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“He’ll be brought to trial, and he’ll be convicted Killing me won’t stop it”

“No, but it will destroy your case against him—posthumously on both parts You see, when I left hio, Senator DeBlass was in his office in East Washington I stood by hiun And I watched as he put the barrel into his mouth, and died like a patriot”

“Christ” It jolted her, the ie of it “Suicide”

“The warrior falling on his sword” Admiration shone in Rockreed He would never have been able to tolerate the humiliation When his body is found, when yours is found, the senator’s reputation will be intact once again It will be proven that he was dead hours before you He couldn’t have killed you, and as the method will be exactly as the other murders, and as there will be two ainst hie of fury and insult—and step into his bloody shoes”

“This isn’t about politics Goddarateful he didn’t use the gun, but the back of his hand to knock her back She turned with it, fell heavily onto the night table The glass she’d left there shattered to the floor

“Get up”

She ing and her vision blurred She pushed herself up, turned, careful to keep her body in front of the ’link she’d switched on manually

“What good is it going to do to kill me, Rockman?”

“It will do ood You were the spearhead of the investigation You’re sexually involved with a man as an early suspect Your reputation, and your motives will come under close scrutiny after your death It’s always a ive a woman authority”

She wiped the blood from her mouth “Don’t like women, Rockman?”

“They have their uses, but under it all, they’re whores Perhaps you didn’t sell your body to Roarke, but he bought you Your murder won’t really break the pattern I’ve established”

“You’ve established?”

“Did you really believe DeBlass was capable of planning out and executing such a meticulous series of murders?” He waited until he saw that she understood “Yes, he killed Sharon An i it He panicked afterward”

“You were there You ith hiht he killed Sharon”

“I aiting for him in the car I always acco him so that only I, who he trusted, would be involved”