Point of Betrayal Read Online Free PDF Page B

away, embarrassed. “I thought you were a guy.”
    She popped the soda tab and stared at him cynically. “Don’t you read the papers or at least the department email? They hired me two months ago.”
    “I’ve been busy. I’m running the task force on Vince Carnotti.”
    She winced and said, “Sorry, but my first act as chief will be to disband it. You’ve got nothing from what I hear.” Her tone was flat, and he guessed she wasn’t sorry at all.
    “That’s not true,” he disagreed. “We’re very close to making the connection. There’s only one player missing, the key—”
    “But you’ve still got to find him and break him—”
    “Her.”
    “It’s a her?”
    “Yeah, she ruined Molly Nelson’s career. Molly was getting too close.”
    She shook her head in disgust. “Don’t talk to me about Molly Nelson, disgrace to the uniform.”
    He chewed on his tongue and held his temper. “Where are you getting your information?”
    “Captain Ruskin, of course. I’ve spent a week with him. He’s been quite helpful—”
    “No doubt.”
    Her expression clouded, and he guessed she wasn’t used to being interrupted. “And he’s told me some stories about you, Big Jack Adams.” She leaned closer, and her green eyes burned hot. “Let’s be clear. I don’t like rogue cops. I’m by-the-book, which is probably why they hired me to follow a corrupt chief after a major scandal. I’m a fix-it kind of person and I will rebuild the image of this department. People need to get in step with me or get gone, especially people who
might
be promoted.”
    “Hey, excuse me.”
    A woman in jeans and a denim work shirt stood behind them. The word “Hideaway” was embroidered above the breast pocket in neon pink. She held her purse tightly over her shoulder and looked uncomfortable.
    “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m looking for Jack Adams, Ari’s dad?”
    “That’s me,” he said.
    “I’m Vicky, the head bartender at Hideaway, and I might have some more information.”
    He motioned to his office. “Please, come inside.”
    “Just a sec,” she said, turning to Dylan. “I don’t know who you are, but I heard you talking smack about Molly. She was one of the finest people I’ve ever met. Put her life on the line a lot. I’m just saying.”
    Before Dylan could respond, Vicky had walked past her. Jack followed, biting his lip to keep from laughing. They headed into his office, and when he offered her a chair, she declined.
    “I won’t be long,” she said. “I’m not fond of police stations, but I’ll make an exception if it helps Molly.” She looked as if she was headed to work with her hair tied back to keep it out of the food and drinks.
    “I appreciate you coming down. What did you remember since you were interviewed?”
    “It’s about the blonde who was all over her. I thought it was odd that she usually happened to show up right before Molly, but a few times she hung out.”
    “Did you share this with Detective Williams?”
    She nodded. “Oh, yeah. But what I remembered wasn’t about her drink order. It was about what happened when she paid. She paid with cash, and it was always this big clusterfuck because her wallet was buried at the bottom of her purse. She’d toss all her crap on the bar looking for it, including her key ring.”
    “What about it?”
    “That’s what I just remembered. It was filled with those little value cards, you know what I mean?”
    “Yeah, like the ones for the grocery stores or the pharmacy?”
    “Exactly. There was a gym membership card for Uptown Fitness. Is that helpful, do you think?”
    Jack couldn’t hide his smile. “More than you know.”

Chapter Five
     
    Stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Highway One, Jane grilled Ari about her relationship with her father and her current mental state regarding the breakup with Molly. Ari periodically asked questions about Sam and Nina in an effort to refocus her on the purpose of the trip, but she had