The P.I. Contest

by C. J. Carmichael

  He supposed Eric had loaded up on junk food after school. “In a few minutes. We haven’t done talking. Now that we’re living together, we need to divvy up the chores. What jobs did you used to do when it was you and your mom?”

  Eric looked at him incredulously. “I didn’t have chores. I didn’t have a curfew, either.”

  “I know it’s different living with me.”

  “Isn’t that the truth.”

  Jay did his best to ignore the resentment in Eric’s voice. “And I’m sure you must miss your mom very much.”

  “Oh, sure. I really miss coming home to find her passed out on the living room couch. But at least I had some freedom then. She didn’t make me go to basketball, and have meetings with my teachers and sit down at the table to eat. This is all crap.” Eric pushed a chair out of his way, then left the room.

  The grating sound of metal legs against tile flooring rang in Jay’s ears for the next few minutes. The comment about Tracy’s drinking stung. Though he knew it was true, he also knew that Eric had loved his mother.

  What the hell should he do now? Go talk to Eric?

  Maybe he ought to give him a chance to cool off.

  He stared at the food he no longer had any appetite for. How in the hell were the two of them going to survive the next four years together?

  “KATE? MAY I INTERRUPT you for a moment?”

  Kate couldn’t imagine anyone saying no to Nadine. The receptionist was just too genuine and lovely. It was hard to believe that she was a Waverly heiress, but Lindsay had assured her that this was the case. And she certainly did dress the part. Today she was wearing an elegant black cashmere dress, tights and patent leather boots.

  “What’s up, Nadine?”

  The petite woman was carrying a mug which she now handed to Kate. “Are you feeling better? I made you a special tea. It’s supposed to boost your immune system.”

  “Thank you. I am feeling a lot better. I had a really good sleep last night.”

  She was relieved she had bounced back so quickly. Jay had proven to be a worthy adversary and she didn’t want to risk falling behind.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” Nadine said, “but I’m so curious. What happened yesterday? Both you and Jay asked me about rental cars. Were you going to the same place?”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Yes. We didn’t know that, though, until we ran into each other at the rental shop. We ended up driving in one vehicle to save the firm on expenses.”

  “Nathan will appreciate that.” She lowered her voice, and a gleam brightened her eyes. “So you spent the day with Jay. What was that like? He looks like he should be starring in action-adventure movies in the Amazon, not walking around Manhattan like a normal guy. Is he as amazing as he seems?”

  Nadine had quite the active imagination. Still, Kate had to admit her casting was quite accurate. Jay did have the combination of masculine strength and unexpected tenderness that made for a compelling action hero.

  He’d been so gallant last night, too, helping her home and making sure she was all right. Totally unnecessary, of course, but a part of her had reveled in the attention. She couldn’t remember anyone fussing over her in that way before. Not her parents. And not Conner, either.

  Her most vivid recollection was the way Jay had touched her forehead. She’d relived that moment many times over since then. The gentle contact had been unexpectedly sweet, but also surprisingly erotic….

  “Oh, you’re blushing. I’m sorry if I said the wrong thing. But this competition is so exciting. I wonder if this is what it’s like at the CIA? You know, everything is top secret and you have to be careful you don’t tell the wrong person the wrong thing.”

  “You’re really in the middle here, aren’t you?”

  Nadine nodded. “It’s killing me. Especially since I wish both you and Jay could win.”

  “Well, hopefully this competition will be over soon. I’m getting close to tracking down the other two prospective fathers.”

  Nadine edged forward on her chair. “In confidence, do you mind telling me your strategy? I’m hoping to be an investigator, too, one day, and I’m trying to learn as I go. I typed all the reports so I know there are three possible fathers. But when it comes to locating them…where on earth do you start?”

  Kate didn’t mind answering Nadine’s questions. The receptionist’s enthusiasm was contagious. Besides, it gave her the perfect opportunity to organize her own thoughts on the subject.

