“Here’s another.” RayAnn handed over several more.
“Who’s this guy?” Deegan pointed at a man Annie was standing with at a Halloween party. The man wore nipple rings and leather pants with his hair slicked back.
“That’s Everest. She worked with him for a while until she got the job with the Senator. As far as I know, they were still friends. They both liked to party, and Everest, well, he’s the life of the party.” She giggled. “We used to joke and call him “Daddy” because he was so old…like thirty-five. I think he liked being called daddy though.” She wagged her brows.
“Do you have his number so that we can ask him a couple of questions?” Kiersten asked.
“No. I didn’t like him much and we never hung out but a few times. I thought he was creepy.”
“How about where they worked together?” Deegan placed the pictures back on the table.
“Nope. I can’t remember. Some corporate office downtown, like an advertising group or something.” Her cell buzzed from her purse across the room. “Hang on a minute. I need to get that.”
Kiersten turned in time to see Deegan take the picture of Everest and Annie, fold it and stick it into his jacket pocket then he shuffled the pictures back into the stack.
*
“Well, I guess it wasn’t a complete loss,” Deegan said as they got onto the Interstate heading toward home.
“So, what about the wife? RayAnn seemed pretty adamant that Senator Kline’s wife might have been involved.” Kiersten asked from the passenger seat.
He shot her a quick glance. “Lisa? No. I’m sure she was shocked to find out her husband was unfaithful, but I know her.”
“As much as you know Max Kline?” She raised a brow.
“Yes, as much as I know Max. We were all friends.” He knew where this was headed. “I am looking at this objectively.”
“Okay. If you say so. But no one is off the table of suspects until we have proof that they weren’t involved,” she said stubbornly.
“So far we don’t have much to go on, but maybe this Everest fellow has some answers.”
“He’ll be easy to find. Party guy. Thirty something. You can track him down and talk to him.”
“Wait, I can talk to him?” He looked at her across the seat. “I thought we were doing this together?”
“I have something else I need to take care of today.” She kept her gaze turned away from him.
“More important than speaking to this guy?” Why was he disappointed? He was on vacation and she wasn’t. Did he really expect that they would hang out together? He needed a break from her to clear his head of all the cobwebs.
After he dropped her off at the bureau, he still felt a stab of displeasure. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle the case alone, but he’d enjoyed her company. Usually he liked working alone, and for an undercover agent, it always worked out for the best. Even living alone was for the best because most women wouldn’t understand his schedule. Sometimes it required him to be gone for weeks, sometimes for months. Privacy was his middle name. Confidentiality was his game. The last five-minute relationship he’d had, he came home from a mission and she was waiting for him at his apartment to break up. She thought he’d cheated, but any woman who knew Deegan, really knew him, would know he wasn’t a cheater. If he promised something, it would happen. If he was committed, he was as loyal as a newborn pup.
He blew out a long breath and looked at the scrap piece of paper on the passenger seat. “Everest Gilbert. I hope you have some useful information.”
7
Leaning his elbows on the edge of the receptionist’s desk, the pretty brunette gave him a nervous, shy smile. “I don’t think I can be of much help.” She flicked a glance around the lobby.
“Did he call in? Give you any clue where he was or where he was going?” Deegan asked again.
There was a long hesitation—long enough for her to debate what she’d divulge. “Not a word. We haven’t seen him in days. He just hasn’t shown up.”
“Is that normally like him?”
She tapped her crimson nails against the desk and leaned in. “These days, yes. He has a priority list and work isn’t one.”
Deegan saw a slip in her wall. “You’d tell me if you knew more, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course.” She batted her eyelashes and her cheeks pinkened.
He reached over the desk for one of the business cards and pen. He jotted down a number, then handed it to her. “If he shows up to work, or you hear anything, will you give me a call?”
“I will. I promise.”
Leaving the building where Gilbert had worked for ten years, Deegan decided to walk to Annie Steele’s apartment located only a few blocks away. Once he reached the three-story historic building, he stood in front, surveying the entrance. It was a walk-up with a locked entrance so he wondered how easily someone could get inside, walk the three flights to Annie’s apartment without there being any witnesses. Not even one. Not even a camera on the premises. He’d seen this before in apartment buildings with a younger crowd in residence. They’re so wrapped up in life they forget the rules of safety and don’t think twice about who’s walking their halls.
He made a mental list of what he knew already. Lisa and Max were together that night so both had an alibi. RayAnn Mont seemed convincing that Annie wouldn’t do drugs. Everest Gilbert, who seemed to love the spotlight, had untimely, or timely, disappeared. If he was a good friend, where was he? Deegan checked and the man hadn’t been interviewed by detectives to ask what he knew. The syringe found on the floor next to the bathtub didn’t have any prints outside of Annie’s.
Turning, he stared down the sidewalk, looking around at the businesses. Across the street was a coffee shop where someone could have watched the apartment building. In the report Deegan had read that Annie was out until nine. She had a late night at work.
Walking across the street, Deegan checked the times that the shop was open. They were open until ten.
