Alex POV
The day was a blur of activity. I knew my two a.m. wake-up call would catch up to me at some point, but it hadn't yet.
By five o'clock, we had made three very interesting discoveries, two of which were not really a surprise, but the third one definitely was.
First, we tracked down the perfume. It was exclusive to a boutique on Christopher Avenue. A quick trip to the store got us the information. The scent was purchased regularly by Ashley Moser. She paid with cash, but she had a standing order. We were gathering a nice bit of evidence on her.
Secondly, Rodgers was able to definitively rule out Hanson as the father of Felcia's baby. It didn't really change the course of our investigation, but rather kept us from doubting his innocence. I would get a sample from Sherman later tonight.
And then there was that third thing.
See, we stopped by the 1-8 to pick up the casefile on Monique Bastock. The detectives there hadn't done much work on it. Yesterday was a Sunday, we were told. I guess there was a reason they weren't working for Major Case.
So after looking through their meager information, we learned that Monique had no family and was, as we already knew, a student at NYU. There had not been an autopsy performed yet, and there had been no notification to make. I quickly made arrangements for the body to be sent to Rodgers' morgue and asked her to get to it as soon as she finished with our Jane Doe from early this morning.
As I was driving back to 1PP, Bobby suddenly spoke up.
"Eames, go back to Long Island City."
I didn't ask questions, and I cut off three cars so that I could turn around and get onto the FDR. I recognized that tone of voice. He was on to something. I waited while he continued looking through the casefile.
"Monique lived near Queensbridge Park."
"You think they knew each other?"
"I don't know, but Monique went to school with Ashley and lived near where our Jane Doe was found. It's worth a look."
And it was. It really made me mad that we hadn't been able to make the connection before now, because then we just might have been able to save Adrianna Blazejewicz, our victim from under the bridge.
It turned out that she and Monique were lovers.
We scoured the apartment, the one listed as Monique's address, and found photos, love letters, cards...we were able to piece together that Adrianna had been in the States for about a year. She had her own place in Queens, but she started taking night classes at NYU in September. That must have been where she met Monique.
It seemed that Adrianna had only moved into the place a few weeks ago. Probably about the same time that she had gotten the tattoo and attempted to leave the sex business.
"So Monique was killed because they assumed she knew about it," I said. "Maybe she encouraged Adrianna to get out?"
"Or because she wouldn't tell them where Adrianna was. She would've been in hiding by that point."
"Damn, did the homicide cops at the 1-8 not look through this apartment?" I asked in frustration.
"They would have had no way of knowing. Sure, the pictures resemble the sketch we've been circulating, but…"
"I know. We were the ones that were quick to kick it to them."
"We need to get CSU out here. If Sherman's crew knew Adrianna was staying her, they may have searched the place. Maybe we can get some prints."
"And match them up with the ones from the guardrail," I added as I pulled out my phone.
We waited for CSU to arrive and then we headed back to 1PP.
So at five o'clock, the captain stuck his head out of his office.
"Detectives. A word."
Great. I didn't want to deal with him. I was getting more and more nervous about this undercover thing, and I hated that he was going to be there, and now he wanted to ramp up my anxieties with some of his petty observations.
Bobby stood back to let me go first, so I led the way into the office. I idly wondered if that was because he was being chivalrous or because he wanted to look at my ass. I was going to have to ask him that some time when we were in a more appropriate setting.
"So we're all set for tonight," Ross said once the door was closed. "We'll have the com van parked down the block and an SUV across the street. I'll try to keep visual contact with you, but in all likelihood, he'll want to move you away from the bar to conduct the business."
It hit me that Ross was nervous about this thing, too. I hadn't looked at it from his perspective. He was probably still getting a lot of heat from the brass to get this case solved.
"I'm not going to tell you guys how to act or what to say. I know you know what you're doing."
"Thank sir. I appreciate the vote of confidence," I said. And I did.
"Logan and Barek are welcome to sit in the SUV with me to help keep watch." As if he could keep them away. Logan had been chomping at the bit for this night.
"I know they'll be pleased to hear that," Bobby said. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ross was being too nice.
"I just wanted to say that I understand this might be uncomfortable for you two, going into this as a couple, especially when you used to be one. Are you sure you both can handle this?"
"Yes sir," I said quickly. "I can assure you, we're perfectly fine with it."
"Okay. Good. Thank you for your professionalism. You do what you have to do, and say what you have to say to sell the cover. Don't think about the fact that I'm listening."
It was a weird conversation and I was grateful when we were finally allowed to leave his office.
"That had to be Rodgers talking," Bobby said as we got on the elevator. "She's got his balls in a vice over us."
