Sky High (A Nicki Valentine Mystery Book 2) by Susan O'Brien

police station, and he wants to hire you and Dean.” She glanced toward the bathroom and leaned in close. “He can definitely afford it, so I hope you’ll accept.”
    If he was so wealthy, why wouldn’t he pick more experienced investigators? I’d handled exactly one missing persons case, and with all due respect to Dean, his area of expertise was cool spy stuff, not lost grooms. And speaking of Dean, how on earth did he end up with Bruce’s dad?
    “I’m not sure…” I began.
    The doorbell rang, and Mia hurried to answer it.
    “Frank’s here with company,” she called out to Lydia.
    I tidied our leftovers and forced a smile as Dean entered with Frank, a short, Daddy Warbucks type with a shaved head, shiny shoes, and snug, dark suit. He walked quickly toward us and held out a hand.
    “Nicki, Liz,” Frank said, his handshake so tight I couldn’t wait for it to end. He hugged Mia briefly and asked, “Where’s Lydia?”
    “She’ll be right out,” Mia said.
    “Lydia and I split when Bruce was little,” Frank explained to me and Liz. “But when the going gets tough, we’re still a team.”
    I didn’t think it could get much tougher. I told him how sorry I was about the circumstances.
    Dean glanced at the couch, and Mia invited everyone to sit.
    “Look,” Frank said. “I asked Dean here because the police are on this, but you two were there last night. You talked with a lot of people, and I want your input. Plus, Nicki’s personally invested, right?” He didn’t give me time to answer. “Dean, what’s your typical fee?”
    “I appreciate your confidence in us,” Dean started. “But I can refer you to PIs who are better suited for this kind of work.”
    “Great. Maybe I’ll hire them too. But you’ve got a head start. What’s your fee? I’ll pay it plus ten percent.”
    “Well, for this kind of case, I’d request a six-thousand-dollar retainer and two hundred dollars per hour, plus costs.”
    “Done,” Frank said. “Nicki?”
    I was speechless. Dean’s quote sounded high (like maybe he was on something), but I didn’t want to look like an idiot, and asking for time to think would probably annoy all-business Frank. I quoted slightly lower fees and added a caveat about my limited availability due to parenting, which for some reason made Frank smirk.
    If he hadn’t sealed the deal with bone-crushing handshakes so quickly, I might have backed out. I also regretted not chatting privately with Dean first. I didn’t like how he jumped on the case without consulting me.
    “What’s going on?” Lydia asked suspiciously when she returned.
    “Frank hired Nicki and Dean to look for Bruce,” Mia explained. “Are you okay?”
    “Excuse me,” Frank interrupted as he stood and straightened his jacket. “I’ve got to head out.” Apparently, “when the going gets tough” only applied to Bruce-related problems. He showed no interest in Lydia’s medical update. “Can I walk you out, Dean? I’d like to have a word with you. I’m sure Nicki needs to get filled in here.”
    “Sure,” Dean said, towering over Frank as he stood. “Nicki, call me this afternoon so we can discuss the details.”
    “Of course,” I said, thinking, Darn right I will .
    Dean and Frank made their way out, and Lydia apologized.
    “Frank thinks money solves everything,” she mumbled. “And I’m proof it doesn’t.”
    “I hope this isn’t too personal,” I said, “but would money help you get a transplant?”
    “It pays for my medical treatment and testing,” she said. “But it can’t find me a donor or speed up the process.”
    Liz peppered her with questions, such as how long the donor testing took (hopefully less than a week), what the tests were for (mostly transmittable diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis), why they were scheduled so close to the wedding, and what would happen if the transplant was canceled.
    “Worst-case scenario, I could die,” Lydia said bluntly. “But right now, I’m just