Читать книгу Strictly Confidential - Terri Reed - Страница 12

A lessandro thought fast and spoke just as quickly, coming up with a cover story of an unnamed buyer wanting to have one of the exhibition’s paintings at an astronomical price. He could see Dahlia was taking in the story at face value. There was no buyer, but he’d fork out the money himself if he needed to.

Anything to keep Dahlia from whatever mischief she had intended for Colleen.

Alessandro had seen Dahlia slip into her office while Neil O’Brien had drawn everyone’s attention. As soon as Alessandro could, he’d left Colleen’s side to spy on Dahlia.

Through the partially open doorway of her office, he’d heard her on the phone telling someone that, yes, it would be done, just give her a few minutes. And then she’d hung up and taken a small vial from her desk drawer and poured the contents into a glass of punch. He’d hidden in the shadows when she’d left. He’d slowly followed, wondering what she was up to.

His heart had nearly stopped when he saw her hand the glass to Colleen. He’d known he had to stop Colleen from drinking the tainted punch and the only feasible way to do so without giving up his own cover was to knock the glass from her hand.

He’d hate for anything bad to happen to Colleen. He liked her—more than he had any woman in a very long time.

Not since Paola. His heart squeezed at the thought of the woman who’d broken his heart so many years ago.

He welcomed the pain as a reminder that no matter how much he liked and admired Colleen Montgomery, she was off-limits.

He wasn’t looking for a relationship.

Only for justice.

Colleen made excuses to her family that she needed to go home and clean the punch off herself, but really she wanted to get started researching Donato and Sainsbury.

She left the museum, hailed a cab and was soon home in the house she’d grown up in. Once inside the two-story ranch built in the 1940s, Colleen stepped out of her shoes, left them by the front door and then vaulted up the stairs to the guest room in the back where she’d taken up residence ever since she’d given up her downtown apartment and moved back in with her parents to save money.

It was only a temporary arrangement, but she couldn’t bring herself to stay in her old bedroom with its purple walls and posters catering to her childhood whims. Living in a shrine to her youth would be too weird. She’d planned to redecorate her old room, but hadn’t as of yet found time.

Once in the guest room, she changed into lightweight stretch pants and a T-shirt, pulled her hair up into a ponytail and then fired up her laptop computer.

With the marvel of modern technology, she’d have access to all sorts of information on Donato. And luckily she knew several reporters in Europe who would be willing to do a little footwork for her.

She settled in and started digging into the life of Alessandro Donato.

Alessandro was glad to see Colleen leave, but he hated that he had the urge to follow her home to make sure she arrived safely.

As it was, he’d watched her get in the cab without harm and that would have to do for now. Without the distraction of Colleen’s presence, he could concentrate on initiating Dahlia’s trust.

Dahlia had led him to an alcove near the swinging doors that closed off the caterers from the party. “Tell me, Mr. Donato, would your buyer be willing to come to Colorado Springs and meet with me?”

“ Sì , that could be arranged.”

Out of habit he moved to stand with his back toward the wall so he could see any approaching threats.

Dahlia laid a hand on his arm. “Good. You’ll get back to me with a time?”

“ Sì , yes.” Alessandro would contact his boss and have someone arrange to pose as an art buyer.

A piercing scream split the air.

The noise came from behind the swinging doors.

“Stay put,” Alessandro said to Dahlia, as he left her to charge through the doors.

A sobbing waitress was trying to explain to another waiter what had made her scream. Alessandro took her hands. “Shh. Breathe, signorina . Slowly, now. What has caused your tears?”

Behind him, the swinging doors banged open as Sam Vance stormed in, followed closely by the Montgomery brothers and Al Crane.

“I heard a scream. Is someone hurt?” Sam demanded.

The girl hanging on to Alessandro’s hands hiccupped and then pointed out the back door. “I think…he’s dead.”

Alessandro beat Sam out the door. Seeing Neil O’Brien face down on the ground, Alessandro hung back as Sam bent to check the pulse of the man lying prone in the alleyway, a dark stain spreading across his back.

“He’s dead,” Sam confirmed.

Sam secured the crime scene and placed a call for forensics. The burly doorman ushered all the bystanders back inside, where they were instructed to wait because the police would need to ask questions since they were all potential witnesses.

Alessandro observed Dahlia’s less-than-horrified expression as she assured those around her that the museum would be open for visiting as soon as the next day.

