“And Anderson’s son?”
“If the accusations in the civil suit are true, then he has a history of violence. Maybe his father covered it up, and who knows what else over the years? It could be he found out about Dixon getting out and then decided that he could finally get revenge.” Mismatched blue and green eyes flashed in her mind. Had she been staring into the eyes of a killer?
Bushnell leaned back and folded his hands over his middle. “These are grave accusations, Detective.”
“I don’t have any solid evidence, sir. I’m just trying to connect the dots with what I do have.”
“Then maybe you need to get more evidence. Start from the beginning. With Dixon. And then if anything happens with the investigation …”
Bushnell’s keen eyes bore into her. It was as if some silent agreement passed between them, and she knew what he was trying to say. Keep looking into the Dixon murder and then see if Grant Anderson or anyone from Fenrir tried to interfere. “Of course, sir.” She stood up. “I’ll get to work.”
“Go see the son.”
She wasn’t sure she heard him right. “What?”
“Interview him. Shake him up. Ask him what he was doing the night of the murder. See if you can get a reaction.”
“I—” Fuck. “Isn’t it too soon? We don’t want to tip them off.”
“He’s your only suspect, right?”
“So far.”
“A solid alibi could eliminate him, then you can look at other possibilities.”
“And if he doesn’t have one?”
“Well, if your suspicions about his father are correct, then we’ll see for ourselves if they are tampering with witnesses.”
Shit. She couldn’t deny that was a good plan. The only plan she had right now. She just wished it didn’t involve having to confront him so soon. “All right.”
“And we’ll keep this between us for now. For now, he’s only a person of interest. Give him the old ‘we need to eliminate you from the suspect list’ chat.”
“Of course. I’ll get on it right away, sir.” She spun around and headed for the door. As soon as she was out, she let out a sigh of relief.
Bushnell believed her! Well, at least he knew there was something suspicious about all these connections.
And now the inevitable was here. When his name first popped up in that police report for Dixon, her instincts went ballistic. As she dug deeper, there was that sinking feeling in her stomach that she’d been trying to ignore. She hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but now it was here. She was going to have to face Lucas Anderson.
The Fenrir Corporation building on Madison Avenue was a prominent fixture on the Manhattan skyline. The onyx, obelisk-like building had been in the same spot for decades and was one of the tallest buildings in New York. Sofia herself had been there a handful of times, as the lower floors were mostly retail shops, cafes, and restaurants. The upper floors, however, were restricted to Fenrir employees only, and as far as she could tell, was locked up tighter than Fort Knox.
“Did you have an appointment today, ma’am?” the stern-looking uniformed guard asked when she approached the security desk.
“No.” She held out her badge. “But I’m here on official business. I need to speak with Mr. Lucas Anderson.”
The guard’s body went rigid at the sight of her badge, but he straightened his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Detective, I’m going to have to call this in to my supervisor.”
“Go ahead.”
She watched the man as he got up from his desk and disappeared into a back room. Technically, Fenrir was a private building, and they didn’t have to let her in, at least not without a warrant. However, she had flashed her badge many times before, and nine times out of ten it was enough to scare anyone into letting her get away with almost anything. Based on her experience though, she knew there was small chance they’d let her in, at least not if the head of security was well-paid. Still, she had a few more tricks up her sleeve. Mentioning the word murder investigation, for example, could make most people cooperate.
A prickle went up the back of her neck. It was like someone was watching her. Glancing up, she saw the security camera overhead and knew that was true. But who could be watching her?
A few minutes later, the same security guard came out. Sofia was already preparing for a battle.
“Someone will be right down to escort you, Detective.”
That was quicker than she expected. “Escort me? Off the premises?”
The guard shook his head. “Uh, no, ma’am. You can’t just go to the executive floor without authorization, so someone’s coming down so you can access the elevators.”
“Huh.” She hoped she didn’t sound too surprised.
“Would you like—oh.” The guard nodded toward a man approaching them from behind the security gates. “Looks like your escort’s here.”
She turned her head toward the figure approaching her. The man was older, with white hair, and a tall and lean frame. The expression on his handsome face was curious. “You must be Detective Selinofoto.”
“I am,” she said with a flash of her badge. “And you are?”
“My name is Jared Patrick,” he said with a curt nod. “I’m the Head Executive Assistant of Fenrir Corporation. This way, please.” He pivoted on his heel and gestured for her to follow him.
“Mr. Patrick—”
“Jared.”
“What?”
He turned. “Just call me Jared. Everyone does.”
“Right. Jared.” She picked up her steps, trying to keep up with him. “Where are we going?”
“To the executive floor. Mr. Anderson said to bring you to his office.”
Her heart skipped at the name. He knew she was here. Did he realize who she was, that they had met before? Or did he want to meet her because she was with the NYPD? Not that it mattered now. She was about to
