Gilded Craving - Olivia Jaymes Page 0,50

his nose. He was just angry that they weren't the kind of parents that he'd wanted so he'd set out to be the son they didn't want either. No one wanted to budge from their position which made the entire situation more frustrating for everyone around them.

Liza had been working on her parents for years, telling them to back off Ryan about his career choices. She'd also been working on Ryan, and Mariah had been as well when they'd still been together. She hadn't made much progress though, and he'd constantly tried to avoid spending any time with them. Deep inside, she felt that he'd regret that eventually. His parents weren't going to live forever, after all.

"So how is the investigation going, son?" Jack asked as the dinner plates were whisked away. "Any progress?"

They'd somehow managed to avoid talking about Brad during the meal, instead discussing the upcoming party for Patricia's birthday which had led to an even more in-depth debate about the merits of the Caribbean versus Europe. Jack was planning to take his wife on an extended vacation as part of her birthday present and they were trying to decide where to go. They'd already traveled extensively so neither location would be new to them. Mariah had suggested an Alaskan cruise as her parents had just returned from one and were still raving about it.

Ryan dabbed at the corners of his mouth with the heavy linen napkin. "I'm still putting together a picture of what happened that night when we were all together. I still have to speak to a few people including Isla Norton. She's had a busy schedule but I'm hoping that I get to talk to her tomorrow. My boss has also done some research into Brad's finances and came up with a few leads for me to follow."

This was the first that Mariah was hearing about new leads. She'd specifically asked Ryan in the car on the way there how his day had gone. He'd said it was fine but he hadn't elaborated on it any further so she'd assumed that meant there was nothing to talk about. Apparently, she'd been wrong.

Liza's brows rose expectantly. "You can't just throw something out there like that and then clam up, big brother. Talk. What did your boss find out? Was Brad funding an underground research facility that was trying to weaponize trained sharks?"

Her husband Mike grinned. "Or even better, a clandestine paramilitary group that goes around and helps people in trouble like ’The A-Team’?"

Chuckling, Jack smiled. "I think both of you watch too much television. I doubt it was anything very interesting. What would Ryan find if he looked into your finances, I wonder?"

"That I like shoes," Liza sighed. "And Italian takeout. He'd find out that Mike plays too much golf."

"There's no such thing," Mike said with a mock anger tone in his voice. "Golf is a great way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon."

"Lying in a hammock drinking a lemonade is even better," Liza teased her husband, placing her hand on his. "Or you could spend time with your wife. Now there's a radical idea."

"I'm just giving you time to go shopping," Mike replied with a grin. "We both have our little hobbies."

"So...what were Brad's hobbies?" Liza asked, taking a sip from her water goblet. "We know he played golf and partied."

For a moment, Mariah didn't think that Ryan was going to respond but he did, although she could tell it was a reluctant reply.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to Skip and Lilly about this so I would appreciate your discretion until I do. It's all going to come out eventually I would imagine, but I'd like them to hear it directly from me since I'm the one working on the case."

"That's fine, Ryan," Patricia murmured. "We're not gossips."

"I didn't think that you were," he assured his mother. "I just need you all to know that this is not common knowledge. Brad appeared to be gambling quite a bit. Every single day, as a matter of fact. He may have had a gambling problem."

Those words were a punch in the chest to Mariah. If Brad had been gambling, did he owe people money? Had one of them hurt him that night?

"Do you know for sure?" Jack asked, his expression somber. "How did you even find something like this out? It was over ten years ago."

"His cell phone was on his dad's account, which still exists," Ryan explained. "They traced his calls to several