Realizing he had allowed the silence to fill the suite, Jett turned to Rico. “So, we’ve got a body where it shouldn’t be and a man killed at a time when he shouldn’t have been.”

Rico eyed him carefully for a moment, with a speculative look Jett didn’t like. “A succinct, but accurate assessment.”

Jett pointed upward. “And no one above the suite heard anything?”

Rico shook his head. “Both Mr. Herrington and Mr. Cooper were out during the time of the murder and saw nothing amiss when they returned. Plus, if your assessment of the floor of this suite is accurate, they wouldn’t have heard much anyway. I imagine the floor of the apartment above is just as thick as the one in this suite.”

Jett nodded, bowing to the logic. “Well, ‘Once you eliminate the impossible…’”

“‘Whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth,’” Rico finished, reciting the quote with the ease of a well-rehearsed line.

Jett lit up. “A Holmes fan?

Rico chuckled. “It’s not the most obscure quote, but yes. I came across a collection of his stories in the library as a boy. Never would have thought I’d like an old book about a fake detective in England but, somehow, it pulled me right in. I found myself reading each story, trying to figure out who had done it before Sherlock did. I never was very successful, but I could burn hours at a time trying.”

“Doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. My dad had a whole stack of Holmes stories in our house. Got bored one day and decided to read one he’d left laying out. Same as you, I was surprised to find I liked reading it. The difference between you and I, though, is that I was always thinking of ways the criminals could have covered their tracks better.”

Rico shot him a sharp look. “I imagine that mentality has come in handy in your line of work.”

Jett nodded, not missing the almost accusatory flash in Rico’s eyes when he looked up. Jett thought about telling him it had been more than that, there had been the love of the theater, the moments of feeling alive as he stood before a crowd and heard their applause. Yet the glance Rico had shot him was enough to silence his explanation. The detective was still suspicious of Jett and, while he hadn’t said anything yet, Jett was sure the man was keeping note of everything Jett said and did to analyze later. He wasn’t sure how long he could continue to pretend he didn’t notice, but so long as Rico wasn’t too obvious, Jett was willing to allow it to go unspoken a while longer.

“The problem with Holmes’ old line of logic is that there’s nothing improbable, and it’s all impossible,” Jett continued easily.

“I’m sure he would argue the point otherwise, but I see your meaning. We have a victim who, logically speaking, had no way to be in the room when he was killed,” Rico said, sounding almost annoyed.

Jett looked up, grinning. “Why Detective Hernandez, would you happen to be frustrated? I would have thought a detective would be delighted to find a challenge ready and willing to be picked apart by superior intellect.”

Rico snorted. “I enjoyed picking apart mysteries when I was a kid because it was fun and harmless. It takes on a different meaning when you’re dealing with real-life mysteries and victims. I’ve never been fond of unsolved cases, and I don’t want this to be one of them just because someone thinks they’re clever.”

Jett suspected Rico’s problem with the case had more to do with wounded pride than any real sense of justice on Rico’s part. The urge to ask if his suspicions were true rose up, then died as he watched the frustration flash over Rico’s face once again. Jett didn’t know much about modern day investigative practices, but he could guess it wasn’t nearly as impartial and free of emotion as some people would have him believe. He wasn’t quite sure what was so personal about the case, but the time more he spent around Rico, the more he was catching the tiny signs of an emotional storm brewing beneath the man’s handsome features.

The thought gave Jett pause, and he leaned back, blinking at the opposite wall in surprise. It marked the first time he had ever given thought to whether or not he was truly attracted to Rico. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Riley he had barely noticed if Rico was good-looking when they spoke of it, but the thought of Rico’s handsome features had slipped into his mind with ease, thinking first of his bright but serious eyes, and the rugged shape of his jaw as he tensed and released it in thought. Jett tried to pinpoint when he had started thinking of the detective as someone worth admiring and realized it had come along at some point when they had been strolling through the suite.

Rico’s voice interrupted his train of thought. “Are there any other theories you have in mind?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the detective here?” Jett asked, teasing.

Rico snorted. “You’re supposed to be the consultant on the case. As the detective, I’m consulting you.”

Jett grinned, appreciating the detective’s wit. “Have you considered invisibility?”

Rico rolled his eyes. “Are we moving onto supernatural powers now? And here I thought you were supposed to be a fan of the logical and ever-practical Holmes.”

“It is possible to give the illusion of invisibility. You just have to know how to set up a few mirrors and lights.”

Rico looked interested. “And could it have been done with the camera?”

Jett thought about it for a moment before wincing apologetically. “Sorry, but I don’t think so. The mirrors maybe, but the lighting would be impossible. Plus, I don’t think even I could have set up the trick with a camera constantly running and not have been recorded in the process. If there were a few minutes when the camera was deactivated, I might be able to pull it off.”

Rico’s shoulders slumped slightly. “I already checked, I was assured there was no tampering or failure of the camera at any point. The last time the camera over the elevator was turned off was when it was replaced with the latest model.”

“Well, shoots my idea right in the foot. Now, are you absolutely sure there’s no way the camera could have been fiddled with?” Jett asked, thinking it was really the only way someone could have managed the feat.

“Miss Morgan insists there is no way the footage was edited or deleted. She wasn’t able to give the details as she apparently did not understand the mechanics of it herself. The tech guys haven’t gotten back to me yet, but I share them with several other detectives and, so I can’t expect them to prioritize this case.”

Jett nodded. “Let me guess, the other person who would be able to explain it would be the other owner?”

“The very same.”

“Well, let’s have a little talk with him then.”