Save Your Breath (Morgan Dane #6) - Melinda Leigh Page 0,52
over her eyes and tried to see inside.
Morgan returned to the car. “It doesn’t look like anyone is in today, but I don’t want to leave a message. Any ideas?”
“Let’s stop by his house.” Lance backed out of the space.
Morgan called Jenny and asked her to get the attorney’s home address. Jenny called back in a few minutes with the information, and Morgan plugged the address into her phone’s GPS. Mark Hansen lived close to his office. In less than ten minutes, Lance turned onto a country road.
He slowed in front of a black mailbox. “It looks like Hansen does all right as an attorney.”
Lance steered the Jeep onto the long driveway. Mark Hansen lived in a converted barn that sat well off the road. The front lawn was the size of a soccer field and just as well kept. Large windows had been inserted across the front of the boxy stone structure. Ornamental cabbages lined the flower beds, and a collection of straw bales and pumpkins was artfully arranged on either side of the front door. He parked at the end of the driveway, and they got out of the Jeep.
“I don’t see any cars,” Morgan said as she walked around the front of the vehicle.
Lance joined her. He pointed to a four-car detached garage behind the main house. “I wouldn’t expect to.”
They went up the front walk. A gust of wind hit Morgan in the back and blew her hair into her face. She held it back with one hand. Lance reached for the doorbell. Inside the house, chimes echoed. A few seconds later, the sound of footsteps approached.
A petite redhead of about thirty opened the door. “Can I help you?” She wore black slacks and a black blazer over a white blouse.
“We’re looking for Mr. Hansen.” Morgan handed her a business card. “Are you his wife?”
“No. I’m the housekeeper. You should leave a message at Mr. Hansen’s office.” The redhead moved as if to close the door.
Lance placed one boot in the opening. “This is an emergency.”
Morgan put a hand on Lance’s arm. “We apologize for disturbing Mr. Hansen at home. But as my associate just said, this is an emergency. A woman is missing, and she might be tied to one of Mr. Hansen’s old cases.”
“You’ll have to wait here.” The redhead frowned down at Lance’s boot, which prevented the door from closing.
Lance withdrew his foot. “Sorry.”
The door closed. Another gust of cool wind blew across the open field. Morgan drew the edges of her jacket together as they waited. Several minutes passed before the door opened again, and a man of about forty stepped outside.
He zipped a puffy down vest over a blue crewneck sweater that looked like cashmere. “I’m Mark Hansen. My housekeeper said it was an emergency.”
“Thank you for speaking with us,” Morgan said before Lance could jump in. “A woman is missing.”
“Let’s walk.” Hansen started walking across the manicured lawn. “I don’t allow my profession anywhere near my family.”
“I understand. I feel the same way.” Morgan took a position between the two men.
Lance fell into step beside her. “This is about the Cliff Franklin case.”
Mark hesitated midstride. “That case is several years old. I don’t know how it could be related to a current missing persons case.”
“The woman who is missing is Olivia Cruz,” Morgan said. “Do you remember speaking with her about the Franklin case?”
“Yes. Now that you mention it, I remember speaking with her on the phone.” Hansen shoved his hands into the pockets of his down vest. “She wanted some background on the case. I don’t recall everything that was said.”
In Lance’s opinion, I don’t recall was lawyer code for I don’t want to tell you.
“You were assigned the Franklin case?” Morgan asked.
“That’s correct.” Hansen kept his gaze on the horizon. “Judge Miller felt the public defender’s office was too overwhelmed to give the case the amount of time and energy it required. He asked me to handle it.”
“How did you feel about the assignment?” Morgan asked.
Hansen lifted a shoulder. “You know how it is. The case required a large number of man-hours, but the extra publicity was good for the firm.”
“You lost,” Lance pointed out. “How is that good publicity?”
Hansen shot him a look. “The prosecutor’s case was strong. I advised Mr. Franklin to plea bargain. There was a question on one of the search warrants. Not enough to get the evidence thrown out, but enough to give me a little leverage. I could have gotten Franklin a