That was the only clue they had that Neil Jackson had been murdered, and it was only a clue, not evidence.
“The Internet wasn’t as prevalent then as now.” Mel certainly understood the problem. “You know, we rely on it today for so damn much, we forget it hasn’t been around all that long, really. And no one was interested in posting the kind of information we need, after the fact.” Richardson scowled at the pen in his hand and set it down.
“Precisely. Today, so many businesses use the Internet that it’s pretty easy to trace just about anything at all. And if you have decent hacking skills, very little remains hidden from if you want to find it out.”
“After Baxter flew the coop, the business folded, of course.” Mel shook his head. “You know, it really pisses me off that the cops didn’t press for answers at the time.”
Connor shrugged. “You would know more than I how police department resources can be stretched thin. This was really a case of theft and fraud—white-collar crimes. Once it was determined that in all likelihood Baxter had gone to ground voluntarily—that there was no foul play involved—then the ‘missing persons’ case would have been closed. With no one to make a lot of noise, there would have been no incentive for them to find the man.”
Mel let his mind wander for a moment. There had to be a way to at least get a hint of where Baxter could have gone. Of course, with five million dollars at his disposal, he could have bought himself not only a new identity, but a new face. The guy could be married with a passel of kids, living in any one of the fifty United States or, hell, maybe over in Europe somewhere, and they wouldn’t ever find him.
But Mel didn’t think so. He had the feeling that Baxter didn’t do what smart money would advise. The plan to steal the young orphans’ inheritance had been a plan born out of desperation and opportunity. If indeed he had murdered Jackson on top of it all—Baxter could have ended up more than a little traumatized when all was said and done.
It was one thing to go after and find professional, lifelong criminals. It was quite another to trace a man who ended up in desperate straits as a result of bad decisions he’d made because of an addiction.
“Once we have a sense where he could be, I can start looking at Internet gaming sites,” Connor said. “The guy is a gambler. That’s what he is at his core. He’d have sought out the familiar, in person at first—I’m thinking race tracks, casinos, what have you. But I’m willing to bet—pardon the pun—that before long he’d be too nervous to be seen out and about more than now and then—and certainly, not at any illegal casinos. Unless, of course, he got that new face. But I really don’t think he did that.”
“Your thoughts echo my own,” Mel said. He thought for a moment, about one thing that had struck him as odd. Then he said, “The person who reported him missing was Sofia Torres. She was the secretary who’d worked at Rhodes and Baxter for the two years before the death of Donald Rhodes. She was the one who, according to the police report, packed up the office and the files, and arranged for them to be stored when the bank foreclosed on the building—with Baxter still missing.”
Connor sat back, his brow furrowed. “That’s a little above and beyond, don’t you think?” Connor asked. “I mean, she would have been left high and dry with no job. Baxter likely would have stiffed her for some wages owed, too. She also would have had the cops looking at her, at least initially. Who does something like that? And how’d she manage to do that? Did she pay for the file storage out of her own pocket? And if she did, for how long, and, more to the point, why?”
Mel said, “Huh. Good points, every one of them. Maybe a lover who expected to hear something, down the road? Do we have a whereabouts on her?”
“Not at the moment,” Connor said, “But we will have.”
He turned his attention back to his keyboard, and Mel knew it wouldn’t take him long to come up with something. His gaze drifted to the clock.
They’d been at it since early this morning, just after 6:00 a.m. They’d had some background checks for another client to complete. Tomorrow, Mel would be meeting with a new potential client—a private clinic—to discuss their security needs.
The best decision he’d ever made was to hire Connor Talbot. Of course, they didn’t really have an employer-employee relationship anymore. Mel had made the man a full partner in his business within weeks of hiring him.
They’d certainly clicked on a personal level, right from the start. Mel had been looking for someone to be a partner for some time.
His stomach growled, reminding him that it was approaching lunchtime. “You hungry?” Mel asked.
Connor shot him a glance and said, “I could eat.” Then he stopped and turned to face him. “Especially if it was whatever the daily special happens to be, served with a particular smile.”
“Emily Anne Bancroft.” Mel sighed. “She hasn’t worked there all that long. But she lives in Lusty, which to me indicates she isn’t bothered by the way most of the folks there live their lives.”
“I’m not, either.” Connor looked like a man on edge, and as he sat forward, Mel realized that their thoughts had been coalescing on more than just case lines.
“I’ve been intrigued from the start—from the moment I realized my former comrades in arms shared more than a career. Since then, I’ve paid attention whenever I’ve been in Lusty. It’s not just the women who are happy and contented there. It’s the men.”
“I’ve noticed that, too. Happy, contented, and relaxed. I’ve known some of the folks for a long time, and I have to be honest. I think the fact that I’m still single owes itself to two salient truths. The first, of course, was that I hadn’t met a woman who ‘lit me up’ on the inside.” Mel looked away from Connor for a moment, inhaled, and then met his gaze again. “And the second, was that I hadn’t met anyone I could consider a partner.”
“You used the past tense in both instances,” Connor said.
“So I did.”
Connor Talbot did something Mel hadn’t seen very often. He smiled. “What do you say we take a drive to have some lunch—and talk along the way?”
