Anyplace But Here (Oklahoma Lovers 4)

“How’s the investigation coming along?”

Jeremy pushed his plate aside and pulled his coffee cup closer. “I visited Smith’s office earlier this week. I told him I came from an oil rich family looking to make investments into local businesses. He jumped at the chance to tell me how risky that was, and I would be much better off putting my money with their firm.”

Hunter snorted. “Did you pick up anything?”

“Yeah. He’s a crook. There’s no doubt. He was much too anxious for me to write him a check without giving me very much information or time to consider his proposal. I could practically smell the greed oozing from his skin.”

“Where will you go from here?”

“I have some contacts who know the stock market pretty well. There’s also a men’s club in town I can get into as a guest. They allow visits to promote memberships. From what I understand a lot of the swells go there

and talk about the stock market. Both Smith and his partner, Sanders are members, so I’ll use my ‘guest’ visit and see what I can come up with. If they’ve been running a scam for as long as you say they have, there has to be dirt somewhere.”

“Emily says he’s used her in the past to get information on several of his clients that he can use as ‘leverage’ to keep them from demanding too much from him.”

Jeremy gave a low whistle. “Nice guy.”

“I’m working on getting Emily out of there. He’s a danger to her, and I don’t like it.”

Jeremy leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s your relationship to Emily? You’re going through an awful lot of trouble to help a married woman.”

“I met her in Guthrie while I was recuperating from my injury. She was a Harvey House waitress. Things were going along well before Smith dragged her back. She’s the first woman I’ve met that makes me think about home and family.”

“Sounds like she’s got you hooked.”

“Probably. But until I can get this all straightened out, including getting Smith for my father’s murder, anything between us is stalled.”

“If I have my way the scum will be behind bars shortly. I also sent a wire today to Ellsworth. Thought I could get whatever they had in their records on the bank robbery and the death of the teller and your father.”

“Will they send it?”

“Contacts, Henderson, contacts.” Jeremy’s grin brought back memories of how many times they’d worked together, solving cases and chasing down criminals. Before Hunter’s career was shot out from under him and before Jeremy’s dependence on morphine started.

The good old days.

“Mr. Smith, that Mr. Adkins is here again.” Miss Blake stuck her head in the door, annoying Louis once more. What the hell was it with weak women? Was he to spend the rest of his life having to put up with them? His secretary wouldn’t even come into the room. He’d bet her chunky legs were shaking, too. He might have to fire the bitch and hire a man.

“Get in here and close the door.”

She eased the door closed and took tentative steps toward him. “He is demanding to see you.”

“Demanding? In my office? Who the hell does he think he is?” he snarled.

Miss Blake raised her hand to her throat and swallowed several times. “Can I send him in?”

“Where’s Mr. Sanders?”

“He called on the telephone earlier and said he was visiting with a client this morning.”

Louis snorted. The only client his weak-livered partner visited was Jack Daniels. Sanders was another one he had to get rid of. Why he should be surrounded by sniveling morons was beyond him. “Have Adkins wait twenty minutes. If he hasn’t left by then, show him in.”

She scurried out of the office like a mouse with a cat on its tail. He glanced briefly at the window, wishing not for the first time that his office was on the ground floor. Not that climbing out a window to avoid a client was very dignified. But he knew why Adkins was here. This was not his first visit. He wanted all his money returned. What he’d given them, plus the large amount of interest Louis had promised the man.

He had to get that oil man to invest with them. For the first time he began to worry. Was Sanders correct, and it was all coming to an end? The house, the Club, the lofty lifestyle? He was too old to start over. Not that thirty-seven was very old. But he’d made a comfortable life for himself here and didn’t want to give it all up.

Damn that whimpering wife of his, too. When he married her, he thought with all the money she’d been left by her parents that they were set for life. But beautiful gowns to show her off, memberships at the best clubs, his mansion, and elaborate entertainments to impress clients had cost a fortune. And now her inheritance was gone.

Maybe she had another relative somewhere out there who was ready to meet his maker and leave her more money.