Riswan cut me off with a shake of his head. “That’s enough.”
“Did he give you a last name?” Garcia asked.
“Twist.” I shrugged. “I think he was lying because he said his name was Oliver, so Oliver Twist? I don’t think so. We were just talking about Oliver Twist so I’m pretty sure he made it up. Or maybe it’s just his modus operandi for when he holds someone hostage in the bushes behind a museum. He reveals his sad back story. And boom. Punch line at the end. ‘My name is Oliver. Last name is Twist.’？”
“I think we’re done here,” Riswan said.
But I couldn’t stop. I’d come here thinking I just had to corroborate Chloe’s story and then all this would go away. I’d thought Garcia was a nice guy—a worthy subject of a naked fantasy—and he’d been playing me all along. I hadn’t done anything wrong and now I was being accused of a crime. My anxiety level had hit “high intensity” and thoughts were bouncing around my head like pinballs before pouring out of my mouth unfiltered.
“He’s the criminal,” I said. “He’s the droid you’re looking for. Ha-ha. Star Wars reference. Three brothers and two parents who are all Star Wars stans. What can I say?”
“Simi . . .” Riswan put a firm hand on my arm, but it was too late. He should have dragged me out of there as soon as I started talking about the laddu.
“He said he was there for the necklace and then he stole twenty dollars from me,” I said, my words tumbling over one another in a desperate attempt to get free. “I don’t know why you’re still here wasting time with me when you should really be at the museum looking for footprints or checking the surrounding area for surveillance footage that will lead you to the real criminal, and not a woman whose own mother laughed when she said she wanted to murder her brother.”
Riswan stood so quickly, his chair almost fell over. “I need a few moments to confer with my client.”
Garcia snapped his book closed. “I’ll bet you do.”
“I thought you were nice,” I said to Garcia. “I thought you were decent and honest and an upstanding member of the police community. I even thought you should be a model but now I unthink it. I also unthink—”
“Simi.” Riswan shook his head. “Stop. Talking.”
“Why? I don’t have anything to hide. I’m an open book. Ask me anything.”
Riswan drew in a long breath and cleared his throat. “I believe what my client is trying to say is that she is a brutally honest person who has told you the truth about what happened that night. She did not steal the necklace and was not part of any plot or plan to remove it from the museum. If you have any evidence that suggests otherwise, I look forward to seeing it.”
Garcia have a curt nod. “I’ll be in touch.”
After Garcia left, Riswan gave my hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”
“I am worried,” I said. “I thought it couldn’t get worse and then it did.”
* * *
◆ ◆ ◆
?Chloe didn’t speak for the entire train ride back to her place after our respective lawyers had arranged for our release from the police station. I’d never seen her so shaken. She was my rock, my touchstone. Nothing rattled her. She’d had a baby at sixteen and still finished high school and got a college degree. She’d lost jobs, run low on cash, and sat with Olivia in emergency rooms countless times without ever losing her cool. But this time was different. This time I was the one being calm, even though I was an anxious mess inside.
“Riswan is the best at what he does,” I said after pouring two glasses of white wine in her kitchen. “He was the gold medalist in his class. His parents wanted him to be a corporate lawyer or a big-time litigator so he could make a lot of money, but he chose criminal law because he wanted to do legal aid and help people who couldn’t help themselves.”
Chloe lit a calming scented candle and sat on a stool at the small counter separating the kitchen from the living area. She’d lived in the ground floor suite of the cheerful character home with Olivia for the last five years and had decorated it in a nautical theme to match the white-and-blue kitchen. Her rent took up over half her income every month, but she was determined to stay to give Chloe stability and the benefit of the shared backyard.
“My lawyer said Detective Garcia called the executive director of the museum.” Chloe took a big gulp of her wine. “The director said they didn’t hire a security consultant. They’ve used the same security firm to handle cyber and access security for years. He didn’t know anyone called Michael P. He didn’t know me. And he didn’t arrange a tour of the museum. In fact, private viewings were expressly forbidden in the contract the museum signed with the owner of the necklace and his insurance company.” Chloe dropped her head to her hands. “I was set up. Why would someone do this to me?”
“I don’t think it was personal,” I said. “Michael P could have chosen any of the ethical hackers advertising on the freelancing platform. It was just bad luck he picked you.” I breathed in the soothing scent of lavender, doing my best to keep my impulse to scream under control.
“He picked me because he must have known I’d be so excited to get a big job like this that I wouldn’t bother to do my due diligence, and then he made me think we had a connection. I was stupid and trusting just like I was with Kyle and so many of the other guys I’ve dated.” She banged her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Why does this keep happening to me? Why can’t I find a nice guy? Someone protective and caring. Someone who makes me feel safe and loved. Someone who isn’t trying to hurt me or rip me off.”
“He’s out there.” I drained my glass. It could have been gasoline, or it could have been a $5,000 bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet. Already in sensory overload, my taste buds didn’t care. “But maybe you should focus on—”
“I won’t find him in prison.” Chloe moaned. “And you can’t come with me because you have to look out for Olivia. Kyle’s parents are her godparents, and I know they’ll take good care of her, but they don’t know me like you do. I’m worried Kyle might try to worm his way back into the family if she winds up with them.”
“Why would he care? He’s never wanted anything to do with her.” I hated talking about Kyle. I hated his name. I hated the man. If I ever did murder someone, it would be him. Even his parents didn’t like him. After the divorce, when the truth came out and Chloe was awarded sole custody of Olivia, they’d disinherited him and kicked him out of their house.
“Kyle’s grandparents set up a very generous trust fund for Olivia’s education before they passed away,” Chloe said. “If something happens to me, he could petition for custody so he can get his hands on that money. I don’t want him anywhere near her. I think he’d hurt her. I feel it in my bones.”
“If he ever touched her, my criminal career would get off to a flying start.” My hands closed into fists. I’d known Olivia since the day she was born. She was like my own daughter. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her.