A Bargain with the Boss

She signaled the direction with a nod and Tuck easily spotted Jackson in the crowd. He stood out in blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a worn leather jacket. It was easy to tell from his expression that he had some news.

Tuck quickly escorted Amber from the dance floor, meeting up with Jackson at the edge. The three of them made for the double doors that led to a quiet foyer.

“Dixon bought a car,” said Jackson when they emerged into the relative privacy of the long, high-ceilinged, glass-walled room.

“When?” asked Tuck.

“Five weeks ago, a three-year-old Audi convertible. He paid cash.”

“Is he still in Scottsdale?”

“Didn’t stay here long,” said Jackson. “We tracked the car to a marina in San Diego.”

Tuck’s anticipation rose. “Did you find Dixon?”

“There, he bought a sailboat.”

Tuck waited for Jackson to elaborate.

“Forty-footer. Paid cash.”

The situation was getting stranger by the second.

“I thought you were watching his bank accounts,” said Tuck.

“We are. Does your brother normally carry that kind of walking-around money?”

Tuck didn’t know. But that did seem like a lot of money to have at his fingertips. How long had Dixon planned this little adventure?

“Did you find the sailboat?” asked Amber.

“It left the marina weeks ago and hasn’t been back.”

They all stared at each other in silence.

“I doubt he sank,” said Tuck. “There’d have been a distress call. We’d have heard from the authorities by now.”

“Probably,” said Jackson.

“Was it equipped to sail solo?”

“It was.”

“Something’s not right,” said Amber.

“No kidding,” Tuck agreed. There were plenty of things not right in this.

“When he headed for Scottsdale,” she said, “even though it was a secret, he left a letter for your dad, and he left a number with me. He was that careful. There’s no way he’d sail off into the Pacific without telling anyone at all.”

“That’s exactly what he did,” said Tuck.

His worry about his brother was rapidly turning to annoyance. What had Dixon been thinking?

Amber was shaking her head. “Not without any word at all. I can understand that he didn’t like it at Highland Luminance. And clearly he can afford a nice boat. But he’s not irresponsible. He’s trying to clear his head so he can do a good job at Tucker Transportation. He’s not trying to harm it.”

“Trying or not,” said Tuck, “that’s exactly what he’s doing.” He really wished Amber would stop defending Dixon.

“He...” She snapped her fingers. “That’s it.”

“What’s it?” asked Tuck.

“Jamison,” she said. “Dixon would have contacted Jamison. He didn’t know anything about the heart attack. As far as he’s concerned, your dad’s still running the company. We searched through Dixon’s accounts. And we’ve been monitoring Jamison’s work email, but not his personal email.”

Jackson swore under his breath. He was instantly on his phone giving instructions to one of his staff.

Tuck had to admit it was possible. It was even likely. It certainly made more sense than anything else right now. For weeks now, Dixon could have been operating under the assumption they knew his plans. He thought Jamison was running the show. He had no idea Tuck was making a mess of it.

Dixon was still gone. And Tuck still had to find him. But at least it made a little bit of sense now.

* * *

It was late into the night, and the three of them were back in Tuck’s hotel suite when Jackson received a copy of an email from his investigator. The original had been sent by Dixon to Jamison’s little-used personal email address. Amber was relieved they’d found an answer and happy there was a logical explanation for Dixon’s behavior.

“It was sent from an internet café the day he left San Diego,” said Jackson from where he was sitting at the round dining table. “He says he plans to spend a few weeks sailing down the Pacific coast. He apologizes but tells your dad to have confidence in you. He knows you can do it.”

Tuck shook his head. “Not under these circumstances.”

He’d parked himself in an armchair beside the flickering gas fireplace.

Amber had chosen the sofa. She’d kicked the shoes off her sore feet and curled them beneath her. The cushions were soft under her body, while the heat from the fire warmed her skin. Her brain had turned lethargic at the end of such a long day and she would have loved to let herself fall asleep.