Alexi sent her partner an assessing look. ‘But you think it might be more sinister than that?’
‘I won’t disregard the possibility, but I won’t second guess the situation either.’
‘Come on then,’ Alexi said, pausing to stroke Cosmo’s head and feed him the pieces of chicken she’d saved him from her salad. She then pulled her chair closer to Tyler’s table and waited while he fired up his laptop, ignoring the wave of awareness that streaked through her when their thighs accidently touched.
‘Sorry.’ She hastily moved hers out of the line of fire.
Tyler grinned as he pulled up information on the first one.
‘Paul Keiser, 47, a stockbroker based in Reading is date number one,’ he said, reading off the guy’s profile. ‘Never been married. Lives alone. Interests include cycling and, obviously, horse racing. She dated him once two weeks ago. We need to look at her email and see if they’ve been in touch since.’
Alexi screwed up her nose as the image of a very ordinary-looking man, whose only redeeming feature appeared to be a kind smile, filled the screen. ‘Wonder what she saw in him,’ she said, making a note of the details.
‘He’s a stockbroker. That implies personal wealth.’
‘Only if he indulges in insider trading. Otherwise it’s just a job. Besides, Natalie has money of her own.’
‘Perhaps she amassed it by targeting men like Keiser.’
‘How? Unless she marries them, she wouldn’t have access to their bank accounts.’
‘Oh, there are ways.’ Tyler grinned. ‘I can tell you, just from looking at her picture, that she’s a sensual woman. I’m betting she knows how to use her femininity on men like Keiser to get what she wants.’
‘Because he’s never been married, and would be flattered by attention from someone who looks like Natalie?’
Tyler shrugged. ‘It happens. But let’s leave him for a moment and see who else took her fancy.’ Tyler pulled up details of her second date. ‘Divorced father of two grown kids, 52, a freelance photographer—’
‘Photography is one of Natalie’s interests,’ Alexi pointed out, again screwing up her nose when she looked at the guy’s picture. ‘Nothing else about him stands out.’
Tyler shot her a reproving look that was tinged with amusement. ‘Do you always judge a book by its cover?’
‘If Natalie does want a personal relationship, of course appearances would matter to her.’ Alexi looked sideways at the image, but the different angle didn’t make it more attractive. ‘But I think she was equally concerned about what made the guys she dated tick, and how serious they were about linking up with a woman on a permanent basis.’
‘Or, if I’m right, she was looking for a lonely sugar daddy who’d be flattered by her interest in him, so appearances would be inconsequential.’
‘Make up your mind, Maddox. One moment we suspect her dates of trying to fleece her, then you think it could be the other way around.’
‘Doesn’t do to focus on just one possibility. People never fail to surprise me with the lengths they’re prepared to go to.’
‘Fair point. But this guy doesn’t fit the bill. Not if she planned to take him for his dosh. He has grown kids who would naturally be suspicious of any woman who got their hooks into their daddy, depriving them of the inheritance they probably think they’re entitled to.’
Tyler shook his head, grinning as he tutted at her cynicism. ‘Okay, are you ready for this?’ He sounded like a cheesy game show host trying to whip an indifferent audience into a fervour of expectancy. ‘Guy number three is the one she dated three times, with Paul and Roger slotted in between. His name is Darren Walker, retired early aged 55 from the Civil Service and moved to Lambourn about a year ago.’
‘He lives here, in the village?’
‘In Hungerford, which is local enough and probably explains why she dated him so regularly.’
‘Nothing else would,’ Alexi said, glancing at his picture and grimacing.
Tyler chuckled. ‘God, you’re picky! What’s wrong with him?’
‘How long have you got?’
‘Yeah, okay. Even I can see he’s not God’s gift, but perhaps he has a winning personality.’
‘He’s a widower with no kids,’ she said, reading the details from his screen over his shoulder. ‘That’s a game-changer. He would be an ideal target, if she was the predator. I hate to admit it, but it’s starting to look as though you might be right about that. We should pay him a visit.’
