by Celya Bowers
“Yes, I still plan for the city of Dallas, but you know with budget cuts and everything, budget is not as big. I love planning events of any size.”
“Good to know. My parents’ 45th wedding anniversary is in a couple of months. I might have to call you.”
“Please do. I love planning. So why did you quit being a cop to being a private investigator?”
“I want justice, sometimes being a cop prohibits that. When I investigate a case, I’m in it till the end. Like with DJ. I’ll find him. I’ll also find out what he’s up to.”
“And if it’s illegal?”
“Then I’ll turn him over to the authorities.”
“That’s probably why Daddy likes you so much. No matter how much it hurts, you’re going to find the truth.”
He took the compliment. “Yes, that’s me. Let’s get back to the street cams before the sun comes up.” He hoped his abrupt subject change wouldn’t cause red flags in her suspicious mind.
“Sure, we’ve got to find my brother.” She placed her mug on the tray and turned her attention to the laptops. “Now the arcade he hangs out is on Beaker Avenue. That’s in Central Arlington. Can you bring that up?”
“Yeah, I think this is that part of town.” He brought up Beaker Avenue and Clay Boulevard intersection. “There’s the arcade.”
Maddie moved closer to him. “That’s the place.” She moved closer to the computer screen. “What time is this?” She pointed at the screen.
“Screen says about two-thirty,” Sean said, fighting the urge to caress her back as she hovered over his body. What was wrong with him? Keep it professional, man.
“Can you fast-forward to about four o’clock? DJ always says the real action doesn’t happen until the kids are out of school,” she said.
Sean moved the video and the desired time. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just a bunch of future customers of the APD, he mused. Young men with too much time on their hands. They watched the video for what seemed life forever but was probably 30 minutes.
“Stop!” Maddie shouted. “I think that’s DJ talking to that kid outside the arcade. Can you zoom in?” In her haste to get closer to the computer screen, she was almost lying on Jason’s lap. Her blouse covered breast rubbed against him, waking up a part of him he thought was dead.
He gritted his teeth against the growing erection, but there was little he could do outside of penetration. Which as definitely off the table. At least for now. He tried to make the image larger with little luck. “Why don’t we keep watching and I’ll ask the guys at the station to get me still photos of the frames?
Maddie sat up slowly. “Okay.” She was still sitting super close to him. They kept watching and sure enough DJ walked with the young man to the side of the building in clear view of the street cam.
Sean watched as DJ completed a drug sale. How stupid could he be? He had to have known there was a camera and it was being recorded. At least her could run the young man’s picture through the computer and question him tomorrow. DJ shoved the money in his pocket and waved the man away. The kid was gone in an instant. DJ started to walk back in the arcade, but he was then stopped by a new, sporty, black Camaro. He talked to the person in the car and then the car sped off. “Do you recognize that car?” Sean asked.
“No, most of DJ’s friends are like him. They don’t have a car, or a job and walk everywhere.” She continued to watch, the video. “This is a busy intersection.
“Lot of drug traffic on that corner. The police have been trying to get that place closed with little luck. Someone has ties to the top. Anytime the police go there and are lucky enough to make an arrest, the case always gets thrown out.”
She heard the frustration in his voice. She felt it too. “I know I wish I could help DJ, but I realized that he has to do it on his own. No one else can. I know it breaks my parents’ heart, but they have pretty much washed their hands of him too.”
“How?”
“DJ knows that he can’t call them for bail money, or me for that matter. I have another brother and two sisters as well. He’d never call any of us if he was in jail. Normally, he gets Rachel to bail him out.”
“Sounds about right. The judge didn’t seem too concerned about him missing. Now I understand.” He watched the screen. “Hey, who’s that?” He pointed to a woman talking to DJ. She didn’t fit the mold of the arcade crowd. The tall, African American woman looked very out of place in the sleazy dive. “She looks familiar,” he said.
Maddie looked at the screen closer. “She looks like Natasha Bridges. You know ‘Bridges Over Troubled Waters Show’. She’s a local news reporter on Channel 28. What is she doing talking to my brother?”
Sean grabbed a notepad from the coffee table. “I’d say she’s a clue. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”
“I want to come with you.”
“Afraid not. The judge wanted me to dissuade you, not convince you that he’s actually missing.”
She waved her hand in the air. “He’s just worried about the election. Deep down he knows I’m right.” She thought for a moment. “Okay, I won’t go, but why don’t we meet up and you can tell me what she says?”
“You know I can’t share information of an ongoing investigation,” Sean said.
“And you’re a private detective. This is not an ongoing investigation. No missing person report has been filed,” she shot back.
“All right, you got me.” He took a deep breath. “How about dinner tomorrow night?”
“Like a date?” Maddie was surprised.
“No, just like we did tonight. Was that a date?”
“No, it wasn’t. Just some information gathering.”
“Okay, then. So how about dinner tomorrow night. About seven. I’ll pick you up.”
