Deadly Testimony (11 page)

It was a sensual pleasure. Perhaps Lizzy didn’t think of it that way, but it was an easy progression from imagining sharing a hot cup with her to tasting the chocolate directly from her lips.

She might not appreciate his imagination at the moment.

“Talk to me about vantage points, then. I’m in the mood to learn.”

Her head whipped around and she pressed her lips together. “Do you actually want to know? Or are you just chatting with me to keep me distracted?”

He considered for a moment. “I’m actually curious. Though, I will admit, I enjoy the absentminded tone your voice takes on when you’re sharing information with me. It becomes rather husky, very sexy. So please, do share.”

Maybe too much. It’d been truth though and he rarely held back on such candor. Few women believed it anyway so there was little sacrificed in being honest. It made it easier to avoid discussing other things he preferred not to.

Still, Lizzy didn’t like it when he laid it on too thick, so to speak. And that last had been a bit heavy-handed in the delivery.

After a moment, she stepped forward and tugged him to get him to move with her. As he did, she released his hand and slid her own higher up his arm in a loose hold. She was warm against his arm and the semiembrace—just his arm—sent chills through him, exciting him. He surreptitiously adjusted his belt and the fit of his briefs.

“A good vantage point is crucial.” She muttered as they walked. Her volume had dropped even lower and her gaze swept across the street and up the buildings. “The choice isn’t just about effectively eliminating your target.”

“No?” He took the opportunity to lean his head close as they walked. His lips brushed her hair but she didn’t seem to notice. Or if she did, she was allowing it to pass. He’d prefer the latter rather than the former even if the former was more of a challenge. For some reason, being close to her was a heady thing, irresistible.

“It’s not like on television or in the movies where the barrel of the gun is right up against the edge of a roof or windowsill. We’re looking for cover when we choose a position, with enough depth for us to shoot from. Preferably one with a broad view of the area we’re targeting.” She leaned her head against his upper arm then and it struck him how petite she was.

Oh, he’d been around her for over twenty-four hours by this point but her sheer presence was larger than life.

“So a rooftop isn’t the first choice. Understood.”

“Well, not here, in any case.” She used her free hand to point out a few buildings with particularly interesting architecture as they walked. Just another pair of tourists. “There are too many taller buildings around them. We like areas with a lot of potential spots to choose from because it makes it harder to figure out which one we’re actually shooting from, but we don’t like to choose anything where there are other nearby points from higher ground.”

“Too exposed?” It seemed like a reasonable guess.

She paused, fixing her hair as she used her reflection in another storefront window as a mirror. “If there’s another shooter nearby, the one with the higher ground tends to come out of the situation alive.”

No need to guess about the fate of the other.

After a moment, she took his hand again and they continued to the corner. As they crossed the street, she remained silent, tense. They walked at the same steady pace but there was a vibrating sort of excitement to her touch now.

“Here we go.” He bent his arm so that her hand rested in the crook on the inside of his elbow.

Her fingers squeezed his arm lightly in response.

As they entered the building, Kyle let his expression settle into a lazy, mildly friendly smile. It was generally a good idea to be on good terms with security. It made getting to business meetings smoother.

A disgruntled security person could make the visitor badge and check-in process draw out until there was no hope of reaching a meeting on time.

“Mr. Yeun, it’s been a while.” An older man stood up from his seat behind the small security desk.

“Too long. I’m glad to be working on a new project.” Kyle widened his smile and reached for his wallet, pulling out his driver’s license.

“Oh, no need, Mr. Yeun. I’ve got you in the system. Will you be here all day?” The man busily snagged a label from the miniature printer and assembled a temporary badge.

“No, this is just a quick visit before we have an official project kickoff. I was in the area on other business and decided to stop in.”

The security guard’s gaze took in Lizzy and returned to Kyle. The older man gave him a wink. “Ah, well then, why don’t I put together a visitor badge for the lady as long as you promise to be her escort.”

Kyle solemnly placed his right hand over his chest. “You have my word.”

The guard laughed. “I trust you, but, miss, you should watch out for this guy. He’s a tough catch.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow. He didn’t refute the commentary. It was a familiar type of bantering. Minutes later, they were through the security gate and headed for the elevator.

“I’m guessing I’m not the first lady you’ve had with you when you’ve ducked in for a quick meeting?” Lizzy’s tone was teasing, in line with her role as his date.

