by Jo Leigh
“I don’t know. Whoever was handy.”
“Really? And you didn’t worry that the word would get out? That you were paying Geiger for capturing your stars on film? That some of those pictures had the potential to destroy your stars’ careers? You trusted whoever was handy to keep that information quiet?”
“We aren’t talking state secrets here, Detective. It’s tabloid fodder. Publicity.”
“Ah, but the right publicity can do so much. It can make or break a film. Or a star. If it were my picture, my movie stars, I’d be pretty damn careful who knew I was manipulating the media. Damn careful.”
“Well, they weren’t your pictures, Detective.”
“You’re right. They weren’t. So I imagine I’ll be way the hell off base when I ask Nan Collins about calling Gerry Geiger for you. Or when I ask her about what favors she did for you in Mexico.”
Oscar was a smooth operator, but there was just enough of a pause that Bax knew he’d hit pay dirt.
“Nan Collins is a two-bit actress who would be collecting unemployment if it wasn’t for me. Between films she does some grunt work. Nothing special.”
“So, she didn’t do anything special in Mexico.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Detective. And if you don’t have anything more specific to discuss, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I’m a busy man.”
“I’m a busy man, too, Oscar. For example, I’m going from here to speak to your massage therapist, Larry. He called me last night. Said he wants to chat. And then, oh, man, then I’m really going to be swamped because we picked up all the cameras and all the memory cards and pictures from Gerry Geiger’s place. The warrant, let me see, yeah, the warrant was for the house, the basement, the garage and you know that little shed he kept in the back? For there, too.”
Oscar stood, and the three transcribing monkeys froze like a tableau. No one moved except the big man. He walked over to Bax and the little beads of sweat trembled. “I asked you very nicely to leave, Detective, and when you do, I’m going to make a phone call.”
“To Nan?”
“To the mayor of this fair city. He’s a personal friend. Nice guy. Owes me a favor.”
“I’d probably be worried about that if I hadn’t already turned in my resignation. I’m leaving, you know. Going back to school. Can’t wait.”
“Well, I still think the mayor will be interested in what I have to tell him. I know he’s good friends with Piper Devon. The owner of this hotel. If I happen to mention that there was an incident in my room with a certain attractive concierge, it’s hard to say what his reaction would be.”
Bax smiled. “No skin off my nose.”
“No? I don’t believe you, Detective.”
“Believe what you want. If she gets fired, she’ll get another job.”
From the look of Oscar’s jaw, he wasn’t pleased with the direction of the conversation. “She won’t be finding another job, Detective. Not in this city or any other.”
“So, if I drop this, you’ll let my friend be, right?”
Oscar sighed. “Are you always this dense, or is this a special treat for me? Yes, that’s right.”
Bax very purposefully stepped to his right, his hip hitting the credenza so hard he’d have a bruise. But it was worth it, because the fake flower arrangement fell to the floor and the ceramic crashed and splintered into a hundred pieces. And there, in the middle of the fake moss and plastic flowers, was a small video camera, its red light blinking as it continued to record.
“Well, now that’s interesting,” Bax said, as he bent to get the camera. “And convenient as all hell. Here I was going to have to take your three scribes down to the precinct to testify that you bribed a police officer. Now they don’t have to go, because, damn, this little camera probably caught every word on tape.”
“That’s mine, Detective.”
“Sorry. Plain sight. Probable cause. It was yours, Oscar. Now it’s evidence. You have the right to remain silent…”
MIA WAS DRESSED in a stunning Stella McCartney white mini that hugged whatever curves there were, and made the straight parts seem less important. The shoes should have been four-inch stilettos, but all Mia had were some black ballet flats. Never mind, she still felt fabulous. It didn’t matter that half her face was mostly purpley-blue. Or that she couldn’t shrug without whimpering. The only thing that counted was that Bax was coming. Soon.
She checked out the living room, hoping against hope he’d be happy with what she’d done. It wasn’t interfering. It was helping.
The big whiteboard? That was courtesy of catering. They’d brought the easel and the board and all the fun-colored marking pens about three hours earlier.
Mia had done a timeline, starting with the shoot in Mexico, then jumping six years to the night of Gerry Geiger’s murder. She’d written down everything she knew for a fact in black. Everything she’d heard secondhand in blue. Everything she guessed in red. There wasn’t much black.
But she didn’t know everything Bax knew, and there were still three colors left.
She checked the clock again. Only ten minutes had passed since his call. He’d been at the precinct going over pictures from the Geiger’s house. It drove her crazy that she couldn’t see them, too.
On the other hand, she might simply attack him at the door, and not come up for air ’til morning.
13
IT WAS A TOTAL REVELATION to come back to the suite and find Mia waiting for him.
First, the kissing. Frankly, he’d always considered the kissing as the girly part. Not that he didn’t enjoy the process, but it had never been the goal. He supposed that it wasn’t the goal now, either, but if that was all they could do, just kiss all night, it would have been okay. Better than okay.
Then there was just the fact that she was so excited to see him. Talk about a rush. Even in the beginning of his relationship with Carol there hadn’t been this electricity on either of their parts. It astonished him that he had this much excitement in him.
