by Regan Black
“I thought you’d done that,” Elizabeth said.
“I’ve been through the reports and transcripts and I’ve taken pictures of the evidence, but I want to see it firsthand again.” She wasn’t ready to share her concern that she’d overlooked something. Last night Emmanuel had been surprised that she hadn’t seen any record of the interviews he’d conducted with persons of interest, and that bothered her.
“Drive safe,” she said. “And please let me know how your mom’s doing.” With just over two weeks in prison, Anna would either be adjusting or melting down.
“I promise,” Elizabeth said, ending the call with another thank you.
Pippa wished she’d done something to earn her friend’s gratitude. So far this case seemed to be one high brick wall she kept slamming up against. There had to be a way over, around or through because Anna was innocent.
Curious, Pippa made the mistake of peeking into the front room. She couldn’t stifle her subsequent groan of dismay. The wall was definitely worse. An ugly, wet mess of grayish-red. She snapped a picture with her phone, not even sure why it mattered to have documentation of the cleanup process. This wasn’t something she planned to share on social media.
She returned to her work, doing her best to stay focused, but the smell of solvents soon got the best of her. Craig and Rachel had set up a big fan and an air purifier, but she cracked the window to bring in some fresh and crisp autumn air. Maybe she should just go to the office, but it made her ridiculously uncomfortable to have strangers alone in her house after last night. She grabbed her favorite sweatshirt and was pulling it over her head when her phone chimed with an incoming text.
It took her a second to realize the number was Emmanuel’s. He was reaching out already? Maybe he’d come to his senses and was canceling his plans to join her tonight. She was an adult and she didn’t need supervision to fill out an online form, no matter what her brother believed.
Just because Griffin trusted Emmanuel didn’t mean she had to. Although...no, that was her sexy dreams talking. He’d been nice last night, but one good deed didn’t change the role he’d played in Anna’s conviction.
She scolded herself for demonstrating the same kind of bias she’d accused him of applying to the Wentworth investigation. So the man rubbed her the wrong way; that wasn’t the end of the world. She’d learned that it was impractical and impossible to get along well with everyone. There were days she didn’t even get along with her twin sister. And none of them thought much of Sadie’s fiancé.
While she didn’t appreciate that it was primarily his testimony that sent Anna to jail, she’d found no indication that he’d done anything inappropriate or incorrect as he worked the case. Plus, Griffin had excellent instincts about people. Whether or not she liked the detective, she would find a way to deal with him politely. The first step was probably not to think the worst or turn surly at the sight of his name.
Bracing herself to be a mature professional rather than a snarky little sister, she opened the app and read his text.
Digging on this end.
Suggest you look for connections to top players within the GRPD.
She stared at the message, reading the brief lines over and over. Was he kidding? He hadn’t struck her as the type of man to have much sense of humor about Anna Wentworth. Which left her with the obvious conclusion that he was serious. What had he found?
She deleted the text message. He hadn’t recommended it, but it seemed like the practical move in light of the crap she’d dealt with yesterday. Anyone in the GRPD would likely have ties within the prison system. But ties high enough to prevent an attorney-client meeting? That was a serious problem.
Phone in hand, she paced the hallway, thinking. Yesterday he was thoroughly convinced of Anna’s guilt and the department’s faithful execution of the investigation. Today he was telling her to take a look with an eye for new suspects in his own police force?
She couldn’t ignore it, and honestly it had occurred to her. Going in guns blazing without any proof would only backfire, hurting her, her client and her family. Colton Investigations currently enjoyed a strong partnership and mutual respect with the police department, so she’d been tiptoeing around that research. And at first glance, the case was so cut-and-dried that the number of people who could affect the outcome was limited.
With a clear direction in mind, she sat down and opened the file, printing out a list by hand of every name connected to the case, from the 911 operator who took the call to the responding officers, Detectives Iglesias and McRath, and everyone who touched the scene in some way or another.
Sitting back, she smiled. Detective Iglesias was now on her official interview list. Maybe it was immature, but it amused her greatly to think of the roles being reversed on Anna’s behalf. It also forced her to consider how he and McRath would have built their own list in search of witnesses and suspects in the case.
They’d interviewed Ed, which made sense. The husband was always a top suspect in such a case. And they’d interviewed Elizabeth, covering every angle. Pippa was determined to be even more thorough. Anna was in jail, in part, because the real killer had not had an obvious motive or connection to Hicks.
Next, she segmented the list based on duration of the person’s involvement. That would make it easier to clear people. And she repeated the process based on their possible connection or opinion of Anna Wentworth. As she’d learned from her siblings, working a case properly meant considering everyone as suspect, even the most unlikely.
Craig called her over before she could start eliminating anyone. “How does this look to you?” he asked. Beside him his sister smiled as she turned on an industrial fan to help dry things out.
It looked like the most beautiful blank wall she’d ever seen. The wall needed primer and paint, but the ugly message was completely gone. “That’s a vast improvement,” she said. “Thank you.”
