She started to shut the door in my face before I stopped it from closing by wedging my boot in the doorframe, which is a bad idea by the way, “I think I’m your morning appointment, I mean I’m here to meet with someone named Kitt. Is she here?” I said peering in the doorway.
“With Kitt? Why would you be here to see Kitt?” she asked with a raised eyebrow before her eyes bulged with the look of recognition, “Wait, don’t tell me you lied and told her your name was Tyler?”
“What? Who in the hell is Tyler?” I shook my head. “Wait, I’m confused. I had my attorney call here and make an appointment on my behalf about what I need help with. All I know is he spoke to someone by the name of Kitt and then had a follow-up conversion with someone else. Kitt even sent me a reminder email yesterday about our appointment.”
“Kitt’s just the office manager…well, my business partner too. She was making the appointment for me, I’m the investigator. The only investigator here.” Lindsey explained.
“You’re a private investigator now? Interesting…” I rubbed my chin.
“What’s so funny about me being a private investigator?”
“Nothing, just never would have thought Lindsey Dunn would have become a private investigator, but then again you’ve always loved dealing with the world’s bullshit.” I shrugged.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, just an observation. Can I come in? It’s a little chilly outside.” she didn’t seem to appreciate my presence on her doorstep, which I might add it was where I was still standing.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I want to take you on as a client. It’s better for the both of us if you just went with someone else, don’t you think? I can refer you to some great investigators if you like.”
“Lin, I don’t want another company. I want you.”
Crap, I should not have said it like that.
“What?” she asked.
“I mean, I heard you were the best in the state and were highly regarded by a lot of the top people in the industry. I only want the best and if that’s you, then I’m okay with it. That’s if you’re okay with it, all history aside,” I pleaded, still from outside of her front door.
“I don’t know.”
“Please, Lin. I’m willing to get on my hands and knees here.”
“As interesting as that would be to see, I’d rather you not do that. I don’t need neighbors speculating as to why I have a man on his hands and knees on my porch. I’m trying to run a legitimate business here,” she said thin-lipped.
“So does that mean you’ll take my case?” I asked.
“I will on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
The door opened wide suddenly, giving me a glimpse of Lindsey for the first time since I took off without any warning or goodbye years ago. I wanted to say to her something about not having changed a bit but that would have been a lie. At first glance, she looked the same but upon closer look; almost everything about her was different. I wasn’t sure if it was age, sleepless nights or just from normal wear and tear, but she looked worn down. Don’t get me wrong, she looked as beautiful as I remembered but it was almost as if life hadn’t been good to her since I’ve last seen her.
At first I wondered if it had anything to do with me then I had to remind myself now wasn’t the time; I wasn’t here to rehash the past or bring up why our relationship fell apart, as much as I wanted to know more. I needed to find out who was behind the blackmailing and then maybe, we could catch up. Until then, it was going to be strictly business because no one needed to know I had secrets. They didn’t need to know that I had a son named Cyrus out there, least of all Lindsey. If Lindsey was good of an investigator as they say she was, then she was bound to find out about him even if my name wasn’t on his birth certificate.
It was natural to think that Cyrus’ mother was the blackmailer if it weren’t for the fact that I heard she passed away last year tragically, so my guess was good as anyone’s as to who was behind the sudden turmoil and sleepless nights I’ve had about Lindsey. Right before I had started getting serious with Lindsey, I had put a stop to my fling with Cyrus’ mother, Georgia. It wasn’t until things had gotten serious and after my marriage proposal did I run into Georgia again. I didn’t know at the time she was going to tell me she had gotten pregnant and had been having a rough time and needed me to step up.
I didn’t believe her at first but when the paternity results came back as a 100% match, I had come to a hard decision on what I was going to do next. At the time, I was afraid to tell Lindsey about the news because the timing was too close and if she had done the math, she would have concluded that I conceived a son right before she and I started dating.
I wasn’t sure how she would feel about that right before our wedding, so I took off to find out if I was indeed the father of Georgia’s child or not. I would rather have Lindsey hate me for abandoning her right before the wedding than having her find out I had a son with another woman and then assume I cheated on her. I wished I explained to her what I was thinking at the time or the rationale I had for the decisions I made but no matter what I could have said or done, they would have all seemed like excuses because none of this would have made sense to her.
She didn’t know what it was like to not grow up with a father, so she couldn’t begin to understand even if she wanted to, why I just took off to New York to make up for lost time with my son. For the first couple of years I tried to make it work with Georgia as a co-parent but Cyrus deserved a happy father and he wouldn’t have had that if I stayed in New York even if I was hours away. By the time I moved back to Boston, I had heard Lindsey moved to Portland and it was obvious she had moved on with her life so I tried to move on with mine. Now here we were, back in the same room again but the same old fears are starting to resurface. How was I going to solve everything without rehashing the past?
