“Bear with me. I need to start at the beginning.” Elliot’s voice snapped me out of my lust-filled reverie. He took a pamphlet from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and asked, “Are either of you aware of my plans for a wildlife park between here and Sparkville?”
“I’ve read about it in the newspaper,” Jake answered as I nodded. He folded his six-four, well-muscled body into his desk chair and continued, “As I recall, the article in the Banner mentioned that there was opposition from an animal rights group and some other problems as well.”
“The Animal Safety Alliance refuses to see reason.” Elliot frowned.
“From what folks have been talking about in the store,” I chimed in, “the owners of the land adjacent to the park aren’t too thrilled about its existence, either. Your neighbors are not fans of the idea of wild animals roaming free.”
“The four hundred acres is completely enclosed by reinforced electrical fences.” Elliot blew out an exasperated sigh. “People need to understand the park will bring in tourists and help small businesses in the area.”
Although dollar signs danced in my head, I pushed aside my greed and countered, “Isn’t it immoral to breed wild animals for the sole purpose of confining them to a cage all their lives?”
“We won’t be buying animals from breeders, and unless they require medical treatment, they won’t be in cages.” Elliot turned toward me. “The park will be a refuge, taking in animals whose owners abandoned them or who were found injured and in need of veterinary care.”
“What type of animals will you have?” Jake had begun taking notes.
“Initially, there will be bison, deer, llamas, and camels,” Elliot answered. “But my true passions are the big cats. Once we have the set-up in place, we’ll also shelter any of those that need a home.”
“How far along with the project are you?” Jake asked, a furrow forming between his dark brows. “I recall the Banner article said that you inherited the land, but how about financing, permits, and zoning?”
“The funding is in place.” Elliot straightened the crease on his pants. “The initial capital will come from my personal accounts, donations, and investors.”
“How about the legalities?” Jake asked.
“The county board meets in two weeks to consider the change of zoning needed,” Elliot answered. “And during that meeting, they’ll decide on the special-use permit that’s required as well.”
“Does it appear to you that the board will approve?” I asked.
There was no question in my mind that the county could use an economic boost. Several area factories had closed, and we were all hurting. I just wasn’t sure if a wildlife park would be the answer to our economic woes or cause more problems than it was worth.
“As of now, there’s one undecided vote.” Elliot crossed his legs.
“Is that why you want to hire me?” Jake’s tone was harsh. “I won’t provide blackmail information.”
“No!” Elliot jerked as if he’d been slapped. “I’m here about my wife.”
“Are you in the process of a divorce?” Jake asked, his striking blue eyes dimming.
Domestic dispute cases were the bread and butter of a private investigator. Jake and I had discussed it, and he’d told me that although he knew he had to take those clients, he found that kind of work distasteful. It was a shame that his first job would be something he didn’t like doing.
“Divorce?” Elliot frowned. “Not at all.” His expression unreadable, he continued, “My wife’s been kidnapped, and the police refuse to do anything about it.”
CHAPTER 2
Kidnapped? I mouthed the word to Jake and widened my eyes. I hadn’t been expecting that.
“Don’t you think that little nugget of information should have been the first thing you mentioned to us?” I snapped.
“Along with getting hyperfocused on whatever I’m trying to accomplish, I am also extremely linear.” Elliot’s gaze softened. “It’s not that I don’t love my wife, it’s just the way my mind works.” He frowned. “And Gabriella’s disappearance is a direct result of my attempt to open up the wildlife park. Everything starts with my initiation of that project.”
“All that aside, I find it hard to believe that Chief Kincaid refused to investigate a kidnapping.” Jake’s tone made it clear that he was certain the chief would never have been that negligent. “In fact, he might even call the FBI if he suspects she was taken across state lines.”
“Well, he didn’t.” Elliot thrust out his chin. “The chief isn’t convinced Gabriella was kidnapped. I’m not even sure that he believes that she’s missing.”
“But he did enter her information into the Missouri uniform law enforcement system and the National Crime Information Center system, correct?” Jake raised a challenging brow. “He would have also notified his officers to review her information and keep an eye out for her.”
Elliot nodded reluctantly. “Kincaid may have dotted all his i’s and crossed all his t’s, but it was obvious he thought I was a crackpot.”
“I doubt that,” Jake said, then asked, “How long has she been gone?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Seriously?” The disbelieving word escaped before I could stop myself.
This was Jake’s first case, and I didn’t want to screw things up for him. But jeez Louise! How could the guy be oh so concerned, but not have a clue as to how long his wife had been gone?
Noticing that my fingers were drumming an agitated rhythm on my thigh, I stilled them. Maybe I’d had too much coffee this morning. Nah. I hadn’t had enough caffeine until I could thread Birdie’s Singer sewing machine while it was running. And I was nowhere near that level yet.
“I . . .” Elliot’s eyes clouded, and he seemed to be involved in some passionate inner deliberation. Finally, he admitted, “We had a disagreement, and I spent a night in the Sparkville Holiday Inn. It was a stupid argument, and . . .” He trailed off again, then twitched his shoulders as if unable to explain himself.
