Gareth walked into the office, his smile immediately landing on Katelyn sitting behind her desk. Before he had a chance to speak, her eyes cut over to the man sitting in the waiting area.

“Your appointment is here, Mr. Harrison,” she said, her professional smile in place.

As Gareth and the man moved to the office, Katelyn went back to work. Gareth had shown her how to investigate for clues in a bank statement and she was searching Mrs. Milstone’s accounts. Hearing a noise, she looked up as a large, tattooed man came through the door carrying a wooden folding screen.

“Jason!” she called out, clapping her hands at the delivery. “Oh, I’m so glad you don’t need that!”

Jason Boswell was one of the new residents of Baytown, deciding to relocate after he left the Navy. Having no family to return home to, he had made a ride up the east coast on his motorcycle, stopping at the little town and deciding to plant roots. He bought the old auto mechanic shop in town and reopened it. He also leased the store next to it to open his tattoo parlor.

Even though the tattoo shop was not open yet, Jason was kind enough to let them look around while he worked on getting things up and running. Jillian and Katelyn had been inside, trying to decide on tattoo patterns, when Katelyn noticed an old, carved, wooden screen in the corner. Jason did not want the heavy, ornate screen and was willing to sell it to Katelyn for Gareth’s office.

“No problem,” he grinned. “Where do you want it?”

Katelyn jumped up and moved from behind her desk, beginning to move the few client chairs to the side. “I want to create a wall here so that when a client has to wait, they don’t feel like they are on display inside a PI’s office, since anyone on the street can look in.”

Nodding, Jason said, “Good thinking. It gives them some privacy.”

He set the screen up where she indicated and stood back as she observed the now divided room.

“Oh, that won’t work. I still need to be able to see the clients.” Turning for a moment, she cast her appraising gaze around the space. “Okay, let’s move it over here.”

Easily lifting the heavy screen, Jason placed it in the new position, part of it in front of the plate glass window in front and angled to be a partial room divider. He grinned as Katelyn squealed in satisfaction. “Perfect!” Standing on her toes, she placed a kiss on Jason’s cheek, laughing as a blush spread across his face.

The sound of a throat clearing from behind had the pair turn quickly to see Gareth scowling as the client stood behind him. “My assistant will receipt your retainer,” he said, and Katelyn smiled at the man, ushering him to her desk.

Gareth walked over and eyed the screen before swinging his gaze to Jason. “I suppose Katelyn asked you to bring this over?”

Jason smiled long and lazy, staring at his friend. “Yeah, she was in the shop and saw this antique screen. I didn’t want it so I sold it to her. She said this area needed a way to provide clients some privacy.”

Lips tightening, Gareth felt the sting of jealousy. “Y’all must have had a nice long talk to have covered that much information.”

Laughing, Jason clapped Gareth on the back. “Calm down, I’ve got no interest in your…um…assistant.”

Realizing he looked foolish, Gareth shook his head. Sticking his hand out, he said, “Sorry, man. I guess I’m acting like a jerk.”

“No worries. If I had a woman like Katelyn, I’d be pissing on my turf too.”

“I’m not so sure she’d appreciate me marking my territory,” Gareth joked, “and well…she’s not technically mine.”

“You working on it?” Jason asked, his pierced eyebrow lifting.

Nodding, Gareth watched as Katelyn said goodbye to the client, and confirmed, “Yeah, I am.”

“Good enough,” Jason said with a grin. Offering a head jerk in goodbye, he moved back out through the door.

Now alone, Katelyn scrunched her nose as she stared at Gareth. “Is the screen okay? I bought it from Jason and if you really don’t like it, I can take it home.”

Walking over to her, Gareth smiled down at the dark-haired beauty. “I like it. In fact, I like all the changes you’ve made to the office, but you’ve got to stop spending your money.”

Shrugging, she replied, “The pictures on the wall are just on loan from Jillian and I knew I could use the screen if you hated it.” Staring up into his face, she added, “I just thought it would make the reception area more comfortable for clients. The ones I’ve met so far are either nervous about needing your services or they’re pissed that they need your services…either way, I thought this would be nice.”

