1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [52]
“I’ll make sure I do a thorough search,” Roy promised.
“Good.”
With that, Bellamy was out the door, seemingly eager to escape. No sooner had he left the office than Corrie got up from her desk.
“What did he want this time?” she asked, her eyes narrow with suspicion. She stood in his doorway, her arms folded.
Okay, the guy was arrogant and demanding, but he wasn’t the first client who’d behaved that way. Roy didn’t know why his wife found Bellamy so objectionable. “He wants me to do a background check on someone.”
Corrie made a snorting sound.
“I realize you don’t like him.”
“I have a bad feeling about him,” she said. “A bad vibe, as we used to say.” She looked at him earnestly. “You’ve always been particular about the cases you accept. Even when I don’t like one of our clients, I’ve never expressed my opinion.”
Roy cocked his eyebrows.
“Fine. Maybe I have…occasionally. Bellamy pays his bills on time, which is good, but if it were up to me—and I know it isn’t—I’d steer clear of him.”
“Apparently his daughter eloped a few weeks ago and he’s afraid the young man married Lori for her money.” Roy stood and walked over to his wife’s side. “Lori married Lincoln Wyse. I think he might be Mary Jo’s brother.”
Frowning, Corrie met his eyes. “He is.”
“I told Bellamy that was possible and I said it might cause a conflict of interest, but he didn’t care. He wants me for the job.”
“I’ve met Lori and Linc,” she said, her frown deepening. “They’re a sweet couple. I refuse to believe Linc married her because she’s related to Leonard Bellamy.”
“I’ll find out soon enough,” Roy said.
Corrie returned to the front office and Roy sat down at his desk again. He was logging on to his computer to begin the search when Corrie came back. “I still don’t think you should take this case.”
“Really?” he said, leaning back in his chair. He linked his fingers behind his head and regarded his wife. “And why is that?”
Corrie seemed flustered. “He…he wants you to dig up something damaging. If you don’t, he’ll believe you didn’t do your job.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” she snapped.
Actually, it was. Roy suspected Bellamy was hoping Roy would come up with a divorce or two or perhaps a bankruptcy, just to prove to his daughter how wrong she was.
“I told him I’d take the job,” Roy said, and he was a man of his word.
“Then untell him.”
“I can’t do that.” If he accepted a job, then he intended to follow through—and he’d conduct his investigation with integrity. At the same time, he’d never seen his wife this adamant about a case.
“I had a feeling you were going to say that,” Corrie said with a deep sigh of resignation. “I hope you don’t regret this.”
Roy waited until she’d left the office and closed the door. When he was fairly sure she wasn’t listening, he reached for his phone and dialed his son’s cell.
“Hi, Dad.” Call display was a marvelous thing, Roy mused.
“Hi, Mack.”
“What can I do for you?” Mack asked.
Roy got right to the point. “What do you know about Linc Wyse?”
“Linc Wyse,” Mack repeated. “Mary Jo’s brother?”
“Yeah.”
“Salt of the earth. Honest as the day is long. And other assorted clichés. He’s a good guy.”
“He’s married to Lori Bellamy?”
“Yeah.”
“Does he love her?”
“He married her, didn’t he?”
Roy smiled. “Men marry for reasons other than love.”
“Not Linc. He’s not like that.” Mack spoke with certainty. “You didn’t say why you’re asking.”
“You’re right, I didn’t.” He rarely approached family with business matters but he felt Mack’s judgment about people was reliable. “Thanks. You told me what I needed to know.”
“That’s all you wanted?”
“That’s it,” Roy answered. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem.”
As Roy disconnected, he grinned. He’d look into Linc Wyse’s background, but he doubted he’d find anything that would satisfy Leonard Bellamy’s hunger for negative information. Roy acknowledged he’d derive some pleasure from that when he made his report.
Fourteen
After three straight days of rain, the sun broke out shortly after noon on Saturday.
Mary Jo