Alan sat down next to me. I hadn’t even seen him walk in. He put his hand on mine and said, “Hi, sexy, what’s got you so deep in thought?”
I laughed. “You must have a really warped definition of sexy.” I couldn’t tell him about Arnie’s threat without revealing the sexual harassment complaint, and I’d promised not to talk about it until I could meet with Doris, so I told him about the break-in at my house last night.
“I hope you didn’t stay there.” His hand still covered mine.
It felt warm and comforting, but after learning about Monica’s offers, I was uncomfortable with any show of affection in such a public place. I didn’t need any rumors circulating about me right now. I tried to gently withdraw my hand, but he held on. “No, I stayed with Charlene and Evan.”
“You think they were looking for something?” His thumb rubbed circles on the back of my hand.
“That’s what it looked like, and that’s what Delgado believed.”
“What was he doing there?” He released my hand.
I put both of them in my lap. “He came with the police. I guess he was at the station when the call came in and thought it might have something to do with the investigation.” I sounded defensive even to me.
He grunted his disbelief. “Probably just used it as an excuse to come see you.”
“What . . . no, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. Trust me. Delgado has absolutely no interest in me.” I said it with confidence.
“Val, you’re a smart lady, but when it comes to recognizing someone coming on to you, you’re a little dense. So forgive me if I don’t trust your instincts on this one.” He looked into my eyes.
Okay, I got it. He was interested. I looked down. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t change the fact that it was still against the rules. Because of that, I didn’t want to explore my feelings for him any further. I loved my job, not just what I did, but working here for Tony. I wasn’t ready to jeopardize that for a maybe. I got up to leave. “I have to get back to work.”
He stood too. “Hey, I’m sorry. Let me walk you back. I have some things I’d like to discuss with you.”
I wasn’t anxious to have another run in with Arnie, so I didn’t object. Once we were out of the cafeteria, we walked outside to escape the noise. The heat radiating off the sidewalk felt good compared to the frigid air inside. We stayed in the shadow of the building.
“Yesterday afternoon, one of my officers was seen going into an empty guest room and staying awhile. I’m pulling the security tapes of the hallway, and the room TV information. I suspect he was watching an adult channel.”
I laughed. “It wouldn’t be the first time.” We’d just terminated two surveillance officers we’d caught watching porn videos instead of monitoring the casino floor.
Then he asked, “What’s this about Monica and Rose’s husband?”
While we walked back to my office, I told him the whole story about Rose catching them in her bed and kicking Danny out. I also told him about what Angie and Linda told me about Monica’s offers to prostitute herself and fix problems for something in return. “You didn’t know about any of this?” I asked. When he shook his head, I persisted, “You’re usually the first one to hear the rumors. Apparently this wasn’t a real well-kept secret.”
He stopped and looked at me. “If I had known about any of this, I would have told you.” I nodded and we continued to walk.
“Getting back to the break in, did Monica ever give you anything to hold for her?”
“No. That’s what is so strange. I hadn’t even talked to her this week. Obviously we weren’t all that close since I didn’t have a clue what was going on.”
He stopped in front of the doors to HR, took me by the shoulders, and told me to be careful, waiting until I had gone in and relocked the doors before he left.
Back at my desk, I started sifting through the mail when I heard someone pounding on the glass doors of the foyer. Delgado stood outside, looking like a male model straight from the pages of GQ.
I stopped just inside the doors so he could see me. Putting both hands in front of me, I shrugged and yelled through the glass, “I’m sorry. I promised Charlene I wouldn’t let anyone in.”
He rolled his eyes and held up his badge.
I motioned for him to wait a moment. Then I walked slowly back to my office to get the keys to the door, taking several deep breaths to slow down the pounding of my heart that just the sight of him always produced. I told myself it didn’t mean anything; it was just my natural appreciation for masculine beauty, like looking at an exquisite statue, except I don’t remember ever having that reaction to a statue. Since that wasn’t working, I reminded myself that he was already afraid I was becoming one of those infatuated women he probably had to fend off on a regular basis. That worked. I had too much pride to become a Delgado groupie. By the time I opened the door and let him in, I was in control, or at least as much control as possible. His first words solidified my resolve.
“What the hell, are you doing here?”
“And good afternoon to you too,” I said, turning and walking back to my office.
He grabbed my arm, and pulled me around to face him. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I jerked my arm out of his grasp and continued walking. “I am trying to get some work done,” I said through gritted teeth. I took a deep breath and tried for a more reasonable tone. “As you can see, I have taken the precaution of locking the doors. You’re the only person I have let in.” Back in my office, I walked around the desk and sat down, effectively putting the desk between us.
He took a deep breath as well, but he was still glaring at me. “I guess it never occurred to you that whoever killed that girl has a key to this office.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
His tone was harsh with an edge of sarcasm, “Since we never found the murdered woman’s keys, it only reasonable to assume the murderer may have them, which would include a key to this office . . .,” I must have gasped because he stopped to look at me.
“You don‘t have Monica‘s keys?” I asked.
