Free Devil Dead by Linda Ladd

Louisiana.”
    â€œGreat. As long as I can give the guy my stamp of approval first.”
    â€œOf course. Okay, that’s settled. I’ll handle everything on the business end. That’s what I do with my hotels. I want to help you get going with this and make it a lucrative endeavor.”
    â€œFine. Do it however you want. Doesn’t matter to me.”
    â€œSo do you know anybody who works private and can help you out on this first case? He or she has to have a state private license in good standing.”
    â€œI’ll think of somebody. And I’ll look at anybody you find. Just find them in a hurry. I prefer to work alone, but I’ll do whatever I’ve got to do to find Andrea Quinn.”
    Black stared at her for a moment. “It just occurred to me that I know somebody you might want to work with until you’re granted a license.”
    Claire narrowed her gaze. Just occurred to him? Yeah, right. “Who?”
    â€œI know a guy. I met him through Jack Holliday. He’s been working private around New Orleans for years. And he’s good at it, experienced. If he’s interested, I’d like for you to meet him. See if you think he’d work out.”
    Jack Holliday was a good friend of Black’s. Claire had met him on a pretty hairy case not so long ago. He was a nice guy, too, a good friend, and he was trustworthy. “Jack’s cool. He wouldn’t lead us down the wrong path. So, who is it?”
    â€œHis name is Will Novak.”
    â€œOkay. Tell me more.”
    â€œWell, I don’t know a lot more. Actually, I don’t know him all that well, not personally anyway. I just met him a couple of times when he was with Jack, and he seemed stand-up. He played football at Tulane when Jack was quarterback out there. He and Jack are tight. So he’s going to know every inch of Tulane University. Jack told me that Novak knows New Orleans and the surrounding area like the back of his hand. As I understand it, he’s got some property down in the bayous around Lafourche or Terrebonne, somewhere like that, a big place that his family’s owned for years. He also inherited an apartment in the Quarter, from his mother’s side of the family I think. That means he’s probably got contacts everywhere, contacts that can be helpful in your cases.”
    â€œBut you can’t really vouch for him yourself?”
    â€œI trust Jack’s opinion, and so should you. He says this guy is good at what he does. Actually, Novak’s done a couple of jobs with Booker, too, and Book says the same thing. Novak knows his stuff. So, how about giving him an interview when we touch down? See if you like him? Then you can get right to work.”
    John Booker was Black’s friend, too, and his personal go-to private investigator, but he lived at Lake of the Ozarks where Claire had her own house. He also had a family there, a wife and son whom he adored, and probably wouldn’t move them to Louisiana just because Claire needed a temporary partner. He was good at what he did, too, very good. And he might do jobs for them in his Missouri neck of the woods, which would suit Claire just fine. On the other hand, this Novak guy? He sounded like he just might be part of Black’s little band of ex-military buddies. Claire put down her pen and studied Black’s face for a long moment. Suspicious, oh, yeah. A wave of annoyance swept through her. “Wait just a minute, Black. What is this? You tryin’ to set me up with your own handpicked bodyguard? That it?”
    Black looked like she had caught him with his hand in the I’m-gonna-protect-you-at-all-costs cookie jar. “Well, no. You don’t need a bodyguard. What you do need is a partner who’ll have your back, just like Bud and Zee did when you worked with them. And Novak can do that, trust me. All I’m asking is for you to meet the guy and see what you think. That’s it. If