Free Revenge of the Chili Queens by Kylie Logan Page B

pension.”
    I knew the answer to my next question would tell me a lot, so I paid close attention to Nick’s expression when I asked, “Was it worth it?”
    Of course he didn’t give me the satisfaction of a flinch. Or a grimace. Or even a groan.
    “What exactly are you trying to prove here, Maxie?” he shot back.
    My temper snapped. “Oh, I dunno. Maybe it would be nice to prove that you’re not the one who smashed ol’ Dominic’s guitar, then wrapped the strings around his neck and pulled them tight enough to slice through his windpipe. But then, I guess I’m the glass-half-full type. Always looking for the bright side of a situation.”
    “Maybe you should just mind your own business instead.”
    “Really?” I propped my fists on my hips. “What were you thinking, Nick? You lied to me. Heck, you lied to the police. You said you didn’t know Dominic. You think they don’t already know what I know?”
    “They know.” Nick ran a hand through hair the color of Vermont maple syrup, and though he did his best to hide the reaction, I noticed that just a little bit of the starchwent out of his shoulders. “I went into the station this morning and saw Gilkenny. I told her everything.”
    “And she said . . . ?”
    “They already knew most of it. Of course they already knew.” He puffed out a breath of annoyance. “I used to interview suspects and wonder how they could sit there and tell bald-faced lies, then when it came to be my turn . . .” There was something about a helpless shrug from a macho guy like Nick that was especially pathetic. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It was stupid. I told Gilkenny it was stupid.”
    “And she told you she agreed.”
    One corner of his mouth pulled tight. “She did, and she was right. We’ve cleared the air. She knows everything now.”
    “Great. So now she knows you once beat up your partner so bad, you put him in the hospital. How do you think that makes you look?”
    “It doesn’t matter how I look. It happened, and I can’t change it. That doesn’t mean I killed the guy.”
    “It looks like it does.”
    Those intense blue eyes of his snapped to my plain brown ones. “You think I killed Dom?”
    “Does it matter what I think?”
    “I had no idea he was in San Antonio. Not until you called me last night and I came back here and saw the body.”
    “Except . . .” I’d almost forgotten! I sucked in a breath. “When he saw you last night, he hightailed it in the other direction. He recognized you right away.”
    “Obviously. And he didn’t want to see me any more than I would have wanted to see him.”
    “I didn’t tell the cops about that because I wanted to talk to you about it first.”
    “Not to worry, I told them. And I told them I had no idea Dom was here in town.”
    That didn’t make me feel much better. “You told them that Laurentius came looking for you? You’re making it look worse and worse for yourself.”
    “What do you want from me, Maxie? First you tell me I should have told the police the truth; now you say it should only be part of the truth.”
    “But you’re digging yourself a bigger hole!”
    “I didn’t kill Dom.” Nick’s voice snapped with authority. “You can believe me or not. The police can believe me or not. But it’s true. I never saw him last night, not until he was already dead.”
    “All right then.” I balled my hands into fists and pressed them to my sides, the better to contain the desperation and anger that built inside me like steam in a teakettle. “If you didn’t do it, then we need to figure out who did.”
    “No, we don’t need to figure out anything. You don’t need to figure out anything. I’ll take care of it.”
    “But I can help. Really, Nick. You know I can. Look what I’ve already found out. I found out who the victim was and how he used to be your partner and how you put him in the hospital. And now the cops know all that, too, and you know they’re going to glom