Rockwell Agency: Boxset

by Dee Bridgnorth

  She looked away from him, thinking so hard that her brow furrowed. He waited, knowing that she might say that she couldn’t help him. If she did, he would deal with that as it came. He would have to convince her.

  But she turned back to him and nodded. “Okay … You can do this with me. But—what I say goes, Liam. If I tell you not to ask questions, or if there’s ever a moment where I need to go do something independently, then there’s no discussion. In this realm, I’m the expert. Can you agree to that?”

  Liam nodded, finally getting up and walking over to her. He extended his hand. “Yes.”

  Hannah looked down at his hand, then slowly slid hers into it. His fingers curled around hers, and he pulled her to her feet. Hannah gasped slightly, bracing herself in case he was going to pull her against him, but he didn’t. He just shook her hand, looking down into her eyes. “Thank you for accommodating me.”

  “Don’t make me regret it,” Hannah said, but there was no bite to her words, and her eyes were soft as they looked up into his. It would have been so, so easy to lean down and brush his lips against hers. But he didn’t want to ruin the agreement they had come to.

  “What’s first?” Liam asked, releasing her hand and stepping back.

  “Well,” Hannah said, looking around. “How are you feeling? What’s your pain like?”

  “Between your friend, Jordan, and the pain pills I popped …I’m sitting at a solid five on the pain scale,” Liam said. “Nothing I can’t power through.”

  Hannah nodded. “Okay. Well, then the first thing that we need to do is figure out who Trinity’s real enemies were, and the best way to do that is to talk to her friends. I have some names. And you—you need to come up with a name of your own, because I am not introducing you as Liam O’Malley to anyone associated with Trinity. It’s only going to be a matter of time, by the way, before someone recognizes you and reports to the police that you’re investigating. By doing it this way you’re asking for trouble with them, too.”

  She was right, and he knew it, but he would have to accept the consequences. “Let’s go. From now on, you can call me Ethan Rodgers.”

  “You came up with that very quickly.”

  “Ethan is my brother’s name, and my stepmother’s last name is Rodgers,” he said. “I’m paying tribute to them with my stubbornness and insanity.”

  “Oh, well, I’m sure they’re honored.”

  Chapter 13

  Hannah

  Hannah pulled up to the small shop where Trinity Calhoun had worked before she’d been killed. It was a boutique of sorts, with purses, and hats, and shoes displayed in the window alongside a mannequin in a sleek black dress. Hannah wondered why a woman who apparently was independently wealthy would work at such a place, and she suspected that Trinity might have actually owned it, but for some reason had chosen not to make that known. When Hannah had called, the woman on the phone had confirmed that Trinity had been a full-time employee there, and she had agreed to talk to Hannah after some persuasion. Hannah had told her that she was a private investigator who was bringing her partner with her—her partner, Ethan Rodgers.

  “You’ve never been in here before, right?” Hannah asked, getting out of her car and standing up in the bright sunshine of the Louisiana afternoon. “Nobody’s going to recognize you.”

  Liam got out as well, but much more gingerly. “No—definitely not. Trinity and I were not in the sort of relationship where we visited each other’s workplaces. I actually couldn’t have told you where she worked.”

  Hannah arched an eyebrow. “Uh-huh.”

  “I made no secret of the fact that Trinity and I mainly hooked up on the weekends,” Liam said. “We didn’t talk much about each other’s lives, and that’s how we both liked it. At least, she seemed to like it just fine.”

  Hannah didn’t want to hear any more about what Trinity might or might not have liked just fine. “Let’s go,” she said, nodding towards the door. “Remember, you’re my partner. My fellow investigator. Ethan Rodgers.”

  “I won’t forget,” Liam said, following her towards the door. “Let’s tell them that I’ve been recently shot in a different investigation, and I’m still recovering. To explain the awkward gait.”

  Hannah shook her head in amusement. “Let’s not, actually. If it comes up, you can just say that you’re stiff.”

