Free Divine Justice by Cheryl Kaye Tardif Page B

driver's license."
    "Winkler drove his Mercedes without his license? Not very law-abiding, was he?" Natassia held out a hand. "Can I see the data-com?"
    "Gladly. I'm not very tech-savvy."
    "Then it's a good thing I'm on your team."
    "You know something about computers?"
    "Some people consider me a techie."
    Jasi let her comment slide. For now.
    "Hmmm," Natassia murmured.
    "What?"
    "He has a lot of entries in here."
    "Anything jump out at you?"
    "He had eight meetings the week before he died. His entries are hard to read though. He abbreviates everything. He met with P.M. on Monday―"
    "The Prime Minister?"
    "Could be. He had other meetings during the week, a couple of doctor appointments, dinner out with his wife and a FR gala, whatever that is."
    "Busy man. What about the day he went missing?"
    "Nothing. That's kind of strange, don't you think? He has something for every day, even weeks in advance. Yet there's nothing on that day."
    "I guess even politicians take a day off now and then."
    Natassia released a heavy sigh. "So what now?"
    "Take the 'com. We'll dump the info at the hotel."
    "What about these?" Natassia pointed to the computer and laptop on the desk.
    "I'll have an evidence team send the files from the PC to our data-coms. You can take the laptop."
    Jasi unlocked the filing cabinet and leafed through the files. Nothing stood out. She took a quick photo of the open drawer with her data-com, then stood back, her eyes wandering over the room.
    Damn!
    She wasn't any closer to finding out who killed Winkler.
    "I've got nothing," Natassia said behind her. "These shelves are filled with books on politics, war and history. Plus there's a stack of legal forms awaiting his autograph."
    "I guess he won't be signing them now." Jasi closed the cabinet. "If you take the forms, we can go over them later."
    "Winkler has interesting taste in music." Natassia held up a CD with butterflies on the label. One butterfly was emerging from a cocoon. " Relaxation for the Soul . Hmm, well that explains why he kept falling asleep."
    Jasi chuckled. "What did you expect―Metallica?"
    "You know, you look like you could use some relaxing. Maybe you should borrow it."
    "Last thing I need is to be falling asleep in the middle of an investigation."
    As they moved toward the door, Jasi hesitated. She flicked a backward glance across the room. A powerful man had sat behind that desk. He'd looked at the clock, answered a phone call, scheduled a meeting, then…what?
    Winkler's ghost seemed to linger close by.
    "I think we're re done here, Jasi." Natassia prodded.
    Jasi shivered. "I think we've only just begun."
    When she stepped out into the hall, James was waiting for them. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the data-com in her hand.
    "I think we've got everything we need for now." She pulled a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to James. "You'll have to sign this acquisition form. It says we've borrowed your brother's data-com and laptop for the duration of the investigation. We'll return them as soon as we can."
    Without a word, James scribbled his signature on the bottom line and handed the form back. Escorting them to the front door, he moved swiftly, as if he couldn't wait to get rid of them.
    What's your hurry?
    Jasi made a mental note to check out the brother.
    She stepped outside, turned and planted one hand in the doorjamb. James couldn't close the door without catching her hand in it. Looking into his eyes, she wondered for a moment whether she would lose a finger or two.
    Sometimes you gotta take a chance.
    "My sincerest condolences," she said. "I'm very sorry for your loss."
    James' pale blue eyes clouded. Whether from anger or sadness, she couldn't tell.
    "Some people aren't," he said in a flat tone.
    She pulled her hand away as he closed the door.
    "Wonder what's got his knickers tied in a bunch?" Natassia said.
    "Knickers?"
    "Sorry. I spent most of my childhood and early twenties in London, before moving back to Russia.