AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stepping from the shower, he toweled off and chose to go with jeans, boots, and a sweater Evangeline had given him. She might have been an unfaithful bitch, but she did have great taste in clothing. He thought about shaving his five o’clock shadow but decided he wouldn’t mind seeing a bit of beard burn along the inside of Claire’s thighs. The face looking back from the mirror had a decidedly wicked grin. She might be a thief, but from now on she would be his thief, and the only thing she would be stealing was his heart.
As Fletch headed down to the lobby to wait for Claire, his cell phone buzzed. He glanced down. It was Carter.
“Fletcher,” he chuckled, “but since you’re calling me, you probably knew that.”
“I did, indeed. I’m working on that deep background you had me do on Claire Mitchell…”
“Anything interesting?”
“The fact that there isn’t nearly as much there as I would have thought and I’m having trouble finding content that isn’t readily available to anyone is interesting in and of itself. It’s as if someone has pulled a shroud over different parts of her life, but two things came to mind. I want you to know I would never share anything I tell you with anyone else.”
“I know that.”
“No, I mean, normally we share stuff with the team, and I may be out of line, but I got the distinct impression there was something going on between you and Dr. Mitchell. Something that has nothing to do with business. You can tell me I’m out of line…”
“You’re not. In fact, I’m glad my tech guy actually has people skills and good instincts. So, what is it you think I need to know that you don’t want to tell me.”
“Her grandfather was Seamus O’Donnell.”
“Why is that name familiar to me?”
“Famous master thief. Did a stretch in a prison outside of Belfast.”
“I remember. He served his whole sentence because he wouldn’t disclose where any of the stolen property went or who else might be involved.”
“There were some that think his son-in-law might have been his accomplice. Seamus became Claire’s guardian when someone forced the car that she and her parents were in off the road. She was thrown clear while buckled into her baby seat. Her parents perished, and Seamus went on the straight and narrow. Got a job with Sir Godfrey Robbins.” Carter let the name hang in the air.
“Evangeline’s father?”
How the hell had he missed that connection? Evangeline had spoken about Claire, although only in derisive terms, but the Claire that Evangeline had described bore little resemblance to the beautiful, sexy Dr. Mitchell.
“I’m afraid so. The girls weren’t close…”
“I am aware.” He recalled with startling clarity Evangeline’s comments about the horse master’s daughter. “The kindest thing Evangeline ever said about her was that she was an excellent rider, but a chubby ragamuffin.”
“Claire Mitchell is a lot of things, but I wouldn’t call her a chubby ragamuffin.”
“Nor would I.”
“But how the hell does someone like Seamus O’Donnell end up working for Robbins? And how did he afford that fancy Swiss boarding school? And the horses?”
“Claire mentioned her grandfather was a horse master for a peer, but not which one.”
“You don’t suppose she knew about you and Evangeline, do you?”
“I doubt it. I wasn’t high enough profile for her. We didn’t get the press coverage she wanted.”
“Didn’t she know that the paparazzi knows to keep their distance from you?”
“I might not have mentioned that. But what the hell would Sir Godfrey want with an ex-con Irishman? That is completely out of character for him. Keep digging and see what you can find.”
“Will do. Do you think Dr. Mitchell might be involved?”
“If she is, she won’t be for long.”
“Got it. Let me know if I need to get rid of anything electronically.”
“Thanks, Carter. I appreciate that.”
