Chapter Twenty-Four. Remi’s phone rang right after she pressed the buzzer to Dallas’s front door

Remi’s phone rang right after she pressed the buzzer to Dallas’s front door. “Change your mind?” she asked about their double date with Cain and Emma for dinner, recognizing the number.

“Don’t you wish,” Dallas said. “Could you work your charm on the lock again? I’m almost ready but not quite.”

Simon stood with her back to Remi as Remi quickly unlocked the gate, and as it closed behind them it seemed someone flipped a switch on the noise as well. The door to the house was open, and when they stepped in they found the drinks Dallas had poured.

“She’s a great hostess,” Simon said, taking a seat in one of the wingback chairs by the fireplace.

“True,” Remi responded automatically. Since Dallas was still upstairs she walked slowly around the room.

The house, or what parts of it she’d seen, were comfortable and so tastefully put together they could be in a magazine layout. Beautiful artwork hung on the walls, and mementos of Dallas’s work sat on the mantel and other pieces of furniture.

“You’re snooping.”

Remi put down the badge Dallas had been issued for Lady-Killers and sat across from Simon. “I finally figured out what’s off about this place.”

“Looks good to me.”

“It’s great, but you could move in here and not feel like you’re invading anyone’s space.”

Simon lowered her drink and leaned forward so they could keep their voices down. “What are you talking about?”

“She has great art, but no photographs of any kind except a few recent ones. There’s stuff that must’ve meant something to her from work, but nothing else. She could leave here tomorrow and pack it in a small bag, because the rest is replaceable.”

“Is that what you’re afraid of?”

On the coffee table was the one piece that didn’t fit—a rock with no markings and no recognizable shape, lying next to a vase of roses. “I don’t have any hold over Dallas—I’m just curious.”

“You have to care about her, because otherwise you wouldn’t give a damn one way or the other.” She waved her hand at Remi. “Don’t try and deny it. I’ve known you from the day you were born.” Remi heard movement at the top of the stairs, and Simon stopped talking. The size of Simon’s smile made Remi stand and turn around, because Simon rarely smiled like that except at Juno. She whispered to Remi, “Tell me again later how you don’t care. I’ll wait for you outside. Good evening, Miss Dallas,” she added before leaving.

Dallas stopped on the last step, wearing a tea-length black dress with a slit up the side past her knee. If she expected any kind of reaction, Remi disappointed her by just standing there and staring. “Is this all right? If not, I can change.”

“I’m sorry,” Remi said, moving closer. “Please don’t change a thing. You look beautiful.” She put her hands on Dallas’s hips and kissed her neck.

“People tell me that all the time, and I never put a lot of credence in it. But when you say it, you make me believe it.”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”

“I believe you because you have nothing to gain from the compliment, and because you’ve taken the time to want to know me.”

“That process has just begun, take my word for it.” Remi let her go and took a step back. “Shall we?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The answer, Remi thought, applied to a lot more than a dinner invitation.

“She doesn’t exist, Papi, and I’ve looked. She pays no taxes, collects no checks, and owns nothing in her name. The information we have on file is bogus. The schools, the birthplace, nothing checks out. It’s as if she appeared one day, then made up a life,” Mano told his father as he held a folder in his hand full of the information he’d gathered on Dallas. “I’m sure no one’s checked before because, once they break in, everyone in this business changes their name to something more marketable. It’s strange, though, that none of the tabloids have picked up on this. They live for these types of stories.”

“Dallas hasn’t gone for roles that would catapult her into a career that would bring extra scrutiny. Those vultures spend their time on the truly famous, and she’s hovering at the cusp of that category.”

“I give her credit then.”

“How does she get paid?” Ramon asked.

“The money goes to the manager, Bob, who, as far as I can tell, must dole out an allowance, since I can’t even find a bank account in her name. If I hadn’t seen her at the party, I’d say she didn’t exist, because I haven’t been able to prove it.”

“If we can’t find anything, we might have a problem. Remi won’t admit it, but she cares for this girl. If she turns out to be something she’s not, your sister could end up getting hurt.” Ramon glanced over the papers Mano had handed him. “Concentrate on the casino deal and leave this to me. I’ll check on a few other things and see what I can find. The last thing I need is to open up something that could put us in the spotlight.”

“I’d like to look somewhere else before I quit.” Mano handed Ramon another folder. “Instead of hunting for something we may never find, why not start with the person who made Remi want to know about Dallas in the first place?”

The folder had the name Bob Bennett on it. Mano had already started the search for answers about Dallas through the only link they had. “This one has a few more pages,” Ramon said, quickly flipping through the whole thing.

“It’s a lot more interesting reading too. Bob’s tried to distance himself from his beginnings, but he didn’t go about it as intelligently as Dallas did.”

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t think we’d find anything on either one. The fact that Dallas is such a mystery disturbs me since your sister is busy spinning theories of her own.”

Mano stood up and clicked his briefcase closed. “Are you sure you don’t want my help?”

“I trust you with my life, and if Remi was here, I’m sure she’d tell you the same thing,” Ramon said. He put the files in his top desk drawer and locked it. “But maybe this is something you shouldn’t know on the off chance Remi gets serious with this girl. You’d never betray her, but if you knew the whole truth it might embarrass both Remi and Dallas, and that might come back to haunt them.”

“Let me know if you run into a dead end, or if you need my help.”

Ramon walked with Mano to the side door of his office that led outside and kissed his forehead before he opened it. “You’ll be my first call. Stay out of trouble.”

“Are things still on track? I didn’t mean to insult Cain at our last meeting.”

“I’m sure your question didn’t put Cain off, unlike some of the others we deal with. She likes everyone to be upfront, just like your sister. If she’s got a problem she won’t hesitate to bring it up.”

“I’ll keep in touch with Muriel then, as soon as we’re ready for the next step.”

Ramon nodded and watched Mano walk to his car. Of all the deals he’d made since arriving in the States, this one had the most twists and surprises. When Ramon added what they didn’t know about the one girl Remi had ever shown an interest in for more than one date it only added to the unknowns he had to deal with as they tried to close the casino deal. He figured his retirement wouldn’t be anytime soon.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31