“Are we painting this for you?” He reached for his clipboard with her service order. “Once it’s dry, that is.”
“I elected to handle the repainting once it was clean,” she said. “I’m considering changing things up with a feature wall rather than just a coat of paint.”
Rachel studied the wall, turning a little to take in the entire space. “Can I make a suggestion?” At Pippa’s nod, she continued. “You wouldn’t want to go too rustic, but you could do something natural that still marries modern and homey. Bamboo would work well, and beadboard could be interesting too.”
Pippa tried to envision her suggestions. “I always think of beadboard in country kitchens or revamped attics converted to bedrooms or sweet nurseries.”
“Him too,” Rachel replied, elbowing her brother. “It has more uses, I promise.” She handed Pippa a business card, pointing out the link to her design pages on a social media platform. “I have several idea boards that might spark things for you.”
“She wants paint,” Craig said. He tilted his head at his sister. “She wants to be a designer,” he explained.
“I am a designer,” Rachel countered with a grin. “He gets grumpy because at some point he’s going to have to find another partner to put up with him.”
Pippa understood all too well the push and pull of siblings. She tapped the card. “I’ll take a look.”
“Whatever you decide,” Craig interjected, “you’ll need to wait twenty-four hours for everything to dry completely. We’ll pick up the fan and dehumidifier tomorrow evening.”
“Great. Thanks again.”
She closed the door behind them as they left. Huddling into her sweatshirt, she realized the droning sound of the equipment was going to make it a long night. Why did people appreciate white noise? Again, she could escape to her brother’s place, but she didn’t want to send the message to whoever had done this that she couldn’t hack it when things got tough.
The restored wall and clean carpets,
free of every bit of glass and debris, filled her with a sense of peace. It was almost like moving in again. A blank slate full of potential. She pulled up Rachel’s website and the social media idea board.
“Wow.” The woman had good ideas, and although the beadboard pictures still struck too close to paneling for her taste, she saw the design merit. Distracted, she scrolled through several other idea boards on the page. Maybe she did want something more dynamic than paint after all.
She was hip deep in bamboo options, of varying colors, textures and layouts, when a text message from Kiely came through. Her twin and Riley would arrive at her place within five minutes, just as they’d planned. Pippa was glad she’d scheduled the cleaning crew when she had. Her siblings didn’t need to worry about her, especially when the trouble had nothing to do with a CI case.
As she’d done with each of her previous visitors today, she felt the nerves building, and she waited until her sister and brother were right outside her door before she unlocked it. In the past she would’ve left the door unlocked or even slightly ajar. After the break-in that seemed foolish. More risk than necessary.
When Riley and Kiely entered, their gazes immediately went to the clean, bare wall and the drying equipment.
“He tagged the whole thing?”
“He did.” Pippa tucked her hands into the long sleeves of her sweatshirt.
Riley turned, hot anger blazing in his eyes. Then his expression softened as he pulled her into a tight hug.
Kiely set the bag she was carrying on the floor and nudged them apart. She held up a boxy device and, with a look, asked for Pippa’s permission to sweep the condo for listening devices.
Her stomach cramped as she gave a nod. Why hadn’t she considered that earlier? She hoped she hadn’t said anything during her chat with Elizabeth that would come back to bite her later. Riley chatted with her about the plans for the new wall until Kiely gave the all clear. “No bugs,” she announced.
Pippa released a breath in a rush. “Thank goodness. Unless the police have found something more, the intruder somehow evaded the cameras around the building and in the hallways.”
“Someone who knows security systems,” Kiely mused.
“Still a pretty big suspect pool,” Pippa said, thinking of the list she’d made. “We have one partial boot print near the back door, so I’m sure we’ll narrow it down.”
Riley deliberately moved toward her office. “Nothing was taken?”
“You know I’m careful,” Pippa said.
“I need coffee.” Kiely handed Pippa a bag from a nearby electronics store. “Go on and start with that.”
Pippa looked into the bag and saw a new laptop. Taking the box out of the bag, she started to unpack the device. “How long do I have to wait to find out who you’ve turned me into?”
“Not you,” Riley said. “We’re not Mission Impossible with the masks here.”
“Much to your dismay I’m sure,” Pippa teased. “This is exciting.” She plugged in the laptop and followed the prompts for the initial setup.
When Kiely had her coffee, the three of them gathered around the desk. At the point where the computer wanted personal information, Riley opened up an envelope. She was surprised to see what looked like a very real ID and a credit card. “Excellent work,” she said, as she carefully entered the details for the persona CI had created for this fake Capital X loan application. “Did you make a passport too?”
“Not quite enough time to pull that off the right way,” Riley said. “The loan application doesn’t ask for that anyway. You need to remember her schedule. With the background we worked up, it would be out of character for her to do a loan application during business hours.
“We gave your alias a comprehensive employment history and banking records and one not-so-successful independent business, along with a shopping history on that credit card.”
