Neighbors and More (High Rise Series) (18 page)

He sent her a glance full of compassion, but she cringed.
Since the day Steve had drowned, every day had brought her more stress, new misery,
and added fear of the future. Without the happy interludes in Dante’s arms, her
life would have been unbearable.

 They crossed the landing from Dante’s door to her condo.
The guard greeted them with a sleepy voice. “The Chief said I could leave when you
are back in Ms. Alexa’s place.”

“Go ahead. Thank you, Officer.”

“I’ll make coffee,” Dante said after they entered her
apartment.

“Thank God, the place looks fine. I’m getting dressed.”

She hit the shower, dried her hair, and slipped on a pair of
white pants and a black blouse. Out of habit she reached to push the coat
hiding the cache push-button, but pulled back her hand. Afraid of doing
anything that might reveal the position of her safe, she strode out of the
closet and put on the pearl set she’d left on her dresser the night before.

Her heart heavy, she considered her bed and wondered if
she’d ever have the courage to sleep in this room on her own again, knowing
that so many enemies lurked, waiting to harm her.

“Alexa,” Dante’s voice interrupted her depressing musing.
“Front desk called. The technician is on his way up.”

“Coming.” She slipped on a pair of black moccasins and padded
to the kitchen.

Dante’s appreciative gaze swept her from head to toe as he
greeted her with a bone-melting smile. “You look fresh and lovely.” He poured a
cup of coffee from the pot on the kitchen counter and handed it over to her
just as the bell chimed. “Do you want me to tell him anything specific?”

“No, just to install a system on the front and kitchen doors
of the apartment, and on the glass doors to the balconies.”

“I’ll take care of that.” He admitted the technician and
explained her requirements while she remained in the kitchen, sipping her
coffee.

For the hundredth time, she blessed Dante for his continuous
attention, and then admonished herself for not taking care of her own business.
Her father and then Greg had always made sure she never lacked anything. Time
to grow up and become independent. Really independent as in tackling men’s
chores.

Ready to spring into action or at least participate in the
discussions, she sauntered to the hallway and stood next to Dante to watch the
technician work. Dante asked the right questions and she took mental notes of
the answers.

“When you come back home, you’ll have a minute to open the
door with your key and deactivate the alarm. Otherwise it alerts the security
company who’ll contact the police. So you should try to avoid false alarms.”

Swallowing hard, she nodded with a grimace. “I’m not sure I’d
like to be reminded of danger every time I return home.”

“You’ll get used to it.” The warmth in Dante’s eyes reassured
her more than his words. “Let’s have breakfast while he works on the glass
doors.”

Around eleven o’clock the technician announced he’d finished
his work, and then he demonstrated how to operate the control. “Anything else,
sir? Would you be interested in a surveillance camera?”

Alexa frowned. “What for?”

But Dante surprised her by saying, “We may think about it.
If we were to install a surveillance camera, where would be the best place to hide
it?”

Was he out of his mind? She’d never agree to have a camera
spying on her every move.

“It depends on what area you want to survey,” the technician
said.

Dante scratched his jaw. “Assume we want to cover the living
room.” With the technician on his heels, he proceeded to the middle of the
large room.

The men turned around, scanned the ceiling, their gazes
resting on corners and light fixtures.

“One these three dangling lights above the bar would be
ideal to hide a little camera.”

“Really?” Dante’s voice held a strange note.

The technician stepped to the bar area and raised his head
scrutinizing each lamp. A grunt escaped him. “But...but...” He went from one to
the other and examined them again. “You already have a surveillance camera in
this one.” He pointed to the lamp on the right. “And it covers the whole living
room.”

“I think the detective and Officer Raines spotted the
camera. I noticed they kept looking at the dangling lamps when they searched
the kitchen and bar area. Alexa, did your father tell you that he installed a
camera?”

 “No.” The whole thing didn’t make sense. “Are you sure it’s
a camera?”

The technician smirked. “Oh yes, Ma’am, I install these
little eyes often enough to recognize them.”

 “So Greg must have put it here.” Dante crossed his arms and
paced around. “How or where would he watch the recording?”

