construction, I might add. You’ll see. When Seth gets a login for Baker, you’ll see the whole setup for yourself. Baker’s not exactly a brainiac. He won’t outsmart my resident genius.”
“Baker won’t be logging on anywhere, Jessie.”
“Yeah, he will. He’s got his laptop back. In fact, I’m expecting a call from Harper anytime.”
“Baker’s dead, Jess. He got gunned down outside the skating rink.”
“What?” Jess slumped back into her chair. “When did this happen?”
“Sometime around midnight.”
“Who did it?”
“Eyewitnesses weren’t clear. Some even reported seeing two shooters, maybe even a woman.” Sam crossed her arms. “Besides being dead, Baker’s got another little setback. His laptop is missing. Until now we didn’t know what was in the black bag. Thanks for filling in the gaps.”
“Damn it! I thought I had him this time. Shit!” It didn’t take long for her to do the math, but when she did, she narrowed her eyes and glared at Sam.
“Wait a minute. You set me up. You knew about Baker, but you wanted to see what I’d say. You played me like…a suspect.” She thought about it for a minute, then added, “You’ve been hanging around me too long. I don’t know if I should be mad or damned proud.”
“Well, two can play the bluff game, but that’s not how friends should treat each other. Right now, you and me need to stick together. Detective Ray Garza is running his own investigation on the murder of Lucas Baker. And as of now, you top his list of suspects.”
“But I didn’t do it. You know I didn’t do it.” She knew she was preaching to the choir, but she couldn’t help jumping to her own defense.
“When he looks for fingerprints on that note you slipped Baker and that locker key, I’ve got money that he’ll find yours.”
Jess thought about it for a second, then winced. “No bet. Shit! I’m totally screwed.”
Sam leaned forward and grabbed her shoulder.
“I know you didn’t kill Baker, but the way I see it, we’ve gotta stay one step ahead of Garza. Will Seth work as your alibi? If Baker was killed at midnight, you were with Harper, right?”
Jess shrugged, but after thinking about Harper, more than a few things didn’t add up about her boy.
“I’m not exactly sure what Seth actually does for a living. Believe it or not, he’s not getting rich on what I pay him, but he may not stand up to close scrutiny from the local cops…if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, that’s just great, Jess. You do realize how much trouble you’re in, right? You need an alibi. And preferably not somebody on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.”
Jess got up to pace again.
“Hell, for all I know, Seth has pulled up stakes. I nearly got him killed, Sam. I practically handed him over to Baker on a silver platter. If it were me…I would’ve quit me.” She dragged a hand over her face. “And the address I have for him may not be…exactly his.”
“I swear to God, Jessie. You know the strangest people.”
“Don’t forget, you’re at the top of my Christmas card list. Don’t be casting stones at my peeps.”
Sam grimaced, then looked at her watch. “Look, I’ve got time before my shift. Get dressed. Let’s see if we can track down Harper. First and foremost, you need a legitimate alibi.”
“I do have his cell phone number. Let me try calling first. If he ignores the call, I might consider that a very bad sign.”
Jess went to her bathroom and took her phone off the charger to place a call to Seth. She walked back into the kitchen as his phone rang. On the fifth ring it beeped and rolled into voice mail without an outgoing message. She tried again and got the same result. Not having a good feeling about all this, she didn’t leave a message.
When Sam narrowed her eyes in question, Jess shrugged and said, “Strike one. He didn’t answer my call.”
“Well, it’s bottom of the ninth with bases loaded. And it doesn’t look good for the home team, Jessie. We gotta find Harper.”
Before she got dressed, Jess wanted Sam’s take on her chances, being a glutton for abuse.
“Sam? What if we can’t find him? Without an alibi, when would Detective Garza come looking for me?”
“Hard to say.” She shrugged. “He won’t know the note is from you. I recognized the handwriting and didn’t say anything. And it’ll take time for the lab to lift prints, but he’ll find a fingerprint match when he conducts his usual database searches. He’ll score a hit on your permit to carry the Python.”
Sam took a swig of coffee and continued speculating.
“But you’re already on his list of suspects after your recent beef with Baker. He could act on that alone and bring you in for questioning as a person of interest. And I’d say you’re gonna look awfully bad when he backtracks Baker’s time prior to his murder. Folks will remember that fight you had at The Cutthroat. Another run-in with Baker on the night of his murder won’t sit well with Garza.”
Jess crossed her arms, feeling a sudden chill in the air. “Damn it! I almost forgot about that.”
“I could lie for you, Jess, and say I was with you until after one,” Sam offered without hesitation, looking her straight in the eye. “Harper’s the only one who’d know otherwise.”
“Ah, Sam.” She hugged her friend and whispered in her ear, “That’s a tempting and generous offer, but I can’t let you do that.”
After she pulled back, she added, “Nice to know you’d drive my Ford Bronco if I ever needed a lame getaway. But if I get dragged into this, I want a cop in good standing to help me. Taking down Baker’s organization is a bigger picture worth pursuing. I hope I can convince you of that.”
After thinking about her predicament, Jess offered her hand.
“I promise. No more lies, Sam. I mean it.” She gripped her hand and shook on their pact. “Now let’s find Harper. Maybe I’m only being paranoid about the kid. He’s probably right where I left him, licking his wounds. My luck has got to turn sometime.”
Jess headed to her bedroom to change, sounding more confident than she felt. Her future rested on Seth Harper—whoever he was.
Downtown Chicago
“Shit, I can’t believe this!” From the secured foyer, Jess tried the buzzer to the penthouse suite again. Nothing. Seth was either gone or not answering. Neither prospect bode well for her. And out of respect for Sam, she didn’t try her usual antics to get buzzed into the building unannounced.
“Are you sure this guy lives here?” Sam asked. “Hard to imagine a kid like that…here. This is a real upscale neighborhood. I doubt any of these people have even heard of
“Yeah, I thought the same thing when I first came here. Damn it! I should have listened to my gut instincts.”
“Yeah, I bet the next time you hire an intern as slave labor, you’ll go through a legitimate temp agency to find the next sucker…I mean, employee.” Sam slathered abuse on thick. “Well, what now? You have any clue where to look for him?”
Jess plopped down on a marbled step inside the secured foyer with her elbows propped on her knees.
“No. I tried his phone on the way down, but no answer. I’ve got nothing.”
Sam joined her on the step. “I hate to say this, but maybe he saw the TV news coverage on the shooting. Being hauled into a murder investigation tends to test the loyalties of a new employee, especially during probation period.”
“God, I’m never gonna hear the end of this, am I?” She shot a sideways glance at Sam and grimaced. “Harper’s a damned wimp. How could I have been so wrong about that guy?”
“Look, knowing you, you’re thinking of the many ways to break into the penthouse, and an officer of the law wouldn’t make a good accomplice, so I’m gonna vacate the scene of the crime. I want to get to work early today, see what I can find out.” Sam patted her knee with affection and smiled, not a very convincing display of reassurance. “Call me if Harper shows, and I’ll give you a heads-up if I learn anything new.”
Jess nodded, and her cop friend headed out the glass door. After she left, Jess stood and walked up to the row of buzzers again, cracking her knuckles like a concert pianist. She wasn’t done with Seth Harper. Not by a long shot.
Jess eventually got inside Harper’s building again and went straight to his penthouse suite, but Seth didn’t
