Brenda Novak - The Perfect Murder

“We’re doing everything we can, Jane. You’re going to have to accept that this might not happen fast or you’ll run yourself into the ground.”

He should know. He’d been searching for more than a year. But it really wasn’t the long hours that were getting to her. It was the what if questions that chased each other around and around in her mind. What if she wasn’t a good enough investigator to be handling this case? What if she or the police didn’t get to Latisha and Marcie in time? How would she deal with that? What if she was pregnant? How would she tell her friends and in-laws-and Kate? Would she ever tell Sebastian? It hardly seemed fair to burden him with her mistake. But it didn’t seem fair to make his decisions for him, either.

Then, as she grew more tired, there was another what if question that kept presenting itself. What if she went home with him tonight? What if she allowed their relationship to turn into a full-blown affair for the duration of his stay in Sacramento?

But she had no business even considering that, much less acting on it. She’d told Sebastian she couldn’t get pregnant, which meant she couldn’t let him touch her again. If there was a next time, he’d see no reason to use a condom, and a repeat performance would significantly increase the risk of destroying everything she’d created-her new life, her sense of security.

She must have dozed off as they drove because the next thing she knew, Sebastian was gently shaking her shoulder. “We’re at Cache Creek, Jane. I’m going to go in. You wait here.”

Maybe he liked being large and in charge, but she had to admit he was always willing to carry the heavy end, always willing to do more than his share. Oliver had been so different, more like an indulged little boy who expected her to make all the sacrifices.

When Sebastian covered her with his coat, she wanted to close her eyes and drift away again. But letting him take care of her somehow weakened her resistance to him.

Forcing herself to return his coat, she sat up. “No, it’ll be quicker if we both go. You must be tired, too.”

“Jane-”

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “You’ve got your copy of Malcolm’s picture?”

“Listen to me. Running yourself ragged isn’t going to help.”

She arched her eyebrows at him. “I can do it if you can.”

His lips were compressed in a straight, unhappy line. “Suit yourself.”

As soon as they passed into the casino, Jane looked for the security guard she’d met earlier, but she couldn’t find him. No doubt his shift had ended.

Sebastian touched her arm. “You take that side, I’ll take this one.”

Hoping she was doing it subtly enough, she stepped out of reach. The attraction she felt grew stronger when they stood close together. “Okay.”

“Maybe you should get a cup of coffee first.”

“Are you kidding? Then I’ll be up for the rest of the night. This won’t take long.”

She strode purposefully off, but when she glanced over her shoulder to see if he’d done the same, he was still standing there, watching her. “What?”

“Nothing,” he muttered and disappeared into the crowd.

Covering a yawn, Jane headed to the closest table, which turned out to be a blackjack table. She’d been to so many casinos and spoken to so many people, she expected another negative response. But this time when she flashed Malcolm’s picture, she saw immediate recognition on the dealer’s face.

“Yeah, I know him,” he said while someone cut the deck. “He used to come in all the time.”

Like magic, her exhaustion disappeared. “Have you seen him tonight?”

“No, not for a while. Several weeks.”

“When does he normally come in?”

Obviously feeling some pressure to get back to work, he looked uncomfortably at the people waiting for him to deal. “He done something wrong?”

He had only a few seconds. She had to convince him to reveal what he knew before he brushed her off. “He might’ve kidnapped two teenage girls.”

The dealer whistled and shrugged off his hesitation. “Comes in late, usually on the weekends when it’s crowded.”

“Do you know his name, where he lives?”

He dealt the next hand. “No.”

The man on the left was already asking for a hit, and the pit boss was coming to see why she was interrupting business, but Jane had to ask one more question. “Does he have any friends here? Anyone who might be able to tell me more about him?”

She realized from his manner that the dealer knew his boss was on the way. He kept his eyes on the cards. “Not that I’m aware of,” he said. “Keeps mostly to himself.”

“Thank you.” Before the man with the microphone in his ear could shoo her away, she walked over by the slot machines to call Sebastian.

“I just talked to someone who’s seen him,” she announced.

“So did I. Apparently he’s a regular. But he hasn’t been in tonight.”

“The dealer I spoke to hasn’t seen him in weeks.”

“I’m guessing he’s had other things on his mind.”

She bit her lip. “Latisha and Marcie?”

“Something’s been keeping him busy.”

“Maybe he’s been looking for you, trying to figure out what you’ve got on him.”

“He could be doing that, too,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

But instead of going to the exit, she perched on a stool. “I’d rather stay. Maybe he’ll come in tonight.”

There was a long pause. “I have a better idea,” he said when he spoke again. “Meet me at the door.”

“Do you think that security guard you just paid will really call us if Malcolm comes in?” Jane asked.

Sebastian signaled before taking the Howe Avenue exit off Highway 50. “I do.”

“He’s already got your money. How do you know he won’t forget?”

“Because I promised him more money if he remembers.”

“How much more?”

The money he’d offered might make him appear far wealthier than he was at the moment. But he didn’t want to make a bigger issue of it by refusing to answer. “Five thousand.”

“Dollars?”

“I tried pesos, but…no go.”

She wouldn’t be diverted by his flip remark. “Five thousand dollars just for making a call.”

“No. Malcolm has to be there when we arrive. I have to get a glimpse of him.”

She adjusted her seat belt so she could turn toward him. “You don’t mind throwing away that kind of money?”

His bank account couldn’t hold out much longer. He figured he might as well use what he had left to full advantage. “If this works, it’ll be the best money I’ve ever spent, don’t you think?”

“Saving Marcie and Latisha is worth any amount. It just seems like a lot to pay someone who’s already on the clock,” she said. “I bet he would’ve done it for less.”

Maybe that was true, but Sebastian wasn’t taking any chances. “We want to give him enough incentive.”

“At that price he’ll study every face.”

“That’s the point. Now we can go to bed with some confidence that he’ll do his job.”

“True,” she murmured. “And I’m tired again.”

He pulled into her condominium complex and parked. “I’ll walk you to the door.” He didn’t ask. He stated it as if she didn’t have a choice. Because there was no way he’d let her walk up there without knowing she got in safely.

Fortunately, she didn’t argue. She actually surprised him by asking him to check inside, too. He thought it was her background that had her spooked until she explained that she’d been getting some harassing phone calls from Latisha’s father, someone she called both Luther and Lucifer.

Jane had left the kitchen light on, but the rest of the apartment was dark. They flipped switches as they walked from room to room. Sebastian had expected to see a fairly standard condo, furnished in a fairly standard fashion, but there was art everywhere-sculptures, paintings, handmade pottery, blown glass, metal objects. One painting, in particular, caught his eye. It was hanging on the wall in her bedroom and showed the outline of a man and a woman in a naked embrace. There were no details-no eyes or ears or specific body parts-just shape and color, but it brought the image vividly to mind.