“I called them as well. Two of the companies wouldn’t tell me anything. I think we’ll have more luck if we visit them.”
Blake nodded. “I’ll be back soon.” Telling Daniel what they were doing was pointless. They were better to leave it until Anton was found, then tell him why they hadn’t listened to him.
And then, without a doubt, Daniel would tell them how crazy they were. But right now, Blake would take crazy over Elizabeth searching for Anton on her own. Because next time she saw him, it might be too late to stop him from hurting her.
Elizabeth cradled a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. “I still don’t understand why we can’t ask to see their rental database. They must have a list of the clients who have rented a vehicle from them.”
Blake kept his gaze on the old brick building on the edge of town. Up until two years ago, the only thing coming out of the property was gas and oil. When a new gas station opened across the street, business reduced to a trickle until, eventually, the owners had to sell. The rental company had moved in and stayed.
He sipped his coffee. “They’ve already told you their database is confidential.”
Sam leaned forward. When he told her what they were doing, she wasn’t happy. Even though she thought they should leave finding Anton to the police, she’d come with them. “How will you know if Anton has rented a vehicle from them?”
He pointed to a woman walking into the building from a side door. “That’s Evelyn Stokes. She organized the two rentals I had the last time I was here.”
“Two?” Elizabeth asked.
Blake glanced across the cab of the truck. “The Porsche I rented wasn’t great on the back roads of Bozeman.”
She shook her head. “You’re the only person I know who would rent a Porsche to drive around Montana. This isn’t Los Angeles.”
“No kidding, Sherlock.” Blake opened his door.
Sam rolled down the window. “Where are you going?”
“To see a woman about a car. I’ll be back soon.”
Elizabeth unclipped her seatbelt. “I’m coming, too.”
Blake leaned inside the truck. “I don’t think so. Evelyn will be more likely to give me the information without you there.”
“You’re too old to bat your lashes, Blake.”
He grinned. “It’s not my lashes she wants.”
Elizabeth groaned. “If you’re not back here in fifteen minutes I’m coming in.”
Blake looked up and down the street. “I should be back before then. Have you got your gun, Sam?”
Sam patted the side of her jacket. “Right here. We’ll be okay.”
“Lock the doors, anyway. I won’t be long.” He glanced at Elizabeth before closing the door. After spending the last two hours cruising the streets of Bozeman, they weren’t any closer to finding Anton. This was the last rental company they had to check. If Evelyn couldn’t help him, they’d go back to the clinic and work out what to do next.
Anton de Bresney was out there somewhere. It was just a matter of eliminating the possibilities before they found him. And the car rental company was a huge possibility.
Elizabeth checked her watch. “It’s been more than fifteen minutes.”
Sam shrugged. “Blake will be okay. If he’s not back in five minutes, we’ll go in together. We’ll say we want to rent a vehicle.”
Elizabeth would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Blake spoke to Evelyn. The man could charm the pants off a cockroach if he put his mind to it.
“How long have you known Blake?” Sam asked.
“About eighteen years. He met my brother at university. They’ve kept in contact since then.”
“He’s handsome.”
Elizabeth looked closely at Sam.
Heat rushed to Sam’s cheeks. “It was an observation, that’s all. He isn’t my type, but he seems like a nice person.”
Elizabeth peered through the window. “He has his moments. Do you enjoy being a bodyguard?”
“I do. It’s a different type of challenge. I usually manage the technical development team. We develop state-of-the-art applications and software.”
Elizabeth didn’t know what that involved, but it sounded a lot like what Blake did. “You should speak to Blake. His company creates apps for all sorts of things. You could have a lot in common.”
Sam grinned. “The only thing we’d have in common is HTML code.” She glanced at her watch, then searched the street. “It’s been more than twenty minutes and Blake’s still inside. Let’s ask about renting a car.”
Elizabeth had her door open before Sam finished speaking. “Do you want me to do the talking?”
Sam locked the truck. “Okay. Just don’t sign any contracts. My daily allowance doesn’t include rental vehicles.”
Elizabeth zig-zagged between the vehicles in the parking lot. If there was something she did well, it was talk. Evelyn whatever-her-name wouldn’t know Elizabeth was even remotely connected with Blake. Except if she’d seen him get out of the same vehicle Elizabeth had just left.
If that had happened, all of them were fried toast.
Elizabeth stepped into the office of Harrison Rentals. It wasn’t the most exciting reception area she’d seen, but it provided all the information you’d need to travel around Montana.
Maps, brochures, and flyers filled one wall. A picture of a herd of buffalo sat behind the reception desk, and display cabinets full of local arts and crafts greeted visitors.
But she couldn’t see Blake or Evelyn anywhere. She followed Sam to the front counter and peered into a small office beside the photocopier.
Evelyn and Blake were standing beside each other, deep in conversation—or something close to conversation.
Sam’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think I should interrupt them?” she whispered.
Elizabeth frowned. If Evelyn touched Blake’s arm again, they wouldn’t have to interrupt them. Blake was the king of untouchability. He leaped a mile whenever Elizabeth even looked as though she was going to get close to him.
