by L. K. Hill
Kyra had nearly wet herself when she looked up to see Gabe standing over her. He was actually very pleasant to look at, but he was also a lot bigger than she was. Mostly, she just hadn’t expected him to be there, suddenly gazing down into her face. Her first, irrational thought upon seeing him was that it was all over—her cover blown, her goals shattered. Of course, that was ridiculous. Just a spastic thought brought on by the fear of finding herself face to face with him. Even if he realized who she really was, that wouldn’t mean her mission to find Manny was suddenly shot. At least, not necessarily. The next instant, after she’d already yelped and jumped away from him, it was obvious that he had no idea who she was.
She didn’t know why his failure to recognize her caused a pang of regret in her chest. She should be relieved he hadn’t realized, and she was. It meant that her Supra disguise was a good one. If even a detective, who was trained to remember faces, couldn’t see through it, there was little chance of anyone more dangerous figuring it out.
The contact information she’d given Cora was bogus. Once Nichols realized that, he’d suspect her of Kenny’s murder for sure, but she hadn’t known what else to do. The last thing she needed was the number of a cop to show up on her phone’s caller ID, especially if Norse was the kind of dictator that checked his employee’s phones, which she suspected he was. She’d have to disappear so the police couldn’t find her. She even considered switching hotels, but no one—not anyone on the Carlotta estate or even her family back home—had any idea where she was staying. She doubted the cops could trace her here.
She did have a second cell phone, but the only people who had that number were her family and a couple of close friends from home who might need to get a hold of her at some point. No one in Abstreuse City had it, so there was no way the cops could get it.
If she really wanted to disappear, she ought to ditch both cell phones and get new ones.
Kyra took a deep breath, telling herself not to be paranoid. There was no way the cops could figure out either of her numbers. Even as she thought it, a pang of guilt hit her. In any other circumstance, she’d be the one volunteering information to the cops. But she couldn’t afford to do that, now. Not with what she was really up to. No way the police would approve, and she couldn’t have them breathing down her neck.
For now, she had to go over everything she’d learned about the Carlottas and their connections to the Sons of Ares.
The fact that she’d gotten information from Kenny only days before his death had to be a coincidence. Didn’t it? She’d recorded their conversation and transcribed it that very night. On the off chance that it wasn’t a coincidence, she’d have to determine if anything Kenny said was worth killing him over. Nothing came to mind, but maybe she’d missed something.
After thinking it through logically, Kyra felt better. Feeling more calm, she put the van in reverse and pulled out of the lot. Time to go over that conversation with a fine-toothed comb.
Chapter 15
Just as Gabe had thought, he didn’t get a chance to go home and get any shut eye. As evening came on, he eventually left the crime scene and headed back to the station. Mrs. Carlotta, as well as most of the staff, was already there, giving statements and talking to the other detectives. Gabe needed to be updated on what had been learned so far.
As he entered the station, he caught sight of Shaun up the hall. When Shaun looked up, Gabe gave him a what’s-up nod. Shaun returned it, then slid his eyes toward his office. Gabe nodded and headed there.
It was ten minutes before Shaun joined him, but Gabe didn’t mind. It gave him a chance to organize his notes. When Shaun trudged into the room, he had Tyke and Cora in tow.
“Thought we’d have a quick powwow,” he said.
Gabe shrugged. “Fine by me. I need to hear from everyone. Been dealing with evidence at the scene. Did we locate Mr. Carlotta yet?”
“Yes,” Shaun answered. “He’s in L.A. on a business trip.”
Gabe frowned. “Did Mrs. Carlotta know about the trip?”
“She did,” Shaun nodded. “But when she was told that her husband was dead, and it happened in early morning, she just assumed he never made it to the airport.”
“So he just left this morning?”
Shaun nodded, but it was Tyke who spoke. “Based on the time of death the ME gave us, Kenny’s body was in that pool before Carlotta left the house.”
Gabe nodded. L.A. was only a two or three hour flight. “That makes him a viable suspect. So is he coming back from the trip?”
