Kevyn wiped at the frosty liquid on her blouse before looking up at the woman. “At least it was me, not you. I mean, that dress you’re wearing is fabulous. It’d be a tragedy to ruin that.”
A genuine smile curved the woman’s painted fuchsia lips. “Bless your heart. I did just pick it up at Francesca’s.”
The elite boutique was one of the most expensive in the downtown. That dress probably cost more than Kevyn’s monthly mortgage payment. “Worth every penny. Trust me.”
“I’m Lorelei.” The woman turned and asked the bartender for a rag and another margarita, handing the former to Kevyn.
Kevyn dabbed the front of her blouse. “I’m Kelsey.”
“Well, Kelsey.” Lorelei sipped her margarita as she watched Kevyn wipe at her blouse. “Now you have an excuse to pick up a new outfit, too. There are worse things.”
Kevyn giggled. “Like I need one. But, sure. I’ll have to go shopping tomorrow.”
“Well, glad I could help.” Lorelei nodded at a nearby table. “I was going to take a little break from the dance floor. You want to join me over yonder?”
“Sure. Let me order a drink and I’ll meet you over there.” She waited for Lorelei to get out of earshot before ordering another club soda. “Can you please put it in a martini glass?”
If the bartender thought her request odd, he didn’t show it.
She added a decent tip as she took her martini glass to the table where Lorelei perched on a chair.
Kevyn sighed as she dropped into the chair across from Lorelei. “I think I’ll need to pick up some new shoes, too. These aren’t doing a thing for me. Plus, they’re killing my feet.”
Lorelei glanced down. “Super cute, though.”
“That’s about all they’ve got going for them.” Kevyn looked around the dance floor. “I was supposed to meet some friends here, but I think they bailed.”
Lorelei laughed. “I know how that is. I met two friends here and they’ve both left already. But the night is young, you know?”
“For sure.”
A flash of light drew her attention to the ring on Lorelei’s right hand. A diamond sparkled from a platinum setting. It matched the multi-gem necklace dangling down Lorelei’s collarbone and the earrings hanging from her ears.
“Oh my gosh! That is such a beautiful ring!” The gushing tone Kevyn injected into her voice made her want to gag. She raised her eyebrows suggestively. “From a guy?”
Lorelei wiggled her fingers. “This little thing? No, I picked this up because I liked it. Pierre’s has the best diamonds.”
Pierre’s Fine Jewelers. Another high-end store, one that definitely did not sell fake anything.
Lorelei leaned in as if sharing a secret. “When a guy gives me jewelry, it had better be at least twice this big, you know what I mean?”
Kevyn laughed along with her. “Make it worth your while, right?”
“Absolutely. It’s the best way to know if he’s serious.”
So much for the sentiment being what counted. Clearly for Lorelei Divers, it was all about the money.
Lorelei finished her margarita and rose. “That dance floor’s calling my name. You coming?”
Kevyn waved her on. “Go on ahead. I don’t think my feet could handle another song.”
No point in mentioning that they hadn’t even had a full song yet.
Without so much as a goodbye or a backward glance, Lorelei headed for the closest stairs and wove her way onto the dance floor, almost immediately catching the eye of a tall guy who headed straight for her.
Part of her felt like she should warn that poor sap.
If Lorelei was telling the truth about where she bought both the dress and the jewelry – and Kevyn bet she was – then she was living beyond her means. Way, way beyond. She didn’t come from money and hadn’t received a big inheritance or won the lottery recently, which begged the question: where was the money coming from?
Something told her every last cent was paid for in blood.
Fifteen
The case against Lorelei Divers was solidifying.
Dak looked at the report from the analysts, which showed that Divers did indeed have an account in the Cayman’s. Opened about six months ago, it already contained around fifty grand.
More than what Divers earned in a year as a phlebotomist.
Combine that with the intel Kevyn had gathered at the club and the fact that Divers drove a new BMW that was completely paid off and it was clear Divers had money coming in from somewhere else.
Given that there was nothing in her tax records to indicate a side job or account for any of that income, that left one option. Illegal activity.
Could be anything, but her ties to the missing persons made that the most likely option.
If it was an organ trafficking ring, she would be in a key position to provide the ring with people whose blood types and Human Leukocyte Antigen markers – or HLA markers – were a match for a recipient who was willing to buy black market organs.
His cell rang.
He glanced at the number – which looked familiar, but wasn’t saved in his phone – before answering.
“Agent Lakes.”
The chief ME. Dak stilled. There were no outstanding reports waiting. Which could only mean one thing. Percy had news he thought Dak would want to hear.
“I completed an autopsy that might interest you.” Percy never wasted much time with pleasantries.
“Really? Who was it?”
“An out of stater. Identity isn’t what’s important here.” Percy gave Dak two names that meant nothing to him, then paused for a heartbeat. “You remember that I mentioned a car wreck and some toasted bodies?”
“Of course. I think they’d recently come in when I was there, right?”
“That’s right. Well, there were two bodies in the car. A man, who was driving, and a woman, who appears to have been
