Page 24 of Targeted at Christmas

This told Hallie that they were looking at two different sets of carjackers—with the deadly culprits still very much on the loose.

COOPER WAS AT his desk when he got the call from Hallie Flores, informing him that a carjacking on North Second Street that she had suspected might have been perpetrated by the unsubs who carjacked and shot to death Horace Eckhart turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. She based this on the physical description that had been ascertained of Eckhart’s killers versus the most recent carjacking.

Well, it was worth a shot, Cooper told himself, as he headed over to Amelia Touray’s office to brief her on the investigation. Things weren’t exactly where he’d hoped they would be at this stage. But then, he hadn’t counted on Eckhart being executed before he could answer to the bribery accusations.

Cooper was sure, though, that the building inspector had been in a world of trouble before his death and may have made matters worse by some of his decision-making toward the end. Which, more likely than not, seemed to be pivotal in his being snuffed out like a candle.

Relaying this to the special agent in charge, as well as the continued efforts by the Bureau and Hallie Flores to put the pieces together, Cooper finished with, “We’re working hard to see where this goes as a public corruption case that evolved into a homicide case.”

Sitting behind her desk, Amelia gazed at him on the other side of it, and said approvingly, “I know you are, Agent Reid. Obviously, Eckhart was up to no good and it very likely cost him his life.” She rested her chin on a hand. “I realize that his murder seems to be related to the bribery investigation and real estate developments—with the carjacking a smoke screen—but what about his ex-wife? From what you tell me, there was no love lost there. Could she have maybe hired someone to do him in? Wouldn’t be the first time for delayed revenge where it concerned ex-intimates.”

Cooper leaned forward and answered matter-of-factly, “Yeah, I have thought about that. I actually plan to pay the ex-missus a visit—if only to see if she can provide any background info on Eckhart or offer other relevant thoughts. As for this being a domestic murder-for-hire, that doesn’t seem probable at this point. The ex-wife gained more by Eckhart staying alive and continuing to pay alimony than dying. But…you never know.”

“That’s what scares me,” Amelia told him. “Not knowing…but wanting this case put to rest, sooner than later.”

“I hear you.” Cooper got the message loud and clear. Get it done. Even if he had to step on a few toes to do so. He kept that in mind as he left her office and headed out to see Eckhart’s ex-wife.

It took only ten minutes for Cooper to reach the M.E. Hair Salon on North Central Avenue in Uptown Phoenix, which was owned and operated by Maureen Eckhart. After parking in the lot, he went inside the midsize salon and noted a few customers seated in front of picture windows, getting their hair done in one way, shape or another. Likely in order to please someone—if not themselves—for the holidays.

A slender, tall woman in her forties—with honey-blond hair in a half-bouffant style and blue eyes behind wrap glasses—who was clearly orchestrating the work stepped toward Cooper and said in a friendly voice, “Greetings. How can we be of service to you?”

“Are you Maureen Eckhart?”

She tensed. “Yes.”

He showed her his identification without speaking aloud to alarm her employees or customers, but was sure she got the picture. “Is there somewhere that we can talk?”

Maureen nodded, then said calmly to her staff, as if they would be lost without her presence, “I’ll just be a minute.”

Cooper followed her through a back door into a small, cluttered office with contemporary furnishings.

Rounding on him, she asked contemplatively, “I’m assuming you’re here to ask me about my ex-husband, Horace?”

Cooper gave a nod. “That’s right. At the time of his death, he was under federal investigation for public corruption.”

Maureen pursed her lips. “I know. Aside from hearing about it on the news—though, honestly, it wasn’t too surprising—the police detective who came to see me mentioned this as a possible factor in the carjacking that she was investigating.”

“I’m working with Detective Flores to see if Horace Eckhart’s murder had anything to do with allegations of bribery,” Cooper said, peering at her. “So, why did it not come as a shock to you that your ex-husband was suspected of criminal misconduct?”

Maureen took a breath. “I knew that Horace was burning money left and right, due to his gambling addiction and even paying for prostitutes, I believe… He also had to pay me alimony—which he did infrequently, I might add, causing me major headaches. Anyway, for those reasons, I didn’t put it past him to use his job as a way to extract money from builders to try and cover his financial needs—”

“I see.” Cooper glanced around the office and returned his gaze back to her. “Did Eckhart ever happen to mention to you anyone he may have been bribing or offered him a bribe?”

“No, never.” Maureen pushed her glasses up. “Since our divorce over a year ago, we’ve barely been on speaking terms—which was better for me, in getting him out of my system as much as possible. I have no idea who he may have been collecting bribes from,” she insisted.

Cooper had no reason to disbelieve her, given what he knew about Eckhart. But a bitter divorce could cause anyone to take retribution to extremes. He narrowed his eyes at Maureen and stated, “Apart from a possible public corruption–related homicide, I’m also looking at the possibility that Eckhart’s death may be unrelated to the bribery case—and could have been motivated by, say, an ex-wife who had it in for him as a lousy husband, negligent on his alimony payments…”

Maureen’s eyes grew wide. “You think I had something to do with his death?”

“Did you?” Cooper shot back. “It wouldn’t be the first time that ex-intimates’ volatile relationship ended in murder.”

“That never happened with us,” she argued, matching his gaze. “Yes, we had a bad marriage—at least the last few years of it—and I couldn’t wait till the divorce was finalized. But I would never have tried to have Horace killed. Even if he was often late with alimony—if he paid at all—and a terrible husband. I didn’t hate him that much, in spite of our problems. I want you to find out who did this—and why,” Maureen contended. “If that’s all, I need to get back to my customers.”

“You can do that.” Cooper nodded. “Thanks for your time,” he told her succinctly. “I’ll show myself out.”

He did just that, allowing Eckhart’s ex-wife to get back to her life, as Cooper took her off the list of possible suspects, while continuing his pursuit of the truth behind the building inspector’s demise.

AT CHAPPELLI’S STEAKHOUSE on West Van Buren Street, Lexi sat across the booth from Reese Kenniston for a working lunch, as they discussed the latest plans for an upscale housing development over espresso martinis.