by Gerri Hill
He studied her for a moment. “I understand you’ve become rather friendly with her.”
Dee arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
“When you have a patrol unit watching her home and office, it’s hard to sneak in unobserved.”
“I wasn’t aware I was sneaking in. We’ve become friends, I guess.”
“Nothing more?”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning…nothing more than friends?”
She gave him a quick smile. “If you’re insinuating that we’re romantically involved, you’re way off base.”
He stood up again and slipped on his raincoat. “How long do you intend to have her guarded? I would think it’s been long enough. There’s been no further contact, right?”
“No more phone calls, correct. It’s only been five days since Connie Frazier’s murder. I’d like to—”
“Let’s pull them off, Dee. We’re wasting resources.”
Yes, she supposed it was time. Finn had asked her about it just yesterday. “Yes, sir. I’ll take care of it.”
He looked around the empty room. “Where’s your partner?”
“He had a hot date, from what I could tell.”
“And you?”
“Me?”
“You’ve been here a long time, Dee. What? Eight? Nine years?”
“Nine, sir.”
He nodded. “I don’t recall there ever being a mention of you and…well, someone special.”
“No.”
He nodded again, then turned to leave. But he paused, looking back at her. “Finley Knight. I remember her, of course. Not nearly as dedicated to the job as you are, however. She had a little problem with authority and rules and such. Attractive, though, I suppose.”
Dee smiled. “Are you trying to play matchmaker?”
“Going through life alone is not much fun.”
“Well, I’ve had years of practice. It’s not so bad.”
And it wasn’t, really. She was used to it. Even though Angela still crossed her mind from time to time, she had reconciled with the fact that she would live out her years alone. She simply didn’t have the energy to devote to dating. And Finn? She smiled to herself. No, they were too much alike. The tiny steps they were taking with their friendship was about all she could handle anyway. Although it was nice to have someone to share dinner with occasionally. She wondered what Finn thought of their relationship.
Chapter Thirty
As she’d been doing every day, Rylee took her lunch upstairs to the empty apartment. Well, not empty. There was the cat that she was becoming quite attached to. She sat down on the new sofa, wondering why Finn had gotten leather. The cat immediately jumped up to join her.
“You are such a cutie,” she murmured as she stroked her head. “You probably shouldn’t be on the sofa, though.” She had named the cat Smokey, her dark gray—smoky—fur nearly begging for the name. Of course, she hadn’t told Finn. Then again, Finn hadn’t been around much this week.
And neither had potential clients. She wondered how Finn stayed in business. Other than Carolyn Baxter, there had been no other customers to come through their door.
She took a bite of her turkey sandwich, remembering how happy Carolyn had been. Johnny had proved to be a good guy. Nothing in his background suggested otherwise. She’d been so happy, in fact, she hadn’t even wanted to see the report Rylee had compiled for her. A report Finn had tweaked only a little. Carolyn had said she felt guilty for running a check on Johnny and didn’t want to know anything from his past. She preferred to find out the old-fashioned way. Rylee tended to agree with her.
She glanced around the apartment, which still smelled of fresh paint. She wondered what Finn would do with it. Rent it out again, she imagined, since she’d already gotten new furniture. Although Finn hadn’t seemed to be in a hurry. Sammy had been there ten years, she’d said. Whoever she rented to, she would have to trust them, considering the entrance to the apartment was smack in the middle of the offices.
Would Finn consider renting it to her? she wondered. Would she even want to live and work here? She looked up at the ceiling and let out a frustrated breath. Was she even working? Did doing a background check on one person constitute working? Finn had given her access to one of the databases that didn’t charge by the search. She’d been practicing. That was the only thing that was keeping boredom at bay. Was she working?
For that matter, was she even on the payroll? Even though she’d filled out some payroll forms, she and Finn hadn’t discussed salary. Surely Finn was paying her. Right? She wanted to be an apprentice…not a volunteer. Yeah…she probably should have worked all of that out at the beginning. She’d been too excited at the time to have actually landed a job—housekeeper-slash-receptionist—to be concerned with salary. She’d been too excited and too bewildered by the fact that Finley Knight was her boss…and a woman whose body she’d had her hands and mouth on.
She pushed that memory away where it belonged…to the far recesses of her mind. She hadn’t said anything. Finn hadn’t said anything. They were going to leave that night buried, apparently. That meant she needed to forget about it.
“I suppose I need to vacuum the offices, huh?” she said to the purring cat. The cat’s eyes were fixed on the door and Rylee followed her gaze, finding Finn standing there watching them.
“What are you doing up here?”
“Keeping Smokey company.” She held up what was left of her sandwich. “And lunch.”
“Smokey? You know, we’re only babysitting until someone claims her.”
“Do you really think someone will come for her? Who? That family is surely devastated by what’s occurred. I doubt they’re concerned with the fate of this little cat.”
“Hoping they forget all about her?”
Rylee smiled as she stroked the cat’s fur. “Yes. I kinda like her.”
Finn surprised her by coming fully into the apartment and sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa. Smokey crawled into her lap immediately.
