Moonlight Avenue

by Gerri Hill

  “Five years, six months,” Dee supplied automatically. “At first, it wasn’t a huge bump. Nothing for the bank to question. Each month, a little more.”

  “Percentages.”

  Dee nodded. “Yes. He stayed within the allowed percentages, which might be why he started filtering some through the other restaurants.” She finished her drink and slid the glass onto the desk. “Mabanks has another team involved now. They think the money is drug related. That’s the angle they’re pursuing.”

  “You thought that too.”

  “You didn’t.”

  Finn shook her head. “Doesn’t mean it’s not true. I just didn’t get that feeling.” She rested her elbows on the desk. “Professional, though. Whatever it is, it must be big players involved. But Frazier? I only met with Daniel Frazier twice. He seemed to be just a normal guy, but there was something odd.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There wasn’t any anger. Not really. I’d thought at first maybe it was because he’d already accepted the fact that she was cheating on him. It wasn’t a surprise. But I think it was something else. It was the way he kept looking at Drake’s picture. Like he knew him.” Finn finished off her drink. “But anyway, back to my feelings about Daniel. Just a normal guy. There was nothing sophisticated about him. Whatever kind of activities are going on, I don’t think he’s the guy.”

  “He was obviously very business smart. He had four successful restaurants,” Dee said, shaking her head when Finn offered more scotch.

  “Smart in the pizza business or maybe they just make a hell of a good pizza,” Finn countered. “Maybe his business smarts are suspect. Maybe that’s why he could easily be coerced into moving cash for someone.”

  “Sure. And going on that assumption, he gets tired of being manipulated and threatened them with exposure. They kill him.”

  “Threatened them by letting them know he had documented evidence.”

  Dee motioned to her empty glass, deciding a little more wouldn’t hurt. Finn added scotch to it and shoved it closer. It made sense. They had no evidence whatsoever, but it made sense. It also made sense that Daniel could have been directly involved too.

  “He had documented something, that’s for sure,” Dee allowed. “I’m not yet convinced that he wasn’t a major player, though.”

  Finn stared at her for a long moment, long enough for Dee to feel uncomfortable. She finally raised her eyebrows questioningly.

  “Why are you here?”

  It was Dee’s turn to stare. “Excuse me?”

  “You didn’t come to discuss the case because you don’t normally discuss the case with me,” she said pointedly. “Certainly not this in-depth.”

  Dee let out a long breath. “I seem to be the odd man out on the case,” she admitted. “As I said, the new team is focused on the money trail. Mabanks even hinted that I should consider you as a suspect.”

  “Me? What the hell for?”

  “The link between you and Daniel Frazier. And Sammy.”

  Finn’s eyes hardened. “The son of a bitch thinks I’d kill Sammy? Ransack my own damn office for show?”

  “You’re not a suspect, Finn. He was just tossing that out there.”

  “Well, that still pisses me off.”

  “Thought it would. I’m pretty pissed off too.”

  “So you’re not the lead any longer?”

  “No. Josh Davis is. He’s younger than me. Mid-thirties, I guess. I get the impression they think I’m old-school and they want me out of the way. Joel has hooked up with them, following their every suggestion like a damn puppy dog after a bone. They’re treating him like nothing more than a gopher.”

  “So you staking out the pizza place wasn’t part of the agenda?”

  “No. They’re getting a warrant. We’ll be able to get into their accounting system.” She shrugged. “Well, the guys will. I’m not sure what my role is anymore.”

  “Wouldn’t hurt to find out who actually made the deposits.”

  “If it was Daniel Frazier, how does that help? If it was a manager, that’s a different story.” She held her hand up. “But enough of that. I’m sick of thinking about it.” She leaned back in the chair, trying to relax. “Tell me about the cute blonde.”

  “Rylee?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about her?”

  “Oh, Finn…humor me. I haven’t been on a date in more months than I can remember. She’s young and cute. Does she flirt with you?”

