The sweet voice jerked him from staring at his computer as he looked up at Brittany. She dressed like she did every day—wearing mouth-watering dark blue jeans that hugged her hips—and a nice blouse and her sensible walking shoes. And always, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. But there was something different about her countenance. There was a certain twinkle in her brown eyes, and a lift to her heart-shaped lips.
Silently, he cheered. He’d bet anything that she looked this way because of the kiss they’d shared last night. He definitely had a bounce in his step and happiness in his heart because of their kiss.
“Yes, I’m ready.” He pushed away from the desk and stood. “Are you driving or do you want me?”
“I’ll drive.” She jiggled her keys.
He smiled. He liked when she drove, mainly because it gave him more time to admire her profile. Plain and simple, he loved just watching her.
“Have you heard anything about the other suspects?” she asked, climbing into the car.
As soon as he sat and tightened his seatbelt around him, he turned toward her. “Yes. We know that Robert Phipps and Kevin Shupe are pricey lawyers. Both Reeder and Chad Johnson are wealthy. Tim Beaton is a congressman, and Lenny Lytle is the mayor’s son. Each man except one has an alibi.”
“Has the alibi’s been checked out?” Brittany asked without looking at him as she merged into traffic.
“Yes, and they all seem legit. But, Britt…Reeder is the only one who hasn’t given us his alibi.”
Her jaw hardened, and her fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “I got it last night.”
Kurt held his breath as his heart began to slowly crumble. “You…went without me?”
“Kurt,” her shoulders sagged, but she continued to keep her eyes on the road. “I had a gut feeling that Austin wasn’t guilty, so last night after I left you, I went to see him. I…” Her throat lurched. “I told him the truth about my identity.”
“You what?” Anger rose inside him and he fisted his hands. Several times during their year-long partnership, he’d wanted to shake some sense into the headstrong woman. Now was certainly one of those moments.
“I would have told him eventually. You know how I feel about lying.”
He gritted his teeth. “Did he give you his alibi before or after you told him the truth?”
“After.”
Inwardly, he growled. “Britt, how do you know he didn’t lie?”
“Kurt,” her fingers moved on the steering wheel as if she was trying to choke something, “I know you have something against Austin, but I feel deep in my gut that he didn’t lie.”
“What was his alibi?” he snapped.
“Remember when I told you that he’d been in a merger that had lasted forty-eight hours, and that’s the reason he was in his penthouse suite that particular afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“Well, before the merger started, he was having breakfast with some of his board members. That’s where he was around the time Hillary Banks was killed.”
“Make sure you get a list of names of these board members so we can check Reeder’s alibi.”
“Seriously, Kurt?” She shook her head. “I honestly can’t believe you don’t trust my word, or my feelings.”
“And I can’t believe,” he countered back, “that you’d go behind my back to get his alibi. We are supposed to be a team and do this together.”
She sat in silence as she drove. He hoped she was thinking about his words. He just couldn’t let this one go. Proving Austin’s guilt was necessary now. How else could he prove to Brittany how wrong she’d been about the guy?
“What worries me,” he continued, “is you’re letting Reeder’s handsome face, buff body, and especially, his bank account, sway your thoughts. He’s just a normal man, you know. He’s not some Greek God women like to put on a pedestal. He makes mistakes just like the rest of us.”
Finally, she briefly looked away from the road to toss him a scowl. “Kurt, what has that man ever done to you? Why are you acting this way?”
“I’m trying to make you see that just because he smiles pretty, doesn’t make him higher-than-thou perfect. He may just be our killer. You just never know.”
Grumbling, she turned into a parking lot, eyeing the strip of businesses. One of the signs read: Isabella’s Escort Service.
“We’re here,” she clipped.
They walked into the building without speaking a word to each other. Perhaps the only way to convince Brittany that she was allowing her attraction to run her thoughts instead of her head, was to hold her and kiss her as he’d done last night.
The blonde bombshell with a shapely figure and low-cut blouse that showed an ample view of her bosom, sitting at the receptionist’s desk, smiled up at them. Kurt was surprised that her bright red lipstick wasn’t smudged on her white teeth.
“Good morning,” she said almost seductively. “Welcome to Isabella’s Escort Service. How may I help you?”
Both Kurt and Brittany flashed their badges. Kurt began, “We’re SPD Detectives, and we’d like to talk to the owner of this establishment.”
The woman’s eyes grew wide. “Umm…well, Mr. Martin is not here at the moment. Can I schedule you an appointment to meet with him?”
“No,” Brittany quickly answered. “You can tell us when he’ll be in next so we can come back.”
“Well, umm…let me check his calendar.” Her hand shook as she scrolled through the computer screen. “It looks like he’ll be back around four thirty.”
Kurt exchanged glances with Brittany and slowly shook his head. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the photo of Hillary Banks. He showed it to the receptionist. “What do you know about this woman?”
“I…umm, I don’t know anything.”
Brittany rolled her eyes. “How long have you worked for this office?”
“About five years.”
“Then you know her.” Brittany pointed to the picture. “Because she worked for this escort service up until about two years ago. And by my calculations, that would mean she would have worked here while you were here.”
