24
FIONA
My voice was hoarse.When Harrison and Goodwin first left me in here, I’d shouted through the door, hoping to get their attention or at least force someone to listen to me. Perhaps yelling hadn’t been the best way to go about it because now my throat hurt and the few people I’d seen had given me some serious side-eye.
Now I heard the lock unsnick and a uniformed officer poked their face in and then stepped aside to allow Ariadne to enter.
“Thank God you’re here,” I exclaimed. “Do you know if Zeke is okay? No one will tell me anything.”
She smiled tightly. “The good news is that he’s fine. King’s Security caught up to them and were able to apprehend your ex and the gallery manager. Zeke is a little bruised, but he’s more worried about you than himself.” Her smile turned wry. “He created quite a scene out there, demanding you be set free. They had to have him removed from the building.”
I hardly heard the second half of what she said, too relieved by the first half. “Thank you.” A knot inside me loosened, and it felt like I could finally breathe again. “How badly is he hurt?”
“Just a black eye and a swollen cheekbone,” she said. “I think he was pistol-whipped.”
I winced, but considering I’d been fearing the worst, I was only too happy to kiss his bruises better later. As long as he was alive, and his usual cocky self, everything else would be all right.
“Did they arrest Bergen and Patience?” I asked.
She sat opposite me at the table. “The detectives on the case are questioning Patience at the moment.” She pursed her lips, looking hesitant.
“What is it?” I asked.
She sighed, pulled a pen from her blazer pocket, and spun it between her fingers. “The police are reluctant to press charges against them because even though they were allegedly found in possession of a Monet, they were apprehended by King’s Security, so the police don’t have any proof of what went down. The chain of custody is a mess. There are witnesses who will swear that Patience and Bergen had the painting, and Zeke is prepared to testify that they kidnapped him—the recording of the call Patience made to the police should help with that since you can hear him in the background—but it’s going to take a while for them to sort through everything and figure out a way forward.”
I blanched. “Excuse me?”
On some level, I understood. The police hadn’t seen Bergen with the Monet personally, but how much evidence did they really need?
Ariadne’s expression was sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Fiona. It might be a while before you’re officially cleared.”
“But surely they can connect the abandoned shop back to Bergen, and that’s where the police sighted the forgery.”
She nodded in acknowledgment. “Hopefully, but as I said, it might take a while, and your presence there muddies the waters.”
“What about the existence of the second forgery?” I asked. “Surely that makes them suspicious.”
“They’ll look into it. They just might not be as fast as you’d like.” She grimaced. “They have to do everything by the book, and they can’t move as quickly as private companies can. There isn’t much we can do to change that.”
My shoulders slumped. I might not like it, but she was right.
“There is one other thing that might help you,” she said tentatively.
I cocked my head. “What?”
“Zeke recorded your conversation in the abandoned shop using the device on his watch. The police have the watch and the recording. King’s Security made a copy before they handed it over, and I’ve listened to it.” She hesitated, then added, “It’s pretty damning.”
I straightened. “They have a recording?” I tried to remember exactly what had been said. I had a feeling that Patience had basically given a full confession. “Doesn’t that solve everything?”
Ariadne huffed. “I wish. Unfortunately for you, audio recordings in Illinois require permission from both parties or they’re unlawful. Taking that into account, and the fact that voice identification hasn’t been run yet, they’re not officially recognizing the recording as evidence.”
What the hell? Zeke had dropped gift-wrapped evidence of my innocence onto their laps but they’d decided to ignore it?
“Hopefully, even if it isn’t officially recognized, they’llstill take it into account during their decision-making.” Ariadne sounded more optimistic than I felt.
“Is there anything we can do at the moment?” I asked.
“You just need to sit tight and not say anything without me present.” She placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. “I’m sorry, I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s just the way it is. I’ll see if there’s any way I can get you out of here faster, but they’re allowed to hold you for forty-eight hours.”
