“It’s not him,” I said, cutting her off. She was trying to hypnotize him into confessing, and it wasn’t going to work. I glanced at Carver. “Tell them why it couldn’t be you.”
He glanced from me to Willow and back, finally realizing that I was on his side. “I’m gay. I’m not interested in women. That’s why I didn’t notice her.”
“Thanks Carver,” I said. “Sorry about that. You can go now. Thanks for coming in.” He gave me a nod of relief, and narrowed his eyes at Dimples and Willow before heading out the door. After he left, Dimples caught my gaze and pursed his lips together to keep from smiling.
“It must be one of the others,” Willow said, chagrined that she’d failed. “Where are they?”
“One is in the next interrogation room, and the other guy is waiting in the hall.” Dimples was tempted to tell her to wait in the hall, too, but he just pursed his lips together instead.
I liked that idea, but, to be honest, I enjoyed having Willow there so I could show her up. I met Dimples’s gaze. “Why don’t you bring him in here? We’ll wait.”
His brows rose. Didn’t I like his idea? “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
The door shut, and Willow sent a furtive glance my way, frustration and insecurity gnawing at her stomach. “How did you know he was gay?” She could usually tell, but this guy didn’t fit the bill. Of course, she’d been so busy thinking about her strategy that she’d missed it. She’d have to do better with the next one.
She stared at me, expecting an answer, so I shrugged. “I guess it’s my psychic ability.”
She inhaled sharply at the dig, then pursed her lips and frowned, trying to come up with a witty comeback. Before she could speak, the door opened, and Dimples ushered another man in.
He was similar in looks to the first guy, but I knew right away that he wasn’t gay. Willow looked him over, hoping to pick up a gay vibe from him, but she was baffled, and her confidence took a hit.
Dimples used the same method with showing him the photos, but Willow held back, waiting for my input. I knew right away it wasn’t him, but there was a flash of recognition when he saw the photo of Sophie.
I quickly moved to stand beside him. “You saw her at the bar. Did you notice the man who sat by her?”
He shook his head. “No. I mean… I think there was someone who spoke to her for a minute, but it was hardly long enough to lure her away.”
“Did you notice when she left? Did she leave by herself?”
“Yeah… I think she did. I remember thinking she was pretty drunk, and I didn’t know how she’d make it to her room. But then someone helped her out.” From his mind, I caught a mental image of a man who wore a hotel uniform. There was something familiar about him, and it suddenly hit me that I’d seen him in the videos.
“Was it the bartender?”
“Yeah, that’s it. He helped her.”
Dimples caught my gaze. Was the bartender the killer? I shrugged. I hadn’t talked with him yet, but he had ample opportunity to put something in Sophie’s drink. Still, if he was working that night, it didn’t seem like he could slip away long enough to go through with his nefarious plans, let alone kill Brock.
“I think I need to talk to the bartender.”
“Good idea,” Dimples agreed.
CHAPTER 12
After leaving the interrogation room, Dimples rushed to his desk to find the number for the hotel bar. Willow left to use the restroom, and I sat down in the chair beside Dimples. While he spoke, I got a text message from Ramos, asking me to call him. Since now seemed like a good time, I strolled to my desk in the corner and put the call through.
“Babe,” he answered. “That was quick. Are you in trouble?”
“Ha, ha. What’s up?”
“Manetto wants you to stop by. He’s got something for you.”
“Oh… okay. I’m at the police station right now, but I can come over once I’m done.”
“I take it your plan worked?” he asked.
“For the most part.”
“Good. I look forward to hearing all about it. See you soon.” He disconnected, and I slipped my phone back into my purse. Glancing up, I found Willow glaring at me from across the room. She immediately smoothed her features and jerked her gaze to Dimples, who was just finishing up his call.
After he hung up, Willow asked him what he’d found out, but he was looking for me and didn’t answer her. Spotting me at my desk, he hurried over, with Willow trailing behind. “The bartender won’t be in until later, so there’s a chance he might be at home. I’ve got his address. Want to go?”
“Yeah, sure.” I sent him a warm smile, mostly because he was asking me and not Willow.
“I’ll get my purse,” Willow said, not about to be left behind. “Could you move?”
Hot anger filled my chest. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her off. After all, it was my desk, and I’d fought long and hard to earn my place here. Instead, I huffed out a breath and got out of her way, hoping I could contain my rage before I slapped her silly.
Dimples’s anger spiked too, and he thought I had a lot more restraint than he would have. Too bad she was there at all, but, no matter what happened, he vowed he’d never work with her again.
That calmed me down a little, and part of me even