Tyke barked a laugh. “Not yet. We got through to his secretary, who confirmed he was in a meeting, but she refused to interrupt it to tell him. He called us when they took a break. Expressed his regrets and said he’d cooperate however he could, but as long as Mrs. Carlotta isn’t hurt, he’s refusing to cut his trip short. Says the meetings only last until the end of the day tomorrow and he’ll hop a flight directly after that.”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “I suppose that’s not too long. What else?”
Tyke shrugged. “Not much, yet. I’m going to go over the evidence and crime scene photos with Bailey; see if she can interpret some of it for us. Sent plenty of samples to the lab. Nothing’s had time to come back yet.”
Gabe nodded before glancing at Cora. “The staff’s being pretty tight-lipped. The only one that gave us anything useful was that woman that identified the body.”
“I heard about that,” Shaun said, perking up. “Where’d she come from?”
Gabe explained what he knew about Tanya Roberts and what happened on the estate. When he finished, Shaun grunted. “Sounds like she might be worth talking to again.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Gabe said. “I plan on calling her. Do you have her information, Cora?”
She was already digging for it and handed him a sheet of paper with a name, number, and address on it a moment later.
“I’m still talking with Mrs. Carlotta in the conference room,” Shaun said. “We’re going over all her financial information—and it’s a truckload. You want to sit in, Gabe?”
“Uh, yeah,” Gabe said, distracted by his notes. “Just give me a few minutes to sort my notes out and,” he glanced at Tanya’s contact information, “make a call or two.”
“That’s fine,” Shaun said. “Mrs. Carlotta is taking a dinner break anyway. We’ll start again in half an hour or so.”
“Okay. I’ll be there, Boss.”
He lumbered out of the room after Cora and Tyke, and followed them to their cluster of desks. After shuffling through everything and making three attempts to organize it into piles, he gave up.
There were two messages sitting on his computer’s keyboard that required him to call people and give them instructions. He did that first. Then his eyes fell on Tanya’s number again.
She wasn’t his most pressing concern, but he hadn’t been able to put her from his mind all day. That look she gave him just before she left…what did she know? What did she want to tell him? He wondered if she was done with her deliveries, yet. She hadn’t seemed keen on coming into the station, but the reason she’d given was work. If she was done—likely, as evening was coming on and she probably just worked days—maybe he could convince her to come in and speak with him again.
Deciding it was worth a shot, he picked up his phone and dialed the number Cora had written down.
“Leon’s Bakery, this is Margo. How can I help you?” a cheery voice said.
Gabe frowned. “Oh. Sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number.”
“No problem, Sir. Have a nice night.”
“Thank you.” Gabe ended the call and picked up the paper again. Cora leaned around her computer, frowning. Praying he’d just dialed carelessly, he called the number again, paying special attention to each digit this time.”
“Leon’s Bakery, this is Margo. How can I help you?”
Gabe sighed, frustration and curiosity warring in his chest. “Sorry, miss. I did it again.”
She laughed. “Can I help you with something?”
“You’re a bakery? Where are you located?”
The address she gave was on the seedier side of town, on the outskirts of the Carmichael district.
“Do you know a woman by the name of Tanya Roberts? Does anyone by that name work there?”
“Sorry. Never heard that name before.”
“Thank you for your time.”
“She fake-numbered us?!” Cora burst out as soon as he hung up.
“Ouch,” Tyke murmured.
Gabe rolled his eyes. “I knew she was hiding something.”
Cora scowled, as though the wrong number reflected on her.
“Will you two buck up a little?” Tyke asked, laughing. “This Tanya woman is obviously an idiot, just like all the other criminals.”
“What do you mean?” Gabe asked.
“She works for the Carlottas. Everyone there knew who she was. I’m sure they have her number and address and, you know, social security number on file somewhere.”
“Oh,” Gabe said, immediately feeling better. “That’s true.”
While Tyke chuckled and shook his head and chagrin pinched Cora’s face, Gabe lunged out of his chair to track down Mrs. Carlotta.
