“About a month. It’s good to see you, Detective.”
“No, it’s not.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “At least you don’t think so. Yet. Maybe you still won’t when we’re done chatting.”
I frowned, confused by that tangle of words. Still, one thing was clear. “I can’t speak to you without my attorney present.”
She spread her arms wide. “I’m off-duty. But anyway, you don’t have to say anything. I’ll do all the talking.”
Graves gestured toward the bleachers, and I reluctantly took a seat. I had damn good reason to be wary.
“How about we move a little higher?” She climbed to the top, and I stood and followed.
Once we were settled, she set her forearms on her knees and looked at the students below. “It’s different here at night. I usually catch the day sessions. I told myself that on the off chance I happened to run into you off-duty someday, I’d talk to you. I figured the chances of that were nil. And lo and behold, here you are. It must be a sign.”
I wasn’t buying the additional explanation. “You don’t strike me as the type to believe in signs.”
“You’ve got me there, but I’ll make an exception in this case.” Her lips pursed for a moment, as if she were thinking hard about something. Then she looked at me. “I think your boyfriend killed Nathan Barker.”
I stiffened, my breath catching audibly.
“I’ll never be able to prove it,” she said grimly. “He’s too smart. Too thorough. The whole thing was precisely premeditated. The moment Gideon Cross came to the decision to kill Nathan Barker, he had his ducks in a row.”
I couldn’t decide if I should stay or go—what the ramifications would be of either decision. And in that moment of indecisiveness, she kept talking.
“I believe it started the Monday after your roommate was attacked. When we searched the hotel room where Barker’s body was discovered, we found photos. A lot of photos of you, but the ones I’m talking about were of your roommate.”
“Cary?”
“If I were to present this to the ADA for an arrest warrant, I would say that Nathan Barker attacked Cary Taylor as a way to intimidate and threaten Gideon Cross. My guess is that Cross wasn’t conceding to Barker’s blackmail demands.”
My hands twisted in my towel. I couldn’t stand the thought of Cary suffering what he had because of me.
Graves looked at me, her gaze sharp and flat. Cop’s eyes. My dad had them, too. “At that point, I think Cross perceived you to be in mortal danger. And you know what? He was right. I’ve seen the evidence we collected from Barker’s room—photos, detailed notes of your daily schedule, news clippings . . . even some of your garbage. Usually when we find that sort of thing, it’s too late.”
“Nathan was watching me?” Just the thought sent a violent shiver through me.
“He was stalking you. The blackmail demands he made on your stepfather and Cross were just an escalation of that. I think Cross was getting too close to you, and Barker felt threatened by your relationship. I think he hoped Cross would step away if he knew about your past.”
I held the towel to my mouth, in case I became as sick as I felt.