Melvin Richardson exhaled and smiled. “That, my friend, sounds like a plan.”
* * * *
Connor didn’t think he’d ever get tired of making the drive to Lusty, Texas. From the first moment he set foot in this town he’d known it was different. Despite having received a punch in the face from Richard Benedict his first time in town when he hadn’t been incognito—he had earned it, even if inadvertently—being in this town gave him a sense of peace.
If he were the fanciful sort and believed in reincarnation, he might believe he was coming home.
They found a parking spot about a block away from Lusty Appetites, in front of the Lusty Glow Day Spa. The big plate glass window displayed the reception area, with its shelves filled with sparkling jewelry and bottles of brightly colored nail polish and other female accessories. It was practically impossible to see much beyond the front door, but the movement of several people inside said that Ms. Rhodes’s business was prospering.
“While we’re here, we can touch base with Jake Kendall,” Melvin said. “Let him know where we’re at in our investigation.”
“I feel like we should be further along.” Connor’s gaze took in his surroundings as they walked to Lusty Appetites. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to go anywhere or do anything when he wasn’t completely aware and on guard.
“So do I,” Mel said. “It’s frustrating as hell. But I think that if we can locate and then talk to Sofia Torres, we might find ourselves on the right path.”
“God, I hope so.” Connor reached the door to the restaurant first and opened it. The aromas that wafted out made his taste buds water and his stomach growl. He scanned the inside of the restaurant and immediately located Emily Anne. He couldn’t help the grin that spread, and welcomed the sense of relief he felt.
Emily Anne is as much a source of that sense of peace and home as this town is.
&n
bsp; Michelle Grant made her way quickly over to them. “Welcome back, gentlemen. If you follow me, I’ll seat you. I hope you don’t mind if I put you in Emily Anne’s section.” Her laughing eyes gave her away, and Connor winked at her.
“Much obliged, Michelle,” Mel said.
Michelle’s smile widened to match her eyes. Connor hadn’t thought they’d been that obvious in their interest in pretty Emily Anne the couple of times they’d been here in the last few weeks. He supposed women had a sixth sense about those kinds of things.
Soon they were seated, with menus in hand. Emily Anne approached their table, and because he had been watching her, he saw the flash of emotions that swept her when she saw them. By the time she was reaching for their glasses to pour them some sweet tea, she seemed to have herself in hand.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen.”
“Hello, Emily Anne. You’re looking lovely today.”
The color that kissed her cheeks made Connor think that not many men had complimented Emily Anne in her life.
“Um…thank you.” For a moment she seemed to be at a loss for words. Then she looked down at her order pad and back up at them. “Thank you,” she said again.
“You’re welcome.” Mel kept his voice low. “We both think you’re a beautiful woman.”
Emily Anne blushed. “Are y’all flirting with me?”
“Yes ma’am, we are.”
“We don’t mean to embarrass you, but we do mean for you to understand we’re—both of us—very attracted to you.” Connor kept his tone gentle, too.
“Oh!” Emily Anne’s mouth formed a perfect little o in astonishment, and Connor tried not to think what he’d love to do with her mouth shaped just that way.
He angled his body so she wouldn’t see the evidence of his arousal.
“Are you spoken for, Miss Emily Anne?” Melvin asked.
“N–No.” She tilted her head to one side. Connor caught the quick little glance down at their hands. “Are either of you?”
“No, ma’am.” Mel answered her first. “I was engaged once, to a woman who thought I should aim toward being the mayor of San Antonio, and thought starting out as a cop for the city was good strategic planning. When I decided to leave the force and go out on my own, she left me.”
“She couldn’t have loved you.”
Connor knew she hadn’t meant to say that. Mel gave her a smile that to him looked a little goofy. “You’re right, of course, but it took me a little while to understand that.”
When she turned her attention to Connor, he said, “I was married for about a year, just before I shipped out the first time.” He shrugged. “I was in the Army Rangers, which is a Special Forces group. That meant I couldn’t give anyone any details of where I was going, or when I’d be back—not even my wife. I came back early, to what sounds like a cliché. My wife had fallen in love with a coworker. She says she didn’t cheat on me, and I believe her. She asked for a divorce, and I gave it to her. I haven’t been involved in a serious relationship, since.”
“I guess we all have that one thing in common, then—being dumped.”
Connor could see that he wasn’t the only one who wanted to pursue the topic further, but Emily Anne blinked, and shook her head. She clearly hadn’t meant to say that, either. It seemed to Connor that she’d just realized she was at work. He really couldn’t blame her. While they’d all been speaking very quietly, this was hardly the place for a serious, private conversation.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be taking up your time this way.” She looked as if she was having a hard time reining in her emotions. Finally, she inhaled deeply and held her order pad and pen at the ready. “Do y’all know what you want for lunch?”
“We’re both very glad to chat with you, Emily Anne, so no apology is needed. As to lunch, why don’t you surprise us?” Melvin asked.
“That sounds like a fine idea,” Connor said. He took Melvin’s menu and handed it, with his own, to the startled waitress.
“Surprise you?”
