Look at you

Mackenzie had gone through all the correct channels and returned the signed Engagement contract. After he wired the retainer fee in the full amount to the firm, Domie stopped by my office and offered his congratulations. He wore an ear-to-ear grin. “Look at you! Talk of the town!” 

I grimaced, not in the mood for his praise.

“God, what I would give for a client like him!” 

“Domie, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“So? You’re famous now, Wil. This case is all over the news.” 

“If I could, I would give it all to you.” Especially, I thought, the guilt.

“Want to join me for lunch?” Domie leaned on the frame of my office door. With his arms and feet crossed, he appeared to be posing for a photo.

I desired to be alone, but I was hungry, and the idea of a stale sandwich from the vendor cart didn’t appeal. “Are you ready to go?” I asked with less civility than I intended.

“Let me grab my phone.”

Perry watched us, overly interested in our conversation. She had been spending an inordinate amount of time near the lobby chatting with Domie, though Domie didn’t seem to notice her efforts. Lately she wore brightly colored, V-neck blouses and lipstick. 

He would be a good match for her if he would pay attention.

Rain over the weekend had driven out all the humidity and revealed clear and sunny skies. I had trouble keeping pace with Domie, who was taller than most, because the six-inch leopard-print stilettos I chose to wear today were not comfortable. 

Once seated at a little café with outdoor tables, I took off my silk kimono wrap and hung it over the back of the chair. 

The waitress brought menus and poured glasses of water. 

“Bring me a draft,” Domie said. 

My fingers tapped the menu as I considered a beer, but instead I ordered iced tea.

Domie’s gaze lingered over my light-brown blouse as if he’d undressed me with foolish boy’s hands. Like he touched me in places I didn’t want to be touched. I held up the menu between us.

“Go out with me Saturday. A date, just you and me. I’ll take you someplace really nice.”

“Oh, Domie.” I shook my head. “Look, let’s not do this again, please?” 

When Domie reached for my hand, I pulled it away. 

He searched my eyes a moment longer. “Aw, Wil.”

“No, Domie. Move on.” We’d gone around with this before, so I knew how much the rejection hurt him. For some reason, Domie kept trying. I did not want to date my boss’s son. Never mind that I wasn’t attracted to Domie in the least. Yet at times, he glommed onto me like a bad case of the flu. And though he asked me out once in a while, I still avoided his advances. Lately, I’d begun to think he was crossing the line into workplace harassment territory. 

Domie slouched in his chair and straightened his legs into the aisle, crossing his big leather wingtips over each other. “That. Mackenzie’s gonna be a sweet gig for you, right?”

“If anything comes of it.” 

“He’s probably not a murderer. You never know, though. Sometimes money and fame get to people and they snap. Maybe he thinks he’s above the law.” 

Domie’s projection sounded ridiculous. “He’s gone to the police on his own,” I said, taking my role as his defense attorney seriously.

“Oh, sure he has. I’ll bet he was trying to turn the investigation away from himself.” 

Domie’s statement echoed my thoughts. I was glad when the waitress returned with our drinks and took our orders. When she left, my phone rang and I excused myself, happy for the interruption. I walked out of Domie’s earshot. 

“Good afternoon, Ms. Robert.” 

Mackenzie had disregarded my boundaries by calling my cell phone again, but I smiled, welcoming the distraction. “Mr. Mackenzie. It must be important.”

“The investigators called. They’re on their way to PPS to interview me again.” 

With this shocking news, we ended the call quickly. 

I told Domie I’d pay him back for my portion, then left him at the table and hailed a cab with a woman driver. She dropped me off at the Chicago division of Prevail Pharmaceuticals, where the software magic happened. 

Inside the modern concrete-and-steel complex, formless stone sculptures decorated the lobby. Though the color scheme consisted largely of cool grays and blues, long windows let in plenty of sunlight and warmth. Strategically placed greenery, potted trees, and decorative gardens lifted my psyche. The sound of water bubbled from a fountain or waterfall on the second level. 

