by Marie Astor
“What an excellent idea, Katie. Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a genius?”
“No need to get sarcastic. Just talk to the guy. It’s not healthy to carry grudges inside.”
“All right, I’ll talk to him,” Janet said to get Katie off her back. She doubted she would broach the subject with Dennis; at least not tonight. Dennis loved being the star, and he deserved to be: he was a damn good investigator, quick on his feet, always coming up with ideas. Yes, sometimes those ideas were unorthodox to say the least, but mostly they worked. It was one of the reasons why Janet was so crazy about him. She just didn’t want him to leave her in his shadow.
Chapter 3
Janet readjusted the silverware for the umpteenth time. The table in her kitchen was set for a romantic dinner, complete with candles. Two steaks lay in the fridge, dry rubbed and ready to be thrown on the stove. Crystal glasses sparkled, waiting for the wine to be poured into them, but without Dennis there it was all a waste. Even Baxter was not his normal self, as he lay on his mat, listlessly staring at the floor and ignoring Janet completely. Janet eyed the clock on the wall. It was ten past eight and still no sign of Dennis; he was supposed to be at her place at seven. She had tried his cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She didn’t know whether to be angry or scared. What if this Julius Libby character was dangerous?
She was just about to try Dennis’s phone again when there was the sound of the turning key in her front door lock. Her heart jumped with joy, and she forgot all about being mad or scared. She and Dennis had recently exchanged the keys to their apartments, so it had to be him; unless, of course, it was a burglar. Normally, the latter possibility would not enter her mind, but she was beginning to get paranoid.
“Honey, I’m home!” Dennis’s voice boomed from the foyer, and Janet was no longer confused about her emotions. She was mad.
“Just where do you get off being an hour late and not calling me?” she fumed, as she rushed to the front door. Her tirade was obscured by Baxter’s joyful barking, and she was just about to repeat it, but stopped short when she saw Dennis holding a huge bouquet of red roses.
“I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”
“Why didn’t you pick up your phone? I was worried.” She wanted to stay mad at him, but she just couldn’t. He looked so handsome, holding the flowers out to her as a peace offering.
“I turned my phone off for the meeting with Libby, and then I went back to the office, thinking you’d be there—”
“Why did you think I’d be at the office? We were supposed to meet here at seven.”
“Because I thought you’d be doing research on Libby, and I wanted to help you.”
Janet lowered her eyes. She did have a tendency to exaggerate things at times. “Oh, I had to leave. I had this thing with Katie; a tasting for her wedding cake. Sorry about that.”
“No problem. I was going to call you, but I lost track of time and I forgot to turn my phone back on.”
“Did you find something on Libby?”
“Yes and no. It’s not enough to make a conclusive decision. Do you mind if I sit down to tell you? I’m beat.”
“I’m sorry!” Janet took the flowers from Dennis, and he drew her close into a long, passionate kiss.
“I promise to never lose track of time again,” he said, pulling away from her.
“You’d better not,” she murmured, but it was just for show; she wasn’t mad at him anymore.
Janet polished off the last bit of her steak and leaned back in her chair. Her cooking skills were definitely improving, even if she did say so herself.
“This was delicious, thank you,” Dennis confirmed her opinion.
“I aim to please.” She grinned. “Now, can you tell me about Libby?”
“I thought we agreed not to bring work home.”
“When did we agree to that?”
“We did,” Dennis said evasively. “I’m not sure I want to talk about Libby at this time of the night. There are other things I’d rather be doing.”
Normally, Janet would have happily picked up on Dennis’s suggestion, but she wanted to know what was going on. “Tell me about Libby.”
“He’s polished, too polished for my taste: an art lover and a connoisseur of fine things in life.”
“That’s not a crime in itself.”
“He’s living way beyond his means.”
“He made his fortune from an investment, or at least that’s what he claims.”
“So I see you did your research.”
Janet nodded.
“Are you satisfied with the results?”
“No. We should dig deeper. I was going to talk to you about that.”
“I did dig deeper, and I don’t like what I found. In fact, I dislike it so much that I wish I could go back and bury it back where I found it.”
Suddenly, Janet understood the reason for Dennis’s reticence. He didn’t want to involve her in the case because he was worried about her safety. There was just one problem with that: they were partners, which meant that she was in all the way. “What did you find?”
Dennis sighed. “You’re not going to leave it alone, are you?”
“What do you think?”
“Right. The company that made Libby all his money; did you see the investor who bought the majority stake in it after it went public?”
“No, I didn’t get that far. I had to leave to meet Katie,” Janet muttered, feeling like a novice. She should have checked it.
“Petr Kovar.”
“The Petr Kovar?”
“Yes, the multi-millionaire Petr Kovar.”
“Well, he is a reputable businessman.”
“He is a gangster and a money launderer.”
“Those are just rumors.”
“Very persistent rumors.” By the look in Dennis’s eyes Janet knew that he wasn’t kidding.
“Well, then we should dig deeper.”
“We don’t have much time, and we’ll need help.”
“Let’s talk to Ham and see what he wants us to do.”