“They’ll see us soon,” Elizabeth whispered back.
Evelyn’s arm strayed to Blake’s waist.
He didn’t flinch, didn’t jump. He looked like a man who was enjoying the adoration of his favorite car rental receptionist.
Elizabeth’s gaze landed on the small, chrome bell in front of them. She shook it. Hard.
Evelyn jumped.
The frosty look she sent Elizabeth could have fast-tracked climate change.
Without skipping a beat, Evelyn said something to Blake, then plastered a professional smile on her face. Within seconds, she was asking Elizabeth and Sam how she could help them.
Blake stayed in the office.
Using every trick she’d learned in the courtroom, Elizabeth threw herself into the role of potential customer. She asked Evelyn about insurance excess, debated the merits of a premium SUV compared to a specialty rental. She asked about the colors of the vehicles they had available, and the best way to see Yellowstone National Park.
When Elizabeth finally ran out of anything to say, Sam took over. She led Evelyn across to the brochures, asking about places to stay, sights to see.
Just when Elizabeth was wondering where Blake was, he appeared beside them.
His smile was focused entirely on Evelyn. Poor woman. “Thank you for your help. I’ll call if I have any questions.”
Elizabeth wondered if that was code for, ‘I’ll see you later for a hot date’. Whatever he meant, Evelyn seemed incredibly happy with his cryptic goodbye.
Sam asked about a day trip to Red Deer.
Evelyn turned toward her and pulled more brochures off the wall.
Blake left the building, taking the long way around to their truck.
When he disappeared behind their vehicle, Elizabeth tapped Sam on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I forgot about another appointment I’ve made. We’ll have to come back another day.”
Sam thanked Evelyn for her help. Loaded with brochur
es and rental quotes, they left the building.
Neither of them said anything as they crossed the lot.
Blake was already sitting in the truck.
“How did you get inside?” Elizabeth asked.
“Spare set of keys.”
Elizabeth opened the front door and started the engine. “I hope all that talking was for a good cause.”
“It was.” Blake’s deep, gravelly voice filled the cab. “I emailed a copy of Evelyn’s rental database to my account. We can look at it when we get back to the clinic.”
Elizabeth drove down Main Street. At least the tinted windows would give them some privacy. If Evelyn realized what Blake had done, it wouldn’t take much to write down their license plate and report them to the police.
“Did she remember seeing anyone who looked like Anton?” Sam asked.
“She remembered seeing him, but she didn’t recognize his name.”
Elizabeth looked in the rearview mirror. “That’s going to make locating him difficult.”
“It might not be as difficult as you think.” Sam turned to Blake. “Can you send me a copy of the file? I’ll run it through one of my programs and see if I can find the alias Anton’s using.”
“Sure. Give me your email address and I’ll forward it to you.”
Elizabeth hoped that Sam’s program worked. If they could identify Anton’s alias, they might be able to track down where he was staying. And if they did that, they might stand a chance of getting him to leave Bozeman.
But there were a lot of ‘ifs’ in that scenario. A lot of opportunities that could lead to a whole lot of nothing.
On Friday morning, Blake sat on a plastic chair in Elizabeth’s clinic. Paul was outlining a new project plan that would fit within Elizabeth’s reduced budget. It would give her most of what she wanted. Phase two of the rebuild would have to wait until she had more money.
There would be no second-floor apartment, but Paul would add the structural reinforcing needed to build it later. Two meeting rooms and twelve bedrooms would be left until phase two, but everything else would be completed as planned.
Elizabeth told them she would be commuting into Bozeman from Daniel’s home. Blake didn’t know what would happen after Daniel married Holly, but no one was worrying about that now.
What was worrying everyone was the security around the building. The previous night, someone had broken into the clinic and sprayed red paint everywhere. Most of it had landed on the walls, but the main reception counter hadn’t gone untouched.
Elizabeth kept looking at the mahogany desk, stroking the wood she’d spent hours sanding. Without years of grime and dirt to protect it, the red paint had soaked into the grain. Any chance of bringing it back to its former glory had long gone.
“I don’t know why anyone would do this,” Paul said. “This building has been abandoned for years. If someone wanted to break in, the best time to do it would have been while it was empty.”
Elizabeth hadn’t told her builder about Anton de Bresney.
Blake stared pointedly at her. If Daniel was here, he would have forced her to say something. But Blake wasn’t Elizabeth’s brother. He didn’t have the same weight when it came to influencing her decisions. And he most definitely didn’t have the same amount of patience. If Elizabeth didn’t tell Paul what had happened, he would.
As if sensing his rising annoyance, she looked at him and frowned.
He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to her.
She didn’t need to read more than the first line to know she was holding the summarized edition of Anton de Bresney’s criminal history. Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. If she thought he wouldn’t say anything, she was wrong.
Wrong about buying the building.
Wrong about not asking for help with her funding shortfall.
And most importantly, wrong about not letting Paul and his team know what was happening.
