“Perfect.”
We hung up and I made it to the address in twenty minutes. If it wasn’t for the sign in the yard, I would’ve sworn this man was legit crazy and about to kill me. I rang the bell then ran my hands down my dress.
“Relax, Mickey. Hollis and Johnni have your location in case anything happens.” The door swung open and I came face-to-face with Burkeley whose smile and low chuckle let me know that he’d heard me.
“Yes, relax. I promise, nothing is going to happen. Please come in.” I stepped inside and took in the full light and open concept of his house and all the plants.
“You have a lot of plants. Does the house triple as a greenhouse too?”
“Triple?” Burkeley said as he stepped in front of me.
“Oh, I’m assuming you live here too.”
He nodded as he chuckled again.
“Oh yeah, but no. I mean, not officially…or yet. I do love my babies. I’m new to this plant lifestyle. Let me show you to the office. Do you want something to drink? Water, coffee, juice?” he asked as he led me down a hallway with more plants along the walkway. The only one I could make out was the bamboo.
“No thank you.” My nerves were too shot to handle anything right now. We made it to the office and I took a seat in the chair Burkeley pulled out for me before he took a seat across from me.
“Okay, well let’s get started. I remember the last time we spoke you didn’t have much on the person. Is that still the case?” Burkeley asked, grabbing his pen and a notebook.
“Yes. I have a full name, an old address, and his telephone number. The last time I called it was no longer in service and the house is currently available for rent.”
I watched Burkeley’s face for a reaction but got none so I continued.
“His name is Harlan Triplet. Do you want the old contact information?”
He nodded.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a piece of paper I’d written all of Harlan’s information I had before it was no longer good on.
“And I’m guessing you just want the updated information, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any information as far as hangouts or his job?”
“So this is going to sound crazy, but we were fairly new at dating, so we hadn’t made it to all that. I knew what he did, just not where. We hadn’t met friends or family, so I can’t tell you what he did outside of work and traveling for that. And even that wasn’t a consistent thing. I mean, he did it a lot, just not at the same time nor for the same amount of time. He’s an investmentbanker who worked with a lot of corporations. Some here, some down in Austin Peaks. That I know for sure because he told me once he was going there. But Harlan and I had only been dating for three months before he disappeared.”
Burkeley sat back in his chair, cocking his head to the side as he stroked his beard.
“Three months? And you’re sure he didn’t just ghost you?” I shook my head. I wasn’t sure. I mean, I was. It had been a month. The shit was obvious. But he didn’t just get to run.
“Maybe. Whether he did or not doesn’t matter. I’m pregnant; so finding him is essential.” I could tell by Burkeley’s raised eyebrows and slightly gaped mouth that I had just shocked him.
He cleared his throat as he nodded.
“Well, I believe I have enough information to at least get started. Give me a week or two to see what I can find. If you remember anything, please don’t hesitate to call, anytime.”
I nodded, going to get up, feeling defeated before Burkeley even had time to do his job.
“Oh yeah, how do I pay? Do I make a payment now and later upon delivery or something?” He waved me off.
“Later is fine. Here, let me walk you out.” I went to protest, then remembered I was in this man’s house so I let him lead the way back to the front door.
“Try not to add any more stress about the situation, McKay. I promise I got it from here.” This time, Burkeley’s words sounded encouraging, making me give him a small smile.
I walked out, giving him one more look, waving. I still couldn’t believe I was actually trusting a private investigator with my business to find my missing baby’s father.
