Page 15 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay (Spotted Cottage #4)

There was nothing for them in that rat nest. That guy had no interest in talking unless he could steal a house from them. Rick was done with it.

They got back in the car and Addy slammed her door shut.

Rick spoke first. “I know you’re not happy with me.”

“I could’ve gotten him to talk!” she said, turning to him. “Or if we’d stayed around long enough, those guys would’ve shown up.”

“You think they would have talked to you? Especially after you told them you’re the daughter of the lady they took a bag of money from?” He shook his head. “It wasn’t going anywhere. None of those guys will admit to anything. The whole operation looks like a farce.”

“Can we at least call the police? Report that they stole her money?”

Rick looked back at the door. The guy who had chased them out stood at the window, his belly pressed against the glass.

He started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. “Maybe. It would help if you’d found the guys’ real names, but even then, if you file a police report, what can they do? Question them and see if they admit to it?”

“They need to open an investigation!”

Rick sighed. “This isn’t Law and Order . The local cops don’t have the time to track down leads every time someone gets scammed.”

Addy crossed her arms over her chest. “She signed a contract. Maybe we can sue them.”

“Maybe.” Judging from that office, it didn’t look like Flex Knock or its employees, had much to sue for . He decided to keep that to himself.

They drove on. The company car was much nicer than what he had at home. Despite potholes and uneven surfaces, it was quiet as a church mouse inside the cabin.

All he could hear was Addy sighing and shifting. She kept her eyes fixed on the window.

“Giving up is not an option,” she finally announced. “I may not have figured out what to do with the rest of my life, but I can’t live with my mother.”

He glanced over at her. “How is that an option? What happened to boundaries?”

“She’s broke, and I can’t afford to house her anywhere else, so that’s where this is headed if I can’t find her money. I just got laid off and divorced at the same time. It’s almost as bad as handing over a bag of money to strangers, so I have to figure this out.”

“I’d say your way of losing money is different. Much more time-consuming.”

She sighed, a slight smile on her face. “It is.”

“Where do you want to go?” He asked. “Back to the neighborhood? Back to the ferry?”

She was staring again. Then she added a quiet, “I don’t know.”

He drove on. The sky opened in front of them, buildings easing into the background. A large red barn stood in the distance. Rows of apple trees lined the road.

“Want to go apple picking?” he asked, smiling.

“No, thank you.”

If they kept driving, they’d end up in Canada. “Listen, how about I look into Flex Knock? I can use my contacts and see if there’s anything else useful.”

“You said you didn’t have contacts.” She turned to him now, smiling, her eyes narrowed.

He tilted his head. “I said I didn’t have facial recognition technology. I never said I don’t have contacts.”

She laughed. “Ah, right. Yes, I’d appreciate it.”

“Consider it done.”

She uncrossed her arms. “Do you want to get something to eat? I’m starving.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

He pulled off immediately where an underwhelming sign read FARM CAFE.

“I’ve got a good feeling about this place.”

She nodded. “Me too.”

After lunch, they went back to Lawrence’s neighborhood and sat in the car, watching.

No suspicious salesmen appeared. Rick didn’t mind. Addy agreed to listen to his audiobook, but after two hours of hearing about murderers, she was ready to get back home.

They left Bellingham empty handed except for the apple pie Rick had bought for Russell and Sheila.

It took a week and a half to hear back from his buddy in forensic accounting. Flex Knock was nothing but a shell company. They’d only been in operation for two years, and there was no owner and no real traces of assets. It led to another shell company, then another, before disappearing.

“They’ll probably close up shop when they get enough complaints,” his buddy told him, “then open under a new name, transferring all the contracts.”

“Would she be able to sue them?”

“Unlikely. They’d declare bankruptcy before moving everything over.”

“Great. Thanks for checking.”

“No problem.”

Rick hung up and looked for his charge. Addy sat at the picnic table outside of the tea shop, her computer in front of her, her hair blowing in the wind. She paused for a moment, raising a hand to rub her forehead.

Instinctively, he wanted to look away, as though she might catch him staring.

That was his job, though.

She put her hands back on her keyboard and resumed typing.

He was allowed to look at her, even if she was a beautiful woman. Rick had to remind himself of that.

There was more to Addy than beauty, anyway. She had that in spades – but then there was her laugh, her confidence, the way she walked like she was floating…

She seemed to have little notice of the effect she had on men…or she was too polite to use it to her advantage.

Addy looked up and caught his eye. “Hey.”

His heart thudded against his ribs.

“Hey,” he said, walking over and taking a seat at the table.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Beautiful today, isn’t it?”

Rick stared at her. “It’s beautiful every day.”

She laughed. “So it is.”

“I’ve got some bad news,” he continued. “My buddy got back to me about Flex Knock.”

“Let me guess. He couldn’t find anything.”

“Sort of. They’re a shell company, owned by no one, some LLC registered offshore.” He paused. So far, no reaction. “He’s pretty good at this, though, and managed to track down the next link, but it was just another offshore LLC.”

Addy closed her eyes again. “My mom’s money was deposited into an account in the Cayman Islands, wasn’t it?”

“Probably.”

She shut her laptop and focused her cool gray eyes on him. “You seem like you have more bad news to tell me.”

He jerked backward slightly, like she’d snapped her fingers in front of him. “I do?”

“Go ahead, spit it out. I can handle it.”

He’d wanted to find the right way to say this, the right amount of information to tell her. It felt like he could tell her anything, but why did she deserve to be burdened with his problems?

“There is one more thing.” Rick scratched the back of his neck.

She tilted her head slightly. “Yes?”

“They’re going to have to send a guy out here to be my temporary replacement.”

Her eyes widened. “Did I do something to offend you?”

“No, of course not. It’s nothing like that. I have a personal event I need to attend. It’ll be no more than twenty-four hours.”

Ask me. Ask what it is. I’ll tell you.

“Oh,” she said. “Of course. Whatever you need, Rick.”

“I hate to do this, but I’ll get the guy caught up on everything and make sure you’re safe.”

“Sure.”

He went on. “I have a request. Please don’t run off while I’m away. If you’re going to look into Flex Knock any more –”

He stopped talking when he saw the smile creeping across her face.

“Uh huh,” he said, pointing a finger. “Don’t you ever give up?”

“Of course I give up!” she said. “Just not until it’s reasonable.”

Rick shut his eyes. “Please be reasonable until I get back.”

“I will be,” she said, nodding. “Pinky swear.”

He laughed. “All right, then.”