‘Not yet. Give Cassie a chance to work her magic. Once she’s found out about all three men’s finances we’ll have a better idea if their interest in Natalie is fiscal.’
‘I hate all this waiting around,’ Alexi complained. ‘Can’t we go and have a friendly chat?’
‘And ask them what? One of the few pieces of good advice my first DI gave me was never to expose myself until I’d established the relative positions of my arse and my elbow.’
She smiled. ‘Okay, I take your point. Until we know more about Natalie’s circumstances we won’t know what questions to ask, other than when they last saw Natalie, and won’t have much idea if they’re lying.’
‘Right, and don’t lose sight of the fact that we’re trying to protect my sister’s interests. Or rather, I am.’ A hint of determination fuelled his expression. ‘If we go knocking on Walker’s door, we have no way of explaining how we even know about his dates with Natalie. He will assume the agency broke its confidentiality clause and could kick up one hell of a stink.’
‘We could pass ourselves off as friends of Natalie’s. Say she’s missing and we’re worried about her. She mentioned she’d dated Walker and we wondered when he’d last seen her.’
‘Yeah, okay,’ he conceded reluctantly. ‘That might work.’
‘Bet your life it will. That’s why I’m so good at my job.’
Tyler shook his head. ‘Let’s look at her email now, see what clues that throws up.’
Alexi moved back to her own computer. ‘I have her password cracked. Let’s do it.’
Before she could do so, Tyler’s laptop pinged to indicate an incoming email.
‘Cassie,’ he said.
‘That was quick.’
‘She’s good at what she does. Now, let’s see what she’s got for us.’
Tyler read Cassie’s message and then clicked to open a lengthy attachment. A part of Alexi resented his obvious closeness to his partner. Her reaction was ridiculous, and irritating as heck. Her career was so competitive that there had been no room for friendships; just rivalries. She hadn’t even shared much about what she was working on with Patrick until she was ready to file. Nor had she developed any close friendships outside of her relationship with Patrick but, unlike Natalie, had been too busy to feel lonely.
‘Paul Keiser isn’t a stockbroker. He holds a middle-management position with an investment firm, salary forty thousand, and lives with his elderly mother who needs round the clock care which Keiser pays for.’
‘A nice guy who can’t devote all his attention to a woman while his mother lives.’
‘Right. So if Natalie’s intention was to fleece him, she would know from one date that she was backing a loser. His mother does own her own home, which Keiser presumably will inherit, but Cassie reckons it’s only worth two hundred thousand. Not big bucks in this day and age.’
‘No, and anyway, if Natalie is a victim, not the predator, leaving aside the fact that this guy doesn’t have an obvious motive to wish her harm—’
‘Discounting the serial killer aspect.’
Natalie silenced him with a lifted-eyebrow glance. ‘Discounting that, he hasn’t had enough time to figure out a way to kidnap her, or worse, so I agree with you. He’s probably not our guy.’
‘Good God, the woman agrees with me. Hold that thought.’
Alexi flapped a hand. ‘Stop being an idiot and let’s see what Cassie’s found on Roger Dalton.’
Tyler flipped to the second page
of the attachment. ‘Hmm, he has a photography business in Ascot, specialising in horses, but he’s got a hefty business overdraft and a second mortgage on his house.’
‘A good reason for Natalie not to have any interest in him, if he revealed any of that.’
‘But plenty of reason for him to take an interest in Natalie.’
‘We might need to take a visit to Ascot then,’ Alexi said.
‘Looks that way. Still, let’s see what’s what with our number one contender.’ The third page of the attachment appeared to be more detailed. ‘He has a house on the outskirts of Hungerford, value half a million, bought for cash two years ago.’
‘Where does a civil servant get that sort of dosh?’ Alexi asked, frowning.
‘His wife of thirty years died of cancer three years ago.’
‘Life insurance pay out?’
