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“Classified information,” Detective Edwards said.
“Yeah, sure. You ask the questions, not me, huh?” He pulled out his phone. “Listen, if this is a formal interrogation, I really need to call my lawyer.”
Detective Edwards shot him a steely stare. “It’s just an informal chat, Mr Quinlan. The UK police don’t carry out ‘interrogations’. And there’s no need for a lawyer, because we’re not arresting you. You’re merely helping us with our enquiries. Now, we all know that you and Mrs Orlov entered this hotel together last night. We saw you leave with Ms Newell and a maid. What happened in the meantime?”
Dylan scoffed. “I suppose you think I bludgeoned her to death in my hotel room, huh?”
“Mr Quinlan, I suggest you start taking this matter seriously. Natalia’s friend in London informed us that she didn’t return home last night. They speak to each other every day.” Anger flashed over the detective’s face. “Mr Orlov has been known to have a temper.”
Dylan absent-mindedly checked his Rolex and realised it was eleven-thirty. Natalia had asked him to meet her at noon, so he decided he should keep that appointment and see what involvement he did have in all this. Perhaps Natalia had walked out on Orlov and wanted to give him some important information about the soccer club. Or maybe it was something even more shady. But whatever Natalia wanted, Dylan had no information for the detective right now. And one thing was for sure, he wasn’t prepared to speak to the police without his lawyer.
He stood up. “I’ve gotta go. You wanna arrest me, then do it. Otherwise, I’ve got a lunch date with my little brother. But you probably already know that, huh?”
Detective Edwards opened her mouth to protest, but Dylan threw his attention over Sarah who was staring at him aghast and in awe. “Sweetheart, you wanna come grab some lunch with me? I’m sure Joey would love to see you again.”
Sarah faltered. She’d never been one for disobeying authority and Dylan knew she would be squirming inside at the prospect. “I can’t really leave the hotel, Dylan.”
He offered her his hand. “Come on, live dangerous for once. It’s kinda fun.”
Sarah grasped his fingers and clambered to her feet. “I told you you were trouble.”
“Trouble? Sarah, you were with me all night – you know I haven’t done anything wrong.” He glanced at the fuming detective. “But I’m not telling the police anything without my lawyer. Come on, let’s grab a bite.”
A rebellious smirk swept across Sarah’s face and she nodded, so he draped his arm around her shoulders and led her out the room like a couple of teenagers skipping class. They strode back to the lobby, where Sarah grabbed her purse and told the receptionist she was going to lunch. The receptionist seemed as shocked as the detective, but Dylan was proud of her for being a little reckless – she probably never took a lunch break, let alone walked out on two cops. They jogged down the marble steps from the lobby into the sunshine and took the subway to Leicester Square, glowing with optimism. All Dylan wanted now – other than Sarah back in his bed – was to prove his innocence and to find out what had happened to Natalia, Hopefully all was about to become clear.
Chapter Nine
The hub of London’s entertainment district – Leicester Square – was hot and busy this lunch-hour, so Sarah stripped off her suit jacket and draped it over her arm, holding Dylan’s hand as they strolled through the bustle in the sunshine. She knew she looked cool behind her Ray-Bans. She felt cool too. Had she really just walked out of work like that? And out on the police! It felt refreshing to be a rebel for once; she’d been so straight-laced for so long, and suddenly a deeply-buried side of her was bursting up like a phoenix. Excitement twirled through her chest. It was like she and Dylan were a scaled-down version of Bonnie and Clyde on the run from the cops; hiding out during their lunch-break. She laughed at the thought. Dylan threw her a grin and put his arm around her, adding pure lust to her happy mood with his electric touch. It was true, he was trouble, but he brought out the best in her – a fun side; a rebellious streak. And she was completely safe with him – he would never let anything bad happen to her. He’d always been an expert on getting out of tricky situations by keeping his cool and using his powers of persuasion. Or – if that failed – by using brute force. Sarah knew she could let her guard down as long as Dylan was here.
Sarah’s thoughts ran through the ‘friendly chat’ with the police back at the hotel, and a cloud of gloom obscured the sunshine of her happy mood. An image of the missing Natalia flashed into her mind. Sarah dreaded to think what Orlov was capable of doing to his wife – poor woman. She prayed that Natalia would turn up at noon today to meet Dylan as planned. Then she could stop worrying about her and try to get back to life as normal.
But did ‘life as normal’ mean a life without Dylan? Since she’d be reunited with him last night, her world had been turned on its head. And somehow, she loved it!
She squeezed his fingers and smiled as the sound of a busker’s happy tune caught her ears. It felt so natural to be walking along holding his hand. She’d always loved vibrant Leicester Square. It was relatively clean, and there were always street performers keeping the tourists entertained. Today the buskers were out in force, playing their acoustic guitars and creating an uplifting vibe. The iconic statue of William Shakespeare took centre-stage, and there were plenty of benches for people to sit on and soak up the atmosphere. It was great to see all walks of life here today: business people in their smart attire, students, tourists… and of course, the ubiquitous police who patrolled regularly, looking for pickpockets and drug dealers.
Even though it was hot and crowded today, the atmosphere was fun and light. Sarah’s mood spiralled further upwards, as her gaze fell on the sight of a young man leaning against a shop wall – as casual as a sunbeam. She grinned, unable to believe what her eyes were showing her. Joseph! The last time Sarah had seen Joseph, he’d been fourteen and already taller than her five-five height. But now he was six-foot, strapping, and gorgeous. He was dressed like a rock star in skin-tight black jeans with a sleeveless black T-shirt – which emphasised his toned arms. His demeanour was super-cool, and Sarah could tell he was destined for stardom.
Joseph stood straight as they halted in front of him, then he coolly hugged his big brother.
“Hey, Joey, you remember Sarah? We dated all through college.”
Joseph’s handsome face broke into a grin that would’ve caused his female fans to melt inside. “Oh sure, Sarah. You stayed with us that Thanksgiving, right?”
Sarah took his proffered hand. She tried to control herself but he was caressing her fingers as if he was making love to them. She forced herself not to giggle. She was a twenty-eight year old woman. And this was Joseph.
“That’s right,” she said. “Thank you for remembering me.”
Joseph glanced
at Dylan. “How could I not? You’re the woman who owns my brother’s heart.”
Sarah blushed. The crowd seemed to fade as a delightful awkwardness drifted between her and Dylan.
Dylan glared daggers at his little brother. “What would you know, Joey? You were twelve when you first met Sarah, huh? Pre-pubescent.”
Joseph threw him a gritted smile. “How many times must I remind you that my name is Joseph? Not Joey.”
“Yeah, sorry. Come on, kiddo, let’s grab some lunch.”
