Decoding a Criminal

by Barb Han

  Before she could continue down the path much longer, a tow truck pulled up. As the sports car was being hitched onto the back, an SUV with blacked-out windows roared up. She immediately looked to Dash. He nodded as he thanked the tow truck driver, who promised to have the vehicle fixed up and delivered home by breakfast. The SUV driver walked up to Dash before handing over keys.

  “Your rental, sir,” the man said.

  “Thank you.” Dash took the offering. The guy hopped into the tow truck with a final wave.

  Never had she seen—or would get used to—the kind of money Dash had at his disposal. She didn’t care especially. He was down-to-earth, and half the time she was around him, she forgot how ridiculously rich he was. Until she looked around and remembered how much his apartment or the vehicles he drove must have cost.

  He ushered her into the passenger seat of the SUV as the creepy feeling of eyes watching crept over her. She shivered involuntarily at the thought someone so cunning was out there.

  “I’m definitely not letting you out of my sight now.” Dash’s words, his voice, sent warmth rocketing through her. She knew better than to let herself get used to them.

  “Tell her the truth. We’re not a couple,” she said, trying to keep emotion out of her tone. It had been a day for the books. She’d visited her best friend in jail. She’d almost been shot. She’d confronted Sheldon. And now this. Her mind snapped to the heated kisses in her bedroom, but she forced those suckers out of her mind as fast as she could. It wouldn’t do any good to dwell on the fact that Dash was the best kisser she’d ever known. Or that the reality of being in his arms made her feel a kind of safety she never knew she craved.

  “I would if she would believe me.” Those words were the equivalent of a half dozen bee stings.

  “Then make her. Call her out. I can’t go around watching my back every five seconds and I won’t.” Anger and fear were a potent mix. Both were stalking her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why? She’s the crazy one,” she quickly countered.

  “True. But it’s my fault she is targeting you. And she won’t believe we’re not together. Now, you’re in more danger and—”

  “I chose to be here for my friend,” she said, cutting him off. There was no use feeling sorry for her. She was letting off some steam and exploring options, if there were any. She didn’t need his pity.

  “True.” There was no denying she was there of her own free will, and she was relieved he didn’t try to take all the blame. “I still see it as my job to protect you, Raina.”

  “Why? You made it clear where we stand.” She was baiting the bull out of her own fit of anger.

  “Not because I don’t care about you.” He said the words low and under his breath to the point she barely heard them.

  The reality of how dangerous his job was struck like a physical blow. His feelings didn’t matter when she would never allow herself to go there anyway. Losing her father to a dangerous job had knocked the wind out of her in her young life. He’d been in love with her mother. They’d made plans. Her mother had been ordering small bags of sand off the internet to surprise him with the trip she had planned for the three of them to celebrate his last day in the military. He’d been planning on serving three years and then taking a civilian job to be there for both of them.

  Through no fault of his own, he couldn’t be there to take care of his wife during the most challenging time of her life. Raina didn’t regret the sacrifices she made for a mother she desperately loved. But it nearly broke her heart when her mother called out her husband’s name in her sleep like he’d just walked through the door.

  They were supposed to have a long life together, not this.

  A surprising tear broke loose from Raina’s eye and rolled down her cheek. This was exactly the reason she couldn’t let her heart have its way, no matter how perfect Dashiell West might be. Plus, there was Layla to consider. She wouldn’t like a relationship between her best friend and her brother after she’d worked so hard to carve her own way in life. If that wasn’t enough, there was Dash. He’d been clear. He didn’t do long term. Period.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dash studied his cell phone at a red light.

  “What is it?” Raina asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Liam just sent over an interesting piece of intel about Alec Kingsley,” Dash said. “Turns out, he was bullied as a kid.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but a lot of people were because most aren’t your size,” she said.

  “Fair enough. Alec was bullied in the small prep school he attended,” he continued. “He was captain of the chess club and started a kids-in-tech club at school. Alec knows quite a bit about computer programming.”

  “That is interesting. And confusing. Wouldn’t he take more than two million dollars if he could?” she asked.

  “You would think so. He might have seen low-hanging fruit with my sister and decided to test the waters,” he said. “Plus, according to HR, he was on his way out. A few of his bigger clients were complaining about him.”

  “What were the complaints about?” she asked.

  “He was losing money, missing opportunities and not being responsive when they called,” he said.

  “That would be devastating to a career where relationships are everything.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Speaking of relationships, where are we on Calum’s wife? And where are we going? This isn’t the way to your place.”

  Dash glanced back at his phone. “She’s our next stop. They live in a one-point-five-million-dollar town house in the Laurelhurst area.”

  “I know where that is,” she said. “North of Washington Park Arboretum near the University District. It’s a high-rent area.”

  “That’s a lot of money for a town house,” he concurred. “Especially one with only two bedrooms.”

  “It’d be easy to lock and go. I bet they have another place on one of the islands,” she pointed out.

  “A quick escape.”

