Free The Edge of Doom by Amanda Cross Page A

nor in the preceding or following year.
    Reed asked then if he might be sent a list of the members of Jay’s supposed class. He explained that he was a professor of law, calling from the law school, and that he needed the information for an investigation he was pursuing; he would also be grateful for any information they had on the architectural firms with which members of that class were, or had been, associated—the sort of account got up for reunions. Reed promised that the list would not be used for fund-raising, or any other nefarious purpose. In the end, having gone off to consult with a higher authority, the person on the phone agreed to send Reed what he wanted. He could, after all, have got it from any number of sources or connections, and there seemed no reason to deny the request.
    The information came through by fax an hour later. Reed pored over it with more eagerness than he would readily have admitted to Kate or anyone else. Two graduates of the class were associated with Jay’s firm—at least with the firm Jay had claimed to have founded. Reed picked up the phone and called it; he asked for each man. He was told that one of them had had a stroke and retired to Florida; the other man was still a member of the firm, but no longer worked there full time. He did come in often, however, although he was not in at present. Did Reed care to leave a message? Reed declined the offer, with thanks.
    The no-longer full-time member of the firm was named Edmund M. Dyson. Unable to abandon the trail, Reed walked over to the library to consult a directory of architecture firms and architects. Edmund M. Dyson’s career paralleled Jay’s; indeed, it was in many respects identical to it, except that Jay had not mentioned all his honors in his résumé. This was perhaps modesty, or awareness that these awards offered too easy a clue to his other identity.
    The unavoidable fact was that, by any name, he was Kate’s father. But why the name change, why the subterfuge, why, if it came to that, look Kate up at all? He must have foreseen that doing so would lead to an investigation, and that his true identity would very soon emerge. Reed badly wanted to confront Jay, who had now disappeared, which was damn frustrating. All sorts of possible plots surged through Reed’s mind, but none of them made any sense. He was a man who had wanted, late in life, to meet his daughter. Was the rest of any real importance? Could this be some racket after all, to do with money or some fraudulent scheme? Kate was hardly the natural object for such a maneuver, let alone the fact that she was married to a former assistant D.A. with contacts in the legal world, and was related to powerful figures in the investment world.
    Still bristling with frustration, Reed set off for home. He would tell Kate what he had discovered. Protecting her was not part of their partnership, nor did he keep secrets from her for any reason, apart from professional matters that he did not discuss with her or anyone other than those directly concerned. The only question before him now was whether or not to persuade her to abandon the whole investigation into Jay’s identity and life. Provided Jay did not return, provided there was no further news of him, might it not be more sensible to let the matter, at least for the present, rest?
    He had about convinced himself that this was the better course of action. He had in fact decided to urge Kate to accept the wisdom of this advice, and had even begun to rehearse how he would present it to her. After all, he would point out, she had not particularly wanted to undertake the investigation of Jay in the first place. She had only gone along, and that reluctantly, with his impulse to find out more about her suddenly appearing father. So why should she argue with his recommendations about abandoning the search?
    When he arrived home, however, Kate emerged from her study to greet him.
    “What now?” he asked, rather irritably. When