Tyler shrugged. ‘Possibly. No kids or close relations.’ He looked up at Alexi. ‘If Natalie is motivated by money, or simply wants to find a decent guy to share her life with, either way Walker would fit the bill. I can see why she’s dated him three times.’
‘Then we must definitely go and see him.’
‘I agree, but after we’ve gone back to Natalie’s cottage and taken a closer look at her papers.’
‘I was about to say that.’
He sent her a sexy smile that caused her tummy to perform Olympic-standard backflips. ‘Sorry.’
‘You’ve redeemed yourself by finding all this stuff so quickly. How does Cassie do it?’
‘We have our ways,’ he said, smirking.
‘Okay, don’t tell me.’
‘Hey, there’s no big secret.’ He waved aside her fit of pique. ‘You ought to know, in your line of work, how easy it is to find out just about anything on anyone these days, if you know where to look. And Cassie sure as hell knows. She’s a geek, and damned good at what she does. The company she worked for used to do some of the work the Met farmed out.’
‘Is that how you met her?’
‘Actually no, that was coincidence. She was my ex-wife’s close friend.’
‘Oh, I see.’
Tyler chuckled. ‘I doubt it. There’s never been anything personal between us, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
‘I wasn’t.’
Tyler sent her a look that said he didn’t believe a word of it; arrogant man!
‘Cassie got fed up doing grunt work for an organisation that thought a virus was something you saw your doctor about, and didn’t pay her close to what she was worth. She set up on her own as a computer doctor, and kinda fell into investigation work as a side line that finished up being more profitable than the day job.’
‘Straying spouses, benefit cheats, stuff like that?’
‘To start with. Now we get all kinds of obscure assignments.’ He flipped a pen backwards and forwards between his forefinger and thumb. His body language was casual, but the business with the pen told Alexi he wasn’t as comfortable with this conversation as he made out. She wondered why he was opening up to her. Was it to convince her they really were on the same side in this investigation and that he had no plans to hold out on her? ‘Anyway, my marriage broke up and I never expected to see Cassie again. People take sides and the women almost always stick together. Cassie stayed neutral and we kept in touch, had the occasional drink. Then, when she heard about my problems with the Met, she invited me to invest in her agency. She had more work than she could handle. She can make computers give up their secrets but needed someone with my background for doing the face to face stuff.’ He shrugged. ‘So far, we make a good team.’
I’ll just bet you do! ‘Glad to hear it. Now, what did your superstar partner find out about Natalie’s background?’
‘She’s still working on that. Miracles, as she puts it, take a little longer.’
‘Okay then, let’s take a look at her email.’
Alexi moved back to her own desk and logged into Natalie’s personal email. ‘I haven’t tried to crack her business email address yet,’ she explained. ‘I figured anything about her private life would be in her personal account.’
‘Good thinking.’
He scooted his chair over and ran a hand along the back of her own chair, leaning over her shoulder. He had no damned business smelling so…well, so masculine. She wanted to put distance between them but that would imply she was affected by him. It was probably the reaction he was used to getting from females. Well, tough luck, mate. Alexi hated being predictable.
‘Do you notice anything?’ Alexi asked, frowning as she scrolled through Natalie’s inbox.
‘Yeah, she’s remarkably tidy. Very few files.’
‘Make that no files, which is odd. I have tons on my personal email, and I keep my business files separate, just like Natalie must.’ Alexi leaned back in her chair and glanced up at Tyler. ‘So, she either doesn’t file her emails, or keeps them offline somewhere.’
‘Actually, according to Cassie, a lot of people keep really important stuff off the web all together, simply because it’s more secure. Nothing online is completely confidential. Hacking is the modern-day equivalent of tax evasion. Technically illegal, but anyone who’s computer savvy can’t resist having a go, and it’s not really looked upon as being illegal.’
‘Yeah, and since I just cracked Natalie’s password, I can’t claim the moral high ground.’
