Montgomery took his picture and looked down at it.

  “What do you see there?” he asked, mildly curious.

  “A troubled man. But a good one. You have a lot on your mind.”

  “So, you think we’ll get through all of it okay?” He didn’t know why he was asking, but for some reason he wanted to know her answer.

  “I don’t know, Travis. I don’t think anyone knows for sure. Especially us.” She glanced over at him. “What would you do today if you knew tomorrow wasn’t coming for you?”

  “I’d go and see my father.”

  “Why? To make peace with him?”

  The image of him and his father getting drunk the night they had celebrated Devine’s getting the job at Cowl and Comely came into his head.

  “No. I’d tell him to stay out of my life and let me run it the way I want to. And that I didn’t want or care about his opinion of me anymore.”

  She stared at him for an uncomfortably long moment.

  “What?” he finally said.

  “That’s pretty much exactly what I said to my mother.”

  CHAPTER

  41

  DEVINE LEFT HER ON THE roof and hit the street once more. He had only gone about ten feet when he had an idea. He used his phone to look up the real estate records to see who owned Montgomery’s building.

  Bingo. It was owned by the good old Locust Group.

  He put his phone away and was starting to walk toward the nearest subway station when two men approached from the shadows.

  Detectives Shoemaker and Ekman.

  They both looked grungier and even more pissed off than the last time. And that was saying something. Shoemaker took the cigarette out of his mouth and tapped it dead on the pavement with the heel of his shoe.

  He’d probably like to do the same to me, mused Devine.

  “So, are you following me now?” he asked. “I feel very special.”

  Neither man said anything.

  “Found Detective Karl Hancock yet?”

  “He doesn’t exist,” said Ekman.

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “Because we think you made him up.”

  “And why would I do that?”

  Ekman barked, “To make yourself look innocent. An alleged victim of some nutty conspiracy to throw us off the scent.”

  “Oh, right. And it worked so well. I mean, you guys spent, what, minutes, going down the rabbit hole because of it?”

  Shoemaker said darkly, “Shut up with the smart mouth. Who were you visiting in that building?”

  “It’s got nothing to do with what you’re looking into.”

  “We’ll be the judge of that,” snapped Ekman.

  “No, you won’t be.”

  “You think we’re messing around here?” said Ekman, drawing so close Devine could smell his fuggy breath. “You think we screw around with murder investigations?”

  “I think you’re trying to do all you can to solve it. At least I hope you are. Have you checked the video feed? Examined the electronic entry log for the time in question? You have a time window you can fit your suspects in. I actually pointed all that out to Detective Hancock.”

  The only response was twin glares.

  He looked at each of them. “Please tell me you’ve at least done that.”

  “There seems to be a little electronic hiccup,” conceded Ekman.

  Oh, it’s bigger than a little hiccup, Mr. Homicide Detective.

  “Okay. And in case you talk to her again, Mrs. Ewes asked me to meet with them tonight. I already have. She told me about your finding the abortion clinic.” He glanced around, thinking. “But maybe you followed me here from Brooklyn.”

  “She shouldn’t have told you anything.”

  “Did you explicitly tell her not to? Because I think with that lady, you give her any wiggle room and it’s off to the races. Just my two cents.”

  When they didn’t respond, he continued, “Now, here’s something really relevant to the investigation. Will there be any DNA left in Sara’s womb that you could match to whoever the father of her baby was?”

  “Why?” asked Ekman.

  “Because if you have any, I’ll volunteer my DNA to clear me from the pack.”

  “You’re only offering because you know there’s nothing there.”

  “Are you sure? She was pregnant.”

  Ekman snapped, “And she aborted the fetus months ago. We’d get nothing admissible.”

  Shoemaker was watching Devine through slitted eyes. “And why do I think Mrs. Ewes told you how far along Sara was, and you knew you were in the clear on the window, even though you’d slept with her?”

  “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

  “And now you’re trying to play all innocent by offering up your DNA. You make me sick.”

  “Well, that was clearly not my intent. But if there’s nothing else, I have a train to catch.”

  Shoemaker put a hand on his shoulder. “Do not, I repeat, do not leave the area.”

  “I already told you I wouldn’t. Since you guys can’t seem to catch Sara’s killer, I guess I’ll have to do the honors.”

  “If you obstruct this investigation in any way—” began Ekman.

  “I was thinking more along the lines of improving it.”

  “You better watch yourself, Devine.”

  “Right. I hope you guys have a productive rest of the night. In case you want to follow me, I’ll be on the Metro North out to Mount Kisco. If you could ever manage to find Karl Hancock, he could tell you all about that.”

  CHAPTER

  42

  ON THE TRAIN HOME DEVINE looked out the window as they passed Cowl’s place. He knew Montgomery wouldn’t be there tonight, but he still found himself staring. Muscle memory, perhaps? Or something else? Part of him had wanted to sleep with her. He was a young, single guy after all, and she was beautiful and sexy and willing, and some things were just that simple. And it wasn’t like he had sworn off sex while he was searching for Sara Ewes’s killer.

