by Rhonda Eudaly

"Tell me the rest," Garrett prompted. "I have to know, and it's all going to come out anyway."

"Do I need a lawyer? I know that no matter what I say, there's really good circumstantial evidence against me. It doesn't take a genius to figure out Carter knew his killer."

"Yes."

"I gave him the murder weapon. I've used that pen dozens of times. There's probably some kind of fingerprint of mine on it."

"It was wiped clean."

"And I was the next ‘victim' of one of his books. It doesn't look too good for me."

"No. It doesn't."

"I wasn't the only one with a key, Garrett, and I may have started out in the book, but the girl at the end isn't me."

"What're you saying?"

"Carter had an affair while we were together."

"How do you know?"

"I caught him in a lie, and he didn't deny it. He's done it before, and I did read the manuscript. He must've emailed it to me right before he died. I was the one who sent it to Barbara when I got it." She paused for a moment and sighed. "You were almost right, Garrett. Carter did all the dirt digging, and he put the stories together. I just made it readable on a large scale and gave it some style."

"Why'd he trash you in his book? It sounds like he needed you."

"Because I told him I wasn't going to do it anymore. I wanted to do my own writing. He told me to go ahead. He didn't need me anyway. I think he sent me the manuscript out of spite."

"Why were you ever with him?"

"Sometimes love makes you do stupid things, and he wasn't always like this. Before he became ‘the' Carter Hunt, he was actually quite a nice guy. But I promise you, Garrett, I did not kill him! No matter what the circumstances say."

"So what now?" Jackson asked in the hallway a few moments later.

"Aren't you supposed to say something like, ‘You don't believe her, do you'?"

"Why? You believe her, that's all that matters."

#

"You gentlemen wanted to talk about Carter Hunt?" Barbara Wallace asked, going around her desk and sitting in the expensive leather chair. She radiated power, and knew it.

"You knew, of course, that Carter Hunt didn't write all his own material." Garrett made it a statement.

She didn't blink, nor did she answer.

"You knew, of course, that Ginger Martin was leaving Carter Hunt to write her own books," Jackson added.

"She had a contract!" Barbara didn't catch herself in time.
"Isn't she in jail for Carter's murder?"

"The law only prohibits someone from making money off a crime they've been convicted of. Ginger Martin can write anything she likes now."

"That's good to know," Barbara said slowly. "Then why're you coming to me?"

"We thought you might be able to help us out," Garrett replied. "You see, it appears there was more to Hunt's last book. An alternate ending or more notes or something. Ginger said she saw Carter hiding something, but she can't tell us where. She says she'd know where it was if she saw it, but since she's in jail..."

"I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"We were hoping you might know where his hiding place would be," Jackson said.

Barbara looked perplexed. "Me? Why me?"

Garrett shrugged. "According to Ginger, you were the only other person Hunt trusted. He might've confided in you."

"I'm sorry, he didn't. Carter wasn't a very trusting sort."

Jackson and Garrett stood to go. The younger man nodded politely.