  First she gave Nadine a quick rundown of how she—and to be fair, Jay, too—had located James Morgan. “He turned out to be a wonderful man with a really sweet wife. They don’t have children and I think it would be such an unexpected gift for them if Hannah turns out to be James’s daughter.”

  Nadine pressed her hands together. “I hope he’s the one.”

  “We’ll soon know. Jay and I dropped the DNA samples at the lab last night. The results should be here within two business days, as long as there are no delays. I can just imagine how anxious Jimmy and his wife must be feeling.”

  “Did he look anything like Hannah?”

  Kate had looked for a resemblance yesterday and still wasn’t sure if she’d spotted one. “A little around the eyes, maybe.”

  “That’s good. But you must think there’s a chance he isn’t her father, or you wouldn’t be trying to find the other two men.”

  “To be frank, if Jay wasn’t hot on my heels, I would probably wait for the test results before proceeding,” Kate admitted. She’d underestimated Jay before, though, and had almost lost as a result.

  “So what’s your next step?”

  “I know prospective dad two and three went to New England College twenty-five years ago. According to the college database, they both graduated four years later.”

  She opened two screens on her computer and arranged them side by side. She beckoned Nadine to come and stand beside her so she could have a better view of the notes she’d compiled for each of the men.

  She pointed the cursor to the file on the left which had prospective dad two’s name followed by all the information she knew about him. “Gary Gifford graduated with an education degree, specializing in physical education. He played on the college football team for all four years as quarterback.”

  “A jock,” Nadine surmised. “Hannah doesn’t look like the athletic type to me. Not that that proves anything,” she added hastily.

  “But it’s an interesting detail to notice,” Kate encouraged her. “Oliver Crane, on the other hand, was a total academic. He was on the debating team and graduated with a political science degree, which suggested to me that he might have applied for law school.”

  “It’s a common career path,” Nadine agreed. “A couple of my friends are doing just that.”

  Kate nodded. “It becomes a game of methodical searching after that. In this case, I was lucky. Oliver didn’t leave the state to get his law degree and I found him on the graduating roster of New York University in 1990.”

  Nadine looked impressed. “So what do you do now?”

  “There are so many possibilities, the head spins. But I like to start with the most logical and assume that he’s practicing law somewhere in Manhattan. I hope to find out for certain by checking the bar association membership listing.”

  “Lindsay’s sister is a lawyer,” Nadine offered. “Maybe she can help you find him.” She covered her mouth. “Oops. Lindsay warned me not to help one of you more than the other.”

  Kate smiled. Nadine’s transparent honesty was one of her most likable qualities, but it wouldn’t necessarily be an asset if she was serious about a career as an investigator.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve met Meg before and I’ve already set up a meeting with her for eleven o’clock. Do you think we could use the conference room?”

  “I’ll make sure it’s available.” Nadine leaned closer to the computer screen, scanning some of the other data Lindsay had gathered about each of the men. “You’ve checked so many datab
ases. Are they all easily available?”

  “Not as much to an investigator as they are to a cop, unfortunately.” In some respects, working privately was like having one arm tied behind her back. “But if it was easy, our clients wouldn’t need to hire us, would they?”

  JAY WASN’T SURPRISED to find Kate in their office when he arrived at work late that morning. A virus—no matter how virulent—wouldn’t keep her down for long.

  “You look better,” he commented as he set his briefcase on his makeshift desk.

  “I think I kicked the bug. Thanks again for seeing me home yesterday. That was above and beyond.”

  “It was nothing.”

  “Maybe to you. I’ve never had someone bring me a cup of tea in bed before.”

  “Never?” He found that very hard to believe. “Not even your mother?” His mother had been largely absent, but even so, he could remember her fussing when he was genuinely ill.

  “I wasn’t a complainer.”

  “Stalwart even as a child?”

  “I guess it was a defense mechanism. My way of coping with the realization that my parents were largely indifferent to my existence.”

