Who Glares Wins (Lexi Graves Mysteries) (42 page)

"They aren't going to fire Edward?"

"No. And there's more good news."

"There is?"

"The board might be interested in our services."

I rolled my eyes. "You turned my near death into a business meeting?"

"You seemed to have it under control."

My mouth split into a broad smile, the shock having receded.
"I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did.
I’ll send someone to get your car.
" Solomon leaned down
and
kissed me on the cheek. "
Take a home day to file your report.
Maybe a few days off.
See you when you come back," he said
.
He
left, making way for Maddox, who returned, my purse in
his
hand.

"It's all over," I said. "I solved the case.
Two cases!
"

"Solomon
outta here
?"

"Back to the office,
I guess
" I told him. "How about you?
A
nywhere
you have
to be?"

"I have to go to
the station. I still have cases to work on.
We’re drawing straws on who gets to interrogate Louisa.
"

"Montgomery's finest never sleep
s
, huh?"

"Something like that.
Do you need a ride home? I can get someone to take you.”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“
I'll catch up with you soon, okay?
I’ll call you as soon as I can.
You did
real
good," he said again
, kissing
me quickly,
signaling
to another office
r
to follow him as he exited.

And
as for
me? It was time for me to go home. I dug in my bag for my car keys and sighed, my shoulders slumping. I still had a nail in my tire. Instead
,
I pulled my cell phone out and called Lily.

"Can you come pick me up
again
?" I asked. "I'm at the hotel and I need a ride home."

"Are y
ou
on the lam from
another dead body?"

"No. This time
,
I quit."

"Right on
!
" said Lily. "I'm on my way."

I decided the best exit was a quiet one and
slipped
out the doors while everyone was distracted by the police. Three feet later
,
I stopped, seeing Chef Fabien with his arm around Sylvia. She smiled at me and held up her hand. On her ring finger
,
something sparkled.

"We're getting married," she said. "
I can't believe I was a suspect!
They read me my rights
!
Fabien yelled at them to
‘
back off.
’
Can you believe that?"

I could. Fabien yelled at everyone. Except Sylvia, apparently.

"What were you talking about with Amanda in the conference center?" I asked. "I saw you right before the stabbing." It was the one thing I couldn't work out.

"Oh, that? Amanda was trying to patch things up with Fabien for me. He gave her the ring,
and
asked me to change my mind. I wasn't sure what to do. All the sabotage
was getting
us so angry and stressed
,
b
ut he's been my rock." And now she wore his. I was glad something
great
had
emerged from
Louisa's mess.

"I'm happy for you," I told them, "both of you. But I have to go. Good luck with everything."

Sylvia looked puzzled. "You aren't staying?"

"No. This is it for me.
Besides,
"
I pointed over to Edward and Marissa,
their hands still tightly grasped together
“I think Marissa decided to stay on after all.”
I stepped around them and slipped outside.
C
ross
ing
the gardens
,
I
left the grounds, walking a little way down the street, putting
more
distance between The Montgomery
and me
while I waited for Lily.

"What are you doing now?" I asked Lily as I climbed in
a few minutes later
. "Aside from the obvious."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Short skirts, dancing, expensive cocktails with funny names."

"I'm doing that," said Lily and we sped off.

Chapter Eighteen

Aft
er Louisa got arrested, I took Solomon up on his offer
and had
a few days off. With the
bump on
my head
back
to normal
, I had plenty of time to lounge and think
,
wonder
ing
what my colleagues thought
about
me reeling in a big case
. The thinking seriously ruined my lie
-
ins.

Instead of being at the hotel by nine, today
,
I
was
curled up on Lily's sofa while she passed me cof
fee and an icepack. "Should I get
more of these?" she asked. "Now that you
r
life of danger and intrigue
is full time
?"

"Maybe," I said. "I hope not.
”

Lily hopped onto the sofa next to me, curling her feet under her. "I have to know the details. Tell me everything."

"It was obvious
,
when you think about it," I explained. "Louisa had access everywhere in the building, just like Sylvia. There was nowhere the staff wouldn't expect to see Louisa
;
and she could easily
make up
a reason to be in
any
part of the hotel. After all, she was the human resources manager. It was her job to
represent
the employees."

"And that's how she got into the kitchens and
behind
the concierge desk?"

I nodded. "Yep. She didn't stand out at all. Plus
,
she knew a lot about the business. She could get any key card she wanted and she had issued herself a secret
all-
access pass too.
Maddox found it in her pocket when they booked her.
Like mine, it could get her anywhere in the building
,
so she didn't have to use her own pass."

"Sneaky."

"Totally," I agreed.

"What happened to all the stolen stuff?"

"It was
still in the hotel. Louisa just snatched stuff and ditched it in the basement. She knew which areas were
unused
.
Anyway,
she couldn't get rid of the stuff. She didn't want to get caught with it. It was easier to dump it on site. And who would notice
if
the HR manager
were
walking along with a laptop under her arm
?
O
r a cell phone in her hand
?
The police got her fingerprints on most of the stuff. That's where she got sloppy."

"And the murder?"

"An accident
, just like she said
." I pulled a face.
Edward called again to thank me, mentioning that the board
planned
to establish a fund to help Greg Conlan’s wife and kids.
"Murder wasn't part of Louisa's game. She
merely
wanted to discredit Killjoy. The thefts, the extra money the hotel
owners
had to plow into clearing up the chaos she caused,
the
staff quitting
—that
should all have been
plenty
to get Killjoy fired. And that's exactly what she wanted. She wanted that spot free because she had someone perfect for the job. Richard Mayer."

"
Did I miss something?
Who's Richard Mayer?"