As the CSI techs and medical examiner arrived, Alessandro stayed on the fringes of the activity. After combing the scene for clues, the CSI team released the victim. They rolled Neil over and placed his body in a black bag before loading him onto a gurney and taking him away.

Alessandro watched Sam bend down and with the end of a pencil pick something up. A large lump formed in Alessandro’s chest when he realized the object of Sam’s inspection was the blue scarf Colleen had been wearing when she’d first walked into the museum.

Colleen stayed up all night, tapping her resources for information on the mysterious Alessandro Donato. She’d e-mailed a friend at immigration asking for information on Alessandro’s visa, because knowing where the visa originated and when it expired could be helpful.

The information supplied had led her to Fabriano, Italy.

She contacted a former classmate who lived in Rome and had her check hospital records in the small town in the center of the country.

A few hours later, the information she received back stunned her. Not only had Alessandro been born in that small Italian community, but so had his child. A little girl.

The knowledge hit her like a physical blow. It was one thing to think of Alessandro as a playboy but another to know that there was a woman in his life.

“A daughter,” she muttered as she typed in the information in the spreadsheet she used as a tool for gathering notes for her articles.

She could picture a raven-haired feminine version of Alessandro running around with mischief in her dark eyes and a grin on her face.

The image tightened something unfamiliar in her chest. She frowned.

Children were for other people, not her. She didn’t have time in her life for the ties of an immediate family. Yet…she couldn’t shake the strange feeling or the image. She hoped that if she slept, she’d be able to banish the sudden abnormal longing for a family of her own.

She forced herself to lie down and tried the relaxation techniques she’d learned in college when she’d needed sleep in order to be attentive for her classes. Deep breathing and concentrating on letting each limb become heavy helped her to relax. Eventually she fell into a light sleep.

Colleen awoke as daylight filtered in through the slats of the blinds covering the window. Though she was not completely refreshed, her mind buzzed with alertness.

Without preamble, she went back to work. In her note file, she typed, Where’s mother of child? Where’s child? Is the mother his dead wife? Is Dahlia Sainsbury mother of child? If so, what are they planning? If not, is he just a playboy sniffing after a pretty face?

That last question brought her up short.

There was no question the man was suave and charming. He had the ability to make whomever he was talking to feel special. But a womanizer?

Surely she’d have heard rumors of specific liaisons if that were the case. No, whatever he was up to wasn’t anything so frivolous or obvious.

“Find the child and the mother won’t be far away,” she muttered.

She put another request in to her Italian connection and asked that she track down the child’s whereabouts and check marriage records for Alessandro Donato.

A knock sounded at the front door. She glanced at the clock and realized she was alone in the house. Her parents would have left over an hour ago.

She clicked out of her e-mail and brought up her desktop screen saver: an ocean beach with tranquil water and warm-looking sand. One of these days she was going on a vacation.

She left her office and went downstairs to open the front door. Becca Hilliard and Sam Vance stood on the stoop.

“Hey, guys, come in.” Colleen stepped back to let them enter. It wasn’t unusual for the pair of detectives to appear at her front door. Often they’d come with leads or in hopes of gaining information on a story she was working on.

Becca’s light-brown hair was pulled back into her usual long ponytail hanging almost to her waist. She was dressed in navy slacks and matching jacket over a white blouse. She smiled slightly as she stepped into the foyer. “Hello, Colleen.”

Sam passed Colleen without comment. His tall, muscular build could be overwhelming at times, especially when he was working. His dark wavy hair looked clean and his face freshly shaved, but Colleen noticed the grim expression tightening his strong jaw.

“Where were you last night?” Sam asked as he looked around.

Colleen arched one eyebrow. “You saw me last night at the museum. What’s up?”

Becca walked into the living room. “Are you alone?”

Wary, Colleen followed her in. “Yes.”

“Where did you go after you left the museum last night?” Becca asked.

Colleen slid her gaze to Sam, who watched her with hooded eyes. She frowned. “I came here.”

“Was anyone here?” Sam asked, his voice low.

“No. I heard my parents come home later.”

“Where are they now?” Becca asked.

“They’re at their Bible study. Every Thursday morning for the past ten years.” Colleen put her hands on her hips. “What is going on?”

“Did you see Neil O’Brien after you left last night?”

