your credit card number, and who knows if they’re discreet. Might lead me back into the same mess again.”
“Maybe.” Zane sighed, forcing himself to remain patient. “You’d better let me handle it.”
Suddenly Alaric stared him directly in the face. “And are you? Handling it, I mean?”
“I told you I was.”
“Lunch with the lady in question was an excellent idea. More of that wouldn’t come amiss. May I suggest a relaxed setting? Get her some drinks. Maybe she’ll blurt something out.” He waved a hand in the air. “I gave you a gold credit card, for heaven’s sake. Use it to investigate in any way you see fit. You have far less restriction on your methods than a real cop would have. That was the plan, remember?”
Zane put down his brandy glass with a bang. “Look, Alaric. I told you already where I stand. If I don’t discover anything, this is over.”
“And you look, too, Zane—at yourself, if nothing else. I understand you’re lonely after years at sea, and the woman is a looker, no question there. But don’t fall for a con artist. You’ll end up more miserable than I did. I only lost a little money to some overseas accounts. You could be in a much worse position if you get emotionally involved.”
“I can handle myself.” His voice softening, Zane chewed his lip. “Anyway, it’s time I shoved off,” he said, rising. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I know anything.”
“Fair enough. And I hope you do discover something soon—for your sake as well as mine. Oh, and speaking of that, I have something for you that might help.” Crossing the room, Alaric rummaged in his mahogany roll-top desk for a moment. He pulled out a piece of paper that looked like an invoice. When Zane studied it, he saw that it was indeed an Internet sales record for a gold bracelet, shipped from overseas and ordered on Alaric’s compromised charge card.
“They couldn’t stop that one in time,” Alaric said. “I just got it today. I thought it might be useful, though. Maybe you can even recover the item in question. I’d at least like to see it—I want to know if I have good taste or not.”
“I’ll look into it.” Zane folded the sheet and shoved it into his jacket. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief that Molly owned no bracelets at all as far as he knew. He’d never seen her wearing one. “Good night, Alaric.”
“Good night, Zane. And remember what I said. You stand to lose as much as I did, or maybe even more, if you’re not careful with this thing.”
“Understood.”
* * * *
When Zane got home, he noticed an email from the woman who had viewed his profile at Lovelines, suggesting they meet the next day at a city bar he’d never heard of.
Grinding his teeth, Zane forced himself to compose a brief but friendly email accepting her invitation. He logged off his email program quickly, not wanting to initiate a long email conversation, or even worse, a live chat.
Well, he’d have to make the best of it for now. He’d presented himself at Lovelines as a longtime bachelor who was ready to test out the dating waters, and he had just stepped into the creek with both feet.
Chapter Six
Zane stifled a grimace, not to mention a yawn, as Karen Tighe sat across from him and rambled on about the benefits of soy milk and bean curd, topped off with five drops of dandelion essence every evening. Meanwhile, he stared down at his own plate of extra-healthy, organically prepared food with thinly veiled disgust. He understood Miss Tighe’s point about vitamins and sustainable eco-friendly farming, and at some level he admired her commitment, but the more she talked, the more something inside him nagged for an onion-slathered cheeseburger.
On the other hand, the conclusion of this date would mark a turning point in his investigation. Over the past three days, he’d gone out with three of Lovelines’ female clients, including one that Alaric had also dated. So far
“Maybe.” Zane sighed, forcing himself to remain patient. “You’d better let me handle it.”
Suddenly Alaric stared him directly in the face. “And are you? Handling it, I mean?”
“I told you I was.”
“Lunch with the lady in question was an excellent idea. More of that wouldn’t come amiss. May I suggest a relaxed setting? Get her some drinks. Maybe she’ll blurt something out.” He waved a hand in the air. “I gave you a gold credit card, for heaven’s sake. Use it to investigate in any way you see fit. You have far less restriction on your methods than a real cop would have. That was the plan, remember?”
Zane put down his brandy glass with a bang. “Look, Alaric. I told you already where I stand. If I don’t discover anything, this is over.”
“And you look, too, Zane—at yourself, if nothing else. I understand you’re lonely after years at sea, and the woman is a looker, no question there. But don’t fall for a con artist. You’ll end up more miserable than I did. I only lost a little money to some overseas accounts. You could be in a much worse position if you get emotionally involved.”
“I can handle myself.” His voice softening, Zane chewed his lip. “Anyway, it’s time I shoved off,” he said, rising. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I know anything.”
“Fair enough. And I hope you do discover something soon—for your sake as well as mine. Oh, and speaking of that, I have something for you that might help.” Crossing the room, Alaric rummaged in his mahogany roll-top desk for a moment. He pulled out a piece of paper that looked like an invoice. When Zane studied it, he saw that it was indeed an Internet sales record for a gold bracelet, shipped from overseas and ordered on Alaric’s compromised charge card.
“They couldn’t stop that one in time,” Alaric said. “I just got it today. I thought it might be useful, though. Maybe you can even recover the item in question. I’d at least like to see it—I want to know if I have good taste or not.”
“I’ll look into it.” Zane folded the sheet and shoved it into his jacket. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief that Molly owned no bracelets at all as far as he knew. He’d never seen her wearing one. “Good night, Alaric.”
“Good night, Zane. And remember what I said. You stand to lose as much as I did, or maybe even more, if you’re not careful with this thing.”
“Understood.”
* * * *
When Zane got home, he noticed an email from the woman who had viewed his profile at Lovelines, suggesting they meet the next day at a city bar he’d never heard of.
Grinding his teeth, Zane forced himself to compose a brief but friendly email accepting her invitation. He logged off his email program quickly, not wanting to initiate a long email conversation, or even worse, a live chat.
Well, he’d have to make the best of it for now. He’d presented himself at Lovelines as a longtime bachelor who was ready to test out the dating waters, and he had just stepped into the creek with both feet.
Chapter Six
Zane stifled a grimace, not to mention a yawn, as Karen Tighe sat across from him and rambled on about the benefits of soy milk and bean curd, topped off with five drops of dandelion essence every evening. Meanwhile, he stared down at his own plate of extra-healthy, organically prepared food with thinly veiled disgust. He understood Miss Tighe’s point about vitamins and sustainable eco-friendly farming, and at some level he admired her commitment, but the more she talked, the more something inside him nagged for an onion-slathered cheeseburger.
On the other hand, the conclusion of this date would mark a turning point in his investigation. Over the past three days, he’d gone out with three of Lovelines’ female clients, including one that Alaric had also dated. So far
Similar Books
