Chapter 31

Michael

After getting off the phone with Rainey, I was unable to complete any tasks while waiting for her to get to the office. My mind was distracted with questions about the night before. Who was that guy she was with? Had she pulled an all-nighter at the guy’s place and had to miss work because he wanted round two? I’d seen the punk around the club before since he used to work the bar. She deserved better than trash like that. She deserved a real man who could take care of her with all the money in the world.

I pushed the half-eaten bagel sandwich across my desk. I wasn’t hungry anymore. In fact, my stomach churned thinking about her with anyone else.

The food stared back at me, so I removed the waste basket from under my desk and threw everything inside. I sipped on my coffee, which was now cold. I threw that in the basket too.

I drummed my fingers on my desk and watched each second tick down on the clock.

It wasn’t until I heard Rainey’s voice outside my office that I snapped back to reality.

I pushed away from my desk, but then I thought it would be better if I didn’t look like I’d been waiting for her. I moved my chair back to the desk and clicked my mouse. The computer screen lit up, and I opened my email. There were at least fifty messages that I could have been working on while waiting, but in my distracted state, I never would have been able to answer them properly.

I strained to listen to what she was saying through the door. She sounded perfectly well to me. It was a good thing she was feeling better, and the illness wasn’t serious. But I had wished she’d come in that morning. At least I would have the Murphy file done among other things. With her out of the office, I constantly worried what she was doing when she wasn’t in my presence.

Who was she talking to? Sandra wasn’t very chatty, and Rainey was going on and on with whoever was out there.

I stood up from my chair. Since I’d called her in, it would make sense for me to greet her. I buttoned my jacket and strode over to the door.

Three sharp knocks hit the door as I reached for the handle. I opened it, and Rainey looked surprised that I answered it so quickly.

“Hi,” she said. Her voice was as hoarse as it had been on the phone. She turned on her charm to mask it for the two gentlemen who stood behind her.

Both had tight buzz cuts. Were these the men that came to visit Natalia? She’d said one was bald but whoever had an interest in Sal’s death probably had more than two men at his disposal.

“Mr. Carrington,” Rainey said. She used formality when we were speaking with clients or other professionals. Admittedly, I loved the way my surname slid off her tongue.

“This is Detective Harper and Willis,” she continued, indicating the men.

Shit.

I put on a smile and indicated for them to enter my office.

“Thank you, Rainey,” I said, and she nodded. “Would you mind sticking around for a moment? If you feel up to it?”

She cleared her throat. “Sure.”

I’d make this as quick and painless as possible. I knew this was about Sal’s death and since I created a solid alibi with Rainey, having her here to corroborate my story would get these detectives off my back.

I closed the door and took a deep breath. The detectives walked to either side of my office, spreading out.

Detective Harper, the shorter and plumper of the two, let out a low whistle. “Impressive office.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Please have a seat, and we can discuss the matter of your visit today.”

The two shared a look, but I pretended not to notice. Working with Demetri all these years gave me an edge when it came to speaking with cops. He’d trained me in diversion tactics and how to move blame elsewhere if the cops ever got close to my involvement with him.

The detectives sat, and I stood behind my desk chair, showing superiority. They had come onto my turf, and I demanded their respect.

Detective Willis pulled out a tablet and moved a stylus over the screen. “Mr. Carrington. Do you know the name, Sal Rossi?”

“I do,” I said.

Willis paused as if waiting for me to elaborate.

The first rule when talking to a cop, only give them the most basic answers as possible.

“Explain your relationship to Sal,” Harper said.

“He was a former client of mine.”

“Former?” Willis questioned.

“He passed away this weekend. I read about it in the paper. I thought it was determined to be natural causes?”

“We’re dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s, is all,” Harper said.

“So you and Sal Rossi were in a professional relationship?” Willis asked.

“I would say so, yes,” I said.

Harper and Willis shared another look.

“Was it a good professional relationship?” Willis asked.

“I treat all my clients with respect.” Their questions were too drawn out and vague. I wanted them to get to the point so I could see Rainey and get her back home to bed. Thinking of her in bed made something inside of me shift. My bed was much closer to my office; maybe I could convince her to go there? At least Milly and Sam could care for her and I had all the resources to help her feel better.

“You were seen with Sal at a country club several weeks ago, is that right?” Willis asked.

I pretended to think about it. I didn’t want them to know Sal had been on my mind more than any other client would have been. “Yes. We were starting a business deal, and he wanted to discuss the logistics over a game.”

They looked at each other again, and it grated on my nerves. I wished they would come out with the questions they wanted to ask instead of having some fake psychic connection to each other. But if this was a game to get me to talk, I was going to win.