  “That seems really personal. I’m not saying it’s not true, but I’m not sure I want to discuss that with them.”

  In spite of herself, Hannah laughed. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  “Quit putting it in the gutter every time I take it out,” Liam said.

  Hannah swatted his arm lightly, and opened the front door of the boutique, stepping out of the slightly muggy air and into the air-conditioned room. “Hi there,” Hannah said, walking in. “I’m Hannah—the investigator who called earlier. Is this a good time?”

  There were no customers in the small store, and the woman standing behind the counter, came out towards them quickly. “Hello!” Her name tag reading Willa. She was lovely and sleek with mocha-brown skin and natural hair that sat in a halo around her face. “I’m Willa. We spoke on the phone. I’m the only one working here today, so we have to stay out in the main area in case someone comes in. But we can talk.”

  Hannah nodded, gratefully. “Fine with us. This is my partner, Ethan Rodgers. Ethan, this is Willa.”

  Liam stuck his hand out, shaking Willa’s hand. “Hello there, Willa. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you,” Willa said, sneaking an extra glance at Liam. “It’s been pretty devastating.”

  Hannah noticed Willa checking out Liam, but she pushed the thought from her mind refusing to let it bother her that a tall, elegant, stylish, beautiful woman was sending Liam clear signals that he would no doubt pick up on indicating her interest in his physical appearance. If she was going to keep walking around with Liam—and it seemed she was—she was going to have to get used to that and not feel threatened by it, even if her own lightly tanned skin and braided brown hair seemed unimpressive standing next to the beauty beside her.

  “I’m sure it has been,” Hannah said, focusing herself on the task in front of her. “It’s always hard to lose a friend, but especially this way. We’d like to talk with you about Trinity, and just get a feel from you, someone who must have been very close to her, what she was like.”

  “Oh, Trinity was always a bit of a mystery,” Willa said, staring off out the window. “She loved working here. She really, really loved it. I didn’t always understand why, but she was very invested here. It mattered to her that things ran smoothly, and that the shop was successful.”

  “Who owns this store?” Hannah asked, even though she was confident that Trinity had owned it herself, even if she had never told her coworkers that.

  Willa shook her head. “Some woman who I’ve never met. She doesn’t come in. She sends in written instructions, and Trinity managed all of that. I don’t know what will happen now. I think that she and Trinity knew each other, but Trinity never really wanted to talk about it. There was a lot that Trinity didn’t talk about. Her dating life. Her family. Pretty much everything, actually.”

  “But you must have known some things,” Hannah said, looking around the shop. “I mean you two spent so much time here, working together. You get to know a person in that kind of situation.”

  Willa lifted a shoulder and nodded hesitantly. “Yes …yes, I did get a feel for her beyond the chitchat. But I got the impression that she wasn’t very happy. And I got the impression that she didn’t really have anyone who she could talk to about things. She would sometimes start to talk and then catch herself before she could go too far, you know? I know she was a bit of a loner. I know she didn’t date seriously. I know she did do a lot of casual dating, though. She was very … you know, sensual. Or however you want to put it. Really, really beautiful. She could have any guy, and she often did.”

  Hannah struggled to keep her fac
e neutral. She didn’t begrudge Trinity, or her beauty, or her right to date any and every man available to her. But all she could think about was Trinity with Liam. Two beautiful, sensual people and the things that they must have done together. She cleared her throat, reprimanding herself for losing focus. “Was there anyone that Trinity spoke about in particular? Maybe someone she seemed afraid of? Or someone that she really didn’t like to talk about?”

  “She had a brother,” Willa said. “He came in once, and she wasn’t expecting him. They fought—I had forgotten about that. They fought really badly, actually. I didn’t follow most of it. They were speaking in code or something. Not real code, but just being vague. She was very upset that he had showed up, unannounced, and he was very upset that she was sticking her head in the sand about something. A family issue. Something that he said had to be dealt with for the good of everyone.”

  Hannah glanced at Liam, but Liam shook his head. He didn’t know of any brother.

