Читать книгу The P.I. Contest - C.J. Carmichael - Страница 10

IT WAS AN OUTRAGEOUS proposition. But also…intriguing. There were few things Jay enjoyed more than healthy competition. Basketball and squash were his usual sports, but this sounded interesting. True, he didn’t have Kate’s training, but he was nothing if not resourceful.

If he found Hannah’s father and got the job, there’d be classes to take, a license to acquire. Nathan had assured him that none of this would be too onerous. Before he knew it, he’d be launched in his second career.

Jay checked out Kate from across the table. She gave him a small smile, her eyes sharp and confident. Then she raised her eyebrows and cocked her head slightly.

The challenge was obvious—she didn’t think he had a chance. And every nerve in his body ached to prove her wrong.

“This plan sounds crazy to me,” Nathan said. “But if Hannah, Kate and Jay all agree, then I have no objection. Hannah, are you sure you want to turn the search for your father into a competition?”

“If it means I don’t have to pay anything, then yeah. You bet I do. I really want a baby and as long as I can tell Jeremy who my real dad is, I don’t care who finds him.”

“Okay,” Nathan said. “The client agrees. How about you, Kate?”

She was still looking at Jay, with gray-green eyes that seemed to say, Back out now and preserve your dignity.

She raised her chin an inch higher. “I’m game.”

Now everyone turned to him. He thought about what he had to lose. Not much, except his pride. Then he thought of what he could gain.

Nathan had been his friend since high school. Jay knew the guy had integrity and smarts. Lindsay seemed his polar opposite in many respects, but he could tell she had the same sense of honor, the same drive to make the world a better place.

If he couldn’t fly planes anymore for a living, surely this was as good a place to land as any. Plus it would be fun to wipe that cocky expression from Kate Cooper’s face.

He glanced around the room one more time, prolonging the moment of tension.

“I’m in.”

Hannah clapped her hands together. “Thank you so much. I never dreamed that it would be this easy.”

“We haven’t found your father yet,” Lindsay cautioned. She glanced at Kate, then smiled. “Though I’m sure it won’t take very long.”

She had a lot of confidence in her friend. Jay supposed it was to be expected. Meanwhile Nathan gave him a nod of encouragement which he appreciated.

“We’ll be in touch with interim reports on Kate’s and Jay’s progress,” Lindsay promised as she ushered Hannah to the door. She called Nadine and asked her to walk their new client through the usual paperwork.

“Plus, we’ll need three DNA samples from her, Nadine. You know where we keep the kits…?”

Nadine must have answered in the affirmative, because Lindsay said, “Good. I’ll leave you to it, then.” She returned to the conference room, closing the door again.

“Well.” She beamed at Nathan, her expression bordering on smug. “Was that a brilliant idea or what?”

Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, frankly.” But from the warmth in his voice, it was clear how he felt about Lindsay. He adored her. Jay could understand why. Lindsay was a dynamo. All passion and energy.

Her friend Kate, on the other hand, kept her emotions carefully contained. She seemed analytical and calculating and somewhat aloof. She was going to make a formidable opponent.

Also, a very beautiful one.

“The investigation will officially start tomorrow morning.” Lindsay turned from Kate to Jay. “I’ll have Nadine prepare a report for each of you containing all the information we have to date. Where you decide to start is completely up to you. Fair enough?”

“Absolutely,” Jay said.

“Where will we work when we’re not in the field?” Kate asked.

“We only have one empty office,” Nathan said. “I guess you’ll have to share. We can bring in an extra desk and chair, but there’s just one computer.”

“No problem. I have a laptop.” Jay stood and offered Kate his hand. “Good luck.”

She hesitated, then stood as well and accepted his hand. “May the best investigator win.”

No doubt she thought she would be the one. But she was in for a few surprises where he was concerned.

WITH THE MEETING CONCLUDED, Lindsay suggested to Kate that they go for a drink.

“That sounds good.” Kate wasn’t in a hurry to return to her empty apartment. She was going to have to get a cat, she decided, since she was no longer interested in men.

Lindsay led the way to a tired tavern just down the block. The Stool Pigeon was a knockoff on the traditional English pub concept, with a vague nod to Tudor architecture and an array of flea market atrocities displayed on shelves just out of dusting range.

A boisterous group in their twenties was sitting at the tables near the windows, and a dark brooding man presided over the three older male customers at the large oak bar. Brown vinyl booths at the back were all empty and that was where Lindsay led her.

“Nice place,” Kate said, grimacing as she slid into the booth and her hand came in contact with something sticky.

“Cozy, isn’t it? I come here all the time. This is Wendy.”

Since she had her back to the kitchen, Kate hadn’t noticed the female server approaching. The woman, in her mid-forties, seemed to have weathered about as well as the place where she worked.

