Chapter 3: Alice is initiated
Sandra Wilson glanced at Kirsten first and then Alex. "Where's Alice with the coffees?"
Goodwin craned his neck to peer out of the open door. "There's a queue at the machine. And the stuff is hardly drinkable. Can't we get another machine?"
"I'm campaigning for it," Wilson said dryly. "I'm due to see Colin Turner at half eight and he wants to brief me on how to complete 'his' quarterly report. To present him in the best light of course. Then he'll change a couple of commas and semi colons and pass it off as his work. Maybe that'll be a good time to mention it?"
Goodwin exchanged glances with Kirsten but wisely didn't respond.
"No?" Wilson asked. "Well maybe when I've got the report completed, assuming you can put up with the slosh they serve here until then?"
This time she stared at the two cops sitting in her office, as if wanting to provoke them into an answer. Geez, she sounded more and more like Donny Webster each day—although her ex boss wasn't quite so subtle. She knew what the problem was: she'd been in the office since six again and was beginning to feel the pressure.
The early mornings wouldn't bother her had they been fruitful, but instead the long hours she was working were necessary to keep her head above water with Turner's inane demands and had nothing to do with putting criminals behind bars.
Plus the fact that last night's pointless function had gone on far too long and tonight she was attending a ridiculously long seminar arranged on the back of the Government's new initiative to crack down on Vice in its Capital city. It was all rapidly becoming a joke.
Maybe that was why she was taking such an interest in Donald Appleby? It was a chance to get involved again, do what she was good at?
It wasn't just the job, of course. With her workload it wasn't possible to form any sort of lasting relationship and the need to fend off the not too subtle come-ons from smarmy politicians and fellow senior colleagues in the Met had become all too regular. Occasionally she thought that she should just give in and go with the flow—there were limits to the satisfaction that could be gained from her vibrator—but a series of meaningless affairs with married colleagues or connections was the last thing she needed.
She stood and stretched, catching her reflection in the small window that looked out into the alley. For a brief second, she caught Alex Goodwin's reflection and if she wasn't mistaken, his eyes were on her ass. If it weren't for the fact he'd want something more from their relationship, she'd even consider hooking up with him again just for the sex.
She glanced at him again as Alice returned with the coffees. No, getting it on again with Alex would be far more trouble than it was worth...
"Okay," she began, even as Alice passed around the coffees. "I have twenty minutes before I have to visit his Lord and Master. Let's make them meaningful. Alex—what do you have to report from yesterday?"
For a moment, she saw a flicker in his eyes as if he had something to disclose. But then the flash was gone again as quickly as it had appeared. "Nothing positive," he grunted. "I've been through all of the files again and there's nothing you've missed. Lots of mentions of Appleby Modelling but nothing individually that could lead to anything untoward."
Wilson felt the disappointment inside. "You think this is a wild goose chase?"
"No, I'm not saying that," he instantly responded, thinking of his conversation with Kaminski. There wasn't smoke without fire and with both Vice and Homicide interested, they were sure to find something eventually. He wanted to be the one that helped Wilson make the breakthrough.
"Then what?" She could tell from his expression that maybe she was riding him too hard, but hell, she wanted some good news if only to help her get through the meeting with Turner.
"Like you, Sandra, I'm not a great believer in coincidences," he slowly said, holding it in. "There's something there, I can smell it."
"My dad's sense of smell is powerful," Alice told them, trying to lighten the mood. That endearing smile touched the corners of her lips as she sent a grin around the room. She'd only been gone from the room for a few minutes to get the coffees and she'd returned to tension that you could cut with a knife.
Wilson nodded as she glanced at the young blonde. Alice had the same cute dimples as her father although that was about the only similarity she could think of. He was gruff and she was demure. He was slightly slow witted and she was bright. But on the other hand... both had hearts of gold.
"Okay," she murmured, turning to Kirsten. "Tell us how your audition went, Kirsten. Especially what Alice needs to know for her session today."
"I've briefed her already on what to expect," the brunette began. It was better to keep the details vague with Goodwin there, especially as Alice had insisted she make no mention of the bikini test in front of her father. "I passed the audition—"
"You passed the audition?" Goodwin interrupted. "How'd you do that?"
Kirsten batted her eyelashes at him but gave the finger as she turned towards him. "I thought of your best quality, Alex, and so I charmed them into submission."
"Touché," Alice laughed, grinning at her father as he sent a growl in her direction.
"While I didn't get anything specific yesterday," Kirsten continued, shuffling on the chair. "It's set things up going forward. The agency is run by Carmella Santiago and I'll get to meet her if I get through the second part of the audition."
"Carmella Santiago?"
Kirsten paused to look at Goodwin. "She was a supermodel years ago, Alex. When you were in your sixties..."
Wilson ignored the quip and glanced at her watch. Usually she loved the interplay but right now she only had another five minutes. "Go on..."
"If I can get really close to them, I'll have the opportunity to dig deeper. And there's a bubbly redhead at reception—Marcia—who'll be worth talking to. I've told Alice to look out for her, too."
"Okay, keep probing but be careful. I don't want them getting wind of anything," Wilson said, standing up and gathering her papers. "Alice, is there anything you want to cover before your audition?"
"Not a thing," the young blonde chimed. "I'm looking forward to it. And if all else fails, I inherited dad's sense of smell."
"Funny," Goodwin grunted.
***
"She's a cop?" Tony Daly repeated for the third time as he paced across his office floor. "That's unbelievable."
"It's true," Carmella breathed in that sexy Columbian accent. She looked stunning, sitting back comfortably in the chair, one hand brushing through her silken hair. Her short pleated skirt displayed her olive skinned legs to perfection, and the Kirsten Stiles tailored purple blouse that clung to her breasts left very little to the imagination.
"I can't believe she fooled me," Daly said, taking a deep breath to shake off his nerves. "I should have known, should have suspected something..."