Elizabeth’s razor-sharp glance cut through the silence that greeted Paul’s comments. “There’s something you need to know. While I was working in Cedar Rapids, I defended a man who hurt a woman in a hit and run accident. The brother of the woman wasn’t happy with the sentence my client was given. He started harassing me to the point that I was glad to leave Iowa. He’s followed me here, and we think he’s the person responsible for all this graffiti.”
“Why would he follow you to Bozeman?”
“Because he doesn’t let go of anything. The police are doing everything they can to find him. Sam is my bodyguard. She works for Fletcher Security.”
Paul’s eyebrows rose. “I thought she was your friend.”
It was easy to see why he’d thought that. With her short blond hair, pixie nose, and peaches and cream complexion, Sam looked more like a school teacher than a bodyguard.
Sam straightened her spine. “I’ll be close to Elizabeth each day. If I can help with anything she’s doing, that’s fine. But my main priority is keeping her safe.”
Paul didn’t seem worried. “You’ll both need to complete a health and safety induction and wear the correct clothing while you’re on site. That means hard hats and steel-capped boots. If you’re helping with any of the work, you may need safety glasses and industrial quality ear plugs. The first week will be more demolition, then we’ll get into the rebuild.”
“I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on next week,” Elizabeth said. “So I won’t be on site very much. I’ll send you a copy of my schedule this afternoon.”
“Sounds good. If anything happens that could affect the renovation or my crew, let me know straight away.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I will.”
Paul glanced down his checklist. “We’ve covered all the issues I had. Does anyone have anything else they want to say?”
Blake, Sam, and Elizabeth shook their heads.
“I guess we’d better start work, then.” He looked at their feet. “The first thing everyone needs to do is buy some steel-capped boots. Sneakers and hiking boots won’t work from now on.”
Blake checked his watch. “I’ll drive everyone to Murdoch’s. If they don’t have what we want, no one will.”
Elizabeth picked up the sledgehammer she’d left beside her chair. “I’ll get my bag and meet you by your truck.”
While Elizabeth and Sam walked down the hallway, Blake stacked their chairs.
“Is Elizabeth all right?” Paul asked.
Blake had been asking himself the same question for years. “I think so. We’ll all be happier when the police find Anton.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
“Thanks. Hopefully, she won’t have to be careful for much longer.” Blake picked up the chairs and moved them into a storage room. One way or another they needed to find Anton. Fast.
Chapter 6
Elizabeth opened Daniel’s dishwasher and slid her dinner plate inside. With day one of the official renovation over, she was looking forward to putting her feet up and relaxing.
“Are you pleased with what you did today?” her brother asked.
“I think so. It’s hard to know what to expect with so many builders on site.”
Paul wanted the whole building to be watertight in two weeks. Sub-contractors were everywhere; fixing the roof, replacing broken windows, and adding extra insulation.
After that was finished, Paul’s team would focus on the reception area, five office spaces, and one of the accommodation blocks. Their goal was to get the first phase of the project finished by Christmas. Elizabeth couldn’t see that happening, but if Paul could make it work, there would be a lot of happy people in Bozeman.
Emergency accommodation during the winter was extremely limited. If she could offer another dozen rooms to people in need, it would make a huge difference.
Blake hobbled across to the dishwasher.
Elizabeth reached into Daniel’s cupboard and pulled out a large container. “You should soak your feet in Epsom sal
t. It will help your blisters.”
“I’ll be okay.”
Daniel took the container off Elizabeth and handed it to Blake. “Don’t be a martyr for the sake of a blister. Believe me, the Epsom salt will help.”
“How come no one else got blisters while they were wearing their new boots?”
Elizabeth grinned. “Sam and I told you to stick Band-Aids on your heels. Your stubborn male pride got in the way of a little adhesive, and now you have blisters. Wait here. I’ve got a foot bath in the loft.”
By the time Elizabeth had returned, Blake had removed his socks and was sitting at the kitchen table. She turned on the faucet, half-filling the bath with warm water. “It’s nice to see you’re not arguing anymore. Where’s Daniel?”
“In his office. He has a report he wants to finish.”
Elizabeth sighed. “I wish he wouldn’t work so hard.”
“Must be a family trait.”
“We’re in good company, then. When was the last time you worked a forty-hour week?”
Blake seemed to seriously consider her question. “I don’t know.”
She placed the water at his feet. “Your company is established and you have a great team. You don’t have to work huge hours anymore.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“Maybe.”
Blake picked up the container of Epsom salt. “How much do I need?”
“A handful should be enough. Mix it around to dissolve the crystals before you soak your feet.”
When he was ready, Blake stuck his feet into the water.
His sharp in-drawn breath made Elizabeth wince. “I forgot to tell you that it will probably sting.”
“That’s an understatement,” he croaked. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “It’s getting better.”
Elizabeth handed him a tissue. “Your eyes are watering.”
Blake caught his breath when he moved his feet. “How long do I need to leave my feet in here?”
“Twenty minutes. It will get less painful the more you do it.”
“The Epsom salt feels like its burning off my blisters.”
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