Page 75 of Nobody's Fool

“And now a private investigator.”

“I don’t have a license.”

“Arthur says you do jobs for him.”

“I do.”

“So I want you to do a job for me. For us, actually. The whole family.”

“You said you hired other investigators.”

“Yes.”

“I imagine big ones with tremendous resources.”

“Yes.”

“Why would I learn more?”

Archie Belmond looked off, took a small sip, and said, “None of them knew about Spain.”

I nod slowly. “So you believe me when I say I saw her?”

“Victoria sought you out after seeing your picture, not the other way around. So yes, I believe you.”

So here we are.

He takes a deep gulp of iced tea now. “Was Victoria okay?” he asks. “I mean, when you were with her in Spain. Did she seem in pain or…?”

“No,” I say. “She wasn’t in pain.”

He nods, closes his eyes, takes another gulp. “Allow me to put my businessman cap on for a moment, if I may.”

“Go ahead.”

“Talia and I want to hire you to investigate what happened to my daughter. You will work for us. You will tell me and only me what you know. The NDA also includes all the work you do for me as attorney product, so you can’t be compelled to tell anyone what you learn. I want you to tell me everything you learn—and then, when we are done, when we know all we can about what happened to our daughter, I want you to have nothing to do with what we do with that information.”

I think about this. “Let’s say I get very lucky. Let’s say I find the kidnapper.”

“You tell only me.”

“What about the police?”

“That’s up to me. All work product belongs to me. I may share it with the police. Or I may choose not to.”

“I’m not sure I like that.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kierce, but this part is not negotiable. I’m not going to subject my still-traumatized daughter to new headlines or a lengthy trial. I won’t let her be victimized again by whoever did this. Are we clear?”

I say nothing.

“If her kidnapper is found, you tell me. That’s it. That’s your role. What happens after doesn’t concern you. You won’t be involved.”

He seems to be talking about vigilantism. Meting out justice and revenge via his own resources. I understand his viewpoint. The odds ofme finding the people responsible are very low—but the odds I would find enough to arrest and convict after all these years are infinitesimal.

Belmond wants to handle it himself.

I understand that. But I don’t like it.