“Because he isn’t here. He has never come here. How can he expect to pick up a trail when he won’t come to the place it begins?”
Haraby froze a moment and then a sickly smile tilted his lips. “Maybe he is better than you and doesn’t need to break into Ms. Williams’ home.”
“Ah. Is that why you are here for him then? I believe that is what you were asking Ms. Carmichael about when I arrived.”
Haraby’s hands jerked into tight fists, but the flash of rage passed. “If you ever come to regret entangling yourself with this self-righteous ass, remember that I told you so, Ms. Carmichael.”
Jay breathed out all his annoyance and frustration as he watched Mr. Haraby stalk from the room. He turned back slowly, keeping his eyes averted, hoping to catch some of Ms. Carmichael's true reaction.
As he had guessed, while Dave was shaking his head with what looked like equal parts sympathy and anger on his face, she was nursing a tiny triumphant smile. As soon as he had turned back fully, it was replaced with a shallow sigh and a resigned shake of the head.
She caught him watching and tilted her head to the side. “I apologize if I came off a bit rough. He’s been harassing me by email and phone for weeks. His personal visit was simply the last straw.”
Jay said nothing, but Dave spoke up. “Why not help him though? I mean, surely you didn’t need us to tell you that if two people vanish together, tracking one might help find both.”
Ms. Carmichael stared at Dave for a moment as if he had just said something absurd, but then shrugged. “Force of habit, I guess. I’ve been covering for Miranda for so long I decided not to tell him anything if he couldn’t tell me who he had hired.”
Jay’s brow furrowed. “He refused to tell you the name of his P.I.? Why?”
Ms. Carmichael gave a short laugh. “Probably because I said that once I had the name, I would look him up and ensure he was the best. If not, I would reach out for the best instead.”
Jay smothered his own laugh. “Yes, I can see why that might have rubbed him up the wrong way.”
Jay took his opportunity as he felt Ms. Carmichael was at ease. moving round the desk so that he could loom over her. “Now, let's get to the point, Ms. Carmichael. You had something to do with your Miranda William’s disappearance, and I want to know the full story. So why don’t we just get that part out the way first?”
Ms. Carmichael’s eyes darted to Dave as if in plea to back her up, but Dave only tilted his head to the side, silently reiterating the question.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said stubbornly. “And I will—”
“You will what?” Jay asked, his tone and expression unyielding. “I’m sure you’re in on this from the very beginning so don’t start now.”
Ms. Carmichael’s wide eyes gave Jay a half smile. Her reaction made him know he had hit the nail on the head.
“Why not rather tell me who you planned this with so that I can get out of your face and make sure you don’t go down as an accessory to murder?”
With no help forthcoming, she turned her head slowly to meet Jay’s hard gaze full on.
“Fine. But only after you sign this.” She pulled out a sheet of paper from a drawer and laid it on the table for him.
He looked at the contract and smiled. Once he was officially hired, the game would well and truly be underway. Jay read quickly and, finding nothing to trouble him, signed and passed it over to Dave. He didn’t bother reading and signed too.
Jay kept his focus on Ms. Carmichael. “There you go. Start talking.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Bridgette Carmichael had spent the first twenty minutes explaining exactly why she had snapped. Why her tolerance for Miranda’s careless lifestyle had reached an end.
“Nothing had worked. She just didn’t seem to care. She believed her money would buy her out of every situation.”
Jay said nothing, nor did he move back. Ms. Carmichael cast him a half frightened look and moved on quickly.
“At first, it was just meant to scare her. To make her believe that some people wouldn’t care how much she could offer.”
Jayden clicked his tongue as she seemed about to plow into another twenty minute tale with little bearing on their needs. “Look, Ms. Carmichael, I know you want to seem redeemable to us, but that is neither here nor there. All I want is how you initially found the person you dealt with and then everything you know about them.”
“And I need you to understand why,” she countered, seeming to find a sliver of defiance from somewhere.
Jay’s eyes fell into a chilling dark gray as he bent over. “I have no interest in your motives, Ms. Carmichael. I have told you what I want. Give it to me quickly or I swear if your delay brings Stella to harm, I will do anything to ensure you have the worst life possible.”
Carmichael went a sickly greenish color under her growing pallor. Even Dave seemed taken aback by his sudden threat, but the man looked more impressed than scared.
“What shall it be, Ms. Carmichael?”
She sighed. “Fine, but don’t blame me if you feel short-changed.”
He gave her a fleeting half smile and straightened, waiting.
“I started receiving emails about two months ago. I can give you the address, but I already had my people track it and it leads nowhere. The person in them seemed to know a great deal about Miranda's many mishaps and her impending disaster. They said that if I was tired of cleaning up her
