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“You think Lindsay would agree to hire me even though I have no police training?”
“All that’s really necessary for this job is the ability to think fast on your feet. You should see some of the characters we’ve interviewed for the position. If you’re interested, come to the office and we’ll talk. How about tomorrow at ten?”
Jay finished his beer. He couldn’t believe how much better he felt now than when he’d left to meet Nathan two hours ago. The workout, the laughter, the friendship…he’d needed them all.
And now, on top of all that, Nathan was offering him a job. A job that might just be the perfect thing.
“I’m interested.”
CHAPTER TWO
JAY SAVAGE WAS INFINITELY more comfortable traveling above the ground than below it. As the subway car swayed to the right, his body swayed left, knocking his legs into the knees of the seated lady beside him. She glared.
“Sorry.” He’d given up his place for the old gal. Some gratitude.
He glanced at his nephew beside him. Eric moved with the rhythm of the train, as if they were part of the same entity—much like a cowboy on a horse. He waited for Eric to acknowledge his presence, but Eric’s gaze was unmoving and unseeing.
Presumably his attention was all on the music playing on his iPod. The wires of his headphones led from his backpack and disappeared under the black wool of the hat he wore pulled over his embarrassing blond curls. At least Jay assumed Eric found those curls embarrassing, since he wore his hat almost all the time.
The train stopped at Cathedral Parkway, and as Eric swung forward, Jay tapped his shoulder. “Have a good day at school.”
Eric just ignored him, disappearing amid a herd of other middle-school-aged kids. Jay waited for the rush to end before slipping out and catching the next train headed south.
He didn’t know why he bothered to ride the subway with Eric every morning. His nephew never talked to him. He supposed he just wanted to make sure he really was going to school. When Tracy was fourteen she’d skipped more days of school than she’d actually attended. He didn’t want her son making the same mistake.
Jay exited the subway at the stop for the Museum of Natural History. The offices of Fox & Fisher were just a few blocks west. He was looking forward to finding out more about this job Nathan had promised him. He’d been dreading finding a new career, but this one sounded like it could be interesting, and he’d be glad to be working with Nathan, whom he both liked and respected.
And though the agency was small, with only two partners, just this September one of their cases had made the front page of the Daily News. So they were doing good work. Important work.
When Jay made his way up to ground level, he was greeted with a gray sky. Two-day-old snow was now sludge in the gutters. March wasn’t the city’s prettiest month, but he supposed April would be here before he knew it.
February had certainly passed quickly enough. Looking back now, the days were a blur of sadness and grief and endless, unhappy chores. He’d had to sublet Tracy’s apartment, sell her furniture and settle her financial affairs. Then there’d been the business of moving Eric to his apartment and trying to make the kid feel at home.
Jay crossed the street and hurried along West Seventy-ninth Street until he came to the old brownstone where Fox & Fisher was located. A half flight of stairs led to the main door and a small vestibule with mailboxes and a door leading off to a hallway and more stairs.
Nathan went up another story and found yet another hallway. The door on the right had a new copper nameplate etched with The Fox & Fisher Detective Agency.
He took a deep breath, as if he was about to plunge into a cold lake, then opened the door.
A pretty brunette sat behind a modern, slate-gray desk. She smiled, waved him inside, then continued with the conversation she was having on the phone.
He glanced around. The all-business, ultramodern decor was softened by the presence of lots of green, healthy plants. An inviting array of magazines were spread out on a coffee table near a sofa and two armchairs. There was a bowl of jelly beans there, too.
Jay sat in one of the chairs—made of molded metal, yet surprisingly comfortable—and reached for the candies.
He looked up when the door opened again—this time admitting a tall woman about his age, dressed in a cream-colored trench coat. From this angle, all he could see was long, reddish-blond hair and a thin, elegant body.
With businesslike strides, she approached the receptionist and placed a hand on her desk.
“I’m here to see Lindsay Fox.”
Her voice was deep and sexy and he gave the woman a second glance. If this was an example of the kind of clients they had at Fox & Fisher, then he was all in.
The receptionist—Nadine Kimble, according to the nameplate he’d just noticed beside a small flowering plant—held up a hand for the woman to wait, then finally ended her call with a timid promise to phone back at the first chance. She set down the phone, then said, “I’ll call Lindsay for you, but would you please wait a minute? The gentleman was here first.”
The redhead turned to face him, then. “Sorry. I didn’t see you.” Her gaze swept over him with almost professional efficiency.
He was struck by how pretty she was. She reminded him, superficially, of Nicole Kidman, except that her skin wasn’t pale porcelain like the actor’s but flooded with freckles. The cute splotches of pigment only made her look more beautiful.
