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“Yes.”
He raises a judgmental brow. He allows the silence to stretch out before saying. “So, things obviously developed rather quickly between you and Mr. Petrosky.” He gestures. “You went from never laying eyes on him, to moving in with him in a matter of six weeks.”
Well, when you put it like that…I make no response as technically it wasn’t a question.
“Why are you here, agent Roberts?” I ask with a smile to soften my words. “I’ve got patients to tend to, so if you could just cut to the chase, that would be amazing.”
He smiles back but his gray eyes are cold as ice. “Did you know that Sergei Petrosky, Sebastian’s uncle has gone missing for 2 days now?”
His words land like a sucker punch right to the gut. I blink twice before responding. “No, I didn’t.” What had they done with the corpse mangled as it was.
“Well, he has, and we strongly believe that Sebastian Petrosky had something to do with that.”
I nod slowly but say nothing else.
“Look, Ms. Graham, soon to be doctor Graham unless this all goes the way I think it will…” Roberts says cryptically. “I’ve been building a strong RICO case against Sergei Petrosky for over a year now. We were this close to collaring him but now he’s vanished into thin air. Personally, I think he’s dead.”
I hope my gasp and hand to the throat don’t come off as over the top. “Oh, no. That’s awful.” But isn’t this the proper response for hearing that your boyfriend’s uncle may be dead?
“Do you know where Sebastian was the night of November 28th?”
I lift my eyes to the ceiling. “Hmm…that would’ve been a Tuesday, right?”
Roberts, “Yes, Tuesday.”
“I’m pretty sure we spent a quiet evening in.”
“You worked that day, didn’t you?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“How did you get home after your shift?”
“Bash, sorry, Sebastian picked me up,” I readily reply just as Bash and I had rehearsed it.
I see Tubb’s brow furrow.
“Don’t you drive to work in a…,” Roberts glances down at his notes. “A blue F-type convertible Jag?”
“Yes, but on the way in that morning, the engine was making a funny noise so Bash told me not to drive it anymore till he could have his mechanic come check it out. So, he picked me up, met me around the back to avoid the heavy traffic at the front entrance.” I peer at Roberts who’s clearly disappointed. “Why do you ask?”
His head lilts to the side. “Do you realize what the penalty is for lying to the authorities during a federal investigation? Forget about losing your medical license and think about doing serious prison time, Ms. Graham.”
I shift in my seat, but otherwise remain calm. I know my rights. “Do you realize how offensive it is to be called a liar?” Even if the shoe fits…
He smiles disarmingly, “I’m merely letting you know what the ramifications are if in the event you should lie to us.” He sits back. “And now that you know this, do you want to tell me again about how you got home Tuesday night? Anything you…forgot to mention?”
I chuckle and nod. “Well, yes, I did forget a detail.” All three men perk up. “After the mechanic ran a diagnostic, turns out it had some bad gas, so he ran some fuel cleaner and now it’s running like a champ.” I nod off to the side toward the parking deck. “That’s why I’m back in it again.”
Roberts levels his ardent gaze at me. “Glad to see you’re feeling all better,” he says through tight lips. “I guess yesterday’s call out must have been one of those 24-hour bugs.”
I pat my stomach. “Yeah, I think I must’ve eaten something bad. I’m still not a hundred percent, but I’ll manage.”
“Why would a seemingly intelligent woman like you, who has everything to live for, get involved with some low-life thug?”
I go a little rigid at the insult. “Low-life thug? Sebastian graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University, earned an MBA from there as well. He’s on the board of 3 reputable financial services organizations as well as heading the East Coast operations of his perfectly legitimate businesses. So, I suggest you look up the definition of the words low-life and thug before you go around using it so inappropriately.”
He smirks knowing he’s hit a sore spot with me. “You could become the greatest surgeon ever, but you’ll go down in history as the Russian mobster’s bed bunny. That’s really gotta suck for a woman as accomplished as you.”