Inside, he approached the counter, flashed his badge and started to speak to the server but she rolled her eyes. “Are you here about that woman? The one who was banging the Senator?”
“Yes. Have you had anybody asking about what happened?”
“Everyone and his brother. Just like I told everyone else, I didn’t see anyone who appeared suspicious and I was busy working,” she snapped.
Realizing he wasn’t going to get anything from her, he left the shop. He made it almost ten feet when he heard a noise.
“Psst. You! Cop! Over here.”
He looked for the whispered voice and found a middle-aged man wearing a black shirt with the coffee shop’s logo. “You work here?” Deegan asked.
“Yeah. Unfortunately!” He shifted and looked over his shoulder. “That girl in there won’t tell you anything.”
“I got that.”
“That’s because she was outside with her boyfriend, you know...” He snorted and swiped a hand down his thin jaw.
“And you think she saw something?”
“I heard her, man. I heard her talking. She saw a man in black go inside the building across the street where that dead girl was found.”
Deegan chewed on the morsel of information for a second. “Did she get a good look at him?”
“Nah, that was all. It was dark.” He shrugged. “I have a speeding ticket. It stinks, you know. I figured maybe you could take care of that for me, you know, since I helped you out and all.” The man looked serious.
“Sure. I’ll help you out…with a suggestion. Pay the fine and drive responsibly.” Deegan left the man standing. He’d learned to watch for the cues when someone was falsifying information.
Making his way two blocks away to the alley where the unidentified victim was found dead by a gunshot, he wanted to check the area out again. The last time he’d been there he hadn’t seen anything, but sometimes it took more than once to find a needle in a haystack.
He was certain there was a con
nection, but what was it?
The alley was located between two shops, cluttered with trash. The spot where the man was found had a red stain left in the pavement. He was a young kid and apparently had found himself in a bad situation.
“Do you have some spare change?”
Deegan turned. A young woman stood at the end of the alley, her hair hung in oily strands. Her clothes were dirty and two or three sizes too big. He hesitated only a second, then dug out a few bills and handed them to her. She couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen. Her eyes were sunken and skin was sallow. With a shaky hand, she stuffed the money into her pocket, then lowered her eyes to look at her dirty, frayed tennis shoes.
“Thank you,” she muttered and walked away.
Deegan watched her go, then turned back to the crime scene, kneeling where the body was found. He lowered against the concrete, looking under the dumpsters, but came up empty. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see the girl had returned. “Can I help you?”
Her eyes widened slightly. “I saw you in the coffee shop asking questions. For fifty I’ll tell you all you need to know about the dead guy.” She took a step back keeping her eyes squarely on him as if she feared how he would respond. He guessed at any sign of confrontation she’d run away.
“You knew the victim?”
She nodded and took another step back toward the sidewalk. “I knew him very well.” There was a quiver to her voice.
Deegan grabbed his wallet and opened it up, pulling out a large bill. “I bet you wouldn’t have change for a hundred.”
*
Kiersten pushed the button and rode the elevator up. She was tired and needed to sleep, but she had work to do. The case of Annie Steel had her on edge, striving for answers. It wasn’t unlike every other case that had crossed her desk.
Lifting the bouquet she had in her arms, she inhaled the floral scent. This was the first time she’d received flowers in a long time. She’d forgotten that men still did romantic things.
She stepped out of the elevator and made her way through the room of cubicles and down a short hallway.
Slipping into her office, it was dark, but she didn’t bother turning on the light. She dropped her purse onto the chair, and almost jumped out of her heels when she saw someone sitting behind her desk. She hurried to switch on the lamp and frowned when the golden light illuminated familiar features.
“Deegan? What the hell are you doing here?” She placed her hand against her chest where her heart was beating wildly.
He was sitting in her chair, his boots propped on the corner of her desk as if he owned the place. His beard was gone, replaced with a clean jaw that made her want to brush her fingertips over to feel his smooth skin. She hadn’t seen him in two days, not since he’d dropped her off after their Folklore trip. Several times she’d picked up the phone to call him, but logic had taken over and then she’d received a text from him earlier asking her to meet him.
“You were supposed to meet me,” he said quietly.
“I said I would if I had time. I do have a life. Do you have some news on the case?”
He dropped his feet to the floor and stood. “You busy now?”
“No…well…yes…”
“Were you on a date?” His gaze moved to the flowers she was crushing in her arms.
Placing the flowers on her desk, she worked her bottom lip. She didn’t want to lie to him and the dozen red roses gave her whereabouts away. Her best bet was to ignore the question. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long. You should really put those in some water.” He rounded the desk and stood in front of her, hooking his thumbs in his front pockets. His gaze seemed to drill deep inside her.
Removing her scarf, she laid it over her purse. “Have you had any luck with finding Everest Gilbert?”
“I have a few leads.” He took a step closer to her and she took a step back, or at least she demanded her body to, but it wouldn’t listen. He lifted a hand and took one of her wavy tendrils and wrapped it around his knuckle before letting it drop. A smile lifted his lips, one that did special things to her. “I’m going to put this out there. I wanted to see you and was very disappointed when you didn’t show.”
