Extreme Measures. Brenda Harlen

She swallowed. “Were you…very close…to her?”

      “She was my cleaning lady for the past four years.”

      “Oh,” she said again, strangely relieved by his response.

      He took a deep breath, staring off into the distance. “Remember the explosion in my apartment—the one that you heard about on the news?”

      She nodded.

      “Maria was there at the time. She died from injuries sustained in blast.”

      Nikki’s whole body went cold.