Hot On His Trail. Kristin Eckhardt

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СКАЧАТЬ I’d be so busy keeping all those besotted football players away from my beautiful niece that I couldn’t enjoy the game.”

      Lily smiled as tears pricked her eyes. It felt so good to talk about her baby’s future. To believe that she’d safely carry this precious child for the next three months. She reached down and squeezed her brother’s hand, silently thanking him for his loving support.

      A light knock on the door made them both look up. Carolyn stuck her head inside and waved at Lily, then she turned to Dylan. “Sorry to interrupt, but there is a Calley Graham here for an interview.”

      Lily’s brow furrowed. “Interview? What interview?”

      “Oops,” Carolyn muttered, as Lily struggled to sit up in bed.

      “Oh, hell,” Dylan muttered. “I completely forgot about her.” He turned to Carolyn. “Thanks. Tell Miss Graham I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

      Lily waited until Carolyn shut the door before she turned to her brother. “Okay, Dylan, spill it. What are you up to now?”

      He set his jaw. “I’m hiring a temporary investigator for Finders Keepers.”

      Lily arched a brow, willing herself not to lose her temper. “When were you planning to tell me?”

      “I thought you had enough to worry about.”

      “Please don’t shut me out, Dylan. If I have to lie here and do nothing for the next three months, I’ll go completely stir-crazy.”

      “Well, you can’t go out on assignment, and we have to find Matt Radcliffe.”

      “I think I just said that,” Lily observed ruefully. Matt Radcliffe was a beneficiary in the late Violet Mitchum’s will. Widow of wealthy horse rancher and oilman Charles Mitchum, Violet had lived in a Victorian monstrosity in Pinto, Texas, until her death. Finders Keepers had been retained to find the three outstanding beneficiaries among the eight people named in Violet’s will. They’d successfully located Sara Pierce and Jillian Salvini, but Matt Radcliffe had proven more elusive.

      Dylan sat on the edge of her bed. “Actually, we do have a lead. Our little gift to his mother finally paid off.”

      Lily sat further up in bed, her interest piqued. “Where is he?”

      “Somewhere in New Mexico,” Dylan replied.

      “That sounds a little vague.”

      “Exactly. That’s why we need someone to go out in the field and track him down. I can’t do it because of—”

      “Julie,” Lily finished for him. The wife of Dylan’s best friend, Sebastian Cooper, had disappeared after a car-jacking over a year ago. Her brother’s concern for the missing Julie Cooper had almost turned into an obsession, although lately he didn’t seem as tense about her disappearance as he had been for the last few months. Had he gotten a lead on her? Or just finally given up hope of ever finding her?

      Dylan gave a short nod. “I also want to stay close to home in case you need me.”

      Lily leaned back against the pillows, feeling useless. But maybe there was something she could do. “Let me interview Calley Graham.”

      “That’s not necessary. I’ve already hired someone for the job.”

      She blinked. “Then why is this Graham woman here for an interview?”

      He raked one hand through his brown hair. “Because I forgot to tell Carolyn to cancel the interview.”

      Lily wasn’t surprised, given how distracted her brother had been recently. Which was further proof that he needed Lily’s help. “It’s really not fair to send Calley Graham away now. The least you can do is interview her, or let me do it.”

      “Why? I’ve already as much as promised the job to a man named Simms. I still need to conduct a face-to-face interview with him, but that’s just a formality. He’s a retired cop with a résumé a mile long.”

      “We could send them both out into the field,” Lily suggested. “Double our chances of finding Matt Radcliffe.”

      Dylan stood up. “That means we’ll have to pay twice as much, too.”

      She smiled as another idea occurred to her. “Not if we make it a contest. The first one to find Matt Radcliffe and bring him back to Texas wins the job. We’d pay expenses, of course, but no salary until the winner is hired.”

      Dylan stared at her for a long moment, then grinned. “I see pregnancy hasn’t affected your brain cells. You’re still as devious as ever.”

      She laughed. “I believe the word you’re looking for is creative.”

      “So what happens if this Graham woman and Simms both decline our not-so-generous offer?”

      She arched a brow. “Would you?”

      “Not a chance. I never back down from a challenge.”

      “Neither would I,” Lily affirmed. “We want someone with guts and tenacity to work for Finders Keepers. Someone who won’t give up when he, or she, runs out of leads.” She settled back against the pillows with a satisfied sigh. “The more I think about this idea, the more I like it.”

      “Me, too,” Dylan agreed. “Once we find Radcliffe, I can finally make arrangements for Violet’s memorial service.”

      “Then let’s stop wasting time,” Lily replied. “Send Calley Graham in here. Let’s find out how much she really wants this job.”

      * * *

      DYLAN SENT Calley Graham to Lily’s room, then shut himself in his office. Now that the matter of finding Radcliffe was being handled, he could concentrate on gathering evidence against his best friend.

      His gaze drifted to one of the framed photographs on his wall. Taken when they were all in college, it showed him and Sebastian Cooper laughing together, their arms draped around Julie, who stood between them. Despite their lengthy friendship, Julie had always stood between them. Dylan had fallen in love with her when he was a junior at Texas A&M, but it was Sebastian she’d chosen to marry.

      He’d truly wanted Sebastian and Julie to be happy together. Had grieved with Sebastian when Julie had gone missing after an apparent car-jacking last year.

      And had been stunned when he’d finally discovered the truth.

      Julie had run away, in fear for her life and that of her unborn child. Dylan had finally tracked her down in the tiny town of Cactus Creek, Texas. She’d given birth to a son in September. A boy she’d named Thomas. But that wasn’t the biggest surprise. She’d told Dylan that Sebastian had ties to the mob. All she lacked was the evidence to prove it.

      So Dylan had vowed to find the evidence, even though some part of him still didn’t want to believe that Sebastian could be capable of that kind of duplicity. But there was only one way to find out.

      He flipped through the Rolodex on his desk, searching for the number of Zach Logan, who had been his chief in the Dallas Police Department. СКАЧАТЬ