Death's Door

“We started to talk about the houses I had seen with the Realtor. I forgot all about the dog until I was on the way home. I figured I’d call Erin about it the next day. My first priority was to find a house where I could keep a pet.” She waved a hand at the elegant living room beyond the foyer. “The owners will return soon and I need my own place.”

It sounded true, but something about the dog situation continued to bother him. He scanned the certificate again. It looked legit but you never knew these days. A lot could be duplicated using a scanner and a computer. Counterfeiters had been so successful at replicating United States currency that the Treasury Department had created new bills just to make it more difficult.

“This says Aspen was born Rudolph Vontreben of Sunnyvale. I guess Sunnyvale is the breeder.” He looked at Madison.

She shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t really know.”

There it was again, the disturbing note in her voice. What was going on? “Don’t you want to find your friend’s killer?”

“Of course I do!” she cried, then took a deep breath. “I just don’t think the woman—”

“What makes you think it was a woman?” He wanted her to repeat what she’d told him earlier. Something wasn’t right here.

“I told you. At the club Erin mentioned a woman who couldn’t keep her dog. I assume Aspen was that dog.”

“But you don’t know for sure.”

“Well, no. I…ah—”

“It’s possible this—” he glanced at the paper again “—L. Morgan used the dog as a ploy and followed her home.”

“It’s possible,” she conceded in a voice pitched low.

“I’ll take this to Burgess and let him run down the dog’s owner.” He reminded himself this wasn’t his case. His agenda was entirely different.

“What about meeting Wyatt Holbrook?” he asked, and immediately saw the change of subject caught her off guard.

“Not until I talk to my mother,” she shot back.

“A life hangs in the balance,” he reminded her. He was betting a woman who had a soft heart for a dog was someone who would respond to an emotional plea. “He’s a lot like Erin, from what you’ve told me,” Paul said, making this up as he went. “He helps others even when the benefits to him aren’t observable. We could go over there tonight. He only lives in Palm Beach. You could see for yourself.”

“I’m busy tonight. I have to help Rob Matthews sort through Erin’s things.”

The faint note of irritation in her voice mushroomed into anger so powerful that it must have been festering since the first time he’d told her about her real father. “This man isn’t interested in me. He’s just—”

“True, Wyatt Holbrook wants to live, but he’s a generous philanthropist. He’s given millions to worthy causes.”

“You already told me about him.”

He could see he wasn’t getting anywhere. Then something from her bio hit him. “Wyatt’s setting up a special foundation to fund promising advances in science and medicine. There just isn’t enough money for scientists and it’s not likely to get better. The government has too many other priorities.”

Madison silently considered what he said. He knew she’d majored in mathematics and had earned a full scholarship to MIT. She was bound to understand how important such a foundation would become.

“Call me tomorrow. I’ll see what I can arrange. I’m not promising anything, but I’ll think about it.”

“Thanks.” As Paul left, he was half-tempted to give her a hug, but he didn’t press his luck. Okay, pard. Get your mind back where it belongs. He found Madison disturbingly attractive, but this was business. Nothing more.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.