Murder on the Rocks by Fred Lichtenberg

Author:Fred Lichtenberg [Lichtenberg, Fred]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural, Hard-Boiled, Private Investigators, General
ISBN: 9781644570883
Google: 1jmeDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 2019-10-08T18:07:16+00:00

That picture.

Ana Lucía stood smiling with Preston Hartford for the camera.

Gathering my thoughts at the elevator, I couldn’t help but wonder about the smiling couple, dressed to the nines and toasting with champagne glasses. Who the hell was Ana to Hartford? Clearly, not his domestic.

Did I get it wrong? If Ana and Hartford were a couple, why would he hire Sexton to follow Elena around? Unless the purpose of hiring the PI was to find out what she was up to regarding the whistleblower investigation. Could be Sexton just took it upon himself to add something more to the investigation. The pervert.

The elevator door opened, and I was about to step in when a woman exiting stopped in front of me.

“Sorry.”

I smiled. “Ana.” Her eyes jumped up to mine, wide. “What a coincidence! You know, I was just thinking of you.”

Apparently, Hartford hadn’t managed to contact her quickly enough, because she was clearly taken aback. Haltingly, she stepped back onto the elevator then realized her mistake. She plowed past me.

“You must’ve mistaken me for someone else,” she assured me in perfect English.

I turned, my eyes following her as she sped toward Hartford’s office. “Elena and Luke told me to say hi.”

I let the elevator door close and went back to the receptionist.

“That woman who just got off the elevator, I met her at a recent event, but, I’m embarrassed to say, I can’t remember her name. Ana, I think?”

The woman followed Ana’s path and then turned back to me. “You’re right. Ana Martinez. She’s Mr. Harford’s administrative assistant.”

“Oh, right, Ana Martinez. Funny, I thought Elena Sullivan was his administrative assistant.”

Her mouth twisted to one side. “It’s complicated, actually.”

“Did you know Elena is missing?”

Her light brown eyes widened. “Missing? No, when?”

I put a finger to my lips and searched her nametag. “Lisa, it might be nothing, so please don’t let the word get out. Okay?”

She nodded rapidly.

“Do you know her boyfriend by any chance? Ben? They were supposed to be meeting in Newport for a vacation.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Ben?”

“That’s what Mr. Hartford thought it was. Apparently they met at MoMA.”

She shot a glance toward Hartford’s office. “I…if that’s what Mr. Hartford told you, it must be true. He knows Elena quite well.” Her eyes held mine.

I nodded. “Much appreciated, Lisa.”

Pressing the elevator button, I turned my head toward Hartford’s office and wondered what he and his assistant were discussing now that they knew I was on to them.

I picked up my car and drove across town to Stone’s apartment building. He and his SUV were gone, and I assumed he’d be looking for me. News travels fast.

I figured Elena and Luke had found a safe place for now, so I grabbed a cup of coffee back at Mandel’s. While I sipped, I went to findme.com on my phone’s browser. I knew the results would be limited, but I was curious about Ana’s age, family members, and past and present cities of dwelling.

I found her. Ana Martinez, age thirty-nine, was associated with a few other surnames—all Spanish except one.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.