“I’m telling you Jack, these girls have voices like angels. But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. Girls, sing a few bars for the boss.” There was a ruffling sound as if Mac had put the phone down before he heard someone clear a throat.
It was just a simple rendition of the jazz tune “Cry Me a River” but when they were done, Jackson pumped his fist in the air.
This was the break he had been waiting for.
* * * * *
RIDLEY ROLLED OVER and yawned. Napping had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she was too anxious to sleep for more than a few minutes here and there, so now she was tired and groggy. She reached over to the nightstand where she’d left her cell phone charging.
Still no messages.
“Come on, Raina. I really need you to call back.” She blew her hair out of her face and sighed. It was time to consider the possibility that Raina wasn’t going to call her back. They’d never been mad at each other this long before.
Their relationship had been strained ever since she’d decided to look for their father. Their mother had been only too glad to tell them as girls what a good-for-nothing their father was, and how getting herself saddled with two kids was the worst mistake of her life. She’d loved their mother but she hadn’t been the easiest person to love, even when you were trying. She could understand why Raina didn’t want to meet their other parent when the one they’d grown up with had made them so miserable.
But Ridley couldn’t help hoping that maybe their father was different. Maybe he did want them. Maybe she’d finally find the family she’d been wishing for her whole life. Not that all her wishing had done her any good.
If she had to be locked, out this was a pretty nice place to be, but she still wanted to get to her sister’s house. Imposing on family was one thing, imposing on a perfect stranger was an entirely different matter altogether. Especially when the guy in question was sort of a jerk.
Now that he knew she’d overheard him and that his chances of getting her in bed were nonexistent, he was probably more than ready for her to leave. Having her here was sure to cramp his style when one of his girlfriends came over. Although if his brother was to be believed, he must not have many girlfriends, otherwise he wouldn’t need to hit on the first girl to land in his backyard.
“There has to be something I can do.” The waiting was going to drive her insane. She hated feeling helpless. She sat up and picked up her phone. A few taps later, the contact information for Agent Ian Graham was displayed on her screen. Her thumb hesitated over the number for a moment before she tapped it to initiate the call. It rang three times before she heard his gravelly voice.
“Agent Graham? It’s Ridley Wells.”
“Good to hear from you, Miss Wells. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. Are you out of town?”
“Just for the weekend. Why?”
“I’m finishing up the accident report.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been trying to get a clearer picture of what your friend was doing in the days leading up to his death. You said he was a private investigator, right?”
“Yes. I hired him to do a search for my father.”
“How much did he charge?”
Ridley frowned. “He charged by the hour. Usually about a hundred unless it required surveillance. So far, he hadn’t needed to do that. He was mainly looking through paperwork, I think. I know he pulled my mom’s credit history. He was trying to figure out exactly where my mother was living and who she had contact with around the time of my conception.”
“Did he seem to be having money problems?”
“I didn’t think so, but I’m not really sure. Why are you asking all these questions? What does this have to do with his car accident?”
“We’re not sure. We noticed some unusual activity in the past month and thought you might be able to help us put the pieces together.”
“I wouldn’t know anything about his financial situation.”
“You didn’t wire him fifty thousand last week?”
“Fifty thousand? Uh, no. I don’t have that kind of money,” Ridley stated.
“Miss Wells, I don’t want to alarm you but I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the FBI isn’t usually involved in cases like these.”
“Please tell me what’s going on.”
“Mr. Finemore was spotted with a person of interest in one of my cases. Alberto Moreno. The FBI has been monitoring Mr. Moreno for years. He’s suspected of arms dealing, racketeering, drug trafficking, you name it.”
“Moreno? As in the Moreno crime family?” Ridley squeaked.
“Yes. I’m something of an expert on the Morenos, which is why I was asked to assist with Mr. Finemore’s case. Mr. Finemore was spotted by one of our surveillance teams meeting Moreno the day before his death. Do you have any idea why?”
“Maybe he was doing investigative work for them?”
Agent Graham grunted. “If he was doing work for the Morenos it definitely wasn’t legal. Miss Wells, I know Mr. Finemore was a friend of yours but whatever he got himself into got him killed. You were the last person to see him alive. Somehow, you were also the first person at the scene of the accident.”
He stopped speaking abruptly. Ridley had the distinct feeling that he hadn’t meant to say that last part.