Emotions flitted across his face as understanding dawned. “Oh, shit . . . I never told you that we couldn’t find her keys or her cell phone, did I?” He sat down running a hand through his hair, ruining his usual well-groomed perfection. Unfortunately, it just made him look more desirable.
“No. I just assumed you were keeping them as a part of the evidence,” I said quietly.
He sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually go around growling at people. There’s something about you that brings out the worst in me.”
Suddenly I was livid. I stood and came around my desk to face him. “You put me in danger by failing to give me a vital piece of information, and then you imply that your boorish behavior is somehow my fault?”
A pulse throbbed in his temple, his jaw tightened. Standing as well, he growled, “I would have remembered to tell you, if you weren’t always distracting me.”
Hands on my hips, my face inches from his, I snarled, “Exactly how am I distracting you, Detective?”
Instead of answering, he grabbed me around the waist, pulled me to him, and kissed me hard on the mouth.
I was so shocked that my brain refused to work. My body, however, was having no difficulty responding. My arms just naturally encircled his neck. I kissed him back, lips parting, my body hugging his, leaning in as close as possible. No one had ever stirred that kind of passion in me until now. I doubt that I could have stopped if I wanted to.
Apparently, he had more control, because after a few minutes, he broke the kiss and pulled back.
I opened my eyes.
He looked as stunned as I felt. His voice was husky when he said, “Every time I get near you, that’s all I have been able to think about. Wondering how you would taste.”
The best I could manage was, “Oh.” I knew I should have had some sexy Lauren Bacall comeback like, “Did it meet your expe
ctations?” and then he could have said, “It was even better,” but I was still having trouble just breathing. My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure he could hear it.
We just stood there looking at each other until he said, “We need to get out of here. Go someplace public.”
I nodded. Still a little unsteady, I walked back around my desk and grabbed my purse and keys.
With his hand on my elbow, we went out the front door to where he'd parked his car. I was expecting the discreet black cruiser parked outside my house the night before. Instead, he led me to a silver Porsche convertible, opening the passenger door for me. He drove a short way down the strip and pulled into a fast food restaurant.
It was perfect. It’s hard to feel sexy sitting on plastic seats surrounded by windows with kids laughing in the background. Suddenly I was ravenous. I ordered the works, cheeseburger, fries, and a large coke. He ordered two burgers, large fries and a large coffee. We took our food to a table next to the window as far away from the play area as possible. For a while, we ate without talking. I think we were both feeling a little awkward.
Finally, he looked up and said, “We need to talk about the case. I want to make sure there’s nothing else I’ve neglected to tell you.”
I agreed. “I have stuff I need to tell you too.”
“Like what?” He said, sitting back and sipping his coffee.
“You know about Monica sleeping with Rose’s husband?”
He nodded munching on a French fry.
“Well, apparently she wasn’t very exclusive with her favors and was a big fan of the barter system.” He looked confused so I explained, “I talked to a couple of the directors who told me that when their supervisors came to her with a problem, she offered to make the problems go away for something in return. The ones I talked to declined her offer, so I don’t know what she had in mind, but, rumor has it, she also offered sex for a price. You probably couldn’t tell from her corpse, but she was a beautiful woman. I would be surprised if somebody didn’t take her up on her offers.”
He crossed his arms, looking up thoughtfully. “That explains her bank account.”
“I don’t understand.”
He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. “She had several cash deposits not explained by the salary she was earning.” Taking out a pen and notepad he said, “You realize I‘m going to need the names of the people who told you this.”
I nodded. Tony was not going to like it, but I couldn’t see any way around it. I gave him Angie and Linda’s names and phone numbers, vowing silently to call first and give them a heads up. “I have one more name for you. I think I know who the AW on her calendar is.” I hesitated. I’d promised not to discuss the sexual harassment claim, but it wasn’t fair not to give Delgado all the information I had. I try very hard not to accuse anyone, including a scumbag like Arnie, of anything that I couldn’t prove. Still, this was a murder case and Delgado was a police officer. I watched enough TV to know that holding back information was what got people killed. Besides, if I didn’t tell him now and he found out later, he’d kill me himself.
I blurted out, “Arnie Waters. He’s a pit boss on the casino floor. When I talked to his boss, Lou Bushold, today he said that he couldn’t think of any reason why Arnie would come to Human Resources. Arnie saw me talking to Lou and followed me down the stairs to the cafeteria. He said if I didn’t stay out of his business and keep my mouth shut, the same thing that happened to Monica would happen to me.”
Delgado had stuffed the notebook and pen back in his pocket, grabbed my hand, and was dragging me out the door to the car.
He looked angry again. “I don’t believe you. A guy practically admits to killing someone and threatens you, and you’re just now telling me.” He opened the passenger door and practically pushed me in before slamming it shut. He climbed in his side and started the engine. Before I could say anything, he was on the phone asking Detective Long to join him in security.
I put my hand on his arm. “Wait. There were no witnesses. He’ll just deny he said it.”
