Changing the Rules (Richter Book 1)(72)

“Mykonos sounds like a big fish,” Phelps suggested.

Cooper leaned back in his chair. “The party in Vegas, the first one Big Brian took her to. She describes a lot of girls, most of them young, some with accents, foreign and domestic. And all of them painted up like six-year-old pageant divas. Whoever arranged that party and cashed out those girls is the bigger fish.”

“We need Las Vegas vice on this,” Phelps said.

Cooper exchanged looks with Claire, both of them had the same concern.

“We need time. Big Brian sounds like someone we’re already following. But he’s not smart enough to have put all of this together. We need to know who fed her to Big Brian,” Cooper said.

“It sounds like she did that all on her own.”

Claire shook her head. “That’s how our unknown fish stays underground. From the first meeting to Vegas is less than a month. Poof, she vanishes. How does this case look if Big Brian pleads that his biggest sin was not knowing she was sixteen? That she had a fake ID to prove it? They go to a party in Vegas and she runs off with some rich guy? Just taking Mykonos into custody without finding the players that handed her to him in the first place only gives those players a chance to disappear.”

Phelps nodded her agreement. “And since I’m sitting here with a private investigator and a bodyguard at the request of my commander, and not a detective from your local sheriff’s department, I’m going to assume there’s a dirty officer involved.”

“If there is, we’ll find them. But if Mykonos is taken in, and whoever Big Brian works with is tipped off, everything crumbles.”

Phelps rolled her shoulders. “I’ll report everything to my commander.”

They all stood.

Claire tucked in the file of information Phelps had for them into her purse.

After they shook hands, Claire asked, “Is she going to be safe here?”

“Anyone trying to get to her has a lot of people to get through first.”

“If she wants to talk to me again . . . ,” Claire said.

“We’ll call you.”

Cooper and Claire walked out of the hospital side by side. Once they passed the main doors, he felt her hand slip into his.





CHAPTER THIRTY


They checked into an upscale hotel that had views of Puget Sound.

Neil had booked two rooms with an adjoining door. Claire suggested just taking one, but Cooper said something about rubbing it in and the affection he had for his perfect smile.

It was almost five, and the sun was still a good hour away from setting. They both decided a hot shower and a real meal would be the best way to ease the tension of the day. And since they had two showers to use . . . they did.

Even though Claire’s thoughts were on the case, it didn’t escape her that she and Cooper were about to have their first real date. She was thankful she’d thought about that when she packed.

Cooper had used the concierge at the hotel to book a nice restaurant. Claire put on her best outfit.

She slipped the black dress over her head and flattened the fabric along her waist. A look in the mirror made her smile back.

She knew, without a doubt, that Cooper would call the dress a Sasha Special before the evening ended. Her guess would be less than an hour.

It was sexy and short, but not tacky. And the shoes she wore were eye catching and high without being sleazy.

Claire swept her hair up in a messy bun and put on a pair of glittery earrings. The earrings had been a gift from Gwen when she graduated from college. She was fairly certain the diamonds were real, but she’d never ask. Neil refused to take credit for them, but she gave it to him anyway.

Sitting at a vanity table, she finished her makeup with a rose tint on her lips.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Cooper walked up behind her and traced the spot on her neck that reached her shoulders. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.

“We should go before I try and change your mind about the importance of food,” he told her.

The rain had let up before they left the hospital. The sky held a scattering of bright white clouds that stood poised on a variegated blue sky.

They took a hotel car to the restaurant, where their table offered views of the Sound and displayed streaks of purple and gold from the sunset.

“Did you talk to Neil when I was in the shower?” she asked once they were seated.

“I did, briefly. The team is burning the midnight oil to find faces to go with the names. By the time we’re back, we should have more answers than questions and a direction to go.”

“I hope so. The thought of the people who did this getting away makes me physically ill.”

The waiter came over and asked if they wanted to see the wine list.

“Do you want wine?” Cooper asked. “We can, but I know nothing about wine.”

Wine with a romantic setting always sounded like the perfect combination, but after their day that wasn’t what she wanted. “Vodka martini, two olives,” Claire told the waiter.

Cooper handed the menu back. “Make that two.”

“Thank you.”

The waiter walked away.

“Today was brutal,” Cooper said, reaching over and placing his hand over hers on the table.

“Today made it personal. Putting a face and story to the victim. I don’t know how anyone does this every day.” And she didn’t. The crime scene photographs, images of Marie from the hospital before she’d been taken into the burn unit, and what about the two that didn’t make it out? What were their stories? “Let’s talk about something pleasant. Concentrating too hard is throwing up roadblocks in my head.”