Receptionist Under Cover

by C. J. Carmichael

  Nadine went to the box of tissues they kept on hand for distressed clients and took a handful. Using the reflection off the glass covering one of the paper clip pictures, she cleaned up her face.

  She straightened her shoulders.

  Then went out to deal with Lindsay and Nathan.

  They were hanging out in Lindsay’s office, each holding a copy of her report. The looks they gave her as she approached were beyond incredulous.

  Nathan offered her his chair, but she kept standing.

  “I—I suppose you’re going to ask for my r-resignation?”

  Or were they going to fire her? She’d never get another real job if they did that. She’d have to go back to her parents and ask to work at the foundation.

  It would be worthwhile work, she knew. But—

  “No.” Lindsay sounded surprised she would even suggest it. “You’re an important part of the team. You think we’re going to dump you because of one mistake?”

  “A rather significant mistake,” Nathan added. “Bordering on fraudulent.”

  “Still, it took balls to do what you did.”

  Nadine couldn’t believe it. Lindsay seemed impressed. Nathan, less so, but then Nathan was a by-the-rules kind of guy.

  “I see this as partly our fault,” Nathan said. “You kept asking for more responsibility, you earned the right to more responsibility, and we kept putting you off.”

  “But—I lied to one of our clients. And…I kind of did the same thing to both of you. And to Kate.”

  “Like I said, it was a mistake,” Lindsay agreed. She lifted the report in the air. “But you provided good service to the client. You gave him exactly what he wanted.”

  If only they knew, Nadine thought, feeling her cheeks grow hot. “Looking back, I think I could have saved time if I’d done a few things differently.”

  “That’s the nature of the business,” Nathan said. “You think Lindsay and I don’t feel that way at the end of almost every case? We all handle situations differently. We all learn to be more efficient as we gain experience.”

  “That’s one of the reasons you should be working with a partner for your first year as an active investigator,” Lindsay said.

  Nadine wondered if she could possibly be hearing correctly. “Are you saying I’m not fired?”

  “Like we can afford to fire you,” Lindsay said bluntly. “We’re already losing Kate.”

  “We’ve been talking,” Nathan continued. “Once we’ve hired a new receptionist, we’ll shift you to full-time investigative work. You’ll start out working with me.”

  “Then after he’s taught you how to do things the correct way, you’ll come and learn a few bad habits from me.” Finally Lindsay cracked a smile.

  Nadine almost laughed with relief. “You’re serious? I’m going to be a full-time P.I.?”

  “Damn right,” Lindsay said. “As long as you’re prepared to work hard, you’re in.”

  “Oh, I’ll work hard,” she assured them. She’d wanted this for so long, and now it was finally hers.

  “Okay then.” Nathan shook her hand. “Why don’t you get working on that ad for a new receptionist?”

  “Thank you. I will.” She returned to her desk and just sat for a minute, as the events of the morning finally sank in. She waited to feel happy and excited about her new job, but her churning stomach refused to settle down.

  Patrick’s angry words, his disappointed eyes, were all she could think about.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  AS PATRICK LEFT THE OFFICES of Fox & Fisher, he took no notice of the people around him, or the smells and noises of the city. Not even the weather, cold and damp, fazed him in the slightest.

  He recognized that he was in a fog, but this was something he couldn’t shrug off. When was the last time he’d been this angry? He couldn’t remember, unless it was back when he was a kid, and he’d started to clue in to the fact that his father had a new life—and it didn’t include him.

  His father had been unemployed at the time the divorce with his mother went through. He’d agreed to send money when he could, and Patrick’s mother had accepted this. Later, when his father became successful, she never considered fighting for regular support payments, never considered hiring a lawyer or going to court.

  He remembered the pains his mother had taken each time economic straits had forced her to write his father for money for his schooling, for braces, for ski lessons. She’d never asked for anything she didn’t consider essential—these were all things his half siblings took for granted. And she never took a nasty tone—he knew because he’d sometimes peeked at those letters.

  But still, his father had made her account for every penny he sent, never seeming to consider that under the law she could have legitimately asked for much more.

  Patrick had resented the hell out of his father then, but the anger he felt today was something different.

  This time he was angry at himself.

  How had he been so taken in by this woman? He’d been utterly deceived. He’d thought she was intelligent and hardworking, compassionate and beautiful in every sense of the word.

  But she was just a pampered heiress, amusing herself by playing with other people’s lives. He hoped her partners fired her for what she’d done. Not that it would matter to her. When regular people lost their jobs they had to worry about rent and grocery bills.

  Nadine Kimble Waverly would have none of those concerns.

  When he reached his apartment, Patrick slammed the door shut, then went to close all the blinds. Next, he made a pot of coffee, then set up his computer at the kitchen table.

  He was one of those working stiffs who did need his paycheck…or in his case, his advance payment from his publisher. That meant he had to get his revisions done, which meant all this stuff about June and Stephen and Nadine had to be ignored for now.

  Stephen. He wondered if he would have found his son sooner if he’d hired a real investigator. Would the situation have turned out any better?

  Reluctantly, he had to admit he didn’t think so.