Then Mia had got the whiteboard. Well, damn, that was just beyond belief. Just looking at it, at her, made him remember why he’d wanted to become a cop in the first place. He’d wanted this. Stimulating conversation, having a partner who was clever as well as logical, solving crimes that would stymie everyone else. Who’d have guessed he’d find his ideal partner in this plucky, beautiful concierge.
While he read all her brightly colored points, she ordered them dinner, then came over to read with him.
“Did you see the pictures?” she asked as she slipped her right hand into his back pocket so she could cup his ass.
“Yeah, I did. Most, at least. There were a few cameras that still had film that needed to be developed. But we got everything that had been loaded onto the computers, and we took a quick look at the pictures on the memory cards. There weren’t nearly enough.”
“You mean there weren’t enough pictures or pictures that help with the case?”
“Both. No way Geiger made a living on the pictures we saw. They were all either mundane or out of focus or both. Lots of pictures of Nan, though. It made me wonder if she and Gerry had something going on.”
Mia’s other hand went to his chest and she rubbed him as she read the board. “She is all over the place, isn’t she? But—”
“What? he asked, pulling her closer.
“It struck me this afternoon as I was talking to Carlane. You know, my tabloid expert? When I asked her about Nan, she’d never heard of her. Never seen anything mentioned about Nan.”
Bax nodded. He’d heard she was a glorified extra. That she worked for Weinberg between films. Why would she be in the rags?
And why would she turn down a recurring role in a popular TV series?
The answer was that she wouldn’t. Unless she had no choice.
“This whole mess can be summed up with one word,” Bax said. “Blackmail.”
Mia nodded. “The question, though, is who was doing t
he blackmailing and for what ultimate end?”
“Not to mention, who would need to have Gerry Geiger out of the way. Why not just shoot Weinberg?”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think the killer was Danny Austen, even if Sheila Geiger thinks so.”
“Why not?”
“Well, for an actor, he seems pretty happy.”
“Huh?”
“Bobbi Tamony isn’t. The only thing she gets any pleasure from, in my not so humble opinion, is her dogs. She doesn’t like what she’s doing, she doesn’t like the people she’s with. That’s why she does the drugs.”
“And Danny?”
“He jokes a lot, flirts a lot. Evidently, he sleeps with whomever he wants. Even when I caught him in the shower, he was surprised, but I don’t know. He didn’t seem like he wanted to kill me.”
“Do you think Bobbi could have done it?”
“Nope. My money’s on Oscar, or Oscar by way of Nan.”
He turned to her, pulling her close against his chest. “You know, they’re going to be one detective short in a few months over at Midtown. You’re a natural.”
She sighed. “No thanks. I like my mysteries to be more like treasure hunts. With no dead bodies as the prize.”
“Smart, smart woman.”
“And you’re smart to get out while you still have dreams.”
“Naturally,” he said, “the most interesting case of my career comes up now.”
“Naturally. It’s a test from the gods. They want to make sure you’re meant to leave.”
Bax studied her for a long moment as he fought the urge to tell her he wasn’t going. That he felt reborn, renewed. That leaving her would be the cruelest of ironies.
But he wasn’t sure if all that was true, or if he was simply in the throes of a new-relationship brain fog. Was it even possible to fall in love with someone so quickly? Not lust, that was a given, but real love? The kind that lasted till the end of days?
It felt as if that was exactly what he’d found. He just wished he could trust his emotions.
“I think I am meant to leave,” he said. “Not that I relish leaving you.”
He could tell she’d hoped for a different answer. Her smile had dimmed, but she still wore her game face.
“I have to tell you the truth,” she said. “Not that I want you to change your plans—okay, maybe that’s not completely true. I want you to be happy and fulfilled and to love your job the way I love mine. But the thought of saying goodbye—”
He bent for another kiss. The conversation had taken some of the zip out of the air, but it was good to know how she felt. Wouldn’t it just be something if the two of them…
No, that was crazy. Real life didn’t work like the movies. He broke the kiss but not his hold on Mia. “What if Nan had to turn down the role because Oscar has pictures of her that are so damning, she’d face a life in prison if they got out? What would a person do to avoid that?”
“Especially if the prison were in Mexico. Do they have a statute of limitations?”
“Doubt it. Especially not for murder.”
Room service interrupted, but pleasantly so. After paying the young man who seemed to like Mia too much, Bax set them up on the coffee table. He poured Mia a cold tea, then made sure she’d taken her pills, which, no, she hadn’t since she didn’t need to until bedtime.
Then they attacked their dinners. Her with salmon, him with a ribeye, and both of them lost in a curious mix of murder, blackmail and the certainty that soon there would be mind-blowing sex.
“How do we get proof on any of this?” Mia asked.
“We don’t get anything. I will figure out a way.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mia said. “Question. Was part of Nan’s job for Weinberg to tip off Geiger?”
“I think so, yes.”
“And you said something about Geiger and Nan having an affair.”
“I have nothing to substantiate that. Nothing.”
“But it does put the two of them together. And I know Sheila thinks Geiger and Danny were doing it, but what if it was really Nan and Geiger? And say that Sheila’s been taking these phone calls from this chick for years. Then she finds a picture of the two them doing the deed. I’d think she’d be pretty darn miffed.”