  Jay would have thought she was angling for sympathy, but her tone was matter-of-fact.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” she added. “My parents were never mean or cruel. They bought me everything I needed, kept me fed and clothed…you know, the basics.”

  Love ought to be considered one of the basics, Jay thought. Lord knew, he loved Eric. But these days he didn’t know how to show it. Eric had been silent and sullen this morning and though he’d left for school, Jay had no idea if he actually intended to go to his classes.

  He rubbed his chin and sighed.

  “More trouble with Eric?” Kate guessed.

  He nodded. But before he could unload any of his worries, Nadine was at the door, motioning to Kate.

  “Meg’s here for her appointment. She’s waiting in the conference room.”

  As Kate exited, he was left wondering what she was up to now. Had she found out something about one of the two other prospective fathers?

  LINDSAY WAS CHATTING with her sister when Kate stepped into the conference room. Lindsay gave her a friendly smile then turned back to her sister. “When you two are done, come and get me and we’ll go for lunch.”

  On her way out of the room, Lindsay touched Kate’s shoulder. “I hear you and Jay found one of Hannah’s potential fathers yesterday.”

  “Yes. We’ve sent a sample of his DNA to the lab.”

  “If he’s the one, then you and Jay will be in stalemate.”

  “I know. I can’t believe it.” She let out a long breath then added, “He’s got pretty good instincts for this work. I think we underestimated him.”

  “Well, hopefully Meg will help you get a jump on this next one.” Lindsay patted her on the back in encouragement.

  “Thanks.”

  Kate closed the door once Lindsay had gone, then turned to smile at her sister.

  Meg was blonde like Lindsay, but not as tall and with softer features. In her well-cut gray suit, she looked the epitome of a downtown lawyer.

  “Thanks so much for fitting me into your schedule.” Kate shook Meg’s hand and her fine-boned fingers felt so fragile, Kate was afraid she might hurt her.

  “No problem. When Lindsay explained about the competition, I was fascinated. I’ll be happy to help however I can.”

  Earlier Kate had e-mailed Meg the pertinent info on prospective dad number three. “Were you able to find out anything about Oliver Crane? I know he was admitted to the bar in Manhattan and I’m hoping he still works here.”

  Meg patted the sheet of paper in front of her. “You’re in luck, Kate. He’s a litigator at a small but extremely prestigious firm on Park Avenue. I have all his contact information here. E-mail, office address and phone numbers.”

  “Wonderful. Thank you so much.” Kate couldn’t stop a triumphant smile from spreading over her face. Oliver Crane had been even easier to find than James Morgan. Surely Jay wouldn’t be one step ahead of her this time.

  In order to keep her advantage, she had to schedule a meeting with Crane as soon as possible.

  “There’s something else I wanted to tell you, Kate, something I wasn’t comfortable saying over the phone or in an e-mail.”

  Instantly alert, Kate leaned in closer.

  “It turns out one of the partners at my firm, Susan Woodruff, used to work with Crane. According to Susan, Crane is ambitious and politically astute. And he doesn’t mind trampling the little guy, if it helps him get ahead.”

  Kate made a face of distaste.

  “These are just impressions, mind you. That’s why I wanted to tell you in person. I wanted you to know the sort of person you would be dealing with.”

  “Thanks, Meg. I appreciate that.” She was glad to have the information, though it was disappointing. Hopefully this man would not turn out to be Hannah’s father.

  But she’d rather rule out the possibility for certain than just hope.

  “Can you tell me anything about his private life? Is he married?”

  Meg nodded. “He and his wife have two children.”

  “So he may not be thrilled to discover he might have a grown daughter he fathered with a woman he knew in college.”

  “Given his political aspirations, I’d say no, definitely not thrilled.” Meg gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’d tread carefully with this one, if I were you.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  AFTER THEIR MEETING, KATE and Meg met Lindsay for lunch at a vegetarian Thai restaurant. Most of their talk was about Lindsay and Nathan’s wedding, which was scheduled for New Year’s Eve.

