AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Another dead end. Another irritant.
“Don’t worry about it. Just call me if you think of anything.” I’d become suspicious of everyone in Galen’s life, but Jackie was one of the good ones.
As I started to walk out of her office, I sensed she’d moved behind me.
“Mr. Masters. Your brother was a wonderful man. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. He kept me on the payroll when I had cancer, refusing to let me go. Because of that, I was able to keep my home.”
“Don’t worry, Jackie. I know what kind of man he was but thank you for telling me.” I thought about the picture I’d seen and walked closer. “Where are the employee records kept?” I had to play my hunch, my gut telling me someone else had been given access to his car. The mechanic had nothing to do with tampering with Galen’s car. That much I was positive of.
“We have both paper and electronic copies. You have access to everything on your computer. Is there something you’re looking for in particular?”
“No, just double checking something.” I’d paid little attention to the various employees but there were two people who seemed to be in the know about everything. One was Jackie but that made sense. She was the backbone of the entire firm. The second was Maggie Porter, Harlow’s new assistant, the girl working with Galen exclusively when he’d been alive. That was all I knew about the woman except for one other thing. “I was thinking about Maggie’s job here. I know she’s working with Ms. Fox, but I wasn’t entirely certain about her role.”
Jackie smiled. “I’m certain we can get someone to work with you just as closely as Maggie did with Mr. Masters. She was a godsend to him after his wife died.”
“Meaning what?”
“She took care of Lily a few times, picked up a birthday present here and there. Not that he forced her to. Please don’t think that about your brother. She offered and honestly, he was so out of it for so long I was grateful someone had the time to care for him. She even helped him run errands from time to time, getting his car out of service for him. That kind of thing.”
Bingo. If I had to bet, I’d say Maggie had picked up the car from the mechanic’s shop. It wasn’t a stretch to think she was either taught how to puncture the line or had met with one of Michael’s goons, creating a smaller leak.
“That’s good to hear. An excellent recommendation.”
Maggie had appeared in two of the photographs I’d seen of a huge extravaganza at Diamond Skies. While it might mean nothing, I wanted to learn every scrap of information about anyone who’d sold my brother out. It was entirely possible Maggie was innocent, but I was beginning to have my doubts. Still, now wasn’t the time to confront her.
“One more thing,” she said as she glanced toward the door, her face flushing. “You and Ms. Fox make a very good team. The energy flowing through the company is palpable. Plus, everyone can see the spark between the two of you. It’s very romantic.”
I studied her face, bristling inside. She had no idea what affect her compliment had on me. If Jackie had noticed our connection, that meant others had as well.
“It’s business but there is a definite spark of creativity. Nothing more.”
Jackie frowned. “Oh, okay.”
What had she heard? I walked toward Jackie’s door, noticing Maggie was talking with another employee within earshot.
“I’ll be out for the rest of the day working at the house. Call me if you need anything.”
“Yes, sir.”
I glanced at Maggie and the male employee, giving them both a nod. If I had to guess, I’d say Maggie would be on the phone within two minutes providing that very information.
My thoughts drifted to Harlow.
Sir. There was only one person I wouldn’t mind calling me sir. As I walked out of the office, I knew exactly what I needed to do.
And the little vixen wasn’t going to be happy.
* * *
Harlow
Savage had made good on his promise.
He’d been lurking in the shadows, working on the business, signing checks and approving two new ads in the three days that had passed. There’d been no threats or strange people lurking in the parking lot of the office. I’d had no weird phone calls or strange people in the elevator, the dry cleaner or the grocery store.
But he’d never been far, even following me home the two nights before. If he thought I hadn’t noticed the big Dodge Ram, he was out of his mind. He’d pulled down my street, the massive engine rumbling, idling while I headed for the door. I’d thought about confronting him but I had the distinct feeling he’d ignore or worse, come up with some catchy reason why he was allowed to park on any street he wanted.
I’d told him that Michael Azzurri was a man who didn’t take no for an answer. Hunt Masters was a testament to his name. He should just call himself a savage master.
