LITMIR.BIZ

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she might be in danger. If she had, in fact, witnessed a murder, the killer might come after her next.

      When he parked his SUV in front of her building, she turned to him with the grin that came so naturally to her. “Thanks for the ride.”

      “Hold on, I’ll walk you in.”

      “That’s not necessary.”

      He hoped she was right and he was overreacting to the possibility of a threat. “Not a problem.”

      A porch light shone outside the door to the condo entrance, and a glass panel beside the door gave a view inside. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. When she unlocked the outer door, he followed her inside. She hit the button on the elevator and the doors swooshed open. The interior of the elevator was extra large to accommodate skis and other winter sports equipment.

      As she boarded, Sasha said, “I should apologize. I think I got you in trouble.”

      The sheriff had been none too pleased when Brady had asked for a couple of men to fingerprint and process the suite on the sixth floor. It hadn’t helped that the room was clean. They’d found nothing to corroborate Sasha’s story.

      “Not everybody was ticked off,” he said. “Grant Jacobson was real pleased with the way things turned out.”

      Jacobson had used the incident as a learning tool to train his newly hired staff. Investigating a possible homicide also gave him an edge in talking to Reinhardt about the importance of security at a top-rated hotel. His budget had been tripled.

      “Jacobson is intense,” she said as she got off the elevator at the third floor. “What’s his story?”

      “He’s former military, Marine Corps.” He was a man to be respected. “Did you notice his limp? He lost his left leg above the knee in Afghanistan.”

      Her blue eyes opened wider. “I didn’t know.”

      “According to his staff, he snowboards and skis. One of the reasons he took this job at Gateway was the availability of winter sports.”

      “I’m just glad he’s on our team.”

      When she reached toward the lock on the condo door, he took the key from her. “I’ll open it. I should go first.”

      “Why?”

      “In case there’s someone inside.”

      She took a step back, allowing his words to sink in. “You think someone might have broken into the condo and might be waiting for me.”

      “I don’t want to alarm you.” He kept his voice low and calm. “But you’re a witness to a possible murder.”

      “And he might want me out of the way.”

      She was a loose end. An efficient killer would come back for her. Brady drew his weapon before opening the door. “Wait here until I check the place out.”

      As soon as he entered, he hit the light switch. At first glance, the condo appeared to be empty, but he wasn’t taking any chances. This possible killer had already outsmarted him once tonight.

      Quickly, he went from room to room, taking a look in the corners and the bathrooms and the closets. The only bedroom that was occupied was the first one on the right, where Sasha had unpacked her suitcase. It smelled like ripe peaches, a sweet fresh fragrance that reminded him of her and got under his skin. The only other room that had been used was the hot tub, where a damp towel hung from a rack by the door.

      “All clear,” he said as returned to where she was standing.

      “Good. I’ve had more than enough excitement for one night.” She peeled off her parka and hung it on a peg by the door. In her white sweater and red jeans, she reminded him of a pretty Christmas package waiting to be unwrapped. “Are you hungry?” she asked.

      “I had some Chinese.”

      “Me, too. I felt guilty eating it and thinking that this might have been the last meal for the black-haired woman.”

      In the restaurant kitchen at the hotel, it hadn’t taken long for them to locate the off-the-menu Chinese food. A cooking station had been set up near the rear exit with fried rice, gluten-free noodles and organic stir-fry veggies available to anyone who came by and scooped a serving into a carryout box.

      “That was our best clue,” he said.

      “How do you figure? None of the kitchen staff remembered who had stopped by and loaded up on free food.”

      “And that’s the clue. The killer was nobody remarkable. He was somebody the staff had seen before.”

      “And what does that prove?”

      “It’s likely this is an inside job.”

      “Somebody who works at the hotel?” she asked.

      “Or somebody who has been around this week. A workman. A consultant.”

      “It’s a long list of possible suspects.”

      He’d gathered a lot of information tonight but hadn’t had a chance to put things together or draw conclusions. Tomorrow when he wrote his report, there’d be time enough to figure things out. He followed her to the kitchen, where she opened the door to the fridge and peeked inside.

      She looked up at him. “There’s nothing in there but condiments and champagne.”

      “Try the freezer,” he said. “Some of these condos stock up on gourmet frozen deliveries when they’re expecting guests.”

      “I’m not hungry enough for a full meal.” She moved to the cabinets above the countertops. “Maybe just a cup of tea. Would you like some?”

      His boots were pointed toward the exit. He should go home. He’d delivered her safely and done all that could be expected. “I ought to call it a day.”

      She held up a little box of herbal tea bags. “I can make you a cup in just a minute.”

      “Good night, Sasha.”

      “Wait.” With the tea box clutched in both hands like a precious artifact, she took a step toward him. “Please don’t go.”

      The pleading tone in her voice stopped him in his tracks. He saw tension reflected in her baby-blue eyes, and the upturned corners of her mouth pulled tight. Until now she’d managed to hold her emotions in check. Not that she lacked passion. Her moods flitted across her face with all the subtlety of a neon billboard. This was different, darker. “What is it?”

      Her brave attempt at a smile failed. “I don’t want to be alone. Tea?”

      “Sure.” How could he refuse? He shucked off his dark blue uniform jacket and sat on a stool at the kitchen counter. “I hope I didn’t scare you when I did a room-to-room search in here.”

      “I’m glad you did.” Looking away from him, she continued as though talking to herself. “I’d told myself that I didn’t have anything to worry about, but I couldn’t help thinking about what it meant to be a witness. That guy could come after me. But I know I’m safe here. All the doors and windows are locked. This is a secure building.”

      “It’s okay to be scared.”

      Still holding the tea, she rested her elbows on the opposite side of the counter and leaned toward him. “When I’m worried, it helps to talk about it. Do you mind?”

      “Starting from the beginning?”

      “We don’t have to go that far back,” she said. “I’ve already decided that I’ll never drink champagne again.”

      He remembered her flushed cheeks and bright eyes when he first came to the condo. “Were you drunk earlier?”

      “No, but I was silly and unprofessional. If I hadn’t had a glass or two—” she winced “—or maybe three, I might not have

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