Deadly Colton Search (The Coltons 0f Mustang Valley Book 10)

by Addison Fox

  “Leigh.”

  Another voice suddenly speaking her name had Leigh standing up straight and putting a bit of distance between the two of them. “Yes, Micheline.”

  Nikolas turned to see a tall, sleek woman come toward them. She looked to be in her mid-sixties, with a sweep of blonde hair that capped off her trim figure in another one of those power suits. “I understand my guest is here.”

  “This is Mr. Slater, right here with me. Let me introduce you.”

  Nikolas was walked back toward the front desk, Leigh’s hand still in a proprietary place on his forearm, as if she were afraid he’d float away.

  He took the gesture in kind, keeping his smile broad and even, as if he was enjoying the feminine attention. As covers went, playing the roguish playboy rarely went wrong.

  And it had the added benefit of an easy dismissal when confronting a calculating woman.

  Go ahead, Micheline. Assume all you want that I’m no threat.

  Nikolas was careful to keep his gaze bland, adding one last leering grin for Leigh before she turned him over to the AAG founder.

  “I understand you made an appointment to see me, Mr. Slater. Something about a case.”

  “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

  “What would you like to discuss?”

  “I’d prefer to discuss my business in your office.”

  If she still thought him a clueless playboy, the press for privacy noticeably had her reconsidering. She wasn’t shy about giving him the once-over, her gaze hard, before a warm smile was back in place as she nodded her head. Without any further comment for him, she turned to Leigh. “Mr. Slater and I will be in my office. Please see that we’re not disturbed.”

  Hurdle one cleared.

  Nikolas followed Micheline to her office, glancing at more of the silly posters on the walls. Micheline seated herself behind a large desk, her crossed legs visible beneath. She was an attractive older woman, with a strong bearing about her. As he stared at her, taking in both her facial features as well as her overall body language and position, Nikolas couldn’t help but wonder if this was Nova’s grandmother.

  Nova was much smaller, her petite frame more of a match to the photos he’d seen online of her mother instead of what he knew of Ace Colton. But that didn’t mean there weren’t other resemblances.

  Their eyes appeared to be the same shape. And there was something in the shape of Micheline’s face that suggested a similarity to Nova’s. It wasn’t a complete stretch to see a resemblance. In fact, once she began talking and he observed the movements of her hands and the set of her shoulders, it wasn’t a big stretch at all.

  She reached below her desk and he heard the distinct open and close of a small fridge. “May I offer you a water, Mr. Slater?”

  “Thank you.” He nodded, inordinately pleased when she pulled a bottle out for herself, as well.

  After handing it over, she started in. “I must be honest, this is something of a surprise. I’m rarely visited by private investigators.” Her smile remained serene but there was nothing but flinty resolve in the set of her shoulders and the hard granite of her gaze.

  “I realize my visit might be a bit of a surprise. But I was hoping to talk with you about Ace Colton.”

  The granite never wavered, nor did the semi-smile that hovered about her lips. The only clue he had that she’d even responded to the name of Colton was the subtle tightening of her fingers against each other, where she had them clasped in front of her on her desk.

  Point Slater.

  “Another curiosity seeker, are you, Mr. Slater?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I think you’re well aware of my meaning. The Coltons have been harassing me for the better part of six months, convinced I’ve got something to do with what’s happened to their oldest son.”

  “Don’t you?”

  “How or why would a humble businesswoman like me have anything to do with a powerful family like the Coltons?”

  “A lot of people feel differently on the matter.”

  “That doesn’t mean they’re right.”

  Point Anderson.

  “There are rumors that you worked at Mustang Valley General during the time Ace Colton was born.”

  Once again, she remained completely calm, her demeanor showing no sign of faltering. Nor did she make any move to open the bottle of water. “It’s hardly a rumor. I was a caregiver before opening my center. I make no secret of that.”

  “Under a different name.”

  She waved a hand. “Names are a tie to the earthly plane, nothing more. Our spirits are bigger than names. Bigger than labels.”

  Nova’s continued press about the incongruity of Micheline’s image in the ad struck him anew. He’d only been in her presence for a matter of minutes, yet here was a woman who knew what she was about and who understood the role she was playing.

  Flawlessly.

  “I appreciate your distinction, but I’m referring to the earthly plane at the moment.”

  “What a waste.”

  Nikolas ignored the interjection and pressed on. “Didn’t you have a son when you worked at Mustang Valley General?”

  “It’s no secret I have a son. It’s an unfortunate reality that he and I are estranged.”

  “Why?”

  “Jake left home at seventeen. He and I have had very limited interaction since then.”

  “So you basically haven’t spoken to your son in twenty-three years?”

  Micheline’s mouth dropped into a frown and it was the first crack in the serene, powerful image she seemed determine to portray. “I find it curious you know so much. I’m afraid that once again, I’m feeling rather harassed by your visit and your line of questioning.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s important I get answers for my client.”

  “I’m quite sure whatever answers you’re seeking won’t be found here.”

