“Well, I’m sure it’s confidential, Detective, but if you know that this man is untrustworthy, I would need to let the manager at Wynn know about it. Crews work with valuable machinery over there all the time.”
“I understand your concern, Mr. Andersen,” Madeline put in. “But as you said, the matter is confidential. Besides, this individual hasn’t shown up for work at Wynn for several days now.”
“I see.” The man was silent for a moment, and then he said, “Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance to you.”
He walked to the door with them. Reaching it, Madeline turned and questioned, “Does your company have products imprinted with your logo, Mr. Andersen?”
“Yes, we have calendars, pens, yardsticks, key rings, the usual. Seems like the advertising department is always coming up with something new.” He shrugged. “Why do you ask?”
“Are those items available at the other companies you own, too?” she questioned.
He thought for a moment, and then answered, “I’m sure they are.” He opened the door for them. “You could pick up things with our logo at any of the companies we own.”
Thanking him, they took their leave and rode the elevator to the lobby. Back in the car, Madeline said, “I think we have time to get over to Wynn Construction and talk to the manager there again. I want to ask him-”
But Cruz was shaking his head. “I don’t think so. That’s forty-five minutes from here, without traffic. We’ll have to put it off until tomorrow.”
That didn’t sit well with her, but she quickly came up with another plan. “Why don’t we swing by Ricky and Ramsey’s apartment complex, then? I’d like to tell Ramsey as soon as possible about what happened this morning.” Cruz didn’t answer and she looked across at him quizzically.
Finally he spoke. “I’m going to have to head back to district headquarters and pick up my car. By the time we get there it’ll be quitting time.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “So? It wouldn’t be the first time we put in overtime on this case.”
“Can’t tonight.” His eyes never left the road. “I have an appointment I can’t get out of.”
For a split second she found herself wondering at his obliqueness, before she comprehended what his reluctance meant. “Maybe you could postpone it,” she suggested in a neutral tone. “What is it, a dentist appointment or something? They’ll be glad to reschedule for you. Mine always does.”
“It’s not something I can reschedule,” he said flatly. “But don’t worry. This will keep until tomorrow.”
Madeline stared out her window unseeingly. It was all too obvious that this appointment of his was not something he was willing to explain to her. Were they, as he’d suggested, getting closer to Valdez? If Cruz was involved, he would have to warn Valdez away tonight, at an appointment his partner couldn’t be witness to. Madeline suddenly had plans for the night, too. Perhaps she would finally discover exactly what Cruz Martinez was involved in.
It was with an odd sense of deja vu that Madeline cautiously tailed Cruz’s car after he left the parking lot of the Southwest Precinct. She drove almost mechanically, staying two car lengths back. The route they took was familiar to her. It came as no surprise that they were headed in the same direction as the only other time she’d had an opportunity to tail him. The difference this time was that he didn’t stop by his apartment first. From that and the speed with which he was driving, it was easy to see that he was in a hurry.
Her hands clenched on the wheel as they neared the neighborhood in which she’d lost him last time. But luck was with her, and after she followed him several more minutes he pulled in to a parking garage. She hesitated for a few moments before warily approaching it. She hadn’t thought about what her explanation would be if Cruz happened to spot her. And that could easily happen in the twisting passages of the garage. They could virtually drive right by each other.
Her mind searched for a plausible excuse she could use even as she lowered her window and reached for the ticket. The gate rose, admitting her to the shadowy depths of the garage. It was emptying out in a steady trickle, half the cars having already left during the hour of rush traffic. When one small red compact backed out ahead of her, she slid smoothly into the vacated space.
She sat tensely, facing straight ahead, tilting her rearview mirror so that she could see behind her. After what seemed interminably long minutes, she saw Cruz walk briskly by, toward the entrance of the garage.
