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He felt something slide through him, something warm, almost like the heat that came with embarrassment, a flash that was gone before he could define it. Did she do that? he asked himself, startled.
No. Way. He wanted to dismiss the notion as ridiculous. And yet . . .
“I’m looking for my cousin, Elizabeth Gaines. She was adopted as a baby by Ralph and Joy Gaines who apparently moved to Sausalito. I went there and found a different Ralph Gaines, a couple of them, actually, but one knew about them because a prescription got messed up. He called Ralph and Joy up to warn them about the mix-up so it wouldn’t happen again and he found out that they were moving to Santa Monica.” She said it without blinking once. With a shrug, she added, “So, I left the San Francisco area and went to Santa Monica. Then I found you.”
“Did you find them?”
“No.” she said simply. “That’s why I need you.”
He eyed her with new respect; there was more to this young girl than first met the eyes. “But you’ve done some investigating on your own. How did you learn about me?”
“Some lady was talking about you in Starbucks. You found Kayla for her.”
“Ahhh . . .” Rex rubbed his nose, hiding a smile. She was so forthright it was amusing.
“I could find Elizabeth myself,” the girl insisted, “but I don’t have a car or a license to drive one, and my disposable phone doesn’t give me the Internet or GPS or anything else. It’s dead right now, anyway. I just want to find her fast.”
“Ralph and Joy Gaines of Santa Monica?” He glanced at his watch. He needed to get onto his surveillance and was already late.
“My aunt Catherine wants me to find Elizabeth before anything bad can happen to her.”
“She in some kind of trouble?”
“Not exactly. Maybe. We all are.”
“Who’s we?”
“My family,” Ravinia said reluctantly. “Well, mainly Aunt Catherine, but my sisters, too.”
Glancing at his watch, he said, “I can look into this tomorrow . . . er, wait, make that Monday.” He remembered his promise to spend the afternoon with Pamela, maybe take in a movie, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. How he’d let himself slip from occasionally dating the woman to becoming her weekend partner was something that irritated the hell out of him. What was worse, he only had himself to blame.
“Monday? No. I can’t wait that long.” Ravinia was firm, her small jaw set. “Can’t you get on the Internet and look them up?”
“That’s a first step.”
“Well?”
He choked back a laugh. “I’ll do it tomorrow.” To hell with Pamela.
“How about later today? After your job.” Ravinia flicked a glance at his clothes. “Surveillance.”
He almost said, “Maybe,” but then shook his head. “I don’t know how long this is going to be, and you and I haven’t talked price yet. You already think I’m too steep and I don’t want to take all your money and keep you from a warm bed tonight.”
“I just don’t see how it can take you very long, so I don’t expect it to cost much.”
“You never know.” He straightened and waited for her to get out of the chair, which she did so reluctantly.
“I’ll come with you,” she said.
“Dream on.” If nothing else, the kid had moxie. “I’m sorry. But what I do can be dangerous, and . . . no. Just no. I work solo.”
“Is it more dangerous than sleeping on the street in front of your door?”
“You really wouldn’t do that.”
“I’ve slept in that park in Santa Monica above the ocean for three nights,” she said with a certain amount of pride.
“Not my problem, Ravinia,” he said, though he did feel a jab of guilt. She was barely more than a kid. Somewhere under twenty, if he had to guess. He walked past her toward the back door and waited impatiently as she slowly sauntered along, deliberately taking her time.