  He checked his message machine on the off chance that Stephen had been in touch while he was out. Nothing but a reminder notice from his dentist about an upcoming appointment.

  Maybe he should make the first move. He wondered how Stephen would feel about a ski trip to the Alps. Patrick wasn’t above using a little bribery to try and connect with the boy. Maybe he’d give Stephen another week to adjust to his existence, then give him a call and see how he felt about the idea.

  Feeling marginally calmer now that he had a plan, Patrick fixed himself a cup of coffee, then powered up his computer. For the rest of the day he focused on his book and his revisions. He drank the entire pot of coffee, then made another. When he was hungry he ordered pizza.

  For a week he worked as if words were his oxygen. Every waking hour he was pulling them out of the air and putting them down on paper. He fussed with this book as though it was the only thing on earth that mattered to him.

  And when it was as perfect as he could make it, he sent it to his editor, then promptly fell into bed.

  FRIDAY AFTERNOON, LINDSAY asked Nadine if she was free to attend an office meeting after work.

  Nadine was surprised. Office meetings were usually in the morning. “Sure. Want me to pick up some refreshments?” For the morning meetings she usually bought bagels and cream cheese, but at this time of day she’d have to come up with something different. “I could order sushi.”

  “Already taken care of,” Lindsay assured her before ducking back into her office. “By the way, since Kate is still on bed rest, the meeting is at her apartment.”

  “Okay.” It felt strange not to be the one handling those sorts of details. Nadine supposed she would get used to it. There were lots of things she was going to need to adjust to.

  She focused on the work Nathan had given her for the rest of the day, and at five Lindsay emerged from her office. “It’s time to go. We’re meeting Nathan
there.”

  They took the subway and Lindsay chatted the entire way about a new case that was intriguing her. When they arrived at Kate’s, Nadine was surprised to see that the apartment had been decorated with balloons and a cake was on the coffee table next to Kate’s sofa.

  “Congratulations!”

  Was this a surprise baby shower? But why hadn’t anyone told her so she could buy a gift? It took a few moments for the truth to sink in. Nadine turned to Lindsay. “This is for me?”

  “Yes, you goof.” Lindsay laughed and pulled her by the arm into the room. “We wanted to celebrate your official launch as a P.I.-in-training. We have bubbly and everything.”

  Nadine tried to say thank you, but she couldn’t speak. She’d always felt a little apart from the others. Not only had she started as just the receptionist, but Kate, Lindsay and Nathan had all worked together at the Twentieth Precinct so they’d known each other for years. But now she truly was being accepted as a vital part of the team.

  She wiped away a tear and managed to smile.

  Jay handed out flutes of champagne and sparkling water, while Nathan cut the cake. Once everyone had their refreshments, Lindsay took the floor.

  “Okay, the fun stuff is good, but we’ve got work to do, as well. It’s been a busy week. A crazy week. But we’re going to survive this period of transition, I assure you. First, and most important, Kate, how did your appointment with your OB go today?”

  “She gained almost a pound from last week,” Jay said proudly.

  “But the doc still insists on bed rest,” Kate added glumly.

  “They estimate the baby is still under six pounds.” Jay topped up Kate’s flute with sparkling water. “And it’s only two weeks until our due date. Not much time to get bigger.”

  Kate smoothed her hands over the baby. “I’ll be lucky to go two more weeks. The babe’s in position and my cervix has started dilating. But what about your wedding plans? How are those coming? The invitations were lovely, by the way.”

  Nathan winked at Nadine.

  “The alterations on my dress are done. But I still haven’t found the right shoes.” Lindsay glanced at Nadine, who felt terribly guilty. She’d promised Lindsay she would help her find a great pair of shoes.

  “Everything else is in place,” Nathan added. “We have food selected and flowers ordered.”

  “That’s good.” Kate stroked her swollen tummy. “It’s hard to believe our baby will be almost a month old by then.”

  “It seems like everything is happening at once,” Lindsay said. “Which brings us to the business portion of our meeting.”

  “First priority is hiring a new receptionist,” Nathan said. “The employment agency is sending out a few candidates tomorrow.”

  “Wow, that was quick.” Nadine hadn’t thought she would be that easy to replace.

  “The sooner the better. Lindsay and I were hoping you would spend mornings training your replacement, then afternoons working cases.”

  “That sounds fine. I have a lot I’ll need to teach and explain.” When Nadine had started at Fox & Fisher, she’d been working from scratch. She’d developed one system for filing reports, another for billing. She also had a long list of contacts to be used for everything from ordering office supplies to performing routine background checks. She’d be glad to pass along all this knowledge to the new person.

  “Thanks, Nadine. Once the new receptionist is in place, you’ll move into Kate’s office.” At Kate’s raised eyebrows, Lindsay added, “Only until Kate has returned to work, or until we’ve negotiated more office space. That’s on Nathan’s list of things to do.”

  She turned to her fiancé, who nodded. “I have a meeting with the leasing agent next week.”

  “So,” Lindsay concluded, “as you can see, we have busy times ahead. On Monday we’ll meet in the boardroom and assign you your new cases.”

