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“Words were had, and Kyle disappeared,” Brendan continued. “Patty wants those photos, that video. He won’t stop until he has them. Can’t be doing with that kind of threat out there.” He considered Addison. “I’d be careful. Lots of people want your brother to pay. Go back to Seattle. Let the men handle this one.”
“I’ve let men handle this one for too long,” she said. “It’s time to step in. When was the last time you saw Kyle?”
“A year ago, at least. He’d just broken it off with a cardiac surgeon—said he could do better. She quit her job here in Dublin while they were still together. Believed him when he said he was moving them both to Spain.”
Mandy whistled. “Kyle sucks.”
Oliver’s exact sentiment.
“When we went to Galway and spoke to Caity, she said that he’d tried to start things up again with her,” said Addison. “Before he decided to blackmail her fiancé. Maybe when Caity rejected him, he went back to the surgeon. What’s her name?”
Brendan looked resigned. “Daisy Buckley.”
Chapter 47
Oliver’s curse was loud, but not louder than Addison’s. She couldn’t have heard correctly.
Brows drawn together, Mandy looked between them. “What?”
“We know of a Miriam Buckley,” said Oliver. “She’s my housekeeper.”
Roman looked dubious. “Could be a common name, no? I can’t see a connection between Kyle’s ex-girlfriend and your housekeeper.”
Solid logic. There were plenty of Buckleys out in the world. Addison’s gut screamed otherwise.
Reflexively, she reached for Oliver’s hand—no. Enough. She had to cut that out. He’d destroy her if she wasn’t careful.
Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans just in case, she looked at Oliver. “How did you meet Mrs. Buckley?”
From beneath his baseball cap, he regarded her with weary eyes. “A week after I moved in, an ad was slipped through my door, offering her cleaning and cooking services. I called. Asked for a grocery drop-off and some cleaning.”
Mrs. Buckley had sought him out. Addy should have known something didn’t add up about her. Who cleans someone’s home wearing cashmere?
The woman had free run of the downstairs every Sunday and kept coming back… Looking for something, or keeping tabs?
Addy tried to remember the details of their conversation. “When I met her, she said she had two kids. A son in London, and a daughter. Do you think that’s Daisy?”
Mandy pulled out her phone. “It’s not hard to look up if she and Daisy are related.”
“Privacy laws are much stricter in Ireland than in the States,” said Oliver. “There are no people search sites here.”
Not that they needed it. Addy didn’t believe in coincidences. “The tires make sense now. She didn’t want us to go to Galway.”
“What tires?” Roman asked.
“We’d just been talking about Caity and Galway that morning, but hadn’t yet left the house to go see her,” said Oliver. “Mrs. Buckley came in and told us our tires were slashed. Maybe she wanted to speak to Caity first. She’s probably looking for your brother, too.”
“But she stayed.” No matter how hard she tried, Addison couldn’t piece the reasoning together. “She cleaned. She made tea. She offered to have her husband drive me. If she wanted to get to Caity before us, why would she slash our tires and then not go on to Galway right away?”
Oliver shrugged. “Maybe she was hoping to learn more. Maybe she texted her daughter, and her daughter drove out instead. Who knows? Maybe she’s covering for Kyle, if he’s woven his way back into their lives.”
Mandy tapped a finger against her lips. “Let’s say she texted her daughter. Let’s say the daughter went to Galway. Wouldn’t Caity have said something to you?”
“Why? I’m his sister. I’m damned by association.”
“But we don’t know for a fact that your housekeeper is looking for Kyle,” said Roman. “What if Kyle is with Daisy right now?”
“What if Kyle’s with Miriam?” offered Brendan.
