Played (23 page)

“Cause of death?” J.T. asked.

“It looks like strangulation. We’ll know more after the medical examiner finishes his review. Not bad, huh, boss?”

J.T. ran a hand through his hair. “Not bad at all. That’s a shitload of information.”

“I’m good. What can I say?”

“Hopefully you can say some more. I need to figure out if anyone has seen Evan and Nicole together, or if there has been some new man in her life. I’m betting Evan used her for some type of information on the setup at Barclay’s. He had to have inside help.”

“I’ll see what I can do. But I have to warn you that you probably have me for about the next twelve hours before Cameron cuts the rope between us. And I do plan to sleep at some point.”

“Duly noted. There’s one more thing.”

She gave a long-suffering sigh. “There’s always one more thing with you, Mac. What is it?”

“See if you can find out if Marcus Alberti bought a plane, bus, or train ticket to anywhere in the past couple of days. In fact, put a trace on his credit cards. I need to find him, and fast.”

“I’ll do what I can. I have to warn you that Jessica Gray wants in on the action. She investigated Mr. Alberti during a museum theft a few years ago. When his name came up, she was all over Cameron to get you out of the picture. She’s still kicking herself for letting Alberti walk the last time.”

He understood the sentiment, and ordinarily he would have been happy to bring Jessica back in, but not when she wanted him out. There was no way he was getting out. “Thanks, Trace. You know I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah, you always say that when you want something. I saw her picture, you know. Christina Alberti. She’s gorgeous. You’re still thinking with your brain, right, Mac?”

He scratched his head, darting a quick look at Christina, who was quite openly listening to his side of the conversation. “I hope so,” he muttered. He ended the call and tossed his phone onto the bed.

“That was a long conversation,” Christina commented, her expression serious and worried.

“My boss wants me off the case. I’m supposed to report for a new assignment tomorrow—in LA.”

She swallowed hard and pulled the edges of her robe over her bare legs. “So you need to get a flight tonight?”

“I’m not going. I’m not walking away from Evan.”

She gave him a thoughtful look. “Are you in trouble because of me? I heard you tell your assistant I wasn’t guilty.”

“The local cops are pissed, and Barclay’s is putting pressure on them. You and your father are their only suspects. They want to pin the robbery on someone. They want it to look like they’re making progress in retrieving the diamond. I’m sure the press will mention your name as a person of interest. They may run your picture in the morning paper. It will be difficult for you to hide anywhere in the city, or the Bay Area, for that matter.”

She got up and paced around the table. “What are you saying? That I should turn myself in? If I do that, I’ll never find my father or Evan. And I’m beginning to want him as badly as you do. Evan is the one who set me up. My father may have stolen the diamond, but Evan turned the spotlight on me.” She paused. “Do you think they would believe you if you told them that I was innocent, that I didn’t know anything?”

He wanted to reassure her, tell her he could keep her out of jail, but he hadn’t lied to her before, and he couldn’t start now. “I can’t promise that you won’t be held for questioning.”

“In the meantime Evan goes after my father. My dad could be in danger.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “There’s something else I need to tell you. There’s been another death. Nicole Prescott was murdered in her apartment earlier today.”

“Nicole?” Christina said with a gasp. She put a hand to her heart. “She was killed?”

“Strangled.”

Christina sat down next to him. “Oh, my God. And Alexis is Nicole’s cousin. One more horrible thing for her to deal with.”

“That’s right,” he said slowly, meeting her gaze. “It’s interesting, isn’t it—that two of the people we had dinner with last night are both dead and both of them had a relationship with Alexis.”

Christina’s eyes widened with surprise. “You surely aren’t suggesting Alexis killed anyone?”

“I don’t think she strangled Nicole or hit David with her car, but she’s involved. Nicole and Jeremy had a relationship before Alexis came into the picture. And Jeremy had a PI following Alexis and David the last few months, a PI that Nicole had also worked with.”

“Whoa, slow down. David and Alexis were having an affair?”

“It looks that way, and if Jeremy knew about it, I’d say he’s suspect number one for the hit-and-run. However, it appears there may have been a connection between Nicole and Evan. She’s related to one of the people involved in Evan’s last con. The loose ends are starting to come together. And someone has killed two people.”

“The same someone?” she queried, clearly worried.