  She exhaled. “From everything I’ve heard, kids change everything. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn they were putting their town house on the market. Some people move to Bainbridge as their main address and then keep an apartment in Seattle for those long work nights.”

  He nodded.

  “What’s her name?” Raina asked.

  “Penelope, but she goes by the name Bitty. Apparently, her mom called her Itty Bitty, and the last part stuck,” he supplied. At least some of the research was bearing fruit.

  “What do you think about Sheldon? Innocent or guilty?” she asked point-blank.

  “We know he’s guilty of hacking into the system. Did he take the money?” He paused for a couple of beats. “I’m not sure. We’ll have the team dig into his financials. We have his signature down, and that could help us connect him to the money on the back end.”

  “The company might not want to press charges,” she stated. “I found a glitch in the system that was causing clients to be overbilled once. I reported it to my manager, who got all excited. The executives ended up making me sign an additional nondisclosure agreement about the finding, and they just had us quietly fix the bug.”

  “No one wants the bad press, especially when it comes to a financial mistake for a financial company.” There were so many reasons he’d left corporate America, and that was high on the list. There was so much inefficiency and too much padding CEOs’ salaries. Too much politics. He couldn’t deal with it on a day-to-day basis, so he’d developed an exit strategy that had more than worked out for him.

  Dash pulled into the town house complex and stopped in front of unit 30.

  “What do we know about Bitty?” Raina nodded toward the town house. As she walked past Dash, she muttered, “And I’m guessing Stuart is now so far down the list we don’t need to worry about swinging by his place.” />
  Dash nodded before continuing, “Graduated from a highly regarded prep school in California. Met Calum in college at a frat party. She splits her time between Junior League and volunteering at the museum. Her parents live in LA, where she grew up, and she’s an only child.”

  “Smart?” she asked.

  “Got through college with a 3.8 grade point average,” he informed her, skimming more of the file on his phone.

  “Not exactly a slouch.”

  “No.” He read toward the bottom. “Interior design major. Works part-time for her father’s real estate business.”

  “Keeping it in the family,” she said as she took the couple of steps to the porch.

  “Seems like it.”

  The twin double doors were flanked by brightly colored potted flowers. There was a decorative wrought-iron bench to Dash’s right. He knocked on the door.

  “Coming,” came a cheerful voice from inside. Bitty sounded like she was expecting someone.

  The door opened with a whoosh, and a very elegant, slick-haired blonde stood there. Her face went from open and smiling to confused. “I’m sorry.” She stepped toward them and closed the door around her. “Can I help you with something?”

  Dash flashed his badge as her gaze bounced from him to Raina to the waiting SUV and back. “Special Agent Dash West, and this is my friend Raina. We’d like to ask you a few questions if you can spare a moment of your time.”

  “Is this about the security breach at the firm?” She raised one carefully manicured eyebrow.

  “Yes.” In a manner of speaking, it was. There was a whole lot more to the story, but Dash didn’t figure this was the time to show his hand. “Could we come in?”

  “Sure.” She opened the door wider and took a step back. “My husband already left for work, and my assistant will be here any minute.” She dropped her hand down to her belly, and Dash wondered if she had done it subconsciously or not. “We’re working on a design for the baby’s room.”

  “Congratulations,” Dash said. He’d always gotten further with witnesses by being polite, despite what those cop shows showed on TV. And the BAU worked with local law enforcement agencies, not against them.

  “Thank you.” She took them into the kitchen. “You’re welcome to sit.” She motioned toward a pair of bar chairs tucked underneath a white granite island. The counter was rounded on one side where the chairs were.

  “What can you tell me about the breach?” Dash’s question caused a frown.

  She threw her hands up. “I don’t know that much about my husband’s work environment. We have a strict rule that all thoughts and conversations about work stay on the other side of that door.”

  “I understand.” Dash took a seat. “Sounds like a good policy too.”

  “Are you married?” she asked.

  “Me? No, ma’am.”

  “Please, call me Bitty. Everyone does.” She wore all white. Her clothes were fitted, and there was no sign of the pregnancy yet.

  “Speaking of marriages, how have you and Mr. Langston been getting along?” Dash asked.

  Her eyebrows drew together. “I’m confused. What does my marriage have to do with the breach in security at my...” It seemed to dawn on her that family members could be viewed as suspects. “Oh. Are you asking if my marriage is solid?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I apologize for the personal nature of the question.”

  She nodded and took in a deep breath. “I’d say we have a good marriage.”

  Under the counter and out of view, Dash saw Raina’s hands clench as they sat on top of her thighs.

  “Again, excuse the personal nature of my questions. It’s the hard part of my line of work,” he said in a calm voice that begged forgiveness. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask.”

  “Of course. Go on. I’ll answer anything I can. I’d like to help.” Her blonde hair was a dye job, but he wouldn’t know it from the roots. It didn’t match her dark brown eyebrows, despite being otherwise meticulously maintained. In fact, everything about her was put together perfectly from the outside.