Pippa made mental notes as Riley talked, but it helped to know Kiely would have this all written out for her, as well. When she finished, Riley tucked the credit card into the envelope she would keep for reference. “The laptop was purchased with that card, and you should probably make one or two more purchases in person or online this afternoon.”
“Maybe dinner,” Kiely suggested. “Something special for two?”
Pippa did not appreciate the glint in her twin’s eyes. Or the way her words brought back the inappropriate dream from this morning.
Riley, who had been relaxed in the chair beside her, sat up straight, his gaze locked onto Pippa. “What’s she talking about?”
“Nothing,” Pippa said.
“Nothing with serious potential.” Kiely held up her hands when Pippa glared. “Okay, okay. Harmless teasing, sis. But that look on your face tells me I’m on the right track.”
Pippa denied it. “You’ve jumped the track and crashed in a glorious blaze.” There were times when having an excellent private investigator as a twin was a curse.
“One of you better start talking to me,” their brother demanded.
The twins turned on him. “You do know we’re adults?” Pippa queried.
“Yes, I noticed. For the record that only makes brothers worry more.”
“That is the dumbest non-rule,” Kiely protested.
“Too bad.” He folded his arms and returned his attention to Pippa. “Is she talking about Iglesias?”
“She is,” Pippa said immediately. A denial would only mean a more intense interrogation. “Ridiculous, really. We met last night for the first time. I’m sure he’s seeing someone.” A flicker in Riley’s eyes alerted her to the misstep. She dragged her thoughts back into line. “We’re on opposite sides of a critical case for my friend and my career.” She continued ticking off each relevant point on her fingers. “And while I appreciated his help cleaning up—”
“He helped you clean up?” Kiely’s eyebrows jumped up and down.
“I don’t need his supervision or whatever Griffin asked him to do,” she finished.
“Griffin disagrees on that,” Riley said softly.
It was a challenge to argue with Riley whenever he did that quiet-voice strategy. “I do know Capital X is dangerous.” She pointed to all of the precautions they were taking. “It’s obvious we’re doing everything the smart way.”
“Pippa, I know this feels anonymous,” Kiely said. “And it is. To a point. There shouldn’t be any possible way to connect you to the application you’ll put in tonight. But a little backup never hurt anyone.”
“Is there some new detail you’re not telling me?” she asked. “I’m not fragile, and you both know I won’t back out.”
“Of course you won’t,” Riley said. “That’s why we’re all so concerned about the break-in.”
Her sister rested her hands on Pippa’s knees. “I’m not sure you’re concerned enough.”
“Trust me, I was upset,” Pippa said. She clamped down on the admission lodged in her throat. They didn’t need to know how wary she was about answering her door. That would pass. “It was creepy to know someone had been in here long enough to trash the place and...” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the fresh, clean wall. “And try to intimidate me,” she finished, resisting the urge to rub the chill from her arms.
“You should come stay with us for a few days,” Riley said. “At least until we get some movement on the loan application.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Thank you, but I need to stay put.”
Riley swore.
“There’s more to life than reputation, sis,” Kiely said.
“I’m aware.” Though she hadn’t indulged in much of that life lately. “Beyond reputation, it’s a matter of principle. I’ve never been afraid to take controversial cases.”
“Right,” Riley agreed. “But the cases you take on are rarely as high-profile as Wentworth. I think serial killers get more lo
ve than that woman.”
“Pleasant or not, I won’t leave an innocent woman in jail for a crime she didn’t commit. This break-in won’t put me off the case, no matter what the vandal intended. All of this protectiveness is appreciated but unnecessary.”
Her brother and sister exchanged a look. “Is that code for get the hell out of your way?” Riley asked.
“It’s probably more like code for I’m tired,” she admitted with a smile. What was the use of having family if you didn’t lean on them in problematic times? “I’m not trying to be obstinate. I’m trying to stay focused on what I can control.”
“That’s our Pippa,” Riley said, hugging her again. “You’re all right to keep working here today?”
“Pretty much. Some of my framed art was damaged, so I’ll run that over to the frame shop for repairs.” She tilted her head toward the drying equipment. “Looking forward to getting out for a bit. That fan is not my friend.”
Riley was glaring at the wall again. “Sadie sent us pictures the police took last night.”
“Somehow I doubt a common criminal also knows how to evade all the security precautions in and around the building,” Kiely said.
Pippa agreed with her. “If we could get back to why we’re really here? I’ll log in at seven and fill out the application. Any trip wires I should be aware of?”
“We haven’t found anything like that. Only that Capital X likely does a personal check on the applicants.” Kylie walked her through the day-to-day patterns for Alison Carrington, an administrative assistant for a fake insurance company, per the alias they’d created.
“We’re going to save lives,” Pippa said as anticipation strummed through her bloodstream.
“We’ll definitely save people the pain of broken bones,” Riley agreed.
“Have you heard anything about Brody?”
Kiely frowned. “My last lead fizzled out. He’s running scared. Until he makes a mistake or wants to be found, I’m afraid we’re going to keep chasing our tails.”