Connor smiled. “That’s right. Bring us whatever you think we should have for lunch.”
“Y’all sure are in a funny mood today,” Emily Anne said. “I’ve never had customers tell me to surprise them before.”
“Don’t worry, Emily Anne,” Mel said. “You’ll discover that we’re not very hard to please.”
Emily Anne looked from Mel to Connor. She closed her order pad and slipped it into her pocket. All teasing left her expression. “I used to say the same thing. But just lately, since coming here to live and work, I’ve been thinking that wasn’t right. I think I am going to be hard to please from now on.”
Mel nodded. “You’re precious, Emily Anne Bancroft. You should have high standards. And you certainly deserve to have your expectations met.”
“We’d like the privilege of trying to do just that,” Connor said.
“Well, now. That’s certainly something to think about, isn’t it? If y’all will excuse me, I’ll go see to your lunch.”
Connor followed her with his gaze until she disappeared into the kitchen. A quick scan of the restaurant showed him no one had been paying attention, particularly, to their conversation.
A man takes the first step toward changing his life, there ought to be some sign that it happened.
He sat back and exhaled. Then he turned and looked at Melvin. “That woman is going to keep us on our toes—if she decides to try us on.”
Mel shrugged. He looked over at the door to the kitchen, still shivering a little from Emily Anne’s momentum as she’d entered. Then he looked back at Connor. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Would you?”
Connor didn’t really even have to think about it. “No. I don’t want easy. I want it to be hard. And I want it to be right.”
Melvin Richardson sighed. “Me, too. I want it to be right. So maybe, after lunch, after we update Jake, we’ll go visit your friends. Do you think they could give us some pointers—answer some of our questions?”
Neither he nor Mel had ever shared a woman before. They really didn’t know what to expect. They were old enough and realistic enough to understand that just because they wanted to do something, didn’t necessarily mean that they’d be able to.
He thought of Dev Wakefield and Drew James, and of not only how crazy in love they were with their wife, Julia, but how happy, too, now that they’d welcomed their triplets into the world. Connor supposed he trusted only three people. One was sitting here at Lusty Appetites with him. The other two were in a cozy little Victorian on the other side of town.
“Yeah. I think they’ll tell us anything we want to know.” It would be a first step. One that he thought they were both, now, more than ready to take.
Chapter 6
Life was a funny business. It could take a man from terror to tranquility in the blink of an eye. All a man had to do was hang on tight to his sanity until the memory of the terror faded enough, and everything would be all right.
Cody stepped outside onto the porch of what Greg referred to as “the cabin.” He stood and took in the slightly rolling land that seemed to go on forever, in every direction. There was no traffic, no city noises at all. No city noises equated to no other people, and that suited Cody just fine. Not a building could be seen, and nothing but nature filled his personal camera lens. He didn’t find it difficult at all to imagine that this place was the only oasis of civilization left in the world.
That was a comforting thought just now.
The sky sparkled blue overhead, with white fluffy clouds looking as if they’d been spewed out by a bubble-blowing giant.
It was pleasant here, and he certainly couldn’t complain about the amenities. He’d just toured the house, with the final stop being the master suite.
Good God Almighty, I have never seen such a big bed. And the shower, tub, and Jacuzzi are pretty damn prime, too.
Cody felt almost giddy with relief when the thought of sharing all those hedonistic spaces with Greg and
Rebecca brought a twitch of interest from his cock. He’d been just about convinced, over this past month, that his dick had forgotten what it was best at.
He’d also been convinced, as Greg had arranged their travel and shepherded him here, that he was going crazy and that the next step was going to be the loony bin.
Maybe he wasn’t going insane, after all. Maybe all he really did need was rest.
“You need to talk about what you experienced, Mr. Harper. Until you do, those flashbacks, nightmares and that sense of disorientation you’re suffering from will only continue, and escalate.”
Cody pushed away the memory of his one and only meeting with Doctor Headcase. Fucking shrinks always think that you need to be “treated.” Cody didn’t believe in shrinks, and he didn’t necessarily buy that he was suffering from PTSD, either. He’d only been imprisoned for six days, for God’s sake. But he did think that if he could just be away from there—from that part of the world and that hell—then the memory of what had happened to him would fade.
It wasn’t a total bad experience, after all. Cody’s being kidnapped, shot, and then damn near dying of an infection had served one very vital purpose.
It had given Greg Benedict a much-needed kick in the ass.
Up until his misadventure in Syria his lover had been content to keep him at arm’s length, emotionally speaking. That had frustrated the hell out of Cody. He’d wanted nothing more than to find a way to breach that distance.
Be careful what you wish for, asshole. Cody ran a hand through his hair and nearly laughed out loud.
“How would you photograph that?” Rebecca’s soft voice behind him damn near made him jump right out of his skin.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She approached him, not cautiously, exactly, but maybe carefully.
Christ, do I have to analyze everybody’s every move?
“No, I’m sorry. I’m a little jumpy.”
“Who could blame you?” Rebecca crossed her arms in front of her chest and rubbed each elbow with the opposite hand. “It must have been hell.”
Love Under Two Adventurers [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6