fingers. âThat P.I. whose card was on your desk, Remington? What do you know about him?â
She didnât even have to think about it. âThat I donât want to use him.â
âWhy not?â
Why not, indeed? It wasnât that she didnât trust Sam. He knew in high school how to keep his mouth shut, and she assumed he hadnât changed in that regard. But what if thethreat had teeth? What if there was something in Randallâs past? Politics were a dirty business, with surprising and often devastating consequences. What if she was inadvertently putting Sam or his reputation at risk?
She refused to be responsible for something happening to him again because of her. Anyone willing to smear a dead manâs reputation wouldnât hesitate to ruin someone elseâs.
âSenator?â
Dana picked up a pen as if getting back to work. âSee what you can find out on your own first, please. Samâs a friend. Iâd rather not involve him.â
âIâm not sure I know where to start.â
âI have faith in you.â She smiled at him. âYou can do anything.â
âIncluding finding a needle in a haystack?â He walked toward the door, taking the letter with him. âIâll see what I can do.â
Dana left the problem in his competent hands and got back to work.
Â
Sam stood at a window of his hotel suite, more curious than heâd been in a long time. He glanced at his watchâalmost 5:00 p.m. An hour ago heâd gotten a call on his cell phone from Abe Atwater, Danaâs chief of staff, asking for a meeting. A private meeting. Echoes of her father taking him aside at the prom had reverberated in his mind first, followed by the self-admonition that he wasnât that teenager anymore, that he was a successful adult, equal to Dana in every way.
Still, what could her chief of staff want with him?
The knock on the door heralded an end to his question. Sam greeted the immaculately dressed man, inviting him into the sitting area of the suite before taking a seat across from him.
âWhat can I do for you, Mr. Atwater?â
âI assume everything we discuss will be in confidence?â
Sam resented the start of the conversation. No one questioned his integrity. No one. And if this man intended to warn him off Dana⦠âYouâre not a client,â Sam said.
âI hope to be.â Abe leaned forward. âI didnât mean to insult you. I wouldnât be here if I didnât already trust you, based on what Iâve learned.â
Sam relaxed his hands and nodded.
Abe passed him a plastic bag containing a sheet of heavy paper. âDana received this at her home night before last.â
Sam read the note. Night before last? Heâd been at her house night before last. Sheâd intended to go to her mailbox after he pulled away, mustâve gotten it then. âWhat does it mean?â Sam asked.
âIf I knew, I wouldnât be here.â
âYou want me to find out?â
âYes. We need to keep this under wraps, obviously. Iâd rather not involve anyone else on staff until we know what weâre dealing with.â
Sam turned the bag over and examined the envelope. San Francisco postmark. âIs that why you came here instead of having me go to Danaâs office?â
âDana doesnât know Iâm here.â
Sam lifted his gaze sharply to Abeâs. Dana hadnât asked for him? âThen how do you know about me?â
âI saw your business card on her desk yesterday and asked about it, although Iâve known about you for a couple of years. She said you were a friend. Youâre good. Youâre discreet. You get the job done.â
âIâm in San Francisco because Iâm already working a case.â Sam passed the note back to Abe. âI canât take the job.â
âWhy not?â
âThereâs too little information to go
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