It sounded like a date to her, but she only nodded in agreement. They continued watching the video of the street. She watched her brother walked inside the arcade.
Sean cleared his throat. “We’d better call it a night. That’s all the footage. I’ll have to visit the arcade to see if I can get the security footage tomorrow.”
“Looks like we’ll have a lot to talk about over dinner,” she said.
“It sure does.” He rose to his height, then extended a hand to help her off the floor.
Once she was face-to-face with him, she took in his strong features. His big green eyes search her face. “And here’s something else we can talk about tonight at dinner.” He leaned closer to her, wrapping her in a gentle, but determined hug, and kissed her gently on the lips.
Maddie hadn’t expected him to kiss her. She sure wasn’t expecting that his lips would be firm, but gentle, and she wasn’t expecting her traitorous mouth to open and invite his hot tongue inside. But then again, it had been awhile since she had a date.
She stood in front of him, dazed confused, and wanting more. How can one unwanted kiss had her feeling like a teenager on her first date? Now what?
Sean took control of the situation. “I’d better walk you to your car before I forget all my manners.” He guided her outside. They walked side by side to her car.
“If you are waiting for an apology, you’re not going to get one.” He moved closer to her. “I’d been wondering what those lips tasted like for days.”
She stopped at her car door and unarmed the car. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” To make his point, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with all the pent-up passion of a teenager on prom night.
Maddie couldn’t remember when her brain turned to mush, but it had. Maybe once Sean stuck his very experienced tongue in her mouth and started sucking out her brain. This was so not on her agenda. Neither was throwing all caution to the wind and wrapping her arms Sean and kissing him like a crazed person.
Slowly, regretfully, Sean ended the kiss. He stood a breath away from her. “Just so you know my stand on the situation.” He rubbed his body against hers.
“Dinner. Tonight. I’ll pick you up a
t 7.” He stepped away from her, opened her car door and helped inside. “Now, you better leave before I have to take you in the house and spread you on the nearest flat surface.”
Maddie’s body wanted her to stay and ride that man like she had been in a rodeo. Her heart wanted to process everything that had happened between them. With shaky fingers, she inserted the key into the ignition and started the car. She released the power window. “Let me know what the newscaster says.”
He nodded. “See you tonight.”
She took the hint and left before they could get into more trouble.
8
It was almost noon by the time Maddie made to her office. Against every practical bone in her no-nonsense body, she dropped by the hospital to check on Rachel. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty. Not only was she not mentally ready to see her near sister-in-law, she wasn’t physically ready to see her either.
Rachel was hooked up to a variety of machines, and still unconscious. She had a litany of injuries and would be in the hospital at least a week, the doctor informed her.
Maddie did her best to keep up her business face while the doctor discussed therapy options, possible brain swelling, and lung difficulties. She didn’t break down until she was securely in her SUV. She wasn’t fond of Rachel, but no one deserved the beating she received from those thugs.
Where was DJ in all this? Yes, her neck still throbbed, but the intensity was slowly fading away. Did that mean her brother was going to be all right? Or did that mean he was somewhere dying slowly?
“Are we doing any work today?” Renay asked, standing in the doorway. “I can tell something is bothering you.” She walked further inside the office and took a seat. “How can I help?”
Maddie smiled at her assistant. “I wish you could, but this is family stuff.”
“Maybe if you just talk it out, you might find a solution. That always seems to help me.” Renay crossed her legs and focused her attention on her boss.
Maddie knew how stubborn Renay could be and just maybe her friend was right. “All right, remember you asked.”
“Oh, this sounds juicy. Does any of this have anything to do with hot cop from yesterday?”
“Partly, well mostly. He’s a former cop, now he’s a private investigator. Remember when he came by the office?”
“Yes, I thought you were going to talk about your brother.”
“Kind of. We went to his apartment and his girlfriend was there. She’d been attacked.”
“Seriously? How bad?”
“She was barely conscious. We called the paramedics. They rushed her to the hospital. Sean questioned the apartment manager, but he only said it was some thugs.”
“In other words, it was drug related,” said Renay. “What did Mr. Investigator say?”
“He believes it was a message to DJ.” Maddie shook her head. “I went by the hospital this morning to see how she was doing. You should have seen her. It broke my heart.”
“You don’t even like her,” Renay said. “I mean the few times I’ve seen her she always had a chip on her shoulder. How was she doing this morning?”
“Still out of it. The doctor came in while I was there. He told me about her injuries and everything. It just doesn’t seem fair.” She felt the tears trickled down her face.
Renay handed her a tissue. “I understand you’re upset, but something else is bothering you. Did Sean make a pass at you?”
“Not exactly. After we left the hospital, we went for a drink, then dinner. We started talking about the case, and he was going to trace DJ’s last steps by watching the street cams.”
“Sensible idea. How is that a pass?”
“It wasn’t. We went to his place to watch the video footage. We did spot him, and he had some leads to check out. We’re going to dinner tonight to discuss.”
“Okay?”
