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Six

Madison wound through the station’s hallways toward her desk.

“Madison?” Terry called out from behind her. “Wait up.”

She took a few more steps, stopped, and spun around.

“What’s your problem?” Terry raised his brows.

“You really have to ask?” She flailed her arm in the direction of the soft interview room. “You fed him a defense.”

“Hey…” Terry retreated a few feet and held up his hands. “You might be having a bad day, but don’t take it out on me.”

“Oooh.” Eggs would fry on her earlobes. And where was a Hershey’s bar when you needed one? “Just explain your thinking to me.” Lord knows she couldn’t figure it out on her own.

“Well, you look at things one way, and I look at them in another.” His calm demeanor only aggravated her more.

“What other possible angle are you seeing? You—”

“The thought that someone might be framing him came out quickly.” Terry paused, letting that sit, but she was failing to understand. “That means—”

“I must be missing something. The idea of being framed only entered his mind after you suggested it.”

“He latched on to it quickly, though, didn’t he?”

Awareness dawned. “He has someone in mind.”

Terry pointed a finger at her. “Precisimo.”

My partner and his made-up words.

“But he didn’t volunteer who,” she said slowly.

“No, and I didn’t get a chance to ask if he had someone in mind before Blake came in.” The lawyer’s name might as well have been a swear word the way it had come off Terry’s tongue. “I saw the way you were looking at me, by the way, like I’d lost my mind.”

“Well…” She winced.

“But…” Terry rolled his head and started to take a bow.

“Not bad.” There was no sense going overboard and swelling his head.

“That’s it? Just give me something to hold on to.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “You’re so much smarter than I give you credit for.”

“Ouch, Knight.” He plastered on a pout and pounded a fist to his heart. “I’m so abused.”

“Oh, knock it off.” She snickered.

Terry’s face became serious. “We figure out who hates Mr. Malone, and we might have our killer.”

“Well, it’s past time that we talk to Kimberly. Maybe she’ll know. Lord knows there’s a barricade around Malone right now.”

“We got some good information from him, though.”

“Sure we did,” she conceded, “but there’s more we didn’t get out of him. We’ve got a place to start with Craig Malone. We need to talk to him and get ahold of Malone’s .357 S&W. We also need to check on Malone’s alibi.” She flicked a finger toward Terry’s pocket where he kept his phone.

Terry whistled, mocking her recap statement of the obvious. “You’re on top of things. That’s why you’re the senior detective. It’s not just because you’re older.” He laughed and juked out of her reach.

“Watch it, mister.”

“Or what?”

He had her. There was nothing she could do, at least right now, but payback was a bitch. “Come on, we have a job to do.” She resumed walking to her desk, her back to him, and smiling. He truly was the brother she’d never had. One minute, she loved him; the next, she was ready to beat him. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. Everyone should have a Terry in their lives.

“By the way,” Terry started, “after you stormed off, I got word back on Lorene’s phone. It was last active at the Malone residence.”

“Why am I not surprised?” One step forward, one back.