Chapter Ten

"It's Elementary, My Dear Watson"

"I won't listen to another lame excuse. I feel responsible for you getting hurt, so I'm going to be the one to take care of you until you're completely healed."

Before I realized exactly what I'd agreed to, I was tucked into the biggest bed I'd ever seen. There were spindles on each corner that nearly touched the ceiling, and although the mattress was firm, it seemed to soften with my weight. Score one point for the rich and famous. The murals on the surrounding walls were another story. I think I recognized one of them as being the Taj Mahal, but I couldn't be sure. They were perfectly suited for a bedroom suite, however, since I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to keep their eyes open in here for long.

"It's horrendous, isn't it?" Ami pointed out while adding yet another pillow behind my head. "The walls in here used to be lavender but then Mr. Alpati visited India, and pretty soon after that, I come home to this."

"The place certainly made an impression on him. Does he travel often?" I asked while she busied herself in the closet and soon brought out another blanket to suffocate me with.

"Yes. He's always researching the latest textiles and trends around the world," she replied.

"Does he ever take anyone with him? Or does he prefer to travel alone?" I had my work cut out to gather enough evidence to arrest Mr. Alpati. While Quinn filled out the paperwork for a warrant, I planned on gathering every detail I could about the man.

"Sometimes he takes one of the girls with him," she explained. "I accompanied him to Austria once. It's a beautiful country."

"Did he ever take anyone else besides you? Perhaps he has a favorite?" I wondered if I would tire her with so many questions, though so far she showed no sign of annoyance.

"That would have to be Sadie," Ami replied sadly. "She was with him when he visited Spain, Greece, and let's see; I believe, Portugal as well."

Interesting.

"Why do you ask?"

I studied her face and realized she was being completely honest with me and actually had no suspicions regarding her former roommate. I was going to have to be blunt.

"Did you ever have a feeling that perhaps Sadie and Mr. Alpati shared more than just a working relationship?"

Her expression turned sour as soon as I asked.

"It's not uncommon, you know," I pointed out. "Sometimes, a few diamonds or perhaps a trip to Spain is all it takes."

"Eww," Ami replied in a way that was both childish and endearing. "He's so…old!"

"You never heard her talk about him such a way? Or did you ever overhear a conversation between them?" If I could prove there was a romantic relationship between the deceased and Mr. Alpati, perhaps I could discover a motive. Passion was often a popular one and would explain the violent way in which Sadie was attacked.

"I know this isn't going to make much sense, but we weren't that close," Ami explained, tracing the pattern on the bed covering with her finger. "We shared this apartment for two years and never had one conversation that lasted more than a few minutes. Sadie was a very private person and didn't share much about her life with me, especially when it came to work."

That explained the way Ami had been able to so quickly recover after the shock of the girl's murder. Sure, she had been upset the night it had happened and even blamed herself, but once Alpati had posted her bail, and the mess in her apartment had been cleaned up, her focus had shifted. In fact, the spotlight seemed to have moved to me – not that I minded. I was enjoying her company, though realized I couldn't play the patient for much longer. There was too much work to do.

I needed to act out the scene of the murder to try and get a better glimpse of what had transpired. All I had were a few quickly snapped photos. What I needed to do was study her apartment much more thoroughly than I'd been allowed to so far.

"Listen," I tried to get up although my efforts were immediately thwarted by a small yet firm hand planted on my chest.

"You're not going anywhere," Ami insisted, forcefully pushing me back into the pile of pillows. "It's late and you need to rest. You're not going to heal if you go galavanting around the city."

"But.." I tried to explain I wasn't going to go anywhere, but she would have none of it.

"No arguing!" she interrupted. "Please, Ben. I care about what happens to you and I feel responsible. I'm going to watch over you tonight and then in the morning after you've had a good breakfast, you can resume your investigation. Promise to stay put?"

She had a way about her and could convince me to run through the city naked if she wanted to.

"You're going to sleep, though, right?" She wouldn't be of much help the next day if she didn't.

"I'm going to try. I'll be in Sadie's room, just down the hall. If you need anything, just holler for me."

Again a prolonged silence occurred and I couldn't help but think it would be a perfect time for a goodnight kiss. The idea surprised me and wasn't one I could blame on morphine. Any pain I was experiencing was being dealt with by a prescription.

"Good night, Ben," Ami finally said before leaving me alone in India.

I stretched over to retrieve the prescription bottle from the nightstand and swallowed another pill. I was hoping the thing would knock me out.

My plan must've worked because the next thing I knew, the curtains were being drawn back and sunshine was blinding me.

"Rise and shine!" Ami announced far too loudly.

Just great. She was happy in the morning when I couldn't even think straight before at least one cup of coffee.

"Your coffee is on the nightstand, along with some cream and sugar. I wasn't sure how you liked it."

She was a whirlwind of activity: folding up the extra blankets I had kicked onto the floor in the night and at least two pillows as well. My sleep-addled eyes could barely keep up and I took a long swig of the morning beverage without adding anything to it. This morning, I had a strong suspicion I needed it black.

"Mr. Quinn phoned early this morning to check on you," she told me from the closet. "He said as soon as you're up to it, he has the warrant ready." Her head leaned out from behind the folding closet doors. "Although he mentioned how difficult it was to get one. Supposedly, the Chief of Police doesn't like you very much. He said you shouldn't have been aggravating such an important member of the community. Apparently, Mr. Alpati phoned in a complaint."

Another long draw from the mug left it empty. Already I was more alert. Perhaps I should take it easy with those pain pills.

"Mr. Dunn is a hard nut to crack," I informed her. I could care less what he or Mr. Alpati thought of me. "He goes by the book. Experience has taught me that in order to solve a case, sometimes I have to break the rules."

"That ideology is what gets you shot," she argued, stepping back into the room with clothing I recognized. "We made a deal," Ami announced, placing a freshly washed and pressed shirt onto the bed, along with my suit jacket, trousers, and tie. "Breakfast is ready and afterward we'll look for clues."

"We'll look?" I echoed. Did she truly believe I required her assistance?

"I might be gullible, Mr. Noble," she pointed out while stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. "But I'm not stupid. And besides, you're still not one-hundred percent. Let me help."

There was nothing I would like better than her company, but I also preferred to work alone. One look at the plea in her eyes, however, dissolved any argument I was mentally preparing.

"Fine," I gave in quicker than expected, only to decide it had been worth saying just to see the smile that lit her face. "But we're staying in the apartment. It's too dangerous to go poking around out there." At least for her and I had the scar to prove it.

"Agreed," she replied, adding another dazzling smile.

What had I gotten myself into? "All right Watson," I teased. "After breakfast, we'll put on our sleuth caps and see what we can uncover."