by Peggy Gaddis
Lacey took another swallow of coffee and surveyed him. Cute, plucky, but still just a child.
“I can get more money.”
Lacey’s heart squeezed. “I better take you back to your uncle’s house. Or maybe I’ll just call him first. Do you know his phone number?”
The little boy unrolled from the chair and began stuffing the bills into his jeans pocket. “He’s at work. I can get home myself.”
Lacey couldn’t stand to watch the despair. “Does your uncle know you’re here?”
Jason paused, his eyes downcast. “No. But he won’t help me. He’s always working. It’s been two days and I can’t wait any longer.” A tear dropped off the tip of Jason’s chin and landed silently on the desk.
She cocked her head, contemplating the predicament for a nanosecond. “Tell me about your dog.”
• • •
Lacey stowed Jason’s bike in the trunk of her car, punched the address he’d given her into the GPS, and made the short drive to the edge of the downtown. Familiar with the location, she knew to expect an upscale neighborhood with large single-family homes and luxury condominiums. Within walking distance of the edge of the downtown, the neighborhood appealed to urban professionals and retirees who appreciated close proximity to theater, dining, and entertainment. She knew this because she and Nick had considered a house there when she was pregnant with Tyler. But ultimately trees had won out over theater, and they’d happily settled on an established neighborhood farther out of the city.
She pulled her sky-blue Honda Civic into the long driveway and chose to ignore the contrast between the wealth around her and the practical car she drove. She had a sensible bent and appreciated simplicity, especially when that was all she could afford.
Although summer was just beginning to settle in, its late afternoon warmth heated the soft breeze that lifted the wind chimes dangling at the entry of Jason’s uncle’s condominium. Jason unlocked the front door, stopping to punch a code into the alarm system, and Lacey followed him inside, instantly embraced by a lavish sense of wealth.
A sunken living room spread before her, with a huge stone-fireplace focal point. A wall of windows towering from the plush beige-carpeted floor to the vaulted ceiling bathed the room in sunlight and revealed a courtyard outside. An overstuffed red leather couch and coordinating chairs sitting near the fireplace looked invitingly cozy. From the high-end furniture to the fine art painting on the wall, the apartment dripped money.
“Nice digs,” Lacey said. “Can you show me around?”
Silently the little boy led Lacey down a hall past the living room, through a dining room sporting a modern-style table and chairs and contemporary chandelier, to a kitchen.
Something thrumming inside her gut fueled suspicions about the uncle. It was odd that he’d left an eight-year-old alone, and she wondered about things like food and safety. A quick look inside the maple cabinets and gleaming chrome refrigerator revealed a well-stocked kitchen. Plenty of kid-friendly foods, she noted, and numbers posted beside the landline phone sitting on the counter. A short note stuck to the phone read, “Jason, I’ll see you at lunch if I can. We’ll go out for dinner. Love, Uncle Jake.”
Running her hand over the commercial-grade stove and granite counter top, Lacey took note of the medium-size red bowl marked Snickers, half full of kibble, and the full water bowl sitting next to it. She bent down and cupped a handful of the dog food. “You put fresh food out for Snickers this morning?”
“Yeah,” Jason muttered, shuffling his sneakered foot on the gleaming bamboo floor. “He’s got to be hungry, wherever he is.”
Lacey wanted to give Jason a big hug and assure him his dog would be back soon, but thought better of it, not sure just how much promise to hold out. “You’re probably right. Good thing you've got his food ready for him. If you could answer a few more questions I could better understand the situation.”
“Sure.” He leaned against the kitchen wall and waited.
“What happened? I mean, was he missing when you came home two days ago or did you see him run away, maybe chasing a squirrel?”
“Umm, I came home from school and he was just gone. I looked everywhere inside and I checked the backyard. He was just gone.” Jason swiped at a tear making its way onto his cheek.
“Did your uncle help you look?” She asked the questions as gently as she could, just like she would if she were talking to her son.
