Hot On His Trail

“I thought you had enough to worry about.”

“Please don’t shut me out, Dylan. If I have to lie here and do nothing for the next three months, I’ll go completely stir-crazy.”

“Well, you can’t go out on assignment, and we have to find Matt Radcliffe.”

“I think I just said that,” Lily observed ruefully. Matt Radcliffe was a beneficiary in the late Violet Mitchum’s will. Widow of wealthy horse rancher and oilman Charles Mitchum, Violet had lived in a Victorian monstrosity in Pinto, Texas, until her death. Finders Keepers had been retained to find the three outstanding beneficiaries among the eight people named in Violet’s will. They’d successfully located Sara Pierce and Jillian Salvini, but Matt Radcliffe had proven more elusive.

Dylan sat on the edge of her bed. “Actually, we do have a lead. Our little gift to his mother finally paid off.”

Lily sat further up in bed, her interest piqued. “Where is he?”

“Somewhere in New Mexico,” Dylan replied.

“That sounds a little vague.”

“Exactly. That’s why we need someone to go out in the field and track him down. I can’t do it because of—”

“Julie,” Lily finished for him. The wife of Dylan’s best friend, Sebastian Cooper, had disappeared after a car-jacking over a year ago. Her brother’s concern for the missing Julie Cooper had almost turned into an obsession, although lately he didn’t seem as tense about her disappearance as he had been for the last few months. Had he gotten a lead on her? Or just finally given up hope of ever finding her?

Dylan gave a short nod. “I also want to stay close to home in case you need me.”

Lily leaned back against the pillows, feeling useless. But maybe there was something she could do. “Let me interview Calley Graham.”

“That’s not necessary. I’ve already hired someone for the job.”

She blinked. “Then why is this Graham woman here for an interview?”

He raked one hand through his brown hair. “Because I forgot to tell Carolyn to cancel the interview.”

Lily wasn’t surprised, given how distracted her brother had been recently. Which was further proof that he needed Lily’s help. “It’s really not fair to send Calley Graham away now. The least you can do is interview her, or let me do it.”

“Why? I’ve already as much as promised the job to a man named Simms. I still need to conduct a face-to-face interview with him, but that’s just a formality. He’s a retired cop with a résumé a mile long.”

“We could send them both out into the field,” Lily suggested. “Double our chances of finding Matt Radcliffe.”

Dylan stood up. “That means we’ll have to pay twice as much, too.”

She smiled as another idea occurred to her. “Not if we make it a contest. The first one to find Matt Radcliffe and bring him back to Texas wins the job. We’d pay expenses, of course, but no salary until the winner is hired.”

Dylan stared at her for a long moment, then grinned. “I see pregnancy hasn’t affected your brain cells. You’re still as devious as ever.”

She laughed. “I believe the word you’re looking for is creative.”

“So what happens if this Graham woman and Simms both decline our not-so-generous offer?”

She arched a brow. “Would you?”

“Not a chance. I never back down from a challenge.”

“Neither would I,” Lily affirmed. “We want someone with guts and tenacity to work for Finders Keepers. Someone who won’t give up when he, or she, runs out of leads.” She settled back against the pillows with a satisfied sigh. “The more I think about this idea, the more I like it.”

“Me, too,” Dylan agreed. “Once we find Radcliffe, I can finally make arrangements for Violet’s memorial service.”

“Then let’s stop wasting time,” Lily replied. “Send Calley Graham in here. Let’s find out how much she really wants this job.”

* * *

DYLAN SENT Calley Graham to Lily’s room, then shut himself in his office. Now that the matter of finding Radcliffe was being handled, he could concentrate on gathering evidence against his best friend.

His gaze drifted to one of the framed photographs on his wall. Taken when they were all in college, it showed him and Sebastian Cooper laughing together, their arms draped around Julie, who stood between them. Despite their lengthy friendship, Julie had always stood between them. Dylan had fallen in love with her when he was a junior at Texas A&M, but it was Sebastian she’d chosen to marry.

He’d truly wanted Sebastian and Julie to be happy together. Had grieved with Sebastian when Julie had gone missing after an apparent car-jacking last year.

And had been stunned when he’d finally discovered the truth.

Julie had run away, in fear for her life and that of her unborn child. Dylan had finally tracked her down in the tiny town of Cactus Creek, Texas. She’d given birth to a son in September. A boy she’d named Thomas. But that wasn’t the biggest surprise. She’d told Dylan that Sebastian had ties to the mob. All she lacked was the evidence to prove it.

So Dylan had vowed to find the evidence, even though some part of him still didn’t want to believe that Sebastian could be capable of that kind of duplicity. But there was only one way to find out.

He flipped through the Rolodex on his desk, searching for the number of Zach Logan, who had been his chief in the Dallas Police Department. If anyone would be keeping tabs on the local organized crime ring, it would be Zach. Especially since he’d been instrumental in sending its leader, J. B. Crowe, to prison last spring.

Dylan picked up the telephone.

* * *

CALLEY WAS SURPRISED to find herself directed to Lily Bishop’s spacious bedroom rather than Dylan Garrett’s office. She had prepared herself to face a man for this job interview, not the thoughtful, intuitive young woman who studied her now.

Lily’s jet-black hair contrasted sharply against the snow-white pillow cases. Despite the fact that she was confined to bed, Lily looked nothing like an invalid. She flipped quickly through the pages of Calley’s résumé, her mouth pursed in concentration.

“Your résumé is a little thin,” Lily said at last.

“What I lack in experience, I make up for in creativity,” Calley replied. She’d planned to sugarcoat her answers to Dylan Garrett, but she instinctively knew such a strategy wouldn’t work with his sister.

Lily laid the résumé on her lap. “That’s good to hear, because at the moment we’re working on a tough case. Sit down and I’ll tell you about it.”

Calley gratefully took a chair next to the bed, her knees feeling a little shaky. She wanted this job so badly. Needed it, if she was ever to venture out on her own.

“The man we’re searching for is Matthew Radcliffe. He’s a beneficiary in Violet Mitchum’s will. Along with a monetary gift, he’s to receive one of Violet’s rings and a sealed letter from her.” Lily handed Calley an old photo. “He was twelve when this picture was taken. That’s also the age he was the last time Violet saw him.”

Calley studied the photo of a tall, lanky boy riding bareback on a dappled horse. His cowboy hat shaded his face, but she could see the proud set of his thin shoulders and the confident way he held the reins.

“Matt’s mother was the Mitchums’ housekeeper,” Lily continued. “He was born and raised on the Mitchum ranch. At least until the fire.”

“Fire?” Calley asked, her gaze still on the photo. She wished she could see his face.

“The Mitchums lived in a Victorian house just outside of Pinto that Charles Mitchum built for his wife in the fifties. There was a fire twenty years ago that destroyed a large part of the structure. It was after this fire that Matt and his mother, Rita, disappeared.”

“What about his father?” Calley asked.