For The Love Of Laurel by Patricia Harreld Read Free Book Online

back into the living room and looked out the window at the main house. He knew she wasn’t home; her car was gone. His watch told him it was just after five. She should be on her way home soon.
    He shook his head when he thought about her private detective business. He’d be willing to bet she’d never been in a dangerous situation. She said she was familiar with martial arts and guns, but could she protect herself in a dicey situation? Not if last night was any indication. Still, he’d like to think she could since he was banned from her office and its environs. Not that he hadn’t checked the area thoroughly and even let himself into her office after hours—at Gerald’s request—by picking the lock. He recalled her question. Why would she need to pick a lock? From what he could tell when he went through her files, the cases she took weren’t the kind where she would need to know that talent. But that could change at any time, he admitted. Maybe he should visit her office again soon.
    He thought of the brochure from Gunderson. Was it just a coincidence? Maybe the good doctor had sent it after Gerald’s funeral hoping the newly-bereaved daughter could use a fake pick-me-up to drown her sorrows. It would be just like him, though if he had seen her at the funeral, he would know she was perfection.
    After he showered, he nuked a frozen lasagna and grabbed a container of fresh pineapple chunks and a bottle of water. Settling in front of the TV, he turned it to a baseball game, happy for something to take his mind off Laurel.
    In the fifth inning, something began to niggle at his brain. He shook it off and got a beer. It wouldn’t leave and by the top of the seventh, he was no longer paying attention to the game. What was wrong? He wasn’t sure, but knew not to ignore it.
    He opened the blinds and peered into the dark. The lights in the main house were on. Okay. So what was it? His glance took in the property, looking for something. At last he realized it wasn’t something. It was nothing. Nothing in the driveway. Laurel’s car wasn’t there. Unless she had put it in the garage, which she rarely did, she had never come home.
    He checked his computer but couldn’t locate her. Had she taken the tracking device off the car herself? Had the battery run out?
    His heart pounded at his stupidity. Why hadn’t he noticed sooner? He tried her cell, but there was no answer. He dialed the house. Mari answered on the second ring.
    “Avidon residence.”
    “It’s Dylan.” He tried to keep the panic out of his voice. “I noticed Laurel’s car isn’t here.”
    There was a short silence. “So? She’s a big girl,” Mari said. She didn’t sound worried.
    Dylan wanted to demand to know where she was but knew he’d be out of line. “I need to talk to her. I tried her cell, but she didn’t pick up.”
    “She went to a concert with her secretary. She probably had to turn her phone off. She’ll be here tomorrow.”
    “Tomorrow?” It was all Dylan could do to keep from yelling.
    “Yes. She’s staying the night at Sue’s. The concert is in Chula Vista, and she didn’t want to drive all the way to Rancho so late.”
    “Thanks.” Dylan hung up and grabbed the newspaper off the coffee table. Something about Mari’s tone set him off. She was lying. He scanned the Arts section, but there were no concerts tonight in Chula Vista or anywhere else in the county. At least, none that were advertised and they were always advertised.
    He tapped his fingers on the table. “Where are you, Laurel? What are you up to?”
    He practically ran to the new SUV, all the time wondering what the hell he was doing. He had no idea where she was. How did he think he would find her? And what would she do if he did?
    Laurel sat in her car across the street from the Gunderson house. It was a two-story mansion in La Jolla. The grounds were as neat as Gloria’s hair. Not a plant out of place. All paid for with the money of those who wanted to put