“Some. He didn’t have a lot of time. He checked the backyard and said he would drive around the neighborhood later, but he hasn’t. My uncle has people who work for him. They’re detectives. I asked him if one of his guys could help me, but he said no.” He pursed his lips and shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Okay, well, let’s continue our search.” She nodded with enthusiasm, trying to assure him she’d do her best to find his dog. “Where does Snickers sleep?”
“Upstairs in my room.”
Hmm, he has his own room here? Following Jason up to the second floor, Lacey surveyed the open living room from the winding wooden staircase. A large glass patio door opened out to a rustic backyard deck adjacent to the courtyard. Redwood chairs with colorful, plump cushions surrounded a redwood table. With a large grill and nearby fire pit to complete the picture, the deck looked ready to host a backyard bash. Lacy could practically hear the tinkle of ice cubes as they cooled fashionably chic drinks for equally fashionable guests.
But what really caught her attention was the red rubber ball perched in one corner of the two-story deck, peeking from behind a large planter. “Does Snickers like to play fetch?” she asked as they reached the second floor and headed down the hall.
“Pretty much. He mostly likes to just chase the ball and carry it around. Here’s my room.” Jason plopped onto the rumpled bed and propped himself up on one elbow. “Snickers sleeps here,” he added patting the bed.
Lacey nodded acknowledgement as she kneeled to the floor, noting the dog brush, fairly full from a recent brushing, sitting on a nightstand. “It looks like Snickers is pretty playful.” Picking up first a mangled rubber bone and then a plastic duck that squeaked, she could easily imagine the comfortable companionship between boy and dog. The sense of it felt mutually loving for both, she noted.
“We have a lot of fun, usually.”
The melancholy note in Jason’s voice reminded Lacey of the importance of her job. The feelings of a little boy and his love for his four-legged friend were nothing to trifle about.
Down the hall she paused at another bedroom door. “When does the cleaning woman come?”
“Every morning about nine-thirty. She stays for a while and she fixes me lunch, too.”
“And how about the person who takes care of the lawn?”
“He’s here once a week, but not at any particular time or day.” Jason slid behind Lacey to step into his uncle’s bedroom, oblivious to her assumption of hired help. “My uncle gets up early, way before me. But Snickers gets up with him. Uncle Jake feeds him for me.”
“That’s nice.” Lacey wondered what the room would look like if “Uncle Jake” didn’t have the luxury of a maid. She just couldn’t help having bitter thoughts, all things considered. She’d worked very hard for everything she had in life, and the Carter family did not have to. She twisted her shoulders to dispel the negative vibes slipping through her. She wasn’t jealous, she knew, but it was hard to ignore the pain the Carter name evoked. She had too much history with the exploits of “Uncle Jake’s” father, and too much knowledge of his own reputation for being his father’s son. She rolled her shoulders, reminding herself it would do no good to let things of the past distract her now.
Her attention refocused on the room, she took in a dark chocolate satin comforter spread neatly across the king-size bed that sat near the windows of the spacious, L-shaped room. A teakwood ceiling fan gently stirred the air-conditioned air and whirred quietly above the bed. Two teakwood chests of drawers sat like sentries on the long wall. A brown,
soft suede love seat sat empty of books, writing pads, or anything that would convey the presence of the man who occupied this room. Nothing was out of place.
Beautiful but subtle carvings of boxed flowers embellished the warm wooden doors that opened into the grand walk-in closet. The man enjoyed beauty, that was clear. But the tidiness made Lacey’s skin itch. Drop a wadded tissue, leave an empty glass, do something to prove someone with a beating heart lives here, she thought to herself.
“Boring, huh?” quipped Jason as the two of them stood inside the closet. “I bet my uncle has about a hundred black suits.”
Lacey giggled as she left the closet behind in her survey of the room. “And another hundred grey, brown, and blue suits.”
Walking into the master bath, Lacey stopped short. “Geez! Now, that’s a bathtub,” she exclaimed. Her voice echoed slightly against the marble tile walls and gray slate floor.
Jason waited patiently at the doorway while her gaze moved from one opulent element to another.
A large white and gold marble whirlpool tub, deep enough to disappear in, was framed on three sides by frosted glass windows and a small garden of palms and feathery ferns. On another wall stood a shower stall sporting a gold rain-head showerhead and etched glass doors.
