Her P.I. Protector

by Jennifer Morey

  “I’m still investigating the disappearance of Mr. Davett’s wife, and I received a tip that he may be having an affair with his paralegal, Maria Morales. Can you comment on that?”

  Harper began walking toward her car. “I can’t help you any more than I already have.”

  Julien followed her. “Mr. Davett’s wife could be dead, Ms. Evans.” When she turned to him, he asked, “Is he really worth protecting?”

  “No, but my job is.” She looked nervously at the building again.

  Something had her spooked. “You’ve heard about the investigation into Audrey’s disappearance, haven’t you?” Julien asked.

  “Yes, of course. We all have. It didn’t hit home until you came asking questions. We thought she’d probably just left him.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  Harper didn’t answer right away. She took her lip between her teeth briefly.

  “I saw him with Maria last night at a food truck festival in Walden. Just the two of them,” she said.

  She met his eyes for long seconds. “I’ve seen them together in the city, too. I was out with some friends and he was with her. He didn’t see me and I left before he could. She goes into his office and closes the door a lot. I’ve heard them talking and it’s too personal to be professional. They flirt, you know? I don’t know if they’re sleeping together but I’d be surprised if they weren’t.”

  “How long have they been behaving that way?” he asked.

  “I first noticed it about six months ago. But, thinking back, they could have been an item before that.”

  Audrey had gone missing around a month ago. Now Julien had just found a motive. Had Maria lied when she’d confirmed that Benson had been working late the night of his wife’s disappearance? Had the paralegal simply provided her lover a convenient alibi? Or was she the one responsible for Audrey’s disappearance?

  “There’s something else,” the assistant said. “Benson suspected his wife was having an affair before he and Maria got together. I heard him arguing with Audrey on the phone about it.”

  Audrey was having an affair? Julien thought on that for a moment. Maybe she’d been going to divorce him and he hadn’t wanted to lose half his assets to his cheating wife. Or did her new lover have something to do with her disappearance?

  * * *

  At exactly five o’clock, Julien and Skylar arrived at Audrey’s lover’s place of employment. They had tracked him down thanks to a neighbor and apparent close friend of Audrey’s who had told them the man’s name. Police hadn’t questioned the friend yet and she hadn’t offered any information because she didn’t think Audrey’s lover would have harmed her. She also didn’t think Benson would, either. They had been a couple who lived in peace and quiet despite their unhappy marriage.

  Harvey Lawrence was the CEO of a tech company in Dallas. He lived in the same neighborhood as Maria and Benson. His executive assistant had told them he could see them at the end of the day. Now he let them into Harvey’s posh office on the top floor of a twelve-story building.

  A tall man with a thick build, Harvey approached them with an outstretched hand. “My assistant says you’re from a private investigation agency?”

  “I am,” Julien said, reaching to shake the man’s hand. “Julien LaCroix. And this is Skylar Chelsey, a witness I’m protecting until we can solve Audrey Davett’s missing person case.”

  “Ah. She needs protecting?” Harvey asked.

  Skylar wasted no time speaking up. “I saw a man attempting to bury a body on the border of my property.”

  Harvey looked from her to Julien. “And you think the body might be Audrey’s?”

  “We hope not, but yes,” Julien said.

  Harvey motioned for them to take a seat. “What brings you by here?” he asked.

  “We’ve learned you were having an affair with Audrey,” Julien said.

  “Yes, but we split up almost two months ago. I heard about Audrey going missing on the news, but I didn’t feel I could help the police, so I didn’t contact them.”

  Two months? That was before Audrey had gone missing, Skylar realized. She looked around the office and saw a photo on the console behind his desk. A blonde woman smiled with Harvey and their two teenage kids.

  “Who ended the relationship?” Julien asked.

  “I did. I decided to try to make my marriage work. If not for us, for our kids.”

  “How did Audrey respond to that?” Julien asked.

  “She wasn’t happy, but she respected my wishes. I felt bad, but we’re both married. We knew what we were getting into from the moment it started. We had been seeing each other for about six months before it ended.”

  Julien nodded.

  “Does your wife know about your affair?” he asked.

  “No, and I’d prefer she never does.”

  “Of course, but I will warn you that we may have to talk to her. Are you certain she doesn’t know? Some people react differently when they discover their spouse is being unfaithful.”

  Harvey grinned cynically. “If you’re suggesting my wife went on some kind of revenge killing, I can assure you, she is the opposite of that. She can’t kill ants and she’s afraid of everything. Heights. Deep water. Diseases.”

  Skylar noticed Julien didn’t react to that.

  “Besides,” Harvey went on, “I’ve seen no change in her and she would have confronted me if she did know.”

  Julien nodded noncommittally. “I’ve got some other leads to follow, so that’s it for now.”

  Skylar couldn’t tell if the man was relieved or more worried with how calm Julien was. He stood and shook Julien and Skylar’s hands.

  “If you have any other questions, just let me know,” Harvey said.

  “Thanks.” Julien ushered Skylar out of the office and down a hall to the elevator.

