I fisted my hand around the handle of the weapon I’d shoved into my waistband before leaving the bedroom. While I doubted that if Fallon decided to kill me she’d use a gun, I wasn’t going to take the chance.
“What is it, Silvio?” I finally asked when he remained silent.
“Sorry to bother you, boss, but I thought you’d like some answers. One of the housekeepers handed me some bags. She said you requested them?”
Sighing, I nodded as I turned around. He was clearly amused at my attire. He’d rarely seen me in anything other than a black tee shirt and cargo pants or the occasional suit. My private time was just that, not a show meant for others.
Another reason I hated this goddamn assignment.
He placed her small clutch bag on the desk, pushing it away by a few inches as if the cloth bag would catch on fire. I grinned inwardly. He’d never seen me with a woman inside my house since being in my employ. He’d commented only twice on the fact I’d never spent more than two hours with a woman in my life.
Until now.
My guess is the man was itching to chide me. Twenty-four hours and both my behavior and my world had been rocked. He thought best not to say anything.
“You can leave the bags right there. I’ll take them up to her room later. I assume the other items I asked Maria to find she was able to do?”
I could tell by the look on the man’s face he knew I’d spent the night with her. While I wasn’t in the mood for my behavior tobe challenged by anyone, he wasn’t the reason for my bad mood. There were half a dozen others.
“Yes, sir. She purchased what she could. I’ll put them right here, boss,” he said as he placed the items on the couch. He did so tentatively, which allowed me to know he had something on his mind.
“Spill it. I have a busy day and we’re leaving either tonight or tomorrow.”
He seemed surprised. “I’ll warn the pilot.” He walked closer. With nothing in his hands, whatever he had to tell me couldn’t be but so important. “I checked on Ms. Baldwin. She lives in Santa Barbara and has for the past several years. She has little money in her bank account. Owns a car, and has two credit cards, which are mostly maxed out. I found her art on the internet. She’s damn good.” He smiled broadly until he realized I wasn’t interested. After clearing his throat, he finished his statement. “She’s from LA where her father and sister currently live.”
“And her father?”
“Up until about six months ago, he worked for a company called Renfield Industries. Nothing special about them other than they sell landscaping chemicals they produce. They have a decent bottom line but had to lay off about one third of their workforce at the same time. Seems legit. The sister, Brooke, is an elementary school teacher. She’s only been on the job for about eighteen months. Lives in a hovel of an apartment. Shithole if you ask me and in the wrong part of town, but close to where she teaches.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Silvio?”
He half laughed and scratched his head. “There’s nothing there that’s odd. Nothing out of the ordinary. I checked her father’s bank accounts. He did take out a significant withdrawal from his savings almost two weeks ago, but no large sums incoming, no other oddities.”
Perhaps he had run away like Fallon had suggested. Who the fuck was really after him and why?
“You need to dig deeper. You missed something.” That much I was certain of.
“I’m telling you their history is squeaky clean. Birth certificates for the two girls who are almost nine years apart. College degrees for both from good schools on the West Coast. Her father owned two houses, the one he’s living in purchased fifteen years ago. Just a basic family.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “With one exception. Your lovely guest was arrested once.”
I chuckled. “Jaywalking?”
“No, breaking into an art gallery. From what I could tell, the charges were dropped. She accused the owner of stealing her work. There’s a story there, but I doubt its one that will be useful to you.”
No, but it added credence to her personality.
“Interesting, but not useful. What happened to her mother?”
“Nothing unusual there either, boss. She was listed as deceased when the younger child was barely one.”
“Cause of death?”
“A car accident.”
I shifted my attention toward the window, allowing a smile to cross my face. Everything seemed to add up, but my instinct had never proven me wrong. “Like I said. Keep digging. We’re heading to the hospital in a couple hours to have a nice, long chat with Eduardo. I assume there were no additional reports of issues at the warehouse?”
He shook his head. “All is quiet. Too quiet, if you know what I mean. Including on the street.”
“Not unexpected. Fassi is known for his fact-finding missions.”
