He was flicking through the numbers, deleting his old contacts when he realized he didn’t have Leah’s number or address.
“How will I contact her?” he grunted, springing from the bed.
Taking a quick shower, he was in the lounge less than ten minutes later. Anxiously, his eyes scanned the room. When he did not see her, he checked the deck as well as the dining areas. She wasn’t there. Thinking that she’d gone for another morning hike, he took a seat in the dining area and waited. After an entire day of waiting, he approached the front desk.
“What room is Miss Brooks in?” he asked the pretty brunette.
“I’m sorry sir, Miss Brooks already checked out,” she smiled.
A twinge of disappointment pricked at him. “When did she leave?”
“This morning, sir.”
“Did she leave a note or message or anything for me?” he had to ask, although he knew he was reaching.
The girl gave him a rueful smile and replied in a soft voice, “No sir, she did not leave anything for you.”
His displeasure was evident in the way he walked away. At least he knew her name. Therefore she wouldn’t be hard to find. Now he knew exactly what she looked like. Still, the fact that she left without a note made his heart ache. They had a great lunch, talking about everything. They clicked, and he knew she felt the same. He could see it in her eyes.
When Quinn decided to find the woman who saved him, he had no idea what to expect. Leah was a pleasant surprise. He’d convinced himself that all he wanted was to repay her. Meeting her was more than he’d imagined. This was the first time in many years that he’d had a meaningful conversation with a woman.
Usually he’d be bored within the first ten minutes of conversing with them. The women he knew, their discussions were usually empty and meaningless. Perhaps that was deliberate on his part since he’d refrained from getting too attached. Now, Quinn found himself intrigued with the self-assured woman named Leah.
There were two days left on his trip, nevertheless, he cancelled them and arranged to leave as soon as possible. While on the private plane back to Cupertino, he thought about Leah. Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? Although, it wasn’t his mind that started beating wildly at the thought of her. He raised a hand to his chest and rested it on his drumming heart. He could feel the heavy thudding under his palm. Nothing like that ever happened with him before. That’s when he knew he had to find her.
Quinn’s mind ran on the private investigator named Copeland. The man was an old friend of his father. Quinn had been holding off calling on him in order to allow justice to take its course. However, he was impatient that he had no clue who Leah was. He suspected that she worked in his building, but there were more than a hundred offices in that building. He would need someone to help him who could find anyone quickly.
He made the call while he was in transit to Cupertino. Copeland agreed to meet him the following morning. The PI would not only find Leah, but find out who wants him dead and why.
* * *
Leah’s first day back at work was complete chaos. One of the weddings scheduled to happen in a few days was delayed due to venue issues. The bride and groom’s parents had a falling out over the venue already booked.
The bride asked for the best hotel in the city and her fiancé had agreed. Now she learned that the groom’s father and the owner of the hotel were involved in a bitter feud. The wedding was three days away and the booking was paid for in advance. How would she find another venue on such short notice?
“Bridget?” she called her assistant into her office. “Take Cara and Mike off their respective tasks and have them call every potential venue in the city.”
“Right away,” Bridget said, rushing through the door.
“Bridget.” Her friend stopped and turned. “Call the city council about the use of the park. I will see if the Cali Mall Plaza is available.”
“Cali Mall?”
“Yes, the area at the fountain is beautiful at night.” Her office line buzzed and she answered. “Hello.”
It was Cara. “There’s a Detective Lawson here to see you, Miss Brooks.”
“Thank you. Please send him in,” she replied, wondering what that was about.
“I’ll get right to that venue hunting now,” Bridget said as she exited the office.
She stood as the man entered the room. He was about mid-forties, a slightly rounded belly and sharp eyes. His eyes traveled around the room before landing on her. She gave her best smile and indicated a chair.
“How can I be of assistance, officer?” she asked.
“I’m the detective in charge of Quinn Harrison’s case. You are acquainted with Mr. Harrison, I presume?”
Oh crap. Leah inwardly groaned. The police found her. She had hoped they wouldn’t need her statement. That had been a silly notion since she was likely the only witness they had. She resolved herself to the situation and spoke calmly to the man.
“We’ve only met once, after the incident. Before that, I never met him.”
“Can you tell me in your own words what happened that night?” He asked. At her questioning stare, he added. “We have it on CCTV, but we need a statement from you, the witness.”
“I never saw anything. When I got to the garage, he was lying on the ground,” she paused as she recollected that night. “There was a lot of blood. I was so scared, that the person who did it might return.”
“I’m sorry to put you through this Miss, but it is procedure,” Lawson replied. “Was there anything you noticed about the surroundings?”
“It was strange, that the security guard didn’t check in once while I waited for the ambulance.”
Lawson looked at her intently. She could not read his expression. This would be one of the first things the police would check … wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t they consult the security personnel first after an incident such as this?
“You may be on to something,” he said. “When you met Mr. Harrison, did he say anything to you about who might have done this?”
Leah was a little bewildered about the question. “On the contrary, he never brought up the subject and I didn’t think it was my place to ask.”
“Are you sure that nothing in your conversation might have hinted at the attack?”
With a shake of her head, she replied. “All he wanted was to repay me.”
“Yes,” the detective chuckled. “Harrison has been bugging me to find you, says you smell like flowers.”
Leah was surprised. “What?”
“The victim said you smelled like flowers – he couldn’t tell what kind. Couldn’t stop talking about how your perfume kept him alive,” Lawson said. “And your eyes, I swear, he thought you were some angel from heaven. Now seeing you, I don’t blame him.”
The mood in the room changed and Leah looked away. The way the detective was now raking his eyes over her made her skin crawl. Those sharp eyes settled on her breasts, causing her to squirm in her chair. The blouse she wore had a high neck with a teardrop slit at the cleavage. That’s where he affixed his gaze. To ease the discomfort, she coughed and rose from her chair.
“Would you like something to drink, Detective?” she asked, turning her back and walking to her left where a mini fridge and cabinet were.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
Leah poured herself some water and took a sip in a bid to compose herself. Nothing could be done about what she was wearing and she couldn’t stop his eyes from straying. However, she hoped he would get the message and stop ogling her the way he had been. When she turned, he was on his feet.
“Well, thank you for your time, Miss Brooks.”
He stretched his hand out. Leah was hesitant to take it. They shook and bade each other farewell. His eyes never once returned to her cleavage. Before he went through the door, he handed her his card.
“Please feel free to call me if you happen to remember anything else.”
She smiled. “I will, Detective.”
Returning to her desk, the conversation with the detective played over in her mind. Quinn didn’t strike her as the type of man to obsess about a woman. To her, Quinn’s obsession was due to her saving him and nothing more. He would as soon forget her and the way she smelled.