“Wendy and Mark own this place,” Lindsay explained.

“Lucky us,” Wendy said drily. “I assume you want your usual?” When Lindsay nodded, she turned to Kate. “And you?”

“I’ll have an orange juice with lots of ice.” Hopefully the vitamin C would help ward off the cold she felt coming on.

“And fries,” Lindsay added. “We’ll share.”

When the server returned a short time later, Kate was surprised to see that she’d brought Lindsay a paralyzer.

“You still drink those? How does your stomach tolerate them?” Once, when she and Lindsay had gone for a drink after a rough shift, she’d ordered one. A single swallow had been enough for her. She’d been shocked to find out what was in the drink. A motley mixture of liqueurs, cream and cola.

“My system runs on paralyzers,” Lindsay assured her.

“So how are things with Nathan? They seem good.”

“Better than good. I’ve never been happier.”

“You look happy.” Kate was sincerely glad for her friend.

“Thanks. I wish I could say the same to you. Tell me about Conner. What was his problem? Didn’t he know how lucky he was to have you?”

“Thanks, Lindsay.” Kate felt tears well up at her friend’s kindness. “In some ways I’ve decided that it’s a good thing that we broke up—though I would have wished for a more civilized finale.”

“Sometimes a good drama is the only way to go. I’m glad you gave him a piece of your mind.”

“I guess. But I’ve come to realize over the last few days I wasn’t as much in love with Conner as I thought I was.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I hate to admit this, but I think I just latched on to him because I was at the point where I wanted to get married.”

“Why so keen to get married?”

“Babies. Ever since I turned thirty that’s all I think about. Everywhere I go, I see them. Did you notice that woman with the stroller on our way here?”

“Yeah, but this is the Upper West Side. There are kids everywhere. I never knew you were so keen to have children.”

“I’ve always wanted a big family as well as a challenging career,” Kate confessed. “Not just one or two children. More like three or four.”

“Wow…I guess you’ll have to start dating, then.”

Kate made a face. “Forget it. I’ve had enough of men for a while.”

“So what are you thinking? You want to be a single mother?”

“Maybe. I’ve been considering it. What do you think? Am I crazy?” She picked up a fry and stared at it without any appetite.

“No, not crazy. But it’s a serious step. Don’t do anything rash.” Lindsay ate another fry. “Anyway, I’m so glad you’re here. I promise you’ll be happy at our agency. The work is varied and interesting and you’ll have so much more freedom than you did working for the NYPD.”

“That’s assuming I find Hannah’s father first and get the job,” Kate reminded her.

“Jay doesn’t stand a chance of solving this case faster than you.”

Kate had already told herself the same thing. But Jay Savage struck her as the sort of guy who wasn’t used to losing. She had to make sure that, this time, he did.

THE NEXT MORNING Kate arrived at the agency bright and early. She forced herself to get out of bed, even though she’d had a restless night, thanks to that tickle at the back of her throat. No matter how many vitamins she popped or how much orange juice she drank, it would not go away.

She bumped into Nadine, who was unlocking the main door. The young receptionist gave her a welcoming smile. “Lindsay and Nathan don’t usually come in until nine. You must be an early bird.”

“When I need to be.” Kate didn’t care when Lindsay and Nathan arrived for work, but she sure hoped that Jay wouldn’t be in for a while.

Nadine gave her a closer look. “Do you have a cold? There’s a mean one going around. I had it last week and it was terrible.”

“Just a tickle in my throat.” She had no time to get sick, and so she wouldn’t. Mind over matter. “Did Lindsay leave anything for me?”

“Yes. She asked me to prepare two files—one for you and one for Jay.” Nadine unlocked the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a folder which she handed to Kate. “I’m guessing you’d like to get straight to work. The office you’re sharing with Jay is opposite the conference room. Call me if you need anything. And if you’re a coffee drinker, I’ll have a fresh pot ready in ten minutes.”

“Thanks, Nadine.” This receptionist of Lindsay’s was so pleasant and helpful, especially when compared with some of the dispatchers Kate had worked with over the years.

With her leather bag slung on one shoulder, Kate’s hands were free to open the folder as she walked. Inside she found a summary of the information Hannah had given them yesterday and copies of forms she must have filled out with Nadine.

Kate paused to open the door to her new office, then assessed the layout. A second desk had been squeezed next to a file cabinet. The original desk, in front of a window that looked out at—surprise!—a brick wall, was larger and also had the computer on it. She sat there.

She’d done a lot of thinking last night and already knew where she wanted to start: with Hannah’s birth mother. Thankfully her name, phone number and address were included in the file. Rebecca Trotter lived in Brooklyn with her husband and two school-aged children.

