He handed the notepad back and gave her a small nod. “Don’t take too long.”
Her eyes tightened fractionally as she caught the dire warning behind the words. She nodded to them and then to her guard who gestured them toward the doors. Visiting time was over.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“What are you doing?” Dave asked as he reentered the inn’s double room from the bathroom.
Jayden looked up from his laptop. “Preparing for the test.”
Dave pulled the towel off his wet hair and frowned. “Test?”
“Mmmhmm. Two, actually, if I am not mistaken.”
Dave sat on his own bed and gave his dripping hair another vigorous scrub with the towel. His green-blue eyes seemed to be lost in thought but then they widened.
“I see! Or at least, I think I do,” He glanced at Jay. “You think that Ms. Carmichael might have a few points to run by you to see what you will make of them. A final hurdle before she hires you.”
Jay chuckled. “I have to say I like your confidence that we’ll be hired.”
Dave’s lips twitched. “Well, you are the great Jayden Roe after all. Even before the whole Goldstein thing, you were widely known and sought after.”
He seemed to realize that he had said something a bit cringe worthy, but Jay only pointed at the laptop Dave had been given upon joining. “You’d better brush up too. I’m not the only one that’ll get picked on tomorrow.”
Dave’s eyebrows rose. “But I’m no one. Just your apprentice. Not noteworthy at all.”
“And yet Ms. Carmichael remembered your name, despite that you only said it once and weren’t even talking to her at the time.”
Dave tilted his head to the side. “Maybe she’s just good with names?”
“The point is that it doesn’t matter what our real dynamics or rankings actually are. What matters is Carmichael's subjective view of the world. She will see by my results that I am worthy of at least some of the hype people make over me. I have no doubt she’ll want your input too.”
“So is that what you meant by two tests?” Dave asked after a long pause. “One aimed at you and another at me?”
Jayden looked up from his screen again. “No. I think Mr. Haraby will show up too. Of course, I suppose he won’t be so much a test as a cross-examination.”
Dave gave a small laugh, then seemed to gather his courage. “Why does he hate you so much? Is it just because his daughter likes you?”
Jay hid a wince at the casual mention of Stella. He has to stay focused and not give into the voice in his mind that kept crying out that she had been gone for so long already and hope was fast dwindling. Right now, that meant preparing for Carmichael's likely test and Mr. Haraby’s assault.
He met Dave’s eyes where the man still waited for an answer. He caught a glimmer of almost desperate curiosity before the other man looked away.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re mostly right. He wants better for his daughter than me, even before my conviction, but it is more than just a father’s love. His empire has stagnated. He keeps wanting to entice strong allies into some kind of marriage alliance. Stella refuses to play ball because of me, and her prospective suitors hear my name and know better than to interfere too.” He managed a small laugh.
Dave powered on his laptop and changed the subject. “So any hints for the new guy as to what I should focus on before tomorrow?”
Jay cocked an eyebrow. “You did so well with that gossiping gaggle without my input. Let’s see what you come up with, rookie.”
Dave stared at him for a moment and then shook his head. “So really it is three tests then. At least for me.”
Jay laughed, then added seriously. “In this line of work, every day is a test. If you ever think you’ve reached the top and have no more to learn, you’re wrong.”
***
This time they entered Miranda Williams' great estate through the main gates. Jayden paid extra care to the people watching from the sidelines, especially those with cameras and notepads. He hoped Dave was doing the same, as he might spot something Jayden missed. Jay had little doubt that if the kidnapper was really playing some kind of game, as his actions with Stella’s bracelet seemed to hint at, then they would be keeping a watch on this place. Likely not in person but through one of the many eyes that were tracking his progress.
“Well, that was interesting,” Dave murmured as they turned a corner on the long footpath up to the door.
Jay raised a questioning eyebrow but didn’t take his eyes off the manservant that was leading them to Carmichael.
“There was a woman there that I am certain I have seen before. Didn’t you notice her? Dark red hair, kinda scrawny?”
Jayden nearly fell over his own feet as he attempted to both keep walking forward and turn back to the gates.
“Are you okay?” Dave asked, helping him catch his balance.
Jay ignored the question. “When did you see her before?”
“When I went to Natchitoches looking for you. She had seemed eager to know what I was asking Dr. Piers. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”
Jay forced himself to keep walking, following the servant into the main house. “Why do you say that?”
Dave shrugged. “Because she went to speak to Dr. Piers not five seconds after I had left her side.”
Jayden remained silent as the servant inquired of another where Ms. Carmichael was.
“Do you know her?” Dave asked as they were gestured to follow again.
“Perhaps.” Then he shook his head. “But now is not the time