  “He doesn’t seem like the type to murder anyone,” Skylar said as they rode in the elevator.

  “I agree, but we’ll keep him in a back pocket for now.”

  Outside, Skylar got in Julien’s BMW and they headed back to his place, where they’d once again decided to hide out. A few minutes into the drive, Julien’s cell rang. He checked the caller ID and answered. Skylar watched his face tense up as the seconds ticked on.

  “I’m on my way. Stay in your room until I get there.”

  Instantly, Skylar knew it was Sawyer.

  “Sawyer said his stepfather hit him,” Julien said as he disconnected.

  She supposed she had expected something like that to happen. Her heart rebelled against the injustice. No one at that age should have to live under those conditions.

  Julien drove fast and, after about thirty minutes, they pulled up along the curb of the street.

  The house was lit in two windows and the porch light was on. Skylar waited in the car. She would rather not get in the way of a domestic violence incident.

  Maybe fifteen minutes later, out came Sawyer with Julien, who was carrying a suitcase. As the boy neared, Skylar saw his black eye. Instinct took over and she got out of the car and went to him.

  “Are you all right?” she asked, touching his cheek and then inspecting the rest of him.

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s get him out of here.” Julien opened the back door.

  Sawyer got in and Skylar got in with him. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

  He looked embarrassed as he glanced at her. “I’m okay.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “He started yelling at me, telling me to do stuff, like get him beers. I finally refused and told him to get his own. That’s when he hit me.”

  “He wasn’t in the house,” Julien said. “I looked.”

  Skylar bet he’d looked. And if he had found him, John Larkin would have paid a price for harming an innocent kid.
>
  “Where was your mother during all of this?”

  “Drinking with him. She doesn’t care what my stepdad does. I thought she did, but she doesn’t. All she cares about is drinking.”

  “She was passed out on the couch,” Julien said with a bite in his tone. “There were liquor bottles and beer cans all over the kitchen. I took pictures.”

  Sawyer would definitely be removed from that house now. Good. He deserved a better life.

  “I’m sorry I lied,” Sawyer said.

  Julien looked in the rearview mirror. “Don’t sweat that, kid. I knew you had your reasons.”

  “John said he’d kill my mom if I told anyone,” he said. “He said he’d kill me, too. I believed him.”

  “He won’t get anywhere near you now, Sawyer,” Julien said. “I’ll make sure of that. You’re safe now.”

  Sawyer blinked slowly, looking tired but relieved. He relaxed against the seat.

  Skylar looked at Julien’s eyes in the rearview mirror and, for a split second, felt connected to him in a different way. A parental way. It was a warm and loving glow all through her insides. The rush caught her off guard and she averted her gaze to the window and the darkness passing by.

  * * *

  Back at Julien’s apartment, she helped Sawyer get settled into the spare room. There were only two bedrooms. They were big, but this meant she would be sleeping with Julien. While that disturbed her, Sawyer was more important.

  They had taken him to the hospital first. He had some other minor scratches and bruises—all were photographed—but other than his black eye, he was in good health. That was a relief. It was so hard witnessing the effects of abuse on a child, and she felt a tug on her heartstrings she’d never experienced before. She realized she would do anything to keep this boy safe. And that reaction surprised her, the intensity of it. She had never been aware that she possessed such a fierce maternal instinct.

  Soon after seeing Sawyer off to bed, she saw he had already slipped into exhausted sleep. She smoothed his hair and turned out the light.

  Julien was on the phone with the social worker when she stepped into the living room.

  “What did Tracy say?” she asked when he ended the call.

  He walked to her and took her hands in his. “With her help, I filled out foster care and adoption papers right after Sawyer went home. I knew this day would come. I knew something bad would happen and he would be catapulted back into the system. Tracy said Sawyer can stay here until the process is complete.”

  Skylar felt hugely confused. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I wasn’t sure if I could. I don’t even know if I can call this dating.” He let out a disgruntled breath. “I want—no, I need to protect that kid.” He jabbed his finger toward the bedroom where Sawyer slept. “I don’t know if I’ll adopt him, but he’ll be in my care until Child Services finds him a good and loving home.”

  Skylar could only stare at him. Her feelings about him, about children, family—her entire life—were a jumbled, messy ball of stupefaction.

  “I didn’t ask for this,” Julien said. “I didn’t plan for it. It just happened.”

  Like them. All of the events of the past several weeks had crashed upon them—upon her. One day she had been carrying out her everyday routine and the next her life had exploded into a series of unpredictable happenings. She would never be the same again.

  Chapter 14

  Four weeks passed with no movement in the missing person case. Julien had kept surveillance on Benson, but he hadn’t deviated from his normal routine. The shooter hadn’t tried to attack again, either. Things had been quiet. Too quiet. Julien kept feeling that danger would jump out at them at any moment.

  Skylar convinced him to go back to the ranch. Not only did she need to be there, she thought the environment would help Sawyer. Julien agreed only after arranging further security measures. He installed additional motion detectors farther from the house so there would be earlier warnings if anyone came onto the property.

