Runaway Heiress

by Jennifer Morey

  He couldn’t believe how easy it had been for an irresistible kiss to lead to carnal throes of passion. He was pretty sure Sadie had fallen under the same agonizing spell. While he took some comfort in that, he couldn’t forgive himself. It had been that easy the first time, and had he made a mess of that.

  Reaching the address a DAI team member had sent him, Jasper went to the door and rang the bell, smelling freshly cut grass and blooming flowers. Deloris Moreno answered. She lived in an upscale neighborhood but not so upscale that one would think she’d gotten a sizable divorce settlement. Perhaps in line with what Sadie had told him about her father. He might have hired a cutthroat attorney or forced her to sign a prenuptial agreement.

  “Mr. Roesch?” the woman queried.

  While Sadie slept, he’d phoned ahead to explain why he needed to see her—manufactured a bit. “Yes.”

  She came out onto the porch and indicated the outdoor furniture, an all-weather charcoal love seat and matching chair with a table between, a vase of fresh perky yellow tulips in the center.

  He went to sit on the chair and she on the sofa.

  “So, you’re the private investigator looking into a murder case?” She gave him a staged once-over. “My, I wasn’t expecting anyone so handsome.” She waved her hand in the air, a downward swipe. “And I wouldn’t have invited you to my home if I hadn’t verified your employment and purpose.”

  Any smart person would do the same. “Thank you for seeing me.”

  “Who is this murdered person?”

  He’d get to that in a minute. “How long were you married to Mr. Moreno?”

  Her animation dimmed considerably. “Not long. Just five years. We divorced some ten, eleven years ago. Worst time of my life. I never wanted to remarry after him. He gave me all the taste of marriage I want.”

  “He wasn’t a nice man?” Jasper recalled all Sadie had told him.

  “Oh, he was nice, just not to me. Everyone had this rosy image of him. That used to infuriate me. He cared a lot what others thought of him, but at home he was a different man. He loved embarrassing me at parties or whenever we were with groups of people.”

  He was nice? He cared what people thought of him? That didn’t match what Sadie had told him.

  “One time he corrected a word I mispronounced and laughed and joked about how I never went to college,” Deloris went on. “Nobody thought anything of it, but when we went home he went into a rage about how I should learn English so I wouldn’t make him look bad in public. He told me he married a stupid woman and should have married someone smarter.”

  Now that was more in line with what Sadie’s version of her father. “Did people at work like him?”

  “Yes, of course. Like I said, his image was important to him. He had to have people like him. No one at any of the holiday parties complained about him and none of the other executives’ wives gossiped as such. But I was married to him. Why would they tell me? I just know what a jerk he was home.”

  “What about other women? Women who worked for him?”

  “He especially had to have them like him. He flirted with women in front of me. Promoted the pretty ones. It was disgusting.”

  That also didn’t jibe with what Sadie had told him. “Was he married before you?”

  “Once, but not for very long.”

  “And he had no children from that marriage? He told me he didn’t have any children.”

  “He did have one child.” Deloris hadn’t been married to him long enough to be Sadie’s mother. “Sadie Moreno.”

  She sat back as though puzzled. “She’s his daughter? He didn’t have any children. I never met anyone. He didn’t have a daughter. I’d have known.”

  Didn’t have a daughter.

  “Are you sure? Maybe he had an estranged daughter.” He had to have known about her or he wouldn’t have named Sadie as his sole heir.

  She adamantly shook her head. “George didn’t want kids. In fact, when he died, he left the majority of his fortune to charity.” She all but spat the last word.

  Charity? Jasper stared at her a long while, pole-axed that Sadie had lied in such a huge way. Who the hell was she?

  “Sadie said she inherited his fortune.”

  Deloris’s puzzled look returned. “Who is Sadie Moreno? I’ve never heard of her. And no, he didn’t leave his fortune to anyone.”

  Clearly she had never met Sadie. “How did you fare in the divorce?”

  “I think you know the answer to that.” She glanced back at the house. “He had his expensive attorneys. I’m sure he enjoyed crushing me one last time.” She paused and Jasper could sense her thinking back on those times. “I was glad when I heard he died, but a little angry he didn’t leave me any of his fortune. It wouldn’t have caused him any trouble to take care of me better than he did. He never remarried after me and I never did, either, so I was able to claim his social security. That’s all I got from his billions.” She shook her head. “What a jerk.”

  She had the same sentiment toward George Moreno that Sadie did, but not his poor ethics at work.

  “Who is this person you say was murdered?”

  “Bernie King. He was a homeless man.”

  “Homeless?” Deloris frowned her confusion. “George got himself involved with a homeless man?”

  “He was last seen at Sadie Moreno’s Revive Center,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t ask too many more questions.

  She fell silent for a few seconds, no doubt thinking over what he’d explained so far. “So you think this Sadie person’s money has something to do with the murder?”

  “I’m not speculating yet. I appreciate you talking to me. You’ve helped me better understand Sadie’s relationship with her father.”

