by G. K. Parks
“It’s being taken care of.” He glanced around the bullpen. All hands appeared to be on deck. “You’ve been tailing Eve for the last two weeks. Tell me everything you know. Where would she go? Why would she change her tactics all of a sudden? What happened? What triggered her?”
“I don’t know. Did she make us? Cross introduced himself as a security consultant. Maybe she knew we were on to her. I don’t know.”
O’Connell grasped my shoulders. “Breathe. I was there too. I saw what you did. She seemed happy and in love. She didn’t act worried. The only signs of stress she exhibited related back to the party, not to us. It’s possible she was deflecting, but I missed it.” He glanced toward Moretti’s empty office. “I’m sure I’ll catch hell for it, but none of that matters now. Evidence says she was at every murder. She had access to all sorts of flowers. She could have used them to make the poisons.”
“She never left the city, which means her alibis are shot. She had tons of wine in her fridge. I should have realized that was her beverage of choice.”
“Was she drinking that the night she went to Olympus?”
“No, she had a blue martini.” I tried to figure out where she’d go or what she’d do next. “Still, I should have made the connection. She had the fucking app on her phone.”
“Her hookup with Colton Raine didn’t go through the app,” O’Connell said, either to cheer me or because he was musing out loud. “We’ve been monitoring it ever since.”
“What about the other victims? What about Landau? Did they all have the Priapus app on their phones?”
“We know Landau’s a member, but the techs didn’t find the application on his phone. We didn’t find it on any of the victims’ phones. That’s why we can’t make a solid connection between the killings and the sex club.”
“She probably erased them to cover her tracks. She would have had time and access. While everyone else was getting it on, she could have rummaged through her target’s belongings and deleted anything that would lead back to her.”
“Not everything.” O’Connell started typing. “Victor Landau’s firm held a party two and a half months ago. I didn’t put it together because it didn’t appear relevant, but Elegant Events planned the corporate getaway. Landau didn’t hire Eve specifically. Like I said, it came from the firm, but he was there. Everyone was there. That might have been how they first met.”
“That would have been around the same time Landau scheduled a meeting with Cross. Maybe he discovered the truth about her, and Eve threatened him. But if that happened, why did he allow her into his hotel room?”
“She might have snuck in via the balcony.” O’Connell glanced over at me. “That might explain the scopolamine in his system. She would have wanted him compliant and relaxed.”
“Did you ever find out who rented the other rooms on that floor?”
“The hotel had a block saved, but they weren’t registered to Elegant Events. It was some LLC.” He pointed to a stack of files. “The info should be in there.”
I scanned for a name. It was a foreign held company. From what I gathered, that company hadn’t blocked off any rooms at the hotels where the previous murders took place. Nothing connected, at least not in a straight line.
“This doesn’t help.” I put the paper down, but I couldn’t shake the feeling the name was familiar.
“I know, and it’s my job to make a connection.”
“Mine too.” I stepped away from his desk and dialed Cross. “Colton Raine’s dead. Do you know where Eve is?”
“You can’t seriously believe she killed him.”
“The evidence suggests otherwise.” I sighed. “Where are you?”
“On my way back to the office. The police broke up the party. At least now I know why.”
“And Andre?”
“I haven’t seen him. They probably arrested him.”
“Lucien, I’m in no mood for one of your anti-police speeches. A man was murdered. A man that drank inside a club fifty feet away from me.”
“Have the police pinged Eve’s phone?”
I relayed the question to O’Connell.
“It’s turned off. She probably ditched it.” The detective continued to type, and I repeated what he said to Cross. I knew I should have stuck the GPS tracker to Eve instead of her car.
“All right. I’ll see what I can find on my end.” Cross hesitated for a moment. “Do you know why she’d kill Colton Raine?”
“No, but by the time the police finish processing the DNA, I’m guessing I’ll have proof she was cheating on Andre.”