  “But that means we have to wait almost ten months,” Meg wailed.

  Lindsay wrapped some noodles deftly around her chopsticks. “Now you’re sounding like Nathan. What’s the rush? This way we have lots of time for planning.”

  “But you want a small, simple wedding.”

  Lindsay popped the noodles in her mouth, then gestured with her chopsticks. “Actually, I didn’t want a wedding at all, remember? I was all for a quick visit to city hall.”

  Meg sighed, then turned to Kate. “This girl doesn’t have a romantic bone in her body.”

  Kate grinned. “That’s why she makes such a good investigator. But it doesn’t explain the shoes.”

  They all looked under the table at Lindsay’s coral Prada pumps. For some reason Lindsay could not walk past a good shoe sale. Ever.

  “I like pretty shoes. I am a girl, you know.”

  “No doubt about that, sis.” Meg turned her attention to Kate. “Lindsay told me that you just went through a big breakup. I’m sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s for the best.”

  “You can say that again. You are way too good for that dirty, cheating, lousy bastard.”

  “Thanks, Lindsay. I’m beginning to think that I’d be better off having a family without a husband in the picture.”

  “Really? Are you thinking sperm bank?” Meg asked.

  “You’re not still considering that route, are you?” Lindsay shook her head. “Not a good idea. Kids are a lot of work, Kate. And money.”

  “I have an inheritance from my parents. I could afford to hire a nanny. And that’s one of the reasons I wanted to work at Fox & Fisher, remember? No more shift work.” She turned to Meg. “Shift work is hell on families.”

  “But Kate, a sperm bank? I know those guys are profiled, but there are intangible qualities to consider.”

  “Well, what are my options?” She thought about the bizarre conversation she’d had about this with Jay yesterday. For a moment she had thought Jay was going to volunteer his services.

  Of course, he hadn’t. They hardly knew one another.

  If she told Meg and Lindsay that the two of them had even discussed this topic, they’d probably be shocked. On second thought, not too much shocked these women.

  “I think you
should start dating again,” Lindsay said.

  “No way. I am so through with that scene.”

  “Are you seriously giving up sex?” Lindsay looked as if the prospect was unimaginable.

  “I wouldn’t go that far. Just nothing too serious or complicated.”

  “What about that guy you’re competing against?” Meg said. “I snuck a look at him on the way out. He’s rather dashing, isn’t he? And if he’s a friend of Nathan’s he must be a good guy.”

  “He’s okay,” Kate said, which was such an understatement she could hardly keep a straight face. “But he has a phobia about having kids.”

  “That’s too bad,” Meg said.

  “Nathan, on the other hand, would have great sperm for babies.” Kate turned to Lindsay. “What do you think of asking him if he’d be willing to make a donation to the cause?”

  “What!” Noodles went flying as Lindsay choked on her last mouthful. “You’re not serious, Kate?”

  “Not at all.” She smiled at Meg. “But it was fun to see your reaction.”

  BACK AT THE AGENCY, KATE retired to her office and closed the door. Jay was out for the moment and she had to make the most of her time alone.

  She dialed the number Meg had given her for Oliver Crane and waited. A receptionist answered, her tone cool and impersonal.

  “May I speak with Oliver Crane?” Kate asked.

  “He’s in a meeting. Who’s calling, please?”

  “Kate Cooper. I’m phoning on behalf of The Fox & Fisher Detective Agency, in regard to a personal matter.”

  “Oh.” The receptionist sounded interested suddenly. “Can you be more specific?”

  “I really need to speak to Mr. Crane in person.”

  “Well, then. Leave me your number and I’ll have him call you when he has time.”

  The woman’s tone suggested he might not have time for quite a while, but Kate left her number anyway. If she didn’t hear back in a few hours, she would try sending an e-mail. But less than fifteen minutes later, her phone rang.

  “Hello, Kate Cooper? Melissa passed on your message. What’s this about?”