Courting Suspicion

Josh turned towards the man at the centre of all the hubbub. ‘Sir?’

‘Samuel Gunderson, US Senator.’ The man’s jaw was clenched so hard, it jutted out a like a barracuda. ‘And this is my girlfriend, Genieve Hart.’

‘Senator,’ his lawyer hissed.

Josh planted his hands on his hips. Beautiful. The senator was the chatty type, too. It made things so much easier when he had so little probable cause.

They had nothing on these two. Nothing. A couple had paid for a hotel room and had used it as a lot of couples did. There was nothing that said any laws had been broken, other than what the reporters had implied. The senator had called Genieve his girlfriend. They’d go with that, even though Josh’s thoughts were still barrelling down too many tracks. He suddenly had an intense interest in what was going on here.

‘Are you physically harmed?’ he asked.

‘I –’ The politician’s words broke off, and he frowned. He took stock before pulling back on a sleeve of the robe. He seemed surprised by the red mark slashing across his forearm. ‘Those two men broke in, and I tried to push them out. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought we were under attack.’

‘Get a photo of that,’ Josh instructed Simons.

The lawyer stuck out his hand. He’d remained quiet in the room up until that point. Quiet, but coiled. ‘Just the arm.’

What, the shark didn’t want his client photographed naked in a robe with his hair mussed from sex and his face still red from exertion?

Probably not.

‘Document the evidence,’ Josh said.

As the camera snapped, he went over to check the door between the rooms. The mark on the senator’s arm was straight as a ruler, much like a door’s edge. Sure enough, there was a scuff mark across it. He peeked around to the other side and saw the footprint of a shoe along the base. He called the forensics guy with the camera over to get some shots of it, too. ‘Dust for fingerprints,’ he instructed.

He faced the bedroom again. The evidence here was pretty clear. The bed sheets were rumpled, and pillows were strewn across the floor. There were signs of vigorous activity in and out of the bed.

The senator puffed up when he saw where the attention was now. ‘I want those two charged to the full extent of the law. Breaking and entering … Invasion of privacy … People should be as safe in a hotel room as they are in their own homes.’

The guy sounded like he was back on the campaign trail now.

‘You’ve got your pictures and a statement. We’re leaving now.’ Gunderson’s lawyer was chill as ice, but Josh still sensed a hard, angry energy radiating from him.

But the man was right. They couldn’t detain these two.

Even if he still had a gazillion questions …

The lawyer picked up the senator’s shirt and thrust it into his hands. ‘Get dressed. Sir.’

The senator had opened his mouth to say something more, but he closed it with a snap.

Josh watched Genieve out of the corner of his eye as she raked a hand through that waterfall of red hair and swept it aside. Her gaze kept flicking cautiously to the guy in the suit. She was harder to read. Impossible, really. She must have taken some clues from her boss, although he could read some of Nina’s tells now. He’d been studying her long enough.

Nina. Damn. She was going to flip when she heard about this.

He swept up the senator’s pants from the floor. They looked as if they’d been taken off in a hurry. He patted the pockets. The lawyer sputtered, but he simply handed the pants to the senator. ‘Just needed to check for weapons before I let him go in the bathroom alone to get dressed. Standard procedure.’

Simons caught on fast. He turned the light on in the attached bathroom and checked to make sure it was clear. They were doing this by the book – dotting all I’s and crossing all T’s – but picking up all the information they could.

‘Can I have my dress?’ the redhead asked quietly.

Everyone in the room snapped to attention to search for it. The little black number was on the floor, practically under the bed. Josh dug it out. It didn’t have pockets, and there wasn’t much she could hide in it. Dressed or not. He handed it to her and went down on his haunches before her. Her wary gaze met his.

‘All you all right?’

She was a true beauty, and he knew she had a personality to match that bright-red hair. It was all subdued now. She was funny, he remembered that. He didn’t do ‘funny’ any more than he did ‘merry’. She was a stunner, but he preferred tough-nosed, blonde prima donnas.

‘I’m OK, just shaken.’ She ran a red-tipped fingernail over her bottom lip, and it curled upward in a tentative smile. ‘They came in at a really bad time, if you know what I mean.’

Her gaze sparked, and the hint of humour told him she’d been a willing participant in the senator’s bed. Maybe the two were seeing one other. Nina ran in some hoity-toity crowds. Genieve could have been introduced to the senator through her.

‘Is there anything else you can tell me? Did you notice those men following you tonight? How long have you been seeing the senator?’

She glanced at the lawyer. He didn’t say a word, but communication passed between them. Her spark faded, and she shifted uncomfortably in the overstuffed chair. ‘I didn’t notice anything – and we’ve been exclusive for a month or so.’

She went quiet again, and Josh knew he couldn’t press any harder. Tension was vibrating between her and the senator’s representative like a piano wire, even though they were on opposite sides of the room. They couldn’t have been further apart but still in the same room if they’d tried.

Genieve wrapped her robe more tightly around her legs. Red-painted toenails stuck out from the bottom of the terrycloth. If the lawyer had his way, those would have been covered, too. It was clear in his eyes.

‘Do you feel safe with these two?’ Josh asked low enough so only she could hear.

Her green eyes narrowed in confusion.

OK, the tension wasn’t about fear.

The door to the bathroom opened, and the senator came out. He was older than his lover by a long shot, but the hours in the gym probably helped him keep up to speed.

Josh rose to his feet. He wouldn’t have them around for much longer. It was worth one more shot. ‘Is there anything else you can tell us about the encounter, sir? Has this TMI News contacted you or your office before?’

‘I’ve never heard of them,’ the senator said as he put on his cufflinks.

Cufflinks. In the dead of the night. Josh counted off in his head. Some people had their priorities. He didn’t like the guy. He was too slick, too Ken-doll-like in his outrage. Although Josh had to admit he’d be pissed off, too, if somebody broke in to take pictures of him having sex. Hell, he’d probably shoot first and ask questions later.

Unless it was Nina.

She’d have the gun out first.

He ran his hand over his head. Where the hell had that thought come from?

‘Is there anything else you want to tell me before you go?’ he asked.

‘It’s enough, isn’t it?’ Gunderson snapped.

Josh’s eyes narrowed. Not if there was something to the prostitution claim Hoodie and Bieber had made … But one little claim wasn’t enough to stick, not without proof. And proof of prostitution was notoriously hard to get.

The lawyer cleared his throat, and the senator lifted his chin. Clothed in his armour again, he seemed to remember the face he was supposed to present to the public. He stuck out his hand. ‘Thank you for your efforts here tonight, Detective. I appreciate the work our peace officers do.’

Josh thought fast. ‘How can I contact you if I have more questions?’