Page 27 of Blood Money

Get a grip. She’s not for you. Not anymore.

To keep from imagining Alex stripping out of that skimpy little robe, Gray took his first real look around her apartment, pleasantly surprised at what he saw, particularly in the living room.

The parts of the walls that weren’t painted in a soothing light blue were covered by shelving crammed end-to-end with books. He inspected one bank of shelves that housed old classics, such as Moby Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Ben Hur.

Other shelves displayed many of the modern classics, including several series of police novels. Gray smiled at that discovery.

The far wall shelving was covered not only with more books, but interspersed here and there with a vase, a basket, a framed photo, and colorful ceramic animal figurines. He didn’t know shit about interior decoration, but for an old apartment in a so-so part of town, the place really did have a warm, polished look. Like a professional had decorated the room.

Closer inspection revealed textbooks: Painting and Faux Finishes. Refurbishing Antiques. Color and Fabrics. Two other shelves were taken up by architecture and engineering books. He pulled one from the shelf, Architecture of New York City, and flipped through the pages filled with diagrams and photos of turn-of-the-century buildings, including barns and warehouses. These were professional manuals, not coffee table books. The discovery had him wondering exactly who and what Alex—correction, Aileen Alexanderson—had been in her previous life.

As he returned the book to its place, several other books on the far wall caught his attention. Childhood Leukemia. Pediatric Oncology. Both books looked worn out, as if someone had read them many times over.

Gray tugged a book from the shelf, Henry and the White Wolf. He flipped through it, realizing it was a special book written for kids with cancer. Christ, he couldn’t imagine having a child with cancer, or what Alex and Nicky were going through.

After replacing the book, he sat heavily on the sofa. A celery-green velvet sofa. That, too, fit with the decor. Gray shook his head. He never would have imagined that hidden inside this crummy, dingy apartment building, Alex had created a veritable oasis for herself and her son. Not only was she incredibly smart and well-read, but she was an amazing interior decorator. That explained how she’d managed to convert One PP into a Christmas showplace on such a tight budget last year.

On the coffee table was an old metal box, its lid open. Inside the box was a stack of envelopes on top of a pile of documents. He glanced down the hallway in the direction of Alex’s bedroom then picked up a blue folder and opened it. Inside was a diploma from Stanford University dated thirteen years ago. Aileen Alexanderson had graduated with dual majors in architectural design and civil engineering.

Well, fuck. She really does have secrets.

But Gray was sure that wasn’t what she was hiding. There was still something else she hadn’t divulged. Something big.

The remaining documents in the metal box had his investigative juices flowing, but the detective side of him warred with the inappropriateness of prying further into Alex’s private affairs. Then again, she was now a police cooperator in a major investigation, and as the lead detective on the case, he had a duty and an obligation to know everything about her.

Admit it, Yates. You still want to know her.

He grabbed another folder from the box and flipped it open. It was another diploma, also from Stanford University. In addition to her impressive undergrad degree, Alex had a Master’s in structural engineering.

He froze as a muffled sound came to him from down the hallway. When Alex didn’t immediately appear, he grabbed the next envelope in the box. He tugged out the wrinkled letter, focusing on a number in the middle of the page. An IQ score. Alex’s. The number was one fifty-five. Beside the score was the word genius.

Again, Gray shook his head. Part of him was shocked at everything he’d just learned, and yet it didn’t totally surprise him. He knew she was smart, but he hadn’t known the incredible depths of that intelligence. She’d had professional licenses, and probably a good job that she left behind to protect her son. Alex had played it smart, taking no chances by using her professional degrees to obtain employment here in New York City, something that would have enabled anyone to find her. Gray had a grudging respect for what she’d accomplished in her past, and for the sacrifices she was making for her son.

As an engineer or an architect, she could be raking in one helluva salary, living large in a beautiful house. Yet she’d given it all up to start over with nothing. Gray snorted softly at the irony. The woman probably had more brains than anyone else at One PP. He’d thought he knew her, but the bottom line was that he didn’t know her at all.

Hearing the bedroom door shut, he stuffed the envelopes and documents back into the metal box and stood in front of the fireplace. He picked up a framed photo of Nicky wearing a powder blue outfit and smiling ear to ear.

“He was four in that photo.” Alex came to stand beside him. “That was just before he was diagnosed with leukemia.”

“I’m sorry for what you’re both going through.” Gray put the photo back on the mantle. He glanced at Alex, relieved that she’d changed into jeans and a bulky blue sweater. One that covered nearly all her enticing skin and hid her sleek, curvaceous body.

Alex shrugged. “It’s part of our lives now. Like a bad roommate we can’t evict. We’ve learned to live with it and hope that one day we can manage it, if not eradicate it.” She paused. “I just want him to be happy, you know?”

One look into her glittering, sad blue eyes and Gray nearly forgot the crimes Alex had committed. More like he wanted to forget…but couldn’t. And no way could he ignore the possibility that she’d been using him the entire time they’d known each other.

He looked at another framed photo on the mantle. In it, a younger Alex wore a graduation gown and was flanked on one side by an older man with dark features, and on the other by a woman who shared Alex’s light features and graceful bone structure. All three were smiling. “Your parents?”

“Yes.” She plucked the frame from the mantle and smiled. “My high school graduation photo. It was pretty much our last happy moment together.”

“When did they die?” Gray asked, sensing they’d passed. Alex’s smile disappeared, and he instantly regretted the question. But everyone’s past shapes their future, and he wanted to know who she had been and what made her who she’d become.

Alex returned the photo to the mantle. “About a month into my freshman year at college, my father had a stroke. He lingered for a few years before passing away, but he was never the same. During that time, my mother’s health also deteriorated, and she died a few months after my father did. I don’t think she wanted to live without him.”

Something about the sad look in her eyes gave him the impression that the death of her parents was as raw and painful as if it had happened yesterday.

Gray was thankful that his parents were alive and well. It also made him realize that Alex had been alone and without family support for quite some time. Another testament to her tenacity and ability to adapt and survive.

“I still miss them.” Her voice had a sad note to it. “Family is everything to me.”