  “You mean, there is none,” Deloris said. “George isn’t her father. She lied to you about that.”

  After a moment wondering why she had lied, Jasper said, “Yes.”

  “It’s impossible this girl is his daughter. If she is, then George never knew of her.”

  And could have never given her his fortune. “Thank you, Ms. Moreno.” Jasper stood.

  “That girl stole George’s money,” Deloris called after him. “She didn’t inherit any.”

  Jasper highly doubted Sadie stole the money, but he did agree she probably hadn’t inherited any, either. She’d already had money, and for whatever reason had made up a new identity. Somehow she’d hidden her money, probably in some offshore account, and moved to Wyoming to hide.

  Anger simmered in his chest but he also worried for her. What kind of trouble was she in?

  He left Deloris on her front porch. Had Sadie told him the truth about anything? He’d kept to himself how much their night together impacted him. He’d felt shaken the next morning. And then he’d decided the time had come to get the case moving, and moving fast. If he kept busy, he’d keep his mind off her. He’d planned to give her a few more days to recover but that night changed everything. He couldn’t book them flights fast enough.

  But before he delved full-steam into the case, he had to know the truth. If this next stop didn’t produce the answers he needed, he’d go get them from Sadie, and this time she’d talk.

  * * *

  At the Revive Center, Jasper was taken aback by its size and grandeur. A striated earth-colored brick structure, overhanging rafters extended from an uneven roofline. The front entrance sat forward from the rest of the building and was made mostly of glass. He entered through the revolving door and stepped into an atrium full of trees and plants. A stone pathway led to an open area and a directory.

  The facility had a medical clinic and a mental therapy staff. A physical fitness center that included rehabilitation. An entire floor was dedicated to reentry into the job market. He didn’t see any listing for staff.

 
A door opened to his right. A homeless man walked toward the exit holding some papers and a few brochures. He didn’t look at him as he passed and exited the building.

  Jasper glanced toward the door and noticed a framed poster on the wall. Enter here to start your new life.

  Moving around the directory, he saw several displays built into the walls. A homeless person could come here and learn about the facility before ever coming into contact with a person, a nonthreatening way of drawing them in. No one had to know they’d come to check the place out.

  Jasper went to the door and pushed it open. Sounds and sights hit him. The large space functioned as a giant living space and cafeteria. Several televisions hung on the walls and food service personnel were busy getting ready for the dinner crowd.

  “Can I help you?”

  Turning toward the voice, Jasper spotted a dark-haired women behind a counter, racks of brochures behind her and a computer on the counter.

  “I’m just checking the place out.” He’d rather not let on who he was just yet. “I drive by here every once in a while and I heard what a success it’s been. I was thinking about volunteering, maybe getting a job if an opening is available.”

  The woman smiled wide, her white teeth flashing. Light reflected of her sleek black hair and her brown eyes may as well be the same color as her hair. “We never turn down a volunteer. How familiar are you with the operations of the Revive Center?”

  He gave her his best apologetic face. “Not very much. You take in homeless?”

  She laughed briefly and moved from around the counter to come and stand beside him. “We start with this room. It’s deliberately casual. Some homeless have been on the street for a long time and the idea of something new might be frightening. Others are just scared it won’t work. Many are plain happy to have the chance.”

  He surveyed the room and all its occupants, some eating, some watching television, others seemed to be just waiting.

  “If they decide to take the next step and come in here, we greet them and get them acquainted with the program. First we take care of immediate needs like food and medical and clothing, then we develop individualized plans based on the level of attention each person requires. Some need more help than others.”

  “Who’s in charge of the operation?” Jasper asked.

  “Carol Smith. She’s the general manager.”

  “Who’s the owner?”

  “It’s a nonprofit founded by Sadie Moreno, but she isn’t here very much anymore. She leaves the day-to-day operations to Carol.” She led him across the room to a set of double doors, using a badge to enter.

  So far much of what Sadie had told him was true.

  “This is the administration area, where all the clients are processed and assigned housing.”

  Jasper saw men and women busily working, passing one office where a homeless man sat before a woman typing into a computer. He wasn’t as interested in that as he was digging for information.

  “As you may have seen, the second floor is job placement assistance and the third is rehabilitation.”

  Jasper half listened to that part of her narrative.

  At the end of the hall, she led him into the staff break room, not as large as the main cafeteria but large enough to hold four tables. The far wall was all windows and he could see another building, taller than this one but the same basic design. He’d seen part of it from the street.

  She began to move toward the exit of the break room. “Let me take you to Carol. You’ll have to talk to her about onboarding. Nothing goes forward without her okay.”

  “She sounds like the one I need to talk to, then,” Jasper said. The woman had no idea he wasn’t talking about volunteering, either.

  “Right this way.” The smiling woman who clearly was proud of her job walked ahead of him down another hall.

  On the way, he pointed to her badge. “Who issues those for you?”

  After glancing down and idly lifting and fingering the plastic-covered badge, she said, “The facilities manager.”

