Free Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts Page B

Trim with blue eyes. Her hair was blonde, but it looked like a wig.”
    I rose. Reverend Peabody followed my lead. “Reverend . . .”
    “Jeep, please.”
    “Jeep. Let me work on this a bit from my end, see what I can find out. I assume you would recognize your blackmailer if you saw her again?”
    “You bet.”
    I led him toward the door. “I’ll be in touch. If you think of anything else, call me, okay? I’ll give you one of my cards.”
    “Sure. Don’t guess you could help me with my wife? She’s going to be pretty perturbed at me for not calling her last night. I’m sure she stayed up to all hours trying to track me down.”
    The way the guy said “perturbed” made me think the woman was going to start lopping off vital parts the next time she saw him.
    “Already taken care of. When she called last night, and we finally put you and her together, I had the front desk tell her half our phone system was on the fritz, that you were indeed in your room, but you were sleeping and they didn’t want to disturb you. I think she bought it; I haven’t heard otherwise. If I were you, I’d give her a call. Maybe apologize for not being able to call out. Do you have a cell?”
    He shook his head.
    “You’re probably the only man on the face of the planet who doesn’t, but the story should hold water then.”
    “I owe you one. How can I repay you?”
    I ushered him out the door, stuffing my card in his hand as he was leaving.
    “We’ll think of something.”
    I turned to Miss Patterson. “Got anything for me?”
    She adjusted her glasses on the end of her nose and consulted a notepad, which she still had to hold at arm’s length to read. “Three suites with appropriate welcome gifts are prepared for your friends from Hollywood. The menu is set for their awards dinner—you are Mr. Jones’s date, by the way. CNBC has been given the Golden Fleece Room. They are setting up their equipment as we speak. You have a meeting with the Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock at two. The Trend-makers are coming by bus this afternoon around four. We will have refreshments for them in Delilah’s.”
    “Another day at the zoo.” I blew at a strand of hair tickling my left eye. “Call Bert at the dealership, ask him if he could lend me something fast. I’ll have it back by two.”
    I stepped around the wall that separated the reception area from a small coffee bar and opened the fridge. Raising my voice to be heard, I continued. “Call Human Resources. Tell them I need a couple of copies of our file photos of Felicia Reilly and the Weasel. On second thought, get me a couple of Paxton Dane also.” I grabbedtwo bottles of water, shutting the fridge with my foot. I rounded the corner just as the front door opened and Paxton Dane himself stepped through. I was glad he hadn’t arrived a few seconds earlier.
    “I caught you. Good,” he said. “I have some news, and you’re not going to like it.”
    “I knew this day was going too well.” I stuffed the water bottles in my Birkin and slung it over my shoulder. My baseball cap hung on the hat rack in the corner. I grabbed it and slapped it on my head as I handed my Nextel to Miss Patterson. “You know the drill,” I said to her.
    “Don’t call you unless someone has a gun pointed to my head.”
    “Right.” I turned my attention back to Dane, who was waiting not so patiently. “Now, what’s got your knickers in a twist?”
    He cocked an eyebrow at me. I wish he’d quit doing that.
    “You know those security tapes from last night you requested? The ones of the elevators and tenth floor?”
    “Of course.”
    “Well, they’re missing.”
    “Missing?”
    “We looked everywhere. They’re gone.”
    “I see.” It seemed I’d been saying that a lot lately when in fact I didn’t see at all.
    Finally Dane noticed the hat on my head and the bag on my shoulder. “Going somewhere?”
    “For a drive. Want to come?” The Big Boss had said to keep him close. Besides we needed to