“When I was getting ready to leave, he kissed me.”
Renay laughed. “It must have been a good one if you’re licking your lips like that.”
Totally busted. “You’re right about that. He’s a great kisser.”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t see a problem. Unless you have a problem with him being an investigator?”
Maddie shook her head. “No, I’m not a job snob. It doesn’t matter to me what a man does for a living. I have my own money. Besides, he’s business looks like he’s doing well, and he lives in Beaumont Hills. So, he’s doing okay.”
“How does an investigator afford a house in that area? I thought he was too good to be true,” Renay said.
“It was the ex’s idea. When she divorced him, she gave him the house in the settlement. She made way more than he did.”
Renay shook her head. “Wow! What does she do?”
Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “News reporter she relocated to Boston. She smiled thinking about the evening ahead. “He’s picking me up at seven for dinner.”
“Sounds like a date,” Renay said.
“He claims it’s not. I guess it’s more like information gathering.”
“A rose by any other name,” Renay said, quoting the famous play of William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.
“I know, right.” She opened her laptop and powered it up. “Now that we’ve finish talking about last night, how about we turn our attention to our paying client, Mr. Brown.”
“Good thinking. He called twice this morning. I think they’re close to picking a publisher.”
“Oh, good. Can you imagine having three of the largest publishing houses in a bidding war on your book?”
“How much are they offering? It has to be some crazy, stupid money,” Renay said.
“It is. Last I heard, it was up to about 5 mil for a seven-book series. They want to rebrand him, since he’s changing genres too.”
“Which means, once he decides who he wants as a publisher, we’re going to have to hit the ground running.”
“Yes, I have someone working to update his website. The next step is speaking engagements. He has one this week, and it’s the first one. It’s on Saturday to a woman’s group. We’re going to have to school him on the terms for women, the toilet and just about anything female related.”
“Don’t tell me,” Renay said. “Doesn’t know the term politically correct?
“You got it. Still thinks they are no female mystery writers.”
Renay gasped. “Oh, my Lord! This man has been living in a time bubble.”
“Exactly, and it’s up to us to bring him back.” Maddie snapped her fingers. “I’m going to the event on Saturday to see how he does with a room full of women. I bet he could use some cue cards or something.”
“You’d like me to make him some?” Renay guessed correctly.
“Anything would help.” Maddie said.
Renay rose, straightened her clothes. “I’ll get right on it.” She gave Maddie a knowing look. “What are you going to do about DJ? Still looking into the matter?”
“Of course.” Maddie wondered what her assistant was leading with the conversation. “Why wouldn’t I? He’s out there somewhere and with Rachel in the hospital, he’s still in danger.”
“You know sometimes people go missing cause they don’t want to be found. You think he knows Rachel got attacked?”
Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, seems like he’d try to contact someone in the family just to let us know he was okay.”
Renay remained quiet. “I’ll just go work on those cue cards.” She left Maddie to her thoughts.
Maddie pondered about her brother. Why was she the only one in her family who was really looking for him? She shook her head. She had to get it together. Maybe tonight Sean would clear everything up and she could get back to her busy life.
***
“Hello, Judge Bradford,” Sean said as he entered his office. Shay was busy at her desk with the phone. He hadn’t expected anyone in his office this late on a Friday.
Judge Bradford was seated in one of the prized chairs, wa
iting patiently. He looked Sean up and down. “A little late, aren’t you? It’s almost noon. Your receptionist said she didn’t know if you were coming in today. Any progress on the case?”
“Yes, sir. Rachel Parks was attacked yesterday by unknown assailants. She’s in Arlington General.”
“Probably college students,” the judge reasoned. “How is she?”
“She’s in a medical induced coma right now. She was beat pretty bad, sir. It was a message. This was not college kids, and they were looking for DJ.”
“Have you told Maddie?”
“Yes, sir. She went with me to the apartment.” He didn’t mentioned dinner or the fact that Maddie left his house in the wee hours of the morning. He didn’t mention kissing her.
“Damn! It’s going to be hell trying to get her to not file a report now. The press will have a field day.”
“I might have a solution,” Sean said quietly.
“What?”
“Later,” Sean said. “I have to work out a few things.”
The judge nodded, finally understanding. “Get back to me with progress.” He exited the office without another word.
Sean sighed once the room was clear.
“If you don’t mind me saying so,” Shay started, “that man could care less about that boy. He’s all about the election. I don’t see why. He’s got it hands down.”
Sean agreed with her. “You know people in those positions always worried about the next scandal.” He walked inside his office and took a seat behind his desk. He opened his laptop and looked up the website for channel 28. He located the phone number and call the TV station. He asked for Natasha and was surprised when he was put through directly to her office.
“Natasha Bridges,” she answered on the second ring.
“Sean Conway, Conway Investigations. I would like an appointment to ask you a few questions.”
“What is this concerning, Mr. Conway?”
“David Bradford, Jr.”
“I can see you in about an hour. I’ll leave your name at the front desk.” She ended the call.
