No Escape by Mary Burton Read Free Book Online Page B

conversation?’
    She tempered her fury. ‘Of course. What did Robbie say in the ad? Did he tell you or hint at who he killed? Where he buried the body?’
    He hesitated, as he thought and shook his head. ‘If I tell you all my secrets, Dr. Granger, what will be left for you to figure out?’
    Sick and dying and still he manipulated. It would be easy to get frustrated, but she refused. ‘I suppose you are right, Mr. Smith. A good puzzle does get the blood stirring.’
    He nodded. ‘I knew you’d agree.’
    Hoping he’d remain open, she shifted tactics. ‘How do you know Robbie is telling you the truth? He could be toying with you.’
    A half smile tipped the edge of Smith’s mouth. ‘Well, I must trust his word, shouldn’t I?’ He rubbed the back of his hands as if they ached. ‘I’ve given you quite a bit of information today. But if I may, I’d like to ask you a question.’
    Jo stiffened. ‘You can ask, but I can’t guarantee that I will answer.’
    ‘Well, I do have a few more answers to share, but I want answers from you first.’
    She walked a dangerous tightrope. One answer always led to another question. Men like Smith liked information because it gave them the power to manipulate. But if she didn’t give him something, he’d end this conversation. ‘Ask your question, Mr. Smith, and I shall decide if I can answer.’
    He leaned forward in his wheelchair, his tired eyes now sharp with interest. ‘Have you had a good life?’
    She’d expected a more specific question. ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘It’s a simple question. And I want you to be honest. Have you had a good life?’
    She sat back. ‘You’ve asked yourself that question a lot lately, haven’t you?’
    Her attempt to turn the question around tickled him. ‘I’ve put the question to myself, and I know the answer. It’s you that I’m curious about.’
    ‘Why me?’
    His delight at her directness faded to something more menacing. ‘No, no, no. It’s your turn to answer, otherwise I suspect you already know what is next. I end this.’
    She straightened.
    ‘You don’t have to answer his questions,’ Brody said.
    The sound of Brody’s baritone voice startled her. Again she’d forgotten he was behind her and that she wasn’t alone. Brody was an impossible man to ignore under the best of circumstances, and Smith had made her forget him twice.
    Mr. Smith studied Brody. ‘That’s a protective tone, Sergeant Winchester. But given the history you two share, it’s understandable.’
    Smith did know about her marriage to Brody.
    Brody folded his arms over his chest. ‘I think this is another one of your games. That the dump site you gave up so easily is bogus and that there is no Robbie. This is about jerking Dr. Granger’s chain because it’s your last chance for a dig.’
    Smith again looked amused, all traces of darkness gone. ‘You’re usually controlled, Sergeant. Interesting that you’d be upset by my simple question to Dr. Granger. Unresolved feelings?’
    ‘You’re playing a game with her,’ Brody said.
    Jo sat straighter, sensing a longer delay would drive Smith away. ‘Yes, I’ve had a good life, Mr. Smith.’
    Smith shifted his gaze from Brody back to her, staring at her for a moment. ‘You would consider yourself happy?’
    ‘I do.’
    ‘You are an intellectual, and you grew up in a working-class family.’
    She stiffened and reminded herself that he was reading what could be found on the Internet. ‘I had good parents.’
    ‘They didn’t understand you.’
    ‘I didn’t understand them, but we all loved and supported each other.’
    ‘Hollow support at best, I would guess.’
    She curled the fingers of her left hand into a fist. ‘That’s getting a little personal.’
    ‘We all need family, Dr. Granger. Robbie was my family for many years. In the end I didn’t understand his decision, and it didn’t go well for us. That’s my one regret.’
    A serial killer pining about a lost son – it was