Page 87 of To Have and to Hold

Knox accompanied me to Dex Abrams’s apartment on the Upper East Side, muttering into his phone the entire way. I had an eye out to the streets, hanging on to the neon blur of the city, but listened to every word he said. He had the task force pull everything they had on Abrams, but to do it with extreme caution. He phoned his lieutenant and discussed my entire theory with him, and it got to the point where I thought the task force would have to be called off. Somehow, Knox convinced his lieutenant otherwise, but now his job was on the line, too, because the lieutenant did not want any of this getting back to the sergeant until there was more of a grip on the facts. This was a highly-sensitive person we were going after, but Emme was becoming a highly-publicized case, and any deliberate missteps on the part of the police force would be caught by the media and torn apart.

Emme was a young, beautiful woman taken under mysterious yet violent circumstances, a case the press drooled over until the perpetrator was arrested and charged. Even Knox’s superiors couldn’t ignore the link fostered by Emme’s father. They could put a plug in it for a while but eventually there’d be a leak. That made Knox’s and my task even tougher, because we were not going to be given a lot of leeway to stretch this Abrams theory out. Either we got something tonight or we were done.

In that respect, Knox called Levi next and asked him to interrogate Jack further. I couldn’t gather all the information and Levi could squeeze out the rest. Knox and I would take Abrams’s wife in hopes that she could give us something. Knox didn’t bother to leave me behind this time, probably because he knew I’d follow and conduct my own investigation anyway. Might as well utilize less time and hear my results the instant they’re happening as opposed to after the fact.

I texted Becca, asking her to stay with Jack and Perry, make sure Jack didn’t do anything he’d regret. Becca was confused and I didn’t elaborate further via text, but she agreed to go over there and sit with them until she heard from me again.

“Right here’s fine,” Knox said to the taxi driver.

The driver pulled over to the right and Knox and I both got out, straightening our jackets.

“What floor is she on?” Knox asked me.

I thought back to one of the dinners I’d gone to, where Abrams liked to have his protégés over and impart his wisdom and experience. They were fond memories because he was a man I’d looked up to and hoped to emulate in the courtroom. A lot of those dinners were spent in detailed discussion with him, from everything to do with hostile witness tactics to football. But to think of him as a father figure right now would be a lethal mistake. I could have all the time to grieve the loss of our relationship later, when Emme was back safe. “He’s the second penthouse,” I said.

“Old money?” Knox asked as we stepped through the revolving doors and into the lobby.

“His wife, I think. Trust fund baby.”

Knox showed his credentials to floor security and I also introduced myself. After they called up to the penthouse, we were waved through and told that Eugenie was waiting for us.

We took the elevator in silence, both of us in our interrogatory worlds. I’d never questioned anyone with Knox around, and neither had he with me, but I had no problems believing we’d play off each other fine. We could read each other’s mannerisms like brothers.

“I’ll lead,” Knox said when the elevator slid open. I nodded my agreement, preferring to jump in when a thought struck anyway.

We rang the doorbell, and who greeted us was an eighteenth-century maid. I expected one of Abrams’s staff to welcome us but Knox sure didn’t. His slack mouth was enough to have me pushing him the rest of the way in and mentioning, “Eugenie likes her staff to be traditional.”

“Does she also own a feather duster?” Knox asked, still staring at the woman’s black and white outfit as she led us through the hallway.

“There’s even a special one for the ceiling fans,” I said.

Knox glanced over, unsure if I was shitting him or not.

“Mrs. Abrams, these men are here to see you. I’m sorry, what are your names?” the maid asked, in heavily accented English.

“Detective Anthony Knox, and this is my colleague, ADA Spencer Rolfe,” Knox said.

The titles impressed her not one bit. She repeated our names even though Eugenie was seated well within hearing distance, but this was the tradition I’d grown to expect. The maid departed in the same way she entered: with the feet of a fairy.

Eugenie was seated on one of the love seats facing the expansive view of Manhattan, comprised of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, lit up for their nightly showcase of colors. Tonight, on the Empire State’s lighting calendar, was green and blue.

Eugenie’s robe was of the highest quality and she also wore a nightcap, likely disguising the sleep rollers she used to keep her hair curled every morning. I remembered it being, like most of her appearance, a subtle honey brown. Nothing this woman did was untoward or humorous. She was the pillar of propriety and was probably priming herself to be the perfect First Lady.

“How can I help you gentleman?” she asked before reaching to the side and sliding manicured fingers through the handle of a teacup.

“We apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour,” Knox said. “Do you mind if we sit?”

She waved her acceptance with her free hand. I noticed Knox, like me, perched at the edges of the velveteen couch across from her, our backs awkwardly straight. Like we were schoolboys being disciplined before a headmistress.

“We’ll be out of your hair shortly.” Knox broke the thick silence. “We were wondering if you knew where your husband was.”

Eugenie canted her head and said, “I told the young man on the phone, I don’t know.”

“Does he usually work late nights?” Knox asked.

“You should know,” Eugenie said, directing her answer at me. “Do you attorney types work late nights?”

“Often and always,” I replied with an easy smile, though my blood was boiling. This woman took her time with the game of conversation. “As I’m sure you know, a woman went missing recently and we’re having to investigate all leads, regardless of their strength.”

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