Paid in Full (17 page)

“Where will you be?” he called to her, but she was out the door.

Possibly arresting my lover
, she thought.

Chapter Seventeen

Thursday, June 21

11:10 a.m.

It had not been a good morning for Ari. When the appraiser called on one of her properties, she knew it wasn’t good. Her sellers had demanded a higher price than what it was worth. She had warned them it might not appraise, but as she hung up the phone and faced the prospect of telling them the bad news—she knew they would blame her, the perpetual scapegoat.

She called them immediately. There was a lot of swearing, mainly in Spanish, and although she could wander through a conversation, she wasn’t fluent and only caught part of the dressing down they gave her. Eventually the punctuated language ceased, and they listened to the options, but it consumed an hour of her time and sent her hunting for aspirin and relaxation on her balcony.

She almost didn’t hear the phone ringing over the traffic from the street below. “Hello?” she mumbled.

“Ari Adams?”

“Yes?” she answered, her finger over the flash button, ready to cut off the voice after her next sentence. She hated phone solicitors, although she was one herself.

“My name is Lorraine Gonzales, and I’m the acting broker for Southwest Realty.”

“Oh, hello.” Ari relaxed. It was just someone who wanted to know about one of her listings. She was reaching for her briefcase as she asked the standard question, “Which listing did you want to know about?”

The woman laughed. “Well, actually, all of them.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I heard you quit Allstar and made that bastard Harry Lewis look absolutely ridiculous.” Lorraine started laughing and Ari imagined she’d heard the details of the explosion. “Listen, chica, I want you to come for an interview,” she stated directly, her rich, Spanish accent getting thicker with each sentence. “I’ve got a small company, but we do some big deals. I’m not into any games. I’m straight with my people and everybody gets along great. We’re like a family and that’s not bullshit. So, how about an interview?”

Ari smiled at the prospect of working for a woman and someone who shared her opinion of Harry Lewis. “I’d love to,” she answered and she meant it.

“Terrific! And maybe you’ll tell me what it was like finding Michael Thorndike’s body.”

“How did you hear about that?”

“I keep my ear to the ground, chica. That’s why I’m the best, and that’s why you should work for me.” She took a breath and changed the subject. “That Michael Thorndike was quite a mover. I do some commercial, but nothing on his level. You know, he was trying to purchase the Emporium.”

Ari was stunned. “No, I didn’t know that. The League was going to buy it?”

“That’s what I hear. Michael wanted to turn it into a museum. Apparently, he was strong-arming his partners into seeing things his way,” she added. “Can you come in Monday at nine in the morning?”

“That’s fine,” Ari agreed absently.

“Our address is in the book, so I’ll see you then,” Lorraine said, cutting the connection. Ari stared at the receiver, pleasantly surprised by the opportunity that had just materialized, but more interested in Lorraine Gonzales’s bombshell about the Emporium. The financial implications were enormous, so much so that someone might kill over it.

She was still pondering the situation twenty minutes later when the doorbell rang. Ari absently opened it without bothering to look through the peephole. The shiny badge caught her eye first, its wearer a somber-faced Tim Greer, an old family friend. Her brain connected this information in the time it took Molly to storm past her and into the center of the living room.

“Where is he?” she demanded, hands on her hips.

“Who?” was all Ari said, still confused about Tim’s presence and Molly’s abrupt mood shift from a few hours before.

A flicker of discomfort crossed Molly’s face. “Tim, look around out here. I need to talk to Ms. Adams alone.” Without an invitation, Molly stalked into Ari’s bedroom, checked the closet and adjoining bathroom. A bewildered Ari followed her, mouth agape.

“What are you doing?” she finally thought to ask. Molly took the business card from her pocket and dropped it on the bed. It was hers, that much registered, but it didn’t explain Molly’s behavior. “I still don’t understand, honey. Why are you so upset?”

“We found it this morning in a trash can at the Residence Inn out on the interstate.” At the mention of the motel, Ari’s face paled, a fact not lost on Molly. “An anonymous caller tipped us off that Bob Watson was staying there. Unfortunately, when we arrived, he was gone. This and four days of TV dinners were the only things he left behind. Somebody told him to get out, Ari, someone who knew where he was staying.” The weightiness of Molly’s accusation hung in the air.