  Finn shook her head. “She doesn’t flirt with me, no.”

  “Do you flirt with her?”

  “Of course not. I don’t even know how to flirt.”

  “For some reason, that doesn’t surprise me.” She cupped her glass with both hands. “I had thought briefly of asking you out. You know, on a real date.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Uh-huh. But I decided we were too much alike. Besides, if we ended up sleeping together, it would only be like sex buddies or something.” She shook her head. “I could get that anywhere if I really wanted it. Friends are harder to come by.”

  Finn smiled. “Thanks. I guess.”

  Dee returned her smile. “Sorry. I guess that was presumptuous of me to think you had even considered sleeping with me.” She finished the last of her scotch and placed the glass on the desk. “Mabanks hinted that I needed a personal life, which is what got me thinking about this.” She stood, noting the smile that was still on Finn’s face. “I can see myself out.”

  Finn stood too. “No need. I’m heading out too.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Finn walked into the room that had been converted into a kitchen many years ago. Well, not much more than a break room, really, but it did have a sink and running water. The fridge was ancient, but the microwave was new. It was where she found Rylee. Rylee and the cat—the cat she’d named Smokey.

  “She escaped the apartment again, huh?”

  Rylee laughed. “Yes, I told you, she’s quite adept at opening doors. I think you taught her that.”

  Finn smiled back at her, unable not to. “So you’ve been here a while already?”

  Rylee raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think so?”

  “The hood of your Jeep was cold.”

  Rylee rolled her eyes. “You should have stayed a detective.”

  Finn didn’t add that she got the security feed on her phone and had watched Rylee park in front of the building at 6:06, a good forty-five minutes before there was any light in the sky. She knew that because she’d been out on her pier, sipping a hot cup of coffee.

  Finn grabbed her own coffee cup, realizing that she didn’t find Rylee’s presence disruptive. She was used to the early morning quiet, the solitude. When Simon rented the office, he rarely got in before eight. Most often, it was eight thirty or later. And Sammy? Sammy was a night owl. She usually didn’t see him until noon or later, if at all. Rylee was apparently an early riser too. Surprisingly, Finn found she was glad to have Rylee there. She was curious, though.

  “Why so early?”

  “You mean here?” Rylee took a sip of her coffee before answering. She had an almost apologetic look on her face. “I was awake. Nothing better to do.” Then she gave a quick glance at the cat. “Besides, I figured Smokey could use the company.”

  “And you could use the company?” she asked gently, surprising herself with the concern she felt.

  Rylee nodded. “I’ve only made a handful of friends.” She shrugged. “And I use the word ‘friends’ loosely.”

  “You had a Thanksgiving date with one,” she reminded her.

  “So I did. I only accepted because I didn’t want to be alone on Thanksgiving.”

  “And she only asked because she wanted to sleep with you?” she guessed.

  Rylee blushed profusely. “Yes. But I managed to escape her apartment without an incident.” She set her cup down. “Leena is her name. She’s a couple of years younger than me. I met her on the beach a month or so after I move
d here.” She blew out a long breath. “It’s hard finding new friends. Everyone’s already grouped up, you know. So…anytime I was asked to do something, it was always…well, they weren’t asking as a friend.”

  Finn had a hundred questions all of a sudden and she reined them in before blurting out the first one. Was that why Rylee had gone to the bar? Because she was lonely? Because she wanted to meet a new friend? No. If that was the case, she wouldn’t have dashed off before dawn…before Finn was even awake. Unless Finn wasn’t the type of new friend she wanted to meet. She pushed those thoughts aside.

  “So you’re not interested in dating?” she asked as nonchalantly as she could.

  “Oh, I’d be interested if I met the right woman. I actually went out on a couple of dates, but…”

  “What?”

  Rylee blushed again. “This is going to sound really…well, weird.”

  Finn raised her eyebrows. “What?”

