you a lot more. You better be prepared for it.”
“The cops already talked to me.”
Oh, hell, of course they had. She’d probably been notified first thing after the body was identified, then asked at least a few preliminary questions. “When?”
“Yesterday afternoon.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That I went straight home from the wedding. I didn’t talk to anyone or see anyone. I went home alone, and no one can corroborate my whereabouts.”
Hudson jumped up and started to pace. “You lied to the police?”
“You think I should have told them I was with you? How would that look?”
“You should never lie to the police. They always find out, Liz.”
“They don’t have to find out. What did you tell them?”
“I said I was with you, of course. How the hell was I supposed to know you would be the other main suspect?” He thought some more. “There’s only one thing to do. You have to go to the Montgomery County sheriff’s office and tell them the truth. We’ll go together.”
“No! Hudson, no, we can’t do that. It’ll look so bad that I lied. For me and for you. Because if they think I did it, and they know we were together, you’ll go down with me.”
She had a point. Still... “I don’t know how we can keep it secret. The cabdriver who took you home—”
“I didn’t tell the police anything about a cab.”
“Yeah, but I did.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. “We’ll deal with that if we have to.”
“They’ll ask people at the wedding. The valet, for instance. He saw us leave together.”
“I can’t tell them I lied, Hudson. I won’t.”
Great. If he tried to claim she was his alibi, and she denied his story, he would look even worse. The valet might not recall seeing them together; the place had been a zoo. If he could find which cab company she’d called...
“Hudson, there must be something else we can do.”
“We could fly to the Bahamas, but they probably already have our passports flagged.”
“Really?”
“Liz, focus. We aren’t going to flee the country. Let’s think this through. You didn’t kill your father. And I didn’t kill him. Ergo—”
“Someone else did. We just have to find that person!”
Easier said than done. He prided himself on being a good, thorough detective. But without his badge—without the authority of the Montgomery County sheriff behind him—his efforts would be severely hampered.
“Any ideas who could have done it?”
“One of his desperate clients. Or someone he swindled.” She shrugged. “He wasn’t a part of my life anymore. I have no idea what was happening in his world.”
Hudson had a hard time understanding that. His parents were his rocks, and he loved them both fiercely and saw them on a regular basis. “How long have you been estranged from him?”
“Since I was eighteen. I got an academic scholarship to Bryn Mawr. He refused to let me go, insisted I go to Rice University and live at home.”
He glanced at her sweatshirt. “Guess Daddy didn’t get his way that time, huh?”
“No. He took my car away. I went anyway.”
“You haven’t seen him since then? That’s, what, ten years?”
“Oh, I’ve seen him. He pops up periodically—here or at work, or we sometimes attend the same functions.” Her gaze darted to the dying orchids, then back. “But no matter how hard he tries...tried...he can’t engage me. I ignore him. And he goes away.”
“So the estrangement was one-way.”
“If you mean I wanted it and he didn’t, yes, that’s exactly right.”
Only one more question came to mind at the moment. “Why? It was a long time ago, and it sounds like maybe he just didn’t want his daughter to be so far from home.”
“It wasn’t just that. I had my reasons.”
“That answer isn’t going to wash with the cops when they question you again.” And something told Hudson they would. Though he hadn’t seen it the first time they’d met, Liz fairly reeked with deception. Maybe he simply hadn’t wanted to see it last Saturday.
“I’ll tell the cops if they ask. But you’re not the cops.”
He wasn’t...but he was. They could take his badge and gun away, but inside he was still a cop. He always would be. It drove him nuts that he didn’t have his usual resources at hand. He couldn’t simply call up DMV records or look up someone’s criminal history.
“Hudson...what about the burglar?”
“Yeah. Kinda suspicious—a guy with a gun in close proximity to where the body was found.”
“Was my father killed with...? Was he shot?” She realized she’d never asked how he’d died, and she’d deliberately not watched the news or read a newspaper. “They told me he was found in the lake, and I guess I just assumed he’d drowned.”
Hudson nodded. “He was shot.”
“So the creep that broke into your house was connected to my father?”
“I think he was there to kill me,” Hudson said flatly. “I think if you hadn’t been there, that’s what would have happened.”
“My father wouldn’t have had you killed,” she said reasonably. “I’m sure he was angry over being arrested, but I can’t see him going that far.”
“I can.” Hudson still shivered when he remembered Mandalay’s cold eyes. “Something was going on in that parking lot. Something other than a simple business transaction. Whatever it was, maybe he wanted it to stay hidden—at any cost.”
“Okay, so let’s assume the burglar was there to kill you. He fails. Reports back to my father. They get into an argument. Gun comes out...” She swallowed convulsively.
“It’s okay to grieve, Liz. Whatever happened that caused the feud between you...I’m guessing you have some fond memories, as well.”
She nodded. “He used to be the center of my universe.”
Hudson had to admit, he was consumed with curiosity about what all had happened. But she wasn’t ready to tell him yet. She would be. Someday.
“Okay, I’ll make a deal with you. Knightly and Sanchez think my alibi lady doesn’t exist. I’ll continue to tell them I can’t find you.”
“Oh, thank you, Hudson—”
“Wait, wait, I’m not done. They only gave me a couple of days to produce you as my alibi. I doubt they have enough to arrest me. But if they do...then I’ll have to come clean.” He hated lying to cops—to his own partner especially. But he had to agree with Liz on this one. Once they knew the two prime suspects had been together Saturday night, he and Liz would probably find themselves in jail and unable to conduct any kind of investigation of their own.
“Okay... And during this grace period?”
“I’ll find the real killer. There’s simply no other choice.”
“I’ll help.”
“We’re dealing with a ruthless person or persons here. I can’t put you in danger.”
“I’m already