by Celya Bowers
Sean stared at the phone, before replacing it in the cradle. That was too easy. He expected some sort of push back, but she was ready to see him today. He had questions about DJ, and he hoped the popular news anchor could give him the answers.
An hour later, Sean parked in front of the news station. After showing his investigator’s badge, he was led to Natasha’s private office. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but her voice stopped him.
“Please come in, Mr. Conway,” said Natasha.
He did as she asked. He’d never been in a news anchor’s office. Her office was tricked out to the highest degree. She had a large L-shape mahogany desk, two computer screens, a large screen TV was bolted to the wall, and plush carpet. He sat in one of the padded leather chairs in front of her desk. “Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to see me.”
“Sure, how can I help you?” Natasha rose and walked to the other leather chair. “You mentioned David?”
“Yes, I did.” She was cool, he had to admit. “Yes, on Thursday, you were on Mesquite and Hill street. You were driving a late model Camaro. You stopped and talked to David Bradford, Jr. for about ten minutes.”
“So?”
Now it was his turn to smile. “So, this man is now missing. For the most part, you were the last person to see him before he went missing. How do you know him?”
“Just a fan. He stopped me,” she said coolly.
“So, you don’t know him personally?”
“That’s what I said,” she replied, her coolness slowly slipping away. “I’m on TV three times a day, five days a week. People recognize me.”
She was being evasive, but Sean couldn’t figure out her end game. “Not a man who doesn’t have a job, who hangs at arcade with kids half his age, I don’t think he watched the news. The man I saw on the video had a familiarity with you. So, I will ask again. How do you know him?”
“What if I said I did?” She sat up straight in her chair. “He could have been someone I was interviewing for all you know.”
“That’s correct,” Sean said. “But I do know your interviews last more than ten minutes.”
“True.”
“And if it went down like you said, that didn’t look like an interview conversation. It looked more like a sale.”
“Are you saying I was buying drugs, Mr. Conway?”
Sean knew he’d struck a nerve. “No, that’s not what I said. I said it looked like a sale, I didn’t say what kind of sale. You did.”
9
“It’s not a date,” she told herself, as she exited the shower. She wrapped herself in a towel and stared in the mirror. “This is for DJ, not your seldom-used libido,” she told herself.
Unfortunately, her heart was listening. She started to rub her still wet body with have favorite body butter. This might not be a date, she mused, but it didn’t hurt to practice.
She slipped on her favorite blue dress. Her sister always said it did wonders for her complexion. Maddie glanced in the full-length mirror and smiled at herself. She might be facing thirty-five; but working out at the gym was paying off. She slipped on her blue stilettos, grabbed her purse, and headed downstairs to wait for Sean. She had a feeling he was frighteningly punctual.
Her cell phone rang as she walked to the living room. “Hello?” Please don’t be Sean, she hoped.
“Maddie?”
She was relieved. Or maybe not. “Hey, Maggie,” she said to her sister. “What are you doing?” She sat on the sofa.
“I just wanted to touch base with you.”
Maddie was confused. “About?”
“DJ, our brother. You know the person that is missing.” Her sister took a breath. “Girl, what is going on? I thought you would have been all over the place by now.”
“Well, I have lots to tell you, but I have a sort of date and he’ll be here in a few minutes. Why don’t you come by the office tomorrow and we can have lunch?”
“You don’t date,” Maggie said. “Who are going on this pseudo date with? The old writer guy?”
A laugh tumbled out of her mouth. “I guess Hunter has been called worse, but no it’s not him.” She knew she was going to have to tell her nosy sister. “All right, it’s the investigator. You know that guy I went to go see. Daddy’s friend?”
“So, you are going on a date with sexy? Nice.”
“No, not nice. Just sharing information. He was going to interview some news anchor today.”
“Okay, let me get this straight. An investigator is going to share information on an ongoing investigation with you. Isn’t he breaking law?”
“Technically, it’s not a case. At least not yet. Rachel was attacked yesterday, and I think it’s connected with DJ’s disappearance.”
“Oh, I was afraid of that. I knew he was going to get that girl involved in mess.”
“What?”
“Maddie, you can’t save him if doesn’t want to be saved. DJ is into something we just don’t understand. Look at how he lives. He was content living with Rachel and she’s the only one working. I don’t know how she was putting up with that mess.”
“I don’t know either. She’s been working at the college for years and doesn’t seem to want to do anything else.” Maddie wasn’t exactly fond of her brother’s common-law wife.
Maggie chuckled. “You don’t know do you?”
“Know what?” She felt like she’d been left out of something big. “What are you not telling me?”
“Rachel worked at the college for the free tuition. She’s been taking classes for years, because she works full-time as the manager, she couldn’t take a full load.”
Talk about a face slap! “You mean she’s been attending college all this time. Why didn’t she say something?”
“Like what?”
What indeed? “I don’t know. That’s a huge undertaking at any age, but to manage a staff, and try to maintain classes, that’s a lot.”
“And don’t forget DJ wasn’t helping her at all. Probably was asking for money.”
