Page 142 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

The woman’s curtain of gleaming chestnut hair swung over her shoulder, revealing delicate features that were the envy of many a model, yet which had proved impossibly useful in her line of work.

Westler was one of the best Private Investigators in the city.

Trained by her father, and his father before him, when Westler decided to carry on the family’s line of work, no one was more surprised than her parents who had expected her to go the usual route chosen by girls whose beauty was out of this world.

Westler hadn’t been interested, however. Having grown up idolizing her father and even attending the odd stakeout with him — when he was sure there was no risk — she wanted to be just like daddy. She had trained hard and learned how to use her looks to her advantage: neither men nor women could help underestimate a beautiful woman.

And she was pretty fine with that, having amassed a fair fortune through her set of unique skills.

She worked the big cases where millions — even billions — were on the line. Lately, she’d had a swath of sexual harassment cases to deal with where she’d gone undercover to see what proof she could gather on the men suspected of the crimes. Unfortunately, nearly all had been guilty.

She even performed honey traps. In the most recent one, she had been hired by a wife who suspected her director husband of infidelity. Westler had gone undercover as a sweet young thing straight off the bus from the Mid-West, with more boobs than sense. One look at her wannabe actress and it wasn’t long before the director had requested much more than was normal for an audition.

If it wasn’t for her beloved family, Westler would have moved somewhere nice and wholesome a long time ago. Montreal sounded nice plus they had Mounties, and Westler loved herself a man in uniform.

Logan’s glazed eyes stared blindly ahead.

She felt for him, knowing what had likely happened to Jane. Still, they couldn’t do anything until the friend arrived at the station and the cops were involved. As tough as Westler was, a kidnapped woman wasn’t something she was willing to handle alone.

“We’re almost there,” she assured Logan. “Summers has been informed. He’s gathered a team and we can start briefing them as soon as we’re all together.”

A curt nod was the only answer he trusted himself to give. Westler focused on getting them there while Logan silently prayed for her to hurry.

When they arrived, Clare was waiting in her car with Loki as he’d instructed. Seeing his arrival, she burst into tears of relief.

“I don’t understand what’s happening! Have you found Jane? Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

“We’ll explain everything inside.”

They went in as Summers and Westler nodded a greeting to each other, having crossed paths before. Westler handed Summers a thick manilla file and a memory stick.

“Thanks. Come this way,” Summers instructed, leading them into a room where a photograph of Jane’s wane and pale face peered back at them from the center of a whiteboard.

Feeling her tremble beside him, Logan took Clare’s hand and squeezed it. The gesture made her feel slightly better. Her arms tightened around Loki, who sat on her lap, looking almost as overwhelmed as she did. It suddenly came to him that, much as he had been doing, she had been blaming herself for Jane’s disappearance.

“It’s not your fault.” His voice sounded alien, with none of the charisma or personality it usually held. She turned to him with eyes that said she didn’t believe him.

“It’s true,” Westler offered suddenly.

“Who are you?” Clare asked.

“She’s the PI I hired to look into Jane’s past,” Logan answered.

“What?” Clare gasped. It wasn’t what she’d expected at all. “Jane saw the two of you having coffee. She thought you were cheating on her.”

The stricken look on Logan’s face made her wish she hadn’t spoken.

“Is that why you met up today?”

“Yes. She wanted to see me, but I had plans with my boyfriend, except he then had to go into work so I was free to meet her. She’d been upset all day but didn’t have anyone to talk to. She said… she didn’t understand why you would lie to her about going to work when you were with her instead.”

She pointed a finger at Westler, apparently finding it hard to believe the woman’s profession.

“When Jane started getting glimpses of her past, when she started recalling things, I knew something had to be done. No offence,” he said to Summers and his team of cops standing around them. He shook his head.

“None taken. Please continue.”

“I was falling for her and I knew I had to find out who she was to protect her, if not myself.”

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