The Long Road Home

Chapter Two

Chapter TwoKen Stanlan's adrenaline was raging, and he needed to swim a few laps to take the edge off. Damn Kate, just when everything was going his way, he got busted, with a run of bad luck at the worst time. If he hadn't been summoned to the office at a moment's notice, he would have taken his laptop with him and Kate would have been none the wiser. He berated himself. Only an i***t would leave his laptop open to a dating site for his fiancé to see his profile. Why in the hell was he checking messages at home anyway? That was something he did on his lunch hour or when he had a break between clients.

He had nothing against Kate. She would make a respectable attorney's wife, but his curiosity and s****l appetite demanded more attention than one woman could satisfy. He needed to make things right for she was important in his gaining a high position in the law firm her father founded.

There were other pluses in the relationship. She was standing to inherit a sizable estate, which he would handle for a substantial fee that would go directly into his bank account. Without a doubt, she'd come around eventually. They had fought before about his working late and had compromised. In the end, this would be no different.

Ken eased his Ferrari into the garage of their terraced Georgian home in the historic district of downtown Charleston. Kate had gone out as her old Beemer was nowhere in sight. At least he would have a few minutes to settle his thoughts and prepare a stiff Scotch before she returned for another round of fighting. He had intentionally waited several hours before returning to give her time to cool down. By the time he'd finished his second drink, he was convinced the wedding was back on track.

The hours slipped by, and he began to worry if she was coming back at all. The ransacked living room he attributed to her explosive temper and rage at him. Panic struck when he realized she had taken a good many of her belongings. He quickly telephoned her only to be directed to her voice mail. This was going to be a little tougher than he had anticipated. He needed to think about the next step to persuade her to come back to him.

Her father made him partner because of their relationship. This was something that she would never hear from him. That morning's meeting didn't go as he had expected. The partners named a new director for the firm, Lance Goodman. He sensed his dislike of him immediately. They'd battled about his overbilling in the past. He'd taken on the incorporation of a new business venture while Goodman was out of town on a big case.

Being one of his specialties, he'd charged a substantial fee mainly for putting up with the whiny man who got on his nerves. He didn't know Goodman was friends with this client. He probably would not do anything differently today, yet here he was with the least friendly partner responsible for his promotion in the firm. He had to quickly motivate Kate to return to his side. Shucks, he thought, she calls his nemesis Uncle Lance since she has known him all her life.

Deflated, he hoped Kate would cool down soon, and put the weekend behind them. He really did need her now and that desperation would work in his favor. Because she had been sheltered from the harshness of life while growing up, she had a soft spot for those less fortunate. He would work that to his favor, he thought as he downed a couple of Scotches on the rocks before falling asleep.

Ken rose early and dressed in a hurry to report to work before the other partners. The first thing on his agenda was to find Kate, and the firm used investigators on cases when necessary. He wanted one who was top-notch and discreet. A little checking around the office and he was sure to find the right one for the job.

He quickly slid the files back into the drawer just before his partner's secretary came through the door, but he had found his ace. This specialist had testified on a tough case in court and contributed to their winning. He was a medical doctor with a military background, which made him even more useful in cracking cases dealing with public medical health issues. He would be discreet.

When he called AJ Evans to make an appointment, he asked him to meet at the office to not arouse suspicion. He had checked Lance's schedule to make sure he wouldn't be in the office at that time. He was confident now that all the bases were covered.

In his mind, Ken scripted what he wanted to say to AJ to convince him to find Kate as soon as possible without questioning his character or the reasons. He would make a play about his concern for her since she'd just lost both of her parents in a tragic accident. That should spark his interest since her father, after all, was the founder of the law firm McClellan, Goodman & Cooper.

AJ wondered what was going on at the firm that a junior associate would call him, but he was as good as his word and showed up for the meeting with Ken.

“Come in, AJ,” said Ken.

Looks like this guy is sweating, AJ thought. There was no doubt when he shook Ken's clammy hand.

“You said you needed my investigative services?” AJ asked.

“Yes, I do,” said Ken. “Please, have a seat and I'll brief you with the details.”

Ken used his best argument to persuade AJ to find Kate without disclosing the delicacy of finding Kate without anyone learning she was missing. AJ admitted to himself that he was intrigued when thinking a damsel was in distress. He would take this case. He sensed a cover-up for the fiancé was jumpy and vague in the interview.

“It might be best if I don't call you at the office,” AJ said.

“You're right,” said Ken. “Call me on my cell phone.”

“I'll contact you when she's located,” AJ said.

Ken was proud that the meeting went well. Only a matter of time now, and he would have everything back to normal with Kate by his side. He would relax a little, he figured as he downed a Scotch from his private bar.

AJ used his computer skills and pulled up Kate's family history. Yes, he thought, this little lady might be in big trouble. Her parents' death was still being investigated and his friend at the police station wasn't much help. Her inheritance was substantial. As the only child, all of her father's family holdings would become hers. As a descendant of one of the founding families of Charleston, she was a true heiress.

He scratched his head, wondering where Kate might have gone. His instinct said somewhere unknown to Ken. Having grown up in a protective environment, he guessed she wouldn't go to a hotel, but somewhere she had felt safe before. One thing for sure was he wouldn't disclose her location to Ken until he had a chance to talk with her first.

In checking up on his new client, he found that he had scored in the top percentile on his bar exam. He owed a substantial student loan and, reviewing his employment status at the firm, he couldn't afford the cherry red Ferrari he was driving.

The Georgian home he was living in belonged to Kate and had been in her family since the 1800s. Yes, Ken Stanlan needed her to return to him. With just a little more background information, he'd begin to isolate the location she would most likely seek refuge.

AJ tracked down Sadie, a former employee of the McClellan's, to uncover some family secrets. He'd been in the business long enough to realize things are never as they appear on the surface. The elderly lady had helped in the kitchen from the time she was a young woman until she retired. The elderly lady's eyes lit up when recalling stories about some lavish parties the McClellan's hosted.

Covering her mouth, she giggled about the pink champagne flowing in the fountains and the hours they had spent preparing the fresh fruit and delicacies for the parties. Her favorite family member was Miss Leah, Kate's grandmother.

“The sweetest lady you can imagine,” she reminisced. “Things didn't go as well for the next Mrs. McClellan. Ahh, it didn't appear that way to anyone on the outside, but we all knew. Later after the baby girl, Kate was born they found happiness. Lawd, that man was crazy about that child. And by that time, we all know the Mister already had himself a boy. Now, that would have caused a ruckus with the Misses. He bought off the mama after the baby girl was born, and she disappeared. He sent them away from Charleston, but I never heard where.”

AJ thanked Sadie for her help, saying, “I'm just doing some background checking for the insurance company.”

He hoped the words sounded light enough the elderly lady wouldn't be concerned. And, time was of the essence to find Kate before family secrets became deadly likely from a half-brother she didn't know about and a fiancé who was beginning to make his skin crawl.