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It was an old trick he used to employ when assessing possible clients back when he still had a good opinion about the law and potential innocents trapped in a system that didn’t always work exactly right. He could tell a lot about a person by looking at their home environment and how they acted while on their home turf.
Once he pulled into her parking lot, she directed him to her assigned space. They all got out, and Abigail led them to her first-floor apartment. She didn’t hesitate for a moment before ushering them inside. Some people had a ready excuse about the cleanliness level of their domain during an unexpected visit. Abigail whisked them right in quickly as if she knew it was immaculate and didn’t need any excuses.
The door opened directly into a very tidy, nice-sized living room with an old yet comfortable-looking sofa, and two equally outdated easy chairs before an entertainment center. To the left was a small, spotless galley kitchen, and beyond it was a small dining area. Next to the dining area, and straight ahead, was a short hallway with two doors on the right and one at the end. The furniture was simple. The place had no clutter whatsoever.
She headed for the hallway, calling out over her shoulder, “Make yourselves at home. I’m going to quickly shower and change clothes. Then we can discuss whatever you’d like.” She disappeared down the hall without waiting for a response.
Cooper scanned the room searching for clues as to her personality. He saw a good-sized bookshelf next to the entertainment center housing several well-worn titles. Apparently she enjoyed spy novels as well as thrillers. There were a couple of romance novels as well, and that made him smile.
He didn’t see any pictures of her with other men, which heartened him. Upon further inspection, he didn’t see any picture at all.
Perhaps she wasn’t sentimental. Or perhaps her pictures were displayed in her bedroom. His gaze went to the entrance of the hallway as he heard the shower come on.
He’d love to watch her shower, but figured in good time they’d all end up in the shower together. He and Zane each had a large, upstairs master bedroom with an equally opulent master bath attached. So did the guest suite they had downstairs. Three choices for future fun while bathing.
Zane dropped onto the center of the comfortable-looking sofa that wasn’t at all comfy, if Zane’s expression was any indication. He pushed out a weary sigh. “What are we going to do next, Cooper?”
“Depends on what she wants to do.”
“Throw out some options.”
“Well, first of all, I believe we should talk about the court issues.”
“What did her public defender tell you?”
“Nothing of any particular use. He was too busy to discuss her case.” Cooper thought he was fairly worthless and made a mental note to find Abigail another attorney before her next court date.
Zane sighed and stared at the ceiling. “What else?”
“We should likely discuss what she knows about your involvement in this, and the possibility that there could be a pending arrest in your future.”
Zane huffed. “I didn’t do anything.”
“I know. But I don’t think she did anything either, and I just posted a bail large enough to purchase a couple of pricey sports cars with enough left over to buy a year’s worth of gasoline for each one, to get her out. Something is wrong with this whole thing. I think they want to punish her for the falsified loan, but don’t have the evidence yet. Meanwhile, if your name is on the paperwork somewhere, it’s very possible that your identity has been stolen. And to that end I plan to do some more checking.”
“Is that why you called Kendall’s last night, to talk to Jocelyn?”
“Yes. She said she’d look around but felt the information I sought wouldn’t be available without hacking into some off-limits databases. The best she can do is retrieve Abigail’s work file, but only if she signs a release for permission. I told her get the work file but not to dig into anything against the law. We’ll see what she’s able to get legally.”
“Does she know anyone willing to be creative?”
“Possibly. She mentioned Kendall’s brother, Clay. He has mad skills in this arena, and he also knows pretty much everyone in the business. If Jocelyn can’t come up with anything, my next call is to Clay.”