“Maybe. The Kensingtons, Nicole, and Evan are tangled up. We have the same key players involved with the theft of the diamond.”

“Adding in my father,” she said. “But I don’t think he was working with any of them.”

“If he wasn’t, he shot the hell out of their plan,” J.T. said. “That would make someone very angry—angry enough to kill to protect their own secrets.”

Christina stared back at him for a long moment. “Someone like who? You think you know who the killer is, don’t you?”

14

Christina waited an eternity for J.T. to answer the question. Not that she needed him to say the words. She could see the answer on his face.

“Evan,” J.T. said.

“Not Jeremy? If Alexis was having an affair…”

“I can’t discount Jeremy entirely. He obviously had secrets he wanted to keep, and passion and rage can drive a man to kill.”

“David perhaps, but Nicole? That wouldn’t make sense, would it?”

“She might have been blackmailing him, if she knew about Alexis.”

Christina pondered that scenario. Jeremy Kensington was a distinguished, smart, sophisticated businessman. Was he really capable of running a man down with a car or strangling his wife’s cousin? He didn’t have a warm and fuzzy personality. But just because he wasn’t emotional didn’t make him a killer.

Evan was a better suspect. He was a psychopath, from what J.T. had said. He had no conscience, no boundaries, and he seemed to be pure evil. Certainly the brief encounter she’d had with him at the fun house had sent chills down her spine.

“Tracy said Nicole had a diamond collection,” J.T. continued. “You know anything about that?”

“She didn’t buy any of it from Barclay’s,” Christina answered. “I guess she wouldn’t have wanted to put any money in Alexis’s pocket. It’s weird how Nicole was even at the dinner party last night, with so much bad blood between them.”

“I don’t think it was by chance. She was there for a reason.”

“I agree. Something was going on last night with all of them. What I don’t understand is how I became a subject of conversation for David and Alexis.”

“According to Alexis, David spoke to your father.”

“What? That’s impossible.”

“I suspect it was simply part of the setup. It would have been easy for Evan to do it. David didn’t know your father personally, just his reputation. Evan used David, figuring the guy was ambitious and had an in with Alexis. That he would tell Alexis you and your father were going to steal the diamond.”

“And now David is dead,” she said with a heavy heart. She’d never particularly liked David, but she hadn’t wanted him killed, especially since it appeared he’d been used by Evan.

J.T. stood up and grabbed his leather jacket, then headed for the door. “I need to check on something.”

“You’re going out?” she asked, feeling a bit unnerved by the idea. “Why? Where?”

“I can’t just sit here and speculate. I know where Stefano was staying. I want to check it out.”

“He wouldn’t still be there.”

“He might have left something behind.”

“Can I come?” She felt like a clingy female when she saw the expression on his face, but couldn’t take the question back. She didn’t want to stay at the hotel alone. Two people had already died, both of whom she’d had dinner with the night before.

“It’s not that I don’t want you to come,” J.T. said, “but for the moment you need to stay hidden away. There are too many people looking for you. I’ll only be gone an hour—tops. You can do some research on the diamond. The time will fly by.”

“Sure,” she said, lacking conviction. “It will fly by.”

He took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. “I know you’re scared, Christina. I also know that you’re brave and strong.”

“How could you possibly think that?” she murmured. “It seems I’ve done nothing but run for my life since I met you. That’s more cowardly than brave.”

“Hey, a strategic retreat is always good in a battle.” He kissed her on the lips, his mouth lingering. “When I get back we’ll have dessert.”

“Fine. But if you’re not back in exactly two hours, I’m eating the cake by myself,” she warned.

“Then I will definitely not be late,” he promised. “Lock the door behind me, and don’t open it for anyone. Not room service wanting to take the plates—no one. And if someone tries to get in, call the front desk immediately.”

His words did nothing to ease her rapidly growing tension. Nor did the fact that he’d slipped his gun into the pocket of his jacket. Two people were dead. She did not want to make it three. She got up, putting her hand on his arm. “Be careful, J.T. I really…don’t want to eat that cake alone.” It wasn’t what she wanted to say, but he knew what she meant. She gave him a pleading kiss to come back alive, then let him go, locking the door after him.

