Page 127 of Cody


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Shit. This is the detective that Lucy dated?

Oblivious to the way my jaw ticks, Detective Marin says, “I believe Carter explained to you already that we know you didn’t kill Randy Sinclair. I’m sorry for the arrest, but when the neighbor came forward and then Randy’s friends, it was enough to get a judge to sign the arrest warrant. Then Agent Carter provided evidence to suggest those witnesses had been bribed into lying. Plus, while your hair was found on the defendant, it was woven together with another fabric the lab later determined came from a car’s seat, likely a headrest. I knew it was a setup.”

“Does this mean the charges have been dropped?” Agent Carter asks.

The detective passes over a piece of paper. “Yes, they have. Here is the official paperwork for that.”

“Good. Now, have you found anything to connect Lawrence Gardiner to this?” Carter asks.

The detective frowns. “Lawrence Gardiner? No, why do you suspect him?”

Carter leans forward. “I understand Mr. Gardiner told the officer where to find Mr. Anthony. Cody was with his daughter at the time.”

The detective laughs. “Wow, you think Lawrence would set you up for murder to keep you away from Lucy?”

I stare at the man. “Yes, he would.” And because I can’t control myself. “Did you date Lucy?”

His eyes widen in surprise. “I did. We went out on a couple of dates a while back.”

I take a deep breath. I know Lucy dated, but I never wanted to meet any of them. Now all I can wonder is if she slept with this guy.

“But that was short-lived, so I never had to deal with the wrath of her father. You must have seriously pissed him off. But to answer your question, no, he’s not a suspect. We found evidence pointing to someone else. I have an officer searching for this other man to bring him in for questioning, but he seems to have disappeared.”

“Who?” Carter asks.

Detective Marin opened the file he was holding. “His name is Ted Barton.”

“Ted? From the university?”

Sean frowns and glances back down at the sheet. “He’s a professor at Havenwood University, yes. Any idea why he’d go to so much trouble to set you up?”

I nod. “He’s got a thing for Lucy.”

Carter clears his throat. “To be clear, all charges against Cody have been dropped and you are now looking at another man for the murder of Randy Sinclair, correct?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Carter turns to me. “We should go.”

My mind is swirling. Ted tried to set me up? Not Lucy’s father? On top of that, as I stare at this detective, I’m trying to see what she saw in him.

“Why did you two stop dating?” I can’t help but ask.

Sean leans back. “There really wasn’t a connection. Good luck to you. She’s a nice woman.”

Carter stands up, and I follow. We walk out to the parking lot in silence.

“What do you think about Ted being the one that set you up?” Carter asks.

“I’m surprised. But if he is going to those lengths, I have to warn Lucy.”

“Before you do, tell me, did you make any more progress on Gardiner’s involvement with the hockey team?”

“No, and other than going straight to the man himself, I’m not sure who to ask next.”

Carter nods. “Sounds like you’re hitting the same walls I’ve been behind for a while now. If only I could get a warrant for the Gardiner residence; I know he keeps something at his house. Did you notice he never does business there?”

I frown. “Maybe he just wants to keep his family in the dark.”