  I hopped right into bed with Helen Speers, didn’t I?

  But that one had been a long time building and she had walked up to him on the front porch and shared his beer and words were also exchanged and things came to a head when she made her feelings clear.

  But still, he felt guilty for enjoying himself with Speers while Ewes lay dead.

  By the time he had left Montgomery’s place, the passion of the moment had passed and been replaced with something far more somber and intricate. They both had been lost in thought about their lives, past and future, as he took his leave.

  Whoever said life wasn’t complicated had never really lived.

  Later, he walked home from the station and there was Valentine on the couch.

  Devine sat down next to him and said, “I want you to see what you can dig up on the Locust Group. There are a lot of them out there, but the one I’m interested in is tied to some specific properties.” He took out his phone and texted him the information.

  “What is big deal about this Locust thing?” asked the Russian.

  “I don’t know, but their name keeps showing up. I’d like to know if Brad Cowl has ties to them.”

  “Okay. I get on it, dude. But at some point, you need to pay for this shit. I am not freebie, I am America capitalist.”

  “What’s your rate?”

  “Five hundred an hour. But for you, two-fifty.”

  Devine gaped. “Shit, if you make five hundred an hour, why are you living in this dump?”

  “Is much better than my flat in Vladivostok. That had no door and no windows. Just blanket hung in doorway.”

  Devine walked upstairs, slipping off his tie and jacket as he did so. As he passed Speers’s door it opened and there she was. She was not dressed in an alluring transparent nighty but in an NYU Law T-shirt and sweatpants. Over the woman’s shoulder he saw a stack of legal tomes and bar study guides piled on her desk.

  “What’s up, Helen?”

  “You haven’t asked about a lawyer yet. Don’t wait too long.”

  “Actually, can we talk about that?”

  She held the door open wider and stepped back. “But just talk. I’m studying.”

  He held up his hands. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you have your way with me again.”

  She shut the door and sat in her chair while he perched on the bed. He recalled the sexual gymnastics that had taken place right here, the heat, the intensity, her soft skin . . .

  “Travis!” she barked.

  He looked up to see she had clearly just read his sorry-ass-guy mind. “Right. The cops have been by to see me again. They really think I’m guilty, but they have no evidence. They can’t show I was there at the time in question.”

  “What about cameras, security card logs?”

  “Apparently there was a hiccup, or so they said. There’s nothing there.”

  “Damn, that’s incredible.”

  “I know. But are there other ways for them to come after me?”

  “Why? Were you involved in her death?”

  “I was not in any way, Helen, I’m telling you the truth. Why would I be out there busting my ass to find out who did kill her, if I’d been the one to do it?”

  “Well, to make it appear as if you’re innocent.”

  He knew she was right and it still pissed him off. “Well, I am innocent.” He hesitated.

  “But what?” she said in a prompting manner.

  “But I did have a relationship with her. We kept it secret because of the fraternization rules at Cowl.”

  “Did you sleep with her?”

  He took a moment to process this and form a response. “Yes. But only once.”

  “Could you have been the father of the child she terminated? Because that would be a prime motive.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “It’s all over the news.”

  “No, I wasn’t the father.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “She had the abortion in December. I started at Cowl in early February. I didn’t even meet Sara until then.”

  “But do you have proof of that?” she said.

  “How do you prove a negative?”

  “You can’t, not in court, which means it’s irrelevant as a defense.”

  Devine flopped back on the bed. “Great.”

  She sat down next to him and patted his shoulder. “But it sounds like the cops can’t tie you to the murder forensically.”

  He sat up and looked at her. “Not for lack of trying. And they might find another way.”

  “Has anyone looked at a motive for someone killing her?” she asked.

  “Just the pregnancy angle, I think. They seem to believe no one else in the whole world ever had sex with the woman other than me. And there’s something else.”

  “What?”

  “You can’t tell anybody.”

  “I’m going to be a lawyer. If I can’t keep confidences, I won’t have a very long career.”

  “I hacked into the firm’s security log entry system. The only card logged in during the time in question was . . . mine.”

  She looked at him stoically, her gaze piercing.

  “I wasn’t there, Helen. I swear.” He held up his security card. “And ask Will, he says it’s easy to clone one of these suckers. Even his little bay-bee cousin could do it, he says.”

  “Go on.”

  “Brad Cowl told me that he knew about my card being on the security log and also that there was video of me entering the lobby at the same time. But that can be faked, too.”

  “But then this hiccup you mentioned happened?”

  “Cowl basically told the cops the system went down. There’s no evidence to give them. He made that happen.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  He reluctantly told her about the pictures and video he had taken of Cowl and Stamos after they’d had sex.

  “So you basically blackmailed the guy into not throwing the cops enough dirt to arrest you?”

