Hot On His Trail. Kristin Eckhardt
who won’t give up when he, or she, runs out of leads.” She settled back against the pillows with a satisfied sigh. “The more I think about this idea, the more I like it.”
“Me, too,” Dylan agreed. “Once we find Radcliffe, I can finally make arrangements for Violet’s memorial service.”
“Then let’s stop wasting time,” Lily replied. “Send Calley Graham in here. Let’s find out how much she really wants this job.”
* * *
DYLAN SENT Calley Graham to Lily’s room, then shut himself in his office. Now that the matter of finding Radcliffe was being handled, he could concentrate on gathering evidence against his best friend.
His gaze drifted to one of the framed photographs on his wall. Taken when they were all in college, it showed him and Sebastian Cooper laughing together, their arms draped around Julie, who stood between them. Despite their lengthy friendship, Julie had always stood between them. Dylan had fallen in love with her when he was a junior at Texas A&M, but it was Sebastian she’d chosen to marry.
He’d truly wanted Sebastian and Julie to be happy together. Had grieved with Sebastian when Julie had gone missing after an apparent car-jacking last year.
And had been stunned when he’d finally discovered the truth.
Julie had run away, in fear for her life and that of her unborn child. Dylan had finally tracked her down in the tiny town of Cactus Creek, Texas. She’d given birth to a son in September. A boy she’d named Thomas. But that wasn’t the biggest surprise. She’d told Dylan that Sebastian had ties to the mob. All she lacked was the evidence to prove it.
So Dylan had vowed to find the evidence, even though some part of him still didn’t want to believe that Sebastian could be capable of that kind of duplicity. But there was only one way to find out.
He flipped through the Rolodex on his desk, searching for the number of Zach Logan, who had been his chief in the Dallas Police Department. If anyone would be keeping tabs on the local organized crime ring, it would be Zach. Especially since he’d been instrumental in sending its leader, J. B. Crowe, to prison last spring.
Dylan picked up the telephone.
* * *
CALLEY WAS SURPRISED to find herself directed to Lily Bishop’s spacious bedroom rather than Dylan Garrett’s office. She had prepared herself to face a man for this job interview, not the thoughtful, intuitive young woman who studied her now.
Lily’s jet-black hair contrasted sharply against the snow-white pillow cases. Despite the fact that she was confined to bed, Lily looked nothing like an invalid. She flipped quickly through the pages of Calley’s résumé, her mouth pursed in concentration.
“Your résumé is a little thin,” Lily said at last.
“What I lack in experience, I make up for in creativity,” Calley replied. She’d planned to sugarcoat her answers to Dylan Garrett, but she instinctively knew such a strategy wouldn’t work with his sister.
Lily laid the résumé on her lap. “That’s good to hear, because at the moment we’re working on a tough case. Sit down and I’ll tell you about it.”
Calley gratefully took a chair next to the bed, her knees feeling a little shaky. She wanted this job so badly. Needed it, if she was ever to venture out on her own.
“The man we’re searching for is Matthew Radcliffe. He’s a beneficiary in Violet Mitchum’s will. Along with a monetary gift, he’s to receive one of Violet’s rings and a sealed letter from her.” Lily handed Calley an old photo. “He was twelve when this picture was taken. That’s also the age he was the last time Violet saw him.”
Calley studied the photo of a tall, lanky boy riding bareback on a dappled horse. His cowboy hat shaded his face, but she could see the proud set of his thin shoulders and the confident way he held the reins.
“Matt’s mother was the Mitchums’ housekeeper,” Lily continued. “He was born and raised on the Mitchum ranch. At least until the fire.”
“Fire?” Calley asked, her gaze still on the photo. She wished she could see his face.
“The Mitchums lived in a Victorian house just outside of Pinto that Charles Mitchum built for his wife in the fifties. There was a fire twenty years ago that destroyed a large part of the structure. It was after this fire that Matt and his mother, Rita, disappeared.”
“What about his father?” Calley asked.
“Todd Radcliffe ran out on his family when Matt was eight years old.”
Calley looked up from the photo. “I assume you’ve already contacted Matt’s mother?”
Lily nodded. “Apparently, she and her son are not close. When we first spoke with Rita in November she had no idea where to find Matt. Although she did tell us that he calls her on Christmas.”
Calley glanced up. “That was two weeks ago.”
Lily smiled. “We gave Rita a small gift for her cooperation. A new cordless phone with—”
“Caller ID,” Calley concluded, feeling the first tingles of excitement.
“That’s right. My brother just told me she contacted Finders Keepers a few days ago.” Lily reached into a thin file folder and pulled out a sheet of paper. “This is the telephone number Rita wrote down after her son called.”
Calley looked at the area code. “505. That’s New Mexico, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Dylan traced the phone number to a roadstop café outside of White Rock, New Mexico. It’s a small town just north of Santa Fe. He contacted the owner of the café. Apparently, no one there knows Matt Radcliffe.”
“Which means we can assume he was just passing through.”
Lily nodded. “That’s all we have to go on. We don’t even have a description, since Rita hasn’t seen her son in years.”
Calley looked at the old photo once again. “He’ll be tall and have dark hair.”
“Rita did tell us that her son has dark brown eyes,” Lily added, handing the file to Calley. “And that he loves horses.”
As Calley glanced at the manila file folder in her hand, then at Lily, her heart began beating double time. “Does this mean I have the job?”
“Well, you might want to hear the conditions first.”
Calley placed the photo of Matt Radcliffe inside the folder, hoping Lily couldn’t see the way her hand was shaking. She didn’t give a fig about any conditions. She’d walk all the way to New Mexico if necessary.
“You won’t be the only one looking for Radcliffe,” Lily continued. “There is another man interested in this position. He’ll be on the case, too. Whoever is the first one to bring Radcliffe back here wins the job.”
Calley stood up. “Then I’d better get started.”
Lily looked up at her. “So you’re still interested?”
“Definitely,” Calley said, her blood racing at the thrill of competition. It had been too long since she’d felt that thrill. Much too long.
“Oh, one more thing,” Lily added, as Calley headed for the door.
She turned. “Yes?”
“You left a blank space on your application.” Lily held it up. “Do you have anyone we can contact, such as a family member, in case of an emergency?”
“No,” Calley said, wishing the lie wasn’t necessary. “I don’t have anyone.”
CHAPTER TWO
MATT RADCLIFFE stood at the corral as the sun set on the horizon, the last golden rays caressing the sparse