Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated #3)(36)
As if on cue Martin joined them in the living room, a manila file folder under his arm. Without making a big deal about it he slipped it into Travis’s hand while greeting his wife with a kiss. “Looks like you’ve been busy, sweetheart. Did you have fun?”
Alana waved her hand in the air, the nails perfectly manicured. Travis didn’t have a clue how she were able to do anything with long claws like that. Aubrey kept her nails fairly short with just a light pink polish that was barely noticeable. “It was fine. The stores here simply cannot compare to New York or Paris though. Tracy and I did have a nice lunch at a little bistro down the street. Are you big, handsome men talking business again?”
“You caught us,” Travis smiled widely, glad she wasn’t asking too many questions. “You know how we are. We just can’t leave it at the office.”
“I admire your dedication.” Alana placed her hand on her husband’s arm and gave him a big smile. “We should all have dinner together tonight. Caroline too if she’s up for it. We’ve been stuck in this hotel room for the last few days and getting out would be a good thing.”
“I’ll have to talk to Aubrey and Shane. They may have already made plans.”
Travis hoped they had. After the awkward discussion he’d had with Martin today they both needed some time away from each other.
A knock on the suite door had Martin scowling at the interruption. “It’s like Grand Central in here. Whatever happened to calling first?”
Travis didn’t bother to answer since he also hadn’t called first before showing up. Alana opened the door and Prather stood there flanked on either side by uniformed police officers.
“Ma’am.” The detective nodded to Alana. “We’re here to see your granddaughter, Caroline Livingston, please.”
Alana paused, swallowing hard before looking at Martin who waved the officers in the door. She stepped back and the three men strode into the room, Prather leading the way.
“Is she here?”
Martin shook his head, holding himself stiffly. “She’s not. She went for a walk to clear her head. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
“Do you mind if we wait?”
Martin’s jaw tightened. “I do, actually. She could be gone for hours.”
A ghost of a smile passed over Prather’s face. “Or five minutes. That’s fine. I’ll leave these two officers in the lobby. When she gets back to the hotel they can bring her down to the station. I thought she’d be more comfortable here…”
Martin grunted and pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll try calling her.”
“Thank you, Mr. Guinness. We do appreciate your cooperation. We have a few questions for you too, as a matter of fact. Perhaps we can chat while we’re waiting for your granddaughter to return.”
Prather turned to Travis as Martin spoke softly in the phone. “I’m glad you’re here, Mr. Anderson. I was going to call you. It seems that several eyewitnesses place Ms. Grayson in the ballroom at the time of death. Good news, your girl is off the hook.”
Travis had wanted to clear Aubrey’s name and it was a relief that her nightmare was over.
But he hadn’t wanted suspicion to swing to anyone else he cared about.
This case wasn’t over.
* * *
Shane stood in front of a display of stuffed teddy bears with the resort logo emblazoned in the tummy, acting as if he was a legitimate shopper. The real reason he was standing there, however, was it was the perfect vantage point to spy on Iris Perry as she thumbed through a rack of tie-dyed dresses. Travis had wanted him to take a shot at befriending her and see if she would talk. Shane had no doubt he could charm her into a drink, but from what Aubrey had said the woman was in deep denial about her boyfriend’s death. That didn’t bode well for extracting any helpful information.
Shane was almost sure that she was eyeing him when he wasn’t looking directly at her, and he was definitely sure when she worked her way through the shop until she was right beside him. With a hidden chuckle, he grabbed two bears off of the shelf and held them up.
“What do you think? The blue one or the brown one?” He gave her a dazzling smile that had melted the panties off of more women than he could count. Iris’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she smiled back and even fluttered her eyelashes. “It’s for my niece and I’m hopeless at choosing gifts. I’d appreciate your opinion.”
Her hand reached up to smooth her auburn hair before it came to rest on the brown bear, mere inches from his own.
“The brown definitely. So traditional but very adorable. How old is your niece, Mister…?”
“Just call me Shane.” He leaned closer, invading her personal space slightly. When she didn’t pull back he knew he had her interest. “Abigail is five and I always promise to get her something from all my business trips.”
He placed the blue bear back on the shelf, letting Iris hold the brown one. “What business are you in, Shane?”
“Oil and mining,” he replied, knowing exactly the reaction he was likely to get and he wasn’t disappointed. Iris wet her lips, her hand dropping from the bear and landing on his arm.
“That sounds very important. You must be a busy man so it’s sweet that you take time out to shop for your niece.”