True Blue

CHAPTER 38

AFTER LEAVING Café Milano, Beth had returned to her office to go over some files and respond to some e-mails. She was on her way home when she got the call from Roy. She ordered in the Mobiles and her caravan turned around in mid-street and galloped to G-town. Roy met them at the front doors and let them in.

“Nice uniform,” said Roy as Beth walked in dressed in her Café Milano duds. “Hope I didn’t interrupt anything fun.”

Beth didn’t bite. “Where the hell is Mace?”

Roy’s smile disappeared. “I don’t know.”

Since Beth was wearing two-inch heels she was nearly eyeball to eyeball with the tall Roy. “You want to try that answer again?”

“We hooked up and then we parted company. And I came back here.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t gotten a lot of work done lately, for obvious reasons. Just trying to catch up. And I was going to make some phone calls.”

“At this hour?”

“To Dubai. It’s the next day there.”

“Thanks for the geography lesson. Where is he?”

“Fourth floor.”

He led them to the stairs. “Why not the elevator?” asked Beth.

Because your little sister has my key card, thought Roy. But he said, “The elevators were acting a little funny when I came down. I don’t want to get stuck in one.”

They trooped up the steps, two armed plainclothes and a uniform in the lead. Other cruisers and unmarked cars were pulling up out front and a perimeter was being set.

“How did you go from working late to ending up on the construction floor in a confrontation?” Beth asked.

“Heard something.”

“From the sixth floor!”

“I meant I heard something on the elevator ride up. Didn’t think too much of it, but then I remembered the day porter telling me about stuff going missing from the construction site so I decided to check it out.”

“You should’ve called the police right way. You’re lucky you’re not dead.”

“I guess you’re right.”

They reached the fourth floor and the lawmen pulled their guns and lights and followed Roy’s directions. They found the Captain still on the floor, only he wasn’t twitching. He seemed to be asleep.

They gave the okay and Beth and Roy came forward.

She looked at the man on the floor.

“He’s a big, tough-looking guy. Ex-military if the jacket and medals are real. How’d you subdue him?” She turned and looked at Roy intently.

Roy bent down and picked up the piece of wood that Mace had given to him. “I used this. You can see the blood on it.”

“You whacked him with this? Did he attack you?”

“No, but I was afraid he might. It all happened so fast,” he added.

Beth turned to her men. “Get Sleeping Beauty out of here.” She glanced at Roy. “I think we can chance the elevator. I need your key card to access it.”

Roy patted his pockets and checked his windbreaker. “Damn, I must’ve left it in my office. Now I can’t get back in. I’m sorry, you’ll have to use the stairs.”

Several more uniforms had joined them and it took all of their combined strength to get the bulky Captain down to the lobby.

Beth said, “I want you to run through everything from the top.”

“Okay, hey, you want to go get a drink while we do it?”

“No, Mr. Kingman, I don’t want to go get a drink. I want the truth.”

“I’m telling you the truth, Chief.”

“From the top, then, and don’t leave anything out, slick. I’m this close to busting your ass on obstruction, tampering, lying to the police, and for just being stupid.”

Roy said wearily, “Are you sure you and your sister aren’t twins?”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind.” He drew a resigned breath and started talking.