In the conference room, Mrs. Carlotta and a lean, bald man in a suit Gabe didn’t recognize sat nibbling at sandwiches in white foam containers that had obviously come from the deli across the way. They both looked up when he entered. Files and documents of every kind littered the conference table. Gabe recognized a few of them as financial statements. Shaun hadn’t made it to the room yet, but he’d said it would be a while before they began again.
Mrs. Carlotta was a handsome woman who was probably stunning in her younger years. Of Italian descent like her husband, she had thick, dark, hair that fell just below her shoulders, bold features, chocolate brown eyes, and an athletic build. She wore a lot of make-up, but knew how to apply it so that it accentuated her features. Her pant suit was expensive and perfectly tailored.
Gabe stuck out his hand to her when he entered the room. “Mrs. Carlotta? We haven’t met. I’m Gabe Nichols, lead detective on your case.”
She gave him a tight smile and shook his hand. “Sergeant Thatcher said I’d meet you at some point.”
Gabe turned to the bald man who gazed back at him, but didn’t offer a hand. “I’m Donald Tracer, Mrs. Carlotta’s accountant.”
“Nice to meet you.” Gabe offered his hand but Tracer simply looked at it, then back down at his food. Even that got a disdainful sniff from him.
Probably not used to eating out of a to-go box.
Gabe sat down in a vacant chair. “Mrs. Carlotta. I know Sergeant Thatcher is going over your finances with you, but I wanted to ask you about one of your employees.”
Mrs. Carlotta’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Which one?”
“She’s not in trouble,” Gabe said quickly. “She actually spoke with us this morning. She was very forthcoming and I wanted to speak with her again, but we…forgot to take down her number. Her name is Tanya Roberts.” He didn’t know why he lied about the number, or why he felt the need to defend her against Mrs. Carlotta’s suspicions.
“Tanya was at the house this morning?” Mrs. Carlotta asked.
“She dropped off an order for you. You were so distraught; we didn’t think you’d want to see her. Actually, it was she who identified the body as Kenny and not your husband.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that.” Mrs. Carlotta’s face softened. “Donald, be a dear and stick your head into the hall and tell Caleb to come here.”
Looking supremely annoyed at the request, Tracer glared at Mrs. Carlotta before rising. She didn’t seem to notice. Gabe refrained from shaking his head as Tracer left the table. He’d never understood men like that. As wealthy as the Carlottas were, the accountant they kept on retainer probably made more in a month than Gabe made in a year, and yet he couldn’t be bothered to do his employer a kind service?
“Who’s Caleb?” he asked Mrs. Carlotta, as Tracer moved toward the door.
“He’s my head of staff. Makes sure all the mundane, day-to-day details of the household run smoothly. He’s the one to talk to if you need to know anything about the staff.”
Gabe nodded. “Tell me about Tanya. You seem to like her.”
Mrs. Carlotta smiled, and it seemed genuine. “She’s such a dear. Always kind, friendly, gives me good, sensible advice. Never simpers because I’m rich or tries to sell me garbage just to make a sale.”
“She sells you…cosmetics, right?”
“Yes, but we often talk of other things too…fashion, jewelry, mostly girly stuff. I liked her right away because she indulges my passion for it—can even get excited about it herself—but she’s so sensible about it, so logical, she makes me feel less guilty about having such a frivolous hobby.”
Gabe smiled. “Everyone should indulge in hobbies sometimes.” She gave him a grateful smile. “What else can you tell me about her? Is she local?”
Mrs. Carlotta hesitated. “I believe so. Honestly, I don’t know much about her personal life. She rarely speaks about herself.”
“And yet you trust her, even not knowing her very well?”
Mrs. Carlota smiled. “Detective, in your job you have to learn to make quick judgments about people. Haven’t you ever met someone and five minutes later you know you can trust them with anything? That’s how Tanya is. She puts people at their ease, makes them want to trust her. I know my money and business are safe with her. I know if there was ever a problem she’d just come to me, tell me what it was, and then help me solve it. By far one of the most trustworthy, capable employees I have.”
