Marty Ambrose - Mango Bay 01 - Peril in Paradise by Marty Ambrose

the whole thing for slowmotion replay later.
    “We’ll conduct ourselves with responsible journalism. I can promise you that” Anita’s thin-lipped mouth
curved upward on one side, causing the mass of tiny
wrinkles around her lips to deepen. She knew she had
him. No matter what he threw at her, she’d still be
standing.
    “I’m going to hold you to that, Anita.” Detective Billie’s voice held a stern warning.
    “You’ve got it, buddy” She pulled out her pack of
Camels and lit up.
    “What about Ms. Monroe?”
    “What about her?”
    “Yeah, what about me?” I finally found my voice.
    “You need to make sure that she understands the
boundaries of what she can and can’t do on an interview.” He flicked a hand in my direction.
    “I told you, Everett volunteered the information he
gave me,” I insisted, heartened by Anita’s recent victory. “I repeat, I didn’t badger him.”
    Detective Billie swung his attention back to me. His
straight, black eyebrows were no longer leveled in an angry line. “Okay, Ms. Monroe. I believe you, but I’m
also warning you to keep your interviews on the up and
up-no information about the murder leaked to the
public without police consent”

    “Sure” I nodded for emphasis.
    “All right, then” He adjusted his tie and yanked on the
sleeves of his jacket. The motions were controlled, but I
could sense the frustration behind his movements. He
was a rock-with his hard-planed face and obsidiancolored eyes, but Anita was a scrappy, scrawny tree-the
kind that bent in the wind, but then righted itself and
slapped you in the face. She’d always win because she
knew how to deflect the force that came at her. Detective
Billie had a bull-like stubbornness that caused him to
charge in, head down, face forward. He had integrity, but
she had cunning. And cunning would always win out.
    “Well, now, that’s cleared up, do you have a statement for the press?” Anita inquired as she took a long
drag on her cigarette.
    A long paused ensued. Then, surprisingly, a low rumble of laughter erupted from Detective Billie. “Nothing
at this time.”
    “I hear you” She winked at him. “See you later,
Nick.”
    “Not if I see you first,” he responded, humor still lingering in his face. “By the way, it’s illegal to smoke in
a public building.”
    “Uh-huh.” She waved him off with her cigarette and
returned to her office.

    Nick shook his head, then held out a folder in my di- rection. “I almost forgot. This is a transcript of the
statement that you gave to me two days ago. Look it
over and see if there is anything you want to change”
    “Right now?” I took it from him, carefully avoiding
touching his fingers. “I’ve got a story that I’m on a
deadline to finish.”
    He shrugged. “You can look it over and drop it by the
station later.”
    “Thanks” I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate
on the statement if he loomed over me. I was too aware
of him, too distracted by the woodsy scent of his aftershave, too unsettled by his dark eyes.
    “Don’t let Anita persuade you into doing things that
you know are wrong. A newspaper story is one thing
but, when it comes to solving a crime, that’s police
business-period.”
    “I’ve got it already. All right?”
    “All right.” He paused, as though he was going to say
something else, but then changed his mind. “Are you
doing … okay?”
    I clutched the folder to my chest. “I guess so-for
someone who found a dead body.”
    “Believe it or not, I understand. Murder is never an
easy thing to accept” A shadow passed over his features, completely erasing all traces of humor.
    “But you’re a cop-you deal with this kind of thing
all the time.”
    “Not really.” He shook his head. “Killing people doesn’t happen on my watch-and I don’t intend to let
it happen again.” His voice hardened as his glance
caught and held mine captive.

    Something turned over inside of