Perfect Partners?

by C. J. Carmichael

  “I don’t want to dash your hopes,” he said, “but I think you should consider the possibility that your father’s interest in a reconciliation may not be sincere.”

  “Why would he lie?”

  “I’m not sure. But there’s something you need to see.” Lindsay pulled her camera out of her bag. “I haven’t had time to develop the pictures, but the viewfinder should be big enough for you to recognize your father in these shots.”

  She handed Celia the camera so she could scroll through the photographs they’d taken at The Orange Tree restaurant.

  Celia focused immediately on the redhead. “Who is that woman?”

  “Her name is Paige Stevens. She’s a real estate agent,” Nathan explained. “We think she met your dad over a business deal five months ago.”

  Celia leaned closer to the camera, her expression turning to one of disgust. “That is definitely not a business meeting.”

  “No,” Lindsay concurred.

  Nathan pressed the arrow on the camera then held up a new picture for Celia to see. “After the meal we followed them to this apartment building.”

  “We checked into ownership of the building,” Lindsay continued. “Your dad bought it last June. Paige Stevens was the real estate agent who brokered the deal. It’s a rental property and your father and Paige jointly signed a six-month contract for the penthouse suite.”

  “No…” Celia shook her head. “I can’t believe this.” She pushed the camera away.

  Lindsay expected Nathan to offer words of comfort. When he didn’t, she stepped in. “I know this is a shock, Celia. I’m sorry we had to be the ones to tell you about your father’s affair. But you hired us to find the truth. Unfortunately the truth is often uglier than we expect.”

  “I didn’t know Dad was seeing another woman. I’m sure Mom didn’t, either.” Celia looked brokenhearted. Then she started to rationalize. “Dad must have ended his affair this weekend. Before he called Mom.”

  “I suppose it’s possible.” Nathan’s tone was dubious. “But—”

  “I can’t believe he would talk to Mom about a reconciliation if he was still involved with another woman.”

  Talk about blind faith. Lindsay believed in making decisions based on objective facts. “Nathan and I could find out for sure.”

  Celia panicked. “That’s not a good idea. I promised Dad I’d talk to you today and end our arrangement. If he realized you were still spying on him, he’d be furious.”

  Lindsay didn’t like the sound of that. All her instincts screamed that something was wrong. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with the idea of your parents going to the Catskills this weekend?” she asked.

  “Of course. They need time alone to work things out.”

  “Last time they were alone, your mother shot your father,” Lindsay pointed out.

  “Not on purpose,” Celia insisted. “Dad is finally willing to admit that it was just an accident. I don’t know why you guys aren’t happier about this. Don’t you see…it’s all working out.”

  Celia’s eyes shimmered with emotion and Lindsay could empathize. Celia wanted desperately to believe that her family was about to be patched back together. That the embarrassing and distressing legal nightmare of her father’s shooting was going to be packaged into a neat box labeled “accident.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Nathan said finally.

  “I am.” Celia ran a finger under her eyes, wiping away a tear along with the faint smudge of mascara. She smoothed her hair, then picked up her purse.

  “I should go,” she said. “It’s almost time for me to drive Mom to her session.”

  Lindsay waited for Nathan to lead Celia out to reception. But he was lagging behind, fussing with some papers, so she took the lead.

  “Feel free to call us if you sense something isn’t right,” she advised the younger woman as they shook hands at the door.

  For the first time, Celia’s eyes displayed a flicker of uncertainty. Then she raised her chin. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

  “I hope so.” Lindsay noticed Celia glance behind her. Nathan must have finally left the conference room. Celia seemed to be waiting for him to say something and when he didn’t, her face pinkened.

  Nathan moved up beside Lindsay. He touched her arm and said, “Come talk to me later, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  The exchange between them was brief, nothing out of the ordinary. But Celia must have sensed undercurrents. Her eyes narrowed and she looked from Lindsay, to Nathan.