  “Maybe yes, maybe no. Harley Watts also worked for you.”

  “Harley who?” Micheline’s smile was broad, her stare devoid of any recognition, but Nikolas would have bet his next year’s salary she knew exactly who he spoke of.

  “This isn’t that large of a place. Surely you know all about the IT guy. You know the one? Recently arrested and even now sitting in a Mustang Valley jail cell?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t comment on the personal lives of my employees. Even the ones no longer working here.”

  Before he could question her further, Micheline was up from her desk and moving around the office. One by one, she pointed toward various affirmations, rattling off a personal story about what she’d learned from that particular phrase and how living by that had changed her life and those of the AAG members.

  She was both entertaining and riveting, and in the act he could see how she’d done well for herself with the AAG. Nothing quite seemed to touch her. No suspicion of guilt. No accusation that would stick. Nothing seemed to penetrate the veneer of wellness being paramount.

  It was fascinating, really. And in her impassioned speech he could see why she’d done so well with her business. Whatever else the AAG was—and he was already envisioning his report back to Spencer, free of charge—there was an enticing sales pitch here that had clearly captivated a lot of people for a very long time.

  It was strange, certainly, yet at the same time, he recognized the act for what it was. A woman in the midst of self-protection, ensuring the dangers of the world remained at bay.

  Wasn’t that what his mother had always done with his father? Taken him back so that she wouldn’t have to face the real ugliness of going out on her own.

  Was that living?

  Because suddenly, Nikolas had to acknowledge that he made similar choices. His weren’t about safety as much as about self-preservation. He’d watched his parents’ marriage combu
st on a powder keg of emotion and betrayal.

  And he feared to ever risk himself in the same way.

  Which said volumes about him and his own view of the world.

  And which also kept him from giving fully into his feelings for Nova.

  It was that knowledge that had him abruptly standing. The sudden movement and obvious end of the meeting added another crack in Micheline’s façade. Anger skirted the edge of her gaze as she stared at him from across the room.

  “Mr. Slater? Is something wrong?”

  “Not at all, Ms. Anderson. I won’t waste any more of your time. I’ve gotten all I came for.”

  The whirling dervish that had moved around her office in a rush of restless energy stilled. “And what was it you came for?”

  “The truth.”

  Chapter 15

  “And what did she say then?” Nova had enjoyed the story, laughing throughout a late lunch in his office as Nikolas regaled her on his time with Micheline. She had hung on every last word of his story on the visit to the AAG, a mix of shock and humor lacing her questions.

  “She said that she hoped I found inner peace.”

  “What a strange woman.”

  “Pretty much, but what else could she say?” Nikolas dug a piece of garlic bread out of their take-out bag as Nova finished grabbing plastic forks and knives from the second bag. “It was clear she wasn’t going to answer my questions about Ace.”

  “Or working at Mustang Valley General.”

  “Exactly. But it does reinforce the discussions I’ve had with Spencer. Even if Micheline Anderson isn’t part of this situation with Ace, she should be watched. Carefully.”

  They settled into their seats in his office, using his desk as a table between them.

  “Did you get any DNA?”

  He finished chewing a bite of garlic bread. “Nope. She pulled out two bottles of water as if she’d have one with me, but never opened hers.”

  “Damn it. That would have been the smoking gun right there. Then we’d know.”

  “Which she has to know, too. If she is the one behind the switch in the hospital, and she was in the medical field, she’d have to know how easy it would be to do a DNA test.”

  Nova let out a huge sigh as she spooned some baked ziti on her plate. “I just hoped you’d get something out of her.”

  “I did meet one of her followers.”

  “Oh?”

  “The woman who mans the front desk. She gave me the same sort of brainwashed vibe you got from that woman in the parking lot.”

  “I sense a but in there.”

  “Well, yeah. She seemed brainwashed, but not nearly as spacey as you described your girl. It was like there was this other person trying to get out.”

  Nova’s gaze narrowed. “What other sort of person?”

  “A normal, red-blooded woman.”

  That gaze widened once more before Nova slammed a hand down on the desk. “Oh my God! You flirted with her!”

  “I didn’t—” Nikolas felt the wash of flame sneak up his neck and onto his cheeks. “I mean, I didn’t—”

  “You so did, but that’s beside the point. Did it work?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Why not?”

  “Micheline came out and that was the last I saw of Leigh Dennings.”

  Nova dug into her meal, her gaze thoughtful. “That’s one more thing about that place that just does not make sense.”

  “One more?” Nikolas asked, emphasizing the number. “Try about a million, with the most damning of all coming from the Harley Watts email to Colton Oil.”

  Nikolas had worked the email angle on his own, digging deep ever since Marlowe and Ainsley had shared his name at dinner. While Watts came up squeaky clean on any background checks, his reputation was pretty solid in some of the darker corners of the internet. The guy knew how to work a keyboard and Nikolas had found a few references to his hacking skills before he must have joined the AAG.

