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"No"

An easy lie And I didn’t volunteer any more infor Roslyn in the first place When dealing with the po-po, it was best to follow the example of Sophia Deveraux and speak only in short bursts-if at all

Bria studiedYou and Roslyn looked particularly friendly when she was in here yesterday"

"That was yesterday," I replied "Roslyn was here for the food Nothing more, detective"

"That’s funny because no one seems to knohere Ms Phillips is," Bria replied "She’s not at hohtclub she owns, Northern Aggression"

"Perhaps you should ask your partner if he’s seen her," I said in a snippy tone "Since Xavier actually works for Roslyn"

Normally, I wouldn’t have sicced Bria on Xavier But better for her to be at the nightclub questioning hiht And the sooner I killed Elliot Slater, the sooner Roslyn could sleep easier and return to her regularly scheduled life, instead of being holed up in Jo-Jo Deveraux’s house

"I’ve already been to the club," Bria replied "And Xavier claims he hasn’t seen her either"

I cocked my head to one side "You sound like you don’t believe him"

Her face hardened "What I do or don’t believe is none of your business Nohy don’t you tellto Roslyn Phillips?" I laughed "Oh, please"

Bria’s eyes iced over, even more "You knoe could have this conversation down at the police station"

I crossed rounds? That I was at the saht? That she came into my restaurant and had a meal? I see you’ve already taken up the bad habits of the rest of the Ashland Police Department, detective"

"And ould those be?"

I stared at her "Interrogating people for no reason"

Bria had the good grace to flinch at my insult

As much as I would have loved to continue this verbal set on with things Finn was due to pickElliot Slater and look for a place to kill the giant Which ive her what she wanted-some answers

"Yes, Roslyn caet so that awful scene with Elliot Slater No, I haven’t seen the vamp since then, and I don’t expect to," I said "Whatever you think you saw here yesterday, Roslyn and I are not best friends, o to her club on occasion, she gets barbecue here sometimes That’s the extent of our relationship, detective As for where I was last night, I went ho in his office, if you absolutely have to know"

Bria studied me for several seconds "You don’t like me much, do you, Ms Blanco?"

It wasn’t that It wasn’t that at all If anything, I was proud of hoell Bria see that had happened to her She just didn’t realize that I had to keep her at ars for her were still too fresh and raw for entlest and least deadly of my many defense ht, so that she could never know about or be a part of

I shrugged "I don’t know enough about you to like or dislike you, detective What I hate is when so me I don’t respond well to threats, frohed "I’ to do is help Ms Phillips You heard what she said about Elliot Slater, what she accused hi to track her down Surely you know about Slater’s reputation, who he works for I want to find Ms Phillips before he does That’s all I want to do"

Bria had that same tired note in her voice that I’d always heard in Donovan Caine’s That same tone that told ainst today-many of them in her own police depart, just trying to help a wos the legal way In Ashland, all it would get her was dead And I just couldn’t allow that to happen Not to my baby sister Better I deal with Slater than Bria Better for Roslyn, and better for Bria, whether she knew it or not

"That’s very noble of you," I said in a kinder voice "It really is But I can’t help you I don’t knohere Roslyn is, and I didn’t know anything about her probleht on the riverboat, like everyone else Even if I had known before, there’s nothing I could do to help her Not against someone like Slater You said it yourself You knoho he works for But I truly am sorry for Roslyn, detective I truly am More than you will ever know"

Bria opened hercut her off But it wasn’t the telephone next to the register that had sounded It was -trouble

"Excusemy cell phone out of my jeans pocket and answered it "What?"

"Gin?" Jo-Jo’s voice flooded the line "We’ve got a probleht, worried note in the dwarf’s tone told one," Jo-Jo said

Chapter Twenty-Three

Roslyn Phillips gone? Fuck

Bria saw hten Her blue eyes sharpened with interest

"Gin?" Jo-Jo asked "Are you still there?"

"I’m sorry to hear that," I said in a calm voice "Tell me what happened"

"I was busy with clients most of the day I checked in on her at lunchtiiven the circumstances Quiet, but fine," Jo-Jo said "I went upstairs to ask her what she wanted me to make for supper, if she needed soone Shemy last perm of the day"