The P.I. Contest

“I’ve read about two of your cases in the paper,” Kate reminded her. In one instance, Lindsay had managed to locate a child rapist from the FBI’s most wanted list. In the other, more recent case, she and Nathan had prevented a big-time property developer from murdering his wife. “Pretty exciting stuff.”

“Believe me, those cases aren’t typical of our usual clientele. You won’t need to carry a gun—neither Nathan nor I do. The beauty of this job, though, is that unlike the police department, we don’t have to take every case that comes our way. We can pick and choose.”

“Tell me more.”

“Why don’t I just go through our list of open cases? Our work load right now is pretty typical.” Lindsay clicked on a file on her computer, then twisted the screen so Kate could see, too. The jobs were mostly what Kate had expected. Locating missing persons, insurance fraud, background checks.

“You can set your own hours,” Lindsay said, adding with a grin, “I can’t remember the last time I had to work the midnight shift. Plus, you’ll never see a doughnut in our office. Multigrain bagels with light cream cheese is Nathan’s idea of a treat.” She wrinkled her nose.

Kate laughed. “Where do I sign?”

“Start with this.” Lindsay handed her a sheet of paper on a clipboard with a pen. “It’s a standard job application. Fill it out, then we’ll meet with Nathan and Jay in the boardroom.”

“Nathan and Jay?”

“We decided we’d have a roundtable discussion. It was my idea. I figured you’d really shine if Nathan had a chance to compare you directly to Jay.”

Kate wasn’t so sure, but she couldn’t admit to being fazed. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”

“We won’t be making our final decision until later.” Lindsay raked her fingers through her straight blond hair. “And don’t worry. Nathan’s a reasonable man…as you well know. In the end, he’ll be forced to concede that you are far more qualified than his friend.”

That made sense, Kate decided. She could see how Nathan was obligated to at least give Jay Savage a hearing. She sat down and began filling in the empty spaces, while Lindsay resumed work at her keyboard.

When she had the form completed, Kate passed it back to Lindsay.

Lindsay scanned it quickly. “Great. I’ll call Nathan and let him know we’re ready.”

While Lindsay was on the phone, Kate popped a throat lozenge. Over the past couple of days she’d developed a tickle in her throat and she hoped she wasn’t coming down with a cold. But given all she’d been through lately, she wouldn’t be surprised if her immune system had quit on her.

“We’re ready. You, too? Good.” Lindsay disconnected the call, then stood. “Let’s go get ’em, Kate.”

“You bet.” Kate held her head high as she followed Lindsay from her office to a room down the hall. They settled into chairs and Kate took quick stock of her surroundings. Like the rest of the office, the conference room was modern, minimalistic and monotone. On the wall were some odd-looking black-and-white photographs. After a few seconds, Kate realized they were close-ups of paper clips.

A moment later Nathan and Jay entered the room. Kate had hoped to discover that Jay’s physical presence wasn’t as impressive as she’d thought, but to her dismay, she felt the same jolt at seeing him the second time.

She tried to focus on Nathan, who had a warm, boy-next-door appeal that was much easier to handle. Though he looked to be as fit and agile as ever, his true strength lay in his brilliant mind. His new glasses only added to his charm.

Nadine appeared briefly to offer a choice of beverages. Kate opted for water, and once everyone had been served Nadine returned to the front desk, closing the door to give them privacy.

“So,” Lindsay began. “Thank you, Kate, and Jay, for coming to talk with us today. I wish we could offer both of you a job, but unfortunately that isn’t economically feasible right now.”

“We’ll start by laying out our expectations for the position,” Nathan continued. “And then you guys can hit us with your questions.”

A knock sounded at the door, then Nadine reentered the room, looking flustered. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but a woman named Hannah Young just came in. She says she made an appointment for ten-thirty with Lindsay. She’s very adamant about not being able to wait.”

It was twenty minutes to eleven now. Kate looked at Lindsay, who was shaking her head.

“I can’t believe I forgot…” She put a hand to her chin, and her brow furrowed as she thought. A smile slowly appeared on her face. “Actually, this could be a good thing.”

“What are you thinking?” Nathan asked. “I know that look and it makes me nervous.”

“I’ve had the most brilliant idea. Nadine, tell Hannah I’ll be right out to talk to her.”

“What?” Nathan asked. “You’re just going to keep us all waiting in here?”

“Not for long. On the phone Hannah told me that her budget is very tight. I may have come up with a solution to everyone’s problems.”

THE CONFERENCE ROOM FELL uncomfortably silent, as if Lindsay had sucked out all the energy when she left the room. Kate knew Lindsay well enough to be apprehensive about this “brilliant” idea of hers. She could tell Nathan and Jay felt the same way as they exchanged nervous glances.

“She hasn’t changed, has she?” Kate asked.

“God help us all, no,” Nathan agreed. He reached across the table and snagged the form Kate had recently filled out. Her job application seemed to absorb his attention, leaving Kate and Jay with little to look at but each other since there were no windows in the room and the only art on the walls were those pictures of paper clips.

Jay smiled. He had a really warm smile. And his eyes were the darkest blue she had ever seen. He wouldn’t need to ask witnesses a single question, Kate thought. They would just talk.

She blinked, thinking of another man’s smile, and all that it had been hiding. “So you’re a pilot?”

“I am.”

He was her competition. She might as well get to know him. “What do you fly?”

“Most recently Boeing 777s. But I’ve retired.”

“So you want to shift from flying planes to private investigating?”

He nodded, as if it were the most usual career path anyone could imagine. “And I hear you used to work for the NYPD?”

“That’s right.” He had to realize how unmatched their qualifications were, but he didn’t look worried in the least.

She had to admit, the guy had balls.

Lindsay flew back into the room then, with a young woman in tow.

“I’d like you to meet Hannah Young.” Lindsay made her way around the room with introductions, then pulled out a chair for Hannah.

Kate took careful stock of the new client, who looked to be in her mid-twenties. Hannah was an attractive woman, dressed in a cheaply tailored skirt and blazer. She was a little hesitant about making eye contact, but her smile was pleasant. Her jewelry was silver—modest studs in her ears and a collection of rings on various fingers. The one on her wedding finger had a tiny diamond.

“Hannah and her husband are hoping to start a family,” Lindsay began. She kept talking, but suddenly Kate couldn’t focus.

Hannah was at least five years younger than she was, and here she was, married and about to have babies. Kate couldn’t help but feel a deep, illogical jealousy.

If her relationship with Conner had worked out, if he had been the man she’d thought he was, she would have been in Hannah’s position soon. Trying to get pregnant. Planning her maternity leave.

Now her dream of children seemed totally out of reach. She’d always thought she would have her first baby at thirty and she was already thirty-two.

Worst of all, the very idea of dating someone new was enough to make her ill.

“So what do you think?” Hannah asked. “Can your firm help us?”