Truth and Justice - Fern Michaels Page 0,38
the planet. He can buckle his seat belt, answer the phone, fold towels, and make his own bed. I think I am capable of killing anyone who would even dare harm a hair on that dog’s body. His name is Cyrus.”
Nikki spoke so vehemently that Conover reared back. And then he grinned. “Okay, you sold me on getting another animal. Unfortunately, I can’t help you in regard to where Sara is or who she might know. Now when I think back to those days, I see how blind I was. I wish I could help you. If I think of anything, how can I get in touch with you?”
Maggie fished around in her backpack and pulled out a business card. She wrote her cell phone number as well as Nikki’s on the back. “Call day or night, we’ll always answer.”
Conover accepted the card, walked over to the refrigerator, and slipped the business card under a magnet of an alligator showing off its monster teeth. “Sara got this magnet, why I don’t know.” He looked at it, then tossed it in the trash can next to the sink. The business card went under a magnet of purple tulips with a yellow butterfly perched on one of the petals. He laughed out loud. Maggie and Nikki smiled. Steven Conover really was a nice guy.
“I’m sorry to hear about that guy, Major Nolan. I’d like to meet his wife someday if that’s possible.”
“Oh, I think it is. We’ll suggest it to her when we get back to town. I bet she shows up at your showroom one of these days. You’ll like her. She’s very down-to-earth. Nothing pretentious to her, and she is absolutely going to go over the moon when she sees this kitchen and all these dogs. She’s from Kansas. Who knows what will happen from that point on,” Maggie said, giggling.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Conover. Please, if you think of anything, call one of us. We really need to find Sara Windsor. Maybe I should say Conover. I’m thinking the con in her would have her take back her maiden name, or she’d get a new name altogether. We’ll find out sooner or later. Thanks for the coffee,” Nikki said.
“My pleasure. I’m just sorry I wasn’t more help. Not to worry, I will call if I think of anything. I’ll show you out.”
In the van with the engine running, Maggie threw her hands in the air. “I was so hoping he’d be able to help us. Nice guy. That chick must be really nasty to steal from her brother, then clean out the husband like that. He’s well rid of her if you want my opinion.”
“Just drive, Maggie. I want to get home so I can think. I need to be around my stuff when I have serious thinking to do. People don’t just disappear. We need to find her.”
“Before you go all silent on me, we need to find out what Sara did to earn a living before she met Steven. I know he said she didn’t work when they were married, but she must have had a job of some kind unless she had a sugar daddy or something. Call Conover and ask. Knowing what she did to earn a living might help us find her more quickly. I’m thinking that, in the end, we’re going to have to turn this over to Avery Snowden. Finding the impossible person is his forte.”
Nikki worked her phone, talked quickly, grimaced as she listened, then ended the call. “Nothing much, Maggie. She sold cosmetics in a department store, worked as a cocktail waitress in some girly bar. She also sold time shares to condos, and that’s what she was doing when he met her. He also said she had expensive clothes and jewelry, drove a really nice Jaguar, and always seemed to have a lot of money. He said he was stupid and just thought she was really good at selling the time shares. Can I go silent now?”
“Okay,” Maggie said agreeably. She, too, needed to think.
Chapter 9
Annie scowled as she paced Myra’s spacious kitchen. She muttered to herself, then looked at Myra. “We have not accomplished one damn thing in the last four days. All we’ve been doing is running around like a bunch of wild chickens. We have absolutely nothing to show for ninety-six hours of our time. Multiply that by the seven of us and the number will blow your mind. And”—she paused dramatically, throwing her