Tyler sent her a look. ‘You’re a journalist, so you can’t anyway.’
The caustic comment took Alexi by surprise. She thought they had got past his resentment of her profession.
‘Sorry,’ he said, breaking the awkward silence that ensued.
‘Apology accepted.’ Alexi fell into momentary contemplation. ‘I wonder if Cassie can find some sort of online storage for her. Dropbox, or something like that.’
Tyler jotted a note on a piece of paper. ‘It’s worth a look.’
‘Considering this is day four since she was last seen, there are surprisingly few emails waiting for her,’ Alexi pointed out. ‘The usual spam, the sort of stuff we all get, but not a whole lot else. Certainly nothing from any of our suspects.’
‘Anything marked dates? Or, more to the point, finances?’
Tyler peered closer, all but resting his chin on her shoulder as his breath peppered her left ear. She shifted her position, removing herself from the direct firing line, and caught a glimpse of his profile in the periphery of her vision. A knowing little smile flirted with his lips, leaving her with the impression that getting up close and accidently touching her was a deliberate ploy. Tough! Alexi didn’t do casual sex, but then again, perhaps a no-strings-attached hook-up was what she needed to get her motor running again. Only the fact that he so obviously thought he’d get what he wanted without too much effort made her determined to hold out. She was not a mindless bimbo who could be influenced by a pretty face. Hold that thought.
‘Nope,’ she replied casually, answering his spoken question, and the unspoken one, with just one word.
‘I guess that would be too much to hope for,’ he replied, equally cryptically.
‘What about the guy she stood up?’ Alexi asked, turning her head so abruptly when the thought occurred to her that her hair whipped across Tyler’s face.
‘Come again?’
‘Your sister called you in because Natalie had missed a date. Had she seen that guy before? Could she have kept the date, but he said she hadn’t to throw suspicion off?’
‘I’ll double check with Katie, but she assured me it was a first date. The two of them hadn’t met at all.’
‘As far as she knew.’
‘Right. I’ll ask for the guy’s name, so we can check him out, just in case.’ He fired off an email to his sister, typing at warp speed.
‘What next?’ Alexi asked.
‘Let’s take a moment and assess what we know so far.’
‘Good idea. It’s getting a bit muddled in my mind.’
‘That’s why the police keep whiteboards dur
ing investigations, so any new leads can be added, keeping everyone updated. Well, not always whiteboards nowadays, but fancy big touchscreen thingies. Still, I’m an old-fashioned guy and think whiteboards. Anyway, we know for a fact that Natalie Parker was last seen going about her normal business over four days ago. She has no close relatives that we are aware of, but Cassie will turn them up if they exist. It’s out of character for her to go anywhere without telling her only friend, Cheryl, who looks after her place if she has to leave. She hadn’t told Cheryl she was planning a trip.’
‘And she always answers her phone wherever she is because it could be business-related. But her phone is off and she’s missed supplying a business commitment, which is totally out of character.’
Tyler nodded. ‘She has, or at least two years ago she had a lot of money in her personal account, but lived modestly and didn’t shout about it. Where did that money come from? I can’t help thinking that if we can find the answer to that one, we’ll find Natalie.’
‘She’s divorced, but we don’t know how long she was married for, or anything about her husband and why they separated. We do know she now wants to have another relationship, hence joining Heart Racing, hoping to meet a guy with similar interests.’
Tyler wrote Natalie’s name at the top of a sheet of paper, and listed below it all the things they knew about her as fact. On the right hand side, he listed areas of dispute that needed further investigation if they weren’t explained when Cassie reported her findings. Her husband’s background and, significantly, the source of her wealth headed that list.
‘Is she the genuinely nice, private person Cheryl thinks she is, looking for her happy ever after?’ Alexi mused.
‘Is she a female predator, using her sensuality to prey on vulnerable wealthy men?’
‘Or are the men preying on her need for companionship?’
The Deadline Series Boxset Page 8