“By yourself?”
Amara’s eyebrows rose.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Answer the question.”
“No.”
That answer landed badly.
Beckett’s mouth tightened.
Halpern glanced at him again.
The breeze moved across the pool.
Somewhere inside the house, a glass door shifted slightly in its track.
Amara’s housekeeper, Rosa Delgado, had come into view through the open living room.
She saw two uniformed officers beside Amara.
Then saw Beckett’s posture.
Rosa began walking toward them.
Amara noticed.
“Rosa, stay inside.”
Beckett followed her gaze.
“Who’s that?”
“My housekeeper.”
Beckett gave a small, skeptical smile.
Amara’s jaw hardened.
She knew exactly what that smile meant.
Not because he said anything explicit.
Because he did not have to.
Rosa opened the sliding door.
“Dr. Sterling?”
“I’m fine.”
Rosa looked at Beckett.
“She lives here.”
Beckett pointed toward the doorway.
“Ma’am, go back inside.”
Rosa did not move.
“She owns this house.”
Halpern shifted.
“Ryan.”
Beckett ignored him.
“Inside.”
Rosa looked at Amara.
Amara nodded once.
“Please.”
Rosa hesitated, then stepped backward.
She did not close the door.
Beckett turned toward Amara again.
“So now you have staff backing your story.”
Amara’s disbelief finally showed.
“My story?”
“You expect us to believe you own this place?”
Amara took a slow breath.
“What exactly would make that difficult to believe?”
Halpern looked down.
Beckett stared at her.
The question had been calm.
That made it worse.
“You trying to make this something it isn’t?”
“I’m asking what you mean.”
“I mean we have a report of a trespasser at a private residence.”
“And I am telling you the report is false.”
“Then cooperate.”
“I am cooperating.”
“You refused your ID.”
“No. I offered to retrieve it.”
Beckett moved closer until less than two feet separated them.
“Turn around.”
Amara blinked.
“What?”
“Turn around.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re being detained while we sort this out.”
“On what basis?”
“There it is.”
“What?”
“That attitude.”
For the first time, Amara laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because the sentence was so predictable she almost could have supplied it herself.
Beckett’s expression hardened.
“You think this is funny?”
“No.”
“Turn around.”
“Officer, I’m standing beside my pool on my property. My identification is six feet away. My employee has told you who I am. If you want to verify my identity, do that. If you want to arrest me, tell me the legal basis.”
Beckett grabbed her upper arm.
Amara’s entire body stiffened.
Halpern said:
“Ryan.”
Amara looked down at the hand around her arm.
Then up at Beckett.
“Take your hand off me.”
“Don’t pull away.”