  “I don’t get the concept of sex on the first date,” Rylee said. “If you want to have sex, then go have sex. But if you want to go on a date, then expect a date, not sex.”

  Their eyes met and Finn was at a loss for words. Is this where they would finally talk about it? Yeah…they’d had sex. It wasn’t a date. But God, she didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet, at least. She wasn’t prepared to talk about it.

  So she looked away from Rylee, clearing her throat lightly before speaking. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I wouldn’t call that old-fashioned or weird, as you say. You have your…your principles. That’s good.”

  “Too many people think of sex as a physical act only. And yes, I get that. I mean, I was young with raging hormones once. But now that I’m older, I need it to mean something. I want it to be emotional too, not just physical.” Rylee met her eyes again. “If I just want an orgasm, I can take care of that myself. And usually it’s a lot better.”

  Finn nearly spit out her coffee and ended up choking as she tried to swallow.

  “I’m sorry,” Rylee laughed as she handed her a napkin. “We probably…well, shouldn’t be having this conversation, should we?”

  Finn coughed a couple of times, trying to clear her throat…and her mind. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t gotten a visual from her statement. She shook her head finally.

  “I’m not used to these types of conversations, no.” She paused. “I don’t really…have any friends, so conversations like this…no.”

  Rylee’s expression softened. “You don’t?” She reached out a hand and squeezed her arm. The touch was so familiar, as usual, Finn lost her breath. “I guess I can see that. You’re not very…open.”

  Finn felt Rylee’s hand slip away and she breathed again. No, she wasn’t open, was she? Not with anyone. Not in a very long time.

  “Tell me something.”

  Finn raised her eyebrows. “Tell you something what?”

  “Tell me something about yourself. Open up a little.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s what friends do.”

  “Friends?”

  Rylee smiled. “Yes. I need a friend. You need a friend. Tell me something. Anything.”

  Finn thought for a moment, wondering what tidbit she could throw out that would appease Rylee. Wondering if what Rylee really wanted was to talk about…that night. Hell, she wondered why she didn’t walk away and end the conversation so they wouldn’t have to talk about that night. They weren’t friends. They hardly knew each other. A handful of weeks working together hadn’t changed that, despite…that night. But Rylee was looking at her, her stare unwavering. Finn blew out a breath. Oh, hell.

  “I’m estranged from my mother.” Rylee met her gaze, her eyes telling Finn she expected more. Finn shook her head. “It’s a long story.”

  “Tell me.”

  Finn blew out another breath. “My mother was having an affair. My father hired a private eye when he suspected. My father was murdered by her lover.” Rylee’s eyes widened but she said nothing. “I was in college when it happened. When I turned thirty, that same PI showed up…my life changed then.”

  “It changed because he showed up? Or—”

  “Long story,” she said abruptly, finally turning away and heading to her office. She heard Rylee following.

  “You can’t just tell me all that and walk away.”

  “Sure I can.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  She sat down behind her desk, only to have Rylee plop down in a visitor’s chair. The cat—Smokey—hopped up on the credenza behind the desk.

  “Your life changed,” Rylee prompted.

  “It’s not all that interesting.”

  “Your father was murdured? What happened?”

  Finn opened up her laptop and logged into her email. “The guy my mother was sleeping with…he wanted her to divorce my father.”

  “And she wouldn’t?”

  “My father was an attorney, quite successful. I was about to start law school. I was going to join his firm. My mother was lonely, but she had no intention of leaving my father.” She glanced at the three new emails she’d gotten since she’d left the house an hour ago.

  “So this guy killed your father?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then…then the Fraziers…I guess that kinda opened old wounds.”

  “Very similar, yes.”

  “So you didn’t go to law school?”

  “No. A cop. Then a detective.” She smiled. “Then a security guard. Then this place.”

  “You’re leaving out all the juicy details.”

  “Yes. Like I said, it’s a long story.” When Rylee would have spoken, Finn held up her hand. “I’m forwarding you an email. Same as before. Job applicant.”

