“Appreciate it,” Chase said.
Maddox smiled. “Happy to help. Glad you were able to bring your friend back. Bran said he took a bullet but otherwise he’s okay.”
“He’s healing. Nothing too serious. Unfortunately, he fell madly in love with the woman he was with down there. They’re having some problems. He’s trying to work things out.”
Maddox grunted. “Woman trouble. I don’t envy him that.”
Chase thought of his upcoming date with Harper. He was about to have woman trouble of his own.
“Anything happen while I was gone I should know about?” Chase asked.
“Wolfe’s been working a big case. Something to do with a local politician. Got his hands full, I guess.” Jonah Wolfe was a former homicide detective, one of the best PIs in Dallas.
“If anyone can handle it, Wolfe can,” Chase said. “Anything else?”
“Nah, just the usual.”
Grateful nothing catastrophic had happened, Chase waved over his shoulder as he headed back to his office. He spent the most of the afternoon catching up on paperwork, trying not to think of Harper and pretty much failing. Frustrated, he left his office for the back room he’d had converted to a gym and changed into running shorts and a T-shirt. He worked out for an hour, but it didn’t improve his mood.
Late in the day, a call came in from a guy named Errol Dickerson, a referral from a former client.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Dickerson?” Chase said, seated once more behind his desk.
“I think my son’s wife murdered him,” Dickerson said. “I want you to find out the truth.”
Chase sat up a little straighter. “What do the police have to say?”
“They’re calling it a heart attack. His wife had my son’s remains cremated just days after he died. There was no autopsy. Things just don’t add up.”
“And you want me to look into it.”
“That’s right. I’m not a wealthy man, Mr. Garrett. But I can afford to pay whatever you charge. Please. I think there’s a chance this woman is getting away with murder.”
“Can you come in first thing in the morning? We open at eight.”
“I’m out of town. I can be there first thing Monday.”
“In a case like this, the sooner the better. I’ll see you then.” Evidence had a habit of slipping away. If the man’s son had really been murdered, Chase wanted to find his killer.
Friday stretched endlessly but closing time finally arrived. He was taking Harper to supper, and he had come up with a plan. Unfortunately, it meant he wouldn’t be sleeping with her anytime soon.
One thing he refused to do was take Harper to bed under false pretenses. He wanted her badly, but no way was he seducing her with lies.
He told himself when this was over, he’d find a way to make it up to her. He’d explain things, make her understand why he’d had to do what he’d done. If she still wanted to see him—sleep with him—he’d like nothing better than to take up where they’d left off in Colombia.
Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to believe it would all work out, the hard truth was, he didn’t think he could ever convince her that using her to get to her father was something he had to do.
And he was pretty sure Harper would never forgive him.
Harper dressed with care for her date with Chase that Friday night. He was taking her to supper. He wanted to see her. She smiled. Lord knew she wanted to see him.
In a little black dress reminiscent of the one she had worn in Curaçao, she was surprised when instead of candlelight and expensive wine in a gourmet setting, the restaurant Chase chose was a lively Italian spot with red-checked tablecloths and heaping platters of pasta. Chianti jugs and bread baskets hung on the walls.
The food was good, though, terrific, in fact. And the hearty red wine relaxed her. For the first half of the meal they made small talk, a case Chase had just taken that involved the possible murder of a man by his wife. He didn’t name names, of course, but clearly he felt obligated to find out the truth.
They talked a little about fashion, the designs she and Shana were working on for the upcoming season. Chase was interested in business, so they talked about that angle and he didn’t seem bored.
At the end of the meal, he reached across the table and took hold of her hand, laced his fingers with hers. “I brought you here for a reason, Harper.”