Chapter Three
Lindsey
“I’ll take your case under one condition.” I found myself saying despite the uneasiness I felt in the pit of my stomach. This was not a good idea but something gnawed at me to give him the benefit of the doubt, just this one time. I was also curious to find out exactly what Graham did to piss someone off enough to threaten his entire world.
In the Graham Reynolds way, he braced a masculine forearm against the doorframe and leaned in a little too close for my liking as he asked, “What’s that?”
“If I agree to take your case and I am not saying I am, you need to understand that this does not constitute anything more than what it actually is. It does not mean that we are friends again, that I want to talk about old times and it definitely does not mean that you have been forgiven. The duration of our time together is going to be strictly professional and will not be anything more or other than that. Once this case has been solved, I do not want to see you ever again. Is that understood?”
“Damn, Lin. Those are some harsh terms.” he grinned.
“Graham, be serious.” I rolled my eyes at his immature response. I wasn’t in the mood for his cutesy games. They may have worked before but they weren’t going to work now.
He held out his hand to confirm our deal, “I am being serious but if you need it orally as well...you’ve got yourself a good deal.”
“I doubt it.” I shot back and shook his hand quickly. “Stop doing that.”
Graham was still the way I remembered him back then; he was charming, flirty and he had the ability to make me ignore all common sense. I also knew him well enough to know those were his default character traits whenever he felt uncomfortable, uneasy, cautious or defensive.
He took a couple of steps into the foyer, “Don’t do what?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. That thing you do with the teasing and the flirting. I know you and it has to stop right now.”
That made him laugh hard, the kind that erupted from deep within the pit of his stomach, “I wasn’t flirting but it’s nice
to know that you thought I was. Wishful thinking, perhaps?”
“Right, in your dreams.” I rolled my eyes again. “I know that’s exactly what you were doing. Just because it has been years since we have been in the same room together does not mean I have forgotten whom you were and what you were about, Graham. I know your M.O. This is strictly business.”
Graham took a couple of steps in my direction, I could feel the heat of him, “What about who I am now?”
“Graham. I said stop it.” he stood there in silence, his green eyes penetrating mine for several long seconds that seemed like minutes before he finally stepped away,
“Got it. You know, this place looks different from what I remember.” Graham glanced around at his surroundings – a first floor, open concept.
“We had it renovated after my Nan passed away. She left me this house.” I said as I watched him survey the room.
“I heard. I’m sorry to hear she had passed.”
“Thank you. Uh, we should get started. The sooner I solve this, the sooner we can…uh…go about our separate lives.” I muttered as he followed closely behind.
“Are you really that anxious to end our time together?” he asked suddenly.
“The sooner this is over with, the better off I’ll be.” I remarked, trying not to focus on the way his eyes continued to zero in on me. It was another thing he used to do often whenever he tried to figure out something he did not quite understand, in this case, me. “What are you looking at?”
“I was just…”
“You were just what?” I asked. What was he thinking?
“Nah, it’s nothing. Never mind.” he shook his head.
“No, what is it, Graham. Tell me. You know I don’t like it when you do that.”
“It’s just…you have little lines near your eyes now. They weren’t there before.” his thumb caressing my left my temple softly.
I moved my head out of his reach, “Yeah, so?”
“Nothing. Just noticed that they were new, is all.” Graham gave a noncommittal shrug.
Feeling self-conscious, I rubbed my left eye as if that alone would erase what a few years of stress and hurt did to a woman, “Yeah, they are. Started noticing them a couple of years ago, I think.”
“Ah, I see.” he nodded.
Time to change the subject; this was getting a little too close for comfort.
“Right, So, I want you to start off by telling me everything you remember about the day you found the note including what you were doing a short time before that, let’s say about two weeks prior.” I asked grabbing a notebook out of the top drawer of my desk. I was glad for the change of subject. It was starting to get a little heavy and I didn’t want to go there.
“What made you decide to become a private investigator?” he asked unexpectedly.
Was he purposely evading my question?
“What?” I asked, his eyes studying me.
“You know what? You do not have to answer that. I’m not sure why I wondered that just now. We are here to talk about the case and only the case. Uh…to answer your question, I am getting ready to do a tech reveal at the ICC conference coming up. That is the International Computing Conference; it is this big industry event. Anyway, I’m guessing the responsible party that left the note wanted me to not go through with it, so I’m guessing it must be someone who has everything to lose if I show up to the conference.”
“Where is the conference going to be held?” I asked.
“Here in Boston.”
“Do you have any rivalries with your competitors or know anyone who has a history of conflicts with you?” I asked.
“Not really. At least not any more than the usual sort. If it were one of my major competitors then it would have been an easy solve. The thing is, this tech I’ve come up with is a game changer and it’s not just my direct competitors that have a lot to lose, it potentially could be anyone out there. If all goes well with the technology and putting it out for the mass market, it could really change millions of lives.”