Evan picked the lock with a quick and steady hand. A moment later he opened the door to Marcus Alberti’s house and paused to get his bearings. The house was spotless, as if no one had lived there in a long time. It was the kind of family house he’d always wanted for himself. As he put his hand on the sleek wood banister of the elegant staircase, he remembered the dreams he’d had as a kid living in the backseat of a car with his drunk of a mother. He’d always imagined owning a real house with a banister you could slide down, with dinner waiting on the table at six o’clock, with a father who came home carrying a newspaper, and a mother who spent her days cooking and taking care of the kids—instead of boozing and doing drugs and beating the shit out of her offspring.

He frowned, not sure why
she
was coming into his brain so often now. He’d put his mother out of his mind years ago. He’d banished her into nonexistence, which was where she belonged. She never should have been born, and certainly never should have had children. His two sisters had been the lucky ones. They’d been taken away and sent to foster homes.

No one had wanted him. He was too old, too bruised, too wrecked—by
her.
God, he hated her. And every woman like her. Every woman who thought she was better than him, who thought he owed her. Like Nicole. The bitch had deserved to die. He wouldn’t have killed her if she hadn’t attacked him. It was her fault she was dead. It was his mother’s fault that she was dead. The world was better off without them. He hadn’t committed murder; he’d provided a public service.

He walked down the hall and entered the study. There were books everywhere; it was the room of an intellectual man. He paused by the desk, picking up a photograph of Marcus and his precious daughter, Christina, taken at her college graduation. She was wearing her cap and gown and looking so damn proud of herself. The Albertis probably thought they were smarter than him. But they weren’t.

They’d just surprised him, that was all. He hadn’t anticipated that Marcus would actually steal the diamond. When Nicole had suggested they contact Marcus and lure him back to the city because he would make a good scapegoat, it had seemed like the perfect plan. Nicole had assured him that Marcus would never be an actual threat because he wouldn’t do anything to put his daughter in jeopardy again. It would go against his nature not to protect his child. Evan had believed her. Marcus had taken the bait. They’d been able to get his voice on tape and a sample of his handwriting, as well as his e-mail address. Everything was going like clockwork.

Until Marcus decided to steal the diamond before they did. So much for his paternal instincts.

Evan didn’t know how Marcus had pulled it off. The only answer was that Christina had helped him. How ironic.

Evan had set the Albertis up to take a fall for something they hadn’t done, when in fact they’d actually done it. The knowledge burned through his gut. They might have outplayed him this time, but they wouldn’t possess the diamond for long. He would find Marcus and get it back. Now that he knew the kind of man he was dealing with, he would be better prepared. Having Nicole as a partner had clouded his brain, kept him from realizing there was someone else in the game. That wouldn’t happen again. He worked better alone.

The only question was—where the fuck were they? Obviously not here.

With a rush of impotent rage, he began yanking books off the shelf. He would destroy this perfect little family house first, and then he would destroy them.

It was remarkably easy to get into Stefano Benedetti’s room at the Crestmoor Hotel, located at the top of Nob Hill. J.T. had simply flashed his badge and his smile at the female assistant night manager, and told her he needed to make sure Stefano Benedetti was all right after the disturbing robbery earlier that day. Since the theft at Barclay’s was all over the news, she was more than happy to help. She escorted him straight up to the sixth floor and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she slipped in her master key and allowed him to enter the room. “Thanks, I’ll take it from here,” he told her.

She looked disappointed but nodded and shut the door behind her.

J.T. wasn’t surprised that Evan hadn’t checked out of the hotel. That would involve paying the bill, and no doubt there was a stolen credit card on the account, probably the real Benedetti’s card. Since that man was on a boat in the middle of the ocean, he probably wasn’t following his credit card statements.

J.T. walked across the room and opened the closet. Several expensive suits hung on hangers as well as dress shirts and ties on the tie rack. The rest of the room was neat. He checked the bathroom and found the usual men’s cologne, toothpaste, dental floss. At least Evan was taking care of his teeth.

Returning to the bedroom, he checked the bureau. In the bottom drawer he found some curious items: a flashlight that attached to a hard hat, a large white coverall that a construction worker or janitor might wear, a screwdriver and other assorted tools. Why had Evan needed all the hardware?

