Blind Date(47)

She nods, and swipes a tear away. "That fucker will not get my best friend."

"No honey," I say, hugging her again, "he won't."

Right?






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EIGHTEEN


"I want you to watch, as you might be able to help us out with any questions we haven't asked," Ace tells me, sitting me on the one side of a two-way mirror that looks into an interrogation room where the three men I went on dates with sit. "If you have something you need to say, just press this buzzer here."

Ace points to a little button on the control panels on this side of the room. I nod, taking a seat in a high-back leather chair.

"What are you going to ask them?" I say, meeting his eyes.

"Just some basic questions. I've done full background checks on them, and they all seem clean, but that doesn't mean they're not capable of pulling this off. Greg did come to your apartment, and that raises suspicion."

"Did you find out how he got in?"

"The police officer watching was on the phone and had his back turned. He got a verbal warning and was reassigned. I promise you protection is up to scratch now, Hartley."

I nod. "Okay."

He focuses back on the three men sitting in the room.

"You think Jacob is a suspect?" I ask, staring at Jacob through the glass and feeling bad he has to put up with this. Poor guy. He's probably regretting dating me right about now.

"I have to question anyone involved in your life, even briefly. Just to cover everything."

Fair enough. I make a note to apologize profusely to Jacob later. Even though I ended it, he's still been a good friend to me and was there for me when I needed him.

"I'll question Jacob first, he said he has a deadline. Then it'll be that balding fuck that has now pissed me off."

I stare at Greg. "Yeah."

Ace stares at the man, and then grunts. "What the fuck were you thinkin' goin' on a date with him? You're a gorgeous woman, Hartley."

My cheeks flush.

Did Ace just call me gorgeous?

"It was, ah, a blind date. So you don't get to see a picture, you just trust they're telling the truth about their looks. He lied about basically everything on his profile so he could get a young, attractive date. He didn't seem dangerous, but I guess anyone can be dangerous and not look it, right?"

Ace nods. "Yeah, sometimes it's the most normal-looking, kind ones that are the worst. I'll question him right after Jacob, purely because I don't like the fucker."

I bite my lip to stop from smiling as Ace glares at the man through the glass. Then he looks down at me, and his eyes drop to my lips. "Stop biting your lip, it isn't funny."

I release my lip and smile up at him.

"Christ," he murmurs. "Press the button if you need me." 

Then he turns and walks out, slamming the door a little too hard. Moody. What did I do? Shrugging, and feeling pretty important right about now, I turn and face the glass that lets me see clearly into the other room where Ace has just entered. A police officer escorts Richard and Greg out. Ace sits across from Jacob and the two hold eyes. Oh boy.

I listen in as Ace attempts to exchange pleasantries with Jacob. Then he gets right into questioning him. "What made you want to go on a dating site?"

Jacob, whose hands are calmly placed in front of him, holds Ace's eyes without concern. "Why does anyone go on a dating site? We're looking for companionship, love, even just friendship. I haven't met anyone recently, so I thought I'd give it a go."

"You're a good-looking man, why haven't you been able to meet anybody?"

"Have you experienced the dating world lately, Detective? It is brutal. Women going for older, richer men, men going for young, attractive women-you try sitting in a club and attempting to meet a normal person. It isn't as easy as you might think. At least with online dating, you have the chance to narrow it down, just a little."

Ace studies him, eyes narrowed. "What made you pick Hartley's profile?"

Jacob smiles, warmly. "It sounded upbeat, and it made her sound funny, and easygoing, all of which she is."

Aw.

"And had you been on any dates prior?"

"Two," Jacob says calmly. "Neither of them worked out."

"Interesting," Ace murmurs. "What about previous relationships?"

"We've all had previous relationships, Detective. I'm no different. I had a couple that lasted a few years, then fizzled out. It happens. I'm looking for long term, I don't wish to keep wasting a couple of years at a time."