Investigating 101

by Debra Webb

  Todd waited for her to continue. He didn’t want to push too hard. This appeared to be curiously sensitive territory for her.

  “I learned later that Landon had carried on an affair with Delia and that Molly wanted to make sure I understood that Charles was her husband.” Serena closed her eyes. “When she’d introduced me to everyone who was anyone, she dragged me off to the kitchen and warned me that I’d better watch myself because she would definitely be watching. Then she laughed as if she’d suddenly realized that I represented no threat to her. We became instant friends.”

  “Did you tell the police about this?” Todd knew she hadn’t, though he didn’t know her reasons.

  She shook her head. “They already thought she’d left Landon on her own. I didn’t want to give them any additional evidence to that end.”

  Todd studied her face. She looked pale and worried. Her eyes were glazed with emotion. One thing was certain, she and Molly Landon had definitely been close. Very close.

  “You’re that certain she didn’t simply walk away.”

  This time Serena leveled her gaze on him and there was no way to miss the resolve in her eyes. “I’m positive that she would not walk away. Her marriage was extremely important to her. She would never leave him. No matter how many affairs he had. Family was her priority.”

  “There were others?” The Colby Agency report had concluded as much, but Landon was a cautious man. He took discreet to a new level.

  Serena sighed wearily. “More than I probably even know about. He’s always going out of town.”

  Todd braced for her reaction to his next question but he felt compelled to ask. “He never attempted to initiate a nonworking relationship with you?”

  Fury streaked across her face, turning her cheeks a deep red. “No. Never.”

  He’d hit a nerve. “Did that bother you in any way? Make you feel inadequate?”

  Apparently he’d just thought he’d seen her angry. This new outrage represented a zone he had no desire to encounter again anytime soon. The fury roared in her eyes and her fingers tightened on the cup. But it was the set of her mouth that told the real story. She could have bitten off his head and spit down his throat.

  “Dr. Landon never approached me in any manner that was not work-related. Had he, I would have informed him I wasn’t interested.”

  Todd’s gaze tapered with the turn his hunch had just taken. He was on to something here. “But you wouldn’t have quit? You wanted this job badly enough to stay no matter what, am I right?”

  Her indecision as to what to say held her mute for three beats. “Yes,” she said sharply and without apology.

  “Even though—” Todd leaned forward to pump up the intimidation factor “—you’re overqualified for the position of assistant?”

  “We all have to start somewhere, don’t we?”

  Well now, she had him there.

  “I suppose we do,” he allowed. Instead of relaxing in his chair once more, he braced his elbows on his widespread knees and kept his gaze steady on hers. “Have you applied for promotions since you started at Milestone?” He knew the answer to that one already, but he wanted to see her reaction.

  Another lengthy hesitation. “No. I like my work. I have no desire to move from my department. Opportunities come along occasionally for promotion within a department.”

  “So you forgo the possibility of moving up the ladder more quickly to keep your position with Dr. Landon?” She’d said basically as much, except he wanted to hear her say the words. “He hasn’t offered you a promotion?”

  “Maybe you’d like a blanket, Mr. Thompson. These late spring nights can get a little chilly.” She stood, an act of dismissal, without answering his question.

  He pushed to his feet and reached for his jacket. “That would be nice, Miss Blake. I appreciate your concern for my welfare.”

  She spun on her heel and stamped off down the hall. He moved to the door and waited for her. He thought about the photo of her and Molly Landon, both smiling as if the picture had been taken on the happiest day of their lives.

  If Serena felt so strongly that Charles Landon had harmed his wife in some way, why was she so hell-bent on continuing to work with him?

  What was she hiding?

  If she, in fact, wanted so desperately to find Molly Landon, why didn’t she come clean?

  A blanket and pillow in her arms, Serena strode up to him and shoved the items at him without a word.

  “Thank you, Miss Blake.”

