Hell Without You

Chapter 16

The possibility Donovan had voiced chilled her, as did the hardness of his words. "I hadn't considered that. I..." Some detective she was – she hadn't even considered family. Didn't investigators usually question family first, even on TV shows?

Maybe she hadn't thought of it because she hadn't wanted to – because she didn't want to face her mother and step-father again. The thought filled her with shame and deepened her resolve to make the visit that evening.

"Besides," Donovan added, "who else would've had any reason to kill him with a tool that belonged to me? A regular person would've used a tire iron of their own, or a gun or a knife. Hell, a piece of pipe. But your step-father is one of just a few people who know what I did to Trevor years ago. And probably the only person in this town who has anything serious against me, besides your mother."

Donovan's latest revelation was like the icing on a particularly bitter cake. A chill cooled Clementine's skin, making it pebble beneath her sweater sleeves. "It makes sense when you put it that way – scary sense."

"Like I said, I wish you wouldn't go. Hell, I don't want you anywhere near him – I don't even like knowing that you're in the same town as he is, that he's out there and knows you're home alone while I'm in here..." His voice weakened under the strain, and his face twisted in an expression of pain. "Damn it, just stay home, Clementine. If he knows anything, he's not going to tell you. And I'm afraid of what he'll do if he thinks you suspect him."

"I..."

"Better yet, don't stay home – go visit your friend Jackie in DC. Stay with her a while. It'll be easier for you to get back and forth to work, anyway."

"Oh." Realization arrowed through her as she continued to hold Donovan's gaze. She'd barely thought of Kellogg-Hart during the past few days – it wasn't important compared to what was going on with Donovan. "I don't have to worry about work right now. When I didn't go in on Tuesday they let me go, and I'm fine with that."

His eyes widened. "You lost your new job?"

She nodded. "I expected it – it's not like you can decide to be absent indefinitely after your first day. They moved on to their second-choice candidate; that's all."

"You could've gone in."

She arched a brow. "If I'd been arrested and incarcerated for a murder I didn't commit, would you have risen bright and early to be at work the next day?"

"No. But my work's different. You wanted that job so bad."

"Not half as much as I want you out of here. God, with things the way they are I couldn't work in an office if someone held a gun to my head."

"So you've been playing full-time PI since Tuesday?"

"Exactly."

"Jesus, I love you... And I wish I could stop you."

She smiled despite the glass between them, despite the yellow jumpsuit – despite everything. "I love you too, and that's exactly why I have to keep at this, even if I do suck at detective work."

"Stay away from Robert, at least."

"How about I only go to see him if my mother is there too? I could call first. Make sure I won't be alone with him. And I won't say anything to imply that I think he could be involved. I'll ask about other acquaintances of Trevor's, possible enemies. After all, it's not like we know he did it. I need to explore every option I can think of."

Donovan grimaced.

Clementine's resolve didn't waver, but a new idea did occur to her. "You know what? Forget about me going to question the two of them. I'm going to get in touch with my mother – have her meet me somewhere, just the two of us. If my step-father did have anything to do with it, she probably doesn't have a clue. And if I ask the right questions, she might give away something important without realizing it. Then I could take the information to Detective Wagner – tell him what I suspect, have him look into it."