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“Oh, he played football? I didn’t know.”

“Does that surprise you?” I snickered.

“It didn’t dawn on me, considering he mentioned not too long ago that he occasionally did drag. It seems so… on the opposite end of the macho spectrum.”

I laughed loud enough for others in the gym to glance my way. “He’s always embraced his masculine and feminine sides. He enjoys it. Says it helps balance the shit from working in homicide. Plus, he’s an incredible singer. One of these days, we ought to do a karaoke night so you can hear him sing.”

“Oh, God… as long as I don’t have to sing. I’m tone-deaf to a fault,” he replied.

“Fair enough,” I said, picking up the dumbbells and resting them on my thighs. “Let’s knock the rest of this stuff out. I need to shower and grab a smoothie before I see a client this afternoon.”

An hour later, I was sitting in my office when Chloe buzzed to let me know Brooke Chandler was there. I told Chloe to escort her in. At the same moment, I received a text from Jonesy, but I didn’t look at it. My door opened, and Chloe stepped aside to let my client in.

Mrs. Chandler looked like a well-to-do socialite in San Francisco circles. I noticed the interlocking Cs on her handbag and sunglasses, and I was sure her suit was Chanel as well. After she’d hired me, I’d done a background check on her. She came from money. Her father was a real estate developer who made a sizable fortune by acquiring properties in the city and was known as a shrewd businessman. When he died, she inherited the entire estate since she was an only child and her mother had passed away when she was a teenager.

She gave me a forced smile, took off her sunglasses and sat in the chair across my desk, crossing her legs. Chloe watched from the doorway and threw me an eye roll, which made me bite the inside of my cheek to avoid responding. “Thank you, Chloe,” I said with a nod. She grabbed the door handle and closed the door as she left.

“Thank you, Mrs. Chandler, for taking the time to come in today,” I said, keeping it formal.

“Please, call me Brooke,” she replied, appearing more friendly than I had expected. Her texts had been short and to the point, and so had our initial meeting.

I already had the case file on my desk and opened it. “As I told you, Brooke, I do have information to share regarding your husband… and some telling photos I’ve taken.”

“Let’s get to it then,” she replied, eager to get down to business.

“Well, it seems your husband hasn’t been faithful,” I said, holding out a stack of six photos I’d taken in front of the Omni Hotel. She hesitated and looked me in the eye before extending her left hand, which displayed a sizable, emerald-cut diamond ring that must have been at least three carats.

I watched her shuffle through the photographs, staring at the first two and then skimming over the rest. Her expression never changed. She didn’t seem shocked either.

“I know this other man,” she said dryly. I raised my brow at her remark. “He works in the same office as my husband. His name is Dash Matthews. I met him at the last holiday party. A real up-and-comer, apparently. At least that’s how Raymond described him.” She tossed the photos back onto my desk.

Gathering as much empathy as I could, I said, “I’m sorry it came to this, Brooke.”

She waved away my comment. “I guess I have some things to discuss with Raymond. Can I have those photos… or at least copies?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll put them in an envelope for you,” I replied, standing up and heading for the filing cabinet. She remained quiet, which I understood under the circumstances. I could only imagine how she was probably formulating a plan to confront him. I placed the photos in a manila envelope and approached her as she stood, giving her a sympathetic smile.

“I appreciate your discretion, Mr. Bannon. You’ll be receiving a check in the mail, with the promised bonus,” she said, accepting the envelope.

“Thank you, Brooke. Please, call me Craig since we’re on a first-name basis.”

I walked to my door and opened it for her. As she passed, she said, “I guess I’d be more upset if it were another woman. I could at least compete with that on some level.”

I could only give her a thin-lipped, sincere smile as she left the office. Chloe’s eyes followed her exit, then turned to me.

“How’d she take the news?” she asked.

“Stoically,” I replied, unsure of what Brooke Chandler would do going forward. I headed back to my desk and picked up my cellphone to see what Jonesy had texted earlier.

Jonesy: Hey. How was your workout with Bryce?

I immediately typed out a response.

Me: It was good. Nice to catch up too!

Since he’d sent the text a while ago, I didn’t expect an answer immediately, so I put my phone down only for it to ping immediately.

Jonesy: I was contacted earlier by Beaux Nightclub. They’d like me to perform on Sunday night. It’s a fundraiser.