“Detective?”
The other man almost squeaked it, and Darien stifled a sigh. And then stopped as the thought occurred to her that the statement might have been aimed at the other man as much as at her, letting him know who she was before he said anything embarrassing. She studied the tall, powerfully built man assessingly, wondering if there was indeed such tact and consideration hidden behind an exterior that had seemed, to her at least, decidedly gruff until now.
By the time she decided she had no way of knowing and that it wouldn’t make any difference anyway, the other man had escaped out another doorway. She also decided against making any comment about his unfair dig about her arrival time. If she was right, she’d look silly, and if he really was criticizing, he didn’t deserve a response.
Start as you mean to go on, her father had always said, and she meant to start this partnership on the right foot.
“What have we got?” she asked briskly.
There was the slightest of pauses before he answered, and she was very aware of his steady gaze. With those unusual golden-brown eyes, it was hard not to be. There was the slightest bit of emphasis on the first word when he finally spoke.
“We have a homicide case that could turn into the nightmare to end all nightmares.”
“Victim’s a big shot, I gather,” she said, as neutrally as she could.
“And then some. They’re more recognizable in this town than the mayor. And they’ve got friends in higher places than that.”
“I thought I heard eggshells crunching,” she said.
To her surprise, Waters grinned. “And very expensive eggs we’re walking on at that.”
She felt absurdly pleased. And decided to make it clear right away that she understood her position. “What do you want me to do?”
He gave her a look she couldn’t quite interpret. “You’re waiting for me to tell you what needs to be done, Wilson?”
She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say to that, so she went with the truth. “I know what needs to be done. I know what my area of expertise is, so I would assume I’m supposed to tackle his computer. But I also know I’m the rookie here, so I was asking what part of it you want me to do.”
After a brief moment, he nodded as if she’d gotten the answer to some difficult test question correct. “Benton and Sutter have the evidence situation under control, and we should have their preliminary written reports by the end of the day. We’ll take the computer with us as evidence; it’s a laptop-at least it’s the only one I could find-so we don’t need to wait for transport, as long as one of us has it in our possession from the time we leave here until it’s booked in, for chain of evidence.”
“Did Benton or Sutter draw any early conclusions?”
“Limited. This is the highest-profile kind of case, so those eggshells are pretty thin. So far all we know for sure is Franklin Gardner’s dead, he didn’t do it himself, and there’s no sign of forced entry.”
“Anything missing?”
“A few valuable items. But whoever it was left cash and other easily portable-and fence-able-things behind.”
Darien frowned. “Interrupted burg, maybe?”
“Maybe.”
“By the victim?”
“It’s possible,” he said. “There are signs of a struggle in the study where he was found. I’ll show you in a minute.”
“But that still doesn’t explain the lack of forced entry.”
“Nope.”
“Nobody heard anything?”
“The live-in maid, who found him, was the only one here. But the study is soundproofed, according to her, so he could work undisturbed.”
“You’ve talked to her?”
“Not yet. She’s first on the list, but she’s pretty distraught.”
“He have any enemies?” Her mouth curved wryly. “As if anybody could reach such an exalted position in life without making at least a few along the way.”
“Safe bet,” Waters agreed. “But we don’t have names yet.”
“So…we start asking questions?”
“Indeed we do.”
Chapter 2
“I understand it was a shocking experience for you, Mrs. Hobart,” Waters said.
“It was terrible!” The woman shuddered. She looked tired as she sat on her employer’s elegant sofa, and Darien supposed she’d been up most of the night. The notes she had said the woman was fifty-three, but right now she looked at least a decade older.
“So I’m sure you want to help us find who did this to Mr. Gardner,” Waters said, his voice gentle.
“I already told the other detectives, I don’t know anything. I heard a noise, then I found him on the floor in the study.”
“You didn’t see anything at all?”
A suddenly wary look crossed her face. “No. I told you, a noise woke me.”
“What kind of noise?”
“Just a noise,” she insisted. “I walked to the hall, I saw a light on. I found Mr. Gardner. I called 9-1-1. That’s all.”
She sounded almost defensive, Darien thought. And on her thought she saw Waters incline his head a fraction, as if the woman’s tone had also caught his interest.
“I see. Then I guess we won’t need much more of your time,” Waters said. The woman relaxed visibly. “We’ll just need the names of everyone who was here yesterday and last night. And anyone else who came regularly.”
Immediately the woman stiffened up again. And Darien saw Waters notice it.
“I’m afraid I couldn’t do that. It would betray my employment contract.”
“Your contract?” Waters said, looking puzzled.
“A confidentiality clause?” Darien asked, the first time she’d spoken since the interview had begun.
The woman looked at her. “Exactly. I’ve not broken that trust for ten years, and I’m not about to start now.”
Darien hesitated, then asked softly, “But the person you promised confidentiality to is dead. Doesn’t that void your responsibility, especially if it will help find who killed him?”
Mrs. Hobart looked thoughtful, gave a half nod, opened her mouth to speak. And then abruptly stopped.
“Mrs. Hobart?” Waters said.
“I work for the Gardner family,” she said. And crossed her arms in front of her as if that answered all.
“And I work for the city of Chicago,” Waters said, his voice suddenly flinty. “It’s my job to find out what really happened here last night. And I will, Mrs. Hobart. By whatever means necessary.”
The woman drew back slightly, as if she felt intimidated. I would, Darien thought.
She’d never seen Colin Waters in investigative mode before, but she knew his reputation, and she quickly decided to stay quiet so she could watch and learn.
“I’m sure the Gardner family wouldn’t appreciate it becoming public knowledge that one of their employees had to be forced to cooperate with the investigation of the homicide of one of their own.”
His tone had gone icy, and it worked. The woman visibly quailed, and Darien saw her swallow nervously. But she still maintained her silence. So did Waters, until Darien wondered if he was waiting for her to step in.
“Perhaps we should call Mrs. Gardner,” Darien said. “I’m sure she would tell you she wants you to cooperate.”
Waters shot her a look that told her without doubt that he thought she’d just made a big mistake. But she’d begun now, and he didn’t stop her, so she had no choice but to go on.
“I mean, she’s already told our commander she wants all the stops pulled out in this investigation.”
“She has?” the woman asked, looking doubtful. “Well…”
Waters’s expression changed, although Darien wasn’t sure what the sideways look he gave her then meant.
When the woman still hesitated, Waters put in, “We’ll check the security tapes, of course, but you’d save us a lot of time.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Oh. The cameras.”
She’d forgotten about them, Darien thought. And now that she’s remembered, she’s not happy. Interesting.