"Louisa's husband. When The Montgomery
changed owners
, Richard was up for the job
along with
Killjoy. It would have been a huge promotion after years
of
slugging away
for
the hotel group
,
but he didn't get the job. Richard was furious. He blamed Louisa. He started drinking heavily,
and
messing up at work. After all, what was the point? He didn't get the promotion and the opportunity probably
would never
come up again. Louisa figured with Killjoy gone
,
she would easily be able to
slide
Richard into the job. After all, she was going to be the hotel's
savior
.
And t
he reason it didn't totally sink."
All this
was
gleaned from Maddox
,
who
gave
me the lowdown after Louisa finally
confessed
and started yakking.

"How could she be so sure the board would listen to her
? Or that
Richard would get the job
?"

"Because she would
have made
sure there were no other suitable applicants for the
position
." I thought about all the problems
Louisa had create
d. If she'd
only
put as much effort into helpin
g her husband find a new job...
instead of murdering an innocent man to cover her crimes.
"Seems kind of a drastic way to get
hired,
if you ask me."

Lily shrugged
, sipping
her coffee. "I guess it's the recession."

"Seriously?"

"You're speaking to the woman who has to dress as a cigarette girl later
and
hand out flyers."

"You
really
need to get your own club."

Lily grinned suddenly. "The bank came through. With their loan and my parents' investment
,
I get to go property shopping. I think I found somewhere already."

"No?"

"Yes!"

"I want
to be
on the guest list for the opening party."

"It's going to be huge. Ruby's going to be my bar manager. Jord said he'll bring all his cop buddies."

"How are things going with my brother?"

"Early days. Can't believe we're finally dating and..."

"And?"

"It's not what I expected. He's nicer, sweeter
, than I expected
."

"Did he tell you why he finally asked you out?"

"He said he couldn't stand to see me dating another jerk
,
when I could have him."

We both pondered that. "Men," I said.

"Men," agreed Lily.

"Speaking of which
—I
have a date with the boss."

"You decide what you're going to do?"

"Yes."

"Whatever you do, I'm here for you."

Best friends were always there for you. Marissa had that,
and
a new
fiancé
.
Apparently
,
I was getting a wedding invitation.
I had that
too,
and I hoped Lily knew
how much
I cherished her
.

When I strolled into the Solomon Agency late morning,
I was
dressed in
black
pants and a
black
shirt,
with
three buttons undone for
just
a hint of cleavage,
and the highest, sexiest, heels I thought I could get away with given my get
-
up
.
Lucas
and Fletcher were already in the office. Flaherty and Delgado were noticeably absent and Solomon's office door was shut. Through the blinds
,
I saw him talking on the phone. He met my eyes and nodded. I nodded back. To some
,
that might have
seemed
a poor
“W
elcome home,
”
but Solomon
was never
big on gestures. A nod was as good as a hug.

"Is that a picture of your wife?" I asked
Lucas
,
indicating
the photo of an attractive woman with long hair on his desk amid his flat
-
screen monitors.

"Fiancée," he replied, smiling.

"Pretty. You're a lucky guy," I said as I
passed
him to my desk. After years of temping, I got used to never leaving anything on my desk
, unless
I didn't mind never getting
it
back. But I was here to stay for now, a genuine employee. "I thought I might jazz up my desk too. It's looking a little lonely." I pulled a photo out of my
leather tote
and laid it flat. I fiddled
further
in my bag and
took
out a photo frame that I'd picked up on the way in
. I
levered off the back, finally shoving the photo in and setting it upright.

Lucas
flicked a glance at Solomon's office. "You brought a picture of a guy?" he asked.

"No," I said,
turning
the photo
frame
around so he could see it. "The guys."

Lucas frowned. “Is that the Army?”

Fletcher wheeled his chair over
from the desk opposite, kicking his feet against the floor
,
rather than simply getting up,
and peered at it. "You know someone in the
A
rmy?" he asked, his brow
s
knitted together in confusion as he took a long look at the photo.

I pointed to a figure two rows back. "That's me," I said. "When I was in the
A
rmy."

"I didn't know you were in the
A
rmy."
Lucas
looked up at me and his expression changed. I thought he looked more
respectful,
but I could have been imagining it.

"
It’s not something I shout about
," I said, nonchalantly.

"When did you get out?"

"A few years ago."

"Your time up?"

"Sort of."

"Yeah?"

I leaned in. "Okay. You can't tell anyone. It's like this. I killed a guy."

Lucas
’
eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Maybe," I said. "I'll never tell. Coffee?" I could also lie well enough to confuse
Lucas
. I smiled a
s
he contemplated me.

"I'll make it," he said quickly.

I rested back in my chair and smiled as I turned on my laptop. Behind me
,
Fletcher was earwigging. I would give it one day before
Lucas
or Fletcher told Delgado
and Flaherty
about my mysterious military past.

Here's the thing though. I was
in
the
A
rmy
,
but it wasn't the most illustrious point of my life. Like I said, I was engaged and it ended badly. Embarrassed and hurt
,
I stumbled into a military recruitment drive and signed up, ending up in boot camp shortly after. I got through it okay. I was fit, I could shoot, I didn't totally hate the uniform
,
but I wasn't up for being shot at or shouted at every day. I could get that at home
for free
.
T
he
A
rmy
and I
broke up soon after
,
and I came home, slightly more dangerous, fitter,
but
a lot more at peace with myself.

Next to the picture of my boot camp
buddies
,
I added a recent one.

"What's that?" asked Fletcher,
his
curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh, this?" I pointed to the second photo. "It's my commendation from the new mayor for solving a multi-million dollar fraud case with local PD
a while back
."

"I didn't know that. Cool.”

"I don't like to boast." I got to my feet
, trying not to smile as my PR stunt worked
. "I have a meeting with Solomon now. Can you ask
Lucas
to give me a wave when he's back
and I'll come out and get my coffee
?
"