inches shorter than Stevens.
Commander Stevens held out his hand. “Good morning, Dr. Whitaker. It’s good to see you. Do you have any questions I can answer before you and Detective Granger head out today?”
Nina glanced at Simon. “We were just about to sit down and discuss what he has in store for me.” Her gaze shifted to Gil Archer, who was just holding out his hand to Simon.
“It’s good to see you again, Simon,” he said quietly.
“Likewise, sir,” Simon said, though he could barely speak past the lump in his throat. Gil Archer had always been unfailingly polite to Simon, before, during and after Simon’s personal relationship with Lana. He’d never said anything to make him think that he blamed Simon for his daughter’s death, but it didn’t matter. Even during the best of times, when Simon knew he wasn’t to blame for what had happened, he had trouble remembering that when in her parents’ company. He didn’t see them often, but because Stevens and Archer were old friends, it happened on occasion. At least Lana’s mother wasn’t here. The last time he’d seen her, she’d vacillated between being catatonic and sobbing over the loss of her daughter. Of course, that had been at Lana’s funeral...
Aware that Nina’s gaze was bouncing back and forth between them, Simon cleared his throat. “Mr. Gil Archer, this is Dr. Nina Whitaker.”
Archer nodded and smiled. “Of course. Dr. Whitaker.” He held out his hand, cradling Nina’s when she placed it in his. “You’re the psychiatrist Stevens has been telling me so much about. Not to mention that I read about you in the paper. Commendable work helping Simon find that little girl. Rebecca Hyatt’s grandfather is a member of my golfing club. Very appreciative. And very wealthy. We both donate considerable amounts of money to worthy causes each year. Between you and me, I’m sure he’d be happy to donate funds to the proposed program Stevens will be considering. If it moves forward, of course.”
“Of course,” Nina said mildly. “That would be wonderful. And do you feel the same way, sir?”
Archer glanced at Stevens and laughed appreciatively. “Watch out, Stevens. This one will have you agreeing to a number of things before you know it.” He turned back to Nina. “Do I feel the same way? I believe I do. My daughter, Lana, was a psychiatrist and I couldn’t have been more proud of her. Funny,” he said, tilting his head. “You even look a little like her. Isn’t that right, Simon?”
Simon shifted uneasily. He’d thought the same thing when he’d first met Nina, but oddly enough, he’d stopped seeing the resemblance since then. At some point, he’d stopped comparing her to Lana. In fact, he realized suddenly, he’d stopped thinking of Lana altogether. At least, he’d stopped torturing himself with thoughts of her like he usually did. Mostly what he’d been thinking about the past few days had been her. Nina. The kiss they’d shared. And how much he wanted to kiss her again.
Instead of agreeing with Archer, Simon said, “It was good seeing you, sir. Commander. But as Nina said, we were just sitting down to get started.”
“Right. Right,” Archer said. “I suppose we should get going. I was just checking with Stevens here to see if he had any recommendations. We’re a little short-staffed at work and getting bigger and bigger contracts every day. If you’re ever interested in extra pocket change, Simon, or know someone who is, just let me know.”
Pocket change? For the most part, Archer paid big bucks, which was why so many cops had signed on with his firm after taking early-retirement packages.
“Gil runs one of the biggest security firms in the city,” Commander Stevens explained to Nina.
“I do, but as I said, I’m a big supporter of mental health professionals. In fact, I’m on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Golf Club and we’re sponsoring an upcoming fundraiser to raise funds for those with mental illness. I believe you’ll be attending, Simon?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“Perhaps, Dr. Whitaker, you can join us, as well? Maybe you can even be a featured speaker, talk about this extra training you’re proposing, so we can waive the entry fee? Shall I send you an invitation?”
She nodded and smiled, but was probably just being polite. Any idiot could see she’d stiffened up ever since Gil Archer had told her she looked like his daughter and had turned to Simon for confirmation.
Stevens and Archer left, and Nina finally sat down.
Her gaze