Free Finders Keepers Losers Die by Carolyn Scott

his one green eye. "That's why I'm good."
    "He's undercover," Stankovic said.
"Detective Harrison Forde."
    I burst out laughing. "You look different on
the big screen."
    "Don't start with me," said Scarface,
er…Harrison Forde.
    I sucked my lips together, trying to stop
smiling. Forde grunted. Guess he didn't have a sense of humor about
his name. Something to remember for later.
    "I've told you mine now you tell me yours,"
he said in that seductive voice that made my insides squirm.
    "Cat Sinclair."
    "Miao."
    Like I hadn't heard that one a million
times.
    "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked.
"What's going on with you and Lou?"
    "Me and Lou?" I screwed up my nose. "I hope
you're not thinking what I think you're thinking. I'm not his
girlfriend. Not even if he was the last of the male species and I
was wasted on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol—"
    "Okay, okay, I get the picture."
    "She's from Knight Investigations," said
Stankovic. "Heard of them?"
    "Will Knight? Yeah, I know the bastard. We
worked together in the early days before he went soft and left the
force."
    "Will's not soft." Why did I insist on
defending him?
    "Did you say Cat Sinclair ? Any
relation to Graham Sinclair, Will's partner?"
    "Late partner. And yes, I'm his daughter.
Did you know him?"
    "Only by reputation. He was the detective
that put Scarletti away," he said to Stankovic. "A few years before
you transferred here."
    Stankovic looked at me again, a hint of
respect in his nod. First time Dad had ever done me a favor.
    "I thought Knight only did corporate these
days," said Scarface. "What's he got to do with the likes of
Scarletti?"
    "Roberta Scarletti employed me to do
surveillance on her husband. I followed him to his hang outs and
placed a listening device under the coffee table."
    "That clears that little mystery up."
    "Were you listening last night?" Stankovic
asked.
    "Uh, no. What time did he die?"
    "It was late," Scarface said, "around four
this morning."
    "I was listening earlier in the evening. He
went out, I followed him, but he— I lost him."
    Stankovic drew a notebook from his inside
jacket pocket and flipped it open. "He was stopped for reckless
driving at nine forty-five. He went to his girlfriend's place,
stayed there until two-thirty, and presumably returned straight
here."
    "Any suspects?" I asked.
    Stankovic and Forde both looked at me but
said nothing. Guess that's a no then . Or maybe they weren't
telling. Damn cops. Always keeping the good stuff to themselves but
expect everyone else to impart their hard-earned knowledge. Well,
relationships are a two way street. Give and take.
    Stankovic moved off when a young cop
beckoned. I was left alone with Forde. "So," I said, "you've been
investigating Scarletti?"
    "Yep."
    "And you were looking for something here the
other day when you broke in. What?"
    "I didn't break in. The door was unlocked. Somebody left it open." He crossed his arms, stretching his
T-shirt to tearing point over his big biceps.
    I tore my gaze away, only to look up at his
wry grin. "Stop avoiding the question," I said.
    He leaned down so our faces were level.
"Sweetheart, you know I can't answer that."
    I humphed and tried to think of what to do
next. Asking straight out if I could look around probably wouldn't
work.
    "So what are you doing here anyway?" he
asked, straightening. "If I were an egotistical kind of guy, I'd
think you were following me."
    "She says she knows who his associates are,"
Stankovic said, rejoining us. He had his handkerchief out again. It
was as wet as his shirt and probably not much use anymore. Lou's
apartment was stifling hot. No one had turned on the air
conditioning or opened a window. My makeup had probably slipped and
I didn't want to know what my hair looked like. Heat plus humidity
equals bad hair day every time.
    "Nothing new there, Sweetheart," Forde said
with a shrug. "I already know who his associates are. She met them
at The Grotto two nights ago," he said to Stankovic. "How