“Look, I didn’t even know . . .” Ari said, the words tumbling out of her mouth.

Molly’s face turned beet red. “Don’t!” she shouted. Then, remembering that the patrol officer was in the other room, Molly leaned closer, and whispered, “Don’t lie to me.” She picked up the card and put it under Ari’s nose. “You see how the business phone is crossed out and your cell number is written above it? You’ve only been unemployed since Tuesday. Now, how would Bob Watson know that unless you’d seen him, or at least talked to him?”

Ari had no answer, and she couldn’t lie to Molly anymore. She sighed deeply. “There are things,” she began, her eyes filling with tears, “things you do not know about me. Bob . . .”

“Bob?” Molly’s harsh whisper rang in Ari’s ears. “Bob! What about me? We’ve made love,” Molly said, her voice crumbling at the end. Ari reached for her, tried to put her arms around the detective, but Molly took a step away to regain her composure. In a few seconds she traded hurt for anger. “I just can’t believe I was so stupid. Now it all makes sense. You got close to me to learn about the case. That’s why you went out with me.”

“No,” Ari said, shaking her head adamantly. “That’s not true.”

Molly’s face set like stone. “I can’t believe anything you say. You knew where he was last night before we slept together. You know my career is on the line here, and you chose to hide this from me.” She looked away and laughed. “At least you must have had a little guilty conscience. That’s why you didn’t want to talk about the case last night. I thought that was odd, considering you’d pumped me for information at every turn. I let it go, because I figured you were genuinely interested in me. God, I was stupid.”

Ari brought her hands to her head and sat on the bed. She was shaking all over, unable to believe that everything had fallen apart so quickly.

“I was so stupid to think that a woman like you would ever really be interested in someone like me. As a detective I should know better.” Molly stared down at Ari, her eyes focused on the floor. “I just have to know,” she said, her voice filled with venom, “did you fake the orgasms?”

The question jolted Ari upright and into Molly’s face. “Get out. Unless you’re arresting me for something, get out of my house,” she said, her index finger pointed at the door.

Molly’s natural temperament surfaced. When pushed, she always pushed back. “I’m taking you in for questioning regarding the whereabouts of a prime suspect in a felony.”

Ari turned away while Molly watched Ari’s shoulders rise and fall with her breathing. Molly swallowed hard, suddenly aware that her mouth was dry and her heart was racing. When Ari faced the detective, her face went hard. “I would like a few minutes to change, please.”

Molly glanced at Ari’s faded jeans and white T-shirt and nodded, exiting the room. She found Tim Greer leaning against a wall, looking very uncomfortable. He shook his head, but Molly wasn’t surprised. Did she really think Bob Watson would be here? She knew why she had stormed into Ari’s apartment, and it had very little to do with the case.

Her eyes fell upon the picture of Ari and her father, both of them in uniform. She blinked to hold back tears and closed her eyes.
What the hell is a matter with you, Nelson?
She folded her arms across her chest and steeled herself for Ari’s entrance, but her stomach dropped when Ari emerged in a tailored black suit with a red silk blouse. She’d pulled her hair up and put on some makeup. Even with only a few minutes, Ari still looked stunning.

Ignoring Molly, she faced Tim Greer with a slight smile. “I guess I’m going with you, Tim.” Tim nodded and followed Ari out the door, leaving Molly to trail behind.

The three of them were silent during the ride downtown, Molly driving, Tim beside her. At least they hadn’t come in a squad car and embarrassed her in front of her neighbors, Ari thought. Molly obviously had some compassion, although the fact that she brought a uniformed officer with her indicated that she had orchestrated the confrontation and intended on questioning Ari from the moment they had knocked on the door. She stared out the window and watched the office buildings whiz by. Once in awhile her eyes drifted to the back of Molly’s head and musk filled her nostrils or maybe she was imagining it from this morning when she’d buried her face deep into Molly’s curls. Was that really only a few hours ago?

When the precinct’s sliding doors opened with a whoosh, Ari was far more prepared for what happened than Molly. The desk sergeant was the first to recognize her, stepping around the counter and kissing both her cheeks. Molly started to say some- thing, but other officers appeared and soon Ari was surrounded by a circle of her father’s old friends and a few interested males and females who just wanted to find out what all the commotion was about. Tim Greer joined in the laughter as one of the old timers told a story about Ari and her dad until a sharp glance from Molly pulled him out of the merriment. Ari shifted her stance as the story ended and the laughter died away, more uncomfortable with this little reunion than being questioned about Bob Watson.