Wearing a navy blue jacket, Jeff Lohmann and his plainclothes partner stood beside two uniformed police officers near the information desk. My stilettos clicked the polished marble floor on the way to Jeff’s side. 

“Wil,” Jeff said. He shouldn’t have seemed surprised to see me. 

“Gentlemen,” I addressed them. “I assume you’re here to see my client.”

The younger detective, a slender Asian man with black tousled hair, politely introduced himself with a handshake. “Detective Yamamoto.” His wrinkled white shirt looked slept in. 

“He’s working with me on the investigation,” Jeff said looking me up and down. Perhaps I imagined the disapproval etched across his face. 

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Ms. Robert,” Yamamoto said.

“Save it,” I said. 

“This way.” A security guard led the way to a solitary elevator. “Top floor,” he announced once the doors closed. 

“Do you have new evidence?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Will you be implicating my client?”

“No. His connections to the Mayor, well. . . .”

I got it. Jeff’s clipped answers meant he didn’t want to talk about it with me.

“Mackenzie is our primary person of interest.” Yamamoto said without looking at me. 

His statement didn’t ruffle my feathers. I knew it to be true. Then silence fell as we rode the elevator to the ninety-eighth floor. The door opened, and Richard Mackenzie stood before us, tall, cool, and unfazed. 

“Gentlemen,” he said, and with a nod to me, “Ms. Robert.” In black slacks and a dark purple dress shirt, Mackenzie led us through another lobby to a pair of cherrywood doors.

I jogged to catch up with him. “Mr. Mackenzie, do you know why they’re here?” 

“I do.” He opened the door and held it for us. The two police officers stopped outside the door, then stood with hands crossed at their belt buckles.

Mackenzie’s expansive office, surrounded by windows on two sides, overlooked the business district of downtown Chicago. An Oriental rug covered the floor under a triangular desk made of tigerwood. Light played with the woodgrain so that it appeared like shiny orange ribbons in a breeze. A half-dozen black bucket chairs encircled the desk. Mackenzie walked between them, then turned to face us. 

I moved to the side of the chair nearest Mackenzie and set my briefcase down. 

Jeff and Yamamoto split the room, each taking a side. Jeff’s hands rested on his hips. He didn’t wait for us to sit. “Records on Yang’s phone show that she had a lengthy conversation with you the night she was killed. I’d like to know what you talked about.”

I set my jaw and turned to face Mackenzie. He hadn’t told me this. What he’d said was Leung left no messages. 

Mackenzie tightened his lips. “Nothing important. She sounded . . . drunk. In retrospect, I should have sensed something was wrong. I should have done something about it.”

On Mackenzie’s right, Yamamoto leaned over a bucket chair, then casually slid into it. He asked, “What details do you remember about the conversation? Did she tell you where she was? Do you remember any strange sounds in the background?” 

“No. Nothing that seemed odd.” Mackenzie’s hands were balled into fists hanging at his side. 

Jeff asked, “How long did she work for you?”

“Two and a half years. We met at a fundraiser. She did everything for me.” 

“Everything?” Jeff asked. The implication was clear. I wondered the same thing.

Mackenzie matched Jeff’s angry stare.

Yamamoto leaned in. “Tell us about your relationship with the Yang family.”

With the question, Mackenzie walked around the desk, placing it between him and the cops, and set his hands on it. “That’s none of your business,” he growled.

Jeff fired next. “It must be easy for you to acquire drugs given your line of business. Yang overdosed on fentanyl. As you know, it’s an extremely powerful drug used as a painkiller. Do you know where most of the US supply comes from?” 

Mackenzie narrowed his gaze at Jeff who answered, “China.” 

Yamamoto added, “There’s a reason it’s called China Girl, or China White, on the street.”

“I’ll bet it’s easy for you to get hold of whatever painkillers you want.” Jeff took a step toward Mackenzie.

