glance in his rearview mirror.
It was almost a miracle during the rush-hour traffic, but Madeline was able to keep him in sight. Twenty minutes later he double-parked in front of a building, got out of the car and dashed inside. Madeline cruised by and went down to the corner to read the street sign. Great, she thought with a sigh. She’d just managed to successfully tail him to his home. She eyed his car again speculatively. He probably was leaving again shortly, unless he was going to push his luck with a parking ticket. She decided to stick around a bit longer. She pulled in to a nearby alley.
Her vigil was rewarded. A half hour later Cruz came out the door. He’d changed into dark pants and a green shirt. He checked his watch as he bounded down the steps and got back into his car. Madeline waited until it had roared away to start her own engine and take up the tail again. They drove for more than half an hour. Long enough for her to reflect that this was the first time she’d seen him in anything resembling dress clothes, and for her to spend time wondering what had warranted such a change. She was certainly going to feel silly if she followed him all this time, only to find that he was hurrying to a hot date. She refused to consider that the discovery would elicit any other emotion.
Madeline recognized the area he was leading her into. There were many business buildings lining the streets, as well as occasional condominiums and several restaurants. She was dismayed when, a moment later, he ran a yellow light. The next second it turned red.
She stared at the line of cars between her and the corner, and slapped both palms on the steering wheel in disgust. The moments until the light turned green again seemed an eternity. She headed in the direction he’d gone, but it was quickly apparent that she’d lost him. Damn, damn, damn, she thought in chagrin. She hated to get this close, just to fail. Not that she had any real idea of how close she’d gotten. There was no way of knowing if Cruz was somewhere in the neighborhood, or if he would be driving for another half hour. Just as there was no way to tell now what his plans for the night entailed.
More than likely he had nothing more devious lined up for the evening than a leisurely dinner with a beautiful woman. If that was the case Madeline was almost glad she hadn’t managed to follow him. But if Cruz had been going to meet with someone involved in the guns, she’d just missed a valuable opportunity, indeed.
Thoughts morose, she continued backtracking until she neared the neighborhood where Cruz lived. Without even really planning it, she drove to his street and parked down the block. Perhaps something could be salvaged from this evening, after all. He’d said a tenant had moved out of his building. If she pretended to be interested in the vacant apartment, maybe she would be able to learn something from the landlord. It was worth a try, anyway.
She walked up the block and entered the building. A woman was in the hallway sweeping, her back to Madeline.
“Excuse me, could you tell me where I might find the landlord?”
The woman turned around. She was in her late fifties, Madeline estimated, and at least forty pounds overweight. Her hair was a garish shade of blond and she wore a housecoat with huge roses on it. Ariel should meet this woman, Madeline thought with amusement. They’d probably be soul mates.
“You found her, honey. What can I do you for?” the woman said with a smile.
“A friend of mine told me that this building might have an apartment for rent. I was wondering if I could look at it.”
“Are you the one I talked to on the phone today?”
Madeline blinked. “I… no, I didn’t call earlier. You haven’t rented it already, have you?”
The woman shook her head. “No, I guess not. Talked to someone who seemed mighty interested on the phone. She was supposed to come see it. But if you ain’t her, well, I guess nothing’d be hurt to take you through it. You’re here first, after all.”
A sigh escaped Madeline and she smiled. “Great.”
The woman took a large bunch of keys from one of the oversize pockets on the front of her dress. “We’ll have to take the stairs- the elevator isn’t working. Should be running again soon, though. The owner is real good about fixing stuff like that.”
Madeline looked around interestedly as they climbed. The building was old, but had obviously been kept up. The ceilings were extremely high, and in good condition. The paint in the hallways looked fresh and everything seemed clean.
“There are four apartments on each floor, and each has two bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom, plus a living room. All are unfurnished. No pets allowed, and the rent is due on the first of each month.” The woman named a price that was less than what Madeline was paying for her own place, and she wondered if she’d wasted her time by coming here. Cruz might be saving money by buying such an apartment. That would help explain how he’d managed to save enough to for that fancy car of his.
“Here we are.” The woman unlocked a door on the fifth floor and threw it open. She allowed Madeline to enter and then followed her in, keeping up a running litany of the apartment’s advantages. Madeline looked around with genuine interest. Although the carpet was somewhat shabby, there was a certain charm in the old-fashioned woodwork and large windows.
“Well, what do you think?” the woman asked after they had looked in all the rooms and closets.
“It’s nice,” Madeline answered truthfully.
The woman beamed. “Most people like it here. Our tenants stay with us for a while. We don’t get many vacancies.”
They stepped back into the hallway and the woman locked the door carefully.
“Are all the apartments in the building similar to this one?” Madeline asked as they began to walk down the stairs.
“Yep. Well, all but one,” the woman corrected herself. “About six months ago the owner sold the top floor to one tenant, and he’s remodeled it into one large apartment for himself.” She glanced slyly at Madeline. “He’s another reason this building might appeal to you. You’d probably run into him. And he’s definitely worth running into. He’s what you young women call a real hunk.”
“Sounds interesting,” Madeline forced herself to say. “What’s he do?”
“Oh, he’s a cop, a detective. Now that’s kind of romantic, ain’t it? And he’s a real nice guy, too. If you take the apartment I’ll introduce the two of you. I’m always after Cruz-that’s his name,” she added in an aside, “to meet some nice young thing and settle down. Life’s too short, I tell him…”
Madeline listened with only one ear as the woman rattled on. Her mind was racing. How much would it cost to buy an entire floor of such a building? And then to renovate it? She couldn’t even guess, but she knew it would be expensive. It would cost substantially more than the amount of the loan Cruz had taken out for the property. She would have to investigate the matter further when the courthouse opened in the morning.
After extricating herself from the landlady, Madeline drove back to the Internal Affairs headquarters and typed up a report detailing the week’s investigation results. The hour was late enough that she could be assured of avoiding Brewer, and for that she was fiercely glad. She wasn’t ready to put up with one of his grillings. She hesitated a moment, her fingers poised over the keys. The sports car and the apartment meant nothing by themselves, but taken together, they pointed to an obvious conclusion. Slowly she recommenced typing.
She was going to have to report the fact that Cruz Martinez seemed to have a second source of income.
The next morning Madeline left a phone message for Cruz that she would be late. Then she drove to the courthouse as soon as it opened. Buyers of property were required to file numerous legal papers, most of which were available for public scrutiny. She requested the necessary information and waited impatiently until the woman placed the file in front of her. Flipping it open, she scanned it briefly, until she found the item she sought. Even prepared as she was, her eyes widened when she read the amount Cruz had paid for his property. It wasn’t a fortune, but for someone in their profession it might as well be. The amount he’d borrowed had been for less than half of this figure. She wondered if he’d had savings to pay for the rest.
She drove to the Southwest District headquarters then to meet Cruz. She noticed detachedly that her hands were trembling on the steering wheel. So she had confirmed that Cruz was living above the means of a detective. She didn’t know why that should affect her so strongly. This was not the first such investigation she’d conducted. None had ever caused her to lose her calm like this.
But this was the first time she’d had to face the man she was investigating day after day, work by his side, get to know him personally. And it was also the first time she’d cared what kind of results the investigation