For the day.

It was who he was and not anything he’d ever hidden. He had many companions and never committed to one. A day, an evening, mutually enjoyed but with no strings attached. It was how he preferred his liaisons and he had no regrets. And yet, her question was one he was loath to respond to, even as a joke.

Finally, he murmured quietly, “Work always takes priority. If someone wants to spend time with me, it is a required understanding that occasionally these things happen. However, this is distinctly different and I am following your lead. You are a completely new experience for me in any number of ways.”

He cocked his head at an angle and watched for her reaction. For her part, she glanced away before he could spot the telltale blush he was coming to hope for.

As they approached the elevator, Lizzy recovered and applied slight pressure to his arm as she spoke at normal conversation volume, “If you don’t mind, I’m trying to hit my step goal on my fitness tracker. Could we take the stairs? Please?”

Chapter Twelve

It didn’t take long to climb the flight of stairs up to the fourth floor, but Lizzy took them farther up to the top of the building. By the time they’d finished the quiet climb, Kyle’s thighs were burning and he resolved to add stairs at least once a week to his workouts.

The contrast between the developed third floor and this one hit him first when air rushed past as they opened the heavy fire door from the stairwell.

“Promising,” Lizzy murmured.

He wasn’t sure if it had been to herself or him but he rather thought it was the latter since she didn’t seem prone to unnecessary dialogue. He rather liked that she was communicating with him unprompted. “How so?”

“Windows. There are some missing. That would be key.” Lizzy touched his chest. “Let me clear the floor first.

And so he waited as she did a sweep of the mostly open expanse of space. The building developer was remodeling this floor but apparently progress was halted for the time being. Supplies had been dropped off on pallets toward the center of the room and covered with clear construction plastic but there were no signs of workers.

Lizzy lifted her arm in a beckoning motion and then proceeded on another tour of the floor while he caught up with her.

He glanced around. “It doesn’t seem as if anyone has been up here.”

“Mmm.” Her gaze swept across the floor slowly, her head turning as she studied every corner. “Not necessarily.”

“No?” He watched her as she cast back and forth, admiring the intensity of her concentration.

“Did either of us leave any footprints on the way in?” She tossed the question to him over her shoulder as she crouched to take a closer look at the stacked pallets and a nearby shop vacuum.

He glanced back. “Actually, no.”

It seemed like an easy thing to check for and a detail he should’ve been able to take note of earlier. It simply wasn’t something one looked for in day-to-day life.

Lizzy stood, the light from the windows framing her hair in a halo effect.

Well, not his life. Hers, he was coming to learn, involved different details. Her awareness of the world around her existed on multiple levels from the inconspicuous minutia to the broad perspective.

“There should be dust all over the floor, but it’s blown to the edges of the room.” Lizzy pointed to the places where the walls met the floor all around them. “It could’ve been the gusts of air coming in from the open window frames, but it’s too thorough and too even. This floor was cleared on purpose.”

“I see.” And he did, now that she’d pointed it out.

She pulled gloves out of her backpack and put them on.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised but do you often carry gloves with you in that bag of yours?” He bit the inside of his cheek to suppress a chuckle.

Her expression was so severe at the moment, dark brows drawn together as she chewed her plump lower lip in concentration. The temptation to poke fun at her, just a little, was too much to resist.

“Latex gloves come in handy when you don’t want to leave behind any sort of calling card.” The comment was matter-of-fact. “Also good if you need to administer first aid. There’s a couple of other situations where they’d be useful.”

“And a few unorthodox uses in moments of more adventurous play, if one was so inclined.” He took a prudent step back.

Lizzy shot him a sharp glance, then bent and grasped the edge of construction plastic. “I haven’t used them that way and I’ll pass on hearing details.”

“But I’d be happy to share—”

“Don’t.”

He grinned. “If you ever change your mind about either the information or—”

“Nope.” Lizzy didn’t sound mad, but the last word had been definite. Instead, she dragged the construction plastic off the pallets and across the floor until it was closer to one of the windows. Then she stood there, staring at it.

This time, he wanted to see something before she pointed it out so he joined her where she was standing.

“Not too close to the windows.” She bumped him with his shoulder and he obliged by moving a few feet but not far.