  He looked at her with an air of desperation. “I know it doesn’t look good, but the evidence was made up. I didn’t do it. I had to fight fire with fire.”

  “No, it doesn’t look good. But have you considered another possibility?”

  “Like what?”

  “That Cowl doctored the evidence to incriminate you.”

  “But then why not use it?” Then it all hit Devine. “Of course. He basically told me why.”

  “Right. You turned the tables on him with your dirt before he could pull the trigger and throw you to the cops, so he had to change plans and stonewall NYPD.”

  “He bought a company recently that can manipulate any video. Before he knew about the dirt I had on him, he basically said he wanted to get the cops off his case by framing me.”

  Surprisingly, Speers was shaking her head.

  “What?” he said.

  “Have you considered the possibility that there might be video and entry log evidence of Cowl being in the building when the woman was killed? If so, he would definitely take steps to erase it. Then he would have the video doctored, maybe using this company he bought, and there you would be instead.”

  Devine looked both intrigued by and wary of this theory. “And his motive?”

  “He might have been the father of her baby. And he might have known about her abortion and decided to use that against you, because he might have found out about you and Sara having had sex. Which means, if I’m right, that he could have ended up playing you and the cops.”

  Devine once more slumped back on the bed. In a hollow tone he said, “Meaning I did a deal with him to avoid being charged with Sara’s death, even though I’m innocent? And in putting together that deal, he might have destroyed the real evidence of his guilt and just gotten away with her murder?”

  “What a smart boy you are.”

  CHAPTER

  43

  AS HE WAS HEADING TO his room, Jill Tapshaw called out to Devine from her doorway. She was dressed up, her hair was styled, and she had on makeup, all a rarity for her.

  “You going out?” he asked, walking over to her.

  “No, I’ve already been out. I had a meeting with Christian Chilton from Mayflower Enterprises. He came out to Mount Kisco. We met at a fancy restaurant in town. He bought the meal and everything. And he had two associates with him.”

  “What’d you think?”

  “He’s very professional, stylish, expensive suit. His haircut cost more than my dress. But his face was bruised and swollen; he must have hit it on something very hard.”

  Yes, he did, thought Devine. “How did it go?”

  “They’re very interested in Hummingbird. We’re sending them our current slide deck and updated financials. I could tell from what he said that they have a ton of capital and not many viable places to put it. That’s a problem for a lot of investment firms these days. There are lots of shitty companies out there begging for money.”

  “Well, you’re not a shitty company, you’re the real deal. And don’t forget what I told you about valuation.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to quadruple rather than triple it. That way we can back off to look like we’re giving something up and still get to three-x of what we had hoped for.”

  “There you go, thinking like a Harvard MBA again.”

  “But I wanted to thank you for what you did. This could really be the turning point for Hummingbird.”

  “What I did was nothing compared to what you’ve done, Jill. If Hummingbird blasts off, it’ll be because of you and no one else.”

  “You know, you might want to register on our platform. There are legions of wonderful ladies looking for someone like you.”

  “Maybe I will. Hey, any luck with the email I forwarded to you?”

  “I’m through about three layers of obstruction. I can see why Will was having trouble, but I’ll keep working on it. I see it now as a cool challenge.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So, they haven’t found out what happened to Sara Ewes?”

  “No, not yet. I met her parents. They came in from New Zealand. They’re staying at her place for now.”

  “I’m sure they’re devastated.”

  “Maybe the father is.”

  Tapshaw frowned. “What do you mean? And her mother’s not?”

  “She’s a piece of work, actually. Turns out Sara was pregnant but she terminated it. Her mother accused her of being a slut and of murdering her child.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “And no surprise, her mother and Sara were estranged. She said Sara had changed over the last year. So I’m not sure she cares all that much about her daughter’s being dead. And they’re missionaries, teaching Christianity in New Zealand.”

  “They should try teaching themselves to be nice to other people.”

  “But you’re trying to make the world a happier place,” said Devine. “So just keep doing what you’re doing.”

  She pecked him on the cheek and went into her room and closed the door. He was about to go to his room when he heard the doorbell ring. He looked at his watch.

  What now?

  He hustled down the stairs to find Valentine at the open door staring at . . . Jennifer Stamos.

  CHAPTER

  44

  VALENTINE TURNED TO LOOK AT Devine. “It’s for you, Travis.”

  “Thanks.”

  Valentine walked off and Stamos looked nervously at him. “Surprised?”

  “Yeah, I am. Everything okay?”

  “Can we talk?”

  He looked around. “Out on the front porch is the most private. I’ve got three roommates.”

  “Okay. But what about the people living in the places next to you?”

  “They’re empty. Being renovated by the owner.”

  “Okay.”

  “You want a beer or something?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  He closed the door behind him, and they sat side by side on the brick steps.

  She had on shorts and a sleeveless blouse and sandals. The temperature was still around eighty and humid. She looked at his clothes and said, “Did you just get home?”