“Are you okay?”
He lowered his head to my ear. “Notice anything about the way these cowboys are looking at you?”
I caught the leer of several twenty-somethings with glossy eyes and a shared pitcher of beer. I tipped my head back for a look into Jake’s eyes. What I got was a view of the underside of his chin. “Jealously is a very unattractive quality.”
He stared down an approaching man in a John Deere hat. “I bet it looks better than a black eye.”
“Probably,” I admitted.
We stopped at a large wooden booth with red padded benches.
A tiny woman with frail-looking hands and birdlike features smiled up at me. Her golden blond hair was pulled back in barrettes on both sides, and bangs hung like thick curtains above large blue eyes.
Dan slid onto the seat beside her. “This is my brother, Jake, and his girlfriend, Mia. Jake and Mia, this is Reese.”
I looked at Jake for input on the name-calling. He motioned me to slide in ahead of him.
“Hello.” Jake extended a hand across the table to her.
“Nice to meet you.” I shook her cold little hand next.
“Thanks. You, too.” She circled a finger in front of her eyes. “I like your glasses.”
“Thanks.” I’d chosen dramatic black frames to accent the dress.
“How long have you two been dating?”
I looked at Jake. He smiled at me.
Dan cleared his throat. “They’ve been like that since they met. You’ll get used to it.”
I smiled. We had been like this since we met, though he used to make me a lot madder.
“We already ordered drinks and appetizers.” Dan paused to ogle his brother. “I’m sorry. Why are the two of you dressed like that?” He gave Jake a crazy face.
Jake looked like a GQ model in his sleek black suit. “We’re going to a party from here.”
“What kind of party?”
I tugged my tennis bracelet with two fingers. “Fifi invited us to a fundraiser tonight.”
Reese smiled sweetly. “That’s a pretty bracelet.”
“Thanks.” I stopped fidgeting. “It was a graduation gift.”
“Oh.” She perked up. “Where did you go to school? Kent State? Ohio State?”
“Yale, then Brown.”
“Wow.” She looked at Dan.
I looked at Jake. Was I supposed to respond to that? How?
Jake nudged my knee with his. “So, Reese, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a ballet teacher.”
I pressed my lips together. Suspicions confirmed. I had nothing in common with this person. I helped myself to a cheese fry.
Dan hadn’t taken his eyes off his brother. “The last time you dressed like that you were undercover.”
Jake shook his head. “No. I wore a suit for Eric’s wedding. This one look familiar?”
He gave the jacket another look and laughed. “Tell me about this fundraiser. Is this part of your investigation? Did you find a new lead?”
I took another fry.
“Howdy, y’all!” The waitress arrived with big hair and a smile. “I see your party’s all here. Are you ready to order?”
Absolutely.
Reese asked for a house salad, light dressing on the side. Dan went with ribs and a baked potato. Jake ordered a filet, medium rare, side salad and steamed veggies. I got a bronco burger with bacon and potato skins.
My phone dinged with a new email. I flipped my clutch open and scanned the notifications. Energy zipped up my spine. “It’s Josh Chan.” I angled the phone to Jake and opened the email. He read silently over my shoulder.
Who are you? Stop emailing me. Dante Weiss is a crook. I’m suing him, and if you continue to harass me, I’ll file charges against you, too.
“Rude.” I lowered my phone onto the table.
Jake settled back in his seat and rubbed both palms down his thighs. “He said Dante’s a crook. Is, not was. Sounds like he doesn’t yet know he’s dead.”
Dan shifted forward, leaning his forearms on the wide wooden table. “Sounds like a dead end. Was that your lead?”
“One of them,” I said.
“Any other suspects you want to tell me about?”
Reese shifted her gaze around the table, seemingly unsure what was going on.
I leaned forward, matching Dan’s position. “There’s also a pet shop owner who had a beef with Dante. He has access to white mice. He’s angry and kind of a jerk.”
Jake swung an arm across the booth behind me. “That guy’s another dead end. I checked him out. Keith Orson didn’t kill Dante.”
I flopped open palms onto the table. “What? Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
He shrugged. “I made a trip to the pet shop as soon as you mentioned him. I also tailed him to a church and followed him into the basement where he was attending an AA meeting. The group leader said Keith attends faithfully. He was there at the time of the murder. I confirmed it with the group and local business security cameras.”
I considered how much I didn’t know. “What about the mice?”
He scowled. “I’m working on that.”
“Do you know why Josh Chan is so angry about his mega deal?”
Jake shook his head. “I’ve got a call in to his lawyers.”
Reese’s bright eyes were wide with understanding. She smiled at me. “You’re a detective, too? Is that how you all met?”
“No,” the Archers answered in unison.
I rolled my eyes. “Not exactly.”
Jake pointed a finger in my direction. “We met Mia during an investigation last year. I was looking into a series of identity thefts and cyber fraud. Dan was dealing with a murder.”
I wrinkled my nose at Reese. “And they both suspected me.”
Her smile grew heavy on her face. “Oh.”
The waitress delivered our dinners, and the table went silent as we filled our tummies. Dan and Reese stole glances at one another and looked at their plates a lot.