  “Do you remember his name?” Hannah asked Willa.

  “Agnew,” Willa said. “Hard to forget a name like that—especially after Trinity shouted it over and over. I remember wondering what parents would name their children Trinity and Agnew. But then again, my name is Willa, and my two sisters are Autumn and Peony. My parents were hippies, back in the day.”

  Hannah smiled, slightly. “Well, they’re all beautiful names. Is there anything else that you can tell us about Trinity, Willa? Anything—even the smallest detail that might be important?”

  Willa thought for a long moment, but she shook her head, shrugging her slender shoulders. “Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I realize how superficial our friendship was. We never hung out together outside of work. We really didn’t talk about personal stuff—not her personal stuff, anyway. She was all about this shop and making it work, and she was the kind of person to avoid relationships and attachments. I’m sure she was hiding something, but I don’t know what it was. I don’t know a lot, with her gone. Like if I have a job. I’ve sent an email to the owner, but I haven’t heard back.”

  Hannah nodded. “I know that the transition will be very difficult. Do you have the owner’s name, by chance?”

  “Ashley Markum,” Willa said. “I’ve never met her. But she signs my paychecks.”

  “That’s very helpful,” Hannah said. “Willa, I think that’s all for now, but do you mind if Ethan and I come back and chat with you again later on? We might find that we have more questions.”

  “Sure,” Willa said. “I’ll be here—unless I’m not, of course. I guess that depends on Ashley Markum.”

  Hannah thought Ashley Markum was every bit as dead as Trinity Calhoun, but she didn’t say so. She smiled at Willa again and thanked her, then walked out of the shop with Liam. They headed for the car together, getting in at the same time.

  “I’m guessing we are about to track down an Agnew Calhoun?” Liam asked, getting into the car gingerly and wincing as his back brushed up against the seat.

  “We are,” Hannah said. “It’s dangerous, getting that close to the family. If Trinity’s grandmother is taking out her frustration on you, and blaming you, then there’s every chance that she has the entire family in on the takedown. Agnew might know exactly who you are and showing him our hand might be the worst thing that we could possibly do. But I have a hunch—it’s just an impression, but it’s a strong one. I suspect that Agnew is not close with the rest of the family. Willa said Trinity didn’t expect to see him, and then they fought. That suggests they’re not close, and that Agnew turning up was not a pleasant surprise. I can’t say for sure, but I think that Agnew might be an ally.”

  “And how many people can be out there with the name Agnew Calhoun?” Liam said, buckling up carefully, as Hannah put the car in reverse. “We should be able to look him up in a heartbeat.”

  “I forgot that you are used to tracking people down,” Hannah said. “Good. I’ll drive, and you search for Agnew Calhoun. Make yourself useful, Ethan Rogers.”

  Chapter 14

  Liam

  Liam scrolled through the text on his phone, scanning through his search results for information on Agnew Calhoun. He had gotten several hits, many of which were ads for search programs that wanted him to pay to unlock all of Agnew Calhoun’s information, but he skipped over those, looking for a real hit. And he found one just as Hannah came to a stop at a red light.

  “Here’s something,” Liam said. “Agnew Calhoun. Age twenty-eight. Resident of …New Orleans. Interesting. He’s a tour guide. Even more interesting.”

  “A tour guide in New Orleans,” Hannah said, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, as she waited for the light to turn green. “Okay. Sounds like a career choice that a family outcast might make. Question is …did he come up after hearing about Trinity’s murder?”

  Liam kept scrolling through the information. “Surely he did. Even if you are an outcast …if your sister gets murdered you show up, right?”

  “I would think so, yes,” Hannah said, driving again. She was headed for the agency where they would regroup and strategize. “What we need is some way to contact him. Coming up with any leads there?”

  “Yeah, I can message him through the site that he uses for booking tours,” Liam said. “I’ll do that first, then I’ll start searching for social media stuff.” He wrote Agnew a message in lieu of making a reservation for a tour:

  Agnew,

  My name is Hannah Reese, and I’m an agent with the Rockwell Agency. We’re an investigation and security firm, and I have a few questions I’d like to ask you about a case I’m working on. Please give me a call as soon as possible.