Color disappeared from the woman’s face. Kurt guessed this woman to be in her early twenties. He pushed the picture closer to the woman. Her gaze narrowed as if she were studying the picture. It was obvious by the woman’s expression, that she knew Hillary.
“Oh, yes.” The woman gave a faux laugh. “That’s Hillary Banks. I remember her now.”
Brittany smiled and slowly nodded. “I’m relieved to know your memory returned so quickly.”
The woman’s gaze moved to Kurt. She leaned forward on the desk, giving him a peek show of her plunging neckline. She batted her fake eyelashes and gave him another toothy smile. “What do you want to know about Hillary? She hasn’t been around this place in like forever.”
“Define for me your phrase, in like forever.” He arched an eyebrow. “How long exactly is that?”
She laughed in a flirty way and flipped a lock of her blonde hair over her shoulder. “It means, handsome, that once she quit, she hasn’t been back since.”
He’d known so many women like this one. They believed all they had to do was show a man a little skin, pout, and bat their eyelashes, and they’d get anything. That’s definitely not how he liked to work.
“When she worked here,” he continued, “did she have a lot of clients?”
She gave that faulty laugh again. “Oh, detective, you must not know the way things work in this office. The girls don’t own their clients. Men—or women—come in here seeking companionship, and we assign them to the type of woman—or man—that fits them best.”
“So let me rephrase that,” Kurt said, “I need a list of clients that were assigned to Hillary a lot.”
She giggled. “I’m sorry, detective, but I can’t give you that.”
Brittany stepped closer to the woman and glared. “You will once we get a warrant.”
The receptionist scowled and pulled back. �
��Then I’ll wait until you can present me one.”
Kurt motioned his head toward the door, silently communicating with Brittany. She turned and walked away from the desk. He glanced back at the receptionist. “Tell Mr. Martin we’ll be back at four thirty with a warrant to get the records we need.”
When he turned back to Brittany, she stood next to the door, studying some photos on the wall. Most of the pictures were that of the outdoor, but in two of them, was the same man. She waited until he stopped by her side before she led them outside and toward the door.
“I’ve seen that man in the photo before,” Brittany said once they were far enough away from the building. “I also believe I’ve seen that woman, too.”
“The ditzy receptionist?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I’m not sure just yet. I’ll think about it.”
She hurried to the car and climbed inside. Once he was in, she looked at him. “I think we’re going to need that search warrant.”
“Me, too. Let’s just hope we can convince Judge Peterson. She’s hardheaded.”
Brittany chuckled. “Oh, Kurt. She has always liked you. I bet all you have to do is bat your eyes at Judge Peterson, and she’ll issue that warrant.”
Grinning, he shook his head. “I’m not wearing the shirt with the low neckline.” He batted his eyes.
Brittany snorted and started the car. “I just worry that it might be too late. What if Miss Ditz inside deletes all of Hillary’s clients?”
“Then we’ll arrest her for tampering with evidence.”
“Oh, let’s hope that happens,” Brittany said with a laugh. “I really want to bust that woman for something.”
“If I had my way, I’d bust her for indecent exposure.”
She laughed and placed her hand on the gear shift, but Kurt reached up to stop her. When her eyes met his, he leaned in closer.
“I like this.”
“Like what?” she asked in a small voice.
“I like being silly with you. I like that I can make you smile, and I love it when you can make me laugh.”
Her smile relaxed. “I’ve always enjoyed these moments, too.”
“I want more of them.”
Sighing, she sank back in the seat, resting her fingers on the bottom of the steering wheel. She stared at her fingers instead of looking at him.
“Kurt, I don’t want to fight with you anymore. I don’t want to argue about who is guilty and who is innocent. I want us both to look at the evidence and use that as our guide to which perp needs to be brought in.”
He touched her chin, moving her face toward his. When her eyes locked with his, he nodded. “I can do it if you can.”
“I can do it.”
“Good. And now that we have that out of the way, there’s one more thing I want to discuss.”
“What’s that?”
“This.” He closed the space between them and placed his lips on hers. She sucked in a quick breath, but within moments, relaxed. As she moved her lips back and forth with his, he slipped an arm around her waist. He knew this wasn’t the place to make-out, even though it would be enjoyable. But he just needed a kiss. This one—as short as it was—would suffice for now.
He pulled away, adjusted his seat, and pulled on his seatbelt. “Where to next?”
“Back to the station. We have some evidence to go over, again, and more people to interview today.”
He nodded. “Excellent plan.”
Deep in his heart, he knew things would work out with him and Brittany. All they needed was to communicate better.
FOURTEEN
Voices of Austin’s board members filled the room in heavy discussion about the upcoming takeover, but Austin couldn’t concentrate. He hadn’t stopped thinking about Brittany, especially now that she told him about being a police detective. How didn’t he see that? Apparently, she was a really good actress…or he was extremely naïve.
Part of him wanted to trust her with all of his heart, but there was always that niggle of doubt in the back of his mind. Life’s experiences taught him that the police force treated wealthy people differently. For some reason, they had it in their minds that wealthy people tend to ignore the law. Austin worried Brittany would have this attitude, as well.