“Hi, Uncle Jake.”
Jason’s greeting jolted Lacey out of her skin. Retreat was impossible. She turned to face the square shoulders, tall frame, and solid jaw of a dark-haired man. “Uncle Jake, I presume?” She wasn’t doing anything wrong, so why did she feel her as though Brad Pitt had just caught her picking her nose?
“I know who I am. Who are you and what are you doing in my bathroom?” The man’s voice was clipped velvet. His arm circled Jason protectively.
She stuck out her hand. “I’m Lacey Aegar. And as for what I’m doing here…”
“I hired her, Uncle Jake. She’s going to find Snickers.”
She looked from Jason’s cherubic face and up into the glistening brown eyes of his uncle and felt her composure melt into the cold slate beneath her feet. “Umm…I’m a private investigator. And your nephew has asked me to…”
“I think you’ve seen enough, Ms. Private Investigator or gossip columnist or whoever you are.” The man grabbed Lacey’s elbow and began to usher her briskly out of the room.
“But Uncle Jake—”
“If you’ll just hold on a minute I can explain.” Lacey’s face burned at the man’s insinuation. With Jason at his heels, the man swept Lacey down the stairs and was heading toward the front door, where she spread out her hands and planted them against the hard wood. “Stop,” she demanded, whirling around to face him head-on. “I’m not leaving until I finish what I came here for, and that’s to help Jason find his dog.”
The man slanted his head to the left and stood silently staring down at her.
“Please, Uncle Jake.” Jason pulled at his uncle’s pant leg like a little toddler.
She seized the stifling silence between them. “As I told you, my name is Lacey Aegar. I’m not a gossip columnist nor do I have any nefarious intentions. I’m looking for clues that may lead me to Snickers. So far, I’ve learned Snickers is a happy, healthy, and active dog. He has semi-long blond hair, just like his little owner.” Lacey smiled down at Jason, then brought her attention back to the man’s stern look. “Maybe a yellow Lab mix? He’ll fetch a ball, but spends his playtime equally between his favorite rubber duck and beloved rubber bone. I know you enjoy Snickers’ companionship in the morning when you down your multigrain cereal with skim milk, orange juice, and gourmet blend cup of fair-trade coffee. I know you care about him and love your nephew and want to help find his dog. But there’s been little time because you leave for work before sunrise and find it challenging to get home for dinner, though you make the effort, again, because you love Jason.”
“Trying to dazzle me with details, Ms. Aegar?”
“Just doing my job, pro bono, I might add.” Lacey could see by the sliver of a grin tickling the corners of the man’s mouth that she had won. “Now, I know a bit about you, but we weren’t officially introduced. I’m sure you’d prefer I call you something other than Uncle Jake?”
The man graced her with a delicious smile. If only it had been from his heart, she thought. Though winning, the smile was a habit. “Jackson Carter. It seems I owe you an apology.”
For Jason’s sake, Lacey hid her disgust, but it reverberated through her like ripples in a pond. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Carter.” Like heck, she thought. I’d like to grind you under my shoe, Mr. Carter, Mr. Snake, Mr. Stealing-All-My-Business, Mr. Daddy’s Rich Son. “I forgot I was speaking with someone in the business.”
“So you’ve heard of Carter, Inc.? I’m flattered you’re familiar with my reputation, but I wish I could return the compliment.”
“Aegar Investigations. My sister and I are jacks-of-all-trades, gumshoes, and business owners all rolled up into one nice and neat partnership.” Why was she talking so fast?
“I see.”
Lacey squirmed. She didn’t like his dismissive tone. On the surface he appeared gracious, but underneath it she detected something faintly derisive. For her, it might as well have been a river of superiority, fueling an attitude that his business wasn’t even in the same category as her own. Okay, maybe I’m a bit biased, she thought uncomfortably.