“What are those impressions on the plastic?” He pointed. The way the plastic had been spread over the pallets, there shouldn’t have been those sorts of marks in it but this sheet had the sort of marks he’d seen left in carpet when heavy furniture had been sitting on top of it for too long. “Are there pallets missing? Maybe they were stacked on top of the pile over there.”

Lizzy shook her head. “Close, but no. And good spot. The shooter dragged this plastic over here to the open window frames. Not too close. Just far enough inside to make sure he or she wouldn’t be seen from the street or nearby buildings during the day. None of the lighting works yet in here and the sun was behind the building at the time of the shooting. Decent amount of shadow.”

He looked out the window. “I can see the street from here, but not well.”

“Uh-huh.” Lizzy moved to stand even with one of the indentations. “Shift those pallets of supplies over here and they become a makeshift table or platform. Shooter probably laid on top of it for stability to set up the shot.”

Apparently satisfied, she returned the plastic back to where it had been.

“There’s nothing else.” He had hoped to find something. Perhaps a bullet casing or piece of clothing, or even a small pile of sand. He seemed to remember something about it in one of those police procedural shows constantly on television.

“No, there isn’t. And that tells us a few things too.” Lizzy pulled him farther away from the windows, then paused. “Do you smell something?”

Come to think of it, something had been setting him on edge and started the beginnings of a headache. “Yes. Something sweet. Candy sweet. I don’t prefer sugary things because they give me a headache.”

“Huh.” Lizzy drew in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. “Bubblegum.”

“Someone was chewing bubblegum?” He couldn’t keep the incredulity from his tone. The shooting had been yesterday, he seriously doubted any human’s olfactory senses were that good.

“No.” Lizzy returned to the plastic and took another sniff. “It’s the plastic. I didn’t notice the smell until I pulled it off. Vapor must’ve been caught under it with the pallets. Our shooter uses an e-cig.”

“Those are supposed to be very unobtrusive.” He still wasn’t sure he believed it could have lingered so long and fear was starting to twist his guts. Perhaps the person they were looking for had been here much more recently. Or they were coming back.

“Compared to cigarettes, e-cigs are a huge improvement.” She wrinkled her nose. “But the vapor scent can hang around longer than the marketing says it does, especially the sweeter flavored scents. Under the plastic, it’s not like it had any place to go anyway.”

Well, it was an explanation for the smell of bubblegum, however long a stretch it was for Kyle to have considered. “Is there anything else?”

Lizzy cast one more glance around the room. “Not here. No. I’d like to check the other floors just to be sure, but then we can leave.”

Relieved, he waited until she returned to him and walked with her back to the door to the stairwell. “Is there a chance the shooter will return?”

“Not likely.” She paused, pushing him to the side as she opened the door, still being careful. “Another thing snipers like to be sure to have when they choose a perch is a quick escape route. This one took the time to clean up after he or she left, so I’m guessing they didn’t plan to come back. Actually, the chances are very slim.”

She hesitated. Looked at him.

That didn’t mean they might not stumble across the person on a different floor. He wanted to raise the argument but perhaps it would be stating the obvious.

It was the first time he saw indecision in her expression as her lips pressed together and her eyes darted around the room and down the stairwell. Kyle pressed back, away from the door, as he waited for her to think her options through. They’d been quiet on the way up but not perfectly silent. Their conversation here had also been in low tones, not likely to be heard from more than a few feet away, but there was still a chance someone waiting could have heard something.

“Shit.” She muttered under her breath. “It’s still extremely unlikely. But we’ll clear each floor as we go down to be sure. Stay close, right behind me. If Murphy’s Law kicks in, we don’t want someone coming out from above us while we’re still going down the stairwell.”

“The elevator?” Security would notice but right now it would be so much faster than stairs, less exposed.

“Those can turn into death in a box.” She gave him a hard look and there were ghosts, memories in her dark brown eyes. “If he or she was here long enough to set up their perch and break it back down again this way, they’d have had the chance to set something up in the elevator to buy them time in case of pursuit closing in. It’d be a contingency plan.”

He considered that. “You would do it.”

“Yes.”

* * *

“All set, Mr. Yeun?” The security guard stood and smiled as they walked out into the empty lobby.

From this angle, Lizzy spotted three small monitors giving the old man a view of the lobby behind him and the emergency exits in the two stairwells. He hadn’t even been monitoring who was on each of the floors once he’d issued them badges.