Why he had fallen so fast—and hard—for this amazing woman, he didn’t know. It would certainly break his heart if he couldn’t trust her.
Yesterday, he’d wanted to confess something to her about his relationship with Hillary Banks, but once Brittany had admitted her true identity, he didn’t dare say anything. Not now. Not until he knew without a doubt, that he could trust her.
And then there was the problem with Kurt Hamill. Austin would never trust that particular cop. Austin had learned a long time ago who was trustworthy and who would stab him in the back with a sharp blade. Kurt Hamill was the type of man who would run Austin over in a car, and then back up and drive over him again, just for pure satisfaction.
Finally, at long last, the board meeting ended. Austin stuffed his files inside his leather briefcase and moved away from the table. He didn’t want to chat with the others, so he made his apologies and quickened his step, hurrying out of the building. Just before reaching his charcoal colored, classic 911 SC Porsche, his cell rang. He checked the caller ID. What was Derek calling him for?
“Hello,” Austin answered.
“Hey. Can you talk?”
“Briefly. What’s up?”
“I have another girl I want to set you up with.”
Austin grinned. “Thanks for thinking about me, but I’m good.”
“What do you mean you’re good? Did you and that Brittany woman hook up?”
“Yes, we did.”
“And…you’re not tired of her yet?”
Austin wanted to laugh out loud, but his friend was probably used to calling him every week to set him up with a new woman.
“No, Derek. Brittany Russell is a fascinating woman. I think I’ll keep her around just a little longer.”
Silence hung on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. Then Derek gasped. “Russell? Did you say her last name was Russell?”
“Yes, why?”
Derek muttered a cuss. “Reeder, I can’t believe it! Just a few moments ago, a woman by that name came along with a male detective, and dropped by my place to ask questions about you and Hillary Banks.”
“What?” Stunned, Austin stood frozen by his car with the door open. “Why would they talk to you?”
Derek huffed. “Because I guess you had mentioned my name as someone who sets you up with women. They think I’m a pimp or something.”
Austin wanted to laugh, but he refrained. He was too upset to find humor in Derek’s new title. It infuriated Austin to think Brittany and her idiot partner had the nerve to question Derek! What possible evidence would Derek have had?
“I’ll handle this,” Austin snapped and climbed into his car. “Those detectives have stepped way over the line this time.”
“So Reeder? What’s going on? Do they really suspect you in that murder case just because you knew Hillary?”
“Derek, I’ll talk to you later. Right now, I need to find someone and get the answers myself.” Austin clicked off the phone without waiting for his friend’s reply.
Anger fueled his actions, and he stomped on the gas pedal, going faster than what he should. Zipping in and out of traffic, he focused on one thing. Finding Brittany.
~*~*~*~
Brittany walked into her apartment and closed the door. Leaning against the thick piece of wood, she blew out a sigh of despair. She had threw herself into her job today, mainly to keep her mind off Austin and Kurt, and the confusing feelings she’d experienced with them lately.
Kurt’s words this morning had got her thinking, which at this point in a relationship, could be very dangerous. Had she fallen in love with Austin because he was rich? Was it because of his incredible good looks and charm? She had
never fallen for a man so quickly, so why had she done it this time?
Rubbing her throbbing head, she walked into her living room and plopped down onto the couch. She’d been too busy to think of her feelings for these two men, but now she was exhausted from everything she’d accomplished. The detectives in the precinct had interviewed more people, and from these interviews, they’d gotten more leads. But they still weren’t any closer to finding Hillary Bank’s killer.
Kurt, Tyrone and Gibbs leaned more toward Austin and Chad Johnson, mainly because they were rich. She happened to think the congressman’s son, Tim Beaton, had a questionable alibi. None of these men—save for one—admitted to have paid for Hillary’s services. Was Austin the only honorable man on the precinct’s list of suspects?
Nothing made sense. While she was interviewing leads, Kurt tried to find out everyone in Seattle that might have a collection of medieval weapons. The medical examiner had the broken piece, so all they needed to do was to find the rest of the weapon in hopes of catching the murderer.
Around four-thirty, they had returned to Isabella’s Escort Service, only to find it had been closed for the day. Figures. Both she and Kurt knew that escort business was hiding something. Apparently, they were trying to conceal the owner, Mr. Martin. What other things have they disclosed?
A knock came upon the door. Hesitantly, she trudged across the room to see who had come. Instead of looking through the peephole this time, she just opened the door. Austin stood in front of her, holding a bouquet of red roses. Her heart softened to see him after such a long and grueling day, but her heart leapt with happiness that he was thoughtful and brought her flowers, too.
“Austin! What a surprise. Please, come in.”
He walked in and she closed the door. Shaking her head in confusion, she took the flowers he handed to her.
“How did you know where I lived? Or did I give you my address and just forgot?”
“I was leaving the flower shop when I saw you drive past. I quickly jumped into my car and followed you.” He stepped closer to her and stroked her cheek. “I hope you don’t mind if I start our date a little earlier than planned.”
Prince Charming is a Liar (Your Every Day Hero Book 1) Page 12