  Hannah Reese

  Liam read his message out loud to Hannah. “I’m sending it as you because it’s better not to put my name, and if I put my fake name, he might look me up and realize …I’m fake.”

  “Fine,” Hannah said, nodding. She pulled into the parking lot at the agency and snagged a parking spot by the door. “Works for me.”

  Liam added Hannah’s cell-phone number, then sent the message.

  Together, they got out of the car and walked into the agency. Liam could hear some commotion going on in the back of the building, but he couldn’t tell what exactly it was.

  Hannah, however, shook her head in amusement. “Ryan and Angela. A little afternoon delight.”

  Liam’s eyes widened, and he laughed. “Oh my. Well, you all really are close, aren’t you?”

  “Apparently,” Hannah said, opening her office door and letting him inside before following him and closing the door behind them. “They’re newly in love. They get carried away.”

  “It seems like there’s a lot of new love around here,” Liam said, sitting down carefully. He winced a bit, and Hannah put her hand on his shoulder.

  She looked down at him with concern. “Are you holding up okay?”

  “It hurts, but I’m dealing,” Liam said. He reached a hand out and rested it on her hip, guiding her to stand in front of him. They had swung by her place this morning after leaving his, and she had changed into a pair of fitted khakis and a navy blouse. It was a simple outfit, but it hugged her nicely, and set off the tanned color of her skin. Her hair still tumbled down around her shoulders, hanging in loose waves, and as he looked up at her, and she looked down at him, her hair fell forward, teasing against his arm.

  “Liam,” Hannah said. “We have a deal.”

  Leaning forward, Liam nuzzled his nose against the curve of her hip, breathing in the scent of his soap that was still on her, combined with the wafting of rose and lavender that hovered around her naturally. Her hand rested on the back of his head, holding him there, and he closed his eyes, resting against her.

  Neither of them spoke. He rested his cheek against her flat stomach, and she stroked the back of his hair lightly. He could feel the tension within her body, and it was within his, too. There was such a pull between them, and neither of them knew what to do with it. He always enjoye
d touching a beautiful woman, but he had never before been so hungry to just rest against someone and hold them. There was nothing sexual in his touch. He wasn’t trying to seduce her, or pull her down into his lap, or even coax her into kissing him again—not that he would have turned down any of those things. He was just resting against her and letting her soothe some of the pain in his body with the tender play of her fingers in his hair.

  Hannah’s cell phone rang, as they leaned against each other, and she jolted slightly. He knew she was going to pull away, and he tried to hold her for just another moment, but she carefully untangled herself from him and pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “Unknown number. Hello?”

  Liam looked up at her, and he knew from her expression that the caller was Agnew Calhoun. She put it on speaker, and he heard the tail end of the man’s introduction.

  “… wanted to call you as soon as possible.”

  “Thank you,” Hannah said, sitting down beside Liam. “I’m glad you were able to call me back so quickly. Agnew, I assume you know what this call is in reference to?”

  “Trinity,” Andrew said. “Yes. I’ve heard about it. I expected a call from the police, but I’m wondering why a private investigator is calling me. Has my family hired you?”

  “No,” Hannah said, looking at Liam. “No, I’m working independently, on behalf of an interested party. I would really like to sit down with you, Agnew. Are you willing to meet with me?”

  There was a long pause on the line. “I want to help figure out what happened to Trinity—trust me. Nothing is more important to me. But there are things that are …difficult to understand about my family. Things that will inevitably come up in this investigation. I’m not sure what to do about it, honestly. I’m …not close with my family. Not at all. They will not like me talking to you or to anyone. And if I’m being honest, I’m not sure how much I should say, or what the consequences will be.”

  Liam and Hannah looked at each other, silently communicating. It was obvious to both of them that Agnew was very well aware of his grandmother’s powers and tendencies—and there was no telling what else he might know.