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“Absolutely. And I’m just glad it wasn’t Matteo. I like that boy.” She licked her lips. “Not to mention that he’s easy on the eyes. Oh, don’t look at me that way! I know I’m old enough to be his mother, but he’s quite the Lothario, don’t you think? You must have thought so?”
“He was good-looking,” she admitted stiffly. As if she’d have ever had anything in common with a guy who spent all of his time, earning passive income while drinking and lounging away the day.
Goldie rolled her eyes. “Youth is wasted on the young. If I was your age . . . ” She made anmmm mmm mmmmsound with her lips, reached into her purse and pushed a check over to Daisy. “There’s a little extra, for your trouble. I never knew the third wife, but I heard she was a real bitch to you.”
Well, she did almost kill me with a syringe of Batrachotoxin,Daisy thought with a nod, deciding not to go over the details. Her hands still shook, every time she thought about it. Instead, she looked down at the check and her jaw dropped. “That’s more than kind.”
“I’d say it’s deserved,” she said, standing. “Anyway, Darling, I wanted to come and thank you in person. Invite you to lunch, perhaps, as I promised?”
Daisy leaned back in her chair. “I’d love to, but—”
“Doesn’t look like you have all that much going on around here! I’ve seen more life in a cemetery!” the woman blustered, looking around, hands on hips. “Come on, girlie, live a little.”
“I would, really, but I have to visit my father in the hospital after work. Raincheck?”
“You got it,” the woman said, firing a finger gun at her. “I’ll hold you to that. And the next time I know anyone has a case, you’re going to be the first name out of my mouth. Mark my words.”
Daisy smiled. “I appreciate that. And if you’d like to leave a nice review online . . .”
“Consider it done!” she said, and marched out, her red heels clicking on the cracked linoleum.
When she was gone, Daisy looked at the check, and then opened her bank account on her phone. The check was too big to deposit to her business online; she’d have to make a special trip to take care of it in person. Not that she minded. At least, she knew, for the next few months, her father’s future would be assured.
Even if Edward Fortune wanted to be somewhere else, at least he’d be safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Two days later, despite his constant calling, Daisy was finally able to make it to dinner with Zachary Hardy. She almost couldn’t believe how persistent he’d been over little ol’ her. It was almost as if he had a crush on her, she thought. And how long had it been since anyone had a crush on her?
This time, she met him at a casual restaurant, halfway between East Plainfield and his home base in Philly. When she got there, though she’d tried to be early, she found he was already sitting in a corner booth.
Again, he was wearing a wool sweater with a zip-up collar, and khaki pants, but he looked a little more dressed up, his hair still wet and combed back from his face after a shower. The moment she came in, he spotted her and waved.
Then he stood, and hugged her. She’d expected it to be awkward, but she was surprised by how good it felt.
“Hello,” she said as she sat down and picked up the menu.
“It’s so good to see you, Daisy,” he said. “You even got a little tan in Venice.”
“Oh yes,” she looked down at her freckled arms. Tan? Not really. “You seemed excited to meet. I thought maybe you had exciting news to share? Did you have success in a big case?”
His smile melted away, leaving him looking rather uncomfortable. He shifted slightly. “Actually, I did want to talk to you about something.”
She let her eyes slip to the side, hoping he wasn’t so awkward that he was going to confess his feelings for her. They’d practically just met. She hoped he’d wait until they’d gone on a few dates, at least. “Oh?”
“Yes. It’s about your brother. Charlie.”
Her stomach dropped. It was so unexpected, she could do nothing but stare for several moments. Then she mustered up the words. “What about him?”
“You know my father’s firm has a headquarters in Greece. But we’re also in the United States, the UK, the Caribbean.”
She nodded slowly. Was he going to say he had some new avenue where she might be able to investigate her brother’s disappearance? If so, she almost wanted him to shut up. Edward Fortune had exploredeveryavenue, left no stone unturned. It was no use. Especially now, over a decade later.
“And . . .?” She prompted.
His always-red face grew redder. “I didn’t realize it, because I wasn’t even in law school at the time. My father’s firm handled the business. But Vernon Mackey . . .”
The name hit her like a slap across the face. It was a name she always associated with bad news, because her father had grumbled about it for years after her brother went missing.. . . that bastard Vernon Mackey isn’t cooperating . . . that damn Vernon Mackey’s holding up the investigation . . . Mackey’s playing hardball . . . Mackey’s insisting they did nothing wrong . . .