“Wonderful,” Cross said sarcastically. “Why is it every case I give you turns into a shitshow?”
“Just lucky, I guess.”
Thirty-nine
“Where the hell is she?” I paced back and forth beside O’Connell’s desk. “What did traffic cams show?”
“Nothing. We didn’t see them enter or leave the alley. We see them walking together in that direction, but that’s about it. Damn blind spots.” O’Connell’s desk phone rang, and he picked it up. “DNA found on the condom beside Colton’s body and in Landau’s room is a match to the hairs we pulled off Eve’s brush.”
“So she’s our killer?”
“It looks like it.”
I swore. Gripping the back of the chair, I dug my nails into the fabric. “Any sightings?”
“No.” O’Connell rocked back in his seat. “We’ve questioned her assistants, her friends, and every guest at the party. No one knows where she went. No one saw her leave with Colton.”
“They didn’t leave together. Cross saw Colton sneak out after he finished giving an interview, and Andre said Eve went to check on something in the back and never returned. Is Andre still in interrogation?”
“No,” O’Connell said. “He answered our questions and left. He knows we have no reason to hold him.”
“He’s upset.”
“Yeah. He doesn’t believe Eve could do something like this. He’s convinced we’re mistaken.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Even if he knows where she is, he won’t help us. Units are keeping watch in case Eve shows up at his place or his office. We also have officers sitting on her apartment and Elegant Events. There’s nothing else for us to do.”
“The hell there isn’t.” I stared at the murder board. Aside from Colton, each of the victims attended a party or event by Elegant Events two to three months before their murders. Eve must have met them at the parties, pursued them, or did something to earn an invite to their sex parties, and once there, killed them. Her connection to the men hadn’t been obvious until now. “She’s been playing the long game. She played Andre. She played us. We have to find her.”
“We will, and as soon as we do, we’ll get the answers we need. You should go home and get some sleep. I’ll call you as soon as we find her.”
“Yeah, right.”
He sighed. “Officers are everywhere. Every hotel and club. They’re searching Colton’s place. We’ve already searched Eve’s apartment, but we didn’t find anything. So we’re keeping our eyes peeled. She won’t get away. She’s too high-profile to evade us indefinitely.”
“Whatever you say.” I grabbed my bag. I’d never be able to live with myself if Colton’s killer got away when she’d been so close. So obvious. Unfortunately, even if I found Eve, I still didn’t know if I’d be able to deal with the guilt of another failure.
I drove around for a while, checking the shops and hotels I’d seen Eve visit. But it was five a.m. The shops were closed, and the hotels hadn’t seen her. I checked my copy of her schedule. Before she canceled everything for Colton’s launch party and press luncheon, she and Andre had plans to pick out flowers for their wedding. That wouldn’t be happening now.
Unsure what else to do, I went to the office. Since I couldn’t find her and the police were having no luck, perhaps Cross’s resources could shed some light on the problem. The high-rise was quiet at this time of morning. Reception was
empty, and I passed my colleagues vacant offices on my way to the break room.
With coffee in hand, I opened my door and flipped on the light. Now what? The computer held little appeal since I wasn’t sure where to search or what to do. The police were combing through Eve’s social media presence for clues.
I paced in front of the couch for a moment while I sipped the hot beverage. I needed a plan. Actually, I needed a miracle. Too bad Martin Technologies wasn’t working on a time machine.
How did Eve trick us? Deciding that standing here feeling sorry for myself wasn’t a good use of my time, I went behind the computer. Her business credit card indicated she had gone to the UAE, but her phone records and the evidence found in Victor Landau’s hotel room said otherwise. How did she pull that off?
I checked her financials again, but she hadn’t used any of her cards, corporate or personal, since yesterday. I scanned the list of charges. The foreign charges included a hotel room, restaurant charges, deposits for catering, linens, the whole shebang. Who was the client?