“You don’t have to convince me about the changes. I like them.” Looking at the clock on the wall, he said, “Do you want to go grab some lunch?”

Furrowing her brow, she said, “I don’t think we’ll have time. I just made an appointment for a woman who is coming in to see you in half an hour. By the way, what did the last client need?”

The two walked back toward his office and settled comfortably into their chairs. Gareth liked the feeling of having someone to talk to about his cases. “He needs some basic security at his business. He suspects one of his employees is stealing from him so I’m going to assist him.”

“Wouldn’t that be something for the police?”

“Not yet. He has no proof and, well, our police staff is stretched thin as it is. So sometimes I help in the investigation stage. Once we determine someone is stealing, then we’ll turn it over to Mitch.”

Nodding her understanding, she said, “You want me to order something from the pub for lunch?”

“Sure. Get some money out of petty cash.”

Laughing, she reminded, “Hey, I’m part owner, remember? You can get my special discount!”

* * *

Katelyn watched their next client enter the office, observing her as she nervously glanced around. Dressed in a stylish, dark wool coat, she patted her dark, slightly wind-blown hair back into place after removing her gloves and stuffing them into her purse.

Katelyn stood immediately, greeting her as she approached. “Mrs. Berry? Hello, I’m Katelyn MacFarlane.”

A warm smile met hers as Mrs. Berry nodded. “Yes, I’m Eleanor Berry. Nice to meet you.” She glanced around again and added, “This office is very nice. I was afraid of what I might find…I’ve never been to a private investigator before.”

Just then Gareth walked from the back and shook her hand, saying, “Well, hopefully we can exceed your expectations. Do you mind if Ms. MacFarlane sits in with us?”

“No, no, not at all,” Eleanor agreed, her eyes pleading.

“This way, please,” Gareth said, leading the way into the second office. Once settled with the coffee Katelyn brought in, he waited until she picked up her notepad and turned to Eleanor. “Now, Mrs. Berry, how may we help you?”

“Call me Eleanor, please,” she began. Looking down at her hands twisting her purse strap, she sucked in her lips for a moment before lifting her face. “I’m sorry…this is really hard.”

“Please, just take your time,” he responded and watched as Katelyn reached over and patted Eleanor’s hand. The motion appeared to relax their client, who swallowed deeply before speaking.

“I need help finding my husband.”

Her words hung between them for a moment and Gareth remained quiet, knowing most people talked to fill the silence. His eyes cut over to Katelyn and, with a minuscule shake of his head, he warned her to stay quiet as well.

“Uh…well…he’s lost.” Clearing her throat, Eleanor clarified, “Well, lost to me. I don’t know where he is.”

Gareth watched a blush cross Eleanor’s face, embarrassment infusing her words. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“He left for work last Friday and hasn’t come home. He told me he had a business trip to meet with a client in D.C. and was going to take the weekend to have his meeting and then play golf with some friends. He was supposed to get in late on Sunday.” Shrugging, she blushed again. “I went to bed on Sunday night, but yesterday morning he wasn’t there when I woke up. And he hasn’t been home and doesn’t answer his phone. So, I called his office and talked to William…uh…William Maskey, one of Walter’s accountants.”

Swallowing a sip of coffee, Eleanor’s hand shook as she set the cup back down on the table. Licking her bottom lip, she stared at the cup for a long minute. Lifting her gaze back to Gareth, she said, “William said he was surprised because last week Walter told him that he and I were going to take a weekend trip. They weren’t even expecting him until Tue…uh…this morning.” Shaking her head, she said, “Lordy, I’m so turned around, I can’t remember what day it is.”

“Have you spoken with the local police?”

“No…not yet. I thought maybe I misunderstood when he was supposed to come back from his trip. I did call the hospitals and the state police, but he hasn’t been injured or in a car accident.” Lifting her hand to rub her forehead, she said, “I…oh, this seems crazy.”

Gaining a slight nod from Gareth, Katelyn patted Eleanor’s hand once again. “Mrs. Berry, sometimes it’s easier to just start at the beginning. We’ll just listen to the whole story and then we can ask specific questions.”