“On a computer. I can’t tell you exactly which computer.
You’d have to ask the person who installed it.” The technician’s words finally
sank into her befuddled mind.

And the bile rose in her throat.

Greg had put in that device to spy on her, to watch every
one of her moves, maybe to see her ambling around in her...

Chapter Thirteen

“I don’t know who killed Steve, but I’m going to kill Greg
right away,” Alexa snarled as she marched to the door.

Dante understood her anger, but snatched her back against
his chest. “Alexa, I know you’re upset—”

“Upset doesn’t begin to describe it. Try disgusted,
outraged, angry...”

“I know, Alexa, I know. And yet you’ve held the stress
pretty well. Don’t collapse now.”

“I’m far from collapsing. I’m going to tell that peeping tom
what I think about him and his
protectiveness
.”

“Calm down. With an investigation going on we have to watch
every word we say.” He turned her in his arms. “Alexa, look at me. Greg’s
indiscretion was awful. But it’s in the past.”

“Are you crazy? How can you excuse him?” Her head jerked
back, shock and hurt shimmering in her beautiful green eyes.

The hell with the old man and his oppressive jealousy
.
“Far from excusing him, I’m mad as hell, because his spy camera must have
recorded our moves when I carried you to your bedroom.” Her jaw dropped as she
glanced at the dangling lamp. He resisted the urge to soothe her with caresses.
“However his deplorable surveillance may help us now.”

When she scowled and tried to wriggle out of his arms, he
held her firmly and cupped her face, his eyes capturing her gaze. “If Greg has
been taping your living room, I’ll get hold of those discs. Maybe they can show
us what happened in your apartment. Maybe we can find some clues there.”

“Oh.” She stopped struggling to get away. “Dante, the
desktop in my office is Greg’s computer. He left it there with everything
else.”

“Very convenient for him. He probably checked the camera
recording from time to time, when you were away, since he has a key.”

“And even when I was present. That sleaze bag often asked me
if he could read his emails here because his old laptop was down.” Hands
fisted, she banged on Dante’s shoulders. “How I want to kill him.”

“Darling, careful. That hurts.” He chuckled and pressed his
point. “Don’t say anything yet. We have to go to my office now and meet with the
attorneys. As soon as we come back, I’ll browse through your computer.”

Alexa closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Keeping her in his
arms, Dante respected her inner struggle, her need to break away from the man
who had controlled her. To think of it, her father had acted like a selfish
bastard insisting she marry his partner when she was only eighteen. To protect
her or more probably to protect his company?

“Fine. Let’s go to your office.” She strode to her bedroom
and returned with her purse. After opening the door, she paused. “I’ll set the
alarm now.”

Dante smiled. “Go ahead.” He watched her do it, pleased that
she’d remembered her code and instructions in spite of the turmoil roaring in
her head.

“At least, my apartment is safe now. Both from intruders and
from Greg,” she added with a snort.

Fifteen minutes later, they entered the building that housed
Morganstein & Cantari Law Firm
. “Hi, Michelle. Please ask Jay and
Juan to come to my office,” Dante said.

“Right away. They told me to call for them as soon as you
arrived.”

Alexa threw him a questioning look loaded with angst. His
hand on the small of her back, he led her to his office and indicated the
armchair across from his desk.

The two young attorneys entered Dante’s office, one carrying
his laptop and the other a folder they set in front of him on the desk.

“Glad you both came,” Jay said.

“Go ahead,” Dante prompted, hoping they would get information
shedding some light on the case.

“We checked
Loans and More, Inc.
accounts. The
company is in financial trouble. Heavy debts and threats from clients.”

Dante nodded. “That’s why Steve borrowed from Tom Dallen and
approached Greg Partson who refused to lend him anything.”

“Well,” Juan continued. “Bairey and his partner Morton
applied for loans from various banks and were rejected because of their bad
record. So they went to wealthy individuals to bail them out.”

“That failed obviously,” Dante stated.

“We also checked Mr. Bairey’s status.” Jay glanced at Alexa
and paused. “Dante, you’d better look at this.” He turned his laptop toward Dante
and clicked on a file.