  “Is he or she in charge of security here?”

  “I don’t know.” At an office door, she stopped. “This is Carol. She’ll be able to answer all your questions and get you set up as a volunteer or see if any openings fit your qualifications. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name yet.” She held a hand in the air with an upward lift of her eyes. “How rude of me.”

  “Jasper Roesch,” he said to the woman with short gray hair and glasses inside the office who’d looked up at they appeared in the doorway, hand still on her computer mouse.

  She smiled at him. “Come on in.”

  Turning to the other woman, he said, “Thanks,” hoping she’d hear the dismissal.

  She must have. “Anytime. Looking forward to seeing you around.” As she backed up her eyes roamed over his body briefly. She faced forward and walked down the hall.

  Jasper entered the office and sat on one of the chairs packed between the wall and Carol’s desk and looked back at Carol.

  “What kind of work are you looking for, Mr. Roesch?”

  “Something in security. I’ve heard of the man who heads it up. Is he here today?”

  Her reaction resembled his tour guide’s. “We have a facilities manager. Is that who you mean?”

  “Steven Truscott?”

  She looked confused. “Steven Truscott? That name doesn’t ring a bell.” She used her mouse to check a database.

  Jasper didn’t tell her it wasn’t necessary. Sadie had lied. Again. Steven had lied. Even more significant was that Sadie hadn’t breathed a word about Steven to anyone here. He was a secret.

  “I’ll give you some forms to fill out. Bring them back when you’re finished and we’ll get you all set up. Why don’t you come back tomorrow?” She stood from her chair. “I can walk you back out.”

  Jasper left the office and waited in the hall for her to go with him.

  “We miss Sadie around here,” Carol said as they walked. “She used to come here more often but ever since Bernie’s murder she’s worked from home.”

  “Really? Why do you suppose that is?”

  “Probably because she was so upset about it. And the police are getting nowhere with the investigation. I heard on the news they have no new leads.”

  “A cold case?”

  “I suppose so.” Carol opened the cafeteria door and kept talking as Jasper spotted Sadie just then entering on the far side, commanding in a runway model black hat and black pantsuit. Behind her, the security guard he’d posted outside their hotel room lifted his arms and shook his head wryly. Sadie must have insisted on coming here.

  When she saw him she stopped short with a fuming look.

  “Oh my, look—it’s Sadie. I can’t believe it,” Carol said. “What a coincidence.”

  Carol walked with him to Sadie. She stood speechless. He could imagine her mind racing, wondering how much he’d learned and what she should and should not say right now. She was pretty when she was mad. He took in her dark hair clipped up with a few stray tendrils hanging and eyes that met his head-on. Damn, what this woman did to him!

  “Sadie,” Carol said. “We didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “I didn’t expect to have to come,” she replied, no longer flummoxed, anger coming out just a bit. She did a good job of covering it for now.

  “This is our newest volunteer, Jasper Roesch,” Carol said.

  “Volunteer?” Sadie questioned with a mocking tone. “That’s what he told you?”

  Carol faltered, and from the counter to his right, he watched the other woman glancing over as she greeted a homeless man.

  “Y-yes,” Carol stammered.

  “He’s a private investigator I hired to look into Bernie’s case,” Sadie said. “He came here
to fish for information.” She all but hurled the last at him, accusatory and incensed.

  He raised his right hand as though on trial. “Guilty as charged.”

  The counter woman had abandoned her conversation with the homeless man and Carol stared at him in disbelief.

  He lowered his hand and put on his best boyish charm. “My apologies, ladies. I wouldn’t be a good detective if I didn’t do a little anonymous sleuthing.”

  After a moment Carol’s expression smoothed. “Oh, you are good, Mr. Roesch. You certainly had me going.”

  “Me, too,” the woman at the counter said, clearly pleased to learn Jasper was more than a volunteer—rather a sexy private detective.

  Jasper noticed Sadie turn to look at the smitten girl.

  “Volunteer.” Carol laughed as though at herself. “You didn’t look like a volunteer to me.”

  “Not to me, either,” the woman at the counter said, smiling in a flirty way.

  “Can I get the rest of the brochures?” the homeless man asked impatiently.

  Jasper watched Sadie’s gaze return to his, her temper cooling. She now seemed to brace herself for what was to come. Questions. Would she finally answer them?

  Chapter 6

  After Jasper bade his drop-dead gorgeous, charming farewell-for-now to the ladies, he ushered Sadie out of the center’s great room and into the lobby. Marching along the stone path to the exit, she pushed through the revolving door.

  Out on the sidewalk she rounded on him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Getting answers I wasn’t getting in Wyoming.”

  “You could have brought me with you.”

  “Could I have?” he challenged, silencing any further argument.

  He’d asked about Steven. She’d kept Steven a secret along with her past. He was part of her past, and now Jasper had uncovered some of it. “You’re supposed to be solving Bernie’s murder, not nosing your way into my life!”