8
He wasn’t sure where those words came from, but they were true. He’d been a wreck over the last forty-eight hours wondering what she was doing. He’d waited in the office for two hours and when he saw her come in carrying flowers, his heart dropped into his boots, although he knew the spark was missing with her date. No one ends a date this early when they’re interested, and there was that missing shine in her eyes when he first saw her, but it had returned into her beautiful eyes and he felt alive again.
He inhaled sharply, taking in her scent mingled with the roses. “Sorry. I just had to clarify that fact.”
“Deegan…” With trembling fingers, she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“What? Is it impossible to believe?”
“I’m not sure what to say. We don’t know each other, and I don’t think we even like one another.” Her tongue swept out to moisten her bottom lip. “When we’re together it’s like a dam has broken and suddenly—”
“We’re caught up in a thunderous waterfall.”
“Yes. Something like that. It’s a problem.”
“I like you and that’s the problem.”
Her mouth dropped open and then she snapped it shut. “You do like me?”
He chuckled. How could one woman be so irresistibly cute? “I think the question is, do you like me? I do see that the invisible daggers are out of commission.”
“This is ridiculous.” She sighed and stepped back, but only a mere inch or two.
“What’s ridiculous is that I would have given you daisies. They are your favorite,” he said softly.
She blinked. “Yes…but how…?”
“Every Wednesday you have a fresh arrangement on your desk. Most people probably think a lover sends them to you, but I once saw you stop at that corner shop down the street and buy a bouquet. This fellow you were with doesn’t know you.”
“Is that really the reason why you came here? To find out who I was with?”
Their gazes held and for a heartbeat he wanted to kiss her, to show her how much he truly liked her, but she wasn’t ready, not yet. Eventually he would give in to desire and so would she, and when he did, he’d never let go—she wouldn’t want him to.
“I thought you might like to see these.” He reached around and grabbed the thick envelope from the waist of his jeans and handed it over.
She stared for a good three seconds, then sat down in her chair with the envelope. He watched her take out the photos and look at each one, her mouth twisting more and more as the stack grew thinner. “Deegan, these pictures are of Annie. Someone was stalking her? How did you get these?”
“I was at the right place at the right time and had the right amount of money.” He shifted in his boots, still shocked that the homeless girl had the hidden treasure.
“That’s a bit vague. We should hand these over to the authorities working on the case.” Her brows scrunched as she spread the photos across the desk, examining each of them closer.
Deegan leaned over the desk, bracing his fists on the edge, sweeping his gaze across picture after picture of the aide in a restaurant, at the movies, on the sidewalk, and more. “We will, eventually.”
She snapped her chin up. “I could lose my career, and so could you. We’re not assigned to this case.”
“I made a promise to the girl who gave me these that I would find out who did this to her friend.”
“The girl was friends with Annie?”
“No. Her friend was the dead man found shot in the alley.”
Rubbing her temples, she sighed in frustration. “Tell me everything, including who this girl is and how she ended up with these pictures.”
He sat in the chair. “She wouldn’t tell me her name, but she and the dead guy in
the alley, Gavin Franco, had been partners in an ongoing scam. They were runaways and needed to eat and pay for their habit, so they started pickpocketing. Once they became more skilled ,they found an easier way to make money. Stealing briefcases and holding them for ransom proved to be lucrative. They found all the personal information they needed to contact the owners and ask for money in exchange for their belongings back. Some would come up with the cash, and those who didn’t their briefcases were tossed into the dumpster, after the couple took what they could use or sell. One briefcase was lifted off a man near Annie’s apartment. They jimmied the lock and this was what they found.”
“They couldn’t have possibly thought this would be an easy scam.” Kiersten sighed.
“The girl wanted to toss the case, but Gavin saw dollar signs.”
“Was there anything else in the case? Identification? Address? There had to be a contact number obviously.”
Deegan shrugged. “She said there were a few pieces of paper, an uneaten sandwich and the pictures. And you notice who this is.” He picked up the photo with Everest and Annie sitting at a restaurant. She was crying, and Everest had his hand on hers, consoling her.
“Okay, so what happened? They contacted the owner of the briefcase, and…?”
“The girl said Gavin set up the meeting to exchange the briefcase for five hundred. That was the biggest exchange they’d done.”
“And they didn’t give the pictures back?”
“Nope.” He scratched his temple.
“They kept the pictures thinking they could hassle more money, right?”
“Pretty much. It’s not clear exactly what happened next because the girl wasn’t there when Gavin was shot and killed.”
“The owner was pissed because he didn’t get his pictures back. Or maybe planned to kill Gavin from the very beginning, but either way, I’m sure these pictures are worth more to the owner than five hundred.”
“Bingo.”
“And then the girl saw her chance at swindling some cash from you. How did she know about you?”
Taken by the Lawman (Lawmen of Wyoming Book 6) Page 7