SEE HIM DIE by Debra Webb Page B

commanded as he dragged a chair from the narrow metal table and took a seat himself. He slapped down a manila folder and opened it.
    Blake did as he was told. This was not the time to test Cannon’s boundaries any further than he already had. All he had to do was stick to his story and play it cool. No matter how it looked, the truth was on his side.
    “You arrived at Midtown Marie’s around eight?”
    “That’s right.” Blake attempted to relax, didn’t happen.
    “Do you frequent this establishment?” Cannon eyed him speculatively.
    Chances were Cannon had the answer already. At least a dozen cops were crawling all over this case. “I’ve dropped by from time to time. I wouldn’t say I frequent any one particular establishment.”
    Cannon’s gaze narrowed as he weighed the response. “So you just happened to be there tonight when Austin Barton shows up and has a very public confrontation with his estranged wife?”
    “Just my luck.” Blake turned his hands up. “It’s a small town.”
    Cannon made a sound that wasn’t exactly an agreeable one. “I suppose it was also mere luck,” he said sarcastically, “that you were in her neighborhood at two a.m. this morning.”
    “Actually,” Blake confessed, “I hung around the bar after the confrontation. Even followed her home. She was pretty upset by the encounter with Barton.”
    Cannon leaned back in his chair and studied Blake for a moment. “Are you having an affair with this woman?”
    Blake laughed, the sound a little tighter than he’d intended.
Only in his dreams
. “Hardly. We’ve barely spoken to each other. She rear-ended me the other day and I’m hoping she’s still going to be able to pay for the damage.” His Mustang was in the shop right now. The black Taurus he was driving was better for surveillance anyway—not that he planned to mention that part to Cannon.
    “Yet you stuck your nose into the argument with her estranged husband last night,” Cannon countered.
    “I would have done the same thing for any other woman in similar circumstances.” No man should humiliate and intimidate a woman that way.
    “You have to know how this looks, Duncan.” Cannon closed the manila folder. “It’s bad enough that I’m catching hell from the captain and the chief about the whole situation, what do you think is going to happen when Randall Barton learns you had words with his brother before he was brutally murdered? Or that you followed his brother’s wife home to make sure she was okay?”
    A thread of uneasiness worked its way through Blake. “Are the chief of police and Barton close friends?” Sure sounded that way to Blake. Rather than being focused on who killed Austin Barton, the entire conversation appeared to be geared toward avoiding the fallout related to Randall Barton’s
feelings
.
    Temper flared in Cannon’s eyes. “As of this moment you are on administrative leave—with pay—until we clear up this mess.”
    When Blake would have argued, Cannon cut him off, “You’re playing with fire, Duncan.”
    “Are you saying I’m a person of interest in this murder investigation?” Blake hadn’t expected the finger to be pointed at him. If he’d wanted either one of the Barton brothers dead, he’d have made that happen a year ago and no one would have found the body.
    “I’m working hard to prevent having to go there,” Cannon said with a burdened breath. “It would be very helpful to this investigation as well as to your career if you would cooperate.”
    Blake put up his hands. “Fine. Whatever you need me to do.”
    “I’m glad to hear you say that, Detective.” Cannon stood. “The first thing you can do is to go home. The second is to stay there.” He strode to the door, but paused before opening it. “And stay away from anyone related to the Barton name.” He sent Blake a final look. “Particularly Austin Barton’s widow.”
    Blake stood. “Whatever you say, L.T.”
    He gave Cannon time to reach his