His parents’ marriage was a good one, and they’d been together for over thirty years. His father had been in the Navy until Nolan was almost ten years old and then moved back to his grandparents’ hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. His father had taken over the family contracting business, and his mother helped. Now, in semi-retirement, his dad also volunteered for the fire department. His mom, desperate for something to do, had started working part-time as a secretary for his sister’s business. She seemed to enjoy the work, and it gave her a chance to get out of the house several days a week.
“By the way, I’m supposed to tell you that Nancy is joining us for lunch.”
He looked up in time to catch his dad’s smile. His sister, Nancy, was two years younger than Nolan and had stayed in the area after graduating from high school, attending a local college. She had trouble choosing a career but finally settled on a non-traditional route, becoming a private investigator and opening her own business.
“Good, good. Even though she lives here in town, it seems like we don’t see much of her.”
The continued spray of the hose drowned out any other chance for conversation, but that was fine with Nolan. His mind was still rolling with everything he needed to do, wanted to do, and couldn’t do.
It was not long before his dad had finished cleaning out the gutters on the back of the house, and his mom called them for lunch. Stepping inside the kitchen, he grinned at the sight of his sister. Nancy looked as much like their mother as he did their dad. Not overly tall, her figure was trim and her hair was light brown, her highlights blonde. With a quick, ready smile, she put people at ease, and he often wondered if this worked in her favor as a private investigator. No one suspected her of investigating them.
Soon, the four were seated around the table, his mom’s roast accompanied by carrots, potatoes, and gravy along with hot rolls being appreciated.
“Got anything new and interesting you’re working on?” he asked Nancy.
She licked her lips and swallowed, her gaze darting to his. “Actually, yes, something interesting has come up that goes beyond the divorce investigations that make up the bread-and-butter of my business.”
As Rita served the cobbler, Nolan focused his attention on his sister.
“I have a client who’s considering divorce, but she wants me to check on her husband’s financial situation before letting him know that she is filing for separation. She thinks he’s hiding money, and I’ve been looking into it. I’ve got a friend who’s a fraud accountant, and she looked over the initial records. It definitely looks like my client’s husband has some shady deals going on.”
Swallowing his bite of the cobbler, he had to resist rolling his eyes. As far as he knew, Nancy was a good private investigator, but even as a child, she loved the drama of telling a story. Glancing at his parents, he could see that she had their rapt attention. Looking back at her, he made a little circular motion with his fork indicating for her to continue. “Aaaand?”
“Okay, okay. Keep your pants on!” Nancy laughed, scraping the bottom of her cobbler dish. “You can’t expect me to talk and eat all at the same time.” Dropping her spoon into the now-empty dish, she said, “The interesting thing is all of this nefarious activity goes on in one of our favorite vacation spots.”
“Gatlinburg?”
Nodding, Nancy looked around at her family. “Yep. It’s hard for me to tell exactly what’s happening, but his wife suspects that he is laundering some money through one of the nearby casinos. And what’s even crazier is he runs one of the more popular wedding chapel venues there.”
“How are you investigating this?” their dad asked.
Nancy’s nose scrunched as she shook her head. “So far, I’ve just been going through the financial records that my client brings in. Or, rather, I have my friend look at them. I’ve been doing some digging, and it definitely needs further investigation. The trouble is that I’d like to visit and do some work right there but, unfortunately, I’m recognized in the area, so I wouldn’t be able to get very far.”
Nolan finished his cobbler and pushed his plate away as he leaned back in his chair. Listening to his sister’s work woes was interesting but had nothing to do with him. She had grown quiet, and he looked up to see her gaze pinned on him. Wondering if he had snoozed through part of the conversation, he cocked his head to the side. “What? Did I miss something?”
“I was just thinking that since I can’t do any on-site investigation, maybe you could help me out.”
Me? What does she think I can do to help investigate money laundering? Not exactly what my SEAL training covers.
2
Staring at his sister, Nolan noticed that she fiddled with her spoon instead of looking at him directly. “Come on, Nancy. What are you talking about? What on earth do you think I could do? And why the hell would I want to?”
Her gaze shot up to his as she pursed her lips. “Well, what else are you doing right now? You can’t go back to your team until you get a medical clearance. I know you’re starting to exercise, but that doesn’t take all day. I just thought maybe you’d like a few days in Gatlinburg to get out of the house and do a little snooping for me. That should be right up your alley as a SEAL, right?”
“You did not just compare my job with snooping!” He stared at her with wide-eyed irritation, crossing his arms over his chest.
Throwing her hands up in front of her in a placating gesture, she said, “Don’t get your boxers in a