  “She’s your new girlfriend, isn’t she? She’s the reason you weren’t home all weekend.”

  Lindsay instinctively pulled away from the other woman and glanced at Nathan, wondering what in the world he was going to say. Nathan looked miserable.

  “Celia. This isn’t the place—”

  But Celia Burchard wasn’t going to be shushed. Her eyes blazed with righteous indignation and she pointed her finger at his chest. “You should have told me your new partner was the reason you didn’t want to get back together. I never expected you to be so sneaky and…cruel!”

  She left, then, slamming the door behind her.

  FOR A FEW SECONDS THE OFFICE felt uncomfortably quiet. Nadine was frozen at her desk, trying not to look or listen, her head bowed over the appointment book in front of her.

  Poor kid. Nathan felt badly for her. She hadn’t deserved to witness that crazy scene. None of them had.

  He rubbed the side of his face, embarrassed, frustrated and more than a little angry. Celia had had no right to put on that scene. Their relationship had been over for months. And she’d been the one to end it.

  He glanced over at Lindsay. She was standing in shooting stance, with her legs hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent and body squarely facing the target.

  Him.

  Clearly she had something on her mind.

  “Um. I think I need to use the restroom. Excuse me.” Nadine slipped out of the office, carrying the key to the facilities down the hall.

  As soon as she was gone, Lindsay started to speak, her voice tight and hard. “You and Celia were talking about getting back together? When?”

  “A few days ago.”

  “And you never thought to mention anything? Hell, Nathan.”

  “It was before you and I—”

  “You and I have nothing to do with this. Celia was our client. You told me your relationship with her was over.”

  “And it was, damn it. When she asked me to meet her for coffee, I assumed she wanted to discuss her parents. How was I supposed to know she wanted to talk about…personal things? Frankly, it never occurred to me to tell you about it since I had no intention of getting back with Celia.”

  “This situation is totally out of hand. I knew when I woke up that we’d made a mistake. Until now, I didn’t realize how bad it really was.”

  “You’re blowing this out of proportion.”

  “Oh, really? I’ve worked hard to make this business a success. Fox Investigations may not mean anything to you, but it’s my life.”

  “And you think that’s a good thing?”

  “If you have a problem with that, too bad. I knew I was better off on my own. I never should have agreed to let you be a partner.”

  Lindsay was unbelievable. She really did care about her work more than anything else. She made it almost impossible for anyone to get to know her, she was cranky in the morning and couldn’t sleep without the hall light being on.

  Why had he ever thought she might be the woman for him?

  “The paperwork hasn’t been signed,” he reminded her. “Trust me, I’m not as keen about working here anymore, either.”

  “Good. We’re agreed then. Our deal is off.”

  “Fine by me.” His insides felt like they’d been scraped over concrete, but right now he was too proud and too angry to show it. “I’ll clear out my office.”

  “And give me back my key.”

  “And give you back your ke
y,” he agreed, anger stiffening his lips. With long, deliberate strides, he made his way to the office he had occupied so briefly. It didn’t take long to refill the cardboard box he’d recently unpacked and to slip his personal items into his briefcase.

  All the while, Lindsay stood in the doorway, watching, arms crossed over her chest. He couldn’t read her expression at all. He’d never seen her eyes so cold and angry.

  When he was done, there was just one last matter to settle. “Keep the retainer for the Burchard case.”

  “We should split it. Fifty-fifty.”

  “You can go ahead and send me a check, but I won’t cash it.” He brushed past her, dropped his key on Nadine’s desk, then headed for the door. He was just reaching for the handle, when she called to him.

  “Nathan.”

  His shoulders tensed as he waited to hear what she would say.

  “Did you buy that happy reconciliation story?”

  Bloody hell. He supposed it had been too much to hope for an apology. “Not at all.”

  “Me, either. What do you think we should do about it?”

  “You shouldn’t do a thing. Leave it with me.” And then he left.

