to write with?”
“Just a minute.”
In the background, Nick could hear an irritated woman’s voice, sure it was Patti, his vice president’s wife. Mike assured her that nothing was wrong, that it was just Nick calling.
Nick did occasionally interrupt his people’s private lives, but he paid them well for the inconvenience.
“Okay, Nick, I’m ready.”
“My father wasn’t where he said he’d be. I think it was an obvious attempt to delay my finding him. Find out if he’s used his credit cards and where. And get Browning on the job. I want a full report in the morning. I’ll be at the—” He leaned out the telephone booth and then turned back to the phone. “I’ll be at the Motel 6 on Central Expressway in Dallas. Have him call me there.”
“The Motel 6?” Mike asked in astonishment.
“It’s the nearest hotel, and I don’t have any cash to get a taxi.” That afternoon he’d run off after his father in such a rush, he hadn’t stopped for cash. Nor had he thought of it. “I’ll need you to send some money to me. I doubt there’s a cash machine in the lobby.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take care of everything,” Mike crisply agreed.
Nick suspected his right-hand man found it amusing that his boss was sleeping at an economy motel when he owned a dozen hotels renowned for their elegance. But Nick could manage for one night; he’d spent worse nights elsewhere.
The walk to the motel was short, but it gave him time to think about the young woman who’d just dropped him off. She had more spunk than he’d expected. At first, he’d thought she was an innocent who’d lost her way, till she told the cop her name.
Throughout the ordeal she’d never seemed jolted until he’d criticized her mother. Then she’d dumped him like a bag of trash. Unlike her mother, she must not know how much money he and his father had.
Or maybe she was playing the innocent. He’d been burned a few times by women who looked like one thing but were actually another.
He entered the motel and requested a room for the night.
“All right, sir. How did you want to pay for the room?” the clerk asked.
Nick pulled out his American Express card. “Will this do?”
The clerk relaxed. “Yes, of course. Do you have some ID?”
Nick showed his driver’s license.
The clerk examined it and visually matched the photo with Nick. He handed it back with an apology. “We have to be so careful these days.”
“Yeah,” Nick agreed. Wasn’t that the truth?
Julia tossed and turned all night, until finally morning dawned. She still had no idea where her mother was. If she was safe…and happy. A couple of days ago, Lois Chance had written a brief note telling Julia she wasn’t coming home to Houston as planned because she’d met Abe, who had persuaded her to stop off in Dallas. There was no last name, no other indication who Abe was.
Her mother had gone on a “summer in New York” tour with her best friend, Evelyn. AARP had offered the trip and promised it would be safe. Julia had approved her mother’s decision to go, feeling Lois had spent much too long mourning her husband’s death two years ago.
But there was a big difference in going on a trip with a female friend and deciding to make a stopover with an unknown man. After all, her mother was an innocent. An innocent with the proceeds from her husband’s insurance policy that was to provide for her financially for the rest of her life.
Moments after she’d read the note, it had occurred to Julia that her mother might have revealed that piece of financial information to Abe. As much as she didn’t want to think her mother might be deceived, Julia feared that had happened. Especially when she’d seen the Hotel Luna.
What should she do now?
Lying under the covers, she tried to think about her choices. She could call Evelyn and see if she’d heard from her mother. But she didn’t think—
Pounding on her door interrupted her thoughts.
Who could that be? She hurried out of bed and put on her robe. Then she tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole.
With a gasp, she backed away from the door.
“Miss Chance? Are you in there?”
The voice had haunted her most of the night. It was Abe’s son, the one who had accused her mother of “shacking up” with his father.
Julia stood there for a moment, debating her choices. Then she reached for the knob. “Yes, I’m here, Mr. Rampling,” she said as she opened the door.
He looked at her from head to toe. “Sorry to wake you up. I supposed you’d be out looking for your mother.”
“I don’t know where to look. Do you?”
“Not yet, but I will. I have a few questions to ask you before I head out.”
“Head out where?”
He raised his eyebrows, which drew her attention to his remarkable blue eyes. In the darkness last night, she hadn’t been able to see them. “I’m the one looking for answers, Miss Chance.”
“No, Mr. Rampling, we’re both looking for answers. You just think you hold all the cards. But I’m not that gullible. I’ll answer your questions if you share your information with me.”
“You don’t have a bargaining chip in this search, Miss Chance. I can manage without information from you.”
Julia crossed her arms over her chest. “If that were true, Mr. Rampling, you wouldn’t be here.”
“Look, Miss Chance—”
“Oh, for heavens sake, call me Julia.”
“Okay, fine, Julia. I can get by without your information. But it might speed up the process if you’ll answer a few questions. In return, I promise to bring your mother back to you as soon as possible.”
“Not good enough, Mr. Rampling. I want to protect my mother, to make sure she’s not hurt. So either we share information or I tell you nothing.”
“Forget it. I’ll manage on my own.” He turned around and started walking away.
Julia dashed out past him so she could face him. “I won’t let you walk away. I’ll follow you.”
He gave her a leering grin. “In your nightgown? That should be interesting.”
Julia had forgotten she wasn’t dressed…or packed. It would take her at least half an hour to take care of those details, and she knew the man wouldn’t wait.
She felt her cheeks heating up and gathered the collar of her robe, pulling it closer together.
Suddenly