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“He’s probably still working. Do you want me to point him out to you?”
“Absolutely not,” he growled. He drove into the hotel-parking garage, screeching to a stop next to my car. “What I want is for you to go back to the Larsen’s and stay there until I call you. I mean it, Val. Do not go home, do not collect your cleaning, no detours of any kind. Promise me.”
He grabbed my arm as I tried to open the door.
“Fine. I promise.” He got out and stood there until I got into my car, started it, and drove off. I could see him running for the elevator in my rear view mirror. He may not have realized it, but that was the first time he said my name. He had a deep sexy voice, and when he said my name, my heart did a little flip. Once he was no longer in sight, I was able to think of other things. I might have promised to go straight to Charlene’s house, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t at least try to save my job on the way there. I dug my Blue Tooth out of my purse at the first stop light and called the hotel. Thankfully, Tony was in his office. I gave him a heads up on the interview that was about to take place with Arnie, and filled him in on Monica. As I expected he was not happy that the investigation centered on the hotel, but he didn’t seem upset with me. Angie and Linda had left, but the hotel operator rang their homes so I was able to speak to both of them. They were not happy either. I’d be lucky if anyone was still speaking to me on Monday. Once Alan found out that I told Delgado about Arnie before I told him, I could probably cross him off my Christmas list as well. Lastly, I called Charlene to let her know I was on my way.
***
A waft of heavenly aroma hit me the minute Charlene opened the door. “What’s that smell?”
“I’m baking cookies. Come on back.” A large apron hung from her neck to her knees, wrapped around her, and tied in the front. It completely covered the tan slacks and a green top she’d been wearing that morning. I followed her back to the kitchen where cookies lay cooling on every surface.
“Are you having a bake sale?” I said as I slid on to one of the counter stools.
“No. I was just in the mood to bake. Trust me. These probably won’t last out the week. What would you like? I have chocolate chip, peanut butter, or oatmeal raisin.
“Peanut butter.”
She took out a plate and loaded it with four cookies. “Milk?”
“Why not?”
She took out two short glasses, poured milk in both, and then came and sat beside me. “Okay, now tell me everything.”
So, I told her about Arnie’s threat. “Delgado and his partner are interviewing him now.”
She put down the cookie she’d been munching and wiped her hands. “I figured Delgado would show up there. He called here to check on you and seemed very unhappy when I told him you were alone at the office.”
I dipped the warm cookie into the milk. “He thought I was being irresponsible, until he realized I didn’t know they couldn’t find Monica’s keys. By the way, remind me to call and have the locksmiths change all the locks.”
She nodded and then because she was very perceptive she asked, “What else happened?”
I stalled, eating another cookie. She waited. The look in her eye told me she knew there was more and she wouldn’t let up until I told her. “We were yelling at one another and then suddenly he kissed me.”
She clapped her hands. “I knew he was interested, and you wouldn’t believe me. How was it? Tell me everything. Don’t leave out any details. How did it feel? Come on I have no love life. I have to live vicariously through you.” She leaned forward eagerly.
“What do you mean you have no love life? You’re married to a great man who adores you.”
She snorted. “And I feel like a nun in a convent.”
“Why? Is there something wrong with Evan? Is he sick? You don’t think he’s running around on you, do you?”
“It’s n
othing like that. Evan is fine, well . . . not really fine, if anything he’s even more desperate than I am. I’m pretty sure he’s not running around . . . yet.” The oven timer rang. She walked over and pulled out another pan of cookies.
“Let me get this straight. You’re married and living together in the same house, but you’re still not getting any? What’s the problem?”
She cleared a space and then carefully lifted each cookie from the pan with a spatula and set it on a paper towel to cool. “You’ve obviously never lived in a house with teenagers.”
“So . . .?
Dumping the pan in the sink, she sighed. “When they were little, they went to bed early, and then we had time for ourselves. Sometimes on the weekends when they’d take a nap, we take a nap. Then they got older and they didn’t go to bed as early. By the time they were asleep, so were we. Still sometimes on the weekends, when they were watching cartoons or playing, we’d go upstairs and take a nap. Until one day, when Patty was about twelve, we announced we were going to take a nap and she said, ‘You’re not taking a nap.’
“I said ‘What do you think we’re doing?’ She rolled her eyes and said, ‘You know.’ We haven’t you knowed in the afternoon since. There’s just something about having your kids aware that puts a damper on things.”
“But they’re teenagers now. They must spend a lot of time out of the house.”
“You’d think, wouldn’t you? Somehow, they’re never out of the house at the same time. It’s as if they’ve agreed that someone always needs to be home with us. I swear they coordinate.”
I laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
She shook her head. “I wish. Even if they say they’ll be gone all evening, you can’t count on it. The other night, Lincoln had a date and Patty was supposed to be spending the night at a friend’s house. Evan and I heated up the Jacuzzi and poured a couple of glasses of wine. No kids around. No need for bathing suits. Then Patty tromps in with three of her friends in tow saying they decided to move the party to our house so they could use the Jacuzzi.”
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