  And then his former employer had clammed up, too, claiming she had no idea who he was.

  “You know what I mean. It’s like everything about that place is an image distorted by a warped mirror. Everything looks right until you look too close.”

  It was a great description and once again reinforced the way Nova’s design mind thought in images and pictures. He realized that he’d shortchanged the work by not tapping into that.

  “I want you to look at something later for me,” Nikolas said.

  “What is it?”

  “I pulled up a bunch of details off the AAG website. A brochure in pdf form as well as a few images they have posted. You might see something I can’t.”

  “Okay.”

  They settled into companionable silence, just as they had for the past week, and Nikolas thought again about that baby furniture he’d looked at online. She was less than two months away from delivering the baby and they were both going to need a permanent place to stay. Marlowe had taken Nova to her doctor a few days before, and despite the length of time between her last checkup and this one, the obstetrician was pleased with her pregnancy and the baby’s development.

  Things were moving along. And somewhere along the way, he’d begun to take an incredibly proprietary view toward Nova and the baby.

  A view toward something more permanent.

  Funny way of showing it, Slater. You haven’t even kissed the woman since last week.

  But he’d wanted to.

  Before he could carry that thought to its logical conclusion, the door in his outer office slammed open. Belatedly, Nikolas realized he hadn’t locked it after the food delivery arrived. He got up to deal with whomever was there.

  And came face-to-face with a seething Selina Barnes Colton, who strode toward him on sky-high heels that set off a pair of killer legs.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

  Nikolas stared down the formidable woman. She was still incredibly attractive, her marriage to a much older Payne ensuring she’d become rather rich at a young age. To all who knew him, Payne was much happier with his third wife, Genevieve, a woman who was both closer in age and temperament.

  But it was Selina who’d made her mark.

  “What can I do for you, Selina?”

  “You can get off your ass and get my case wrapped up.”

  “I’ve called you every day to keep you apprised of the progress.”

  “You’ve called me every day as a CYA and I don’t appreciate it.”

  Nikolas knew a ranting client when he saw one so he gave her the space to complain, waiting until she’d gotten her litany of perceived sins out. She’d nearly finished when her gaze sharpened on the entrance to Nikolas’s office. “Entertaining?”

  “I have—”

  He never got out “company” because Selina was already marching into the office, her voice rising several octaves as she caught sight of Nova. “Why is she here?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Although Nikolas knew how to placate a client, he wasn’t going to stand for anyone mistreating Nova. He was about to say as much when Selina whirled on him once more.

  “What are you playing at, Slater? Who is this woman? I’ve already seen her twice this week hanging out with my stepdaughters.”

  “Ex-stepdaughters, you mean?” Nikolas clarified.

  Selina ignored the distinction. “I’ve seen this woman with Marlowe and Ainsley. Who is she and what are you doing with her?”

  There was no way in hell he was giving up the news that Nova was likely Ace’s biological daughter, so he sidestepped the question completely. “This is my friend, Nova Ellis. She’s new in town and I introduced her to Marlowe and Ainsley.”

  The screech subsided to a mild roar. “That’s awfully convenient. You have a friend,” Selina spat the word, her feelin
gs on Nova’s status more than clear, “and you decide to introduce her to Ace’s sisters. That’s an awfully large conflict of interest, don’t you think?”

  “I thought you hired me to investigate Ace. Not your stepdaughters.” If Selina wanted to play the family card, he’d toss it right back at her.

  “Ex-stepdaughters. And my point is valid. Where are your loyalties?”

  “To the truth.”

  Whatever Selina was about to say vanished, her jaw snapping shut at his point.

  “We are both looking for the same thing, aren’t we?” Nikolas pressed.

  “Of course we’re looking for the same thing,” Selina finally agreed.

  “Then perhaps you’d like to know more about my visit today to the AAG.”

  For her part, Nova remained quiet throughout the exchange and didn’t seem to have any need to interject into the conversation. And with the dangling opportunity to hear more about the AAG, Nova might as well have been invisible to Selina. “Of course I’d like to know more.”

  “Why don’t we continue our discussion in the outer office?”

  Nikolas filled Selina in on his visit and the continued concerns that the AAG wasn’t what they seemed.

  “You know I have little regard for that ‘be your best self’ stuff. Why does someone need to pay some organization to find that?” Selina huffed.

  “Everyone finds their own way in their own time.” Nikolas wasn’t about to dismiss those who didn’t have the shark-like instincts of Selina. “What I’m more concerned about is that you knew there was an email sent from an AAG member, yet never told me.”

  Selina’s smile was reminiscent of that shark as she stared back at him, innocence personified. “That’s why you’re the best, Nikolas. You’re so good at finding all the clues and I didn’t need to betray my knowledge of a highly confidential matter involving the Colton Oil company.”

  As strategies went it was a smart one and, once again, a reminder not to estimate Payne Colton’s second wife.

  Which led him to his final area of concern. While he’d been open to whatever this case threw at him, there was one piece that had increasingly bothered him.