She offered it.
He didn’t take it.
She tutted. ‘Naughty boy.’
He said, ‘I suggest you get out of town, darling. Take your business elsewhere.’
With her free hand she reached out and lifted his suit jacket off his considerable chest. He didn’t slap her hand away. He didn’t move at all. The tension in her neck receded, but she didn’t let it show. She slotted the business card neatly into the inside pocket and patted the jacket back down.
She said, ‘I heard what you said.’
Silence.
She said, ‘I am not going anywhere.’
Silence.
She said, ‘Do I look afraid?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘You don’t.’
She said, ‘If Ms. Kerr even thinks about trying to get me out of the picture before we can meet, I have contingencies in place. These contingencies will lay bare every pie she has her fingers in. For the public, the media, and the police to see. And I will be long gone before she can retaliate.’
Silence.
She said, ‘Now go on. You have work to do.’
She floated away, leaving him in the shadows.
22
Ward still had his elbows on the sill.
He hadn’t backed away. He hadn’t told Alexis to get out of the car.
He hadn’t moved.
She pressed on. ‘Why would I want nothing to do with him?’
‘That’s all I’m going to say.’ He cast a glance over his shoulder, but there was no one in sight. ‘I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.’
‘I’m just curious,’ she said.
He looked at her for a moment longer than necessary. ‘Alexis, I think you’re a nice lady. I could have ticketed you. I didn’t. Let’s just leave it at that.’
‘He didn’t return my calls.’
Ward sighed, bowed his head. Working out whether to elaborate or not. Then he decided.
He said, ‘Then consider yourself lucky.’
She paused. ‘Oh?’
‘Have a nice day, ma’am.’
He started to stand up.
She reached out and put a hand on his forearm, gently keeping him in place. Alan Ward was in good shape. He had muscle there, tanned by the Nevada sun. He was young and baby-faced, still new to the force. The job stress hadn’t worn him down yet. She knew that was the only reason he didn’t walk away.
Naivety.
She said, ‘Tell me.’
He didn’t answer.
She said, ‘Was I in danger?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘It’s all rumours.’
‘Do you work with him?’
Ward shook his head. ’He retired. He’s not around anymore.’
‘Where is he?’
‘No one knows.’
She paused. ‘That’s cryptic.’
‘It was supposed to be. I’m not supposed to be talking to you.’
‘Hey,’ she said, her hand still on his arm. ‘Look at me.’
He looked at her.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I mean it. That was the right thing to do. I’d want to know if … he would have been a problem. You didn’t have to tell me but you did. Can we forget the cop-civilian thing? I’m saying thank you. From me.’
He said, ‘It’s okay.’
She inched her hand off his skin.
He didn’t walk away.
She said, ‘What are the rumours?’
He was quiet.
She said, ‘Alan. Please.’
Still quiet.
She said, ‘Forget the drink thing. I’m not flirting with you. I just want to know.’
He said, ‘If I tell you what I know, you can’t tell a soul.’
‘Obviously.’
‘It’s always obvious,’ he said. ‘But not everyone keeps their word.’
‘I keep my word.’
She looked into his eyes.
She didn’t blink.
She thought, Should have walked away, Alan. You’re in too deep now.
She said, ‘If I almost got caught up in something bad, I have the right to know. So I can be wary of it in future.’
He said, ‘There’s a notorious pimp in this town. His name’s Armando Gates.’
Her heart thudded.
She didn’t have to fake it.
Ward said, ‘The FBI raided his home two years ago, and nothing came of it. There was talk of a cover-up, but it dissipated. Since then he’s been repeatedly reported to our department by the families of alleged victims. Vice detectives passed the complaints up to Keith, and Keith shut each of them down as they came in. That’s when the rumours started going around. Keith’s been seen having a drink with Gates, Keith’s been coming into work hungover, Keith’s off the rails. The more the rumours spread, the harder he tried to turn the force cultish. Punished naysayers for unrelated things, tried to instil a climate of fear. The department was deep in the middle of it when I came on board. I had no idea why everyone was so jumpy all the time. Then junior officers at their wits’ end started leaking more details to me, explaining what I just told you. A couple of months after I showed up, Keith retired and went to work for Armando Gates.’
Alexis’ shock wasn’t forced. ‘You’re serious?’
‘He stuck to his guns — I’ll give him that. Never wavered once. Never even doubted himself, despite how bad it looked. He claimed that despite the endless complaints made against Armando Gates, the man had never been indicted. Keith, in his retirement from active service, was going into “Close Personal Protection” civilian work, and Gates was simply a client in need of protection. Gates had never been charged for any of the complaints made against him, so what was the problem? In the eyes of the law, Gates was an innocent man. So that was that. None of us on the force heard from Keith Ray again.’
She sat there, silent.
‘That’s all I’m going to say,’ he said. ‘You fill in the blanks. But you dodged a bullet.’
Alan Ward walked away.
Alexis pulled her phone out of the centre console and dialled Slater.
He answered before the first ring.
She said, ‘Gates and Ray are in bed together.’
He said, ‘You’re sure?’
‘A junior officer just confessed to me Ray went to work for Gates after he retired from the force. As his personal bodyguard.’
Slater soaked it in. ‘How’d you get that out of a junior officer?’
‘I asked.’
Slater said, ‘Well done.’
She said, ‘Start the war.’
23
King heard Slater say ‘You’re sure?’ and then ‘How’d you get that out of a junior officer?’
He didn’t need to hear the rest. He knew they were on. He