I matched his forward movement and shot Jeff a cautionary look. “Careful of what you’re saying, Jeff.”

Mackenzie pushed away from the desk. “Prevail Pharmaceutical Software makes software. I don’t have access to any drugs. I could say the same for the Chicago PD, but I won’t. Don’t accuse me of killing Leung.” Mackenzie’s tone edged on the side of threatening.

“You’re the person of interest here.” Jeff moved to the opposite side of the desk and mirrored his adversary’s body language. “Your software makes it easier for people to get painkillers, doesn’t it?”

“No, it connects doctors and hospitals with pharmaceutical companies. We help professionals access patient records and order prescriptions.”

“And your job is—?” Yamamoto asked.

“Chief sales executive,” Mackenzie spit through his teeth. “I’m the head of the sales division. I sell the software to hospital administrators and executives. I’ll reiterate. I have no access to pharmaceuticals.”

Jeff pointed at Mackenzie. “Leung died of asphyxiation. Hypoxia—oxygen deprivation—caused by too much fentanyl in her bloodstream. Can you imagine what that’s like? Her last moments were spent gasping for air.” 

I interjected. “Unless you’re charging Mr. Mackenzie, leave him alone. My client is cooperating.” 

Jeff gazed sullenly at me and shook his head. 

Yamamoto stood. “There isn’t enough evidence for an arrest. But we’re confiscating Yang’s computer. We will find evidence, Mackenzie. Count on it.” 

Jeff glowered at Mackenzie. “I’ll be watching you like a hawk. Consider yourself under investigation, and don’t leave town.”

“I’ll help however I can, Detective,” Mackenzie said in cold response. 

Jeff reached out and touched my arm. “Good to see you, Wil. Sorry it’s like this.” He speared Mackenzie with another accusatory look.

Jeff and Yamamoto stalked out of the office, leaving me alone with my client. 

I reeled on Mackenzie. “You lied to me.”

“I didn’t.”

“I asked you about the phone calls. Why didn’t you tell me you spoke to Leung?”

Richard looked me in the eye. His chest puffed out as he assessed me and my question. “I have no excuse.”

I tipped my chin toward him. “You need to tell me everything if this relationship is going to work.” As I said those words, doubt filled my mind. Did Jeff have a case? I wasn’t sure anymore. If Leung had split affinities, she could have been spying on PPS. It gave Mackenzie more motive than most.

Mackenzie turned toward the windows. “How do you know detective Lohmann so well?”

“He’s a family friend. He and my dad were patrol partners years ago.”

He walked up to the windows and raised an elbow over his head. Resting his forehead against the arm on the window he appeared to be watching traffic below. “So you have a sense of justice in your blood. Your father must be proud of you.”

“In a way,” I hoped he was. Dad wasn’t proud. He was angry about the Peterson outcome. The world knew the Senator was guilty of raping his assistant, and they knew that I had turned the jury. I looked down at the street below and imagined water. 

How high is this floor? Higher than any jump I’d ever made. I changed the subject. “Tell me about Leung and her brother.” 

“Leung was devoted to PPS. I hired her as my personal assistant when my previous assistant went on maternity leave. The same year, Tianjin declined two of my offers to do business with them. Leung introduced me to her brother, Kanji, and I hired him at her request. He came in as a subcontractor to help me moderate communications with the Chinese. He helped smooth talks between PPS and administrators at a hospital in Tianjin. He became my spokesperson, helping PPS move ahead with business proceedings. As our relationship developed, I gave him leeway with company information.” 

“Is he still working here?”

He let his arm fall to his side as he turned to face me. “No. Leung told me that Kanji began to act suspiciously. She couldn’t explain it. She just had a feeling.”

“What was he doing?”

“I don’t know. I told Detective Lohmann that I haven’t seen him since we returned from China. Since the night Leung disappeared.”

Mr. Mackenzie’s gaze traveled down my bare legs to my leopard-print shoes. 

