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“Okay. Well, I guess if you all have more to work with now, maybe I can be of more assistance.”
“Anything is appreciated at this point. What did you have in mind?”
“I know you want me to come back to L.A. to do this, but what if I went to a police station here and worked with a sketch artist? Could they maybe fax the drawing over to you?”
Sanders released a deep sigh, then chuckled.
“Yes. That works, and it would be extremely helpful. We can send the drawing out with the tattoo and camera footage. I can’t guarantee it will lead to anything, but we might get lucky.”
“Okay, well, I have an afternoon shift at the lounge, but I can take care of it this evening. So they’ll send it to you tonight or in the morning, I suppose.”
“Okay. Just call me when it’s done, so I’ll know to be expecting it.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you, Cartier. I’ll share this news with Ashley’s parents as well.”
Cartier nodded, chewing on her cheek. “She’s still…”
“Yeah, she is.”
Her eyes squeezed shut and she swallowed hard. “Okay, thanks.”
Cartier disconnected the call and massaged her temples. “Will you go to the police station with me, Hosea?”
“Of course. I just have a few itineraries to print up and hand out, and a few care packages to deliver. After that, I’m all yours for the evening.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled, as if her mind was taking her somewhere else.
She stood and made her way to the patio, and when she put her phone to her ear, I had a feeling she was calling her brother. I was glad they’d met when they did, though the circumstance of their father dying was a horrible reason to meet. Over the years, I’d seen a lot of positive changes in both of them because of the other’s presence.
Where Saint had softened, Cartier found strength.
I knew going to the police station would probably be a little hard on Cartier, so I tried to think of something we could do afterward to lift her spirits. When the thought came to me, I called my assistant, Troy, and told him to pick us up a few bikes. Cartier might have missed out on a few things throughout her childhood, but I was determined to make sure she knew that now… she was limitless.
* * *
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Though I laughed, my anger was brewing.
It was the middle of the afternoon, and Caroline had returned with more reporters and the damn health department. I wasn’t sure what she thought the health department would be able to do at the club, and the lounge was immaculate. We’d received a perfect score on the last inspection.
I was trying to be gracious toward Caroline because she was grieving, but I was starting to lose my patience. The truth of the matter was, we hadn’t had any accidents at the club. It wasn’t the machine malfunctioning that was the problem—it was the fact that the people using it didn’t know what the hell they were doing. Brandy’s man had that shit way too tight around her neck and loose around her ankles and wrists. On top of that, he panicked and prolonged her suffering instead of immediately going for help.
It wasn’t just the restraint being around her neck that killed Brandy; it was the time Andy had her dangling in the air. And it was the time period that had him facing criminal charges. He hadn’t called for help until she stopped breathing. Sure, it was an accident, but one that the prosecutor believed could have been avoided if he’d acted sooner. I offered to take care of Andy’s legal representation, because it was truly a horrible accident, but it seemed as if Caroline was dead set on punishing me for this, and I was done trying to figure out why.
Before Caroline was able to say anything, I told her, “You and your minions got about two minutes to get the hell off my property before I call the police and have you all arrested for trespassing.”
“If you have nothing to hide, why do you want us to leave?” Caroline asked.
“Do you have a room here?”
“No.”
“Are you a member of my club?”
She scoffed. “Of course not.”
“Have you purchased tickets to enter the lounge or any other amenities at the Tower?”