Becca’s softly asked question sent a ripple of concern down Colleen’s spine. “No. He stormed out and that was that.” She shook her head. “He was really drunk. I hope he didn’t get in a car and drive like that.”

“No. He didn’t get into a car.” Sam moved restlessly around the room.

Colleen tracked his progress. “Sam. Talk to me.”

He stopped his pacing and turned to look directly in her eyes. “Do you own a gun?”

“What?” She dropped her chin. “Do I need one?”

He moved to stand right in front of her. “Colleen. Neil O’Brien was murdered last night.”

Colleen staggered back a step. He was about to be a father. “Oh, poor Mary. How…What happened?”

“Someone shot him in the back,” came Becca’s reply.

“In the back?” Colleen’s journalistic nose twitched. “I’ve got to get my notebook.”

“Actually, Colleen, we need you to come down to the station with us.”

Colleen stopped and stared at Sam as realization came at her like one of Jake’s baseballs, effectively knocking the wind from her lungs. “The question about the gun…you think I…how could you…?”

Contrition showed bright in Sam’s warm brown eyes. “It’s just routine. You had an altercation with the man prior to his murder.”

“So that makes me guilty of killing him?” she asked, her voice rising. “Sam, you’ve known me my whole life.”

Becca stepped forward. “There’s more, Colleen. We really need your cooperation.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she stated.

Her mind whirled with story angles and possible suspects in Chief O’Brien’s murder. She had to get out on the street and find out who had killed Neil.

“Then we’ll need to read you your rights and then take you to the station,” Becca said softly.

“Read me my rights?” Panic slithered up her spine. She felt as if she’d somehow walked into a B movie and wasn’t able to follow the plot line. “What are you saying?”

“Colleen Montgomery, you’re under arrest for the murder of Neil O’Brien….”

“What are you doing here?”

Alessandro halted at his cousin Sam’s harshly asked question. He’d come to the police station as soon as he heard they’d arrested Colleen.

Not for the first time, Alessandro wished he could confide in his cousin that they were on the same side.

But he couldn’t.

The fewer people privy to such information, the better. For their sakes as well as for his own.

“Colleen Montgomery had nothing to do with Neil O’Brien’s death.”

Sam raised a brow. “Do you have proof of this?”

Knowing his words would mean little to nothing to the detective, Alessandro stated, “Your evidence is circumstantial at best.”

“That’s for her lawyer to prove,” Sam retorted.

Frustration tightened in Alessandro’s gut. “You can’t believe she did this.”

Sam ran a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t matter what I believe. I have to follow the law.”

Not above using their familial connection, Alessandro lowered his voice and said, “Cousin, I know you have no reason to trust me. But trust yourself. You know Colleen wouldn’t hurt anyone. She is being framed. Think for a moment. The articles she has been writing lately on the escalating drug trade…the fires…someone wants her stopped. And I know who it is.”

Sam grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into an interrogation room and shut the door. “You better tell me what you know, Cousin .”

“Baltasar Escalante is not dead.”

Sam gave him a droll look. “Really. And you know this…how?”

Alessandro ground his teeth together. He couldn’t reveal his source of information without blowing his own cover. “You’ll have to trust me.”

Sam snorted. “As you said, I have no reason to trust you.”

Regret for the image he’d been forced to cultivate in order to work his way closer to Escalante’s people stabbed him in the chest. “I can’t explain how I know. He is back.”

Sam shook his head. “We’d have spotted him.”

This time Alessandro shook his head. “He has had plastic surgery.”

Sam scoffed. “You can’t expect me to go to my superiors with this without any proof or any corroborating evidence. I’d be laughed off the force.”

Sam opened the door and walked back into the hall.

Anger burned in Alessandro’s chest. He had to find Escalante and bring him down before he destroyed any more lives.

Including Colleen’s.

“Thank you, Jake, Adam. I love you guys.” Colleen hugged each brother and sent a silent prayer of thanks heavenward for the devotion of her family.

As soon as she’d reached the police station she’d called Jake. She was confident that as an FBI agent, he would know what to do. Her brothers had arrived within the hour with a lawyer in tow.

They’d agreed to tell their parents after they had Colleen released. A terrific idea as far as she was concerned. Frank Montgomery would chew some hide inside and out as it was when he found out that Colleen had been arrested. At least this way they could protect Sam and Becca until Frank cooled down.