Jake was first to break the silence. “How did the two of you meet?”
Reese set her fork aside. Her fingers were probably exhausted from pushing the lettuce around for so long. “Daniel registered for dance lessons at the studio where I work. He came twice a week for a few months before your brother’s wedding.”
“Interesting,” I muttered around a giant bite of tender smokehouse burger, rich cheddar cheese and bacon. She called him Daniel? I squashed a brewing smile.
She made doe eyes at Daniel. “He’s a natural. Lithe. Agile.”
He caught her looking and she turned red.
I barely swallowed the food in my mouth without choking. “How old are you, Reese?”
“I’ll be twenty-four in three months.”
“I see.” She was twenty-three. I pushed the burger back to my lips before I made a joke about cradle robbing, babysitting or adoption.
Dan cleared his throat. “Where did you say you’re going? A fundraiser?”
A swift redirection. Nicely played.
Jake fought a smile, presumably over the age of Dan’s date. “It’s for a mayoral hopeful. Fifi and Nate are meeting us there in twenty-five minutes.”
“Is this another lead?”
“More of a hunch,” I said. “Dante was a major supporter of Vince Adams. We want to see if he knew Dante had ties to some shady businessmen.”
“Vince Adams? The senator?” Dan asked.
“Yeah.”
He swigged his drink. “Call me afterward. I want to know how it goes.”
* * *
The fundraiser was at a house that made Horseshoe Falls homes look like fishing shacks. A line of limos and town cars
outlined the block, awaiting their turn at the gate. Eventually, it was our turn, and one man shined a flashlight inside the truck cab while another walked the perimeter of the vehicle with a mirror on a stick, checking underneath. The flashlight guy checked our photo IDs against a list of names before waving us through.
Inside, the property was adorned in white twinkle lights and guests wearing couture. A valet took the key to Jake’s truck and left us on foot at the back of another line. Jake scanned the area on a continuous loop, holding his gaze from time to time on something or someone of interest before beginning the circuit anew. A second set of security personnel guarded the gaping front doors. Their standard black suits, blank faces and curly wires running from collars to ears were overly cliché.
I leaned against Jake’s arm and tipped my head up, cuing him to lower his ear. “How are we going to get near the senator with this much security?”
“You aren’t. This is an observation mission.”
I resisted the urge to step on his shiny black shoe. That was his plan, not mine, and I wouldn’t miss an opportunity or change my objective.
Soft jazz music drifted from the home’s interior as we shuffled closer.
Nate was inside and easy to spot. His ginger head rose above the others. He was sipping from a glass flute and smiling at someone too short to see from my position. Fifi, I presumed.
I stared hard, using the Force to will his eyes in my direction.
Bingo.
He turned. Nate caught my gaze and headed in our direction. Fifi appeared at his side. Her red satin gown clung to her perfect figure. Her hair was carefully twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck.
I touched my waist-length curls with regret. This was definitely an up-do kind of gig.
The couple stopped shy of the doors and waited.
We announced our names once more and were finally allowed inside. It was hard not to feel like we were in danger or doing something wrong.
Jake gripped Nate’s hand. “White tuxedo. Bold move.”
Nate dusted invisible lint from one shoulder. “Bond. James Bond.”
“Hey.” I interrupted Nate’s posturing. “What are you helping Jake with?”
Fifi gave Nate a weird look.
Nate smiled over my head, presumably at my date. “Guy stuff. We get together sometimes and volunteer.”
I knew he was baiting me, but the curiosity was too much to bear. “Doing what?”
“Helping dainty lady folk. We go to the mall and lift heavy shopping bags for them. Sometimes we visit home improvement stores and local garages to explain complicated man things.”
Fifi laughed.
I did not. “Would you like a little blood on your pretty jacket, Mr. Bond?”
Nate smiled. “You can tell your sister I’m her new hero. Thanks to this guy, there will be two hundred live Monarch butterflies delivered on the morning of the shower. I gave the venue address to the company. I’ll email you care instructions.”
I relaxed my expression and didn’t fight the subject change. Curious as I was about what he and Jake were up to, this was better. “You’re going to be the opposite of her hero.” I grinned. “Maybe even on her hit list. Orange-and-brown bugs will ruin her strict white-on-white plus rainbows color scheme.”
“Monarchs aren’t ugly,” he said. “They’re hearty and native to Ohio. I doubt Bree wants to be responsible for the deaths of two hundred helpless, foreign white butterflies.”
“Just admit you couldn’t get the white ones.”
“Never.”
Jake leaned against my back. “What’s the deal with all the security? They’re everywhere. Don’t look, but the couple canoodling against the doorway at three o’clock is clearly carrying, his holster shows whenever they change position and her stance suggests a piece worn on a thigh belt. The man pretending to admire the hall paintings has an earpiece. Several men dressed as waitstaff do as well.”
Nate, Fifi and I turned to check out each of these alleged undercover operatives. Jake was right.
Fifi snagged a drink from a passing waiter’s tray. “It’s always like this.”
“Why?” And where could I get one of what she was having?
