The Temporary Detective

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"She's making a bloody fortune!" cried Delphi, staring the contents of Untitled2 on Isobel's laptop.

"I know. That's why she could afford to pay out so much to Doreen every month, even though the invoices for Computer Accessories aren't for that much."

"I'd like her boyfriend to be my investment advisor."

"Tom Scaletta's a crook," Isobel pointed out.

"We don't know for a fact that he's doing any insider trading," Delphi said.

"We don't have to. She's embezzling company money, and he's investing it."

"That's quite a scam." Delphi sat back on Isobel's air mattress. "And quite a profit."

Isobel paced the small apartment, detouring around the furniture. "Doreen must have asked Nikki about Computer Accessories and not been satisfied with the answer. So she went snooping around on Nikki's computer and found what I found. Richie's pretty free with the passwords."

"It explains how Nikki and Tom can afford bottle service," Delphi said.

"It also explains what she sees in him. The appeal isn't in the bedroom, it's in the portfolio."

"Well, it beats the hell out of waiting tables," Delphi said, massaging her feet.

"Unless you count the jail time," Isobel said. "I guess I'd better call Detective Kozinski."

"You're turning Nikki in?"

Isobel paused, cell phone in hand. "You sound surprised."

Delphi hesitated. "Maybe you should cut her a break? I mean, she is a fellow actress."

"Actress? I've got two words for you," Isobel said tartly. "Terence Hoff."

"Point taken. But once you call the police, it's done."

"You were the one who told me to give them the blackmail log!"

"But this is going to result in an arrest."

Isobel sat down next to Delphi. "All right, what are my options?"

"You could warn Nikki and let her get out of there."

"Is that what you would do?"

Delphi sighed and traced a seam on the wooden floor with her finger. "I don't know. No." She looked up at Isobel. "Do you really think she killed Doreen?"

"You know, I don't," Isobel said thoughtfully. "With that profit margin, it wasn't costing Nikki that much to keep Doreen quiet."

"Unless Doreen was threatening to raise her fee."

Isobel snapped her fingers. "There's something else. Nikki and I were together when Doreen left. And she went down the stairs ahead of me during the emergency drill."

"Couldn't she have made a beeline back up to the bathroom?"

"Swimming against the tide on the stairs? I only barely made it back up. And even if she had, there's no way I wouldn't have seen her." Isobel shook her head firmly. "Nikki didn't kill Doreen. I'm her alibi."

"If you call, you should tell the police that."

"What do you mean 'if'?"

Delphi wound a wayward curl around her finger. "It's just...weird. I've never been involved in the arrest of someone I know."

"You're not. I am," Isobel said grimly. "But if I don't call the police, I'm withholding evidence."

"You're right," Delphi conceded. "Go for it."