Free Monroe, Melody S. - Verdict (Siren Publishing Classic) by Melody S. Monroe

prominent doctor. That’s so unfair.” She sat up straighter. “Wait a minute. He called you last night? Why didn’t you tell me right away?” Susan couldn’t get a handle on his agenda. So much for being a team and not having any secrets. And here she’d mentally placed a white hat on his head.
    “I didn’t want to upset you.”
    “Telling me now upsets me just as much.” Her lips firmed. “I need to be in the loop and you know it.” If he hadn’t been driving, she would have twisted him around to face her so she could get a read on his expression.
    “Fine. Next time when you’re struggling to survive, I’ll be sure to dump more bad news on you.” His lips pressed together.
    His consideration dumped a bucket of water on her fire, and suddenly the boring, scraggly pine trees whizzing by became interesting. “Maybe I came across a little harsh. I’m sorry, but not telling me the killer was one step closer wasn’t right.”
    He glanced at her. “You’re smart. I thought you’d figure something was up when I didn’t argue much about you leaving the hospital before the doctor was ready to release you.”
    That’s why he’d given in so easily. She developed a cough over night and the doctor thought another day of observation was in order. No way was she going to be a sitting duck for a killer. Two more jurors under protection had been killed. This madman would stop only when all of them were dead. He’d kill her, and maybe even the judge.
    Sweat slicked her skin from the late afternoon sun pouring through the car window. Or at least she wanted to believe it was the sun’s fault and not fear choking her. She couldn’t breathe for a moment and pressed the button to lower the window half way. The cool breeze poured in, and she inhaled deeply. The tinge of exhaust mixed with fresh green trees perked her up. She wouldn’t allow the bastard to cripple her with anxiety.
    “I can turn on the AC if you’d like.” His tone came out so sweet she wondered if he was feeling guilty for withholding information.
    Okay, so he had a good reason for not telling her right away. She let herself be pissed, which was a whole lot better than being scared. “I’m fine.” She faced forward, not wanting to think about poor Travis and his family. “Did you believe the fire marshal when he said the town house blaze was a result of an overloaded circuit?”
    “No reason for him to lie.” He tapped the steering wheel. “What I don’t buy is the fact an electrician failed to install all of the fuses properly, especially in an upscale community like the one we stayed in.”
    Susan kept one eye on the side-view mirror, convinced someone was following them. A gray sedan had appeared and disappeared more than once, but Stone said her imagination was playing tricks on her.
    She replayed what the fire marshal had told them. “Could a lack of fuses actually cause a fire?” Her ex-husband had been the handyman in the family. She didn’t know squat about how circuits worked.
    “No, but a fire will erupt if some worker plugs in a space heater in a socket that isn’t rated for that appliance. It got cold last night. Turns out the heater the carpenter brought in clicked on. Without a fuse to stop the overload, the place caught on fire.”
    She took a sip of water from the thermos Stone has purchased for her. He’d harped often enough about keeping hydrated.
    “Could overloading the circuit have been done on purpose?” Like a bullet-to-the-head kind of purpose.
    He glanced up at the rearview mirror. His jaw tensed. She didn’t like it. Maybe the gray sedan was following them.
    “That would by my guess. It’s why I want to head north. But first, I need to shower at a motel.” He sniffed the air and scrunched up his nose. “I stink.”
    The way he skewed up his face made her smile. “Like I don’t?”
    “I can’t lie. It won’t hurt us to stay in Florida a little while longer, if only to get clean.”
    Susan quickly