Page 2 of Memory of Murder
Victoria sat back once more and resumed her analysis of Jamie. “Jack is an excellent choice.”
Anticipation flared. “Is that a yes?”
“On one condition,” Victoria pointed out.
Hesitation slowed Jamie’s mental victory celebration. “What condition?”
“The daughter will be notified and asked to participate in the investigation. We’re not going to do this without giving her an opportunity for input. In fact, I would prefer she be actively involved.”
Jamie nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Brief Jackson,” Victoria went on. “When he’s ready have him reach out to the daughter and make an appointment to discuss the possibility.”
Jamie stood. “Very well.” She placed the items back into the box and picked it up. “Thank you. You won’t regret your decision.”
“I’m sure I won’t.”
VICTORIA SMILED ASthe door closed behind Jamie. For a while Victoria had worried about her. Jamie was so young. The commitment here at the agency was different from her previous work with the government. It was far more personal. Often, the inexperienced in the field of private investigations poured their hearts and souls into the work on a level that was impossible to maintain for any length of time. Victoria knew that her granddaughter would do this. The best investigators always gave their all but paced themselves for the long haul. That skill came with time. Surprisingly, Jamie had found a good balance very quickly.
Having Jamie here had fulfilled Victoria’s longtime dream that her grandchildren would one day take over. Both Jamie and her brother Luke had seemed intent on different career paths. To have Jamie make this leap had been an incredible joy. Particularly since Jim, Victoria’s son and Jamie and Luke’s father, was still helping their mother, Tasha, recover from her horrendous illness, and quite frankly, he had no desire to take the position as head of the agency. He had made himself clear on that point some time ago and had not changed his mind. The need for Jamie to come onboard had never been more apparent, but Victoria had not wanted to push the idea on the girl—young woman.
Jamie was here now and seemed immensely happy with her work. The fact that she had taken the initiative on a somewhat delicate situation warmed Victoria’s heart. Jamie was going to make an amazing leader for this agency one day.
Victoria could not wait to share this news with Lucas. Her husband had insisted all along that Jamie was happy at the agency, but Victoria had allowed a few doubts to seep in. Lucas remained convinced that having Kenny—Kendrick Poe—on board at the agency with Jamie had helped to ensure her continued happiness. Kenny, too, was a great asset. Victoria often wondered how long it would be before Jamie and Kenny took their relationship to the next level. Victoria’s heart thumped faster at the idea of a Colby wedding.
There were times when her seventh decade of life seemed to fly by so very fast that she couldn’t help but wonder about all she would miss when she was gone. But then she reminded herself that it was far more important to stay focused on not missing anything today than to worry about what she might miss tomorrow.
She pushed back her chair and walked to the window overlooking the street below. The Chicago weather was particularly warm, even in July.
She smiled. The future looked exactly as she had hoped it would.
Chapter Two
Aurora, Illinois
Tuesday, July 8
Griffin Residence
Borkshire Lane, 1:30 p.m.
Anne Griffin smiled as she ended the call. The job was hers!
Her smile stretched into a happy, relieved, grateful grin. “I got the job!”
She tossed her cell phone onto her desk, set her hands on her hips and walked to the window that overlooked her small, enclosed backyard. A celebratory cocktail and a few minutes of relaxing was in order, she decided. The weather was perfect, and that new chaise lounge on her little flagstone patio was calling her name.
With a deep breath, she padded to the kitchen and prepared her favorite drink. Three fresh strawberries went into the glass, along with a generous serving of lemonade and then a splash of vodka. Just a little. It was early for a cocktail, but it was nice to celebrate now and then. After all, this was her first really big contract since going out on her own at the beginning of the year.
These last few months had been a bit of an uphill climb, professionally speaking. Thankfully she’d been prepared for a period of little or no income. But recently, knowing her savings would soon be gone had her a little nervous. Luckily, she had also braced herself for the doubts that would arise.
How many times had she second-guessed her decision? Far too many. It was the curse of a worrier.
She lifted her glass in a silent toast. But all those uncertainties were behind her now. Griffin Interior Concepts was officially off the ground and running. Her scant client list was expanding. So far most of the work had been smaller scale—a kitchen or bath remodel, the occasional principal bedroom and one over-the-top screened-in porch. But this contract was big. Really big, as in a whole-house renovation. The owners had narrowed their choices to three designers, and Anne had been one of them. Two weeks ago, all three designers had submitted fully developed plans and cost estimates. To be honest, she’d been incredibly thankful to even be in the running.
And now the job was hers.
She did a happy dance and then sipped her drink. A little sun was in order. Far too much time was spent behind her desk lately so she wandered out to her patio. Her home was an end-unit town house, with a patio slightly larger than most. She had a square of flagstone for entertaining and a little patch of grass. Shrubbery and flowers formed a pleasing border against the fence. It was really quite lovely. She couldn’t complain. Frankly, any more than this would take up too much of her time in maintenance. Building a business, she needed every available minute to keep the momentum going. One day, when she had more employees to do the leg work, she wouldn’t mind having a larger home and garden.