It would be best to arrange a face-to-face meeting. There was a chance Hannah’s mother would tell her things she wouldn’t have felt comfortable sharing with her daughter. At any rate, Kate wanted to verify the list of father candidates before she went to the work of tracking them down.

Hoping to catch the woman before she left for work, or to take the kids to school, depending on her routine, Kate dialed the home number provided in the file. A woman answered, sounding harried.

“Yes? Who is this?”

“Kate Cooper from The Fox & Fisher Detective Agency. Your birth daughter—”

“Fox & Fisher? Again? Look, I want to help, but I’m busy. I have two kids to get ready for school, breakfast to cook, lunches to make. I don’t have time for this. I already told that nice man last night, afternoons are more convenient for me.”

Oh my God. That nice man had to be Jay. And he’d already talked to Hannah’s mother last night. Kate couldn’t believe she had been scooped so quickly.

“I apologize. I didn’t realize Jay had already set up a time for us to talk.”

“He didn’t mention anything about you coming along. Kate, was it?”

“Yes. Kate Cooper. It is actually important that we both speak with you, so to waste the least amount of your time, we should probably combine the interviews.”

“Doesn’t matter to me. Jay’s coming here this afternoon at one. Does that work for you?”

“It sure does, Mrs. Trotter. Thank you very much.”

AFTER A MORNING spent surfing for information on the alumni of New England College, Jay called for a cab to take him to Brooklyn. This morning he’d decided not to accompany Eric on the subway. Not that Eric seemed to care, one way or the other.

Jay was worried about all the emotions Eric must be bottling inside. One of the doctors who had been on duty the night Tracy died had suggested counseling for the boy, but Eric had walked out of the session Jay had arranged with a grief therapist. Jay didn’t have any other ideas on how to handle the situation.

The poor kid had walked in on his unconscious mother. He’d called 9-1-1 and had waited alone in the hospital until he’d been told that his mother was dead.

It was more than most adults could bear, and Eric was just a kid.

Jay had been flying the night Tracy died, on the last leg of a transoceanic trip to Europe. He hadn’t received the frightened message his nephew had left on his cell phone until the next day.

He wondered if Eric blamed him for not making it to the hospital in time. If so, he wouldn’t be surprised. He certainly blamed himself. Too late he realized he’d pursued his dream of flying at the expense of his family’s best interests. He should have kept closer tabs on his sister and her son. No doubt about that.

Still, the mistakes he’d made in the past didn’t change the reality of his problems with Eric. This past month he’d let a lot of things slide. Not just rudeness, but a general sloppiness around the apartment. He had to start laying down some ground rules with the boy, which he knew wouldn’t go over well.

Tracy had never been one for rules, or discipline of any type.

Jay sighed at the prospect of what lay ahead. Sometimes it was hard for him to believe Eric was the same child that he had watched grow up from infancy. He’d done a lot of babysitting for Tracy over the years, and Eric had always loved spending time with him.

They’d done stuff like feed the ducks at Central Park and ride the ferry on the Hudson. He’d taught Eric to skate and to ride a bike. And yet, at some point Eric had stopped seeing him as his favorite person in the world.

He’d heard his colleagues at work, the ones with families, complain about what happened when kids became teenagers. He supposed it was the same with Eric. After all, Tracy had changed a lot when she’d hit adolescence, too.

For now he’d just keep doing his best to make his nephew comfortable in his new home. He’d already converted the office in his apartment into a second bedroom, he’d bought a Wii and set up a computer for the boy to use in the family room.

Still, nothing he’d done seemed to have softened Eric’s attitude toward him. He had a meeting scheduled with his homeroom teacher this afternoon. Maybe she would have some useful advice.

“What’s the address again?” the driver asked him. They were crossing the bridge into Brooklyn, the Statue of Liberty dimly visible to the south.

Jay answered, then told himself to stop thinking about his nephew and start focusing on the job. He needed to be sharp if he wanted to best Kate Cooper, and so far he liked to think he was off to a fast start.

Ten minutes later the driver pulled up in front of the Trotters’ address. The home Rebecca shared with her husband and two kids was one in a long line of attached houses, with a garage out front and a tiny lawn.

Jay paid the driver, arranged a pick-up time, then made his way to the front door. It was exactly one o’clock when he rang the bell.

The woman who came to the door had to be Rebecca Trotter, since she looked like an older, fifteen-pound-heavier version of Hannah. Amazing the power of genetics. He smiled and said hello. “Jay Savage. We spoke on the phone last night.”

“You’re finally here. Come on in. We’re in the kitchen.”

Finally? We? He checked his watch and wondered if it was running slow. They passed through a small living room, with toys and books strewn on the carpet, to a kitchen crammed with more toys and a large pine table.

Sitting in one of the chairs facing him was Kate Cooper, looking very pleased with herself.

“Hi, Jay. Glad you could make it.”