“No, I don’t want to involve him just yet. He might get alarmed and scare Libby off. We need to get more details.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“I want to talk to Laskin.”
“Since when do you go to Peter Laskin for help?” Laskin had been their coworker at the Treasury. The only way to define Dennis’s and Laskin’s relationship was bickering and constant egging-on.
“Since when I need someone who is a damn good investigator, someone I can rely on.”
Dennis sure had a point; Laskin might not have had Dennis’s charms, but he was great at analytics. Janet wasn’t the only one who thought so. Since Ham’s departure from the Treasury, Laskin had been promoted to head of the department.
“What? I always knew Laskin was good. I just liked messing around with him.”
“Let’s hope he won’t hold it against you when we go asking him for help.”
“Come on, I’m a likeable guy. It’s impossible to hold a grudge against me.”
“Impossible? I don’t know about that.”
“Impossible.” Dennis rose from his chair, stepping closer toward her. He pulled her to her feet, pressing her close to him. “Or are you of a different opinion?” he asked, the heat of his muscular body pressing against her.
“Impossible,” Janet murmured, all gooey inside. Sex with Dennis Walker was definitely better than any rush she had ever felt from solving a case.
***
“Promise me one thing,” Janet said just as Dennis was about to enter the Treasury building.
“What’s that?”
“That you won’t pick on Laskin.”
“When have I ever picked on Laskin?”
“All the time. Just don’t forget that back then we were all coworkers, but now Laskin is a pretty big cheese; he’s got Ham’s old spot, and we need his help. So please don’t piss him off.”
“Fair enough.” De
nnis pulled open the door. “After you, my lady.”
After signing in with the security desk, Dennis and Janet waited for an escort to walk them over to the offices upstairs. Janet had half-expected Laskin to come down and meet them himself, but when she saw who Laskin’s assistant was she knew why he didn’t.
“Ann!” Janet exclaimed, at the sight of a trim brunette in her fifties approaching the security desk. “It’s so wonderful to see you!” Ann used to be Ham Kirk’s assistant. She had been forced into retirement by Ham’s unscrupulous successor who preceded Laskin, and Janet was glad to see that Peter Laskin had put things back in order.
“It’s great to see you, Janet!” The usually reserved Ann opened her arms for a hug.
“Ann, you look even more wonderful than I remember,” Dennis complimented his old friend.
“Dennis! I see you’re still the charmer I remember.”
“I try to be, but Janet keeps me on a pretty short leash. She doesn’t like it when I flirt with other women, but I’m sure she’ll make an exception for you.”
“Hey! Where did that come from?” Janet exclaimed. When Dennis got carried away there was no stopping him.
“Peter told me that the two of you were together. Already you’re bickering like a married couple!” Ann chuckled. “Let me get you two upstairs before Peter starts wondering where you are. He’s awfully busy these days.”
“Are there lots of cases?” Janet asked.
“Tons, but we hardly have the staff to assign the workload to. With the budget cuts and the layoffs, we’re barely functioning.”
Janet shot Dennis an alarmed look. How was Laskin going to help them when he was swamped himself?
Janet and Dennis followed Ann into the elevator and afterwards into the long, official-looking hallway. They walked past the row of offices until they reached the last office in the row. There, Ann stopped and knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” said Ann, walking away.
“Nice digs you got here, Peter,” Dennis said by way of hello, strolling into Laskin’s office.
Here we go, Janet thought, just like old times.
Peter Laskin was seated behind an old paper-laden desk.
“It’s good to see you too, Dennis,” the tone of Laskin’s voice made it clear that he wasn’t offended in the least. “How are things in the freelance world?”
“Things are good. We’re getting lots of work at the agency,” Dennis said. “There’s no red tape and we pretty much make our own hours.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it made. How about you, Janet? Do you like your new job? Because if you don’t, I could use an investigator of your caliber around here.”
“Hey!” Dennis cut in.
“Let the lady answer,” Laskin brushed Dennis off.
“It’s great,” Janet assured Laskin. “You know how Ham is; every day I learn something new from him.”
“I remember,” Laskin sighed. “I wish I had a boss like that now. All my boss wants is numbers, but when I ask him for additional staff, I get the cost-cutting spiel. You’re sure you won’t consider coming back? After all it must be a pain working with this guy,” said Laskin, pointing at Dennis.
Dennis opened his mouth, “What the—?”
“He’s not too bad,” Janet cut in. “We make a good team.”
“That you do,” Laskin agreed. “I always felt like a third wheel around you two.”
“That’s not true, Peter. We never would’ve nailed David Muller without your help.” During their last investigation at the Treasury, Laskin had gone undercover, romancing Muller’s girlfriend, Aileen Finnegan. It was through Aileen that Laskin found out the date and time of Muller’s meeting with Aileen’s father, District Attorney Cornelius Finnegan. Now, both Muller and Finnegan were serving time in jail for insider trading. “By the way, how are things with Aileen?”
