Twisted Interest (Margot Harris 7)

“I don’t know yet. I’ll make something up on the way.”

“I hit record before you told me to take my hand out of my purse,” Margot told him.

“You can’t prove that was me.”

Rodriguez moved the playback forward and hit play again.

“You assaulted a cop, Margot! Now I don’t even have to make something up to throw your ass in jail!”

Anderson pointed at his eye where the swelling from her elbow was starting to turn purple. “Whatever I may or may not have said, she still assaulted me.”

“Seems kind of like self-defense to me,” Ames said. “You said you were going to toss her in jail on a made-up charge and make sure everyone knew she used to be a cop. That’s pretty much telling someone you’re going to kill them.”

“She can present that as her defense at trial. In the meantime, she’s still going to county.”

“We already talked to Phoebe,” Ames said, “and Cranston.”

“What do they have to do with her assaulting me?”

“Why did you go back to Lucas Lau’s room?”

“I didn’t.”

“Someone changed the logs to show you left an hour before the murder, but Cranston confirms you were both still there.”

Anderson didn’t say anything.

“Phoebe Masterson says you kept her out of jail and her husband in the dark about Harry Lee in exchange for sex.”

“Bullshit.”

“She thinks you and Lucas killed her husband. Lucas for his boss and you because you wanted her for yourself.”

“Nonsense.”

“She says you asked her to leave her husband. She says she told you that you don’t make enough money. She would have stuck with a good looking detective like Radcliff if she wanted to live on a cop’s salary.”

Anderson didn’t reply to that.

“Are we going to find the murder weapon at Margot’s? The one you put there after she ran away?” Radcliff asked.

“I didn’t put anything at Margot’s.”

Rodriguez cued up the recorder and pressed play.

“Maybe while you’re gone, someone will search your place and find something incriminating. Maybe even a murder weapon.”

“Like a butcher's knife?”

“Could be, that is a fine murder weapon.”

“Is that going to be the butcher’s knife that stabbed Tim Masterson and Rita Helms?” Ames asked.

“Did you know Margot has a solid alibi for that night?” Radcliff added.

Anderson drew his gun. So did everyone else—except Margot, who had given hers to Ames when she turned herself in. Anderson swung the weapon her way, but Radcliff stepped in front of her with his gun raised.

Everyone held their fire. Anderson moved his gun from one person to the other as the three cops kept him in their sights.