Page 43 of Live a Little!

“Somebodythere?”

“Yeah.”

His boss sighed grumpily. “She better be good-looking.”

“Oh, yeah, she’s good-looking,” Jake said, winking at Cynthia and watching herblush.

His grin went south at Adam’s next words. “I need you back at work, Jake. I’m stretching things as it is. You’ve got one moreweek.”

“Yeah, okay.” As he ended the call, he tried to feel angry, but he’d have done the same thing in Adam’s place. And when the man discovered the evidence he’d uncovered was a broken chopstick…well, it had bought him a week. He’d better make the most of those sevendays.

“A broken chopstick is the new development?” Cynthia had obviously gone back to thinking he was insane. Rightlyso.

Jake blew out a breath, wondering if he should just chuck the chopstick in the trash and admit defeat. But he was stubborn. One week could be all he needed. “You’d be amazed how much the crime labs will get from this.” He stared at the uninspiring piece of evidence. “What kind of tree wood, possibly a location where the chopsticks were made.” He shrugged irritably. The utter frustration he felt made him wish he had a punching bag handy. “Damn it. I wish we’d foundsomething.”

Her brow creased in ready sympathy. “You’ve got another week. There must be something else you can try. Old ground you canrevisit.”

“Harrison’s the key. I know it. I can’t believe the little weasel split the country sofast.”

“Could he be back fromvacation?”

Jake shook his head. “If his passport’s used anywhere, we’ll be notified right away. Interpol and the cops in Hong Kong are keeping an eye out for him. But he’s disappeared.” And Jake had a bad feeling about that. If Harrison had cut and run, Hong Kong was the perfect place to get a new passport, a new identity. Hell, with enough money, he could have had so much cosmetic surgery his own mother wouldn’t recognize him. He could be anywhere in the world rightnow.

“What about hishome?”

“I went there right after he left town. Looked like he was coming back. There was fresh milk in the fridge, his stuff all around. He had a land-line still hookedup.”

She tapped her coffee mug, a black-and-white affair with zigzagging patterns on it. “Does he rent orown?”

“Rents an apartment downtown. Look, I appreciate your helpbut—”

“It’s the second of the month,” she said, glancing at her wall calendar to confirm thedate.

“I told you we’d be notified if hecomes—”

“What about his rent? It would have been due yesterday. Did he wire money to pay it? Contact the landlord? That might help us track himdown.”

For a second Jake just stared at her, wondering how he could have been so stupid as to have missed something so obvious. Then he leaned forward, grabbed her head in his hands and kissed her. “You are not only beautiful, you’rebrilliant.”

Her eyes shone. “You really think I’mbeautiful?”

“Gorgeous. Now get going or you’ll be late for work.” As if on cue, the toast popped up, and so didCynthia.

“I’m coming with you,” she said, grabbing health-food-store peanut butter and slapping it on both pieces oftoast.

“Too dangerous,” he replied, and immediately regretted the words. Danger was her drug of choice; he had to remember that. “Dangerously boring,” he amendedhastily.

She handed him a piece of toast. “Who’s going withyou?”

“Nobody.”

“What if Harrison’sthere?”

“I’ll ask him some questions. That’sit.”

“Hemight—”

“He won’t. Nowget.”

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