Maddie thought back over the years. Not one time had DJ mention that Rachel was attending classes or that she was the manager. It was always about him. He always painted the picture that Rachel was just a worker at the university café and not a good one. She made a vow to be more encouraging where Rachel was concerned. “He always claimed they could barely afford the rent. That’s why they didn’t have a car.”
“They didn’t have a car because Rachel knew he’d get into more trouble if he had transportation. She knew what she was doing, Maddie.”
“Yes, she did. Apparently, I didn’t know Rachel. I was going by DJ’s opinion of her. I didn’t talk to her much, she always angry over something.”
“Next time try talking to her. Not that snooty talk you do sometimes, but just regular talk. You’ll find she’s very interesting.” She paused a beat. “You know you’re the reason she’s in college?”
“What?”
“Yes, she saw how successful you were, and she said education wasn’t important in her family, but once she met us, we encouraged her,” her sister said.
“I had no idea,” Maddie whispered. “I mean, she always had such attitude whenever I tried to talk to her. I figured she didn’t like me.”
“No, I think she feels insecure around us, since we all went to college. Well except for DJ, of course.”
Maddie shook her head in disbelief. So many new facts facing her. “I never knew any of this. It explains a lot. I was planning to go see her in the morning. Hopefully, she’ll be alert and talking.”
“Okay, sounds good. Tell me all about it at lunch tomorrow. And, your date.” Her sister ended the call before Maddie could refute her request.
Maddie stared at the phone, then placed it in her purse. “I will not let Maggie jump on my nerves today.” She said the chant several times before her doorbell rang, interrupting her.
She opened the door to a very handsome man. Sean was dressed in a dark suit and looked n
othing like an investigator. He looked like one of those men in an ad for testosterone pills. In short, he looked sexy as hell. “Hello, Jason.” She waved him inside her house. “You look nice.”
He stopped in front of her and closed the door. He looked her up and down. “You look beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “You look good enough to forget all about dinner.”
“Thank you,” Maddie whispered. “Best news I’ve heard all day.” She took a deep breath, summoning up her courage. “We should go before you get into trouble.” Was she really flirting with this man?
“Right you are,” he said quietly. “We have lots to talk about.” He reached for her hand. “Ready?”
She looked down at their joined hands. “I thought this wasn’t a date?”
“Really?” He smiled at her. “Let’s go.”
Maddie decided to go with the flow. “Yes, let’s go.”
Once they arrived at the restaurant, Sean could now see the error of his ways. Not only was the woman sitting across from him part of an active investigation, she was the daughter of one of his closest friends, but none of that could deter the lustful thoughts rolling through his mind. Maybe it was the dress, he reasoned. She had too much cleavage on display.
“Sean?”
Her sultry voice snapped him out of his dreamy state. She would have slapped him if she knew what he was thinking. “Sorry. Did you say something?”
“What did you find out today?”
Damn. Mood killer. Sean sighed as he reached for the crystal goblet of water. After took a healthy sip, he started the difficult conversation. “How well do you know DJ?”
“I know he’s had a hard time with life.”
“Was he into drugs? Selling?”
“I would love to tell you no, but with everything happening, I can’t say. DJ always claimed everyone was against him. That no one wanted him to succeed, because we wouldn’t buy into all the crazy schemes to get rich quick.”
Sean nodded, soaking in the information. “I spoke with Natasha Bridges today.”
“The news anchor?”
“Yeah. She claimed that she barely knew DJ, but I think it was more than that. There was a familiarity between them.” He had so much more to tell her, but he was going to have to do it in baby steps. He didn’t want her on emotional overload, but he still felt she had the right to know the truth about her brother. “She tried to claim she was writing a story about the drug trade in Arlington, but I felt like there’s more at stake than a lousy story.”
“You think DJ was selling drugs?” She looked him straight in the eyes, demanding the truth.
He had to be honest with her and hope beyond hope, it wasn’t a deal breaker. “Yes, I do. If he’s not selling, he has a part of it. Rachel’s beat down tells us that.”
“How?”
“Her injuries were very deliberate and intentional. It was a message to DJ.”
“I went by the hospital this morning, but she was still out of it. The doctor was there and said she going to need therapy.”
“I went by the hospital after I saw Natasha this afternoon. She was up and conscious, but she wasn’t comprehending much. She remembered she had an upcoming assignment due in one of her classes, but not one thing about getting attacked. Mentally, she has blocked it out, I bet. She was going for a CT scan when I left. The doctor is going to call me tomorrow with the results.”
“Are you hoping she’ll be able to recall who attacked her?”
“Eventually, but it depends on if she has any brain damage. Best case scenario, she’ll be able to recall some of the facts so the investigation will move forward. Worst case, she won’t be able to remember anything. To be honest, I just hope she doesn’t have permanent damage that would require more therapy.”
She wiped her eyes discreetly. “Yes, I’m hoping to visit her tomorrow as well. I wasn’t even aware she was attending college. I have a lot to answer for, concerning Rachel.”