“That’s what big brothers are for.” Jake shrugged and grinned while adjusting his conservative red tie. He dressed the role of FBI agent nicely in a navy suit and black wingtip shoes. “Getting our little sister out of scrapes is what we do.”

“I don’t think this qualifies as a scrape,” Adam said, concern clouding his eyes. As a doctor, Adam dressed more casually in tan pants and an oxford dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“You’re right,” Jake agreed, his expression turning somber. “This was a frame. Someone’s out to get you.”

Colleen frowned. “Who? Why? That doesn’t make any sense.” Though deep inside, a nagging feeling that they were right clamored for her attention.

Obviously someone disliked her enough to want to implicate her in Neil’s death. Her reporter’s brain raced toward possible reasons why someone would be out to get her.

Could her suppositions that the hospital fire, the Montgomery Construction fire and the Double V Ranch fire were all somehow connected be on track? The timing of the fires had been way too coincidental and too specific to the Vance and Montgomery families. Had her report on the recent increase in drug activity since the mayor’s shooting stirred some hornet’s nest? But whose? The mysterious El Jefe , who reportedly had been contacting Escalante’s old contacts? No one seemed to be able to identify the new would-be drug lord in town.

“I should have remembered to pick up my scarf when I left last night,” she mused.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up for something you had no control over,” Jake said.

The door to the small windowless, mirrored room opened and Craig Smith, her lawyer, walked in. His pinstripe suit and shiny black shoes made him look professional, but his youthful face made Colleen jittery. She only hoped her brother was right when he’d assured her that, though Craig was young, he was good.

Pushing up the wire-rimmed glasses that seemed to constantly be sliding down his straight nose, Craig said, “I’ve had a talk with the D.A. and he agrees that the evidence they have isn’t enough to charge you with Neil O’Brien’s murder.”

“So I can go?” Colleen asked.

She couldn’t wait to get home and start working on the O’Brien case. And continue her research on Alessandro, the latter for purely professional reasons. It had nothing to do with the fact that the Italian man intrigued her. She had to stay objective and report just the facts, no matter what her own personal feelings were.

Which, where Alessandro was concerned, were confusing.

She liked him, yet didn’t completely trust him. But not for any real reason—she’d exonerated him in her mind from the attempt on Mayor Max’s life—but she knew he was keeping secrets.

Anyone who kept their own child a secret had to be involved in something sketchy.

Craig said, “Yes. I would advise you not to leave town, because at the moment, you’re considered a ‘person of interest’ in the case.”

“I don’t have any plans to go anywhere.” Colleen marched past the men and headed out the door.

Behind her she heard her brothers thanking Craig, but her gaze was captured by the tall man standing at the end of the hall, talking with Sam. Her heart plummeted. Oh, no.

She hurried toward the two men. “Sam, you can’t think Alessandro had anything to do with Neil’s death?” she exclaimed as she skidded to a halt.

The tender smile she received from Alessandro sent her heartbeat into overdrive. “No worries, cara .”

Sam snorted. “The man came to say you had nothing to do with Neil’s murder.”

Colleen blinked. “Really?”

Warmth gushed through her like water from a broken dam. She didn’t know what to think of Alessandro’s chivalrous actions. She gazed up at him, looked deep into his dark eyes, and for a moment the buzz of the police station dimmed.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement before shifting his gaze past her, effectively breaking the mesmerizing hold he’d had on her and leaving her slightly off balance.

“What’s he doing here?” Adam demanded from behind her.

Colleen rolled her eyes and grimaced. Her brothers were doing the he-man routine again.

“Believe it or not, he came to defend your sister,” Sam stated, clearly enjoying Colleen’s discomfort, if the smirk he gave her was any indication.

Heat crept up her neck. She could just imagine the expressions on her brothers’ faces. She didn’t want to turn around and see the incredulity or the skepticism.

They would never believe Alessandro had come because he cared about her. Come to think of it, she didn’t believe he’d come for that reason, either. So why had he?

That was a question she was determined to answer. Along with several others. But first she had to get out of here and away from the stifling, protective cover of her family. “Alessandro, would you be willing to give me a ride home?”

“What!” Jake and Adam both exclaimed.

Colleen kept her back to her brothers and waited for Alessandro to respond. His dark eyebrows rose slightly as his gaze shifted back to her.

She held her breath, hoping he’d say yes and wondering how she’d live down the embarrassment if he said no.