Devine led Montgomery up to his room and they put her things down in the corner.
“I’ll just pull out what I need for tonight,” she said. “I’m sure I can find a place in the morning.”
“I’ve already texted Campbell. He’s on it.”
“I still can’t believe that Christian is dead.”
“You sleep with a cobra, you get bit.”
“So, these people are just going to get away with it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But what can you do about it? Your boss said the whole thing might come tumbling down because of a bunch of corrupt politicians.”
“But we still have a shot.”
“Who’s your friend, Travis?”
They turned to see Helen Speers standing in the doorway. She had on a red dress and black pumps. Her hair was done in a French braid. A briefcase was in one hand. She eyed Montgomery inquiringly.
“This is Michelle Montgomery. Michelle, Helen Speers, a recent NYU Law grad.”
The women shook hands and eyed each other with what Devine thought were aggressive looks.
“Michelle will be staying here tonight.”
“Here, in your room?”
“I’m bunking on the couch.”
“Does poor Will know? That’s basically his second home.”
“He knows.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to... arrange things. Nice to meet you, Michelle. Let’s get together again, Travis, after tonight.”
She walked off. Hands on hips, Montgomery immediately faced off with Devine and said, “What was all that about?”
“What was what all about?”
“Oh, please. You two have a thing going.”
Devine went over and closed the door. “No we don’t. We’re just roommates.”
“Just roommates don’t give women who are moving into a guy’s bedroom that look. She might as well have peed on the floor to mark her territory.”
Devine closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He did not want to get into all that, and he certainly didn’t want to tell Montgomery that he and Speers had slept together.
“All I can say is there is nothing between us.” Except for a pair of guns, he thought. And secrets.
Later they went to get some dinner in Mount Kisco. The TV on the restaurant wall had the latest details about the murder of Christian Chilton and his body’s being found in Brad Cowl’s pool. The news said nothing with regard to the whereabouts of the missing magnate.
They walked back to the town house to find Jill Tapshaw and Valentine chatting in the kitchen.
“Hello,” said Tapshaw to Montgomery. “I’m Jill.”
Devine said quickly, “Jill, this is Michelle Montgomery, she’s a friend from—”
“—the city,” filled in Montgomery. “Nice to meet you.”
“Jill founded Hummingbird.”
“The dating service? I’ve been on there. It’s really cool.”
“You’ve been on a dating site?” said Devine, while Valentine gaped.
Tapshaw frowned. “Dating services, at least the good kind, are for everyone looking for relationships.”
“Travis told me that Sara Ewes was on Hummingbird,” said Montgomery.
“That’s right,” said Tapshaw. “She was one of my first hundred subscribers.”
Devine stared down at his hands because he didn’t want anyone to see his expression. I don’t remember mentioning that to Michelle.
Later, while Montgomery was in his bathroom, Devine slipped into his room, got his gun, and put it in the back of his waistband, then slid his shirt over the weapon to hide it.
Montgomery came out of the bathroom wearing loose-fitting athletic shorts and a T-shirt.
“You don’t have to sleep on the couch, you know.” When he shot her a glance she added, “Men and women have been known to sleep in the same bed without having sex.”
“Yeah, married men and women,” Devine quipped. “I’ll be safer on the couch.”
He fell asleep quickly, but in his dreams he once more saw the dead faces of Blankenship and Hawkins. He tried to say something in his sleep, answer their haunting looks in some way, but he couldn’t. Yet it did manage to wake him up.
And he just lay there staring at the ceiling and wondering when this would all be over. And whether he would be there to see it.
Just like in the Middle East, the odds are not looking to be in my favor.
Chapter 71
At seven o’clock the next morning Devine got a call from Campbell.
“The surveillance camera in Area 51 completely went out last night. We’re in the dark now.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get there and see what you can find out.”
Devine went upstairs and knocked on his bedroom door.
“Yes?” said Montgomery.
“Can I come in?”
He heard her feet padding across the floor and the door was unlocked.
Her face was puffy with sleep, and her hair was wonderfully tousled. To Devine, she had never looked more beautiful.
“What?” she said.
“I’m gonna grab a shower and get dressed.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m taking the train in to work. You can come with me if you want.”
“I want to go see Poppy.”
“Poppy?”
“Yes. His grandson is dead.”
“I doubt he’ll understand that if you try to tell him. And he has other family, doesn’t he?”
“I’m just going to hold his hand and be there for him. And I feel like I am family, in a way.”
“Okay,” he said quietly.
On the train they passed Cowl’s place. Devine watched Montgomery’s expression as the train stopped. She studied the pool area where yesterday they had pulled out Chilton’s body.
She glanced at him. “Different perspective.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
She looked at the other passengers, but this wasn’t the 6:20, so it wasn’t the normal crew for Devine. But several guys were giving Montgomery pathetically lustful glances. She let out a resigned sigh and looked out the window again.
Devine decided to broach the subject he’d been thinking about since last night.
“Funny that you had been on Hummingbird and Sara had been, too. But you knew that already. About Sara being on there.”
“Christian told me he was thinking about investing in it. I’d remembered it was a cool site. I went on there and found Sara Ewes.”
“You just happened to see her on the site? But last night you told Jill that I had told you.”
She glanced at him. “Did I? I don’t really remember.”
“You did. So why would you do that?”
Her expression tightened. “Does it matter?”
“I don’t know, it might.”
“Do you have a question you want to ask me, Travis?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. So I’d like to know how you knew Sara was on Hummingbird.”
“I told you I saw her on there when I visited the site.”
“Out of all the people on there, you saw her?”
“Okay, I did a search for her!”
“Why?”
“If you really want to know, it was because of Christian. I knew he was in the investment business. But I didn’t think he invested in things like a dating service. And I knew you suspected him of being involved with the money laundering with Cowl. And that it might be connected to Sara’s murder. So I went on Hummingbird and searched for Sara. I thought if she were on the site, that might be the connection with Christian. The reason he was interested in investing in it.”