He sat back on his heels, considering the situation. Evan must have used the uniform to get into Barclay’s, but J.T. didn’t recall seeing anyone wearing such gear. Evan had to have also used the uniform to get out of Barclay’s. But how? Even in a uniform, he would have been searched for the diamond.

There had to be another way in and out of Barclay’s. J.T. leaned forward, digging deeper into the drawer. His fingers curled around a piece of paper. He pulled it out and was shocked to see his name scribbled across the front. He unfolded the paper. It was yellowed and obviously old. It appeared to be a blueprint, a diagram of what looked like an underground network of tunnels under the city. The streets bordered Barclay’s Auction House, he realized, and the tunnels ran right under the building. Evan must have used the tunnels to get out of Barclay’s with the diamond.

Was that where Evan was hiding now?

He could check out the tunnels, but since Evan had left the map behind with his name on it, he doubted there would be anything else to find. In fact, he suspected Evan wanted to send him on a wild-goose chase. That wasn’t going to happen. In the long run, it didn’t matter how Evan had escaped. J.T. couldn’t worry about the last play. He had to concentrate on the next one. And there would be a next move, because Evan hadn’t won. He didn’t have the real diamond, and until he did, the game was still on.

Christina watched the clock turn to the next number. The two hours since J.T. had left had passed with interminable slowness. She was giving him three more minutes and then she was eating the cake. The only problem was…she was not remotely hungry. She shifted on the bed, settling herself more comfortably on the pillows, her back against the headboard, J.T.’s computer on her lap. She’d spent the past two hours researching yellow diamonds and had come up with several stones, but none that matched the Benedetti diamond. It was as if it had never existed. Only she knew that it was real. She’d seen it, held it, worn it. She’d felt it tingle against her skin.

Reaching for her purse, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed her father’s cell phone number—the one he’d given her for emergencies. She didn’t expect him to answer, and he didn’t. But she was desperate, and she had to try something. “Dad, it’s me. I got the note you left in the safe. You have to tell me where you are, or where you’re going. I’m in trouble. Everyone at Barclay’s thinks I took the diamond or helped you steal it. Please just call me.” She hung up the phone and let out a sigh.

The clock flipped over another digit.

She shoved the computer off her lap and stood up, moving resolutely toward the table. She picked up a fork and eyed the enormous piece of chocolate cake. “Looks like it’s you and me.” She cut off a chunk of cake. It was halfway to her mouth when she heard a knock at the door, followed by J.T.’s voice.

She set the fork down, then ran over to the door and turned the dead bolt. “You’re late,” she said as he stepped into the room. “Where have you been? What did you find out? Did you run into Evan? Are you all right?”

He put up a hand, his smile reassuring her that at least he was fine. The other answers she could wait for.

“One question at a time,” he said. “I promise I’ll tell you everything.” He walked over to the bed and pulled his gun out of his jacket, setting it down on the dresser.

She sat down cross-legged on the bed in the middle of the comforter, waiting for him to explain. Finally he sat down. “Here’s what I figured out. Evan escaped through an old aborted transit tunnel, one of several that run under the city. A long time ago there was a master plan for an extensive subway system that went beyond the scope of the current system, but too many earthquakes put an end to that grand scheme. However, a lot of the tunnels had already been started, and one ended right under Barclay’s in a basement area near the garbage, an area that was not covered by a security camera.”

“That’s why you never saw Stefano leave on the security tapes,” she said.

“Exactly. He knew he couldn’t just walk out of the auction house with the stone in his pocket. There was no way he could have pulled it off without an escape route.”

“Okay, so we know how he got away. What’s next?” She didn’t see how the information brought them any closer to catching Evan. Unless…“Do you think he’s hiding in those tunnels?”

“No. He’s too crafty to live on the street. He could easily pickpocket someone’s credit card and get himself a hotel room somewhere.”

“Is that it?”

His eyes narrowed. “I take it you’re not impressed.”

“We still don’t know where Evan is or where my father is,” she said in frustration.

“Did you have any luck tracing the diamond?” he asked.

“No,” she said with a sigh. “I’m completely stumped. There’s no mention of the Benedetti diamond anywhere on the Internet, and I couldn’t find any other stones that matched the diamond’s measurements or colors or flaws or anything.” She flopped backward on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “I hope the card you’re using for this hotel room has a big credit limit, because we might be here awhile.”