Wrong Place, Wrong Time (Pete 'Monty' Montgomery 1)

AN HOUR AND a half later, James left Devon’s town house, having exchanged polite greetings with Lane and chatted for a minute with Meredith. He climbed into his Beemer and pulled away.

The punk who’d been scrutinizing him all night waited until the sports car had rounded the bend. Then he threw the gearshift of his beat-up Chevy into drive and followed close behind.

From his surveillance spot in the cluster of bushes near Devon’s town house, the driver of the maroon coupe watched the Chevy drive away. Reaching over, he diddled with the controls on his audio equipment before settling himself behind the wheel and clamping on his headphones.

First—silence.

Then a telephone number being punched in.

Montgomery answered on the first ring. “You’re home.”

“Safe and sound,” his daughter replied. “A few personal tidbits to report. Nothing major. How about your meeting?”

“The same. You sound beat. Wanna talk in the morning?”

“Yeah. Believe me, there’s no case cracker tonight. I’ll call you as soon as I get up.”

“Unless I call you first.”

A shared chuckle, and then a dial tone.

Okay. He’d get the lowdown in ab

out six hours. He could use a nap anyway.

He leaned back against the headrest and shut his eyes.

CHAPTER 13

Monty was poring over a month’s worth of Pierson & Company e-mails, his stomach growling for lunch, when Alfred Jenkins returned his call.

After hearing Monty out, the forensic accountant gave a low whistle. “Now that’s what I call a high-profile case.”

“High profile enough to get you to shift your schedule and haul your butt into Manhattan?”

“How does tomorrow morning sound?”

“Like the answer I was hoping for.”

“Thought so.” Jenkins paused. “Are the cops having any luck tracking down your ex?”

“Nope.”

“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Monty didn’t bat an eye. “Because you know she learned from the best.”

“And the most modest.” Jenkins cleared his throat. “I hope you get her home safe.”

“I plan to. See you in the morning.”

MONTY SCARFED DOWN a sandwich, then headed down to Louise Chambers’s office for the third time that day. She’d been in morning meetings, then out to lunch. It was time to lie in wait.

He greeted her secretary, then seated himself next to her station. “I’ll wait for Ms. Chambers.”

It wasn’t a request.

Ten minutes later, the woman in question walked in. “Diana, please hold my calls. I have some legal documents I have to—” She spotted Monty and broke off, her brows arching in surprise. “I didn’t realize Mr. Montgomery and I had an appointment.” A quick glance at her secretary.