  LINDSAY TOLD HERSELF SHE WAS fine. Nathan was gone, but life would go on. Nadine returned to her desk and, without saying a word, resumed working.

  Lindsay retreated to her office where she called the receptionist at the investment firm where Albert Walker-Smythe claimed to work.

  Ignoring the knot that was tightening in her gut, she calmly asked if she could speak to Mr. Walker-Smythe.

  “I’m sorry. I have no listing for someone with that name.”

  “You’re certain Albert Walker-Smythe doesn’t work there?”

  “Positive.”

  One more lie from Albert Walker-Smythe. One more very good reason Carlene Schultz shouldn’t marry him. The next thing she should do was—

  Lindsay stared off into space. In her mind she could see Nathan’s face as she’d told him that their brief affair had been a mistake. For one instant his eyes had clouded with pain.

  And then, like her, he’d turned that pain into anger. And she’d been glad, because she’d rather deal with anger than pain any day.

  If there was one lesson to learn from this, it was letting people get too close was always a mistake. The key to happiness was maintaining your distance. Focus on helping others.

  People like Carlene Schultz.

  If not for her, Carlene would be marrying this lying cheat one week from now. At some point in the future—maybe a week, maybe a year—Carlene would have been brokenhearted and considerably poorer than she was right now.

  Lindsay was going to save her from that fate. She turned to her keyboard and started typing the report. When she was finished, she dialed Carlene’s number. “This is Lindsay Fox from Fox Investigations.”

  “Boy, you are fast. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.” Carlene sounded nervous. Hopeful, but nervous.

  Over the line Lindsay heard a door close, then Carlene spoke again.

  “Okay. We can talk now.”

  “Good. I’ve completed my preliminary background check, Carlene, and I’m sorry to tell you that some of the information your fiancé told you about himself isn’t true.”

  “No?” Carlene sounded deflated.

  “He didn’t graduate from the University of Florida, or any of the other major universities or colleges in that area. Nor is he employed at the brokerage firm you mentioned.”

  “Maybe I didn’t get the names right. Maybe—”

  “There’s one more important fact I have to tell you. Your fiancé has a criminal record. He served two years for mail fraud and filing false statements.”

  “Oh.” There was a long pause. “Are you sure?”

  “I am.” Since Carlene had been able to provide her fiancé’s birth date and social security number there was no doubt they were talking about the same man.

  “I don’t suppose—” She fell silent, unable to complete the thought. Or maybe she was recognizing her empty hopes for exactly what they were.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t have better news.” Lindsay didn’t enjoy bursting her client’s hopes and dreams for the future. This was, in fact, one of the hardest parts of her job. “I know it feels awful right now…”

  She thought of Nathan, of the terrible knot in her stomach that wasn’t going away, despite her rationalizing. “But you’re better to find out this stuff sooner than later.”

  “You’re right. It feels awful.”

  “I’ll send you my written report in the mail. Please call me if you have any questions once you receive it.”

  After she’d said goodbye and hung up the phone, Lindsay stared at the redbrick wall of the neighboring building. There was plenty of work to be done, but an unaccustomed lethargy kept her glued in place.

  Where had Nathan gone after he’d left her office? What would he do now? Would she ever see him again?

  The phone rang and she was glad for the contact from the outside world. Soon she was busy on a missing persons case and several hours passed without her thinking about Nathan, though her stomach never stopped hurting.

  Around four o’clock, she started thinking about the meeting with Celia that morning. Was it possible Maurice Burchard had changed his mind and wanted back in the marriage?

  Had Audrey intended to kill her husband? Did she know about Paige Stevens? Was she really willing to resume a marriage that had fallen so publicly off the rails?

  So many unanswered questions. Worst of all was a nagging suspicion that she was only seeing part of the picture. That a plan was in the works and someone innocent was going to be hurt.

