A Simple Affair by Turner Stephanie

Author:Turner, Stephanie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2022-01-19T00:00:00+00:00

The Hand That Feeds

I collected my phone, clean and clear thanks to Hailey, and off we went.

“You’re alright?” Nigel glanced at me as he drove.

“No.” I snapped out, and felt guilty.

“You’re not hurt?” He tried again, his voice turned to granite, his walls of self-protection firmly in place.

I felt worse, and reached for his hand. “I’m sorry. Shaken, not stirred. Not hurt. Just angry, and frustrated, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I don’t have a clear lead - not clear enough-”

“Yet.” He gripped my hand tight.

I felt better. “Thank you.”

“When this is over…” He didn’t finish his thought, concentrating on more pressing matters. “You didn’t explain fully. Again. What’s happened?”

“Do you remember Dominique Shipova?”

Nigel’s forehead wrinkled in confusion, or possibly consternation. “I’m not likely to forget; she’s in jail.”

“She is now… Again.”

“Again?”

“She got out of jail, compliments of Judge Budge.” I explained; he swore. “I tagged her yesterday with a supposed client’s husband. I thought it was just a simple affair, but if the Sept are involved, it’s not so simple.”

“How are they involved?”

“I’m not sure.” I admitted. “Yet.” I qualified. “I trailed my target and Dominique from Grotto to the Empire Hotel last night.”

Nigel unleashed a surprising variety of expletives.

“And someone shot at me while I was recording her-”

He squeezed my hand tight, crushing every bone in the process. I felt reassured.

“-with Judge Budge.”

“With - sorry?”

“He was her client… And then he turned up dead.”

“She killed him?”

“She claims she didn’t.”

“You believe her?”

“I don’t know what to believe. Her patterns tell me she didn’t do it; circumstances say very strongly that she did. I need to see the evidence with my own eyes.”

“Is this to do with Mr. Ruffles and company?”

“I don’t see how…” I frowned.

“You don’t sound certain.”

“Because I’m not.” I said. “Whitlock denies it-”

“Of course.” Nigel interjected.

I picked up where I’d left off: “But circumstantially, he could still be connected. Patience certainly wants him to be. Dominique is one of Whitlock’s workers.”

“What, at the casino?”

“More of an independent contractor?” I winced. “She’s a prostitute.”

“Oh my word.” Nigel groaned at the layers of complications I was throwing onto what should have been a clear-cut case, and turned into the Empire Hotel’s underground parking complex, reserved solely for select guests.

“It gets even more fun.”

“How, pray tell?”

“Dominique was allegedly involved with Jimmy Maestro.”

“The fun never ends.” He drove us down seven levels to his parking space, reserved by his company for important visitors and collaborators. I wasn’t into cars, but I still recognized three models the same as Nigel’s among all the luxury vehicles we passed.

Nigel took my bags from his trunk, and led me to the elevators leading up to the lobby. The security here today didn’t seem nearly as heavy as it had the night before. I felt very unimportant.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Essex, Miss Knox.” A gentleman in uniform, clearly expecting us, stepped forward to greet us; he was the same desk clerk from the night before. His eyes widened slightly when he recognized

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