“Can I ask you something?”
Finn looked up and nodded.
“You are…you know, paying me to work here, right?”
Finn laughed, a quick laugh that caused Rylee to return it.
“I mean…you are, right?”
The smile stayed on Finn’s face. “What do you think you’re worth?”
Rylee met her gaze. “I’m not sure you could afford what I’m actually worth,” she teased, enjoying the relaxed smile on Finn’s face. It nearly transformed her. She looked youthful, carefree. Gone was the serious expression that she normally sported. Serious, businesslike.
“Probably not. But seeing as how I didn’t want to hire you in the first place…”
Rylee’s smile faltered a little. “Minimum wage then?”
“Oh, I suppose we can do a little better than that.” Finn moved the cat aside and stood. “When you’re finished with lunch, come to my office. I’ve got a job for you.”
“Really? Something fun?”
“Background checks. One of the clients that I have a contract with…they have three new hires.”
“Oh, good.” She made a move to get up, but Finn stopped her.
“Finish your sandwich. No big hurry.”
Finn hesitated at the doorway, and Rylee wondered what it was that she was debating whether to say or not. She finally closed the door without saying anything else and Rylee leaned back, still smiling. So…better than minimum wage. Well, no matter what it was, it was better than what she had been making…which was nothing. At least she had a job.
Chapter Thirty-One
“You haven’t been around much.”
“You keeping tabs on me?”
Rylee shook her head. “Simply stating a fact. I could have been overrun with clients.”
“Uh-huh.” Finn sat down in one of the visitor’s chair across from the receptionist’s desk. She motioned to the laptop. “How’s it going?”
Rylee shook h
er head. “Nothing exciting. I can’t find any dirt on any of them.”
Finn laughed. “Hoping one of them had a criminal record, were you?”
“Yes.” Rylee leaned back in her chair. “So? Where have you been?”
It was Finn’s turn to sigh. “Surveillance.”
“We have a client?”
“Not really, no.”
Rylee nodded. “It has something to do with the murders?”
“Yes.”
Finn rolled her shoulders. She hadn’t had much sleep in the last three days. She’d spent more damn time in her car than anywhere else. But Dee had called. They’d pulled the patrol units that had been watching her house and office. Not that she was worried about her house—she had a security system and a locked gate—but she didn’t feel comfortable leaving Rylee alone at the office any longer.
Not that her surveillance was paying off. As she’d expected, the Fraziers’ son, Duncan, was taking over the business. The funeral had been a private affair and Connie Frazier had been plopped down in the ground beside Daniel without much fanfare. Duncan and his sister apparently were having a squabble. Finn had seen them arguing out by the cars shortly after the service. The sister—Grace—had gotten into a car with two women and a man. Relatives, perhaps. Duncan had sped away in a maroon truck and that was who Finn had followed.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
Finn brought her attention back to Rylee. “I’m supposed to let this go. I’m supposed to let the police handle it.”
“Oh.”
“Only they don’t have any suspects.”
“Your friend Dee? Is she the lead detective?”
“She is.”
“So…would I be out of line by asking what kind of surveillance?” Rylee leaned forward. “Because…you know, I could help.”
“Doing surveillance is, by far, the worst part of this job.”
“I could help,” Rylee offered again.
Finn shook her head. “You’re barely getting your feet wet. Surveillance isn’t something you just jump into.”
“So take me with you. I’ll learn while watching.”
No. It was crazy to even entertain the idea. Wasn’t it? But if she took Rylee with her, that would solve the problem of leaving her here alone. Rylee was looking at her expectantly and Finn debated with herself. Did she want to be stuck in her car for possibly hours with a woman she hardly knew? No, the question really was—did she want to be stuck in close quarters with a woman she’d seen naked, a woman she’d made love to…a woman who, when she looked at her, sometimes caused her to stop breathing. But hell…
“I suppose that would keep me from worrying about you.”
“Why worrying?”
“They pulled the patrol unit that was sitting across the street.”
“Oh…so that’s why you’ve been here today.”
Finn stood up. “If you’re finished with that, email the client your results. I attached an old report so you’ll see the format I use.”
“Okay.” Rylee paused. “Does that mean I can go with you?”
“It does.” Finn glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 10:36. The last two days, Duncan Frazier had been at the pizza location on the island…Jamboree Number One. The same location where most of the money had changed hands. “Let’s try to leave by eleven.”
* * *
“So who are we looking for?”
“Duncan Frazier. He drives a maroon truck. Dodge Ram. Four doors.”
She drove slowly through the parking lot, finding the truck parked where it had been yesterday.
“That one?” Rylee pointed.
“Yes.”
The lot wasn’t quite filled with the lunch crowd yet and she drove on, intending to park next door, at the Mexican food place. Shrubs lined the area between the two restaurants and she pulled up close to one, giving them some privacy.
“Why not just park at the pizza place?”
“Security cameras.”
“Oh. But don’t they have them here?”
