Page 49 of Embrace Me Forever

I’ve been guilty of not always sticking to my promise about when I’ll be home, but when it comes to the big decisions, I never make a promise to her that I don’t intend to keep. Yet, I know that for us to last, changes are inevitable. Resolute, I say, “Just this once, Flo. Let me wrap up this case, and then we’ll figure out how I can be there for you more—yes, even if it means changing careers.”

Flo pauses, processing my words. “You really mean that?”

“When I get back, we’ll talk all about it.”

She clears her throat. “Okay.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“I said okay, Blake.”

“All right. I have to go now,” I say as I prepare to hang up. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she sighs.

I meet Eddie Schwartz in the hotel lobby, my friend and the seasoned PI leading the investigation, despite the LAPD’s repeated attempts to undermine him. Recklessly, I might add.Senator Krauss himself hired Eddie, but it seems desperation swayed him to side with the LAPD. Although, after yesterday’s debacle, Eddie is back in the senator’s good graces.

We quickly head to his shiny Maserati. Moving to California has transformed him—from his attire and choice of car to ditching his old notebook for a sleek, high-tech tablet. He opens the passenger door for me with a tense expression; the deep lines around his eyes betray his many sleepless nights. Honestly, I can relate to that more than I’d like to admit.

He fills me in. “We need to rustle up a new lead. Our suspect’s last known haunt on Baxter Street—today’s raid turned up nothing.”

“Damn it! I bet our real mark got the jitters from yesterday’s circus,” I muse.

“Well, he’s probably toasting us for snagging the wrong fall guy.” Eddie chuckles dryly.

“Think this decoy might still play into our hand? Maybe that so-called innocent fall guy isn’t far off from our real target.”

“You suggesting a connection?”

I shake my head, frowning. “No direct ties to the senator’s mess, I reckon. More like they might rub elbows in the same shady corners.”

“Could be,” Eddie muses. “Honestly, those LAPD suckers should get the sack. They were so hell-bent on taking the lead, they lost their heads. Senator’s breathing down their necks sure didn’t cool things off.”

“They could use a crash course in teamwork,” I grumble, still steamed about them ignoring our playbook.

“Anything more on the ransom drop?”

“Zip,” Eddie replies.

“What if we’re barking up the wrong tree?” I toss out.

“You’re not hinting we should poke around the idea that the Senator’s playing a role in this, are you?”

“At this stage, I’m sold on his story,” I affirm. Politicians are ace at bluffing, but when I grilled him about the ransom when we first met, the Senator’s clenched fists and those fleeting, almost desperate glances he shot me felt all too real. “His reactions seemed straight from the gut.”

“That’s a relief.” Eddie grins. “Last thing I want is to slap cuffs on the guy cutting our checks.”

I chuckle. “I’m relieved too, man. Diving into a quagmire of domestic betrayal? That’s not the puzzle I want to piece together right now.”

Eddie’s expression hints at personal concerns. “Speaking of domestic, everything all right with you and Flo?”

“We’re managing,” I answer succinctly. Eddie knew about our struggles, but Flo’s affair remained my burden alone.

“Good to hear.” He dips his chin. “Got your full focus on this, then? We’re up against the wall, and I need you firing on all cylinders, Sherlock.”

I lean back, easing into the case talk. “Let’s rewind to square one,” I suggest. “A note lands on the Senator’s desk. It’s a demand for a million bucks and a call for him to back off the arms control bill.”

I pause, catching Eddie’s twitch of impatience from the corner of my eye. Then I push on, “Senator Krauss pegs it as a manifesto from some pro-gun warrior. But he’s too wrapped up in this to see straight. I need another look at that note, Ed.”

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