"She certainly does have a soft spot for you," I agreed.
"So…home?"
"Home."
At seven-thirty, we headed for Slattery's. I had a bug in my ear and a wire in my bra. I was dressed to the hilt again, but it was a little easier on Bobby this time, because he would be able to stake his claim on me in front of Sherman.
Bobby was looking good enough to eat in a black Armani suit with a crisp white shirt and a black silk tie. He pulled off the rich Italian with ease, and he started slipping into the Italian accent as we walked towards the bar.
"Do you think Ross knows Italian?" he asked me with a grin. He clasped my hand tightly and despite the cold, I was enjoying the walk.
"Probably not," I replied. We hadn't turned on our com devices yet, so we were still good.
"Voglio passare il resto della mia vita con te," he said smoothly. "Remember that."
"Are you going to clue me in?"
He swung me around in front of him and brought my hands up to his lips.
"Bobby, we're almost there. They might be able to see us."
"But we forgot one important thing," he told me as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a beautiful ring, an emerald-cut diamond solitaire. He slid it onto my finger.
"You're my fiancé, right?" he asked softly.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I was breathless and wracked with emotion. I couldn't believe he had thought to pick up a ring. I couldn't even imagine when he'd had the chance to do it, but he had and it was real, not some prop.
"It means, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I didn't know if he was referring to the Italian phrase or the ring. Probably both.
Unshed tears burned in my eyes. I didn't give a damn who was watching. I grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him with everything I had. He pulled me up flush against him and returned the passion. Pedestrians had to move around us since we were in the middle of the sidewalk, but I just didn't care.
"Alexa!"
I heard the voice, but I couldn't stop kissing him.
"Alexa! Is that you?"
Reluctantly, I pulled back from Bobby, keeping my eyes on his until the last possible second, and then I turned and faced Sherman. I played with my earring briefly and managed to get the com device turned on. I saw Bobby fiddle with his watch band, so I assumed he did the same.
"Sherman, how are you?" I asked in my Boston accent.
"I'm good," he said as he took my hand and brought it to his lips. My left hand. The stone caught his eye immediately and he faltered for a moment before plastering a smile back in place.
"Sherman, meet my fiancé Roberto Giovanni."
"This is your client?"
"Well, yes," I told him. And then I gave him a wink and added, "We like to work together as well as play together."
"Benvenuto," Bobby said, shaking Sherman's hand. "So nice to meet you."
We stood on the sidewalk, sizing each other up, and then Sherman gestured down the block towards the bar.
"It's a little early, but I was just on my way in for a drink before our meeting," he said. "Care to join me?"
"Of course," I agreed. Bobby put his arm around my shoulders and together we followed Sherman to Slattery's.
"I think my daughter may be here as well," he said. "I told her all about you and she's dying to meet you."
Dying to meet me? I wondered what he meant by that.
I noticed the black SUV parked along the side of the street and I knew that we had been within sight of it a few minutes before, when I had kissed Bobby. But of course, since Sherman had met us on the street, it worked in our favor. Clearly we had been playing up to him rather than our own passion. Or that was my story anyway.
Sherman held the door for us, and we went inside. The warmth of the bar was a welcome change from the chilly night air. Bobby took off my coat for me and then hung both of ours on a rack near the door.
"Vodka martini, right Alexa?" Sherman asked with a smarmy grin.
"That's right. Good memory."
"I never forget anything about a beautiful woman." He made me want to puke. But then it got worse.
"Daddy! Introduce me to your friends!"
Ashley Moser, smelling fully like the last five corpses I'd sniffed and looking every bit like a thousand-dollar-an-hour hooker, approached us at the bar and gave Bobby a serious once-over.
"Ashley, honey, this is Roberto Giovanni." Bobby took her offered hand and politely kissed the knuckles. She smiled at him and then wormed her way in between us. I started to bristle, and then she turned toward me.
"And this is Alexa McRainey," Sherman said.
I held out my hand but she ignored it, opting instead to kiss me full on the mouth. And we were right in front of the window, too, so I could only imagine Logan's eyes were bugging out of his head.
"It is so great to meet you," she purred. "Daddy said you were beautiful, but damn..."
"Uh…thank you...but I um…I'm also engaged," I said as I slid from her grasp and molded myself against Bobby. "I'm sorry if there was a misunderstanding."
"Oh, that's okay," she said. I started to breathe a little easier. "He's cute. I don't mind an extra."
This girl had sex on the brain. All we wanted to do was get information, and apparently all she wanted to do was have a threesome.
Oh, this was going to be a long night.
TBC...