“We’re not staking out this place so I don’t really care if we’re on camera here. It’s over there that we don’t want to cause any suspicions.”
“Okay. Makes sense.”
Finn reached into the backseat and grabbed the camera, handing it to Rylee. Then she found the binoculars she’d placed on the floor behind her seat. From her console, she took out her notepad. It was 11:17.
“So…can I ask questions or do you want me to sit over here and be quiet?”
Yes, Finn should have expected that Rylee would have a hundred questions. “Ask away.”
Rylee removed her seat belt and shifted in the seat, the camera still in her lap. “What do you do if you have to go to the bathroom?”
Finn laughed. “That’s your first question?”
“Well, I probably should have gone before we left the office.”
“I’m sure you can slip inside the Eldorado Cantina here and use their restrooms.”
“Okay, good. Now…a real question. Why are we watching Duncan Frazier? I mean, I know his parents were both killed. Do you think someone might be after him too?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s vague.”
Finn turned to look at her. “Daniel Frazier was a client. He hired me to follow his wife. He suspected an affair. He was murdered right after I gave him my report. A few days later, my office was ransacked.” She paused. “Sammy was killed. They were looking for something, something they assumed Daniel had given me.”
“Which was right before I came by.”
“Yes. Connie Frazier was tortured before she was killed. Place was also ransacked.”
“And you don’t think they’ve found what they were looking for?”
“No.”
“If it wasn’t at his home, doesn’t it stand to reason it would be at one of his pizza places?”
“Possibly. But all four have security cameras in the parking lots and inside. They close at ten on weekdays, eleven on weekends. It’s after midnight by the time the last employee leaves. Everything is locked up, alarm system, the works. Daniel, being the paranoid person that he was, also employed a security firm.”
“Ah. So a security patrol at night?”
“Yes.”
“You were here last night?”
“I was.”
“Did you sleep?”
“A few hours this morning.” She took the binoculars and scanned the outside of the building, making sure she had a view of the back door.
“You need more than a few hours, Finn,” Rylee said disapprovingly. “Did you even have breakfast?”
Finn looked over at her. “I’m used to getting by on little sleep. And no, I didn’t have breakfast.”
Rylee shook her head. “I get really cranky if I don’t get at least six hours sleep. Seven is best. And you should always eat breakfast.”
“I’m cranky whether I get sleep or not.”
Rylee laughed. “Yeah, I don’t doubt that.” She took a breath. “So what are your thoughts?”
Finn looked through the binoculars again. “If Daniel left whatever it is they’re looking for at one of his pizza joints, then Duncan is their way inside.”
“Like they might kidnap him or something? Force him to let them inside after hours?”
“Something like that. Or kidnap his sister and use her as leverage.”
“What do the police think?”
“I don’t know.”
“Your detective friend—”
“Dee Woodard. She doesn’t discuss the case with me. Much,” she added. In fact, Dee had been pretty much noncommittal when they’d last spoken. They were still trying to chase the money trail. If these were indeed professionals they were dealing with, the money trail was most likely stone cold. And with Daniel Frazier out of the picture, there would be no more money trail to follow. Unless…
She frowned. Unless one of his managers was involved. Maybe more than one. The kind o
f money that was being deposited each week would have surely caused some questions. Of course, according to Connie, Daniel Frazier was a micromanager. Perhaps he handled all the deposits at all the restaurants. Perhaps he was the only one with his nose in the books.
“You’re frowning.”
Finn turned to her, wondering if Rylee was the right one to bounce ideas off of. No. Dee would be the right one. Dee, however, had instructed her to “stay out of it” on more than one occasion. If she knew that Finn was doing surveillance on Duncan Frazier…well, she assumed Dee would be plenty pissed.
“There’s a lot of cash that goes through this restaurant. More than the other three.”
Rylee blinked at her questioningly.
“Sorry. Forgot you’re not from around here. The Pizza Jamboree. There are four locations. Kinda a mainstay in the city. All-you-can-eat lunches. They—”
“I had their pizza for Thanksgiving. It was really good.”
“That’s right. You didn’t make it home.”
“No. A…a friend invited me over…pizza and beer.”
“Date?”
Rylee shook her head. “No. Well, at least in my mind, no, it wasn’t a date.”
“Ah. But she likes you.” Finn was surprised by the twinge of jealously she felt.
Rylee shrugged. “Anyway, go on. Lots of cash.”
“Yes. The restaurants are popular and he makes a lot of money but…he’s moving a lot of money. An audit would most likely reveal that what goes in is a whole lot less than what’s going out.”
“Okay. Money laundering. College was a long time ago, but from what I remember from my classes, using restaurants is a classic way to move money.”
Finn nodded. “It is. Back in the day, they would open up a new place, not caring whether there were customers or not. They’d move a massive amount of cash through the system, then close up shop and disappear into the wind before the Feds caught on. There are more checks now, more regulations.”
“So you use an already popular place that’s making money.”
“Exactly. Especially a popular place with four locations.”
Rylee tilted her head. “Is this just speculation or do you really have proof that Daniel Frazier was laundering money?”