Loving My Neighbor(25)
“I may have grown up wealthy, but my wicked step-mother didn’t want another maid to replace her, so I was forced to do everyone’s laundry and cook. Then when I went to school, I did it for myself.”
“Cool. I do some laundry when I have time, which is few and far between, so Ernie has done it for me.”
“She’s still your maid and dating your uncle?”
“No, he told me she was done here. I don’t know how long they’ve been dating, but when I called to ask about your father, that’s when I found out about their relationship.”
I look at her with wicked intentions, and she’s shaking her head at me.
“I’m just playing, Lily. I have a few calls to make, but I thought I’d ask if you wanted to call your Dad first?”
“Sure. It’s probably best to get it over with.” I know she doesn’t really care to talk to him, but I think she’s trying to be a good daughter, even though she despises him.
“You really don’t have to talk to him.”
“Okay. I’ve got no problem doing that. I’ve been wanting to tell him to go to hell, but he’s the devil so I know he wouldn’t care about going home. Besides, ignoring his existence pisses him off more.” I believe her. She’s not afraid of them, but like me, she’s done giving a fuck about pandering to others. That’s my girl.
“Good, so what do you want to do? Do you want to watch me work or something?” I offer.
“I’m going to read in the library if that’s okay.”
“Of course, it is. I’ll be in my office if you need me. Just give me a kiss before you go in there.” I pull her into my arms and bend her backwards to kiss her.
I lock my office door because I have to make a call to Duke, who sent me a text while I was in the shower.
“Hey, Duke. Do you have anything for me?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s not good, man. Ted Mason is in debt, big time.”
“How bad?”
“Around five hundred thousand. It gets worse than that. Do you know that his first wife was gunned down in a prominent area of town in Phoenix?”
“Lily told me something like that. Do you think he’s involved?”
“Without a doubt. There’s a paper trail to a hitman named Jerry Kroll. He’s actually under investigation for another murder and I’m betting if we get him a deal with the DA in Arizona, he’ll roll on Mason.”
“But if there’s a paper trail, then how come Mason and Kroll haven’t been arrested yet?”
“That’s because the cops don’t have shit on my skills. There’s a hidden paper trail.” I know that Duke can hack into files and bank information that cops can’t legally dig into.”
“Okay, so what’s your game plan?”
“I’ll go down there and talk to the DA. See if I can bring up the investigation. With my PI license, I can imply that I’m investigating the death of Veronica Mason.”
“Thanks, Duke. Just send me the bill for any of the expenses. When can you leave?”
“After the holidays I can take some time.”
“Great. Really, it means a lot to me, Duke.”
After I hang up with him, I call my assistant.
“Dana, I’ve gone over the presentation that Wilcox gave. I want to go ahead with the project. When you get in the office tomorrow, gather the paperwork together for me.”
“Will do, boss.” She pauses, then adds, “Sir, I’m wondering if you plan on doing anything for the holidays.”
“Yes, I am. My fiancée and I will be spending time with my uncle and his fiancée.”
“You’re engaged?”
“Yes, I just got engaged today.”
“Um…well…congratulations,” she mutters. Her sincerity is as deep as Lily’s father. “Okay. Are you coming into the office tomorrow?”
“Yes, but I’ll only be there in the afternoon. In fact, I’m going to send an email out that allows everyone to take the morning off and come in when the roads clear a little more.”
“Is that everything you need?” she asks.
“Yes, it is. Have a good day.”
Dana hangs up with me. I want to feel bad for her, but I know she’s not in love with me. She’s after my money. I overheard her on the phone with someone else once, telling them that she hoped to score a ring from me. After that conversation, she amped up her ass-kissing.
Opening my laptop, I send out the email to my staff. Then I start to look for rings. I want to pick something unique for her. I see what I like and ask for it to be sent to the local Zales by tomorrow for sizing the following day.