Obviously the businesses in this building required some security, but not incredibly tight. It would be a long shot to try acquiring the footage from the day before to try to spot their shooter. Possibly worth it though. If she could get her hands on it.

Doing so meant bringing official scrutiny here. She couldn’t do that without also giving away their location. For at least the past twenty-four hours, she’d been in blackout with no communication to either the police or the federal marshals. Safeguard could probably guess she was alive and her whereabouts because she’d checked into the hotel but they’d wait for her to report in first.

This was one of those times when she wouldn’t feel a drop of shame in being paranoid. She wanted to get Kyle safely back to the hotel and maybe even moving to a different spot before contacting each of her contacts.

Doing all of that would delay getting the right people here to conduct further investigation and forensics.

“Everything all right, darling?” Kyle’s question prompted her to make a quick decision.

It was unorthodox, but hell, it’d answer another one of the dozens of questions she had about this entire situation.

She smiled at the security guard apologetically. “I know I took the stairs, but I was wondering, does this building have a fourth floor?”

The guard gave her a quizzical look. “Well, there are a bunch of floors above the floor you went to and that was the third floor. Four comes after three so I’d say yes, there’s a fourth floor.”

Duh. She popped out a giggle and pitched her voice for embarrassment. “Oh! I didn’t explain my question very well. I was reading up on Asian cultures, see. And you know how a lot of buildings don’t have a thirteenth floor? Well, some buildings don’t have a fourth floor either because it’s bad luck or something. It’s a superstition thing and those kinds of things are so interesting. So I check as often as I can to see if I spot a building like that. I totally forgot when I asked that we take the stairs up.”

“Huh. To be honest, I never noticed.” The security guard scratched his head and waved a hand toward the elevator. “Why don’t you go ahead and take a look?”

Lizzy looked up at Kyle with wide eyes and blinked a couple of times. “Do you mind, sweetie?”

Amusement twinkled in his eyes as he looked down at her. “Of course not.”

She gave them both the brightest smile she could flash and skipped over to the elevator.

It took a long minute or two to arrive. Slow elevator. All for the better, they’d be leaving quickly. When the elevator opened, she leaned in to get a look at the button panel and pressed the button for the top floor using the top of her knuckle.

“This one has a fourth floor.” She returned to them in a rush, letting out a breathless laugh.

“You might want to check out a few of the corporate buildings in Chinatown, miss.” The security guard smiled. “Might have a better chance of finding a building like that there.”

“Thank you.” Lizzy hooked her hand in the crook of Kyle’s arm and the two of them waved as they left.

“What was that about?” Kyle asked.

“Walk first. We’ll need to get a little distance.” She set the pace to match several other tourists heading toward Pike Place Market. “And did you put your hand on my ass as we were leaving? Seriously?”

Kyle shrugged, completely unrepentant. “It’s a habit. It would have appeared odd if I didn’t do it as we left. Our friend at the security desk would’ve been disappointed.”

“If you want to keep using that hand, don’t do it again without permission.” She closed her mouth with a click of her teeth, instantly regretting the phrasing.

Both his eyebrows went up. “Really? Well then, I promise not to do it again until you give me permission.”

“Not what I meant.”

“Perhaps not, but I will enjoy reminding you of the promise in any case.” He chuckled.

Fantastic.

“However, I do want to know what you did in the elevator. I thought you said it would be dangerous to go inside.” Kyle hadn’t forgotten his question.

And he’d be getting his answer in a minute or so. It was a damned slow elevator.

At that moment, there was a muffled boom. She let them both turn to look back the way they’d come like everyone else on the street. Then she tugged at Kyle to get him moving.

“I sent it up to the top floor.” She pulled them into a café and started to reach into her bag for pieces of clothing to change.

“Was that an explosion?” Kyle’s hand covered hers on the bag and he leaned in to whisper intensely. “Wait. You said it could be a trap of some kind. What if someone is hurt?”

Here was where she hoped her gut never led her wrong. “As a contingency, it wouldn’t be set to blow up and take the whole building down and it didn’t, as you saw. The sniper would just want enough of a delay to buy him or her time to escape. Most likely the elevator would be disabled, even fall back down to the ground floor with the intent to injure whoever was inside but not cause damage to any of the other floors or the people on them. The elevator was empty when I sent it up. No one should be hurt.”