Colby Velocity

She inhaled a whiff of his aftershave as she turned to go. The scent caught her off guard. She’d spent the last several hours in his company, seated right next to him and it wasn’t until this moment she noticed the earthy masculinity of it. Despite the abundance of food smells surrounding her, his scent abruptly reached out and permeated her senses.

Sleep deprived. Frayed nerves. Too much caffeine.

After a good night’s sleep she would be more herself.

But her friend would still be dead.

Summit Club, 2:50 p.m.

THE BROODING ARCHITECTURE of the exclusive club blended into the row of brick and limestone structures that flanked the tree-lined street far enough from Pennsylvania Avenue to allow some semblance of separation.

Luck appeared to be on Kendra’s side as she leaned against the bar on the side of the expansive dining room opposite the lobby entrance. The afternoon shift bartender who’d worked at the club three years ago was still on staff. He’d not only allowed Kendra and Rocky inside, he’d seated them at the bar with a wide-angle view of the entrance Castille would assuredly use.

“I’m still in shock.” Drea James shook his head as he checked his stock of liquors and whiskeys. “Yoni always made it a point to stop at the bar and say hello whenever he was here.” Drea shrugged, the shock he spoke of evident in the listless move. “It’s crazy. What’s happening to this world?” He reached down for a replacement bottle of bourbon.

“Was he still dating that girl …?” Using a cliched ruse, Kendra tapped her forehead as if she was attempting to recall the name.

“Leigh?” Drea frowned. “I don’t think so. He always said he was too busy for a real social life.” After a moment’s contemplation, he added, “She still asks about him though.”

“Really?” Kendra feigned surprise. Yoni not only hadn’t mentioned a girl, neither had his parents. “Maybe she hoped they would get together again.”

“Wishful thinking,” Drea said somberly. He glanced around, then leaned across the bar. “Don’t get me wrong, Leigh’s a cool chick, but Yoni was way out of her league. That dude was going places.” He pointed to Rocky’s glass. “More sparkling?”

Rocky held his hand over his glass. “No thanks.”

The bartender turned his attention back to Kendra. “I figure that’s the only reason Leigh worked so hard to get a job waitressing here. She’s looking for a sugar daddy. Know what I mean?”

Definitely. “I’d like to ask her a few questions. Will she be working tonight?” Whether she was seeing Yoni now or not, anything this Leigh person had noticed or overheard could prove useful.

“Not tonight.” Drea furrowed his brow thoughtfully. “Tomorrow night for sure.”

“Maybe I could call her?” Kendra prodded. She wanted the woman’s last name and address if she could get one or both.

Drea shook his head again. “I can’t get over you being a PI now. That’s wild.”

“It’s a different world,” Kendra agreed. Telling Drea that Yoni had visited her in Chicago hadn’t been on her agenda but the detail had compelled the bartender to open up. Yoni spent a lot of time in places like this meeting with colleagues and contacts. Any information she could obtain from this man might fill in numerous gaps. “The work has taught me that even the most seemingly insignificant detail can make all the difference in an investigation.”

Again Drea appeared to contemplate her words. As if he’d suddenly remembered something he picked up a pen and grabbed a cocktail napkin. “This is Leigh’s cell number.” He scribbled on the napkin. “And her address.” He pushed the napkin across the bar. “You tell her I said she needs to share anything she knows with you.”

Kendra read the name. Leigh Turlington. “Thanks. This helps a lot.” She gave the bartender a smile as she withdrew a business card from her purse and presented it to him. “And you call me if you hear anything at all related to Yoni.”

Drea examined the card. “You know I will.”

“Right on time,” Rocky said under his breath.

Kendra followed his gaze to the mirror behind the bar. The reflection of the room behind them showed Castille and two other men following the hostess to a table near one of the towering windows with a view of the street below. For added privacy, the dining room was located on the second floor.

“He only allows one member of his security inside,” Drea explained, keeping his voice hushed. “He’s the one in the black suit. The other guy is Bernard Capshaw. He’s the CEO of Capshaw Enterprises.”

A waitress approached the other end of the bar, drawing Drea in that direction.

Kendra wasn’t acquainted with Capshaw the man, but she knew the company. Aerospace technology. The industry, like many others, was on the edge of financial collapse and in need of government support.

Castille hadn’t changed much. If anything he looked younger. The wonders of modern cosmetic procedures. She couldn’t see the man going for full blown surgery but there were other, more convenient procedures that provided ample benefits.

Appearances were supremely important in this high-stakes arena.

The other man, Secret Service no doubt, was an unknown to her. No one from three years ago but that changed nothing. Kendra was well aware of SOP. The senator wouldn’t be allowed out of the man’s line of sight except to visit the men’s room and only then after the facility had been checked for hidden threats.

“I’ll be waiting in the ladies’ room,” Kendra said to Rocky. “Send me a text if Castille wanders in that direction.”

“You might be in for a long wait,” Rocky noted.

That was true, but it was the only way to ensure she got one-on-one time with the senator. And that she didn’t attract the attention of his security. “Text me if he leaves the table.”

“Will do.”

Rocky watched her in the mirror behind the bar as she slid off the stool. As she made her way to the ladies’ room she wondered how long his total cooperation would last. So far he hadn’t actually questioned any of her decisions, but then they’d scarcely begun.

The ladies’ room had been renovated since Kendra’s last visit here. Opulence remained the mainstay of the decorating theme. Nothing but the best for the power players. At one point some newly elected senator had suggested that popular gathering spots like the Summit were subsidized by wealthy lobbyists who wanted the atmosphere conducive to persuasion.

No one paid any real attention to the accusation, yet everyone understood that it was in all likelihood true on some level.

Money talked.

Most anything else walked.

Kendra’s cell vibrated in its leather holster. She checked the display. The text was from Rocky and read: Security headed your way.

The man in the black suit would check the men’s room then return to the table to let the senator know it was all clear. Since both the men’s room and the ladies’ were stationed in a short corridor that led to nothing else, entry was possible only from the dining room. Permitting security to feel comfortable allowing the man to do his business in private.

Let me know when security returns to the table and Castille heads this way, she entered before hitting the send button.

Kendra checked her reflection. Smoothed a hand over her suit jacket. She looked as tired as she felt. The weariness particularly showed in her eyes. Never a good position from which to strike. This would be her first face-to-face with Castille since the day she’d walked out of his office. He wouldn’t be happy to see her.

“Tough,” she muttered.

Her cell vibrated. Security has returned to table. Your mark is en route.

Kendra tucked her phone away and took a breath. She pressed her ear to the door and listened for the neighboring hinges to whine. The carpeted floor prevented her from hearing Castille’s approach.

A soft metal-on-metal rub signaled the senator had entered the men’s room directly across the narrow corridor. Time to move.

She eased open the ladies’ room door and quickly surveyed the corridor all the while knowing that Rocky would have warned her if anyone else had approached the area.

Clear.

Though no one had come this way while they sat at the bar, she still felt uncomfortable barging into the men’s room. Putting manners aside, she crossed the corridor in two strides and entered forbidden territory.