“Have you received any death threats?” I asked.
“No, not that I know of. Is that to be expected?” he asked.
“I would assume its par for the course. I’m not saying it’s completely normal but we don’t have any information to determine anything right now. Have you received anything else since the note?”
“Just another one a couple of days ago. It just repeated the same warning.”
“What about your staff? Have any of them taken a last minute vacation or any of them acting strangely or out of character?” I asked.
“No, I don’t think so but then again I don’t manage their day-to-day activities or vacation time. I would have to ask my department heads and the staff in Human Resources. Those that I have been around or spoken to, I haven’t noticed any of them acting differently than how they’ve normally behaved around me. Do you think it could be one of them?”
“When it comes to situations or circumstances like this, you can’t rule anyone out until there’s sufficient evidence that proves they aren’t involved. As of right now, it could be anyone. We don’t have anything concrete other than the notes to narrow down any potential suspects. Is there anything else you wanted to add that could assist me?”
“That’s all I have unfortunately. To be honest, I’m not sure what I should be doing or looking out for. It’s not like this kind of thing happens to me often, it’s a first I’m afraid. What should I be doing?”
“Just go about your life as if nothing happened but be a little more cautious and change your routine around a little. Also, stay alert and observant. If you notice anything odd or out of place let me know right away.” I suggested.
“Okay, I’ll do that. Is there anything else you need to know or have I said enough?” he asked.
“It’s enough for now, don’t worry. I’ve taken cases with even less factual evidence or clues.” I found myself laughing at the thought. “What I’ll do in the meantime is start by running background checks on every single person affiliated with your company including employees, contracted workers and vendors you hire. Would you be able to provide me with a list by tomorrow?”
“Yes, I think I can do that but Lyn, we already run background checks on our employees. We do this before we consider hiring them.”
“That’s great, but I like to do a real deep dive when I perform background checks. Can you also send me a copy of any evidence you have including the notes. Don’t forget to put them in a bag or something so it isn’t tainted further. I want to have my buddy that’s on the force check and see if he can pull some finger prints off.”
“I have a buddy on the force too.”
“Have you told him about what happened to you?” I asked.
“No, I haven’t. My attorney, Will, advised me not to report it to the police just yet. He’s afraid of the bad publicity, especially so close to the conference.”
“That’s a smart idea.” I said glancing at my watch.
Taking the cue that our time was over for now, Graham stood up before adding, “Yeah it is. If you think of anything else you might need, please let me know and I’ll take care of it right away. I should give you my business card too.”
“Thank you. If I come up with anything suspicious or if I have any other questions, I’ll be sure to contact you.” I walked with him to the front door.
“That sounds great. It was good seeing you again, Lin.” Graham said as he turned to face me.
“I appreciate you coming to me with all of this even though you didn’t know it was me specifically.”
What was I supposed to say? That it was great seeing him too? He was the one who stood me up before we were supposed to get married without any explanations. No, it wasn’t good to see you after all this time. In fact, every single minute has been torturous and I have been reliving the memories repeatedly in my mind.
I thought I was over being left by the man I once called the love of my life but apparently, I
wasn’t after all. There was a thing called moving on but there was also the act of shoving the painful shit to the back of your mind and then burying it with a full schedule and new, yet shallow memories. It was buried so deep you found yourself years later forgetting all about it until the day your painful past reared its ugly head and showed up at your doorstep asking, no, begging, for your help.
That’s the thing with distracting yourself with busy work, when it’s all finished all you are left with is the crap you’re trying to run away from. I wasn’t too proud to admit that I hadn’t moved on like I’ve made everyone else believe. In fact, it has been miserable since the day he left, at least under the surface. I haven’t gotten over the fact that I was abandoned by the man I used to love and here he was again wanting my help. What was I supposed to do now? Was I supposed to pretend that the pain and suffering never existed for the sake of our business relationship? Then he surprised me with a bombshell of a question.
“Are you doing anything later?”
“What am I doing later? I don’t think that’s any of your business.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Lin, come on. Just humor me.”
Do not do this, Lindsey.
“Fine, I’m not doing anything really. Other than a couple of meetings today and a lot of research. Why?” I asked suspiciously.
“I just wanted to see if you wanted to grab some lunch with me. There is this fantastic Thai place down the street from your office.”
“Are you talking about our old stomping grounds, Sunrise Restaurant?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
My mouth was watering at the mere mention of the place. It has been a while since I’ve been there, not since Graham and I were together. The restaurant was tainted to me now. When Graham and I were together, it was our go to place. After he left, it was my go to place for those lonely days and nights. Besides being my savior for a while, it was also an unwanted reminder of him.
Strange Love (Choose Yours Book 1) Page 3