“Oui,” Sloane agreed. “Anna spoke up and said she was actually an accountant, thank you very much.”
“Hmm. Wonder if she really is dead. I mean, there’s a death report out there. What kind of lengths would someone have to go to clean up their trail with something like that?”
Sloane nodded. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation. The case of Anna Fielding was a puzzling one for sure.
“If we did not think she was alive, neither of us would be wasting our time with this.” Sloane had taken on an array of missions since becoming a P.I. Her first jobs focused on following cheating spouses and snapping incriminating photos as evidence. And while those cases left her feeling sad for the parties involved and wondering how anyone could want to get married after witnessing what she had, those jobs hadn’t risen her heart rate the way the dangerous cases had.
Following seasoned criminals—catching proof of their deadly deeds—those were the moments that had Sloane rethinking her job as a P.I. altogether.
But jobs like this provided a happy medium. Locating Anna Fielding would be exciting, but probably not deadly.
“It’s hardnotto think she is still alive,” Gabriel said, “considering the missing family heirloom, not to mention the money that went missing at the same time.”
“Right,” Sloane agreed. “It comes down to one of two options. She either stole from Wren and ran, hoping he would never locate her…”
“Or,”Gabe added, “she was abducted andforcedto withdraw the cash under duress and is now being trafficked and or held against her will.”
“Exactly.” Supposed sightings across the globe supported that theory. “Whatever it is,” Sloane concluded, “I hope we can give this Wren some closure.”
“Me too,” Gabe agreed. “You know what Dad would always say. Every wrong lead takes us closer to the right one.”
Sloane joined in on the few last words.
“Except that I don’t want someone else to wind up with the right one,” Gabe said.
Sloane grinned knowingly. “Not even little old me?”
“Especiallynot little old you.” He let out a dark chuckle. “But that reminds me, what is your cover there? Are you just posing as a guest and snooping around?”
“No, I did not want to tip anyone off and give her a chance to run. I plan to do more of an inside job. Based on my early investigation, I have reason to believe the owners of this place—or at least the people who help run it—know just who she is.”
“Ah, so you’re warming up to one of the people who run it, hoping he’ll spill his guts?”
Sloane stopped doodling and stared at the name she’d been absently decorating with bright, happy looking scallops. She scribbled over them with straight, harsh lines as she replied. “How did you know it was a guy?”
“It is always easier to gather intel from the opposite sex.”
Sloane shrugged. “Yes, well, the guy I am working with is going to be a real pain in the butt.”
“Nothing new there. What’s your angle?”
“He is a newly licensed pilot who will be giving helicopter tours here at the inn. I picked him because the website mentioned that one of The Homestead’s very own owners was giving the tours. I figured he was the best place to start.”
“Okay…”
“His name is Emmitt. I made him think he has to go through twelve extra hours of monitored flying time and twelve instructional videos, all with me present.”
“So what, you took a crash course on piloting a helicopter? You must make it look like you know what you’re doing.”
“Not really,” Sloane countered. “Think about it. He just got his license. My job is to simply observe him. Teachers play dumb all the time as a way of encouraging students to supply the answers themselves. Besides,” she added with a shrug, “I will be watching an hour of instruction with him prior to each liftoff.”
“Guess you are right. He cannot betooupset about spending all that time with a pretty blonde.”
Sloane recalled the drastic difference between Maverick and Emmitt’s response to her. “That is whatIthought, but he’s not exactly falling all over himself over me.”
“Is he old? Married? Possibly justnotinto women?”
“No, I do not think any of those apply. He is probably in his upper twenties, like me.”