“Especially if she knew her husband was planning on leaving her.”
“So Sheila kills her husband? Knowing he’s at Hush because Nan called?”
Bax thought about it as he chewed. “Something that bothers me. The murder was well thought-out. Whoever killed Geiger really thought things through. You’d be amazed at the lack of physical evidence. Killing Geiger in the nightclub was smart. Too many fingerprints to use anything. No murder weapon. No blood, except for Geiger’s. No trace under his fingernails. Anyway, Sheila doesn’t strike me as the ideal candidate. First, she’d have to have been sober.”
“And not just during the murder, but to plan it. That doesn’t seem right.”
“And I don’t believe Oscar would ever deign to kill someone with his own hands.” Bax thought of those three uncomfortable stenos sitting like begging puppies waiting for a bone. “I think he used his most vulnerable lapdog.”
“Nan.”
“It all comes around to her, doesn’t it?”
“I wish we had more information about the Mexico thing,” Mia said. “Why would Nan tie the girl up? That seems weird.”
Bax nodded. “I have no idea. I’ve done a lot of studying in my time about the criminal mind. Honest. I know more about warped individuals than most people. More than is good for me. But when I get among the movie people, all my studying isn’t worth beans. They throw off the bell curve in a major way.”
“Yeah. I agree. It’s not just because they’re rich, either. Because I see lots of rich people.”
“I think it’s because anyone crazy enough to be in the movies is crazy enough to do anything.”
She smiled. She didn’t say anything at all. She just smiled this sweet smile all for him.
Finally, when he thought maybe he should start worrying, she said, “I enjoy you so much. You’re like the most interesting kid in the class, the one who’s all mysterious and weird because he’s read every book in the library. Only you’re hot, too!”
He burst out laughing. She laughed, too, but not because she’d been joking. If that’s what she thought of him, he could do a lot worse.
He also noticed she was moving a lot more freely today. Her shoulder didn’t seem to bother her much at all, and despite the ugly bruise, it appeared her head wasn’t that bad, either. “You aren’t hurting?”
She shrugged, but only with her good shoulder. “Not so much. I’ve taken a few aspirin and those have helped a lot.”
“That’s good. That’s great.”
“Yeah,” she said as she folded her napkin and put it on her plate. “In fact…”
“Yes?”
“I was thinking that you could, if you wanted to, fill in the blanks on the board. Which shouldn’t take all that long, right?”
“Hardly any time at all.”
“Good. Then we could do some research.”
“Oh?” He didn’t let his voice show his disappointment.
She lowered her head and looked at him through her lashes. “There’s that whole big armoire in the bedroom. Chock-full of interesting things to play with.”
He leaned back on the couch. “And you expect me to work now that you’ve planted that little gem in my brain?”
“Who, me?” she said so innocently he had to laugh again.
He put his dinner on the room service cart, added hers, then pushed the whole thing into the hallway. Since he was staying the night, he’d convinced Piper to let the security guard leave, so there was no one in the hall.
When he closed and locked the door, Mia was nowhere to be seen. Which could only mean she was already in the bedroom.
As much as exploring the armoire excited him, he had to keep Mia’s health in mind. She might feel fine,
but that didn’t mean she was. No gymnastics, then. No out-there fetish stuff that would make them ache in the morning. He’d keep things nice. Sensual.
Barely giving the whiteboard a glance, he headed straight for the bedroom. A quick wash-up and tooth cleaning and he’d be ready for action.
But then, he’d have to be able to walk past an incredibly gorgeous, extremely naked Mia, lying on the bed like the most perfect gift ever.
“I was going to—” He pointed toward the bathroom.
“Go. I’ll be here when you’re done.”
“But—”
“Bax, go. I want everything perfect for both of us.”
“You are.”
She smiled. “Okay, you get extra points for that one, but still. Do what you need to do. I’ll be thinking of all the things I want to do to you.”
He groaned halfway to the bathroom, and once there he got cleaned up in record time. He stripped there, too, not wanting to waste a moment of being with Mia.
“Do you want to make out for awhile?” she asked. “Or go into the armoire first?”
What he wanted was to do both at the same time, but he went to the armoire. Not to explore so much as to find something he guessed would be there. And it was. He took his prize and the basket of condoms, and joined her.
Mia didn’t even look at what he’d brought. She just pulled him down to the pillows, to her kisses.
SHE LOVED HIS MOUTH. His lips. His teeth. It was crazy how she couldn’t get enough of kissing him. And touching him. Yes. Touching while kissing. That was the ideal combo. A little nip on the jaw or the neck for added spice, but mostly she could kiss and touch all night long.
Oh, until he touched her there. Whoa.
“You okay?” he mumbled, his lips still on hers.
“Uh-huh.”
No words could escape for the next while, but then Bax pulled back and after a deep breath, he said, “Mia, you make me insane.”
“In a good way.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Then his fingers slipped inside her once more and she realized that whatever other talents he might have, he should be most proud of this. He knew just how hard to push, how gently to rub, and he had the build-to-a-climax thing down pat.