  She thought of Nathan, and wondered if he felt the same way. But there was no way she could consult with him now. She had to make her own plans. She’d been pulled off the case by the daughter, but on her own time she wouldn’t mind checking on Maurice. If he was serious about reconciling with Audrey, then he should have cut his ties with the mistress. She’d like to make sure that he had.

  Lindsay grabbed her leather case, then left her office. Nadine was at the open filing cabinet and she looked up with an expression of wariness.

  “Are you okay?” she asked tentatively.

  “I’m fine. I’m going to be out of the office for the rest of the afternoon. You can close up early if you feel like it.” She hesitated, then added, “I know it’s been a difficult day.”

  “Um…Lindsay?”

  She already had her hand on the door. She inhaled deeply, then masked her impatience with a tight smile. “Yes?”

  Her receptionist was definitely looking nervous now. Lindsay cast her eyes around the room, trying to spot something new. “What is it? Did you buy another plant?”

  “I realize my timing isn’t great, but it’s month-end on Friday and there’s something I really need to tell you.”

  Lindsay dropped her hand, resigned to a longer delay than she’d expected. “This sounds serious.”

  “It—it sort of is. Well, I didn’t think it was, but Nathan—”

  This involved Nathan? Lindsay moved closer. She could see the younger woman’s hand trembling as she pushed the filing cabinet door shut.

  “…well, he thought I should tell you the truth.”

  “The truth would be good.”

  “You see, my name isn’t really Nadine Kimble.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  LINDSAY WASN’T OFTEN SHOCKED, but this qualified as one of those times. “Impossible,” she said after Nadine’s statement had sunk in. “I checked your references and your background myself.”

  “Actually, you checked my cousin Ashley’s background. Her mom is my mom’s sister. Ashley’s full name is Ashley Nadine Kimble. Nadine is our grandmother’s name. Ashley and I are the same age and we went to the same schools.”

  Lindsay stared at her in disbelief. This still wasn’t computing. “But why? Is there something in your past you needed to hide?”

&nb
sp; “Just my last name.” She mentioned a surname often sported in gossip magazines and on entertainment television.

  Lindsay’s eyes widened. “As in the Waverly hotel chain? Are you related to—”

  Nadine didn’t let her finish. “Yes. Madison is a cousin on my father’s side of the family. When I tell people about the relationship, they get preconceptions.”

  No doubt. Madison Waverly had done it all. The wealthy socialite was on magazine covers, reality TV, sex tapes on the Internet. It seemed there was no limit to her desire for fame and attention.

  “I wanted to start this job with no baggage, to be judged for myself and the work that I do.”

  Lindsay was speechless, at first. Nadine—her Nadine—was from one of the city’s oldest, wealthiest families. No wonder she dressed so well.

  She supposed she ought to ax Nadine on the spot for her deception. But, damn it, she liked Nadine. And Nadine was a fabulous receptionist. Besides…she was already down one employee for the day.

  “Are you going to fire me?”

  “I probably should. What you did wasn’t exactly legal.”

  Nadine looked like a dog who had just been kicked.

  “But, no. I’m not going to fire you. Not unless you start posting sex videos on the Internet.” She thought about it for a moment. “Probably not even then.”

  “That’s a big relief. Not the part about being able to post sex videos…” Nadine’s face pinkened. “You know what I mean. Thank you, Lindsay. I love working here. Though, I am going to miss Nathan.”

  Just the mention of his name hurt. “Do me a favor and let’s not talk about him for a while, okay?”

  SOMETIMES WHEN SHE WAS working surveillance, Lindsay would borrow her sister’s dog. It was a win/win situation. The little dust mop got an extra-long walk out of the deal, and she had a perfect cover. No one would ever be suspicious of a woman with a dog in Central Park.

  After a quick meal of Vietnamese noodles, Lindsay went home to change into sweats, a ball cap and a large pair of sunglasses. Next she picked up Sadie from her sister’s apartment, then headed to East Eighty-sixth Street, via the park. She recalled that there was a bench right across the street from Maurice’s apartment building. Fortunately it happened to be empty.