Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard (shoe dog free ebook .txt) 📗

she’ll appreciate us looking into the break-in with more interest.” He gestured for her to go ahead.

She led the way down the corridor and noted many of the offices were empty but not all. An insurance agency occupied one office, a bookkeeper and tax accountant another.

They headed up the stairs and, on the second floor, Jack knocked on the door with a window displaying the stenciled words Dallas Simpson, Private Investigator.

“Come in,” a woman called.

Jack opened the door and held it for Terra again. A petite brunette woman was stuffing items into cardboard boxes. She paused as they made introductions, then Jack and Terra sat in the two chairs across from Dallas’s desk.

“We’re here to talk to you about a recent client—Pauline Raymond.”

Dallas opened her mouth but hesitated, then said, “I thought you’d come to ask more questions about the break-in I reported yesterday.”

Jack shared a look with Terra. “There could be a connection.”

Dallas eased into the seat behind her desk and rubbed her head. “I don’t know how much information I’m free to share.”

“Did Pauline hire you for litigation purposes?” Terra asked. “If not, then there’s no attorney-client privileges preventing you from sharing with us, if that’s your concern.”

“No, she didn’t. But it’s just not particularly good for business for me to share with the cops, though of course, we do like to work together.”

Jack eased forward. “Mrs. Raymond passed away.”

The investigator gasped. “I, oh no . . . I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Please, can you tell me what happened?”

“It appears she died of natural causes,” Jack said. “But her husband was murdered. We’d like to know what you discovered when you followed him.”

Dallas leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them. “I heard that Jim had been murdered. But I still can’t believe any of this.”

“I know it’s hard to fathom,” Terra said. “Anything you can tell us could help. For starters, could you share what Pauline hired you to do and why, and what you learned.”

Dallas gave a quick nod and shifted forward. “Most of my cases are cheating spouses. I do get some insurance fraud cases on occasion. Pauline, God rest her soul, came to me. She had a hard time talking without crying. She wasn’t angry as much as shattered. She had hoped I would put all her fears away. She suspected Jim was cheating. I thought it was strange because he’s an insurance agent. I mean, he’s gone in the evenings and on weekends a lot. So that would be normal for their lives and had been for decades.”

“Why do you think she suspected him?”

“She never told me. I suppose that her suspicions were in the nuances of daily living. The small things. She sensed they were growing apart. Maybe she thought he was thinking about another woman when he was with her. He was distracted. Who can know? I followed him around town. I was almost convinced that he wasn’t cheating and I would have good news to deliver.”

“Almost convinced? What happened?” Jack steepled his hands.

“It’s not easy to follow someone out on a state highway and then out on a mountain road without them spotting a tail.”

“But you managed.”

“Yes. I wondered if Jim was onto me the way he was taking obscure county roads and seemed to be going in circles as if he was trying to shake me. So, I lost him on purpose. I turned off on a county road and waited.”

Dallas frowned. “I came back around and headed in the direction I’d seen him, and then I spotted his vehicle parked at a trailhead. I hid my vehicle farther up the road and headed into the forest toward the trail with my camera.”

“Were there other vehicles at the trailhead?” Jack asked.

“Two others. Not that surprising. I took pictures of the vehicles and got the license plate numbers. I followed Mr. Raymond off the trail by half a mile. I hung back a good distance so he didn’t know I had trailed him, and I captured him talking to someone with my telephoto lens.”

Terra retrieved the photographs and slid them across the desk. “This woman?”

“Yes.” Dallas held Terra’s gaze. “You knew this already.”

“I only have these two photographs and no context. If you have more, please share them. This is all we could retrieve at Mrs. Raymond’s home. Have you learned this woman’s name?”

“I have her name, but Pauline didn’t want to know that information. Honestly, these photographs don’t prove he was having an affair. He could simply have stumbled on another hiker and had a conversation.”

“But you don’t think that’s what happened.”

“I don’t. Jim . . . well, he didn’t seem the type to hike. Though he could have been talking to a stranger, I got the sense that he was in a deep conversation with her.”

“Can we see the rest of the photographs?”

“I can tell you her name, but as for the rest, my office was broken into and many of my files were stolen.”

“Let me guess.” Jack stood. “Everything on Jim Raymond is gone?”

“I didn’t have that much, but yes, it’s gone.”

“What do you think is going on?” Jack asked. “Why would Jim Raymond’s files be important?”

“I don’t know. Jim never did anything suspicious other than meet with this woman. I only surveilled him for three weeks.”

Interesting. “Why are you packing up your office?”

Dallas rose and walked around the small space, peering into opened boxes. “Business hasn’t been so great. I’m in the bad part of town, and my office was ransacked. Files were stolen. Honestly, it’s not worth the hassle to struggle so much. I had already been mulling the idea of switching careers when this happened. So, I’m moving to Georgia to work with my sister. She owns a catering business.”

Terra smiled. “Can you cook?”

“I guess we’ll find out.” Dallas rubbed her arms and stared at the boxes.

Jack knew that look. “Do you feel like you’re in danger? Is that the real reason you’re leaving?”

She slowly looked to him