The P.I. Contest

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?”

To her dismay, Kate realized she’d lost focus and had no clue what the client wanted from Fox & Fisher. Fortunately Lindsay stepped in with an answer that summarized the client’s needs.

“You want us to find your biological father so you can make sure there are no genetic problems in your family tree before you try to have a baby. No problem. We’ve handled this sort of case many times, haven’t we, Nathan?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “I assume you’ve never tried to find your real parents?”

“No. As far as I’m concerned, I already have real parents. My mom and dad are wonderful and if it wasn’t for Jeremy and his worries, I probably would never have been interested in tracing my biological mother and father.”

“Where is your husband right now?” Kate asked. If he was so concerned about his future baby’s DNA, then why wasn’t he at this meeting?

“He wanted to come,” Hannah said, as if reading her mind, “except his boss is a real jerk about giving time off.”

“What do you have to go on?” Kate asked. “Are your biological parents listed on your birth certificate? Have your adoptive parents given you the name of the adoption agency they used?”

Hannah seemed overwhelmed by the questions. She turned to Lindsay, who answered for her.

“Hannah’s already located her birth mother. They’ve met and everything checked out fine with that side of the family. The problem is locating the father.”

“My birth mom got pregnant in her first term at college. Her parents had been really strict and as soon as she was out of the house, she went kind of wild.” Hannah opened the big leather bag she’d been carrying and pulled out a yearbook from New England College. There were three yellow markers in the book and Hannah flipped pages to the first one.

“James Morgan was a guy Mom met during frosh week. He was studying business. She thinks.”

She flipped to the next yellow tab. “Gary Gifford was on the football team, and finally…” She flipped more pages, to the last picture, a slight boy with protruding ears. “Oliver Crane was in her English 101 class. My real dad could be any one of these guys.”

Three possibilities. Okay. “I’m assuming your mother didn’t keep in touch with any of them?”

“No. She didn’t see the point because she wasn’t keeping the baby. Plus she was worried one of them would try to talk her out of her decision. Which wasn’t very likely if you ask me. I mean, imagine you’re a young guy in his first year of college. If you made a girl pregnant after a one-night stand, wouldn’t you appreciate it if she handled the problem on her own?”

It wasn’t fair, Kate thought, but Hannah was probably right.

“So—” Lindsay patted the yearbook “—we know where these guys were twenty-four years ago, but after that—nada. We’re starting from scratch. First we need to locate these three men, then convince them to let us test their DNA for a match to Hannah’s.”

“We could get lucky and get a match on the first try,” Nathan said. “Or, we could end up spending weeks and weeks on this.”

“Which would add up to a bill that Hannah and Jeremy just can’t afford,” Lindsay said.

“We need to save our money for the baby.” Hannah tugged on her earlobe anxiously. “But there won’t be a baby until we’re sure there aren’t any genetic problems in my family tree.”

“Here’s the deal.” Lindsay flattened her hands on the table and leaned forward. “I told Hannah we’d take the case pro bono, if she’d let us assign two novice investigators to the file.”

Kate’s interest shifted up a notch. “I’m assuming you mean Jay and me?”

Lindsay nodded.

Kate strongly objected to being called a “novice investigator,” but for the moment she opted to keep quiet. Though she’d initially expected to be handed this job on a silver platter, now that she’d met the competition, the prospect of proving her skills on a specific case was intriguing.

“Pro bono, huh? That’s a very generous offer.” Nathan spoke quietly to his partner. “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

“You haven’t heard the whole plan yet,” Lindsay continued. “Before Hannah arrived, we were at an impasse. You wanted to hire Jay and I wanted to hire Kate. My idea is to have both of them work independently on this. The first one to locate Hannah’s biological father will, by definition, be the best investigator. That’s the person who will get the job.”

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS AN OUTRAGEOUS proposition. But also…intriguing. There were few things Jay enjoyed more than healthy competition. Basketball and squash were his usual sports, but this sounded interesting. True, he didn’t have Kate’s training, but he was nothing if not resourceful.