Once I found his name, I picked up the phone. Her celebrity-influencer client didn’t speak to me, but his assistant did. “Eve Wyndham,” I repeated.
“Yes, I know Ms. Wyndham.”
“When was the last time you or your boss saw her?”
“A month ago. She introduced us to an intern she hired. The service we received and the party she planned were excellent. At first, we were concerned, but since Ms. Wyndham’s been busy planning her own wedding, we reluctantly allowed her protégé to take over.”
“Do you have a name?”
“Margaret Gillman.”
That sounded vaguely familiar, so I did a search, realizing the intern in question was Eve’s cousin. “I’m going to e-mail you a photo. Can you verify this is the same woman?”
“Yes, that’s her.”
“Thanks.” I hung up, phoned the precinct, and told them to bring Eve’s cousin in for questioning. I doubted they’d bothered to send units there. But if Eve had her cousin cover for her in the UAE, she might have swapped places and hid out at her house during the Dubai trip. Hell, Eve might be hiding out at her house right now while she came up with a better escape plan.
With nothing else to do but wait, I took the elevator up to see if Cross or Justin might be in. It was almost six a.m. So the chances were pretty good.
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out. Justin wasn’t at his desk. Most of the lights were off, but I saw a faint glow coming from inside Cross’s office. I moved closer and peered inside. Seated on the couch was a distraught Eve Wyndham.
“You son of a bitch.” I rested my hand on my gun as I moved into the room. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Cross looked up at me from behind his computer. “Alex, please.”
“The police are searching for her. You’re harboring a fugitive. This is illegal. She’s a killer.” Except with the mascara streaks running down her face and her trembling bottom lip, she didn’t look much like a killer. She looked terrified.
“Alex?” she gulped, confused. “What are you doing here?”
“I work here.” I stared at her. “And I’m working for the police as a consultant.”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” she insisted.
“So who did?” I blocked the door and scanned the room for something to restrain her until the police arrived. I’d seen a roll of duct tape on Justin’s desk the other day. Was it still there?
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Cross muttered.
“Colton Raine is dead.” I inched back the way I came, keeping my eye on Eve and Cross. At the moment, I didn’t necessarily trust either of them. “We found your lipstick on the wine bottle and your DNA on the condom beside his body.”
“I didn’t kill Colton.” She wiped at her eyes with trembling hands. “We had sex, but I didn’t kill him.”
“What about Victor Landau? Did you have sex with him too?”
She started to cry harder and pressed a hand against her mouth. She looked up at me. “Not Victor, but someone else. I don’t know his name. I just met him that one time at Victor’s party. He dressed like the Lone Ranger, mask and all.”
“Alex, this isn’t helping,” Cross warned.
“What about the other three? Or are there more?”
She squeezed her eyes closed. “I made a mistake.”
“Oh, I’d say so.” I didn’t see the tape, so I stood in the doorway and reached for my phone. “I’m calling this in.” I glanced at Cross. “We don’t conduct murder investigations, remember?”
Before either of them could say anything to the contrary, Cross’s phone rang. He hit the speaker button. “Yes? Did you find it yet?”
“No, sir. Something else came up. We have an emergency situation with the Clayborn case.”
“Clayborn?” he asked, reaching into his desk drawer and removing his gun.
“Yes, sir. You need to come down here now.”
“All right. Take it easy. I’ll be right there.”
Cross tucked the gun behind his back. “Alex, you’re right. The police will sort this out. You should take Eve to the station. I don’t trust the cops to do it. Go now. Straight to the lobby and out. Don’t stop for anything.”
“What?” Eve gasped. “You promised.”
“Things change.” Cross met my eyes. “Go. I have other business to handle.” He didn’t wait for me to answer before he stormed out of his office and down the stairs, leaving the elevator for my use.
Eve tried to run past me, but I shoved her back onto the couch and closed the door. Then I called O’Connell and told him I had Eve.
“You can’t do this. I’m innocent,” she insisted.