She sipped her new drink. “The host has a personal security detail but also hires a few guns for the event. Half the guests also have a trusted security team that they don’t leave home without. It’s worse when the fundraiser is an auction. High-end items require added security for insurance purposes. By midnight, it’s usually a sixty-forty split with security outweighing guests.”
Good grief. I made a face.
Nate rubbed his palms together. “Where should we start?”
“Depends,” Jake answered. “What’s the fundraiser tonight?”
“Gambling.” Nate straightened his bow tie. “Casino Royale.” He pointed down the hallway behind him.
We were in the midst of a grand foyer. Italian marble stretched out in every direction, morphing into a massive double staircase with balusters and handrails the size of my waist. A chandelier large enough to hold four grown men illuminated the cavernous room. Arching mahogany doorways to the left and right stood open, filled with guests and lively chatter. A string quartet played in one room. A buffet of finger foods and desserts drew guests into the other. Beyond the split staircase, a wide hallway led to a room with wild cheering.
Well, that explained the hooting and applause. “Let’s go.”
We followed Fifi into a makeshift casino in the heart of the home. Felt-covered game tables were sprinkled throughout the room’s center. Slot machines were positioned against one wall, floor-to-ceiling windows covered another. An open bar and cashier finished the room.
I pointed toward the cashier. “I’m going to buy some chips.” I slid into the mass of bodies before Jake could stop me. The cashier line consisted of people in clusters talking politics and investments. I popped through a tightly knit group and out the other side.
Free from my team, I sidled up to a man of interest at the bar.
Senator Adams bobbed an olive in his drink with a long plastic toothpick. His gray suit and powder-blue tie were pretty but at odds with the grandiose Casino Royale theme. He looked more like management than the whale he was.
I smiled at the bartender. “Pinot grigio.”
“Coming up.”
The senator turned for a look in my direction and promptly abandoned his olive. “Hello.”
I smiled wider and batted dramatic false lashes. “Hello.”
“I’m Vince Adams.”
“Mia Connors.” I lifted my fresh glass of wine in a silent toast.
He inched closer. “I don’t think I’ve seen you at one of these events before. What’s your line of work, Miss Connors?” His voice hitched on the Miss, as if to confirm my single status.
It was a smart play. Aside from confirming my availability, he’d devised a way to find out if I was a reporter, while setting me up to return his question. If I went along, he’d have an organic reason to announce his position as state senator without sounding pretentious.
I played along. “I’m the CIO of Guinevere’s Golden Beauty. This is a first for me. My friend Fiona invited me.”
“Guinevere’s Golden Beauty,” he repeated the words slowly. “Why does that sound so familiar to me?”
“Depends. Are you a fan of organic bath and beauty products?”
He chuckled. “I’m fairly certain I’d love them on you.”
I bit the inside of my cheeks. Who said that to a woman he’d just met? Why were politicians such notorious womanizing morons? “I believe you knew a friend of my grandmother’s.”
He furrowed his graying brows and dragged his gaze over my body once more. “Your grandmother?”
“Yes. Dante Weiss helped her
launch the company several decades back. He’s probably the reason it grew to be what it is today.”
Senator Adams downed his drink. “I think we’re done here.” He turned away, punctuating the statement with a view of his back.
I opened my clutch and dug for a business card.
Jake manifested on Senator Adams’s other side and extended his hand. “Senator Adams. I’m Jake Archer, Deputy US Marshal investigating the death of Dante Weiss. Do you have a minute to talk?”
Senator Adams spun in my direction. “You set me up?”
“No. I ordered a glass of wine.”
He scoffed and redirected his attention on Jake. “This isn’t the time or place. You should know better, Mr. Archer.”
“Deputy US Marshal Archer,” Jake corrected.
“Mr. Archer. If you want a quote from me, you’ll need to go through the proper channels. Contact my people. Leave your request. Someone will get back with you.” He tossed back the remains of his drink. “Don’t approach me again or you’ll be escorted off the premises.”
Jake bent slightly at the waist, a strange half bow. “Of course. Thank you for your time.” He shot a pointed look at me. “Mia?”
I pretended to struggle, juggling my purse, wineglass and napkin. I bumped into Senator Adams as I passed. “Oops. Sorry. It was lovely to meet you, Senator Adams.” I slid my card into his jacket pocket as I regained my balance. I’d written off the record on the back of the card before I left my apartment in case of an opportunity like this one.
I held the senator’s gaze and hoped the Force would work on him as well as it did on Nate.
“I knew you weren’t really going to buy chips,” Jake whispered. “I’ll call his office on Monday and see if I can arrange an interview or confirm an alibi. Meanwhile, we watch him tonight and see if he behaves strangely. I’ll make a list of anyone he spends more than a few minutes with while we’re here. We can split up if needed and follow anyone leaving suddenly after a chat with Senator Adams.”
“Right.” There could be any number of accomplices or crime scene cleaners, especially for a man with wealth and power. I drifted along at Jake’s side, fingers curled in the crook of his arm. Something in Adams’s voice said he wouldn’t do more than prepare a generic statement for the Marshals. Whether he was involved with Dante’s death or not, it was in his interest to uncouple their names, and he was already working on that.
A Geek Girl's Guide to Justice (The Geek Girl Mysteries) Page 20
