"Greg isn't as volatile as you."
"You're right about that." Lucky's concession wasn't intended as a compliment to Greg. "If you were my wife and some guy had messed with you, I'd've busted down the walls of that prison by now and be on my way to tear out his throat."
"Greg's not that … physical."
"Do you really think he'll eventually forgive and forget?"
"I hope so. Yes, in time, I believe he will."
The answer didn't cheer Lucky as it should have. Her husband sounded like a sanctimonious creep who could hold a grudge forever.
Lucky hated to think of Devon being tied to Shelby for the rest of her life.
Somewhat querulously he asked, "Did you come all the way from Dallas to tell me this?"
"No. There was another reason." She returned to her seat. "This whole thing has blown up in my face. Since I went into that lounge and ordered a beer, I've had nothing but trouble. It's out now that I'm your alibi in an arson case. Until the trial is over, and God only knows when that will be, my life is going to be a three-ring circus. I can't have that. I won't have it."
"I don't like the prospect of being a notorious public figure any better than you. But what can we do about it?"
"We can clear you with the investigators."
"We tried, remember? It only got me into deeper Dutch. You too."
"But we didn't present them with the real arsonist."
For the space of several seconds Lucky gave her a blank stare. Then he began to laugh. "You want to play detective?"
"Look, the sooner we get you cleared, the sooner this thing will blow over and we can get on with our lives. It's not going to be easy to make amends to Greg, but it would be a start if he knew we wouldn't be going through a trial together, and that I wouldn't constantly be in your company. I'm sure he would enjoy hearing that I never had to see you again."
She was batting a thousand on dismal thoughts this morning, but since he didn't have a viable alternative, he remained silent.
"I've cleared my calendar," she said. "I told my editor that I'm taking a week's vacation and plan to devote the time to tracking down the arsonist. When I get back, I promised him a terrific story, as well as an article on how interrogators can and do intimidate witnesses. I think— What are you grinning about so idiotically, Mr. Tyler?"
"You."
"You find me amusing?"
"You like having control over things, don't you? Even police matters."
"So far the police haven't done anything to help you. I can't do any worse than they have."
"Granted."
"I don't trust other people to do things for me."
"Um-huh," he said. "You're what we used to call a smarty britches."
Still grinning, he stood up and stretched. He was feeling a million times better than he had been an hour ago. He had been concerned because he hadn't spoken with Devon since the story of her involvement had been leaked. He'd also been dreading an entire day of not seeing her.
Then, lo and behold, she'd showed up and planned to stay for a while. Damn, he was lucky! The dreary reminder of her convict husband was pushed aside. Greg Shelby was a loser, a jerk, and, if Lucky was any judge of women at all—and he considered himself an expert on the fair sex—not that great in the sack.
If Shelby had been the man Devon deserved, no amount of persuasion could have got her into bed with another man. He hadn't even had to persuade. Something about her marriage to this Shelby character wasn't right. Lucky respected her for not discussing her marital troubles with an outsider; on the other hand he wanted to know why she was married to a man who had made her so unhappy. Apparently he was being granted the time and opportunity to find out.
The only thing that clouded his sunny mood was that he wouldn't be able to touch her. They would be spending a lot of time together, but she was still off-limits. That was going to kill him, because wanting her had become his chief occupation. More than worrying about his failing business, more than worrying about the fabricated arson charge against him, his desire for Devon was all-consuming.
But seeing her under adverse circumstances was better than not seeing her at all.
"I always enjoyed playing cops and robbers," he said. "Where do we start?"