“It took a while, but she forgave me. We’ve been going steady for about six months now. I’m taking her away this weekend. I’ve got big plans.” Laskin adjusted his tie, reaching inside his pocket. He produced a small velvet jewelry box. “What do you think, Janet?” he asked, popping the box open. Inside was a one carat diamond solitaire in a simple white gold setting. “Picked it up from the jewelers’ this morning. I’m going to pop the question.”
“I think it’s beautiful,” Janet felt her voice catching, suddenly jealous of Aileen. She knew it wasn’t rational; she didn’t even want Laskin in that kind of way. What she did want was for Dennis to pop the question. The realization had caught her by surprise. She had never thought of it until today. Perhaps it was all the wedding stuff around her: first Katie and Adam, and now Peter and Aileen.
“A lovely ring indeed,” Dennis offered. “I’m very happy for both of you, but perhaps now we can get back to the matter at hand?”
“By all means.” Laskin hastily tucked the box away into his jacket pocket. “So, what can I do you for?”
“Thanks for seeing us on such a short notice, Peter,” Dennis began, his voice somewhat stiff. “We were hoping that you could help us on a case.”
“Here I was thinking that you were trying to get some contract work out of me. Not that my department budget could be stretched to fit your rates, but I’m digressing. What is it you need help with?”
“Analytics,” Dennis paused. “It would mean a great deal to us if you could handle this matter personally.”
“Of course I’m going to handle it personally, Dennis. What did you think I was going to do? Assign one of my analysts? I’m not authorized to spend department resources on non-work matters. Now, what exactly is it that you need me to do?”
“What do you know about Petr Kovar?”
“Officially? Kovar is one of the wealthiest businessmen in Eastern Europe. Unofficially, let’s see: money laundering, racketeering, prostitution, and the list goes on.”
“What would you say if Kovar had ties to a potential candidate for the New York senator seat?”
“I’d say that I’d want that candidate crossed off the list of potential candidates.”
“I’d say the same thing.” Dennis rubbed his hands. “I’ve done some digging on Kovar; he owns a restaurant here in New York. It’s called the Panther Restaurant and Lounge Club. Can you run a check on the money flows from his accounts? See if there’s anything out of the norm?”
“Sure can. What exactly should I be looking for?”
“If you could just get me a list of ingoing and outgoing money transfers for the past year, that’d be a great start.”
Laskin whistled. “A whole year? That’ll take a while. How about we start with six months?”
“Whatever you can do, Peter.”
“I’ll get you six months’ worth by the end of the week and the rest in a week.”
“Great. You’re a lifesaver.”
“A lifesaver who needs saving. Now seriously, if you hear of any good investigators who don’t mind crappy pay, you tell them to call me.”
“Will do, Peter.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I have the information for you.” Laskin frowned. “There’s just one thing, and I’m going to be upfront about it. If I find anything suspicious about Kovar, I’ll have to escalate the matter. If our investigation interferes with your assignment—”
“I understand that and both Janet and I would be happy to assist the Treasury in any way we can, but could you give me a warning? I’m not asking for much, but let’s say a day?”
Laskin scratched his chin. “Yes, I can do that, but more would be pushing it.”
“I’m not asking for more. I know I’ve already asked for plenty.” Dennis grinned. “Thank you, Peter. One of these days we should all go out to dinner: you, Aileen, Janet and me.”
“That’d be nice. Aileen would like that. Now, I’d better get back to work.”
“See, that wasn’t so bad.” said Dennis once they were standing outside of the Treasury building.
“Our systems don’t have the same level of clearance.”
“I know that. Couldn’t you go to your contacts with the Feds?”
“I could, but they wouldn’t even give us the one-day warning Laskin agreed to. If they see a lead for a case, they’ll pounce right on it. At least we can trust Laskin not to screw us over.”
“Yes, at least that,” was all Janet said. In her mind she was mulling over a different option, but she didn’t want to tell Dennis about it just yet.
Chapter 4
Mila Brabec reluctantly lifted her head off the pillow. It was time to get ready for her shift at the restaurant. She glanced at Anton’s face on the pillow next to hers. God, she hated this man. Everything about him repulsed her, but her fear of him was even greater than her hatred. To think that she had thought that he would protect her: what an idiot she had been! From beneath her lowered lashes she looked at the curving outline of Anton’s full lips, his chiseled nose, his thick black eyebrows, and the jet black of his hair. His eyes were closed, but when they were open, they were the color of sea green. It was a handsome face, but there was also something insatiable in it, almost cruelly so.
“You’re up, baby?” Anton Kovar mumbled, patting her thigh.
She resisted the urge to recoil. “Yes, honey,” she purred.
“It’s time for your cute ass to go to work,” he grunted, pulling the covers up to his chin.
Biting her lip, Mila slid off the bed. Revenge was a dish best served cold, and one day she would dine with relish.
Mechanically she showered and applied her makeup. Her shift at the restaurant started at seven p.m. and lasted until one a.m. It would be a long tiring night that she’d spend up on her feet, catering to the whims of cantankerous customers. The fact that she had spent the past hour satisfying Anton’s perverted sexual taste did not help matters either. She was exhausted.
A few minutes later, Mila was heading for the subway. She never took cabs these days. She would need every penny she could get if she was ever going to get even with Anton.