If he found Hannah’s father and got the job, there’d be classes to take, a license to acquire. Nathan had assured him that none of this would be too onerous. Before he knew it, he’d be launched in his second career.

Jay checked out Kate from across the table. She gave him a small smile, her eyes sharp and confident. Then she raised her eyebrows and cocked her head slightly.

The challenge was obvious—she didn’t think he had a chance. And every nerve in his body ached to prove her wrong.

“This plan sounds crazy to me,” Nathan said. “But if Hannah, Kate and Jay all agree, then I have no objection. Hannah, are you sure you want to turn the search for your father into a competition?”

“If it means I don’t have to pay anything, then yeah. You bet I do. I really want a baby and as long as I can tell Jeremy who my real dad is, I don’t care who finds him.”

“Okay,” Nathan said. “The client agrees. How about you, Kate?”

She was still looking at Jay, with gray-green eyes that seemed to say, Back out now and preserve your dignity.

She raised her chin an inch higher. “I’m game.”

Now everyone turned to him. He thought about what he had to lose. Not much, except his pride. Then he thought of what he could gain.

Nathan had been his friend since high school. Jay knew the guy had integrity and smarts. Lindsay seemed his polar opposite in many respects, but he could tell she had the same sense of honor, the same drive to make the world a better place.

If he couldn’t fly planes anymore for a living, surely this was as good a place to land as any. Plus it would be fun to wipe that cocky expression from Kate Cooper’s face.

He glanced around the room one more time, prolonging the moment of tension.

“I’m in.”

Hannah clapped her hands together. “Thank you so much. I never dreamed that it would be this easy.”

“We haven’t found your father yet,” Lindsay cautioned. She glanced at Kate, then smiled. “Though I’m sure it won’t take very long.”

She had a lot of confidence in her friend. Jay supposed it was to be expected. Meanwhile Nathan gave him a nod of encouragement which he appreciated.

“We’ll be in touch with interim reports on Kate’s and Jay’s progress,” Lindsay promised as she ushered Hannah to the door. She called Nadine and asked her to walk their new client through the usual paperwork.

“Plus, we’ll need three DNA samples from her, Nadine. You know where we keep the kits…?”

Nadine must have answered in the affirmative, because Lindsay said, “Good. I’ll leave you to it, then.” She returned to the conference room, closing the door again.

“Well.” She beamed at Nathan, her expression bordering on smug. “Was that a brilliant idea or what?”

Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, frankly.” But from the warmth in his voice, it was clear how he felt about Lindsay. He adored her. Jay could understand why. Lindsay was a dynamo. All passion and energy.

Her friend Kate, on the other hand, kept her emotions carefully contained. She seemed analytical and calculating and somewhat aloof. She was going to make a formidable opponent.

Also, a very beautiful one.

“The investigation will officially start tomorrow morning.” Lindsay turned from Kate to Jay. “I’ll have Nadine prepare a report for each of you containing all the information we have to date. Where you decide to start is completely up to you. Fair enough?”

“Absolutely,” Jay said.

“Where will we work when we’re not in the field?” Kate asked.

“We only have one empty office,” Nathan said. “I guess you’ll have to share. We can bring in an extra desk and chair, but there’s just one computer.”

“No problem. I have a laptop.” Jay stood and offered Kate his hand. “Good luck.”

She hesitated, then stood as well and accepted his hand. “May the best investigator win.”

No doubt she thought she would be the one. But she was in for a few surprises where he was concerned.

WITH THE MEETING CONCLUDED, Lindsay suggested to Kate that they go for a drink.

“That sounds good.” Kate wasn’t in a hurry to return to her empty apartment. She was going to have to get a cat, she decided, since she was no longer interested in men.

Lindsay led the way to a tired tavern just down the block. The Stool Pigeon was a knockoff on the traditional English pub concept, with a vague nod to Tudor architecture and an array of flea market atrocities displayed on shelves just out of dusting range.

A boisterous group in their twenties was sitting at the tables near the windows, and a dark brooding man presided over the three older male customers at the large oak bar. Brown vinyl booths at the back were all empty and that was where Lindsay led her.