Dark Legacy Jen Talty (all ebook reader txt) 📖

“Why is that?” Shannon studied his strong profile. She had to agree but wanted to hear his reasons.

His facial expressions didn’t change much, which she suspected he was well aware of and had done on purpose. Before he’d become a PI, he’d been a police officer, though he rarely talked about it. All she knew was that he’d been mortally wounded, somehow recovered, received a medal, and retired.

“For the way I behaved this morning.” He turned. The light from the fire reflected in his dark eyes. “I want to talk with you about why I said no. But first, I want to give you a report on your friend.”

“All right.” She shifted in her chair, trying not to appear too nervous. But given how he gave her a reassuring smile, she knew she hadn’t been successful.

“Miss Montgomery’s boss said she took a few days off work.”

“How did you know where she worked? I didn’t tell you that.” Shannon bit down on her tongue. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you have your ways.”

He chuckled. “I generally don’t tell people about cases I’m working on, but someone had already hired me to find Belinda.”

“Find? By whom?” Her voice screeched, cutting through the night like a hissing raccoon.

“My business, in a way, is similar to yours. Client confidentiality. But I’m going to break it because I think we need to work together on this one.” He shifted, taking off his cowboy hat and setting it on the chair next to him.

“What exactly does that mean?” She fiddled with her necklace, her heart fluttering like a hummingbird hovering over a bird feeder.

“I’m at a loss with this one, and I need you to help me find her.” He ran a hand through his hair. “As a private investigator, I would have come knocking on your door tomorrow morning anyway.”

Shannon swallowed. “I can’t tell you anything,” she said. “I shouldn’t have even asked you to look for her.”

“We can pretend that you didn’t. Now, please. Find a way to give me something. She didn’t go home last Thursday, and the last people to see her were a few tellers at her place of business. We are at a dead end. Her roommate is filing a missing person’s report, so we hope we get something on that, but I’m not putting my money on it.”

“That’s not good.” Shannon chugged the rest of her wine before pouring another glass. “I’m going to assume that my name will get brought into this somehow, and I’ll be getting a visit from the police.” She folded her feet under her butt and then turned her head to catch his stare. “You mentioned that her employer said she had taken some time off. So, why the missing person’s report?”

“Because what I’ve found out doesn’t add up. Her boss said she went on a trip with her boyfriend. Her roommate said she and her boyfriend broke up.”

“I see,” Shannon said.

He tipped his glass. “That’s all you have to say on the subject? What about her roommate? Did they get along?”

Shannon shook her head. “We need to stop this line of discussion. I won’t break doctor-patient confidentiality unless I’m handed a subpoena, and that isn’t going to happen on a missing person’s case unless foul play is suspected.”

“That’s true. But I’ll be honest, I’ve got a bad feeling about this one.” He held her gaze for a long moment and then leaned back in his chair.

“If you have information that clearly shows she’s in danger, I might be able to help more, but if you can’t, then we’re stuck in a situation where I can’t comment on certain things.”

“Will you let me know if the police come knocking on your door?” Jackson closed his eyes, remaining still.

“I will call you if that happens.” She continued studying him, but he didn’t give up any of his tells. Nope. He remained still. Quiet. He barely moved, other than to drink his wine, and even then, he gave nothing away.

He laughed. “You might consider being a little more subtle when you’re sizing someone up.”

“When people walk into my office, they expect me to shrink them. They try to deflect and use body language they learned on television or in a book. It never works.”

“We’re not in your office.” He shifted in his chair and looked her in the eye. “And you do this every time we talk.”

“Hazard of the job.” She shrugged.

“And what have you concluded?”

“You’re an enigma.”

His laugh cut through the thick air. “Perhaps I am. But I also frighten you,” he said.

“What makes you say that?” She pinched the silver pendant between her fingers. He’d nailed that one, but she wondered if he knew why he utterly terrified her.

“You’re playing with your necklace. You do that when you’re uncomfortable, and you seem to always do that around me.”

She dropped her hand into her lap. “It’s not you I’m afraid of. But I will admit, I was scared to tell you about my daughter. Only a couple of people know. It’s not something I talk about.”

“I understand. And again, I’m sorry about the way I reacted.”

She squirmed, sitting on her hand to keep from fiddling with her necklace. “Sorry enough that you’ll take my case?”

“I have a personal reason for not wanting to take it,” he said. His right eye twitched, and for the first time since she’d known him, his voice rose an octave.

“What’s that?”

“I was adopted,” he said, reaching out his hand and placing it on her arm. “Meeting my birth mother ended badly.”

“I had no idea you were adopted.” She shrugged his hand away, feeling patronized.

He cocked his head. “Do you want to hear why I don’t want to take your case?”

Shannon nodded.

“Her motives weren’t in my best interests and only served herself. She didn’t care about me or my feelings. And she didn’t care about my parents or my sisters. It affected my entire family. That’s why I generally recommend a friend in these types of cases.”

“I don’t want to work