Divine Design by Mary Kay McComas Read Free Book Online Page B

negative shake of her head, Greta prepared to return to her work. Meghan let herself into her office and immediately picked up the receiver and punched out her home phone number.
    Mrs. Belinski was the wonderful woman Meghan had hired to be her housekeeper. She was kind, friendly, and cheerful—not to mention the fact that she was a terrific cook. As an added bonus, Mrs. Belinski loved babies and had three grandchildren of her own. A widow, she had agreed to a flexibility that the other applicants couldn’t guarantee.
    “Yah? Home for Ms. Shay,” came across the line.
    “Mrs. Belinski? Meghan here. I understand you called the office. Is anything wrong?” Meghan asked.
    “Ms. Shay.” The voice was suddenly frantic. “They bring di bed of di baby and go. They not take di bed away ven I say.”
    “That’s okay, Mrs. Belinski,” she said in a soothing voice. “I ordered a crib earlier this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know it was coming.”
    “Goot. Goot,” the older woman said, her tone back to normal. “You want I put away?”
    “No. I’ll put it away when I get home. Thank you.”
    Meghan got involved with working on several contracts, and the afternoon slipped by. It was nearly four-thirty before she recalled the message from Henry Alderman.
    “Meghan,” Henry said in greeting as she entered his office. “I was just getting ready to call and see if you had forgotten me.”
    “Never, Henry,” she replied calmly, although she had.
    Henry Alderman was a tall, thin man. He was bald except for a thin fringe of gray hair around the base of his skull, which he kept neatly trimmed. He wore thick, horn-rimmed glasses and spoke in a deep raspy voice. Of all the senior partners in the firm, Meghan liked and respected Henry most. As a junior partner, it was almost a relief to have Henry as her immediate superior. He was a kind, sensitive, honest man, who encouraged those around him to be the same.
    “I know you’ve got a load of work to do right now, but I have another case I’d like you to take on. Actually, it shouldn’t be too difficult. It’s a fairly cut-and-dried matter, but it’s up your alley and could prove to be a good source of future revenue,” Henry explained. “If you’re not up to it, Gibbs can take it, but I’d rather it got your special attention.”
    “Why? Who is it? For that matter, what is it?” she asked, showing her interest. Henry had always known just how to work Meghan his way. Or so he thought. In truth, there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for him. She respected him totally and was very fond of him personally.
    “Michael Ramsey is his name. He’s the eldest son of a Texas oil rancher, and he apparently has set out to make his own fortune. He wants to buy property here and contacted me several weeks ago. The Corbetts recommended us,” he said as his phone rang. “So if you could take it on, we’ll keep them happy and wind up with a new client,” he finished, picking up his phone.
    “Yes, Evelyn,” he said, then paused. “Fine, put him on.” With his eye movements and facial expressions, Henry indicated to Meghan that it was Ramsey on the phone.
    “Hello, Mr. Ramsey. I’ve been expecting your call. …Yes, certainly. That’ll be fine. … November the twelfth?” He gave Meghan a questioning look, and she nodded in answer. “Yes, that will be fine too. … No, actually I won’t be. My colleague Ms. Shay will. … Oh, the Corbetts did mention her then. … Yes, she is. She’s excellent. … Fine, we’ll see you then,” Henry concluded.
    Then as an afterthought he asked, “Mr. Ramsey, about that other problem you had? Were the investigators able to help you out at all?”
    Henry listened intently for several seconds, his expression sympathetic. “No trace of her? I am sorry, Mr. Ramsey. New York is a big city. … Well, if she’s still in New York, Macklin will find her. … Well, good luck to you, and we’ll look forward to seeing you on the