“Why don’t you come into my office, Ms. McNee?”
“Thank you.” She shot a grin over her shoulder at Alex as she followed Trilwalter.
“You going to let her go in there alone?” Judd murmured.
“Yeah.” Alex bit back a chuckle as he heard the glass of Trilwalter’s door rattle. “Oh, yeah. And I’m going to enjoy it.”
Ten minutes later, Alex was surprised by a burst of laughter. Swiveling in his chair, he spotted Trilwalter leading Bess out of his office. The two of them were chuckling together like two old friends over a private joke.
“I’m going to remember that one, Bess.”
“Just don’t tell the mayor where you heard it.”
“I know how to respect a source.” Still smiling, he glanced over at a slack-jawed Alex. “Detective, you take care of Ms. McNee. Make sure she gets what she needs.”
“Sir.” He cut his eyes over to Bess. She merely batted her lashes, managing to look about as innocent as a smoking gun. “I have every intention of making certain Ms. McNee gets exactly what she needs.”
Bess laid her hand in Trilwalter’s. “Thank you again, Donald.”
“My pleasure. Don’t be a stranger.”
“Donald?” Alex said, the moment the captain was out of earshot.
“Yes.” Bess made a production out of brushing dust from her sleeve. “That is his name.”
“We use several other names for him around here. What the hell did you do in there?”
“Why, we chatted. What else?”
Glancing over her shoulder, Alex noticed money changing hands. The odds had been even that Trilwalter would chew her up, then spit her out, within ten minutes. Since he’d lost twenty on the deal himself, Alex wasn’t particularly pleased.
“Sit down and be quiet,” he told her. “I’ve got work.”
“Of course.”
Before she could take her seat, his phone rang. “Stanislaski. Yeah.” He listened a moment, then pulled out his notepad to scribble. “I hear you. You know how it works, Boomer. It depends on what it’s worth.” Nodding to himself, he replaced the pad. “Yeah, we’ll talk. I’ll be there. In ten.”
When Alex hung up the phone and grabbed for his jacket, Bess was right behind him. “What is it?”
“I’ve got someplace to go. Judd, let’s hit it.”
“I’m going with you.”
Alex didn’t even glance back as he started out. He was already working on tucking her in some far corner of his mind. “Forget it.”
“I’m going with you,” she repeated, and snagged his arm. “That’s the deal.”
It surprised him when he tried to shake her off and she wouldn’t shake. The lady had a good grip, he noted. “I didn’t make any deal.”
She could be just as tough and cold-blooded as he, she thought. She planted her feet, angled her chin. “Your captain did. I ride with you, Detective, wherever you may be going. A day in the life, remember?”
“Fine.” Frustration vibrated through him as he stared her down. “You ride—and you stay in the car. No way you’re scaring off my snitch.”
“Want me to drive?” Judd offered as they headed down the steps to the garage.
“No.” Alex’s answer was flat and left no room for argument. Judd sent Bess a good-natured shrug. Then, because Alex made no move to do so, he opened the back door of their nondescript unmarked car for her.
“Where are we going?” Bess asked, determined to be pleasant.
