SeductiveTracks by Elizabeth Lapthorne Read Free Book Online Page A

mentioned in nearly three quarters of those files
relating to Retrievers hired or who found an item?”
    Julian knelt next to the walnut coffee table and rummaged
through the files Matt had been going through. In a moment he had opened and
spread a dozen files in a fan around himself.
    “It could be a coincidence.” Julian spoke slowly, his eyes
roaming over the files, tracking the notations about Retrievers being hired and
the companies and employees used. “But it’s a bit of a stretch. I think this is
enough of a lead that it bears looking into.”
    “In all of these cases, only two consulting companies were
used,” Matt summarized
    Matt placed the cap on his bottle of water and returned to
the coffee table. “Let’s write out a list,” he said. “It shouldn’t be too long.
Let’s list each of the Retrievers who actually recovered something, along with
who they represent. Then we can add on the company’s name, and it sounds like
as good a place as any to start.”
    They messed the files up as they juggled through them,
flipping folders open, running their eyes down the brief lists, and on a clean
sheet of their legal pad a very short list soon formed.
    Only three Retrievers had ever recovered anything from one
of the thirty-seven break-ins. Vincent Monard had recovered two items in the
past year alone, Olivia Congreave had recovered five items in the last ten years,
and Kaili Dacres had recovered one item six years ago.
    “I’ll bet you another pizza that Mr. Vincent Monard is some
young buck, freshly minted from whatever-the-hell Retriever training you
wizarding folk give and he’s out to prove his balls,” Julian said with
satisfaction.
    Matt shook his head and laughed. “No deal.” He snickered.
“Not only could my stomach and waistline not handle another round of pizza, but
any fool can see that’s exactly what he is. What’s your take on Miss Olivia
Congreave? Five items in ten years. Considering how, out of many hundreds of
stolen goods, she has found five of the only eight items ever recovered,
I think she’s a good bet for us.”
    “And they both work for the same company,” Julian pointed
out.
    Matt nodded and went to get the portable phone from its
place on the kitchen counter. “That’s one of the oldest, most prestigious and
well-known Retrieval companies in the United States,” he explained. “They have
satellite offices in all the major cities. That’s the Chicago branch. It really
could be a coincidence.”
    Matt dialed a series of numbers into the handset, then at a
tone punched in a special code that granted him access to unlisted wizarding
numbers. The Enforcers often used this method to track down phone numbers they
had not memorized. Modern technology and magical essence did not combine very
happily, so cell phone usage was rare and laptop internet searches were not
particularly common either. Most wizards found it easier to call directory
assistance when they needed a number.
    While wizards and witches could use cell phones, laptops and
other technological gadgets, most electrical appliances had a tendency to fry
or malfunction after continual use or heightened emotions. Online cached
backups were de rigueur for any company—frequently back-ups of files
would occur three or four times a day to make certain as little data as
possible was lost.
    As an Enforcer, Matt had special privileges when it came to
accessing numbers most regular wizarding folk couldn’t find. He jotted down the
Retrieval company’s phone number just in case the line disconnected, as well as
their business address in downtown Chicago, before pressing another series of
buttons to have his call transferred.
    As the line rang, he went and sat down next to Julian on the
couch so his partner could listen in on the conversation and jot down ideas or
questions to ask as he thought of them.
    “Yes, I’d like to be connected to Mr. Vincent Monard,
please,” Matt said to the perky-sounding receptionist. She