Page 19 of The Death
“I’ll try to restrain myself.” She barely heard him, but she was grateful for the strength of his grip on her arm as she watched him punch the button for the morgue.
I’m coming, Barnaby. Somehow I’ll find a way to help. You’re not alone.
FOUR HOURS LATER
“Time to leave now, Celine?” Dominic asked as he watched her stiffly get to her feet. “The M.E.’s will be grateful. They’ve been pretty patient, but I’m afraid they don’t quite understand your philosophy. And you look as if you’re so exhausted that you’re close to passing out yourself.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m okay.” Shewas heading toward the elevator. “I was just sad… and angry. So very angry.”
“I could see that you were. But do you feel any better now?”
“No, all I feel is more determined.” She didn’t speak again until they were walking down the steps of the precinct to the parking lot. It was almost dawn, and she found herself studying him. Until this moment she had only been aware of Dominic as the man who could help her fight against the rules so that she could stay with Barnaby during this last night. She’d been vaguely aware that he’d brought her a cup of coffee twice; once, he’d taken her hand when he’d noticed it was shaking. Now she could see he looked to be in his middle or late thirties, and she noticed the weathered tan of his skin, his gray-green eyes, and the single streak of white that threaded his dark hair. He was dressed casually, but his shirt and trousers were beautifully tailored and undoubtedly expensive. She was sure none of the other detectives at the precinct wore clothes like that, and she gave him another searching glance as she added sharply, “Along with a strong dash of curiosity about you that I intend to have satisfied. There are a lot of things that make me uneasy about you, Dominic.”
“By all means, I could see that coming. I even left a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the witch’s castle, but you’re not in any condition now to cross-examine me. Take my word that I’m a fairly tough nut to crack, and you’ll be better off if you get a long nap and face me later.” They had stopped beside a black limousine; a tall, dark-skinned man got out, opening the passenger door and giving her a warm smile. “And since the Boston Police Department have put you in my hands for the time being, I don’t like the idea of sending you back to the apartment youshare with those other models to keep you safe while you get that rest that you need. This is Sam Rashid, who works for me, Celine. He’s going to take you to a very fine hotel where you’ll be secure and very well fed, if I remember correctly.” He turned back to Rashid. “This is Celine Kelly. Take no chances with her. Keep her safe, and don’t let her skip out on you because she thinks she can take better care of herself than you can. Understand?”
He nodded. “No problem.”
Dominic turned back to Celine. “Get that rest, and I promise we’ll have a long talk when I meet you at the hotel later today. But don’t think you can squeeze any answers from Rashid. Though you may be his greatest challenge to date.” He stepped back and tipped his hand to his brow in a salute. “It’s been a unique experience, Celine. I look forward to dinner.”
He turned and walked away.
CHAPTER
5
BOSTON RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL
7:40 P.M.
Sam Rashid was waiting in the hall in front of Celine’s penthouse when Dominic got off the elevator and made a face as he walked toward him. “I hope you had a good day,” he said sourly. “Personally, mine sucked. That gorgeous guest of yours started off with cursing me and trying to jump out of the limo. She evidently didn’t like the idea of you marching off into the sunset and not giving her a chance to state her wishes. By the time we got to the hotel, she had quieted down a bit; I checked her into the penthouse and ordered her breakfast. Then I explained that you sometimes have difficulty with the simpler things of life, like courtesy, but it generally comes out all right in the end.”
“How kind of you to soothe and reassure her,” Dominic said sarcastically. “Do tell me more.”
“Hey.” Rashid shook his head. “I was the one who compiled that dossier on her. According to reports, she could do serious damage to me, and I thought that you wanted her to calm down and rest.”
“And did she do it?”
“Not right away. But after the third time she tried to escape from the suite, she probably became discouraged. Or maybe she just admired the fact that I was alert enough to catch her doing it each time.” He added thoughtfully, “But she’s very good with locks. Once, she managed to get off the balcony to the next penthouse.”
“Interesting. Locks and skipping over roofs and balconies…” Dominic paused. “But she didn’t appeal to any hotel guests or employees for help? Yet you must have run into several. It’s a busy hotel.”
Rashid nodded. “It never occurred to me. Of course, a good many people were staring at her. Who wouldn’t? But she wasn’t afraid of me. I’d say it was just the opposite.”
“I’ve done some staring myself. But perhaps it was a weapon that she didn’t want to use…” Dominic stepped closer to the door and rang the bell. “Maybe I’ll ask her.”
The door opened, and Celine Kelly stood glaring at him. “You took your time, Dominic.” She looked beyond him to Rashid. “Not you. I’ve had enough of you to last me for quite a while.”
Rashid nodded. “But I believe you’ll find I’m much more agreeable than Dominic.” He glanced at Dominic. “I ordered your favorite wine. I thought that it might mellow her a bit.”
“I don’t believe wine could do that,” Dominic said. “But maybe if I’m humble enough…”
Rashid was smiling slyly. “Oh, may I stay around and watch that?”
“No,” Celine said definitely. “He couldn’t be humble enough to make me feel in the least mellow. He was rudeand ignored me when I told him I needed to talk to him. He treated me the way Jossland did that night he followed me. Like a… thing.”
“You’re right, I’ll make myself scarce.” Rashid turned and moved toward the door. “I hope our next meeting is more to your liking. I’ll check in with you later, Dominic.” The door slammed behind him.
Dominic turned immediately back to Celine. “I see that Rashid also ordered you a pot of coffee. May I pour you a cup if I promise not to treat you as anything but the woman you’ve shown yourself to be since the moment I walked into that office last night?” He smiled. “And that’s definitely not ‘a thing.’ I can see why you’d be angry with me—I was abrupt.”
