This is Effortless (Checkmate Duet 4)

He flashes a shit-eating grin, but doesn’t say a word. Fucker.

“Any news on the hotel security footage?” I ask as he shuts his office door behind me. “Is this where you tell me Mia corrupted the footage and now I look like a lying police officer?”

He chuckles softly. “No, but she definitely did have help. My friend at LVPD sent it over and you can tell it’s not her; it’s a man, but he’s wearing a hoodie and keeps his head down.”

“Fuck,” I curse, shaking my head. Sitting down in the chair across from him, he takes his seat behind his desk and begins typing on his computer. “But it shows her coming in the room?”

“Yes, but she used your room keycard, so she could say you gave it to her or something if she ever has to defend herself in court. The hotel clerk was able to send over the timestamps of when the keycard was used and verified it was the same one you used earlier in the day.”

“What was the timestamp when she used it?” I ask, feeling uneasy about it all. Mia’s smart. Too smart, which is why I’m feeling uneasy about her having set up this whole plan.

“3:47 a.m.”

“Yeah we would’ve been passed out by then. Oh, speaking of that–our blood tests came back negative for Rohypnol and Benzodiazepines.”

“So, if she didn’t roofie you, what was it?” Logan asks the same question I had.

“Temazepam sleeping pills, which when taken with alcohol can be very dangerous, even life threatening.” I clench my jaw at the thought. When I received the call with the results, I nearly punched my car door in, already aware of the side effects.

“Fuck, she wasn’t messing around!” Logan growls, shaking his head as he types on his computer. “She had help, and if we can figure out who it was and get them to talk, we can use them as a witness.”

“But what are the chances of anyone who was willing to help her actually speaking out?”

“Well, someone had to put those pills in your drinks. I’d assume the bartender?” He arches a brow, and I try to remember what the guy looked like.

“He must’ve also been the one who grabbed the keycard when I wasn’t looking. There’s no other way she could’ve gotten it,” I tell him, trying hard to remember our surroundings. I knew better than to let my guard down in an unknown territory, but Courtney and I were drinking, having fun and letting loose. The last thing I anticipated was Mia following us there.

I watch as he jots down more notes. His detective friend at the LVPD, Patrick Wolfe, has been very accommodating and helpful in securing the footage from the hotel. I know it’s not our jurisdiction, and if it wouldn’t get me in trouble, I’d go back up there myself and question him. However, I know I need to trust Logan, and if he says Patrick is legit, then I believe him.

“I’ll get him to pull some video footage while you were at the bar. If we can catch him in the act, he’ll have no choice but to admit that Mia put him up to it.”

“And what if he doesn’t? I wouldn’t put anything past Mia at this point, including blackmail.”

“Well, we’ll figure that out if it comes down to that, but Patrick is pretty hard core. He’ll keep him in interrogation for as long as he can, if he has to.”

“What about getting Mia on camera? Has he found her on there yet?”

“No, but even if he does, I’m not sure it’d prove anything enough to press charges. We’d need witnesses to solidify that she put them up to it, making her an accomplice to drug you, kidnap Courtney, and steal your keycard to get into your room without your permission.”

“So, this guy, the bartender, he could’ve been the guy in the hoodie who carried Courtney out?” I ask, cringing. My jaw ticks, nails digging into my palm from tightening my fists.

“I’d say it’s possible, based off what you’ve been telling me. Mia obviously was smart enough to stay out of the hotel until she was going to the room. Whoever helped and gave her the keycard did it out of the hotel.”

Mia is dangerously intelligent when it comes to her working for what she wants. She plays games and doesn’t follow rules. She makes up her own kind of crazy. Her agenda is dead set on getting me back, and I have an uneasy feeling she’s not going to stop until she feels like we’re even.

Logan and I spend the next few hours looking over other cases while we wait to hear any new updates from Patrick. It’s been awhile since Logan and I have worked together and it brings back a lot of good memories. Although I’ll be back on my regular patrol duty with Tyler tomorrow, I missed having Logan as my partner.