Part 5 (1/2)
Instead she said, ”You hired Chance Walker to find Dixie?” saying his name carefully as if the words were expensive crystal that were so fragile they might break otherwise.
”He's a private detective. d.a.m.ned good.”
Was that supposed to make her feel better?
Daddy was looking at her, studying her, his eyes glazed from the alcohol, but he wasn't drunk. Nor was he stupid. ”You were a fool not to marry him.”
”I beg your pardon?”
He picked up the fresh drink the waiter left on the table and stared down into it as if it were more fascinating than her by far.
”I beg your pardon?” she said again, leaning toward him over the table, working to keep her voice down. After all, she was part of this family and no stranger to loud, ugly scenes. Just not in public. she said again, leaning toward him over the table, working to keep her voice down. After all, she was part of this family and no stranger to loud, ugly scenes. Just not in public.
”You, of all people, know know why I married Oliver,” she said, her voice low and crackling with fury. ”To give this family respectability because even with all your money, Daddy, you couldn't buy it, could you?” why I married Oliver,” she said, her voice low and crackling with fury. ”To give this family respectability because even with all your money, Daddy, you couldn't buy it, could you?”
He didn't look at her, but what she saw on his face shocked her. Shame.
She felt sick. He'd known what she'd done and why. He'd never believed that she married Oliver for love. He'd known that she had sacrificed her own happiness for the family and he hadn't even tried to stop her.
She rose from the table, picking up her purse, glaring down at him. ”As I said, I have things to do.” She turned on her heel.
Just as he hadn't stopped her from marrying Oliver, he didn't stop her from leaving the restaurant.
CHANCE DROVE DOWN the road to where a wide spot had been plowed at the edge of the lake and pulled over. He tried to calm down before he called Bonner again.
”h.e.l.lo?” Bonner sounded asleep. Or half-drunk. Because of the hour and the bar sounds in the background, Chance surmised it was the latter.
”What the h.e.l.l are you trying to pull?” He'd planned to be calm, not to tell Bonner what he thought of him. But just the sound of the oilman's voice set Chance off.
”Chance?”
”I just met the private eye you hired from Texas. J. B. Jamison. Want to tell me what the h.e.l.l that was about?”
”I don't know what you're talking about.”
”A Texas private investigator named J. B. Jamison.”
”He said I I hired him? Well, he's mistaken. You're the only private investigator I hired.” hired him? Well, he's mistaken. You're the only private investigator I hired.”
Chance swore. ”Mistaken? How could he mistake that?”
”Maybe someone hired him using my name, but it wasn't me,” Bonner snapped. ”I give you my word.”
For what that was worth. It was all he could do not to tell Bonner what he thought of that. Instead, Chance thought of his own daughter.
”Someone broke into my office last night,” Chance said. ”From what I can tell, it wasn't Jamison. That means there is someone else looking for Dixie.”
”Well, I didn't hire them,” Bonner said, sounding angry. ”How many times do I have to say it?”
Chance shook his head, fighting to rein in his temper. If not Jamison, then who had broken into the office and taken the answering machine tape?
”Let's be clear on this,” Chance said. ”I'll find your daughter. That's what you're paying me to do. I'll even give her a ride to the airport so she can return to Houston, if that's what she wants. But I won't let anyone use the kinds of methods Jamison does and hog-tie her and haul her across state lines all the way back to Texas. That's That's kidnapping and I won't be a part of it no matter what's going on between you and Dixie.” kidnapping and I won't be a part of it no matter what's going on between you and Dixie.”
He heard Bonner take a long drink. Gla.s.ses tinkled in the background, the clatter of dishes, the murmur of people talking. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d was having lunch.
”Just find my daughter as quickly as possible. I got another ransom demand. A million and a half. There was also a package waiting for me at the airport when I landed. Dixie's locket was inside it. It's the one I gave her on her sixteenth birthday. She wore it all the time.”
Chance groaned. ”d.a.m.n it, Beauregard. Call the FBI. They can start tracing the calls.”
Beauregard the dog lifted his head, coming awake at the sound of his name-and Chance's angry tone.
”We've already had this discussion,” Bonner said, sounding tired. ”She used her credit card again. Some place called Neihart, Montana? Call me the minute you have her. But I warn you, finding her and hanging on to her are two entirely different things. By the time you're done, you'll understand why this Jamison uses the methods he does.” Bonner hung up.
Chance snapped off the phone with a curse. What the h.e.l.l? Bonner sounded as if he still didn't believe his daughter had been kidnapped. But he was worried about her. What was going on?
Beauregard the dog barked, letting him know he didn't appreciate being awakened by Chance's raised voice when he'd done nothing wrong.
”Go back to sleep. I'll wake you for lunch.” Chance patted the dog's big head and Beauregard curled back up, dropping off to sleep again instantly. Dogs. They really did have the life.
Every instinct told Chance to call the oilman back and quit the case. Unfortunately it had gone beyond the money. Chance couldn't let Jamison find Dixie first. No matter what a h.e.l.lion the woman was. Someone had d.a.m.ned sure hired Jamison to haul her back to Texas. But why?
Bonner wasn't going to the feds because whatever was really going on, he didn't want them involved. What the h.e.l.l had Dixie done? Whatever it was, Bonner just wanted her quietly returned to the longhorn state. Illegally returned, since Dixie was twenty-nine.
Why wasn't Bonner worried that his daughter would press charges against him once he got her back to Texas?
Another good question.
He dragged out his map again. If he was reading her traveling pattern right, she was headed for White Sulphur Springs.
He couldn't wait any longer. It was time to cut her off at the pa.s.s.
ACE BONNER was leaning against Oliver's Porsche, grinning as Oliver came out of the Bonner Unlimited building. Ace was a big fifty-something man with thick gray hair. He'd probably been fairly good-looking, like most of the Bonners, when he was younger. But prison and an indulgent lifestyle since hadn't done much for him.
”What are you doing here?” Oliver snapped as he glanced back at the Bonner Unlimited building, afraid Carl or Mason might be watching them from the window.
”Cool your jets,” Ace said, putting his arm around Oliver's shoulder. ”h.e.l.l, we're family. Nothing wrong with the two of us being seen together.”
”There is when we have a deal going down,” Oliver said under his breath as he shrugged off Ace's arm and walked around to the driver's side, hoping to make a fast exit. ”And stay off my car.”
”We need to talk,” Ace said, the grin gone.