“So the last time you saw her was when?” Jake’s impassive voice broke the tension.
“Saturday night around seven.” Elliot blew out a forlorn breath.
“And you’re just starting to worry now?” I snapped. “More than thirty-six hours later?”
“I reported her missing to the police as soon as I got home yesterday morning.” Elliot scowled.
“Oh. Well, okay then,” I said grudgingly.
I own up to being a smartass, but I had to remember the smart part. Otherwise, I was just an ass. And that wasn’t fair to Jake.
“I’m not a moron,” Elliot muttered.
It was plain to see that the guy was unhappy we were asking him questions. Questions that I was sure Chief Kincaid had already asked him. But what had he expected? That without any information other than Gabriella’s name and description, Jake would saddle up and ride off to find her?
“Did you have any contact with your wife after you left your house?” Jake glanced up from his notes. “Call her or text or anything?”
“No.” Elliot shook his head. Sincerity dripped from his voice as he explained, “I thought it would be best if we both cooled off. Once she had calmed down, I figured I could make her see my point of view.”
“What did you and your wife fight about?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.
Was Elliot’s concern about his wife’s disappearance genuine or some sort of cover-up? I glanced at Jake, who dipped his head slightly, indicating we were on the same page.
Ignoring my question, Elliot looked at Jake and said, “I’d like you to get on this immediately. Do you have a contract for me to sign?” When Jake was silent, he pulled a sheaf of folded papers and a checkbook from his pocket. “What’s your fee?”
“I need some more information before I decide whether to take your case.” Jake leaned forwa
rd and folded his hands on the desktop.
“I have a copy of the report that I gave the police and her picture.” Elliot pushed several pages toward Jake. “Surely that’s enough to get started.”
Seconds went by as he and Jake stared at each other, and when Jake didn’t break the growing silence, Elliot cleared his throat and huffed, “Fine. Gabriella was concerned about the amount of money that the wildlife park required. She wanted me to get more donations before opening and not put as much of our personal funds into it.”
“Did you need her signature to access the capital?” I asked.
My Spidey senses were tingling. In my prior life, before I bought the dime store, I had worked a lot of years for an investment company. Granted, that business had collapsed when the owner was arrested for fraud, but I had been a damn good financial consultant, which meant being able to read people’s motivations. Maybe Elliot had gotten rid of his wife to free up his assets.
“No.” Elliot barely glanced at me, focusing all his attention on Jake. “The cash is from my trust fund. It has nothing to do with Gabriella.”
“Does your wife have her own income?” Jake asked, leafing through the papers Elliot had pushed toward him. “Is she employed outside the home?”
“Gabriella has credit cards and access to our joint checking account.” Elliot uncrossed, then recrossed his legs. “But no outside earnings. She’s been a stay-at-home mother since her first pregnancy.”
Elliot appeared old enough that his children probably weren’t toddlers, but I realized no one had mentioned Gabriella’s age. And it certainly wasn’t unheard of for a rich guy to have a much younger wife.
Many women walk out on their husbands, especially if they’re fighting about money, but a lot fewer would be willing to abandon their kids. While my mother had left town the day my father was sent to prison, she hadn’t just disappeared. Mom had at least dropped me at my grandmother’s before taking a powder.
Although my father had finally been proven innocent and recently released from the penitentiary, and I’d more or less made peace with my mother, I still felt a twinge of pain when I thought about that awful time. Finding myself suddenly without parents, and ostracized by a town that thought my dad was a criminal, had been hard enough. But the last straw in my basket of woes had been when my high school boyfriend, Noah Underwood, deserted me.
Yes, the same Noah Underwood that I was currently dating. Back then, after my family was disgraced, Noah’s mother had blackmailed him into breaking up with me. Of course, that little tidbit hadn’t come to light until recently. At the time, all I knew was that the boy who had vowed to love me for all eternity had abandoned me.
Even all these years later, those memories could still bring me to tears. Clasping my hands together to stop them from shaking, I blinked the moisture from my eyes and concentrated on what Jake was saying.
“Are your children missing, too?” Concern etched deep lines next to Jake’s mouth.
“No. Our oldest boy took a job offer out of the country in January.” Elliot was avoiding Jake’s gaze by staring over his shoulder at a picture of a silhouetted cowboy riding a horse across the plains. “Our youngest son left for a year abroad last June, and Gabriella has been at loose ends since then.”
“Could she have gone to visit one of your kids?” Jake asked, his expression deadpan.
“I’m not an idiot!” Elliot yelled, his face turning an alarming shade of red. “When I couldn’t find Gabriella, I called the boys right away. Neither of them have seen or heard from her since Saturday. Besides, her passport is still in our safe at home so she couldn’t have left the U.S.” His complexion turned even redder. “Do you think I’m insane?”
“Take a deep breath.” I patted his shoulder. “Everyone is a little crazy, but it’s not a competition, so relax. Just tell us what we need to know.”
Elliot harrumphed. Evidently, in his eyes my weak attempt at humor had failed.
