Hello My Angel - Sue Brown Page 0,51

and Gil made a noise which sounded suspiciously like a sob.

Then one of the glaziers came in to find Josh and the moment was lost.

They returned to the penthouse to find all the men gathered around Max’s workstation.

“What have we missed?” Josh asked, joining them.

“We missed an address Moles was using.”

Rick and Dave groaned in unison.

“More traveling,” Dave groused. “Where is it?”

“Ashtead, Surrey. Not far from where Hazel was killed.”

“Who lives there?” Cal asked, ignoring them both.

“The owner was a Mrs. Olivia Castle. She was sixty-two and a widow.”

Josh raised an eyebrow. “Was?”

“She died of cancer six months ago.”

“Who inherited the property, Max?”

Max frowned as he stared at his screen. “It says it went to her niece, Erica Wilde.”

The silence in the office was deafening. They all stopped what they were doing and stared at Max.

“Erica Wilde? Billy Wilde’s wife?” Josh felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut.

“Erica Wilde, born Erica Castle. Olivia Castle was her father’s sister.” He swiveled his laptop to show a woman with piercing blue eyes and a wide smile, surrounded by her family, and sitting on the floor in front of her was Erica Wilde.

“Fuck!” Cal spat out the word.

“What’s happened to the property?” Josh asked.

“Nothing as far as I can see,” Max said. “The place is empty.”

“We need to get down and have a look,” Cal said. “Max, see if you can find out more about Mullins’s death. Gil, Rick and Josh, you’re coming with me to Ashtead.”

“What about me?” Dave asked.

“You get the afternoon off to make nice with your wife. Tomorrow it’s Rick’s turn.”

“But—”

Cal cut off Dave’s protest. “We’re all tired, Dave. We’re not bloody robots. Take the afternoon off and come back tomorrow. Late start.”

Dave looked like he wanted to protest, but he yawned and sighed. “Thanks, boss.”

Josh and Cal were the only ones left around the table after five minutes. Dave had left, Rick said he needed to make a call to his children, and Gil and Max were bickering about something. Josh couldn’t hear the words but from the tone, Max was seriously pissed off.

“What are you grinning about, Angel?” Cal asked.

“I think Max has gotten over his fear of Gil.”

Cal cocked his head, listening, before he said, “You might be right.”

“I think this is it, Charlie. I think this might be the break in the case we’ve been waiting for.” The feeling coiled in Josh’s gut like a snake waiting to strike.

“You think we’ll find Weatherly there?” Cal studied him; he didn’t look as convinced as Josh.

“I dunno, but everything always ties back to Billy Wilde, doesn’t it?”

“It looks like it,” Cal agreed.

Josh sighed and rubbed his eyes. “You know, I could do with that afternoon off, boss. You, me, our bed?”

“We don’t have to wait for an afternoon off to fuck, Angel.”

Cal winked at the reminder of their tryst not a couple of hours ago.

“You owe me another orgasm and a night in our bed.” This case had put a serious dampener on their love-life and he was starting to feel the strain. Then Cal moved and he felt a kiss brush the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Charlie.”

Another kiss, and then Cal spoke, his words brushing hot over the back of Josh’s neck. “I’m sorry too. We’re all tired. You and me can have a lie-in in a couple of days, okay?”

Josh nodded and sighed; glad Cal couldn’t see his face. “Let’s take a look at the area. We don’t want to upset anyone hiding behind the drapes.”

Cal made a dismissive sound in the back of his throat. “It’ll be the most excitement they’ve ever had.”

“You haven’t got the agency behind you now, Charlie.”

Cal nuzzled into the back of his neck. “I’ve got something better, Angel. I’ve got you.”

Josh leaned back against him. “You know just the right thing to say to woo a boy.”

Chapter 14

They’d parked at a distance from the empty bungalow and watched the place for what seemed like an eternity, but nobody had come in or out. The bungalow itself looked like a work in progress. Half the building sported a fresh coat of white paint and half was still a tired, faded yellow. The garden was neatly weeded, although the evergreen hedges needed a trim.

“Someone’s been there recently,” Josh said. “The front yard is tidy.”

Cal squinted at the property and Josh handed him his glasses. “It could be a neighbor or someone paid to do it. There’s an estate agent’s sign up.”

A purple sign proclaimed it was for