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Roxie jerked the wheel hard to the right, bumping the curb into the parking lot of a flooring company.
The vehicle behind slammed into the back corner. She lost control, barreling into the front window with the brakes screeching. Glass shattered.
The air bag deployed in her face.
EIGHTEEN
“What about any of the neighbors? Did they see a vehicle leave?” Liam stood just outside the front door, facing the two officers who had been interviewing neighbors.
Both shook their heads. “Nothing. What did she say to you?”
He reiterated the brief conversation with Karina before he’d called it in and then asked Jasper to cover Destiny. “I told her to find a closet or hide in the bathroom.”
“Maybe she did, but someone dragged her out.”
Liam scratched his jaw. This was all wrong. She hadn’t liked that her sister Veronika was informing on the Russians she worked for, giving Liam shipping information and details of financial transactions she recorded as their office manager. Karina liked it less when the whole thing got her sister killed.
Murdered in her home.
And Liam hadn’t found the person who’d done it.
Was that what had happened here? Karina’s attempt to solve her sister’s murder had gone wrong? Was she getting close to dangerous people, trying to get information?
The crime scene tech stepped out of the house. She’d gone in with all her things—and a laptop. Wearing booties and a medical grade mask, now hanging around her neck, she’d already gone through a box of gloves since each piece of evidence had to be handled with a new pair of gloves. “Sarge?”
He twisted around. “The phone?”
“Definitely a burner. Just a few messages and a half dozen pictures. You’re going to want to take a look—I’ve already sent them to your email.”
“Thanks.”
She disappeared back into the house. Liam pulled out his phone and opened the email from her, which included a link to the PD server. He scrolled through the images first, spotting a scene from a local club with Karina drinking and partying beside Raphi Obolensky.
His jaw clenched.
In another one, she was by a pool, somewhere with palm trees. Still with Raphi, a few of his men in the background. “She’s dating him.”
Gutierrez looked over his shoulder. “So are about six other women near as I’ve been able to put together.”
Liam glanced over.
Gutierrez shrugged. “After Nico killed that guy in holding, everyone has had eyes out for his brother. Looking for a legitimate reason to stop him or even bring him in.”
“And he has more than one woman?”
“Guys like that always do. But there’s a bartender at the Last Sip, and she’s pretty sure he’ll propose soon.”
“Hmm.” That was good work. “Who is your captain? I may have you sit in a meeting. You might be able to add information we aren’t aware of.”
It did seem like this whole situation could use a taskforce.
Light sparked in the officer’s expression. “Thanks, Sarge. That’d be great.” Gutierrez said, “Is what was on the phone enough for a warrant? Maybe Raphi is the one who came here and took her.”
It would be simpler if he were. “It’s just circumstantial. Unless one of your witnesses saw him drag her out, we have nothing to tie them together. Even an argument between them in the last few days isn’t enough. The prosecutor will want more than that to get a judge to sign off on any run at Obolensky we make. And a guy like that is slippery. If he gets wind we’re after him he’ll lock his stuff down tight so we never find anything.”
Gutierrez made a face.
Liam nearly chuckled. “Makes you want to take the detective exam, doesn’t it?”
