Page 43 of A Soldier's Temptation
“I think Mr. Darcy should stay here.” He’d swear the dog gave him a dirty look and then laid down on the floor and put his paws over his face.
“You hurt his feelings,” Ari said with a grin.
“Seriously?” And then he was hit with an invisible cloud of stink that almost knocked him over. “Does he do that on purpose?”
“Some think so.”
“Well too bad, Darcy. It could be dangerous for you over there. You’ll stay here and guard the place,” John said from behind his hand. He had to do something to block the stench.
Ari was in a full-blown giggle fit by this time and he just rolled his eyes at her. It made her focus on something other than her friend, and any distraction was a good one.
Chapter 11
Using a hammer to remove the nails from the plywood that had been put up as a temporary door, they were able to get into her apartment. But a half-hour later, they hadn’t found any sign of the memory card. Not that Ari expected they would. It was possible she had left it in their old apartment when she moved. Since he’d used a false wall in the closet to hide other items, the card could be just about anywhere, if it existed at all.
“Any luck,” John asked as he came into the bedroom where she’d been searching.
“No, nothing. I guess you haven’t found it either?”
“The mess they left isn’t helping. I’m trying to put things back together as I search.”
“Me too, but it’s not helping. I wonder if it’s even here. I could have left it behind without knowing, or maybe the slimy asshole was a double agent and he gave it to someone else.”
John had been going through the mess of items near her vanity when he stopped and turned to look at her. “That would explain a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hold on,” John said as he pulled out his phone and sent a text to someone. “Sorry, I wanted to let Chase know what you said. It would explain why the FBI has been so weird. Maybe he was working for them too.”
“I don’t think so. Then why did they arrest me?”
“To make all of this look good. Or if they wanted the MSS to think they were successful, but more likely the CIA was using him.”
“And the FBI and CIA don’t talk to each other?”
“Not usually. Two separate agencies and jurisdictions. But it still doesn’t explain everything.”
“What doesn’t?” Colin asked as he appeared in her bedroom door. “And you shouldn’t be in here. I know you saw the crime scene tape across the door before you pulled it down.”
Ari and John exchanged glances. She hoped he’d know what to say because she didn’t.
“Yeah we saw it. But Ali was getting antsy cooped up in my apartment. We figured it couldn’t hurt to come over and pick up a few more of her things. Then we started cleaning up.”
“Did you forget this is a crime scene? You need to get out of here.”
Ari wasn’t ready to leave yet. They still had so much to go through. But it didn’t look like Colin would back down, so she’d have to sneak back over later.
“Can I just grab some more clothing?”
“Okay but touch as little as possible. Until you get word we’ve released the crime scene you need to stay out of here,” Colin said in the authoritative FBI voice he used when he tried to make sure she’d listen to him. It didn’t work on her, but he wasn’t ready to give up on it yet. The last time was when she snuck out of the apartment to visit Mr. Darcy before the adoption was final. There had been hell to pay when she got home, but it had been worth every minute.
“John, can you get me a bag from the kitchen?” She hoped he realized what she was trying to do, which was to get him and Colin out of the room for a bit. She wanted to check one more place before she grabbed some of her underwear and a few more shirts.
“No problem. C’mon Colin, I have a few things I want to run by you.”
After a short hesitation and giving her the stink eye, he followed John. Knowing she didn’t have much time before they got back, she grabbed her jewelry box from where she’d just noticed it on the floor by her dresser. It didn’t look like much, just an old shoebox she’d covered with scrapbook paper. It was her grandmother’s idea. They’d decorated it when she was ten and spent the summer with her. Over the years, it had worn out in places and Ari covered it in clear packing tape to help hold it together. The box was one of the possessions she treasured, and Paul knew it too. If he’d hidden the memory card anywhere, there was a good chance it was in the box.
It had been a while since she’d opened the box and gone through her treasures. Most of the jewelry was cheap costume stuff she’d picked up over the years. Every piece had meaning though and she had to remind herself she didn’t have time for a walk through the memories.
