“I’ll see you in Hell,” she answered, and slammed the car door.
Chapter 11
Trey wanted to escape. The town he loved felt like a prison without the woman it represented. He knew a single phone call would have his chopper ready to go. In an hour, he could be leaving the tarmac of the Lawley airport on his jet, headed back to Denver or to London or any number of his other ventures. He had business all over the world, projects that could and probably should demand his attention. He could get back to real life and away from this dream that had turned into a nightmare.
But throwing himself into his work to avoid his marriage was something he’d done before. He couldn’t leave without talking to Sandy. They had to resolve things, one way or the other. He had a feeling the resolution would be dissolution—whether he liked it or not. Because as much as he wanted to give her the world, it was not in his power to be the guy who stood aside. That wasn’t who he was and wasn’t someone he was willing to become. Not even for her.
Neither of them were likely to come out of that conversation unscathed, so it would have to wait. Trey didn’t want to do anything else to upset her or otherwise ruin Norah and Cam’s wedding. They all deserved better than that.
Preparations were proceeding apace down on the town green. He watched the bustle of people going to and fro. The tents were already put up for the reception and a small army was attaching bows and greenery to the rows and rows of folding chairs lining the sidewalk up to the fountain. The day had dawned sunny and promised to be a balmy sixty degrees—perfect for an outdoor ceremony. His hotel manager had been informed this morning that local law enforcement would be blocking off the roads around the green for the ceremony. One of the perks of the groom’s mother being mayor, he supposed. With all the people pitching in to make this happen, the guest list had swelled to encompass most of the town, so they’d need all the space they could get.
He wished he were still on it, but he’d have to settle for watching the proceedings from here in his office.
The intercom buzzed. “Mr. Kane to see you, sir.”
At last, answers. “Send him in.”
Trey turned from the window to greet the private investigator. “What have you got for me?”
Kane looked calm as ever and Trey had the absurd thought that he never wanted to meet the guy across a poker table.
“Our Mr. Crawford has been a naughty boy.” He pulled a thick folio out of his messenger bag. “I didn’t quite make it back thirty years yet, but the past decade should certainly make for interesting reading.”
“Highlights?”
Kane dropped into a chair. “He’s a guy always out to make a quick buck, and he doesn’t seem to care much off who. For years he’s toed the line, staying just this side of legal, engaging in smarmy business practices but nothing outright criminal.”
So far, nothing Trey hadn’t expected.
“Crawford has moved around a lot. Big cities, mostly. He’s a smooth talker and has associates that range from stock brokers to grifters. Where he falls on that spectrum is unclear, but the man can’t seem to hold on to money. He’s got expensive tastes. As soon as he gets his hands on any cash, he’s spending it on high end liquor, clothes, lodging. There was a brief flirtation with gambling a little over four years ago, but after losing his shirt—literally, according to the security footage I saw—he’s stayed away from that.”
“Relationships?”
“Shallow at best. His parents are dead, and he is, as I assume you know, not involved with his son. He’s had no serious relationship with a woman since his divorce, and he occasionally touches base with his ex-wife. Including last night.”
Trey snapped to attention. “Excuse me?”
“He cornered her in the parking lot at Tosca, after the rehearsal dinner. She was clearly annoyed by him, trying to convince him not to crash the wedding. The wedding he had no idea was going on until she mentioned it. They argued and Crawford got into her personal space.”
Trey’s hands fisted, aware of the question Kane wasn’t asking. Why hadn’t he been with his wife? He’d considered trying to mend fences in the name of the wedding. But knowing the steps he’d taken by hiring Kane and that Joseph Burke would be there, he’d decided it would be all around easier on everyone if he gave his regrets and kept himself out of it. But he hadn’t truly thought Waylan would show up.
When he didn’t fill the silence, the PI continued. “I intervened before the situation could escalate. She was perfectly safe.”
The band around his chest loosened a fraction. “What about Crawford?”
“I hung around and trailed him back to his lodgings. An apartment on the east side of town. Looks like an AirBnB rental.”
Convenience, Trey wondered, or an attempt to stay off-grid?
“Any idea what he’s really doing here?”
Kane leaned toward the folio and opened it. “My guess is running from this.”
Trey read the document. Baltimore Police Department. Known associates. Racketeering. Wanted for questioning.
“It seems he’s gotten involved with the wrong people,” Kane said mildly. “The FBI has a file on him, BPD is pretty eager to talk to him, and I wager the people they want to talk to him about are just as eager to keep him quiet.”
Trey had suspected…something. But ties to organized crime hadn’t been it. What kind of danger had Waylan brought with him? “Is there any evidence anyone has tracked him here?”