  The house was immaculate. It looked like something off one of those home renovation shows before anyone actually lived in it, down to the bowl of limes perfectly situated on the counter. There were no visible snacks sitting out. Not a single chip bag.

  “Is your husband faithful in your marriage?” he asked.

  A storm brewed behind her paper bag–brown eyes. Her hand went to her belly. Again, he wondered if she even realized she’d made the move or if it was some kind of subconscious maternal reaction. He’d seen it with other witnesses and suspects.

  The image of Raina pregnant with his child snapped into his thoughts, catching him off guard. Dash didn’t even want kids, so his mind was definitely playing tricks on him.

  He also thought about Bitty’s cheating husband and the fact that this man manipulated the sister he’d sworn to protect. Relationships held in secrecy were never good for one of the parties. The memory of how his sister had looked in chains slammed into him. Despite her tough exterior, she’d never looked more lost and alone to him.

  Bitty straightened her back, and a sour look passed over her features. She looked at Raina. “What did you say your name was again?”

  * * *

  “I’M RAINA.”

  Calum’s wife shot a death stare at Raina as though she was the one who’d had an affair with the woman’s husband.

  “Do you work for the government?” Bitty asked.

  “No, ma’am. I work at the same place your husband does.”

  Bitty went from innocent-looking, newly pregnant housewife to talons-out witch-face in two seconds. Raina had never seen a person transform so quickly. She’d been sizing Bitty up to see if she believed the woman was capable of outsmarting Layla. It would take a certain degree of intelligence to pull off hacking into the system. Bitty would have potentially had access to Layla’s computer at work if she ever accompanied her husband to the office.

  “Is there anything else you’d like to ask?” Bitty turned her attention to Dash as though Raina had left the room. The chill in the air was marked, and agitation was written all over her face.

  “You haven’t answered my last question yet,” Dash persisted.

  “I think that’s too personal, and I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” she said.

  “We can do this here where you’re comfortable or I can bring you in for questioning. Either way, you’re going to have to answer. Unless you don’t want to cooperate anymore.” Dash had just the right mix of calm and inquisitive. The man was brilliant, and Raina had no idea how he could quash his personal feelings so well and keep a straight face. He had to be seething inside as much as she was.

  Normally, she would feel sorry for someone whose husband cheated on them, but there was something about Bitty that left an uneasy feeling in the pit of Raina’s stomach. She couldn’t pinpoint the feeling exactly.

  “Calum was...tempted by someone at work. A young woman who threw herself at my husband. He gave in to temptation, but that’s long over now. We’ve moved on and are planning our family.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Now, if there are no more questions, I’d like for you to leave.”

  Dash stood up, thanked her and walked out the front door with Raina. It wasn’t until they were inside the vehicle that he let down the facade. There was pure rage in his eyes. “I can’t wait to hear what Calum Langston has to say about the affair.”

  “He knows I’m close with Layla. I doubt he’d try to lie in front of me.” And just as they were about to leave, Calum pulled up in his Range Rover.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dash should probably walk away from this one and let one of his colleagues handle the interview. Pulling on all his strength, he turned to Raina. “It might be best if you stay in the vehicle while I ask him a
few questions. I want to hear his version of events if he thinks he can get away with lying.”

  She nodded, and she didn’t debate his actions when he leaned over and kissed her.

  Dash only had a few seconds after Calum pulled into his garage to catch him before his wife did. Dash would bet she was too angry to call him, and she probably knew he was on his way home anyway. Some conversations went down better in person, and she seemed the type to want to watch her husband squirm.

  Her sweet, innocent housewife routine had morphed quickly once Dash started asking the hard questions. He wanted to grab Calum before the garage door closed, so Dash hopped out of the back seat.

  “Excuse me, sir.” He waved his hands in the air so Calum could see them. Facing the man who used his baby sister was going to take all the strength he could muster. He kept his cool by reminding himself this was the best way to get Layla out of the trouble she was in. Get Calum talking and he could figure out his level of involvement. Bitty had climbed up a few notches on the suspect list after their conversation.

  Calum hopped out of the driver’s side of his vehicle, looking sweaty and wearing workout clothes. He had that sandy-blond California look, despite originally being from Arizona. He looked Dash up and down, his gaze focusing on Dash’s holster. “Can I help you?”

  “I’d like to ask a few questions, if I may. My name is Special Agent Dash West and I work for the FBI.” Dash didn’t have the right to enter Calum’s garage without permission. “May I?”

  Calum stood in an athletic stance, feet about hip-width apart, arms crossed over his chest. “Not until I know what this is about.”

  This conversation wasn’t starting off well. Dash figured he might as well go for broke. “I want to talk to you about your affair with someone in your office.”

  Calum raked his fingers through his perfect hair. “Damn, not this. My wife has already had enough. She’ll leave me.”

  There was a desperate quality to his tone that surprised Dash.