She gave that faulty laugh again. “Oh, detective, you must not know the way things work in this office. The girls don’towntheir clients. Men—or women—come in here seeking companionship, and we assign them to the type of woman—or man—that fits them best.”
“So let me rephrase that,” Kurt said, “I need a list of clients that were assigned to Hillary a lot.”
She giggled. “I’m sorry, detective, but I can’t give you that.”
Brittany stepped closer to the woman and glared. “You will once we get a warrant.”
The receptionist scowled and pulled back. “Then I’ll wait until you can present me one.”
Kurt motioned his head toward the door, silently communicating with Brittany. She turned and walked away from the desk. He glanced back at the receptionist. “Tell Mr. Martin we’ll be back at four thirty with a warrant to get the records we need.”
When he turned back to Brittany, she stood next to the door, studying some photos on the wall. Most of the pictures were that of the outdoor, but in two of them, was the same man. She waited until he stopped by her side before she led them outside and toward the door.
“I’ve seen that man in the photo before,” Brittany said once they were far enough away from the building. “I also believe I’ve seen that woman, too.”
“The ditzy receptionist?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I’m not sure just yet. I’ll think about it.”
She hurried to the car and climbed inside. Once he was in, she looked at him. “I think we’re going to need that search warrant.”
“Me, too. Let’s just hope we can convince Judge Peterson. She’s hardheaded.”
Brittany chuckled. “Oh, Kurt. She has always liked you. I bet all you have to do is bat your eyes at Judge Peterson, and she’ll issue that warrant.”
Grinning, he shook his head. “I’m not wearing the shirt with the low neckline.” He batted his eyes.
Brittany snorted and started the car. “I just worry that it might be too late. What if Miss Ditz inside deletes all of Hillary’s clients?”
“Then we’ll arrest her for tampering with evidence.”
“Oh, let’s hope that happens,” Brittany said with a laugh. “I really want to bust that woman for something.”
“If I had my way, I’d bust her for indecent exposure.”
She laughed and placed her hand on the gear shift, but Kurt reached up to stop her. When her eyes met his, he leaned in closer.
“I like this.”
“Like what?” she asked in a small voice.
“I like being silly with you. I like that I can make you smile, and I love it when you can make me laugh.”
Her smile relaxed. “I’ve always enjoyed these moments, too.”
“I want more of them.”
Sighing, she sank back in the seat, resting her fingers on the bottom of the steering wheel. She stared at her fingers instead of looking at him.
“Kurt, I don’t want to fight with you anymore. I don’t want to argue about who is guilty and who is innocent. I want us both to look at the evidence and use that as our guide to which perp needs to be brought in.”
He touched her chin, moving her face toward his. When her eyes locked with his, he nodded. “I can do it if you can.”
“I can do it.”