  “Same company?”

  “Different company.”

  Rylee stood up. “I’m on it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And after I’m done, are we doing anything fun today?”

  “Fun?”

  “Like yesterday.”

  “You thought that was fun?”

  “I did.”

  Finn hated to admit it, but Dee was probably right. She should let the police handle the case. No sense in her and Dee both following young Duncan Frazier around. Since Connie’s murder, things had seemed to come to a standstill. She looked over at Rylee, who had scooped up the cat.

  “Nothing fun, I’m afraid. Detective Woodard is doing surveillance on Duncan.”

  Rylee’s smile disappeared. “Oh. So she saw us yesterday?”

  “She did.”

  Rylee tilted her head. “When did you see her?”

  “She came by here last night.”

  “Oh? Is she cute?”

  Finn stared at her, wondering at the question. Was Rylee jealous? “She’s cute, I guess. Too old for you.”

  Rylee laughed. “Is there an age limit? Or are you saying that because you’re interested in her?”

  Finn shook her head. “I’m not. We’re friends.”

  Rylee held her gaze. “See? And you said you didn’t have any friends.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Rylee didn’t really have a picture of Dee Woodard in her mind so when a woman walked into the office two days later, it didn’t occur to her that it was the detective. That is, not until she spotted the detective’s shield clipped to her belt and the gun at her waist. She had light brown hair that was barely collar length, some of it sticking inside the jacket she wore, other strands hanging free. In the few seconds it took to acknowledge her, Rylee knew without a doubt that there was nothing romantic between Finn and the detective. Unless she was totally wrong, this woman wasn’t anywhere near Finn’s type. Not that it was any of her business, she silently admonished herself. She certainly had no say in the matter.

  “Hi. You must be Detective Woodard,” she said with a smile. She stood and held her hand out. “I’m Rylee Moore.”

  Yes, Dee Woodard was attractive. Cute, Finn had called her. She was older than Finn
, though. Rylee could tell that. Mid, maybe even late forties.

  “Hello, Rylee. Pleased to meet you.” Dee shook her hand firmly, then looked past her down the hallway. “The boss in?”

  “She is.” Which Rylee assumed she already knew. There were only the two vehicles out front. Her Jeep and Finn’s Buick. She was about to pick up the phone to let Finn know she had a visitor, but Dee was already walking back, indicating she was quite familiar with the office layout.

  She sat back down with a shrug. Maybe the detective had some news about the case. Or maybe she was coming by for lunch. A quick glance at the clock told her it was already past noon. She closed her laptop, then went back to the breakroom to get her sandwich from the fridge and a bottle of water. Finn’s office door was ajar and she paused, trying to listen to the conversation between the two women. She finally gave up and—after telling herself once again it wasn’t any of her business—she took her lunch upstairs to the apartment.

  She found Smokey curled in the middle of the oversized chair beside the sofa. The cat lifted her head and yawned when Rylee went inside.

  “Hi, sweetie,” she murmured, taking the time to rub the cat’s head a few times before taking her normal spot on the sofa. She glanced at the small kitchen table. She should probably eat there, but this was so much more comfortable.

  Turkey again. This was the last of it. She still had two pieces of bread remaining. She supposed she would now be able to make a grocery store run. Finn had surprised her with a paycheck that morning. She still wasn’t sure what her salary was, but the check had been for more than she was expecting. Even after she’d filled out her W-2 information, Finn had been mum on her salary. She knew Finn had seen the surprise on her face, but she hadn’t commented.

  In fact, the last couple of days, Finn had been extremely quiet…distant. They’d had a run on new hires—first of the year coming up, she supposed. Finn had forwarded her several emails from some of her recurring clients and Rylee had stayed busy doing background checks. She had no idea what Finn was doing. No matter how early Rylee got to the office, Finn was already there. And no matter how late she stayed, Finn was still in her office behind closed doors.