The P.I. Contest. C.J. Carmichael
Now everyone turned to him. He thought about what he had to lose. Not much, except his pride. Then he thought of what he could gain.
Nathan had been his friend since high school. Jay knew the guy had integrity and smarts. Lindsay seemed his polar opposite in many respects, but he could tell she had the same sense of honor, the same drive to make the world a better place.
If he couldn’t fly planes anymore for a living, surely this was as good a place to land as any. Plus it would be fun to wipe that cocky expression from Kate Cooper’s face.
He glanced around the room one more time, prolonging the moment of tension.
“I’m in.”
Hannah clapped her hands together. “Thank you so much. I never dreamed that it would be this easy.”
“We haven’t found your father yet,” Lindsay cautioned. She glanced at Kate, then smiled. “Though I’m sure it won’t take very long.”
She had a lot of confidence in her friend. Jay supposed it was to be expected. Meanwhile Nathan gave him a nod of encouragement which he appreciated.
“We’ll be in touch with interim reports on Kate’s and Jay’s progress,” Lindsay promised as she ushered Hannah to the door. She called Nadine and asked her to walk their new client through the usual paperwork.
“Plus, we’ll need three DNA samples from her, Nadine. You know where we keep the kits…?”
Nadine must have answered in the affirmative, because Lindsay said, “Good. I’ll leave you to it, then.” She returned to the conference room, closing the door again.
“Well.” She beamed at Nathan, her expression bordering on smug. “Was that a brilliant idea or what?”
Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, frankly.” But from the warmth in his voice, it was clear how he felt about Lindsay. He adored her. Jay could understand why. Lindsay was a dynamo. All passion and energy.
Her friend Kate, on the other hand, kept her emotions carefully contained. She seemed analytical and calculating and somewhat aloof. She was going to make a formidable opponent.
Also, a very beautiful one.
“The investigation will officially start tomorrow morning.” Lindsay turned from Kate to Jay. “I’ll have Nadine prepare a report for each of you containing all the information we have to date. Where you decide to start is completely up to you. Fair enough?”
“Absolutely,” Jay said.
“Where will we work when we’re not in the field?” Kate asked.
“We only have one empty office,” Nathan said. “I guess you’ll have to share. We can bring in an extra desk and chair, but there’s just one computer.”
“No problem. I have a laptop.” Jay stood and offered Kate his hand. “Good luck.”
She hesitated, then stood as well and accepted his hand. “May the best investigator win.”
No doubt she thought she would be the one. But she was in for a few surprises where he was concerned.
WITH THE MEETING CONCLUDED, Lindsay suggested to Kate that they go for a drink.
“That sounds good.” Kate wasn’t in a hurry to return to her empty apartment. She was going to have to get a cat, she decided, since she was no longer interested in men.
Lindsay led the way to a tired tavern just down the block. The Stool Pigeon was a knockoff on the traditional English pub concept, with a vague nod to Tudor architecture and an array of flea market atrocities displayed on shelves just out of dusting range.
A boisterous group in their twenties was sitting at the tables near the windows, and a dark brooding man presided over the three older male customers at the large oak bar. Brown vinyl booths at the back were all empty and that was where Lindsay led her.
“Nice place,” Kate said, grimacing as she slid into the booth and her hand came in contact with something sticky.
“Cozy, isn’t it? I come here all the time. This is Wendy.”
Since she had her back to the kitchen, Kate hadn’t noticed the female server approaching. The woman, in her mid-forties, seemed to have weathered about as well as the place where she worked.
“Wendy and Mark own this place,” Lindsay explained.
“Lucky us,” Wendy said drily. “I assume you want your usual?” When Lindsay nodded, she turned to Kate. “And you?”
“I’ll have an orange juice with lots of ice.” Hopefully the vitamin C would help ward off the cold she felt coming on.
“And fries,” Lindsay added. “We’ll share.”
When the server returned a short time later, Kate was surprised to see that she’d brought Lindsay a paralyzer.
“You still drink those? How does your stomach tolerate them?” Once, when she and Lindsay had gone for a drink after a rough shift, she’d ordered one. A single swallow had been enough for her. She’d been shocked to find out what was in the drink. A motley mixture of liqueurs, cream and cola.
“My system runs on paralyzers,” Lindsay assured her.
“So how are things with Nathan? They seem good.”
“Better than good. I’ve never been happier.”
“You look happy.” Kate was sincerely glad for her friend.
“Thanks. I wish I could say the same to you. Tell me about Conner. What was his problem? Didn’t he know how lucky he was to have you?”
“Thanks, Lindsay.” Kate felt tears well up at her friend’s kindness. “In some ways I’ve decided that it’s a good thing that we broke up—though I would have wished for a more civilized finale.”
“Sometimes a good drama is the only way to go. I’m glad you gave him a piece of your mind.”
“I guess. But I’ve come to realize over the last few days I wasn’t as much in love with Conner as I thought I was.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I hate to admit this, but I think I just latched on to him because I was at the point where I wanted to get married.”
“Why so keen to get married?”
“Babies. Ever since I turned thirty that’s all I think about. Everywhere I go, I see them. Did you notice that woman with the stroller on our way here?”
“Yeah, but this is the Upper West Side. There are kids everywhere. I never knew you were so keen to have children.”
“I’ve always wanted a big family as well as a challenging career,” Kate confessed. “Not just one or two children. More like three or four.”
“Wow…I guess you’ll have to start dating, then.”
Kate made a face. “Forget it. I’ve had enough of men for a while.”
“So what are you thinking? You want to be a single mother?”
“Maybe. I’ve been considering it. What do you think? Am I crazy?” She picked up a fry and stared at it without any appetite.
“No, not crazy. But it’s a serious step. Don’t do anything rash.” Lindsay ate another fry. “Anyway, I’m so glad you’re here. I promise you’ll be happy at our agency. The work is varied and interesting and you’ll have so much more freedom than you did working for the NYPD.”
“That’s assuming I find Hannah’s father first and get the job,” Kate reminded her.
“Jay doesn’t stand a chance of solving this case faster than you.”
Kate