Deadly Chase by Wendy Davy

Kevin with speculation, as if he’d read his thoughts.
    Kevin practiced an easy smile, hiding his underlying rage. He’d worked diligently to repair the damage Sierra had caused with her persistent accusations, and he was tired of defending himself. “It has. I guarantee she’ll never set foot inside this office again.”
    Brown set down his empty glass and stood. “I still can’t believe that girl wanted to soil your impeccable reputation with those outrageous lies.”
    Kevin tucked his hands into his pockets and did his best to look saddened. “Sierra was fixated on me. I tried to let her down gently, but she just wouldn’t take no for an answer. When she realized I was serious and we had no future together, she mistakenly thought she could exact revenge by damaging my reputation.” He lifted his shoulders in an exaggerated gesture as he conjured up more lies. “Who knows? Maybe she thought she’d even file some kind of harassment charges hoping to squeeze money out of me. She always did have expensive tastes.” That last comment couldn’t be farther from the truth, and Kevin silently congratulated himself for coming up with the fib on short notice. Sierra had been so down-to-earth, he’d had to practically buy her a new wardrobe so he could be seen with her in public. He’d thought she was worth the expense at the time. Too bad he’d been wrong.
    “The lengths at which some people will go,” Brown spoke into the room, not looking at anyone in particular, obviously believing Kevin’s words.
    Kevin wondered how a man so dense could climb his way to the top of an esteemed law firm. He mentally shrugged. As long as the man’s ignorance worked to his advantage he didn’t care.
    “You’ve proven yourself Eason.” McKinley stood. “It would take a lot more than some disgruntled employee to tarnish your record. Just make sure she doesn’t come back to haunt us later. We can’t afford any negative publicity.”
    “Don’t worry,” Kevin assured him. “She won’t be returning.”
    He had no doubts as to his statement’s accuracy. As soon as he secured Sierra’s location, he’d be on the first plane out of Seattle, which reminded him he needed to prepare for a quick departure.
    Kevin approached his custom designed executive desk, and picked up his favorite statue of the Eiffel Tower. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken a holiday.” He looked at Brown and McKinley, rolling his shoulders as if the stress and commotion had worn him down. “In celebration of my latest victory, I thought about heading to Paris for a few days. The Louvre has acquired Le Nain’s The Denial of St. Peter . I’m anxious to see it.” Kevin added, knowing McKinley had a certain appreciate for fine art.
    McKinley’s brows rose appreciatively. “A splendid 1600’s depiction of man’s weakness and the alarming consequences.” He rocked back on his heels. “You’ve proven to be a man with many hidden talents.”
    If you only knew , Kevin thought, hiding a smile.
    McKinley turned his approving gaze toward Brown. “I knew we had a good man here when I hired him.”
    “You hired him?” Brown adjusted his collar. “I seem to recall being the one who recruited him.”
    Brown and McKinley exited Kevin’s office, bickering about who could take credit for his employment. Extremely pleased, he congratulated himself on a job well done. Not only had he won the case, he’d solidified his place in the firm. Now, all he had to do was tie up some loose ends, and his future would be set in stone.
    He picked up his office phone and dialed a number he’d committed to memory. It didn’t matter if the authorities checked his phone records. As a lawyer, he used skip tracers often. No one would think twice about him calling Benjamin J. Burke, P.I.
    “Yeah.” The man answered on the first ring in his usual clipped tone.
    “Do you have it yet?”
    “I got a city. No address.”
    “That’s not good enough. I’m paying you for