Detective Martinelli said, “We ran his name, and Stuart Parker has a record for possession. He did three years a while back and managed to get off probation before there were a couple of calls out for domestic violence. Neighbors complaining about the noise.” His expression shifted. “You did what you could, and we’ll take him in, but he will probably be back on the streets by tomorrow, pending a court case. If this guy bothers you again, Dr. Yassan, please call it in.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Detective.”
He wandered away to the patrol car, and Luca said, “I wasn’t implying you did anything wrong.”
“Good, because I didn’t.” She found her bravado, the rush of fear gone now. Out like the tide.
He gave her a small smile as if he thought she was cute.
He had to know she could protect herself if needed. Sure, she tended to avoid dangerous situations, but that didn’t mean she was weak. Even if she felt weak sometimes.
“I’m going to start carrying my pepper spray again.” She shook her head. “I figured a place like this wasn’t a real urban big city with high crime, and maybe I could let my guard down. That might not be the case.”
“Anywhere you are, it’s worth being cautious and taking measures to protect yourself. That’s just the world we live in.” His expression shifted, and she saw an unspoken question.
She wanted him to ask. “What is it?”
“At first, I wondered if what was happening just now had to do with the case I’ve been working for the last few months.”
“You don’t think it’s about the shadow syndicate you mentioned?”
He shook his head. “But now we know it’s connected to a patient you helped, at least we can rule out that someone is targeting me or you for looking into crime in Renegade.”
“I still can’t believe that Jenkins would tell you Ralph Rousseau is the one behind all of it. Just because he was implicated doesn’t mean he’s the head of the whole thing.” She shook her head and leaned back against the side of her car, her arms still folded. Distractions were good. Talking about something that had nothing to do with what’d just happened was even better. “It being Ralph just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“I’m going to be looking into the whole case against Jenkins and everything that Ralph was accused of over the next couple of days, just to see if I can find anything amiss. Probably while I’m on protection detail for our patient.”
The idea that he could dig into someone’s life like that and go through all their financials was more than a little unsettling. What if he decided to look up her monetary history? Kira had done a whole lot to make sure there wasn’t much to find beyond the usual smart investments if anyone went looking. But one way or another, the truth always came out eventually.
Kira pushed those fleeting thoughts from her mind. “Are you going to look into the foundation, or are you just looking at Ralph’s business accounts that are connected to what he was supposed to have done?”
If she saw Destiny, she would have to employ some of her spy skills to keep the other woman from becoming aware that someone was looking into her.
“I probably should look at all of it, not just what we’ve gone over so far. We’re past the time when we can assume something isn’t connected. People who are into criminal activities usually try to hide their revenue in offshore accounts or other places they can launder the money to make it look clean. Like a nonprofit. There could easily be hidden accounts we don’t know about, things only my friend would be able to find.” Luca thought for a second. “For all we know, the foundation is just a cover for them. They could be using it as a way to collect the money from their illegal activity and make it look legit.”
“That’s what you’re going to be looking for evidence of?”
He nodded. “I know she’s a friend of yours, but if she’s up to something…”
“You intend to find it?”
“Yes.”
Kira looked at him. “She’s an associate, but I’m not sure I would really call her a friend, even though we play tennis regularly. I don’t actually have many friends at all. I’ve never trusted people easily. You get burned one way or another.”
“You’ll still feel it if it turns out she’s part of this shadow syndicate.” His gaze on her softened. “Even if she’s someone you trust only a little, it will sting to find out she’s been lying to you.”
“I’ll be more bothered about the fact the foundation is a sham.” Kira had an idea. “Maybe I should go to that gala and find out for sure. There has to be a way to tell if it’s legit when they’re fundraising and showing off, giving this big presentation.”
He shrugged. “She wouldn’t be doing the gala if she didn’t have it all buttoned up and squared away. I doubt you’re going to find a hole in the operation at a public event like that.”
“So come with me and we can figure out a way to dig beneath the surface while we’re there.” Sure, she’d invited him to be her plus-one at the event. But it wasn’t exactly a date when they would only be going to dig up information and find the truth. She continued, “I don’t believe Destiny has anything to do with some shadowy crime syndicate in Renegade. Even if her husband does, I doubt she’s part of it. But I guess we won’t know for sure unless we find out.”
Otherwise, all he had were theories and accusations with no evidence. It wasn’t like he could act on anything without proof, which meant there was a need to dig further.
“Do you have a suit?”
He smiled, lifting his chin a little. “Yes, I have a suit. I think you’ll like it.”