  “No problem.” Her manners wouldn’t let her ignore him, but she hadn’t gone so far as to say he was welcome.

  He turned to the door, reached for the knob but hesitated. “You know, when a person goes missing, the only way to determine what actually happened is to get to the truth.” He looked fully at her. “The whole truth, Miss Blake. That’s the only way we’ll learn what happened to your good friend.”

  Her expression hardened. “Good night, Mr. Thompson.”

  And that was that.

  He wouldn’t be getting any more out of her tonight.

  Todd surveyed the street before hustling to his car. He slid behind the wheel and made himself comfortable with the blanket and pillow. He might not be able to do any real sleeping but at least he could relax. The pillow smelled like her. He wondered if it came from her bed. He held it to his face and inhaled deeply. Whatever the subtle perfume she wore, he liked it.

  Liked her.

  She was the kind of woman a guy could get into…way too fast. He recognized the danger. No way was he going there.

  As appealing as she was, he also understood that she was lying to him. Hiding something pertinent to this case.

  Maybe his babysitting job wasn’t going to be so benign after all.

  Just maybe Serena Blake was the key to learning what had really happened to Molly Landon.

  Todd smiled and thought about checking in with Braddock, but he changed his mind. If he told Braddock what he suspected, he might decide that keeping an eye on Serena required a more experienced investigator. Todd wasn’t about to let that happen.

  If fate had smiled on him and put him in the position to break this case, he damn sure wasn’t about to blow it.

  He watched Serena’s silhouette as she moved in front of her bedroom window. She tore off the sweater, tossed it to the floor then climbed into bed. Tomorrow his whole strategy was going to change. This was no longer a glorified babysitting job, in his opinion. Serena had information. Information he needed to connect the dots that would lead to the truth.

  He’d noticed her naiveté on certain levels: he’d have to use that. He’d never met a lady he couldn’t charm if he so chose. Three days tops and she would be spilling everything she knew to him while Braddock was still playing games with Landon.

  Todd rubbed a hand over his chin. He’d have to proceed with caution, otherwise he’d scare her off. Serena Blake would require the old-fashioned kind of persuasion. Slow, easy, sweet talk and gentle urging.

  He didn’t have a problem with that.

  In fact, he looked forward to the challenge.

  Chapter Six

  Serena held the pillow close to her chest and fought the tears. She would not…would not cry. Crying wouldn’t help Molly. Crying wouldn’t block out the truth.

  She closed her eyes and summoned the pleasant memories from just a few months ago. Serena had been so thrilled when she’d found her sister. She felt certain Molly had been happy, as well, but she’d wanted to keep the information a secret from her husband.

  Why?

  Looking back now, and considering Todd Thompson’s questions, Serena asked herself the hard questions. What had Molly been hiding?

  Was she ashamed of the fact that she’d been adopted from a criminally negligent mother and her abusive boyfriends? Or was it something else? Something she couldn’t bear to share with Serena?

  What if she never knew? What if Molly was already dead?

  Serena threw her pillow across
the room and scrambled out of bed. She refused to believe that. No matter what anyone said, she would not give up hope. Molly was out there somewhere. And she was pregnant—with Serena’s niece. She had to find her, had to help her. No matter the cost. If her savings weren’t enough, she would mortgage her town house. She’d taken her inheritance and bought this place. She could borrow against it without any trouble.

  But she needed some sort of clue. Some direction to go in. Even the police were stumped. They’d cleared Landon, and couldn’t find any indication whatsoever that he’d had anything to do with Molly’s disappearance. The police assumed that because Molly had made a large withdrawal shortly before her disappearance, she’d left on her own. They’d even looked into the possibility that she’d been involved in an affair. That maybe the child she carried wasn’t Landon’s and that was her reason for disappearing. But Serena was certain that wasn’t the case.

