thinking, and I’ve come to the conclusion that my best interests may be the same as your best interests.”
Her gaze drifted to Caleb. “He’s having a little too much fun out here. I need him back on the job, and the shortest route to that end would appear to be finding Reed.”
“You think he’s having fun?” Mandy couldn’t help interjecting. “He hates it here. He can’t wait to leave.”
“So he says.”
“He doesn’t want to be in Colorado,” Mandy insisted. And he sure didn’t want to be in the Lyndon Valley, on his own ranch, surrounded by painful memories.
Danielle smiled patiently, and a wealth of wisdom seemed to simmer in her dark brown eyes. “I’m not going to take that chance.” Then she became all business. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to give me your cell phone, and I’m going to dial a number, and you’re going to talk to a man named Enrico. Tell him everything you know about Reed’s disappearance.”
Mandy hesitated. She couldn’t help remembering Danielle’s suggestion that they track Reed’s credit-card use. She wanted to find him, but this felt a little too off the beaten path for her. “Is Enrico a code name?”
Danielle’s laughter tinkled. “His name is Enrico Rossi. He’s a private investigator.”
“Would I be breaking the law?”
“You? No?”
Mandy felt her eyes go wide, and her blood pressure slipped up a notch. “But Enrico will?”
Danielle cocked her head. “I haven’t the first clue what Enrico might or might not do. But he will find Reed.”
Mandy was tempted. Frightened, but tempted. “Will I go to jail for this?”
“None of his clients have so far.”
Mandy tried to figure out if Danielle was joking. “You’re scary, you know that?”
“I’m practical.” Danielle waved a dismissive hand. “There’s an off chance he’ll hack a password or two, but he’s not going to steal anything, and he’s certainly not going to harm anyone. And, since you won’t be paying him, there’s absolutely no legal trail that leads back to you.”
“I won’t be paying him?” This was sounding stranger and stranger all the time.
“He owes me a favor.”
Mandy felt her shoulder slump. “Good grief.”
“It’s nothing clandestine or mysterious. I was his defense attorney. Pro bono. When I was first out of law school.”
“So, he’s a criminal.” A criminal who could find Reed and stop Caleb from making a colossal mistake that would reverberate for generations. Where was the moral balance on that?
“He had a misspent youth.”
“What did he do?” Mandy was absolutely not getting caught up with thieves and murderers, not even to find Reed.
“He was a big bad street kid, who got into a fight with another big bad street kid, who it turned out, was trying to recruit Enrico’s little brother into a gang. Enrico won. He was charged with assault. I got him off.”
That didn’t sound so bad. In fact, it sounded kind of noble. “What happened to his brother?”
“He just won a scholarship to UIC. He wants to go into law.”
“So, Enrico’s a good guy?”
“Enrico’s a great guy. Eat your sandwich, and we’ll make the call.”
It turned out that Enrico didn’t sound remotely like a tough, streetwise criminal. He was articulate and seemed intelligent, and he said he was confident he would find Reed. When Mandy saw Caleb and Travis approaching the pickup truck, she quickly finished the call and disconnected.
“Thanks,” she whispered to Danielle as the two men approached.
“You look unexpectedly cheerful,” Travis said to Danielle.
While Caleb focused on Mandy. “You holding up okay?”
“I’m feeling optimistic,” Danielle responded, sending a brief glance to Mandy.
“I’m just fine,” Mandy answered Caleb. She drew a breath, both nervous and excited after her call with Enrico.
“Pretty hard work,” Caleb observed.
“Piece of cake,” Mandy responded with a shrug. She was tired, and
Her gaze drifted to Caleb. “He’s having a little too much fun out here. I need him back on the job, and the shortest route to that end would appear to be finding Reed.”
“You think he’s having fun?” Mandy couldn’t help interjecting. “He hates it here. He can’t wait to leave.”
“So he says.”
“He doesn’t want to be in Colorado,” Mandy insisted. And he sure didn’t want to be in the Lyndon Valley, on his own ranch, surrounded by painful memories.
Danielle smiled patiently, and a wealth of wisdom seemed to simmer in her dark brown eyes. “I’m not going to take that chance.” Then she became all business. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to give me your cell phone, and I’m going to dial a number, and you’re going to talk to a man named Enrico. Tell him everything you know about Reed’s disappearance.”
Mandy hesitated. She couldn’t help remembering Danielle’s suggestion that they track Reed’s credit-card use. She wanted to find him, but this felt a little too off the beaten path for her. “Is Enrico a code name?”
Danielle’s laughter tinkled. “His name is Enrico Rossi. He’s a private investigator.”
“Would I be breaking the law?”
“You? No?”
Mandy felt her eyes go wide, and her blood pressure slipped up a notch. “But Enrico will?”
Danielle cocked her head. “I haven’t the first clue what Enrico might or might not do. But he will find Reed.”
Mandy was tempted. Frightened, but tempted. “Will I go to jail for this?”
“None of his clients have so far.”
Mandy tried to figure out if Danielle was joking. “You’re scary, you know that?”
“I’m practical.” Danielle waved a dismissive hand. “There’s an off chance he’ll hack a password or two, but he’s not going to steal anything, and he’s certainly not going to harm anyone. And, since you won’t be paying him, there’s absolutely no legal trail that leads back to you.”
“I won’t be paying him?” This was sounding stranger and stranger all the time.
“He owes me a favor.”
Mandy felt her shoulder slump. “Good grief.”
“It’s nothing clandestine or mysterious. I was his defense attorney. Pro bono. When I was first out of law school.”
“So, he’s a criminal.” A criminal who could find Reed and stop Caleb from making a colossal mistake that would reverberate for generations. Where was the moral balance on that?
“He had a misspent youth.”
“What did he do?” Mandy was absolutely not getting caught up with thieves and murderers, not even to find Reed.
“He was a big bad street kid, who got into a fight with another big bad street kid, who it turned out, was trying to recruit Enrico’s little brother into a gang. Enrico won. He was charged with assault. I got him off.”
That didn’t sound so bad. In fact, it sounded kind of noble. “What happened to his brother?”
“He just won a scholarship to UIC. He wants to go into law.”
“So, Enrico’s a good guy?”
“Enrico’s a great guy. Eat your sandwich, and we’ll make the call.”
It turned out that Enrico didn’t sound remotely like a tough, streetwise criminal. He was articulate and seemed intelligent, and he said he was confident he would find Reed. When Mandy saw Caleb and Travis approaching the pickup truck, she quickly finished the call and disconnected.
“Thanks,” she whispered to Danielle as the two men approached.
“You look unexpectedly cheerful,” Travis said to Danielle.
While Caleb focused on Mandy. “You holding up okay?”
“I’m feeling optimistic,” Danielle responded, sending a brief glance to Mandy.
“I’m just fine,” Mandy answered Caleb. She drew a breath, both nervous and excited after her call with Enrico.
“Pretty hard work,” Caleb observed.
“Piece of cake,” Mandy responded with a shrug. She was tired, and
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