Gabe nodded thoughtfully. What Mrs. Carlotta said about Tanya making people want to trust her? He’d felt that way after speaking with Tanya that morning. It was true that as a detective he had to judge character, but he was also required to remain suspicious. He couldn’t afford to trust anyone he met in connection with a case off the bat because anyone could be a suspect. Still, he knew exactly what Mrs. Carlotta meant.
A towering, totem-thin man with pale skin, fiery orange hair and freckles to match entered the conference room. His movements managed to be both stiff and elegant at the same time, reminding Gabe of nothing so much as a proper English butler.
“Detective, this is Caleb Smith, my head of staff,” Mrs. Carlotta said.
Gabe stood and shook the man’s hand as Tracer returned to his seat by Mrs. Carlotta. Gabe only came up to Caleb’s shoulder, but still outweighed him by fifty or sixty pounds. The man was a bean pole.
“Detective Nichols needs Tanya Roberts’ number, Caleb.”
“Of course.” Caleb drew a black, zippered case Gabe hadn’t noticed before from under his arm. He unzipped it, revealing a tablet computer.
It was then that Shaun came into the room, his nose buried in a file. When he looked up to find the room crowded with four people, rather than just the two he’d expected, his eyebrows rose.
“I’m just getting some contact information about an employee from Mrs. Carlotta’s head of staff,” Gabe explained, nodding toward Caleb, who threw Shaun a polite smile without entirely taking his eyes from his tablet.
Shaun nodded, though his look said he knew Gabe must be following a lead that was more complex than that and Gabe would be explaining it to him later.
Caleb was taking his time finding Tanya’s information, and the silence in the room grew awkward as Shaun, Tracer, and Mrs. Carlotta all stared at him and Gabe.
“Uh, tell you what,” Gabe directed his comments at Mrs. Carlotta. “Why don’t Caleb and I step outside so you can get back to speaking with Sergeant Thatcher? Go ahead and start without me,” he said to Shaun. “I’ll join you soon. Just want to ask Caleb a few questions.”
“Are you sure everything’s okay, Detective?” Mrs. Carlotta frowned worriedly again.
“Fine, Ma’am. I just don’t want to keep you from this,” he motioned to the file-strew
n table, “when Caleb can fill me in on all the mundane details himself.”
Shaun gave him another what-are-you-up-to look, but said nothing.
In the hall, Caleb furnished a number and address, both markedly different than the one Tanya gave Cora—not just a single wrong digit, then—and turned a concerned gaze on Gabe.
“Is Tanya in some kind of trouble?”
“Not yet,” Gabe said carefully. “Is there some reason you think she might be?”
“No,” Caleb zipped his tablet back into its case. “On the contrary. She’s a joy to work with. Not the kind of person who gets into trouble. She keeps her head down, does her job. She’s helpful. And she wouldn’t have done anything to Kenny. They were friends.”
“So I’ve heard,” Gabe said wryly. “Can you tell me more about that? They were…chummy?”
Caleb gave him a soft smile, as though remembering an inside joke. “Well, on her part, anyway.”
“What does that mean?” Gabe asked.
“Kenny had a major crush on Tanya.”
Gabe raised an eyebrow. “She didn’t reciprocate?”
Caleb shook his head. “You’ve got to understand something about Kenny. He was a supremely nice guy, but definitely a ladies’ man. Most of the ladies loved him because he was so sweet to them, but he was king of the one-night stand. Tanya’s just not that kind of girl. She was out of his league. Don’t get me wrong, they were still friends. She never shut him down completely or was unkind about it. She just wasn’t taken in by Kenny at all.”
“So how did she handle it, then?”
Caleb shrugged. “I only saw them together a time or two, so I couldn’t say how she always handled it, but from what I saw, she just joked with him, even flirted back, but then patted him on the head and went on her way.”
Gabe smiled. He could just imagine that. “And how did Kenny take that?”
“He took it in stride. He was tenacious, though. Turned the charm up to eleven every time she set foot on the grounds.”
