve got three kids myself. My wife went a little hormonal with each one. She had all sorts of weird thoughts and cravings. Got so I was afraid to walk in the door after my shift. Never knew what was going to set her off.”
“Darby’s normally very rational,” Sean said, brushing a kiss to her temple. “Don’t you have something to say to the officer, sweetheart?”
Darby pressed her lips tight.
Sean squeezed her shoulder harder. “Darby, the officer checked. He spoke directly with Roxanne.”
“Roxanne would lie for you,” she whispered under her breath.
Sean sighed heavily. “Sweetheart, I thought you might still be…confused, so I made sure the officer called the airline to verify that I was on the flight. The hotel verified that I checked in and even told the officer what I ordered from room service and when it was delivered. The investor I was meeting as well as the restaurant staff verified that I attended the meeting. So, don’t you think it’s time for you to apologize to the officer for making extra work for him?”
Darby had no idea how he had managed it, but he had. Now she looked like the crazy one. And worse yet, she was at Sean’s mercy, which was a terrifying thought. What would happen once they were alone? She shivered just thinking about the potential punishment for calling him a murderer in public. She had that trapped animal feeling again and she couldn’t stop crying. No one believed her but she didn’t know how he’d pulled it off; she just knew he had. Just as she knew the officer wasn’t going to believe a word she said. Darby felt defeated. She gave up. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t give it a thought, Mrs. Grisom. I know it was just the grief and the hormones talking. I gave your husband everything you’ll need to make the, um, final arrangements for your parents.”
“Thank you.”
The nurse followed Ciminelli out of the room. Darby braced herself, fully expecting to suffer the wrath of Sean. Instead, he was just looking at her as he arranged the hair framing her face.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I always liked your parents,” he whispered against her ear.
“Ummmm.”
Then calmly and quietly he added, “If you hadn’t called them, I never would have been forced to kill them.”
Also by Rhonda Pollero
The Finding Justice Series
Exposed
Abandoned
The Finley Anderson Tanner Mystery series
Knock Off
Knock ’em Dead
Fat Chance
Slightly Irregular
Bargain Hunting
No Returns
About the Author
After selling her first work of romantic suspense in 1993, Rhonda Pollero has penned more than thirty novels, won numerous awards and nominations, and landed on multiple bestseller lists, including USA Today, Bookscan, and Ingram’s Top 50 list. She lives in South Florida with her family.
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
To receive special offers, bonus content, and news about our latest ebooks and apps, sign up for our newsletters.
Sign Up
Or visit us at hachettebookgroup.com/newsletters