Offering a slight smile toward her, Eleanor sucked in a deep breath and began. “My husband, Walter Berry, is an accountant and we live about twenty miles north of here. We’ve been married for almost twenty-two years…um…no children.” Wincing, she swallowed nervously before continuing.

“His office is actually in Norfolk and he commutes about an hour every day. We’ve been happy…I suppose every wife says that, doesn’t she? At least I thought we were. I’ve never been suspicious, but I began to notice that over the last six months he’s had numerous late nights, supposedly meeting with clients.”

“Is this new behavior?” Gareth asked.

Shaking her head, Eleanor replied, “No, not really. He was a member of the Rotary Club, several professional accounting organizations, some organizations in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, and of course The Dunes Golf Club here in town. But he generally would ask me to accompany him to his more social meetings. Then, slowly, he began to make excuses. Like, ‘oh, you don’t need to drive up tonight’, or ‘It’ll be a late night so you stay home and rest’…things like that.”

“Do you work outside the home, Mrs. Berry?” Katelyn asked.

Blushing, Eleanor said, “I’m embarrassed to tell you that I don’t. I have a business degree but Walter felt that, unless I really wanted to work, he preferred that I didn’t. I was always available for dinner parties, or to host events for our clients or the clubs. I suppose that he liked the idea that he made enough to take care of me.”

Rubbing her hands on her skirt, Eleanor said, “I truly didn’t think anything about a change in him at first, but it became more and more evident that he was spending time without me. I looked…uh…for any…clues of infidelity. I mean, l looked through his pockets, his wallet, his email. I should be ashamed but I thought if I could find some reason why he was pulling back then at least I would know. But nothing.” Her gaze lifted to Katelyn as she said, “And he was very loving toward me. Our…uh…marital relations were fine.”

Katelyn inwardly winced at Eleanor’s timidity but kept a professional expression on her face. Nodding encouragingly, she held the woman’s gaze.

“But now, he’s been missing for three days and I fear he’s left me. I wasn’t sure if I should go to the police, knowing they would just assume he left voluntarily.”

“You don’t live in our county, so the North Heron Sheriff’s Office would have jurisdiction and I’m sure they would want to open up a file on him. I can speak to them on your behalf if you would like?”

Jerking her head in an awkward nod, Eleanor agreed.

“What else would you like me to do, Mrs. Berry?” She looked at him in confusion, so he clarified. “When people feel the need to engage a private investigator, their reasons are as varied as the people themselves. I feel it is best if you tell me exactly what you hope I can do.”

“I’d like you to find my husband. I just need to know what’s going on. I don’t want to think he’s left with someone else, but I need to know.”

Nodding, Gareth said, “Okay, I’ll take this case. I’ll need access to your home, your email, your bank account information, and anything of his you can give me.”

“Uh...Okay, I can do that.”

Explaining, he said, “That will give me a good start, seeing if he’s been using your accounts recently.”

Eleanor agreed. “I’ll make sure you have full access to everything. Including his business…”

Eyes-wide, Gareth said, “You have that access?”

“I’m listed on his business as a full partner. I don’t actually do anything with the business, but he always said that if something happened to him then it would be easy for me to have money or anything I needed.”

Nodding toward Katelyn, he said, “Ms. MacFarlane will take down all the information you have and go over the payment information. I’ll get started as soon as I have it all.”

Thirty minutes later, Gareth and Katelyn stood in the lobby and watched Mrs. Berry walk out the door. Turning to him, she asked, “So what do you think?”

“With her, I wouldn’t make any assumptions, but I can tell you from several years in this business, he’s probably in some tropical paradise with a hot side-piece.”

“Oh, no!” Katelyn said, her face falling. “I hate the idea that we’ll find that out and then have to tell that poor woman that the man she loves is a scoundrel!”

“A scoundrel?” Gareth countered with a laugh.

“Well, I thought that sounded more professional than an asshole.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. But one term or another, that’s probably what we’ll have to tell her.” Looking down at Katelyn’s scowl, he said, “Are your ready for this? Are you ready to investigate the clues only to break someone’s heart?”

She nodded, but wondered if she really was ready to search for clues, regardless of where they led.