by Gerri Hill
She chewed her sandwich absently, wondering at Finn’s silence. Was she working the case? Snooping around in records pertaining to the Fraziers? Still trying to find the mysterious Michael Drake? Or was she perhaps avoiding her? Avoiding her and her personal questions.
“Hey.”
She jumped at the sound of Finn’s voice, finding her leaning in the doorway. Neither she nor Smokey had heard her come up the stairs.
“Hey,” she replied.
Finn’s gaze went to her sandwich. “Don’t you get tired of eating the same thing every day?”
Rylee shrugged. “It’s all I have at my apartment.” Then she smiled. “But I got paid. Now I can afford to go to the grocery store. Thank you.”
Finn frowned. “Are you saying you didn’t have enough money to buy food?”
“I…I could have dipped into my savings again, but…well, I didn’t know when—if—you were going to pay me and my rent…”
“How much is your rent?”
Rylee blew out a breath. “A hair over a thousand.”
“I didn’t realize rents were that high now in Corpus. It’s been ten years since I lived in an apartment.”
“Well, there are some that are cheaper, but I didn’t feel safe at any of those. My apartment has a security gate.” She bit her lower lip. “I may move, though. My lease is up at the end of the month. I think I need to change to something a little cheaper.”
Finn glanced around the apartment, her gaze landing on the tiny kitchen before looking back at Rylee.
“You could move in here,” Finn said, surprising her with her words. As soon as she spoke them, Finn seemed to reconsider. “But I don’t know if I’d feel safe with you living here alone. At least not until they catch this guy.”
“I…I was actually going to ask you about this place,” Rylee admitted. “But I didn’t know what you charged. I mean—”
“I don’t charge anything.” Finn came into the room and sat down at the opposite end of the sofa. Smokey got out of the chair and moved into Finn’s lap. “You should have told me.”
“Told you what?”
“That you needed money. We can do a twice a month paycheck. Hell, once a week. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Oh, Finn…I’ve been managing. It’s not like I’m down to my last penny.”
“Well, don’t renew your lease. We’ll work something out.”
Rylee met her eyes for a moment, giving Finn an almost embarrassed smile. “You don’t have to feel responsible for me. I barged into your life as it is.”
Finn’s gaze had a faraway look to it, and Rylee wondered where her thoughts had taken her. Back to that night, maybe? Finn finally blinked as if chasing away whatever had popped into her mind. She cleared her throat before speaking.
“Since Sammy’s been gone…well, I don’t have anyone.” Finn offered her a smile. She couldn’t tell if it was regret that she saw or apology. “There’s no one in my life to be responsible for. So…sorry, but you’re it now.”
Rylee should simply accept her statement for what it was. Finn had no close friends, no involvements. It made her feel terribly sad to think she had no one in her life. Not that Rylee did either, but at least she had her parents.
“You told me about your father,” she said gently. “And you’re estranged from your mother. What about siblings?”
Finn took a deep breath and tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling. “No siblings. And my mother still lives here in Corpus. She’ll call every once in a while, but we don’t speak.”
“Meaning you don’t speak,” she guessed.
Finn turned to look at her and there was a hint of a smile on her face. “Correct. I don’t speak. She wants me to forgive her.”
“You blame her for your father’s death,” she said unnecessarily.
“If you’re going to tell me there are two sides to every story, save your breath,” Finn said. “Their marriage wasn’t ideal, I know. My father worked insane hours, and yes, he was absent a lot and she was alone. That doesn’t mean she has to go out and have an affair. If she was unhappy, she should have divorced him.”
“Maybe she truly still loved him, but her loneliness overrode that.” She shifted on the sofa, turning to face Finn. “She’s alone, day after day, night after night. I’m sure it took its toll on her. She may have even been depressed. Having an affair may have brought some life into her world.”
“You say that as if you have experience.”
Rylee shook her head. “Not me, no. My mother. When my father was first getting his business started, he was rarely home. Some nights he didn’t even bother coming home at all.”
“She had an affair?”
“No. At least I don’t think so. But they had an argument one night. I was in my room and I opened the door so I could hear. She gave him an ultimatum. I remember being afraid that he would walk out…that they would get divorced.”
“How old were you?”
“I was eleven or twelve, I guess.”
“And you said you were an only child, right?”
“Yes. They gave up after two miscarriages.” She tilted her head. “Why are you an only child? Did they not want more?”
Finn’s expression turned thoughtful again. “I don’t suppose my father was around enough for them to conceive.” She met Rylee’s gaze. “I guess maybe you’re right. She was lonely.” Then her face hardened again. “That doesn’t justify an affair. She should have done like your mother.”
“How do you know she didn’t?”
“Because my mother would never chance losing what she had—a padded bank account and no budget to follow, a nice house with a swimming pool, a cleaning service that came not once, but twice a week, and a closet that was full of designer clothes.”
Rylee wondered if Finn truly believed that or if that was the perception she carried with her. But it wasn’t her place to argue with Finn over it and it certainly wasn’t any of her business. She reached over and squeezed Finn’s arm quickly, then decided to change the subject.