  Nadine nodded, anticipation rising like the bubbles in her champagne. She was going to have cases. It just sounded so important.

  “In the meantime, I thought I should check—you’ve closed the file on the O’Neil case?”

  Though Patrick was never far from her thoughts, the mention of his name was immediately sobering. She still wasn’t satisfied with the way she’d handled the case, despite Lindsay’s and Nathan’s reassurances.

  Diane hadn’t answered her letter, so she didn’t have a photo of Stephen on file. Plus, she hadn’t been able to convince Patrick to do the DNA test.

  But she’d found Stephen. That was the main thing.

  “I’ve closed the file,” she said. “And I sent out the final report and invoice last week. I hope you don’t mind, but I ate some of my hours. I figured under the circumstances…” She glanced at her partners’ faces and was relieved to see nods of approval.

  “It’s best we put that one behind us,” Nathan agreed. “Now on to Kate’s maternity leave—”

  PATRICK SLEPT FOR TWELVE straight hours after meeting his deadline. When he woke at noon on Saturday, he felt an unusual lack of energy. Would anyone notice, would anyone care, if he didn’t get out of bed?

  Probably not. But years of honed discipline finally guilted him into throwing on his warmest running gear and heading out for some much needed exercise. Snow was falling as he paced himself lazily along the streets until he reached Central Park. He ran a short circuit, then continued back to his apartment where he showered, shaved and prepared to catch up with his life.

  Only, did he have one?

  A couple weeks’ worth of mail was piled on his kitchen table again. All he did was stare vacantly into his coffee cup.

  He knew people who lived on every major continent, from Asia, to Africa, to South America. If he wanted to organize a mountain-climbing expedition, he could have a team in place by midnight.

  He was good at meeting women, too. Tonight he could head out to a pub, find a pretty woman and convince her to have dinner with him. Tomorrow he’d probably wake up with her beside him in bed.

  They’d go out for breakfast. And a few days later they’d go out again. The pattern would continue for a couple of weeks, until it was time to leave for his next book tour or to start research on his new book. He might call her a few times long distance. But the length of time between each call would grow longer and longer, until finally, he would see her name on his cell phone directory and not even be able to recall what she looked like.

  A long time ago he’d chosen the life of a traveler. And he’d never regretted that choice.

  Until now? Was that what this feeling was about right now…regret?

  Patrick rubbed the side of his face—so smooth after his shave—and reached blindly into the pile of envelopes. The first one was from his publisher. He tore it open, then tucked the check into his wallet to be deposited later.

  He reached for another envelope and was jolted out of his ennui by the sight of the return address: The Fox & Fisher Detective Agency. He ripped apart the manila folder and out slid a report and an invoice. He searched for a personal note from Nadine, but all that was attached was a printed slip folded over the report that said Compliments of The Fox & Fisher Detective Agency.

  Tossing the package back to the table, he got up to pace, angry at first—didn’t she at least owe him a brief personal message? Then, finally curious about what her report would say, he picked it up again.

  He read it quickly once, then a second time more closely. The report was very thorough, detailing every step of the investigation, beginning with the letter from June.

  There was someone else he was angry at.

  June’s deception still ate at him. He’d had a right to know about the baby. He wouldn’t have walked away from the obligation, knowing as he did the vital importance of a father in a boy’s life. How dared she make that decision for him?

  He set aside Nadine’s report and took out June’s letter for yet one more reading. He kept searching for answers that just weren’t in there. Again, he wondered what had been
in Stephen’s letter. Maybe one day his son would trust him enough to tell him about it.

  In the meantime, Patrick wondered who the mystery person was who had mailed the package in the first place. It didn’t really matter, but she, or he, might have information about June’s state of mind.

  Who would June have trusted with her secret?

  June’s sister, Diane, was a likely candidate. Remembering that her phone number had been included in Nadine’s report, he looked it up.

  Without taking time to consider whether he was doing the smart thing, Patrick dialed her home phone number.

  A woman answered. “Hello?”

  “Is this Diane Stone?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Patrick O’Neil calling.” He waited to see if she would remember.

  “Well, well, Patrick O’Neil. After all this time…”

  Her tone was so loaded, he realized she knew he was Stephen’s father. Well, of course she knew. All of Diane’s family would know. They’d met him several times.

  “I gather you’ve heard about June?” she asked, her voice turning sober.

  “Yes. I’m so sorry. I was in Alaska when the letter came, or I would have been at the funeral.”

  “Which letter are you referring to?”

  Damn. He’d really hoped it had come from her. “I got back to the city about two weeks ago. I found a package in the mail—the return address was June’s apartment in Chelsea. There was a letter from her to me in that package. She said she’d asked someone to send it to me after she passed on. I assumed that someone would be you.”

  “It wasn’t.” Diane sounded intrigued. “Do you mind if I ask what she had to say in her letter?”

  “She told me that she’d had a son eighteen years ago. And that he was mine.”

  “You didn’t know about Stephen?” She sounded scandalized.

  “She didn’t tell me. I was hoping you could explain why.”

  “Good Lord. I can’t believe this. All these years…Hang on a minute, Patrick. I need to sit down.”