“Oh.” Andy nodded. “I think I understand. I have a cousin like that, too.” He punched Darrak playfully in the shoulder. “You have a very nice sister to let you stay with her and hang out at her job. It’s fun being on vacation, isn’t it, sport?”
Darrak looked at Eden dryly. “I just hope I don’t hurt myself with my enthusiasm.”
Eden pressed her lips together. The day had not started well.
“Andy, I need to ask a favor,” she said.
He looked at her skeptically. “I don’t have any money for a loan right now.”
“You immediately assume I want money?”
He sat down in his chair, leaned back, and rubbed his temples. “Look, Eden, I have some bad news. I may as well tell you now and get it over with.”
Her mouth went dry.
“Triple-A is going out of business. I’m declaring bankruptcy.” His voice broke and his face crumpled. “I’m such a pathetic failure.”
“What are you talking about?” This was the first news she’d heard of this.
“I’m broke.” He looked at Darrak. “That means that I have no money. Having no money makes it hard to be happy, chum.”
“
“Andy,” Eden said. “It can’t be that bad.”
“Trust me, it is. The bills have been piling up for months now. I’ve been going to the racetrack to try to make some quick cash, but that’s only sunk me in deeper. I haven’t had a new client in forever. I’ve been keeping you busy just so you wouldn’t figure out how much of a loser I am.”
She let out a long breath. “We can figure this out.”
He shook his head. “I’ve tried. Nothing has worked.”
She didn’t like seeing him so upset, but a fresh burst of annoyance filled her. “Well, you can’t just make this decision by yourself. I own half this business.”
“Actually, you own 49 percent of it. Check your papers. Which makes me the deciding partner. And I’ve decided to cut my losses.” He looked over at a framed picture of a bikini-clad babe on a beautiful beach on the wall next to the bookcase. “And I’m moving to Hawaii. Even though I’m not really welcome in the U.S. anymore for reasons I’d rather not get into right now, I’ll figure out a way to get to the glorious fiftieth state.”
“Andy—”
“And I’ll have to get rid of Rhonda,” he said sadly.
“Who’s Rhonda?”
He looked up and his face paled. “That’s what I call my Porsche. I’m going to miss her so much.” He exhaled shakily. “My beautiful Rhonda.”
Eden had counted on Andy helping her find the witch. If he was busy feeling sorry for himself while getting a suntan in Hawaii, that wouldn’t exactly help, would it?
Andy blinked slowly, rubbed at his eyes, and looked at her. “What was it you wanted to ask?”
She looked at Darrak. She couldn’t talk. Her throat felt thick.
“I’m looking for somebody,” Darrak said. “An old… friend. She’s in the area, but I have no idea how to find her.”
“I’d love to help you out, sport, but I don’t think I can.”
“I know you were in the FBI.” Eden pushed the words out. “And it might be easy for you to locate somebody. A missing person case. My — my
Darrak nodded gravely. “It’s very likely, actually.”
Andy frowned at her. “Did I tell you I was with the Bureau?”
“Not in so many words. But I’d have to be blind not to notice your Distinguished Service Award.” She nodded at the framed document on the wall next to his Hawaiian beach fa ntasy.
He followed her gaze. “I got that a long time ago.”
“So can you help Darrak?”
Andy’s bottom lip wobbled. “I can’t even help myself.”
“Andy, please—”
He held up a hand. “I’m sorry, Eden. Really, I am. But it’s over. This whole facade of a business. I gave it my best shot.”
“There’s got to be a way,” Eden said again and hated the tone of desperation in the words. She knew she sounded like a broken record, but at the moment stubbornness seemed to be the life preserver she was clinging onto as her life sank to the bottom of the proverbial ocean.
He sighed. “The only way I’d even consider staying open is if somebody walks through that door right now willing to pay big bucks for us to take on a new case.”
He pointed at the door just as it opened and a woman entered the office.
“Excuse me,” she asked. “There’s no sign on the door, but I got your address from the phone book. Is this Triple-A Investigations?”
“It is.”
She exhaled with relief, and Eden couldn’t help but notice her eyes were brimming with tears. “I desperately need your help. And money’s no object.”
Eden exchanged a quick glance with Andy.
The universe at work.
Andy’s chair scraped against the floor as he quickly got to his feet. He silently stared at the woman for a few moments longer than was comfortable.
She cleared her throat. “Perhaps I’ve come at a bad time.” “No,” Eden said immediately as she began backing up toward the door. “Come in. Please. Andy would be happy to see you right away, wouldn’t you, Andy?”
He was still pointing at the door. His hand dropped slackly to his side. “Well, of course. That timing just freaked me the hell out, is all.”
The woman gave Andy a strange look and instead came toward Eden. She was a tall, willowy, sunny blonde and she wore an expensive Chanel suit. “I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure how to begin.”
Andy jostled in his desk drawer for a pad of paper. “Please, come sit over here, Miss—?”
“It’s Mrs. Fay Morgan.” She glanced over her shoulder and then back at Eden. “And if you don’t mind, I want to speak to you. Only to you.”
“Me?” Eden pointed to her chest.
“Yes.”
“But, I’m not really…” She twisted a finger in her hair. “I mean, Andy’s the one you need to talk to. He’s got experience up the wazoo when it comes to investigating whatever you want. To be completely truthful, I just help out around here at the moment.”
She shook her head. “I don’t care. I’ll only deal with you.”
Eden opened her mouth to urge her to talk to Andy, when he spoke up.
“That’s just fine. Eden, please take down Mrs. Morgan’s case details. I’ll go next door and get us all some fresh coffee. I haven’t had a chance to make any yet this morning being that I was locked out of the office.”
Before Eden could say anything, Andy pushed open the front door and went outside.
What did he think he was doing? Eden didn’t know the first thing about how to handle new cases. She’d typed them up in the past month, but that wasn’t remotely the same thing. She wasn’t an investigator nor did she want to be one. Ever.
She glanced at Darrak. He was very quiet. His arms were crossed in front of him and he studied the woman with a narrowed, unfriendly gaze.
What was his problem?
“Sorry, Mrs. Morgan, I’m being rude.” She held out her hand. “I’m Eden Riley.”
“Please, call me Fay.” Instead of shaking her hand Fay grabbed her into a tight embrace. “I knew I’d come to