“This isn’t a social call,” Molly snapped, drawing the eyes of the group. “We need to get upstairs.” She took Ari’s elbow and started to walk away.

The jibes echoed behind them all the way to the elevator: “What are you doing Nelson, arresting her for jaywalking? Must be hard up if you’re locking up solid citizens and the daughter of a brother.”

If Molly could get any angrier, Ari didn’t know how. The detective stalked out of the elevator, her loafers pounding against the tile as she crossed the corridor. Instead of going to an interrogation room, they went to Molly’s office, a sight that instantly appalled Ari. Scattered file folder and reports cluttered Molly’s desk, along with a bottle of antacid, a half-eaten hamburger still sitting on its greasy wrapper and several vending machine coffee cups. Ari was sure this was her diet for the day. She showed Ari a chair and left, appearing again with a black man who identified himself as her partner, and Captain David Ruskin.

Ari disliked Ruskin intensely. As a rookie, he’d been partnered with her father. After one week on the job, Ruskin found fifty job applications from McDonald’s stuffed into his locker and a note urging him to find other employment. Their hatred had continued for another month until Ruskin was reassigned.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Ari Adams, our city’s favorite daughter,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He perched on Molly’s desk facing Ari while Molly sat directly in front of her and Molly’s partner huddled in the corner apparently unclear of his role. “So what’s the deal, Nelson?”

Molly shifted in her chair, choosing her words carefully. “Ms. Adams’s business card was found in Bob Watson’s motel room. I’m wondering if she has information about his whereabouts now.” Ari noticed she didn’t say anything about the scratched out phone number. Her gaze shifted from Molly to Ruskin’s smug expression.

“Do you know where Bob Watson is?” he asked.

“No,” Ari answered honestly. “I don’t have the foggiest.”

“But you did,” Ruskin continued, “until he packed up and left.”

“I don’t know where he is,” Ari said, avoiding Ruskin’s question. Ari glanced at Molly and wondered if she would jump in, but she remained silent, her gaze focused entirely on Ruskin.

“He is one of your best friends, right?” Ruskin asked.

“Yes.”

Ruskin hovered over her. “I think you’re lying, Ari. I think you know exactly where Bob is and you’re protecting him.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, David. But as I’ve already told Detective Nelson, I don’t know where Bob is,” she said emphatically. It was easy to say because it was the truth.

“Maybe if we kept you here for a little while you might have a change of heart,” Ruskin said, a grin pasted on his face.

Molly blanched at the idea of Ari being locked in a cell with some of the women in the Madison jail, even for one minute. “Captain, I’m sure Ari will cooperate.”

“I have been cooperating,” Ari said curtly. She looked at her watch. “I’ve been kept here long enough. Either charge me with something and let me call my attorney or I’m leaving.” She rose and turned for the door.

Ruskin’s voice came from behind her, crawling up her neck like a spider. “Let her go, Nelson. She might have a change of heart and give up the act. You know, Ari, kind of like you being a police officer.”

Ari’s face darkened. She stepped into Ruskin’s physical space. Years before, he’d had it bad for her. She used it to her advantage now, staring at him, letting him smell her perfume and study her lips. He swallowed hard and his eyes wavered. “At least I knew when to get out,” she whispered.

Andre suppressed a giggle, but Ruskin shot him a look of contempt. He leaned forward on the desk, his knee grazing her thighs and leered, “You are such a bitch, Adams. That’s why you’ve never had a good man.”

Ari smiled and looked down at Ruskin’s lap. “David, are we going to discuss all of your shortcomings?”

His face reddened and he started barking obscenities at her, which she returned, until their yelling melded into a loud jumble that Andre and Molly couldn’t stop.

“What the hell is going on here?” bellowed Sol Gardner from the doorway. A group of detectives stood behind him, some ready to pull out their weapons. At the sight of the police chief, everyone froze. His stern expression melted at the sight of Ari. He took her by the shoulders and beamed. “Ari, you get lovelier every time I see you. Flannagan tells me that you’re being questioned about Bob?”