  Every instinct told Serena that this had something to do with Charles Landon. She just didn’t know how or what. She had suspected for several months now that he’d promised his soul to the devil, so to speak, in an effort to achieve the necessary funding for his advanced stem cell research. He was still working to that end, focusing solely on that goal—one wouldn’t know from his actions that his wife was missing. But Serena couldn’t prove any of her accusations. Landon had left her totally out of that loop. Had Molly figured out he was into something unethical or illegal and confronted him? Why hadn’t she told Serena?

  They were sisters, after all.

  She had to stop thinking about it. She’d never get to sleep otherwise and she had an early meeting. The Colby Agency was on the case now.

  Without turning on the light, she peeked past the corner of the blinds. Between the meager moonlight and the dim glow from the street lamp she could just make out Thompson’s beat-up old Volvo. The decade-old sedan looked every day of its age. Not at all like her sleek BMW. But then, she’d gotten a hefty inheritance. That was the only reason she’d been able to afford this place and a classy car. Her salary certainly wouldn’t have allowed such luxuries.

  She wondered about Todd Thompson. He was young. She hadn’t gotten his date of birth when he’d flashed his license, but she recognized that he was very young. Twenty-two or three. She also suspected that he was new at the Colby Agency. Otherwise she doubted he would be assigned the lowly duty of watching her place. Landon was the important one in this case. She’d wager that Braddock was keeping an eye on Landon. Braddock had the experience. Victoria Colby-Camp wouldn’t take any chances. Her agency’s reputation was far too esteemed to take unnecessary risks.

  Though Thompson was definitely a little rough around the edges, he was no fool. He’d sensed that she was lying to him or, at the very least, leaving things out. She had to give him credit. He might be new and was definitely young, but he was a quick study.

  The idea that he’d asked whether or not Dr. Landon had ever made sexual overtures toward her infuriated her. Of course he hadn’t. She didn’t give off those come-on vibes. She’d heard the rumors about his previous assistant. She’d been all over him from the beginning. That she’d moved on so abruptly had facilitated Serena’s needs, but given the appearance of having been caught. Molly hadn’t ever mentioned confronting her, but it was possible she’d chosen not to speak of it.

  As much as Serena loved her sister, she understood that there was a definite boundary in their relationship. At first she hadn’t wanted to accept that some invisible wall stood between her and her sister, but she’d come to terms with it. They were close, very close. Closer than most sisters, in Serena’s opinion. But there was that place they couldn’t get past. Maybe Molly just couldn’t talk about the way her husband had betrayed her. The wall that kept their relationship from going deeper seemed to involve her intimate connection with him.

  Serena heaved a sigh. God, please don’t let her be dead already. Let her be out there, safely tucked away for some unknown reason, waiting to be rescued.

  Well, sleep was out of the question. She might as well get some work done.

  Serena moved down the stairs as quietly as if she feared Thompson was somewhere nearby listening. She rolled her eyes. She had to put that man out of her mind.

  Her town house wasn’t that large. Two bedrooms and two baths upstairs. Living room, dining room turned office, kitchen and half bath downstairs. All she needed. More than she’d ever hoped for as a kid growing up in foster homes.

  She went to her desk and sat in front of her desktop computer. She nudged the mouse to suspend the screen-saver, then clicked the necessary keys to get her to the report for this morning’s briefing.

  Serena studied her report. Milestone was nearing the end of its government resources. The line of cells purchased from the National Institutes of Health was almost exhausted. New clusters of cells would be needed for the research Charles Landon had in mind. That private funding he sought would put those cells within reach.

  There was no law preventing the creation of new cell lines as long as no government funding was utilized. But Milestone Laboratories was ninety-nine percent government-funding dependent. That had to change for Landon’s proposed research to go forward.

  She was no fool. She could read between the lines. Others surely could, as well. Unless some other form of funding that she was unaware of came into play, in mere months all research would have to be suspended.

  Considering that she noted no worry in either Landon or Miles, she felt confident that private arrangements had been made. Why not announce this news?