“So…I met Dee. She is kinda cute.”
Finn shook her head. “I told you, she’s too old for you.”
“So you say. Is there any news on the case?”
“Not really, no.”
“What does that mean? They’re giving up?”
“No. They got a warrant to go on the premises of all four pizza places.” Finn shrugged. “I think they’re hoping they’ll stumble upon whatever it was Daniel Frazier supposedly had.”
“Why did they wait so long?”
“They were trying to do everything behind the scenes without calling attention to it. That’s failed, so…”
“And what about Duncan?”
“Dee doesn’t think he’s involved in any way. There’s been nothing suspicious about his activity. By all appearances, he’s simply taking over the family business.”
Rylee frowned, watching Finn’s expression. She found her very easy to read. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
“Just a gut feeling, that’s all. He seems too…I don’t know, there’s something not right about the whole thing.”
“What does Dee think?”
“Dee thinks I should stay out of it and ignore my gut feelings,” she said as she stood up. “We’ve got a client, by the way.”
Rylee’s eyes widened. “We do?” she asked excitedly. “Something fun?”
“Depends if you consider a cheating spouse fun or not.”
“Spying on people while they’re sneaking around…yeah, that’d be kinda fun.”
Finn laughed. “Thought you’d say that. This one’s a little different though. He says the marriage has gone south. He wants to divorce her and needs a reason.”
“Why does he need a reason?”
“Three kids. Future custody battle, I assume.”
“Oh. So when did you meet with him?”
“I didn’t. He called this morning. He’s coming by this afternoon to meet with me. We
’ll start surveillance tonight or tomorrow, depending on the particulars.”
“Can I sit in on the interview?”
“I don’t think so. He’s high profile. Professional. Concerned with his privacy.”
“I see.” Then she smiled. “Some bigwig in town?”
“The bigwigs in town go to Hanson. Unless they want to be discreet and private, that is.”
“Ah. Discreet…like coming to Moonlight Avenue instead of going downtown.”
“Exactly.”
Rylee stood up too. “Is that why you located your office here? So people could be discreet?”
“No. My father bought this building when I was still in college.” Finn held up her hand, effectively cutting off Rylee’s next question. “And that, too, is a long story.”
“Well, while we’re doing surveillance you can tell me all about it.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Finn waited until the silver Mercedes turned the corner before following. She glanced at the clock on her dash: 2:37 p.m.
“Write it down,” Finn instructed. “The time.”
“Oh.” Rylee scribbled on the notepad Finn had given her.
“Write down anything else you observe.”
“Like what?”
Finn lowered the sunglasses that were perched on top of her head. “Like it’s a bright, sunny day for once.”
“It’s beautiful today, isn’t it? It feels like spring.” Rylee pulled out her phone and swiped through some apps. “I checked the weather for Amarillo earlier. Can you believe it’s in the 20s? I so do not miss that.”
“You get snow up there?”
“Yes. Some years just dustings, more or less. And some years, blowing blizzards that cut right through you. I think I could get used to this,” she said with a grin. “Seventy-two degrees in December. How glorious.”
Finn smiled. “How quickly you forget the damp, cool weather we had in November.”
“Cool, not cold. Big difference.” She adjusted her seat belt and faced her. “So? What kinds of observations besides the weather?”
“The car she’s driving. The route we’re taking. How fast she goes. Is she on her phone or not.”
“How does that help you?”
“Establishes a pattern, that’s all.”
Rylee scribbled a few notes, then put the pen down. “Why does he want to divorce her?”
Finn shook her head. “That’s not any of our business, kid. That’s the first thing you’ve got to learn. Clients hire us for a service. We provide the information they ask for, nothing more, nothing less.”
“Okay. But what do you think? Is he having his own affair? You said they had children and he needed some dirt for a possible custody battle.”
Rylee blinked at her expectantly, and Finn finally turned her gaze back to the road. Mrs. Peterson appeared to be heading out of the city as she drove across Harbor Bridge.
“I love this bridge, by the way,” Rylee said as she sat up high in the seat, looking out over the bay and the port. “What’s that ship again?”
“USS Lexington.”
“That’s right. I wanted to tour it, but I was alone. I did go to the aquarium, though. That was fun.” Rylee turned to her. “You’ve been on the ship before?”
“Many times. Field trips in school. A couple of times with my father. Why? You want to go sometime?”
“It would be fun, yes. Different. We don’t have ships in Amarillo.” Then Rylee laughed. “We don’t have water in Amarillo. I don’t think I would ever tire of this,” she said, motioning to the bay as they crossed to the other side.
“I’ve lived here my whole life. I hardly pay it any mind anymore.”
“So…back to the case. What’s he up to?”
“Are you wanting me to speculate or what?”
“Aren’t you curious? I mean, don’t you want to follow him around too and see what he’s doing?”
Finn laughed. “It doesn’t work that way, Rylee. For one, I don’t care what he’s doing. He’s not paying me to care.”
“Okay, so he thinks she’s having an affair or he’s hoping she’s having an affair?”
“He suspects.”
