Chapter 37

After the officer took both Alex and Katie's statement, Carolyn went into Katie's room to talk with her and take photos of her bruises. Alex was left in the kitchen with Mike.

"What did Bobby say?" Mike asked quietly.

Alex's face finally betrayed her emotion. "I couldn't tell him, Mike. He's just gone undercover."

"What?"

"He told me about it last night. They called him in early this morning, before I saw Katie… by the time I got the story out of her, he was already under."

"Oh, hell, Alex. I'm so sorry."

"Katie doesn't want Andy to know. She thinks he'll go after Marcus."

"Andy has to learn that fists don't solve everything."

"Still, Mike. I don't want any more drama. We've had enough."

"I'll do my best. But when he sees that bruise, he's gonna want to know."

"Maybe he'll believe the lie she tried to give me."

Logan shrugged. "Maybe."

Alex sighed and placed the flat of her hands on the countertop. She looked down at her fingers. "I can't believe she would do something so stupid."

Mike stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder. "She's just a kid, Alex. You can't forget that."

Bobby spent the morning "moving" in. He wore one of his fine suits, and had removed his wedding band. He had a Yale class ring and another gold ring on his fingers. He paid the movers with cash, making sure everyone in sight saw the transaction. Then he spent thirty minutes biding his time in the apartment before moving down to the bistro for his lunch. He appeared to be reading the paper, but in truth, he was studying the restaurant's customers.

She was easy to spot, barely old enough to live here and thanks to plastic surgery, had the looks of a woman half her age. Her enhanced bosom was very much complemented by the low-cut blouse she wore.

Bobby's thoughts drifted for a fraction of a second. He didn't tell Alex about this part of the assignment. Not because she would have had some kind of emotional crisis over it; she was secure in his love for her. She knew the job. She probably wouldn't have reacted any differently knowing the primary suspect was a hot former model. Bobby glanced at his left hand briefly as his eyes drifted to the window. He hadn't told Alex because of how the assignment affected him. He felt unfaithful, even though in his heart he wasn't.

Bobby folded up the paper and took on the role completely. He stared at the woman's breasts, the way a man accustomed to too much success might approach an interest. She was a conquest to be had, a goal to be achieved. He raised his glass and toasted her from across the room, giving her a wink and his most charming smile. He caught the waiter's arm as he passed. "Put hers on my bill," he told him.

The waiter nodded and scurried off.

As Bobby finished his meal, he fit the woman to her crime. She had hired a hit man to murder her husband, a man she'd met in this luxury retirement village. Motive was apparent: Tawna Leech needed a certain amount of money to maintain her lifestyle. Although the surgery had been done well, she looked old enough that she could no longer support herself through modeling. She took a job here and there to keep her name in the papers, it wasn't enough to live on.

Watching her now, she didn't act like a woman in mourning. She acted like this was a day like every other day of her life. He paid the bill, cash again, and left a generous tip. The smell of money brought her to him swiftly.

"Thank you for lunch," she said with a smile.

"You're that model," he said with a grin of his own. His eyes wandered over her shapely body.

She stuck out her hand in greeting. "Tawna," she said, "Tawna Leech."

"Robert Eames," he announced, and shook her hand. Bobby's smile broadened.

"You just move in?"

"Today," he said, shaking his head. "Looks like a nice place. Maybe I'll like it here."

She lowered herself into the seat across from him and crossed her legs, allowing one foot to brush gently against his thigh. "I can show you around," she offered.

Katie was ashamed, a tiny bit hurt, worried about what might happen next, and terrified to face her father. Timidly, she emerged from her bedroom and saw her mother sitting in front of the television, typing furiously on her laptop.

Alex looked up at her daughter, surprised to see her. She returned to the email she was typing long enough to finish a sentence and hit 'send.' Then she turned back to Katie.

"When is Daddy coming home?" Katie asked.

At once, Alex realized Katie didn't have all the details. She closed up her laptop and set it on the coffee table, inviting her little girl to sit beside her on the couch.

Katie lowered herself onto the cushion beside her mom.

"Katie, honey, he's undercover." The teen said nothing, just sat gaping at her mother. "It came up yesterday, and he was called in this morning. I don't know when we'll hear from him."

"He can't even call us?"

"No. If he contacts anyone, it will be someone from Major Case: Freddie, or Captain Ross."

"Is-Is it dangerous, Mom?"

"Going undercover is always dangerous," Alex admitted. "But your Daddy knows what he's doing. He knows how to keep himself out of harm's way." As she spoke, Alex realized she was trying to comfort herself as much as Katie.

"How long will he be gone?"

"Until the job is done," Alex said with a shrug. "I don't know."

Katie's bruised face pouted, and she leaned forward, taking her mother into a heartfelt embrace. Maybe she should have felt relieved that he wasn't home on the worst day of her life, but all Katie felt was sorrow and worry.