Free Smith Investigation Series Box Set 1 by Deborah Diaz Page A

attention.
    “What is it?”
    “We found the affair.” Her smile was glorious.
    “Oh?”
    “Yes. He was sleeping with an intern, and it seems that the affair was serious. We found the chatting app they used to communicate. Robert’s work,” she shrugged at my frown.
    “OK. Did she want to get married and Michael Monroe broke it off? Did she go to Sarah with it?”
    “It’s a he. He was having an affair with a man.”
    “Well, that must’ve pissed Sarah off,” I commented.
    Spike still looked solemn.
    “What is it?” I took the bait.
    “We know how Sarah discovered the affair.”
    “Then what are you waiting for? Tell me?”
    “Robert?” she called for his assistance.
    “Yes, this is my cue. So, he had this app protected. You would need a pass code, like a PIN, to access it. Now, a week before the … last week…”
    “Two weeks before he disappeared,” Spike helped him.
    “Two weeks before he disappeared, yeah, thanks. I found a couple of attempts to log in with different pins, all wrong, dating from back then. I assume it wasn’t him, since he used the PIN every day, even multiple times a day so he couldn't have forgotten the correct one.”
    “It must've been the wife. So? How could she have known it was about an affair?” I asked, intrigued. I liked watching them present their findings. They looked like children showing off their achievements.
    “The app is called ‘Heart to Heart’, Rob. How hard could it have been for her to figure it out.”
    “Right.”
    This new information confirmed my suspicions. I just had to figure out how she did it, maybe find the body. Nothing much, right?
    I reached for the receiver again and dialed the number given to me for John Alder.
    “Hi. This is Robin Walsh, PI. Do you have a minute?”

Chapter 6
    I looked up from my notes when Smith asked if I wanted to come to lunch. The team always ate together and sometimes they even went out for lunch. Today was one of those days.
    I shook my head. “I’m not hungry, Smith.”
    “What is it?”
    I shrugged and laid a hand over my notebook. “This. I’m trying hard to figure out a way to find Michael Monroe’s body, but I don’t know where to begin. I can’t go to the cops and ask them to search the entire road to Canada, let alone beyond that.”
    “What did the mechanic guy tell you?”
    “He confirmed my suspicions. When he arrived at the site, the woman, Sarah, was alone. He didn’t know to ask about her husband. He didn’t know the man existed. She called, he came and fixed the tire, then off he went.”
    “So she was alone on her way back home,” Smith concluded. “You can take an hour off and come eat with us. The case isn't going anywhere.”
    “I’m still waiting for the hotel to email me. I tried calling, but they didn’t pick up.”
    “Busy people. Take your phone with you. You can get that email there.”
    I looked up at him, searching for the reason he was forcing my hand.
    “Dylan will be there.” It wasn’t a question. I knew he wanted me to talk to him.
    “Let’s go.”
    Without another word, he walked out the door, confident I would follow. At first, I wanted to rebel and sank deeper into my chair, but my stomach growled and I thought better of it. After all, I scolded Dylan for behaving like a child and that was exactly what I was doing.
    I sat up, did my signature stretch and left the office.
    Smith didn't bother to tell me where they were eating. It was some sort of modern tradition to go to a diner nearby. I didn’t quite like it there, too much 50’s flair for me, but it was surprisingly quiet despite the noisy buzz of the place.
    I chose not to drive, like everyone else, in an effort to comply with Spike’s new ‘going green’ policy, so I arrived at the diner when everyone was already receiving their food.
    “Hi,” I said, slightly awkwardly.
    “Come, sit here,” Spike pointed to the seat next to her. “I saved it for you, Rob.”
    I smiled. She seemed innocent