He ignored her mood and finished off the scotch. After a few minute’s silence, he said, “I warned her about that office. That hospital’s not safe. They ought to shut it down, and they would without the neurosurgery unit carrying everything else.”
“Gary, you need to go see the police. Now.”
“Chris was going through the postdivorce wilds. Having a great time being away from me. Playing with residents. They’re young and idealistic and horny. And playing with nurses, I hear.”
“As I remember, you left her.”
“It was over a long time ago, way before any judge ruled. As I remember, you once wanted me to leave her to be with you.”
A wave of nausea swept over Cheryl Beth. “That’s not true.” She spoke quietly but heard her words echo off the walls and mantle. “What we had was a…fling. My bad judgment.”
“Oh, the pain nurse, always making nice.” He stroked her hair again, ran one of his high-priced hands down the side of her face, down her neck. He smelled good. Damn it.
“Stop, Gary.” She moved to a chair facing him and took a gulp of the whiskey. His face was strangely blank, the handsome planes of his cheeks, strong chin and sensual lips. He would look thirty-five forever. Then he leered at her, his dusky blue eyes morose and appraising. She knew her face was red and her eyes puffy, her makeup a mess, but he looked as if he hadn’t parted with one tear. Some days she hated blue eyes, swore she would never trust them again.
“Well.” He set down the glass and stood. “I’m going to have to tell the police that you two were together before she was killed. But I assume you already did.”
“I did.” Her mouth filled with cotton.
“Did you tell them about us?”
“No,” she said softly.
“Cheryl Beth, always discreet. Always the good girl, even when she wasn’t.”
“Why are you being such a jerk?”
“Because I’m not going to let Chris get me from the grave.” He pointed adamantly down, as if she were buried beneath the house. “Like I said, the ex-husband is always the prime suspect.” The leering smile returned. “But so is Chris’ romantic rival. Who knows what she might have said to you tonight. But, you told the police everything, right? Well, almost everything.”
He paused, then, “What else happened at the hospital tonight? Did Bryant come down there?”
She said the chief executive had come down. He had been very solicitous and gentle with her, and had told her to take two days off.
“Come here, babe, I’ll give us both an alibi.” His body language was all too clear.