  Serena arrowed down, perusing the report in spite of the fact that she knew the information by heart already. It was what she didn’t know that worried her.

  Surely an announcement of private funding was imminent. Did this change have anything to do with Molly’s disappearance? And why wasn’t Dr. Landon more concerned with his missing wife? Or his unborn child at the very least.

  The first two or three weeks he’d been beside himself. Serena had almost felt sorry for him despite his numerous affairs of the past. But then, as soon as the police had ruled him out as a suspect and suggested that Molly had left on her own, Landon had turned his full attention back to work and that was where it had been since. He scarcely even mentioned his wife and child anymore.

  It just didn’t add up.

  She supposed it could be a defensive mechanism. A way to protect his feelings and his ego. But she wasn’t ready to give him that much slack. Maybe she should.

  Deep in her heart she knew Molly would not just disappear. She had doctor appointments. She was pregnant. She couldn’t risk neglecting medical care for the final weeks of her pregnancy. No one in their right mind would do something as foolish as that. She had to confess that the police had worked hard to find her, especially considering the pregnancy. What disappointed her was the fact that they had dismissed Landon so easily.

  And maybe Landon was only guilty of being a selfish jerk. Hadn’t he effectively shut out Arthur Miles in the past couple of years? Serena had heard the rumors. Milestone was started by Arthur Miles, but two years ago he’d run into financial trouble and had to sell a large portion of his stock. Somehow he’d failed to realize that Landon’s quick move to buy had put him in the control seat with the most shares. If Miles held a grudge, he hid it well. He appeared content with sitting back and allowing Landon to hog the limelight.

  Serena shut down her laptop and got up from her desk. She needed to sleep. She didn’t want to think about any of this anymore.

  She turned out the light and trudged back up the stairs. Vaguely she wondered if Todd Thompson had gotten to sleep with the aid of her pillow and blanket. What was the temperature outside? It hadn’t felt that cold when she’d gone out there. But the temperature might have dropped. Before she could rein in her empathy she switched on the television in her bedroom and checked the weather station. Forty-nine degrees. Not so bad.

  But he was tall. He wouldn’t be able to stretch out in
that car.

  Cursing herself, she grabbed her sweater and stomped to the first floor. She unlocked and flung open the front door, left it that way while she marched down the walk and across the street.

  This time she didn’t go to the driver’s side: she banged on the window on the passenger’s side.

  Abrupt movement inside the vehicle told her she’d roused him, if he’d been asleep.

  The driver’s-side door opened and his head and shoulders rose above the car on the opposite side. “What is it?”

  He looked as if he’d just awakened and his hair was even more tousled than usual. And still he looked amazing. It was utterly ridiculous.

  “Look, it’s stupid for you to sleep out here. You can sleep on my couch.”

  He shoved his fingers through his disheveled hair and looked confused for a moment.

  “It’s not that complicated, Thompson. You can either continue to sleep cramped up out here or you can come inside. It’s your choice.”

  Furious with herself for even asking, she did an about-face and stormed back to her house. She was an absolute idiot. She shouldn’t have cared if he froze to death out here and it wasn’t even close to freezing.

  “Stupid,” she muttered.

  She no sooner cleared the threshold than the door slammed behind her. She spun around, startled to find Thompson right behind her. Her breath caught, giving away her surprise.

  “Sorry.”

  Looking entirely unrepentant, he shuffled over to the sofa and collapsed.

  “There’s a bathroom down the hall,” she snapped. “The second floor is off-limits.”

  “Thanks.”

  She almost groaned and forced herself to turn away. Upstairs she locked her bedroom door and climbed into bed. She lay there for a full thirty minutes with barely even a blink.

  How could she sleep with a stranger downstairs?

  She threw back the covers, got up and dragged her dressing table in front of the door.

  “There.”

  That was better. If he tried to come through her door she’d have plenty of warning.