Eagleton.â
âI was just telling my niece I knew your parents. And I was a congressman when your grandfather served in the Senate from Maryland. Any interest in going into politics?â
Nicholas picked up a white napkin and placed it in his lap. âIâm enjoying my job and donât see a reason to change.â
After the waiter took their orders, her uncle sipped his water then said, âSelena asked me to wait until you arrived to find out why she needed to talk with me. Youâre here, so why the urgency?â
âWeâre investigating a lead in Saul Ratherâs murder.â
Uncle Prestonâs eyebrows hiked up. âGreg Littleton was found guilty. Case closed.â
âWeâre not so sure heâs the one who murdered your intern,â Selena interjected.
Both men looked at Selena, and she tensed her shoulders. Surprise filled her uncleâs face while Nicholasâs mouth tightened into a hard line.
Nicholas cleared his throat. âGreg was convicted on circumstantial evidence and some of it has come into question of late. We were at the prison to interview Greg yesterday, and when we left there, someone followed us. We confronted the private detective and discovered you or someone from your office hired him to keep an eye on any people who visit Littleton.â
Uncle Prestonâs forehead furrowed, but he didnât say anything until the waiter set their orders in front of them and left. He stared for a long moment at his poached halibut with saffron nage, then looked Nicholas in the eye. âWho was the private investigator?â
âBenny Goodwin.â Nicholas picked up his braised short-rib sandwich and took a bite, watching for any kind of reaction from her uncle.
Popping a sweet-potato fry into her mouth, Selena saw her uncleâs jawline harden and his eyes glint. The scent from her crab-cake sandwich churned her stomach.
âFirst of all, I donât know what this has to do with my daughter. Second, I donât know a Benny Goodwin. Iâve never used him for any kind of work. If he told you I hired him, heâs lying.â
âCould someone on your staff have hired Goodwin without your knowledge? When heâs paid, itâs cash and the private detective has never seen a person associated with the request.â Nicholas returned her uncleâs intense regard.
âI guess itâs possible. I certainly know I donât hire anyone and pay in cash, for accounting reasons. But why would someone from my staff do that?â
âTo keep track of whatâs going on with Littleton because they have something to lose if evidence is uncovered to prove his innocence.â Nicholas reached under the white tablecloth and clasped Selenaâs hand.
She was sure her distress was evident on her face. Her uncle had that effect on her. She wasnât like her mother and had for years wished he would acknowledge that. Her family was small, and she wanted some connection with the few she had. It was lonely being a loner all of her life.
âWhat does this have to do with Erin? Not that I donât want an innocent man, if he is, exonerated.â Uncle Preston shifted his attention from Nicholas to her.
Nicholas squeezed her hand, as if to say she should take this question.
âWhen Erin went missing, I was determined to find a way to clear her name. I looked into Michael Jeffriesâs personal life and couldnât find anything that would be a motive for murder. Thatâs when I decided to investigate his professional life. I knew Michael had a couple of current cases he was working on, and I decided to see if anyone connected to those would have a reason to kill him. Erin didnât.â
âOf course, my daughter wouldnât,â her uncle said in a raised voice, then snapped his mouth closed as a few people glanced their way.
Selenaâs grip on Nicholasâs hand tightened. âMichael and
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