An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [58]
He followed her into the bedroom. “Would you like me to rub your temples?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“You’d do that?”
He seemed surprised by her question. “Of course. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“Oh, Alek,” she moaned.
“Come,” he said, sitting on their bed, his back against the headboard, his legs stretched out. “Rest your head on me and I’ll massage your forehead. Would you like me to sing to you again?” He reached for the light at the side of the bed and turned it off.
“Please.” The meaning of the words he was singing was beyond her, but she loved the deep, melodic sound of his voice. As he sang, his nimble fingers gently soothed the throbbing pain in her head. She was sleepy when he finished. Lifting her head from his lap, he began to leave her. It was then that Julia realized how much she wanted him to stay.
“Don’t go,” she pleaded softly. “Come to bed with me.”
“For a few minutes,” he agreed with obvious reluctance. He undressed in the dark and slipped beneath the sheets, then gathered her in his arms.
Alek held her for a long time and she savored these moments of closeness as the warmth of his love stole over her. Alek alleviated the feelings of abandonment and loss she’d felt since Roger’s betrayal, since her father’s death and now her grandmother’s. He loved her as no man ever had.
Julia was restless. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t sit still. Then again, she could. It was only natural to be nervous, considering the phone call she’d received earlier that morning. It had been a week since Jerry had hired Rich Peck and now Rich had phoned wanting to give them his first weekly report. Since Jerry was out for the afternoon, Julia had agreed to meet with the investigator herself.
Virginia announced his arrival and Peck entered her office. He was tall and wiry, and much younger than she’d expected. Perhaps thirty, if that.
“Hello,” he said, stepping forward and shaking her hand.
“Please sit down,” Julia invited.
He took the chair on the other side of her desk. “This Stanhope fellow is an interesting character,” he began. “I’ve been tailing him for nearly a week. I managed to get photos of just about everyone he’s met. My guess is that whoever’s leaking information to him is a woman. Once you get a look at the photographs you’ll understand why. He’s quite the ladies’ man.”
This wasn’t news to Julia.
Rich brought out a folder thick with photographs, reached for a small pad and flipped through the first couple of pages.
“He had several business lunches, as best as I can tell. Although we’ve got a twenty-four-hour tail on him, there are certain periods of time we can’t account for.”
“I see. Do you think he knows he’s being followed?”
Rich snickered. “The guy hasn’t got a clue. He’s way too arrogant. He lives on the edge, too. I talked to his landlady and learned he’s two months behind on his rent. It’s happened before. His credit rating’s so full of holes he couldn’t get a loan if his life depended on it.”
“What about his position with Ideal Paints? Is that secure?”
“Who knows? From what I’ve been able to find out, he doesn’t have many friends. He seems to get along all right on the job. As for what he does with his money, that isn’t hard to figure out. The guy goes out with a different woman every night. He seems to get his kicks showing off what a stud he is.”
This, too, didn’t come as any surprise to Julia. Roger liked to refer to himself as a “party animal.”
“Go ahead and look through those photos and see if there’s anyone you recognize. Take your time. I’ve got them stacked according to the day of the week. Thursday of this week is on top. He left his apartment about ten. He seemed to be in a hurry and got to his office around ten-fifteen. He didn’t leave again until four, and then came out a side entrance. My tail noted that