Hunt wasn’t surprised Archer clung to that part of his story. He slowly shook his head. “Not lying since she’s not talking about anything, but she’s most certainly withholding something.”
“Why would she do that?” Elise asked.
Hunt had wondered the same thing himself. Lottie was firmly part of their inner circle of friends. She trusted all of them; of that, Hunt was sure. No matter how many times he mulled it over, he kept coming to the same conclusion. “Fear is my guess.”
Now it was Archer’s turn to straighten in his seat, his back becoming ramrod stiff. “I don’t take Lottie to be the fearful type.”
“You didn’t see her yesterday,” Hunt admitted. “I’ve never seen her like that before.” He never wanted to see her like that again.
Archer studied Hunt for a good, long while. Then asked, “What do you need from us?”
“Your skill set.” Hunt slid his gaze to Elise. She was a private investigator. Not only was she sharp with a keen eye and killer instincts, but he suspected she had a hacker on her team. One he believed worked within the gray areas. They had never talked about Elise’s practice or the people she employed. They couldn’t talk about it. Hunt had pledged himself to the badge, to the law, and while his friends might work outside those parameters, if he didn’t know about it or see it, he could live with that.
Elise cocked her head, her eyes inquisitive as ever. “What exactly do you need me to do?”
“Find out who broke into her condo,” Hunt stated simply.
She exchanged a long, knowing look with Archer before she asked him, “Why is the force not handling her case?”
“The First Precinct is handling her case, but as you know, things can be slow.” Hunt leaned back against the couch, crossing his ankle over his knees. Cops were red-taped all the time. Those rules did not apply to Elise. “I need to know if she’s in any real danger or if this is simply a break-in.”
Archer asked, “What do you know so far?”
Elise snatched up her cell phone off the coffee table, and much like a cop, she began taking notes.
“There’s not much to tell you at this point,” Hunt explained with a clenched jaw. “The surveillance video in her hallway was cut.”
“And that’s not suspicious at all,” Elise said with snort.
“My thoughts exactly,” Hunt agreed, rubbing at the ache in his jaw. “The detective working the case said everyone going in and out of the building was accounted for. Either this person got in another way or they live there.” The latter worried him the most.
As if Elise read his thoughts, she said, “Let’s hope it’s not some psychopath that has an obsession with her.”
Archer agreed with a nod. Then asked Hunt, “She’s sure that nothing is missing?”
“She couldn’t find a single thing,” Hunt answered.
Elise asked, “What about a pair of panties?”
Hunt lifted an eyebrow. “Her panties?”
“Yeah, her panties,” Elise said seriously. She finished typing on her cell and met his gaze again. “I’d ask her to check, just in case. Creeps do stuff like that.” She paused, her gaze flicking up the ceiling in thought before she glanced his way again. “But if that’s not the case here, they could have been looking for money and then didn’t find any.”
Hunt considered the same. “But there are far richer people in that building than Lottie.” A singular thought had been banging around inside his head all morning. “A break-in like this takes skill. It’s not like breaking through a back door or an open window. They had to get past her security. Dodge every other person in that building who would take notice of someone out of place. The only two options I can come up with is either they want something from her specifically, or they got the wrong condo.”
“I would rule out that it’s the wrong condo,” Elise said, typing something else into her phone. “It’s targeted. I’d bet on it.”
Hunt grunted in agreement.
She finally looked away from her phone and rose. “Okay, leave this with me. I’ll call the moment I know something.”
“Thanks, Elise. I appreciate it,” Hunt said. He hoped his smile showed his gratitude. “Send me the bill.”
Elise froze mid-step from walking away and frowned. “That’s not necessary. You’re family, Hunt.”
His chest warmed at the notion. He never did forget how much his found family meant to him. Even if his real family was great, they weren’t here in New York City. “Again, thanks, but please, bill me.”
Elise’s stern gaze fell to Archer.