“Mr. Savage?”
He blinked as he realized the receptionist was trying to get his attention. “Yes.”
“Nathan is waiting for you. I’m sorry I didn’t greet you when you came in, but I was talking to my mother and if I’d interrupted her, well, let’s just say it’s never a good idea.”
He immediately decided he loved this receptionist.
“Just take that door to the left, Mr. Savage. And good luck.”
“HE LOOKS LIKE a football player,” Kate said. She ignored the chair that Lindsay had invited her to sit in and went, instead, to check out the view from the window, which happened to be of a brick wall.
“Quarterback or lineman?”
“What?” Kate supposed the view didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be in the office much, anyway. She turned back to survey the decor, which she approved of. Modern, calming and most of all…practical. When it came to work, she didn’t like to waste time and that was the message behind all this functional metal and glass furniture.
“Do you think Jay Savage looks like a quarterback or a lineman?”
Lindsay seemed amused. Kate was not. She hadn’t expected there would be competition for this job. When she’d seen that man in the waiting room, she’d assumed he must be a client.
A very distinguished-looking client, with magnetic blue eyes and a commanding presence. “How should I know? He’s big, all right. He’d never blend into a crowd on surveillance. A good investigator needs to blend in.”
Lindsay didn’t look convinced. “You’re quite a bit taller than average, too, you know. And redheads always stand out in a crowd.”
Kate was about to argue that she knew how to appear shorter, but realized how ridiculous that would sound. The truth was, she felt nervous.
Until ten minutes ago, she’d assumed the job was hers for the asking, that this “interview” was simply a formality. Just her luck that Nathan had offered the job to his buddy the same night she’d contacted Lindsay.
If only she’d phoned Lindsay sooner.
Jay Savage may not have her qualifications, but he wasn’t the sort of man you could easily write off. He had an air of confidence and competence about him. He seemed like someone who was used to being in a situation of authority. A man who could do pretty much anything he put his mind to.
“You say he’s a pilot? Is he even qualified for this job?”
“Well, he’s a friend of Nathan’s, and Nathan promised him an interview before I found out you were available, so we’re kind of stuck having to consider him for the position.” Lindsay passed her a file of case reports.
Kate leafed through them, the printed words a blur. “What’s this?”
“I wanted to give you a flavor of the kind of work we do here at Fox & Fisher.”
“I’ve read about two of your cases in the paper,” Kate reminded her. In one instance, Lindsay had managed to locate a child rapist from the FBI’s most wanted list. In the other, more recent case, she and Nathan had prevented a big-time property developer from murdering his wife. “Pretty exciting stuff.”
“Believe me, those cases aren’t typical of our usual clientele. You won’t need to carry a gun—neither Nathan nor I do. The beauty of this job, though, is that unlike the police department, we don’t have to take every case that comes our way. We can pick and choose.”
“Tell me more.”
“Why don’t I just go through our list of open cases? Our work load right now is pretty typical.” Lindsay clicked on a file on her computer, then twisted the screen so Kate could see, too. The jobs were mostly what Kate had expected. Locating missing persons, insurance fraud, background checks.
“You can set your own hours,” Lindsay said, adding with a grin, “I can’t remember the last time I had to work the midnight shift. Plus, you’ll never see a doughnut in our office. Multigrain bagels with light cream cheese is Nathan’s idea of a treat.” She wrinkled her nose.
Kate laughed. “Where do I sign?”
“Start with this.” Lindsay handed her a sheet of paper on a clipboard with a pen. “It’s a standard job application. Fill it out, then we’ll meet with Nathan and Jay in the boardroom.”
“Nathan and Jay?”
“We decided we’d have a roundtable discussion. It was my idea. I figured you’d really shine if Nathan had a chance to compare you directly to Jay.”
Kate wasn’t so sure, but she couldn’t admit to being fazed. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”
“We won’t be making our final decision until later.” Lindsay raked her fingers through her straight blond hair. “And don’t worry. Nathan’s a reasonable man…as you well know. In the end, he’ll be forced to concede that you are far more qualified than his friend.”
That made sense, Kate decided. She could see how Nathan was obligated to at least give Jay Savage a hearing. She sat down and began filling in the empty spaces, while Lindsay resumed work at her keyboard.
When she had the form completed, Kate passed it back to Lindsay.
Lindsay scanned it quickly. “Great. I’ll call Nathan and let him know we’re ready.”
While Lindsay was on the phone, Kate popped a throat lozenge. Over the past couple of days she’d developed a tickle in her throat and she hoped she wasn’t coming down with a cold. But given all she’d been through lately, she wouldn’t be surprised if her immune system had quit on her.