“Prisons are full of innocent people. I’m sure you’ll fit right in.” But Cross’s abrupt exit and strange behavior had triggered that nagging itch in the back of my brain. Something else was going on here. “Why did you come to Lucien for help?”
“Andre said he’d protect me.”
“So Andre knows you’re here?”
She nodded, looking even more frightened than before. She didn’t look at all like the in-control, work-focused, blushing bride-to-be that I’d been tailing for the last two weeks. “He told me to come here.”
“You called him? When? Tell me what happened tonight?” None of it was admissible in court, but I wasn’t a cop. And whatever she said to me right now would only further their investigation.
“Colton.” She sniffled, fidgeting with the strands of her hair.
“You cheated on your fiancé?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I had sex with Colton. I’m supposed to be getting married in three weeks. That’s why. I just snapped. I’ll never get to be touched by another man or adored or loved. No one will look at me like they want me and actually get me. I just…I wanted to feel wanted. To have that rush. That new thing that only happens with someone the first time.”
“But this isn’t the first time you’ve cheated.”
“No, it’s the second. I didn’t plan on doing it again. I thought I’d gotten it out of my system, but Colton was just so persuasive.”
“Who was the first? The Lone Ranger?”
“Yes.”
“At Victor Landau’s sex party?”
She bit her lip. “Yes.”
“He’s dead too. Did you know that?”
“I saw it on the news, but I didn’t kill Victor either. I didn’t even have sex with him.”
“What about the other sex parties you attended?”
“I didn’t participate. I just watched. I was curious.”
“And when the festivities were over, you thought you should kill the man of the hour for the hell of it?”
The blood drained from her face. “No. I’ve never killed anyone. I don’t even like squishing bugs.”
“The wine glasses link you to at least four sex parties, including Landau’s. Each one resulted in murder, just like Colton Raine’s murder tonight. Don
’t tell me that isn’t on you.”
“It isn’t.”
The scary part was I believed her, but she’d fooled me before. I didn’t trust my gut or my judgment. I’d been screwing up too much lately. “If that’s true, you must know who the killer is. You were at all five scenes. You’re the only person we can place with the victim around the time of the murder. So if it isn’t you, you have to give me something.”
“It wasn’t me. I swear to god, but I don’t know who it could be. No one else was there. Not tonight. Not with Colton. That was just us.” She sniffed, fighting to control herself. Her entire body shook as if she wanted to run but couldn’t. She wasn’t faking the fear. I just didn’t know if it was fear of being caught or of being wrongfully accused. “Colton convinced me to sneak out with him. It’d be fun. We could be bad. He teased that we might get caught. That turned him on, but it freaked me out. I love Andre. I do. I never wanted to hurt him. I just didn’t want to regret marrying him. That’s how this whole thing started. Colton and I met outside Spark. We went into the alley. I’ve never done anything like that before. It was exhilarating. When we were finished, he was very much alive.”
“Then what happened?”
“I pulled down my dress and left him to put himself back together. But he never came back to Spark. I found Andre and asked if he’d seen Colton, but Andre told me the police had been asking the guests who were leaving about Colton’s whereabouts and he heard one of them say he’d been killed. I freaked. That’s when Andre snuck me out the back, put me in a cab, and sent me here.”
“What time was that?”
“I don’t know? Around one or two. I didn’t notice the time.”
Her story didn’t make sense. And what made even less sense was my boss leaving his office with a gun to go talk to the guy’s downstairs in the lab. I checked his computer screen, finding the paper trail on several LLCs and other shell companies that had rented out room blocks in the hotels at the times and dates where the murders occurred. Now I knew why the name had sounded so familiar.
“Shit.” I went through Cross’s drawers until I found some cable ties. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was done screwing up. I bound Eve to the filing cabinet and locked Cross’s door. Grabbing my gun, I got into the elevator, wondering if this was one of my wackier nightmares because the world wasn’t usually this insane.
