The last was a gamble. By the flicker in his eyes, she could assume it had paid off. James Tremaine was, by nature, a very private man. And his quest was an intensely personal one.
You dont look old enough to have acquired all that much experience.
Ive had my license three years, but Id worked for my dad on and off for years before that. My mother died when I was six. I was raised in and around his business. She stopped then, one of her dads favorite sayings drifting through her mind. Put your cards on the table and let the client decide if he wants to talk or walk.
Dragging a matching chair to face hers, he sat, more elegantly than she had. Somehow she managed to suppress a sneer when she noted the care he took with the crease in his trousers.
Decision-making time, Mr. Tremaine. Tori leaned back into her chair, the relaxed pose belying the nerves scampering along her spine. That folder proves Im capable of conducting the investigation youre interested in. Im also tenacious and a good listener. Because that last had him raising his eyebrows, she shrugged modestly. People tend to talk to me. Thats a plus in my line of work. And it might be to your advantage to use a woman on this case, did you ever think of that? At his arrested expression she knew shed scored a direct hit. Im assuming youll want this kept quiet.
Discretion is imperative.
She nodded. She offered nothing less to her clients. As a female Im apt to rouse less suspicion in certain circles. I can go places, do things, that men cant.
He was silent long enough to have disappointment welling inside her, a slow steady surge. Until that moment she hadnt let herself think of failure, but it faced her now, stark and uncompromising. It was the first job shed pitched since her dad had died. The first door, since then, to be shut in her face. His death had become a yardstick by which she measured a lot of firsts these days. And lasts.
Snapping the locks shut on the briefcase, she rose, ready to thank him for his time and determined to keep the emotion from her voice.
Ill give you a week trial. Her mouth dropped, A thousand a week plus expenses, within reason. At the end of that time, Ill evaluate what youve come up with. If Im not satisfied, youll hand over what information youve accumulated and well part ways.
I She swallowed hard and tried to recover her power of speech. All right. I usually give weekly updates, but under the circumstances
Ill want daily reports.
His interruption had her gritting her teeth, but she managed to nod agreeably. She had, after all, gotten exactly what shed come here for. All right.
Ill have my lawyer draft a contract tomorrow. You can wait until after youve signed it, or start work right away, whichever youre most comfortable with.
Now that his decision had been made, hed changed slightly, she thought. She studied him as he strode to the desk. Hed reverted to type, she realized suddenly. It was the earlier indecision that had been foreign for him. James Tremaine would be a man very much in control of any situation. And now that hed hired her, now that shed become just another employee, he was firmly back in charge.
He approached her again with the money shed returned to him. You may as well keep this. Half now, and well settle the rest at the end of the week. Are those terms acceptable?
Slowly, she reached out to take the money. Sure. Taking the cash from him, she reopened the briefcase and dropped the money inside. Im assuming you kept the original file my father put together for you. Id like a copy of it sent over with the contract. She didnt doubt that he still had it. He wouldnt be a man to leave anything to chance.
Ill do that.
So. Tori sat down and drummed her fingertips against the case in her lap. Why dont you tell me what caused you to want to reexamine this? Why now? She could wait for the file. She didnt expect to find any surprises in it. Her father apparently hadnt encountered any during his investigation all that time ago. Her curiosity was more focused on what had made Tremaine decide to dredge up painful ancient history. He wouldnt be the type to do anything without a reason.
As an answer, he unlocked the center drawer on his desk and withdrew a small white envelope. Crossing to her, he opened it and shook out three slips of paper atop her briefcase. Turning them over, Tori scanned each one, shock layering over adrenaline.
When did you get these?
They began arriving four weeks ago. They were sent to my home, but I have all my personal mail routed to work. Im here more, anyway.
The envelopes?
I still have them, but a contact of mine in the postal department assures me theyll be of little use. They were postmarked in New Orleans, all by different offices.
Her gaze dropped to the notes again, her flesh prickling. Have you thought of going to the police?
Please. His tone managed to be both derisive and amused. If someone really means me harm, they arent going to waste time warning me first. Id be easier to take out if I wasnt on my guard.
At the certainty in his words, her eyes met his. Is that the voice of experience I hear?
He slipped his hands into his trousers pockets, rocked back on his heels slightly. The casual pose didnt fool her. She was beginning to doubt that this man ever truly relaxed.
I dont consider these serious threats. It didnt escape her attention that he hadnt answered her question. A private lab I occasionally use informed me there were no fingerprints on the notes other than my own. There were several on the envelopes, of course. But its doubtful any of them belong to the sender, which means the police will likely come up with nothing. With their involvement, theres a higher probability of a leak to the press.
His tone became clipped, his expression closed. My family dislikes publicity. With my sisters recent wedding, and my brothers engagement announcements appearing in the papers, theres been a renewed interest in our history. My firm is on the verge of landing another sensitive contract with the Pentagon, and the last thing I need are new rumors about my family serving as news fodder to ratchet up slow ratings.
That was, she supposed, a reasonable enough explanation. Her brief foray into the Corbett family, the Dallas Corbettsdistinguished from the Houston Corbetts primarily by their bank accounts and penchant for social climbinghad taught her that wealthy people had an aversion to publicity. Unless, of course, it involved them handing over a very large check to a suitable charity.
Lets talk about your brothers and sister for a minute. What do they think about this? If she hadnt known better, she would have believed her question took him off guard. Which was ridiculous, of course. James Tremaine wouldnt be a man to entertain self-doubts.
Id rather not have to tell them, he said finally. My sister and her new husband are just settling into married life. My brothers are both in the process of planning their weddings. Raking all this up again is bound to be painful, and in the long run will probably be for nothing. Id like to spare them that if I can.
She wondered if they would thank him for that, and thought probably not. But his protectiveness of his family warmed something inside her. She could respect a man who looked out for his loved ones, even if his tactics werent appreciated.