“We’re ready. You, too? Good.” Lindsay disconnected the call, then stood. “Let’s go get ’em, Kate.”
“You bet.” Kate held her head high as she followed Lindsay from her office to a room down the hall. They settled into chairs and Kate took quick stock of her surroundings. Like the rest of the office, the conference room was modern, minimalistic and monotone. On the wall were some odd-looking black-and-white photographs. After a few seconds, Kate realized they were close-ups of paper clips.
A moment later Nathan and Jay entered the room. Kate had hoped to discover that Jay’s physical presence wasn’t as impressive as she’d thought, but to her dismay, she felt the same jolt at seeing him the second time.
She tried to focus on Nathan, who had a warm, boy-next-door appeal that was much easier to handle. Though he looked to be as fit and agile as ever, his true strength lay in his brilliant mind. His new glasses only added to his charm.
Nadine appeared briefly to offer a choice of beverages. Kate opted for water, and once everyone had been served Nadine returned to the front desk, closing the door to give them privacy.
“So,” Lindsay began. “Thank you, Kate, and Jay, for coming to talk with us today. I wish we could offer both of you a job, but unfortunately that isn’t economically feasible right now.”
“We’ll start by laying out our expectations for the position,” Nathan continued. “And then you guys can hit us with your questions.”
A knock sounded at the door, then Nadine reentered the room, looking flustered. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but a woman named Hannah Young just came in. She says she made an appointment for ten-thirty with Lindsay. She’s very adamant about not being able to wait.”
It was twenty minutes to eleven now. Kate looked at Lindsay, who was shaking her head.
“I can’t believe I forgot…” She put a hand to her chin, and her brow furrowed as she thought. A smile slowly appeared on her face. “Actually, this could be a good thing.”
“What are you thinking?” Nathan asked. “I know that look and it makes me nervous.”
“I’ve had the most brilliant idea. Nadine, tell Hannah I’ll be right out to talk to her.”
“What?” Nathan asked. “You’re just going to keep us all waiting in here?”
“Not for long. On the phone Hannah told me that her budget is very tight. I may have come up with a solution to everyone’s problems.”
THE CONFERENCE ROOM FELL uncomfortably silent, as if Lindsay had sucked out all the energy when she left the room. Kate knew Lindsay well enough to be apprehensive about this “brilliant” idea of hers. She could tell Nathan and Jay felt the same way as they exchanged nervous glances.
“She hasn’t changed, has she?” Kate asked.
“God help us all, no,” Nathan agreed. He reached across the table and snagged the form Kate had recently filled out. Her job application seemed to absorb his attention, leaving Kate and Jay with little to look at but each other since there were no windows in the room and the only art on the walls were those pictures of paper clips.
Jay smiled. He had a really warm smile. And his eyes were the darkest blue she had ever seen. He wouldn’t need to ask witnesses a single question, Kate thought. They would just talk.
She blinked, thinking of another man’s smile, and all that it had been hiding. “So you’re a pilot?”
“I am.”
He was her competition. She might as well get to know him. “What do you fly?”
“Most recently Boeing 777s. But I’ve retired.”
“So you want to shift from flying planes to private investigating?”
He nodded, as if it were the most usual career path anyone could imagine. “And I hear you used to work for the NYPD?”
“That’s right.” He had to realize how unmatched their qualifications were, but he didn’t look worried in the least.
She had to admit, the guy had balls.
Lindsay flew back into the room then, with a young woman in tow.
“I’d like you to meet Hannah Young.” Lindsay made her way around the room with introductions, then pulled out a chair for Hannah.
Kate took careful stock of the new client, who looked to be in her mid-twenties. Hannah was an attractive woman, dressed in a cheaply tailored skirt and blazer. She was a little hesitant about making eye contact, but her smile was pleasant. Her jewelry was silver—modest studs in her ears and a collection of rings on various fingers. The one on her wedding finger had a tiny diamond.
“Hannah and her husband are hoping to start a family,” Lindsay began. She kept talking, but suddenly Kate couldn’t focus.
Hannah was at least five years younger than she was, and here she was, married and about to have babies. Kate couldn’t help but feel a deep, illogical jealousy.
If her relationship with Conner had worked out, if he had been the man she’d thought he was, she would have been in Hannah’s position soon. Trying to get pregnant. Planning her maternity leave.
Now her dream of children seemed totally out of reach. She’d always thought she would have her first baby at thirty and she was already thirty-two.
Worst of all, the very idea of dating someone new was enough to make her ill.
“So what do you think?” Hannah asked. “Can your firm help us?”