Dante read silently and cursed. “Alexa, there’s no way to
tell you this gently, so brace yourself.”

“What now? I think I can cope with anything after all I’ve
been through.” Her fingers grasped the arms of her chair as she leaned forward.

“This tops it all,” Dante exhaled. “There is a joint account
in the names of Mr. Steve Bairey and Mrs.
Alexa Bairey
, and a deposit of
two million dollars to that account from Ms. Alexa Partson’s personal account.
The deposit was made at 10 am in the morning, on the same day Bairey died.”

“No way.” Alexa lurched out of her chair and circled the
desk to look at the file. “How on earth could he have done this?”

“When I explained to the bank manager there was an
investigation going on because of the suspicious death of Bairey, he said
Bairey had told him that he and Alexa were getting married
tonight
.”

“What?” Alexa’s hand flew to her chest.

“The manager showed me a copy of a check supposedly signed
by you, Alexa. I asked for a copy. Apparently, a detective called Ladd had
already talked to him and requested the original. Here is the copy,” Jay handed
Dante a sheet of paper with the copy of a check.

He studied it and handed it to Alexa. “It looks like your
signature. But I could be wrong. Look at it carefully, Alexa. Is it yours?” Dante
asked, hoping she’d notice something fishy and deny it.

Her hand shook as she took the paper and stared at it. “I
can’t believe it. I never signed anything like that. And yet, it’s my
signature.” She threw the paper on the desk and dropped into her chair. Her
forehead lowered in her open palms.

“Maybe it’s forged,” Jay suggested. “Detective Ladd sent the
original to a handwriting analysis expert. He’ll probably contact you soon.”

“I’m sure, he will.” Alexa’s defeated tone broke Dante’s
heart.

****

After Jay and Juan left his office, Dante brought her coffee
and sandwiches for lunch. “Alexa, we’ll get you out of this mess.” His warm
palm engulfed her cold fingers.

She nodded, more to reassure him than out of conviction.
“Why is every clue pointing at me? Why?” Straightening, she squeezed Dante’s
hand to get his full attention. “Think with me, Dante. How could Steve claim I
was getting married to him that same evening? How? Was he going to kidnap me? Force
me to marry him? And then what?”

“I don’t think he could have forced you,” Dante exclaimed.

“Maybe he thought he could, because for years, I was vulnerable,
an easy target. Maybe he counted on me being unable to defend myself if he’d
tried to abduct me.”

“You may have given him that impression, but you certainly
haven’t acted like a weak person.”

Grabbing the cup of coffee, she gulped half of it, trying to
clear her thoughts. “So, it wasn’t love, or even lust, on Steve’s part as I
first believed. The bastard was after my money. But how was he planning to get
away with all his machinations? Just by going to Atlanta as he claimed?” After
setting her cup on the desk, she waved away the plate of sandwiches Dante
offered. “Thanks. I’m not hungry.” She didn’t need Dante to dote on her now.
She wanted the truth exposed, explained. “What is the truth?” With a tight
fist, she banged on the arm of her chair.

“Alexa, the first time Detective Ladd interrogated you about
Steve, you reported that he came to your apartment to discuss the building
assessment.”

“Yes.” Shame warmed her face. “Why are you bringing up that horrible
experience?”

“Because you mentioned you woke up, half-naked, with Steve
next to you—”

“Stop. Don’t remind me of that awful night.” She covered her
face with her hands, trying to erase the memory.

Dante pulled her fingers away. “On the contrary, I want you
to try to remember and tell me every detail that pops into your mind.”

Stunned, she peered at him.

His intense gaze didn’t flinch. “You told us you couldn’t
remember much. Why? How many drinks did you have?”

“Maybe two.”

“We’ve had more than two drinks in the last few days. Yet
you vividly remembered our lovemaking the next morning.”

“Please, Dante.” She waved her hand, unable to take more.

“Alexa, don’t you see? You probably were drugged that
night.”

She’d often wondered why she couldn’t explain how she’d let
Steve share her bed or why she hadn’t fought him. “I thought about that
possibility. That’s why I dumped the drink he brought me on his last visit.”