  Tonight, Skylar enjoyed making spaghetti. It had been a rainy day, chilly and breezy, and as the evening progressed, the weather had intensified. But inside, she felt cozy and warm. The aroma of the sauce simmering and the sound of a Disney movie completed the bliss.

  Julien sat with his feet on the coffee table, Sawyer sat next to him. It was a wonder the boy had taken to him so quickly.

  Sawyer looked up at her as though sensing her gaze. His contented eyes blinked with a soft smile. She felt her own answering smile along with a surge of affection.

  He looked back at the television and she resumed her task of preparing dinner.

  The three of them had fallen into a smooth routine. She and Julien took Sawyer to school and picked him up every day. She worked the ranch and hired a new deputy ranch manager, who was really good and could take over the operations when she wasn’t there. Julien’s manager had left. She could come and go as she pleased. She wasn’t working the long days she had before Julien had come along, and she didn’t miss it. Immersed in decorating his apartment, she found great joy in that.

  She and Sawyer had gotten to know each other a lot better. Actually, she and Julien both had. Sawyer’s appearance in her life felt like some sort of divine intervention. He liked animals and frequently drew them with the art supplies Skylar had bought him. He read science fiction and watched nature shows and family movies. Marvelous, how a boy from his background could have so many admirable aspirations.

  Skylar had grown up privileged, never having to overcome the perils of poverty or the self-destructive cost of addictions. Her menaces had come from parents who sought money, affluence and assets.

  “Okay. Dinner’s ready.” She set their plates on the table and sat at the end.

  Julien turned off the television and he and Sawyer came to the table, taking seats to her left and right.

  “I spoke with Tracy today,” Julien said.

  That must have been when she had worked with her deputy ranch manager this afternoon. “Oh?” She saw how Sawyer perked up with attentiveness.

  Julien glanced at the boy with fatherly pride. “Sawyer’s teachers reported he’s improving in all his subjects.”

  Skylar sucked in a happy breath. “That’s wonderful!”

  Sawyer looked bashful with the attention.

  As they finished their meal, the weight of what they were doing descended on her. They were acting like a family.

  Were they a family?

  No.

  Not really. But Skylar felt she was playing a role, the role of a mother, and Julien the role of a father. The stable routine definitely helped Sawyer, but it couldn’t last. Would they end up doing him more harm than good when Skylar’s case ended?

  She spent the next hour distracted by these thoughts. When Julien came back into the room after making sure the boy went to bed, she decided to broach what troubled her. “This is too much, Julien. He’s getting too attached to this lifestyle and us.”

  “Well, we could get married and adopt him.”

  Though said in jest, that was a possibility. She knew Julien didn’t want to part ways with Sawyer and the more time Skylar spent with him, neither did she.

  * * *

  Julien entered the Library with Skylar. The upscale bar, with bookshelves along one wall and muted lighting, suited Benson Davett’s character. Julien and Skylar had followed him here. She wore a dark wig and a sexy red dress and he wore a cowboy hat and glasses with a suit.

  Watching Benson meet up with two other men at a table, Julien sat with Skylar a few tables over.

  “Looks like he comes here regularly,” Skylar said when a waitress brought the lawyer a drink before he’d even ordered one.

  “We’ll talk to a few people after he leaves. Meanwhile...” Julien opened a drink menu. “What’ll it be?”

  She cho
se a red wine and he ordered the same. Sawyer had the run of his apartment for the night. It was the first time they’d trusted him alone.

  Skylar looked around. “I think my dad comes here.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Always on business, of course.”

  She sounded cynical. “You don’t like that about him?”

  “I’m starting to resent him for being so... What’s the word? Cal would say elitist.”

  He didn’t press her. She seemed to be having an internal struggle over the path she had taken, most likely at the direction of her father. He hoped she’d follow one that led to them together.

  As soon as the thought came, he felt himself recoil. His heart pulled him where his brain warned not to go, at least not prematurely.

  “You look good in a cowboy hat,” she said. He turned from Benson’s motoring mouth with his two gentlemen companions. “Don’t get too used to it.” Although he joked, he actually liked wearing the hat.

  “You like it and you know it.” She smiled.

  “Don’t tell my friends.”

  She laughed. “You’re also a natural on a horse.”

  He flirted back. “And you look good in city lights.”

  Their drinks arrived and he sipped as he admired her beauty. Her blue eyes mesmerized him. She must not dress up much but, damn, she sure looked great in that red dress.

  A slow song began to play. Unable to ignore his heart, Julien stood and extended his hand to Skylar. When she looked up at him in question, he said, “We need to blend in.”

  She smiled in a way that clearly conveyed she was on to him, but she gave him her hand.

  He took her to the dance floor, where a few other elegantly dressed couples moved. Holding her close, he swayed with her, one hand holding hers, the other low on her back. He twirled her slowly and gently, all the while reminding himself he had to keep his eyes on Benson, not her.

  Halfway into the second song, he saw Benson raise his hand to a waitress, signaling he wanted his tab. Julien danced with Skylar a bit longer and then stopped and led her back to the table.