“Not really. There was an offer for their company on the table, from what I was told. Some large software company in California had been there a week before his death. It sounded like a good deal to me.”
52
TREVOR SCOTT
Interesting. “His partner didn’t mention that.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “It was still preliminary. I think they wanted to maintain control of their baby. It was my understanding they were going to turn down the offer.”
Tony switched gears. “Tell me about your son’s insurance company and his policies.”
Cliff Humphrey gave him the name of the company, and explained that they would not be paying out on his million dollar policy. Barb and Dan were each other’s beneficiary, with the same amount. Cliff was secondary beneficiary on both policies, since Barb had no living relatives. And, of course, Dan’s mother, Cliff’s wife, had died earlier that year in a freak equine accident.
Tony thanked him for the info, told him he would be in touch, and hung up.
Next he checked his e-mail. There was only one message from Melanie Chadwick reminding him they were on for dinner that night.
He gave her a call and told her he’d meet her at the Riverfront at seven, which gave him just enough time to look up a few things on the web before heading over to meet her.
♦
The Riverfront was a huge complex of condos with an older hotel, a restaurant that resembled a Denny’s, and one of those dark bars with live music five nights a week. Mostly jazz. A weathered wooden bridge crossed the Deschutes River, with a path that led guests to a drastically hilly eighteen hole golf course. They had package deals where guests could rent a golf cart for a week and park it right outside their door. They could even drive it to local shops that lined the river adjacent to the Riverfront complex.
Being Saturday night, the restaurant was packed. Luckily, Melanie had a friend who worked there who found them a table.
Melanie was at a table set back in a darker area, with a nice BOOM TOWN 53
view of a huge tropical fish tank. She had a glass of merlot with only a few sips out of it, and one waiting for Tony. She had changed out of her more businesslike skirt at the open house, to a slinky red thing with spaghetti straps working overtime trying to hold her healthy front in place.
She smiled at him, and he gave her a quick kiss as he took a seat in the half-moon booth next to her.
“You look hot,” Tony said.
“I’m freezing.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” she said.
He was wearing a pair of loose-fitting olive drab Dockers, and a black polo shirt that stretched tightly across his chest. He wasn’t normally prone to showing off muscles, but he thought the shirt had shrunk a bit in the condo’s dryer. Either that, or he was eating too much and not working out enough.
They ordered and ate. She had a pork something or other and Tony had the lamb. After dinner they sat back nursing their third glass of wine.
“How was your acupuncture?” she asked.
“The acupuncture itself was quite relaxing,” he said, thinking carefully for the right words. “Dawn is an interesting person.”
“She is that.”
“Are you really close friends?”
“Not really. I sold her the house. She got a good deal. We go out every now and then for lunch. I go in for a massage and a session once a month.”
“She does have magic hands,” he said.
She lowered her brows at him. “What exactly did she massage?”
“She was very professional. Although I’m afraid she’s seen almost as much of me as you have.”
“Really?”
“My gown went one way and I went the other.” He took a sip of wine.
54
TREVOR SCOTT
“Great. Now she’ll want to ask you out.”
He almost spit his wine out. “What makes you say that?”
“I know her. She has quite the appetite.”
Tony wasn’t about to mention the comment Dawn Sanders had made to him when she gave him her
52
TREVOR SCOTT
Interesting. “His partner didn’t mention that.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “It was still preliminary. I think they wanted to maintain control of their baby. It was my understanding they were going to turn down the offer.”
Tony switched gears. “Tell me about your son’s insurance company and his policies.”
Cliff Humphrey gave him the name of the company, and explained that they would not be paying out on his million dollar policy. Barb and Dan were each other’s beneficiary, with the same amount. Cliff was secondary beneficiary on both policies, since Barb had no living relatives. And, of course, Dan’s mother, Cliff’s wife, had died earlier that year in a freak equine accident.
Tony thanked him for the info, told him he would be in touch, and hung up.
Next he checked his e-mail. There was only one message from Melanie Chadwick reminding him they were on for dinner that night.
He gave her a call and told her he’d meet her at the Riverfront at seven, which gave him just enough time to look up a few things on the web before heading over to meet her.
♦
The Riverfront was a huge complex of condos with an older hotel, a restaurant that resembled a Denny’s, and one of those dark bars with live music five nights a week. Mostly jazz. A weathered wooden bridge crossed the Deschutes River, with a path that led guests to a drastically hilly eighteen hole golf course. They had package deals where guests could rent a golf cart for a week and park it right outside their door. They could even drive it to local shops that lined the river adjacent to the Riverfront complex.
Being Saturday night, the restaurant was packed. Luckily, Melanie had a friend who worked there who found them a table.
Melanie was at a table set back in a darker area, with a nice BOOM TOWN 53
view of a huge tropical fish tank. She had a glass of merlot with only a few sips out of it, and one waiting for Tony. She had changed out of her more businesslike skirt at the open house, to a slinky red thing with spaghetti straps working overtime trying to hold her healthy front in place.
She smiled at him, and he gave her a quick kiss as he took a seat in the half-moon booth next to her.
“You look hot,” Tony said.
“I’m freezing.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” she said.
He was wearing a pair of loose-fitting olive drab Dockers, and a black polo shirt that stretched tightly across his chest. He wasn’t normally prone to showing off muscles, but he thought the shirt had shrunk a bit in the condo’s dryer. Either that, or he was eating too much and not working out enough.
They ordered and ate. She had a pork something or other and Tony had the lamb. After dinner they sat back nursing their third glass of wine.
“How was your acupuncture?” she asked.
“The acupuncture itself was quite relaxing,” he said, thinking carefully for the right words. “Dawn is an interesting person.”
“She is that.”
“Are you really close friends?”
“Not really. I sold her the house. She got a good deal. We go out every now and then for lunch. I go in for a massage and a session once a month.”
“She does have magic hands,” he said.
She lowered her brows at him. “What exactly did she massage?”
“She was very professional. Although I’m afraid she’s seen almost as much of me as you have.”
“Really?”
“My gown went one way and I went the other.” He took a sip of wine.
54
TREVOR SCOTT
“Great. Now she’ll want to ask you out.”
He almost spit his wine out. “What makes you say that?”
“I know her. She has quite the appetite.”
Tony wasn’t about to mention the comment Dawn Sanders had made to him when she gave him her
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