“Okay, you’ll have to explain that,” Sean said, between bites of his steak. He’d never felt this open with a woman. Especially a woman he ultimately wanted to sleep with. They were chatting like they had been doing this for years. He wanted to know more about this enigmatic woman sitting across from him.
She placed her knife and fork on the table, and gently dabbed her kissable lips. “Yes, I guess that was kind of a loaded statement. Over the years, I just assumed Rachel was on DJ’s level. You know, barely surviving in the world with a barely-there job. I always assumed she was dishwasher, or a cleaner or something. I didn’t know she was the manager of the café, and I certainly didn’t know she was also attending college full-time in addition to working. In short, she’s the breadwinner of the family and once again, my ne’er-do-well brother, has painted us the wrong picture of his girlfriend. In short, he lied to us.”
“You want to believe in your brother,” Sean said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Yes, there is,” she said honestly. “He fed us lie after lie after lie about Rachel. Even with all that, I still believe in him.”
“And you should.” He bit off the rest of his statement.
“But?”
“Not everyone wants to be saved. Sometimes you have to let them fall on their face and want to fix themselves.”
She didn’t say anything, merely chased her food around the plate with the gold-plated fork. She was probably trying to come up with a believable excuse to end the date early. “True, but then there’s my dad. I don’t want DJ’s bad habits to cause him the election.” She rubbed her neck.
“How’s the pain?”
“It’s not so bad. I think this is more stress than pain. DJ is in trouble, but I don’t think he’s hurt. I think my pain was for Rachel.”
“So, if you’re pain hasn’t increased anymore, maybe that’s a good sign for Rachel.”
“I sure hope so.” She took a healthy swig of wine. “It would sure help me out.”
He wanted to alleviate some of her guilt concerning Rachel, but knew it was useless. Maddie was going to have to work it out on her own.
She peered across the table as she scooped up some of her pasta. “What’s the next step?” She took a bite of her meal. “I mean you still have no idea where to find my brother.”
“I got a few more things in the hopper,” he said.
“As in?” She took another bite.
“Some things I cannot share,” he said. “It’s part of the investigation.” He finished his bottle of beer.
“But you have a feeling,” she reasoned logically. “I feel like he’s okay wherever he is.”
“Yes, that’s my feeling as well. I feel like he’s hiding, not being held against his will.” Sean also guessed DJ was somewhere nearby, probably witnessing everything that was going on. He wondered why DJ hadn’t reached out to anyone in his family, just to put their thoughts about his safety to rest.
She sighed, took another couple of bites of food, and finished her glass of wine. “Tell me about you,” she said quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m trying to process the information about my missing brother, so I need to concentrate on something else. Since you’re here, tell me about you. I’ve heard Daddy mention you a time or two, but I want to know about Sean. What do you do for fun?”
Sean laughed. “Fun? I don’t have fun. I’m a private investigator with an overflowing caseload. My office is busy, I have four associate investigators as well. I don’t have time for fun.”
She shook her head. “You had time for this. So, you must have time for fun?”
Sean signaled for another round of drinks. “On occasion.” He wanted to tell her this wasn’t for fun, but then he would be lying. “What about you? I know you have a thriving PR business. When do you have spare time?”
“When I first opened my business, I worked crazy hours, but in the last year or so, I have tried to stop working by seven whether or at home or in the offic
e. Unless, I have an event, then all bets are off.”
Sean saw his opening and he decided for once in his life, he was going for it. “So how about dinner on Saturday?”
Maddie choked on her food. “I’m sorry?”
Sean smiled. He supposed it was a little out of the ordinary, but what the hell? “I asked you for a dinner date.” He’d put himself out there, so now he had to wait for her answer.
“Oh, I see.” She watched the waiter refill her wine glass and leave them alone again. “Well, why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you want to date me?”
“You’re pretty, smart, and we seem to do well together. Why not? Is it because one of my parents is white? I didn’t think the color thing would be an issue, but if it is, I get it.”
“No, I don’t have a problem with you or your parents. I was wondering if my father put you up to this.”
“Hadn’t even crossed my mind. Does your dad find dates for you often?”
She laughed. “No, but my parents are desperate for grandchildren and hardly miss an opportunity to try to set me up.”
“How did that work out?’
“You have to ask?” She took a drink of wine. “I’m here with you.”
“Could have been just for the information. How do I know?”
“Actually, I hadn’t talk to my dad today. When I finally got to work, I’d been busy all day with Hunter Brown’s PR campaign. “
“Hunter Brown the writer? I didn’t know he lived around here,” Sean said, instantly intrigued. Then it made sense. “That was the old guy in your office the other day? He’s one of my favorite mystery writers. He hasn’t written anything in a couple of years. I thought maybe he’d passed away.”
“Nope, alive and kicking. He relocated to Dallas last year to be near his grandkids. His son-in-law was a client of mine from years ago, he recommended me,” she said proudly. “It’s a big project, but I’m so thankful for the opportunity.”
“So how big is this project? What kind of mystery is it?”
“That’s just it. He wrote something totally different and now he needs to market his book for whole new audience.”