“We’ve been in town for about four years,” she said. “Actually, we’ve been in town all our lives. Born and raised Laurelwoodites. But we’ve been in the business for four years.” Lacey marveled at her rambling to this complete stranger. Open mouth and pour out my guts. Wanna tell him how much money is on the books, who your clients are, too? She paused to look squarely into Jackson’s deep brown eyes and squirmed again. Was that mocking or mirth twinkling, she wondered, clearing her throat. “Well, as I said, I’m here to help Jason, so back to work, if you don’t mind.” She squeezed out from between the door and the wall of a man through a stiff smile.
“By all means.” Jackson gestured with an open arm, inviting Lacey back into the interior of the condo.
• • •
Jackson caught a delicate whiff of lavender as Lacey Aegar of Aegar Investigations strolled past him on her way through the living room. He’d granted his permission for her search, but she clearly had intended to proceed with or without it. He’d never admit it, but he was more than a little dazzled. She’d discerned a lot of information, all accurate, without breaking a sweat.
Eyeing her as she inspected the sliding screen door leading out to the deck, Jackson stifled the smile that lurked on his lips. This Lacey seemed intent on finding the wayward Snickers, and Jackson couldn’t help but be delighted. From her burnished copper curls, enchanting green eyes, and sculptured cheekbones to her slim shoulders and delicious curves, Lacey defied him to dismiss her as an ordinary woman. And that was trouble. At thirty-four years old, with years of experience, he knew what to do with an ordinary woman. He’d had plenty of practice and was a little soured on the typical type he ran into. With the height of sophistication—a quality for him that translated as boring—these ordinary women seemed one-dimensional and interested primarily in his money and power.
But Lacey, she was something else altogether, it seemed. Jackson’s stomach knotted at the same time his senses went on alert. Vaguely aware of Lacey talking with Jason, he straightened his shoulders. “What’s that?”
“It’s a piece of Snickers’ fur,” Jason blurted. “It was stuck to the screen.”
Before Jackson knew what was going on, Lacey let herself out onto the deck, where she retrieved a red ball.
“I hadn’t seen that. Good eye.” Jackson felt his stomach quiver. Maybe if he’d been a little more earnest about finding his nephew’s dog he would have noticed the ball as it sat half hidden behind a cast-iron planter, a dead giveaway that Snickers could have been enticed outdoors, then snatched. Jason was very good about putting away his dog’s toys. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to get a piec
e of a Carter belonging, but why the dog?
Jason fast at her heels, Lacey walked out through the courtyard and into the lawn that made the backyard, a finger tapping against the tip of her chin. Jackson followed. With Lacey in the lead, the three of them walked the property line.
“You’ve got a lovely backyard.” Her yellow shirt, tucked neatly into her pants, made a bright spot in the yard. She placed a hand gently against the trunk of one of his sycamore trees. Her slim fingers and smooth skin rested in stark contrast against the rugged wood. Lacey tilted her head slightly and a smile curved her full lips. “An American sycamore. How nice. It’s native, you know. Don’t you love the sound of a breeze brushing through the leaves?”
Frankly, he’d never noticed. Although he’d handpicked the elements of his landscaping, he found little time to sit outside in solitude. Sure he’d been the gracious host to many an outdoor party, but time alone with his thoughts? That wasn’t penciled into his schedule. Especially lately with everything that was going on at work. He’d planned to take time to relax and enjoy his nephew during Jason’s extended visit, but it hadn’t happened yet. He’d even hoped, with all the preparations he’d made to give Jason a room of his own, his visits could become regular.
Lacey seemed oblivious to his lack of response. Slowly, deliberately, she scrutinized the rock garden, stone walk, sculpture pieces, copper fountain, and small pond that comprised his backyard. But he found it alarmingly disconcerting to watch her. Her ability to focus fascinated him. She was lost in the details of her surroundings while she appeared completely in the moment at the same time.
But he didn’t like feeling exposed, as though Lacey saw things about him he would never intentionally reveal to anyone. “I’ve been over the yard, you know. There’s nothing here.” Jackson was ready to put an end to this intrusion.
But Lacey either hadn’t heard him or was ignoring him. Suddenly her perfectly shaped behind, neatly emphasized in her gray pants, presented itself to him as she leaned her head close to the ground, peering closely at the privacy fence.