I stepped back self-consciously.

“I’m having a Fourth of July party on Wednesday. I’d like you to come.”

I shook my head. “I have plans with my girlfriends that night.” Indeed, Roman and I were meeting our friends Jen and Steph at Navy Pier for a night of barhopping and trolling for single men.

Mackenzie pushed. “My partners will be in town. I’d like you to meet them.” 

“A meeting?” I asked. “On the holiday?”

“I’d like to call it a date. But you don’t date your clients.”

“That’s right,” I nodded with a smile. He remembered.

“Call it what you want,” he replied with a devilish look. “Mrs. Hellenberg will send the address. Be there at seven, sharp, Thena.”

I warmed when he said my new nickname, and I became aware that I’d given him something that I’d given no other man. I’d given in. It was so unlike me to let someone have any power over me, but for some reason, it felt good. 

I bent to gather my briefcase and hide the smile on my lips. “I’ll see you on Wednesday, Mr. Mackenzie.” I stood to shake his hand, and the affectionate feeling grew at his warm touch.

“Call me Richard,” he said. His vivid blue eyes sparkled.

I tried it, to see how it rolled off my tongue. “Richard.” 

Leung’s smaller office, adjacent to Richard’s, had been ransacked by investigators. On my way out, I leaned my shoulder on the doorjamb. Her black desk was empty except for a stack of yellow Post-it notes and a white pencil holder. Dust outlined the space where her keyboard and monitor had been, and a depressed spot on the carpet showed where the computer stack had sat near the wall. 

A few drawers were left open. Things were tossed around inside them. The police had gone through her things and had taken what they deemed to be evidence. They’d left a framed photo flipped facedown. I stepped into the office and turned the frame over. 

Leung’s shiny black eyes lit with happiness as she clutched a man’s arm. She was laughing at something and her mouth was open. With a half-smile, the man looked down at her affectionately. He was Asian too and wearing a white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves. Both his forearms were painted in tattoos. I left the picture upright on the desk.

The file cabinet to the left was opened and rifled through but a closet door stood open. Lifeless dresses hung on wooden hangers and three pairs of shoes littered the floor. To the right of her desk, a collection of Chinese figurines decorated an internally lit curio cabinet. 

Was Leung loyal to PPS or to her home country?

I smelled perfume as someone walked up behind me. A woman reached past me for the door handle. “Excuse me,” she said. “We ought to respect the dead, don’t you think?” 

I recognized her voice from phone conversations. I backed away from the door as she closed it. “You must be Mrs. Hellenberg.”

“And you are Counselor Robert.”

Our eyes locked. Her green ones looked up at me over jeweled, horn-rimmed readers. She slid them off and let them hang on a gold chain.

“Leung was so smart. Too smart to let something like this to happen to her.” Mrs. Hellenberg pushed a strand of white-blond hair behind an ear. 

I nodded, pursing my mouth into a frown. “Who is the man in the photo on her desk?”

“That’s Kanji, her brother.”

“They must have been close.”

“They were.” She remarked wistfully, “What is the world coming to?” 

I fished for a story. “Was she running with a bad crowd?”

She shook her head. “Oh no. Not Leung. She wasn’t like that. She didn’t date; her life was PPS and Mr. Mackenzie. I told him to let her off the hook and give her some freedom, but he kept her close.”

“What do you mean? I heard he’s a kind employer.”

Mrs. Hellenberg looked toward Mackenzie’s closed office doors. “He’s been very kind to me.”

“But he had a different relationship with his assistant.” 

She rolled the eyeglass chain between her thumb and first finger. “I know he’s upset by this. He hasn’t even started looking for her replacement yet.”

I had faith in Jeff and his team, but if I had the money, I would also hire the best private snoop. “Has he hired an investigator?” 

“I wouldn’t know. But Mr. Mackenzie will take care of things. He’ll make sure the killer pays.”