He came straight toward Max. “Lyon, what are you doing here?” he demanded. “I thought you got canned.”
“I wasn’t canned. I took disability retirement over a desk,” Max clipped out, then silently cursed himself for feeling like he had to explain his decision to this guy, and at the same time hating that they were having this conversation in front of Olivia and his partners.
“And you’re here now because?”
“I’m with Rockfort Security,” he answered. “I was hired as a bodyguard by Olivia Winters.”
“And she’s in danger from what?”
Olivia jumped into the conversation. “My best friend from high school was murdered. I wanted to make sure it didn’t happen to me.”
He tipped his head to the side, studying her, and Max was pretty sure she wanted to pat her hair back into place. “You’re that supermodel? The big Howard County success story that I read about in the Baltimore Sun?”
She raised one shoulder. “More like a successful model.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Money. Celebrity.”
“But you’re in New York.”
“Yes, I’ve worked in New York for the past ten years, but I grew up here.” She gestured toward the house. “Right here. I was just attacked. And another friend from high school is dead.”
Hamilton looked from her to Shane and Jack. “And what are you two doing here?”
“We came when Max told us there might be trouble here.”
“Yeah, trouble,” the detective agreed. “That’s why we’re going down to police headquarters to sort that out.”
“All of us?” Shane asked.
“Until we know what the hell went on here.”
“Would a surveillance video help?” Max asked.
The detective gave him a long look. “You’re saying you got one?”
“Yes. When I took the bodyguard job, I had cameras installed at the front and back doors. You can get the digital output. It’s on the laptop computer in the little office off the living room.”
The detective sent a uniformed officer into the house to get the computer.
“Can we go in to get some clothing?” Max asked.
“You know I can’t do that,” Hamilton answered.
“My things are in a suitcase upstairs in my bedroom,” Olivia said. “If you could just have an officer bring the suitcase, I’d be very grateful.”
“And maybe he could pick up my bag too,” Max said.
“In the same room?” Hamilton asked with a grin in his voice.
“No. Down the hall,” Max answered, making an effort to rein in his annoyance. If he got into a pissing match with this detective, he was going to end up soaked. From his years on the force and then as a PI, he knew that the cops always won.
Hamilton turned to one of the officers. “Go up and get the stuff.”
At least the detective was being magnanimous.
“Yes, sir,” the uniform answered.
The man went into the house, and Max waited tensely until he reappeared with Olivia’s suitcases and his duffel bag and set them down on the ground. The first man had already come out with Max’s laptop.
“And now we’re going down to police headquarters.”
Max knew they were in for several hours of interrogation; it was standard procedure. And he also knew it was going to be worse because he was involved. In the eyes of many cops, Hamilton included, there was nothing worse than a PI who thought he could do a better job than the police and who fucked up a case with his own investigation. Well, he took that back. Maybe the worst thing was a former cop who had gone over to the PI dark side. But Max knew his only alternative was to cooperate. And now he was regretting his decision to lie about what he was actually doing here because Olivia might tell a different story at headquarters.
He knew they wouldn’t drive him and Olivia up to headquarters together, and he caught her arm as they waited for more cars to arrive so that they could all be separated.
“Bodyguard,” he said, hoping she caught the import in his voice.
She nodded, and he prayed that the story they told was going to match.
More cars roared up the driveway, and she was led off to one. He was escorted to another, and Jack and Shane were each put into separate vehicles. As Max was driven to headquarters, he considered what his friends were going to say. Shane would tell them about the phone being stolen. He knew that Max had been lured away by the false text messages. But that was all he knew about what had happened before he’d arrived. Jack knew only what Shane did. But there was one factor that he was sure they weren’t going to share with the cops. In addition to the readout from the surveillance cameras on the laptop, the video had been transmitted to Rockfort Security headquarters. They wouldn’t have to wait until the cops released the computer. They could watch the video and see if there was anything they could figure out from the pictures.