“What’s her name?”
“Lori Peterson. The husband is Brett. Brett recently had his name added to his father’s prestigious law firm—Peterson, Barnes, Wilcox and Peterson.”
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
“Spoiled rich kid. Which then leads me to ask, why would he hire you?” Rylee laughed sheepishly. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right.”
“You mean, why didn’t he hire one of the larger agencies in town instead of little Moonlight Avenue?”
“Yes. Not that I don’t think you’re good at what you do. But you have an outdated website. You don’t advertise—that I can tell. Your sign is barely big enough for people to see from the road, and the office is in a rundown building on a dead-end street.”
“Wow. All of that?”
“Yes. So what gives?”
Finn shrugged. “What do you think gives?”
“I think you operate undercover.”
“Excuse me?”
“Word of mouth. You don’t advertise because you don’t have to. My guess is Mr. Peterson—the father—has either hired you before or he knows someone who did and they gave you a good reference. There’s little to no publicity when they come to you.”
Finn nodded, surprised Rylee had figured all of that out this quickly. No, she didn’t advertise, other than a listing in the Yellow Pages. And the website? God, she hadn’t looked at that thing in years. She was frankly surprised it was still up and running.
“Am I right?”
“I’m very discreet, yes. My clients know their privacy will be protected. There’s little fanfare where I’m concerned. And yes, word of mouth.”
“Almost like working undercover in the dark of night. And because you mind your business, they trust you.” Rylee leaned back in the seat, her gaze on the Mercedes that was two cars ahead of them. “I don’t think I’m going to make it in this profession.”
“Oh?”
Rylee turned to look at her. “I want to know the why of things.”
“When you start knowing the why of things, then it gets personal. Take the Fraziers. Daniel thought his wife was having an affair. I verified that. I could speculate as to the why of it, but I didn’t really know for sure. Not until I spoke with Connie Frazier that day at her house. Then I knew the why. Her kids were gone, her husband was rarely home, and she was lonely.”
“So once you knew the why, you felt sympathy for Connie Frazier.”
“Yes.”
“And had you known the why beforehand, you might have ignored some of her actions. Maybe you’re really a softie and you would have told Daniel that no, his wife wasn’t cheating on him.”
Finn laughed. “And then very quickly I’d be out of business.”
“So the rule is, you remain detached from the subjects and the situations.”
“Exactly. Back to Rule One. They’re paying you for a service. You give them what they ask for. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Rylee rested her chin in her palm for a few seconds, obviously chewing over the rule in her mind. When she spoke, however, it wasn’t about the rules of the game.
“What do you do at night?”
Finn raised her eyebrows. “What?”
“At night. No matter how late I stay at the office, you’re still there. And usually, you’re already there in the mornings when I get in.”
“Are you asking if I work all night?”
“No. I mean, as far as I can tell, we aren’t overrun with clients. Unless you’re keeping them all to yourself and not sharing with me,” she said with a grin. “Do you have…you know, a…a secret lover or something? Or do you…go out…to a bar?”
Finn didn’t dare look at her. Did she go out to the bar? Yeah…one time. Was Rylee fishing? Did she assume Finn did that often? Best to ignore th
at question and focus on the first one. Because right now wasn’t the time to talk about that night.
“Secret lover?”
“Well, you said you and Dee weren’t involved and you never indicated there was someone in your life. In fact, the opposite. You know, no friends and all that.”
“I see.” She tapped the steering wheel, wondering at Rylee’s curiosity. Did Rylee want to know if she dated? Did she want to know if she made a habit of hitting on women at the bar? Yeah, that’s probably what Rylee really wanted to know. She stared at her for a second, thinking she looked ten years younger with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Young and fresh and oh so attractive. “I don’t really do anything at night. I…”
What? I sit at my desk and sip on a glass—or two—of scotch. Sit and fiddle with a key that I have no clue what lock it opens. Stare at the empty walls and wonder where the last ten years disappeared to. Sit and listen to the silence, made even more hushed now that Sammy is gone. Yes…what did she do?
“You what?” Rylee asked, her voice quiet in the car.
“I…I go home. My house is only four blocks from the office. On the bay.”
“Do you cook?”
“Cook?”
“Yeah. You know…cook and then eat.”
“No.”
“No to cook or no to eat?”
Finn slowed as Lori Peterson exited, taking the shortcut into Aransas Pass. She followed, staying a little farther behind as there was no car between them now.
“Why all the questions today?”
“I worry about you.”
Finn shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about me, kid. I’ve been alone for a very long time.”
Rylee stared at her for a long moment, but she didn’t say anything else. Finn didn’t either. The only person who’d ever worried about her was Sammy. Why would this woman—who she’d known less than a month—be worried about her? Well, maybe because in reality, it wasn’t just a month, was it? Maybe Rylee worried about her for the same reason Finn worried about Rylee. They’d slept together. They’d been intimate. They’d shared their bodies. Sometimes, when she thought back to that night, she’d swear they’d shared much more than only their bodies. At least in her mind. Rylee? Maybe not. She had been the one to flee, after all.