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“You’ve got five minutes,” he said sharply.
Jessie felt her whole body tighten up and saw Ryan’s forearms flex involuntarily as well. She wanted to crush the guy but reminded herself that going straight to eleven on the pressure meter wouldn’t be the wisest move. Rose was clearly trying to bait them. They couldn’t let him.
“Mr. Rose,” she said, choosing to ignore his comment, “what kind of clients do you represent?”
The man’s expression went from combative to smug.
“Why? Are you looking for representation? I doubt you could afford me on your salary.”
“But you don’t represent individuals much anyway, right?” she said, unfazed. “I thought your clients were mostly big-time corporate accounts. Do I have that wrong?”
“No,” Rose replied, smirking. “I represent some of most notable companies in the L.A. area, a who’s who of the who’s who. Are you alleging impropriety on one of their parts? If so, this is pretty unorthodox, just busting into my office like this. Why don’t you make a proper appointment and I’ll have my girl try to fit you in? My schedule is jam-packed today.”
Jessie half-glanced at Ryan, letting him know that now that Rose wasn’t so on the defensive, she was going to drop the hammer.
“What can you tell us about a woman named Missy Mack?” she asked without preamble.
Rose’s smugness immediately disappeared, if only for a moment.
“Before you answer, sir,” Ryan added, “you should probably ask yourself why we would be here in your office asking you this question. I’ll give you a hint. It’s not just out of curiosity.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed and Jessie could see him strategizing his response.
“Are you asking if I know her? Because of course I know Missy,” he said. “You obviously know that. She’s an actress I’ve gone out with on a few occasions. Is that illegal now?”
“Gone out with?” Ryan repeated.
“Sure. We had a few meals together. Sometimes we’d splurge and get an expensive bottle of champagne. She’s a fun girl.”
“So you’d buy a really expensive bottle of champagne for your dates with Missy?” Ryan asked.
“Actually, because I’m so busy, I’d usually just give Missy the cash to buy it for us.”
“Cash,” Ryan repeated.
“Of course,” Rose replied as if it was obvious. “You think a liquor store would just let some random girl use my credit card to buy champagne worth hundreds of dollars? Cash was much easier.”
“So just to be clear,” Ryan reviewed, sarcasm dripping off him, “you would give Missy hundreds of dollars in cash and she would use it to buy expensive bottles of champagne for the two of you to drink together.”
“That’s exactly right, Detective,” Rose answered with a broad smile on his face.
“And did Missy ever find creative ways to thank you for your generosity?” Ryan pressed.
“Thank me? No. You don’t have to be coy, Detective. If you’re asking if our evenings ever ended in sexual encounters, then the answer is yes. But I assure you, that was simply two people enjoying a few stimulating evenings together.”
“No connection to the cash you gave her?” Ryan asked.
“None whatsoever; never entered my mind.”
“Aren’t you married, Mr. Rose?” Jessie asked, making a hard conversational turn.
“I am.”
“How does your wife feel about your dates with Missy?”
Rose smiled even wider, revealing coffee-stained teeth.
“I’m sure she’d be unhappy if she was to ever find out. Do you plan on telling her, Ms. Hunt? Is adultery now a crime in this state?”