“Do you often golf in the winter?” Harper asked.

“I don’t make it a habit, but if my client suggests it, then I aim to please.”

Willis nodded and wrote something down on the tablet.

“Were we trespassing?” I asked, even though I knew the answer. I wanted them to hurry along so I could get on with my day. And I needed to warn Frederick and Demetri that the cops were now involved in their investigation. Had someone alerted the police to foul play? Was it the same guy that sent his thugs to Natalia’s?

“No,” Harper said. “We’re creating a timeline of the whereabouts of Sal Rossi over the last few weeks.”

“Did you see anyone suspicious at the country club?” Willis asked.

I shrugged. “It was early in the morning. I didn't see anyone on the course except for us.”

Willis didn’t skip a beat with his next question. “And where else did you meet him since then?”

I went to my calendar and listed off the lunches and meetings Sal and I had shared together. There weren’t many, so I hoped the detectives would be able to keep busy checking up on those places.

“Detectives, I run a successful business here,” I said. “I would suggest you getting to the point of your questioning so I can return to work.”

Willis straightened up and opened his mouth to speak.

Harper got to me first. “Where were you this weekend?”

“I was in Colorado.”

“Do you have anyone that can prove your whereabouts?” Harper asked.

“I do,” I said. I didn’t want to get Rainey in on this, but I had somewhat used her to be my alibi. Everything else between us had been a bonus. I regretted that decision now. I hoped that by the detectives questioning her, the other thugs didn’t catch on and do the same.

“I’ll need that name,” Willis said, poising the stylus over the tablet.

“Rainey Foster,” I said.

Neither of them blinked. If they didn’t connect the dots right now, they would soon enough.

I made a show of checking my watch, hoping they were done with questioning me. I had more important things to do.

They got the hint and stood up at the same time. “It was nice speaking with you, Mr. Carrington,” Harper said.

I shook hands with the both of them. “I hope his family gets the closure they need.”

I opened the door for them, and Harper was the first to leave.

Willis, however, turned around before I could close the door. “Oh, one more question. Is your brother Frederick Carrington.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Yes, why?”

Willis smirked. “From what we know, Sal was interested in the restaurant and nightclub business. Frederick Carrington owns the most successful club in the City.”

My heart hammered against my chest, but I slowly breathed out of my nose, keeping a straight face.

Willis shrugged. “It seems a bit of a coincidence that your brother and Sal were going to be direct competitors and then he ends up dead before the deal could be struck.”

“If you have a question,” I said. “I suggest you ask him about that.”

Willis smirked. “Just thinking out loud,” he said before meeting up with Harper at the elevators.

They leaned close to each other, looking at the tablet screen.

“Michael?” Rainey asked.

I snapped out of my anger for a moment.

Rainey’s face was pale, and she looked exhausted. If I hadn’t seen her myself, I might have believed she had a cold or something. But she looked hungover. That ticked my anger up another notch.

“I’m sorry for letting them in,” she said. It was obvious she heard that last remark from Willis. “I was going to call you and see if you were busy.”

Even if she wasn’t ill in the way she described, she still wasn’t feeling well. I didn’t want to make her feel worse. “Don’t worry about it. They would have found their way inside regardless.”

She nodded.

The detectives walked into the elevator, and both of them were deep in conversation while keeping their eyes on me.

When the doors closed, I turned to Rainey. “How are you feeling? You seem better than you sounded on the phone.”

She looked down at her shoes, suddenly self-conscious. “I think the fresh air helped a little, but my head is still fuzzy.”

I bet it was. Alcohol did that sometimes. It was apparent that she didn’t go out that frequently, but for some reason, she wanted to appear like she did.

Was she at Kaia last night to spy on me? The idea sparked something inside of me. Did Rainey protest too much about our relationship when in reality she wanted to date me? Was she too scared after she realized we were starting to get serious?

“What was that all about?” Rainey asked. “With the detectives, I mean.”

“They are following up about Sal Rossi.”

“I thought that was because of natural causes?”

“It was,” I said.

“Then why are they following up?”

“For insurance purposes,” I lied. “They are collecting information from business partnerships to make sure the widow gets everything from Sal.”

I had no idea if police involved themselves that way but I wanted Rainey off my back. The less she was involved, the better.

“Is there more to it than that?” She asked.

“No,” I said firmly.

She crossed her arms. “Michael, you can tell me.”

“You should go home and rest up. That’s the reason you called out today, right?” I reached over and grabbed the Murphy file from her desk and went into my office.

I closed the door behind me, hoping that Rainey would take the hint and let this go.