“What exactly are you implying, Agent Graham? You don’t think I had anything to do with this, do you?”
It was just a simple rendition of the jazz tune “Cry Me a River” but when they were done, Jackson pumped his fist in the air.
This was the break he had been waiting for.
* * * * *
RIDLEY ROLLED OVER and yawned. Napping had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she was too anxious to sleep for more than a few minutes here and there, so now she was tired and groggy. She reached over to the nightstand where she’d left her cell phone charging.
Still no messages.
“Come on, Raina. I really need you to call back.” She blew her hair out of her face and sighed. It was time to consider the possibility that Raina wasn’t going to call her back. They’d never been mad at each other this long before.
Their relationship had been strained ever since she’d decided to look for their father. Their mother had been only too glad to tell them as girls what a good-for-nothing their father was, and how getting herself saddled with two kids was the worst mistake of her life. She’d loved their mother but she hadn’t been the easiest person to love, even when you were trying. She could understand why Raina didn’t want to meet their other parent when the one they’d grown up with had made them so miserable.
But Ridley couldn’t help hoping that maybe their father was different. Maybe he did want them. Maybe she’d finally find the family she’d been wishing for her whole life. Not that all her wishing had done her any good.
If she had to be locked, out this was a pretty nice place to be, but she still wanted to get to her sister’s house. Imposing on family was one thing, imposing on a perfect stranger was an entirely different matter altogether. Especially when the guy in question was sort of a jerk.
Now that he knew she’d overheard him and that his chances of getting her in bed were nonexistent, he was probably more than ready for her to leave. Having her here was sure to cramp his style when one of his girlfriends came over. Although if his brother was to be believed, he must not have many girlfriends, otherwise he wouldn’t need to hit on the first girl to land in his backyard.
“There has to be something I can do.” The waiting was going to drive her insane. She hated feeling helpless. She sat up and picked up her phone. A few taps later, the contact information for Agent Ian Graham was displayed on her screen. Her thumb hesitated over the number for a moment before she tapped it to initiate the call. It rang three times before she heard his gravelly voice.
“Agent Graham? It’s Ridley Wells.”
“Good to hear from you, Miss Wells. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. Are you out of town?”
“Just for the weekend. Why?”
“I’m finishing up the accident report.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been trying to get a clearer picture of what your friend was doing in the days leading up to his death. You said he was a private investigator, right?”
“Yes. I hired him to do a search for my father.”
“How much did he charge?”
Ridley frowned. “He charged by the hour. Usually about a hundred unless it required surveillance. So far, he hadn’t needed to do that. He was mainly looking through paperwork, I think. I know he pulled my mom’s credit history. He was trying to figure out exactly where my mother was living and who she had contact with around the time of my conception.”
“Did he seem to be having money problems?”
“I didn’t think so, but I’m not really sure. Why are you asking all these questions? What does this have to do with his car accident?”
“We’re not sure. We noticed some unusual activity in the past month and thought you might be able to help us put the pieces together.”
“I wouldn’t know anything about his financial situation.”
“You didn’t wire him fifty thousand last week?”
“Fifty thousand? Uh, no. I don’t have that kind of money,” Ridley stated.
“Miss Wells, I don’t want to alarm you but I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the FBI isn’t usually involved in cases like these.”
“Please tell me what’s going on.”
“Mr. Finemore was spotted with a person of interest in one of my cases. Alberto Moreno. The FBI has been monitoring Mr. Moreno for years. He’s suspected of arms dealing, racketeering, drug trafficking, you name it.”
“Moreno? As in the Moreno crime family?” Ridley squeaked.
“Yes. I’m something of an expert on the Morenos, which is why I was asked to assist with Mr. Finemore’s case. Mr. Finemore was spotted by one of our surveillance teams meeting Moreno the day before his death. Do you have any idea why?”
“Maybe he was doing investigative work for them?”
Agent Graham grunted. “If he was doing work for the Morenos it definitely wasn’t legal. Miss Wells, I know Mr. Finemore was a friend of yours but whatever he got himself into got him killed. You were the last person to see him alive. Somehow, you were also the first person at the scene of the accident.”
He stopped speaking abruptly. Ridley had the distinct feeling that he hadn’t meant to say that last part.
“What exactly are you implying, Agent Graham? You don’t think I had anything to do with this, do you?”