Poised with her fingers on the handle of the door, Madeline waited for Cruz to turn the corner onto the street before she followed hurriedly after him. She was out of breath by the time she reached the street, but just in time to see him disappear into a building two doors down. Reaching the building, she saw him walk into an elevator. Madeline hurried over to the closed doors and looked at the number above them.
She waited several minutes before taking the elevator to the third floor. The car stopped and its doors slid open, revealing a hallway lined with offices. She looked carefully up and down the passageway before cautiously venturing out. Many of the offices were still lit up, so it was impossible to guess which one Cruz had disappeared into.
Rooting around in her purse, she extracted a notebook. Flipping it open, she began to scribble down the names on the office doors as she passed each one. When she paused in front of one door to write down the name of the firm housed there, it swung open and a man stepped out. Her eyes met his in shock, her breath catching. The next moment she looked down again, pretending to read her notes. The man paid her no heed as he continued down the hall, and she gave a silent sigh of relief. But she knew her luck couldn’t hold. The next person through one of these doors could well be Cruz. She didn’t want to take that chance.
She ducked behind one of the huge square pillars that dotted the area, giving a silent prayer of thanks to the architect who’d included them in this building’s plan. Then she prepared to wait.
Stakeout had never been one of her favorite parts of police work, and after more than three hours Madeline’s mood was approaching the dangerous. Her surveillance had yielded no results, and the shoes she’d put on this morning had quickly lost the comfort for which she’d bought them. No one else came out of the elevator, although a few more people left the offices for the night.
What could he be doing here for so long? The tedium was starting to wear on her nerves. She’d had too much time to think tonight, and she didn’t like the way her thoughts all seemed to center around one man. She should be using this time to concentrate on every aspect of the case, but images of him kept appearing in her mind. Each was different, reflecting a different side of him. Face gentle as he held one of his nieces, aglow with pride when he introduced his parents. Closed and guarded when he’d talked to Ritter, laughing and teasing as he was all too often, and by contrast, cold and harsh as he’d been the time they’d encountered Baker.
She didn’t usually think about the phenomenal memory she’d been blessed with. When she did, she gave thanks for it. But she cursed it bitterly now, because she knew it would supply her with never-ending tortuous memories of Cruz and the night they’d spent together. The realization did nothing to improve her mood.
When Cruz finally did leave, he wasn’t alone. Her view was partially blocked by the huge pillar, but her eyes widened in surprise. He walked away with a man who looked very like the mysterious Dan whom they’d run into in the restaurant. She waited a few minutes and then crossed over and looked at the door they’d exited through. It bore only a number; no name or business was listed. After waiting a little longer, Madeline left the building. But she didn’t go home. Instead she headed to the Internal Affairs headquarters. She logged on to one of the available computers, one that accessed a vast databank for the city. Then she spent the better part of the night hunting for information that would explain once and for all Cruz Martinez’s secret.
Cruz’s eyes narrowed with concern when Maddy approached his desk the next morning. She looked even more fragile than she had the day before, and that was saying a lot. Those gorgeous green eyes were dull, shuttered, and no amount of makeup could hide the shadows beneath them. His lips thinned, and he didn’t know who he was angrier at-her for beating herself up over their one night together, or himself. He finally decided that most of the blame was his. She was cautious about emotion; he’d known that, dammit, and still he’d pushed her.
Well, it was too late now for regrets, and if the truth be told, he had damn few of them. He was only sorry that Maddy was suffering; he hated to see her tearing herself up over this. But the case would be over soon, and then, he vowed, he’d make it up to her.
Pushing these thoughts aside, he made no mention of the tension that showed on her face. Instead he poured her a cup of coffee and sank into his chair, giving her some time to unwind.
“Got a call from Lieutenant Niles,” he said as she sipped. He handed her the notes he’d jotted down from the phone conversation. “They checked out Valdez’s apartment. No one claims to have seen him around lately. That’s the list of what they found in his apartment.”
“Doesn’t seem to be anything interesting on it,” she said, a note of disappointment in her voice. “How about