“Any family she might be staying with?” Jake didn’t seem too upset with Elliot’s shouting or the fact the man looked ready to have a coronary. “How about her friends or maybe a neighbor?”
“Gabriella’s folks and mine are all dead.” Elliot’s skin tone had gone from lobster to maroon. “And I called everyone in her cell’s contact list.”
“You have her phone?” I asked.
Now I really was starting to worry. Nowadays, very few modern women willingly left their cells behind. Either Gabriella had been forced to go, or she was afraid the phone could be tracked.
“It was on the kitchen counter next to her handbag.” Elliot ran his fingers through his dark blond hair. “That’s why I know she didn’t leave of her own free will.”
I had to agree with him. Women did not wander off without their purses. Odds were that Gabriella really was missing and that her absence wasn’t voluntary.
“How about her clothes?” I asked. “Did she pack a bag?”
“I couldn’t tell.” Elliot’s cheeks reddened further. “I’m not really interested in fashion, so I don’t notice what she wears or what she owns.”
I kept my lips zipped shut. To me, it didn’t sound like Elliot was a very interested husband at all. But, hey, what did I know? It wasn’t as if I’d ever been married.
Jake was silent as he read through the pages of information Elliot had provided. I tapped my nails on my thighs, impatiently waiting to hear his verdict. Would this be our, I mean his, first case?
Shoving his chair back, Jake opened the desk drawer and withdrew a single sheet of paper. He offered it to Elliot, who snatched it from Jake’s hand.
“It’s a standard contract,” Jake said. “You agree to pay an immediate retainer of a thousand dollars. I charge fifty an hour plus expenses. Meetings, travel time, and phone conversations are also billed at that rate, so if you call me for continual updates, it will cost you.” He stared into Elliot’s eyes. “Not to mention, annoy me.”
“Understood.” Elliot stretched out his palm. “Give me a pen and I’ll sign it.”
“One more thing.” Jake held the ballpoint just out of Elliot’s reach. “As per section eight of the contract, if you fail to provide me with accurate information, I’m not responsible for unproductive investigative time. I can and will stop the investigation. In addition, any remaining portion of the retainer is forfeited.”
“Of course.” Elliot grabbed the pen and scrawled his name. Flipping open his checkbook, he asked, “A thousand, right?” Jake nodded, and Elliot filled in the amount. Handing the check to Jake, Elliot asked, “When can you start?”
“Right now.” Jake rose to his feet. “Let’s head over to your house. I want to look around and see if there are any clues.” He glanced at me. “It’s still a few hours until the store opens. You want to take a ride and see if you spot anything?”
“Sure.” I held back a grin. “I finished my display, so I’m free, and if worst comes to worst, I can text Dad to come in and open.”
When Jake and I had discussed me helping him out and the possibility of me getting my license at some future point, I had talked to my father about increasing his hours at the store. Dad had been working for me since he got out of the penitentiary, and I found that I really appreciated having him as my backup both at the shop and at home. For the first time since Dad had gone to prison, I didn’t feel as if the weight of our entire family’s well-being was on my shoulders.
“Do you need me there?” Elliot asked. “I have an important meeting scheduled with that undecided county board member. I can cancel if you think it would help, but if all I’m going to be doing is standing there while you poke around, I’d really like to talk to this woman again.” Elliot must have noticed my shocked expression and said, “My falling to pieces isn’t going to bring Gabriella back.” He shrugged sheepishly. “I’m the kind of guy that does better if I keep my mind occupied, otherwise, I’ll
just end up sitting at home crying.”
“I’m good on my own.” Jake smiled. “You go ahead to your meeting.”
“Great. The address is on the paperwork that I gave you, and this is for the front door.” Elliot fished a key ring from his pocket, slipped off a key, and gave it to Jake. “I’ll come in through the garage. Just leave it on the counter when you’re done.” He frowned. “Please don’t think that I’m not concerned about my wife.”
“No. Of course not. If that were the case, you wouldn’t have hired me,” Jake assured him. “It’s not as if your presence would help.”
Shaking Jake’s hand, Elliot said, “Thanks for understanding.” As he backed out of the office, he added, “Call me if you have any questions.”
I studied Elliot’s departing figure. Now that Jake had taken the case, the man seemed more relaxed, but there was still an aura of guilt surrounding him. Was that a normal reaction? Or was it the sign of something else? Did Elliot feel bad because he’d left his wife alone the night she went missing? Or was he the reason she was gone?
Had Elliot killed Gabriella?
CHAPTER 3
There was something about Jake’s truck that always set my pulse pounding. It might have been because the first time Jake and I ever kissed was sitting inside that pickup on a cold February night, parked by a frozen pond.
That evening, despite the impending murder charge hanging over my head, it had felt like we were the only two people in the world. I had the strangest impression that I had found my home, the place I was supposed to be, in his arms. And for me, that feeling of rightness was as rare as finding a calorie-free cupcake.
Cradled against Jake’s chest while we cuddled in the cab of his truck had been one of the best moments that I could ever remember. At least until his ex-wife had called and interrupted what might have been my first-ever experience with backseat sex.
Lions and Tigers and Murder, Oh My Page 2
