Page 11 of A First Sight

I left the club right after the bartender gave me the man’s name. Dale Leighton.

Not that I cared about him. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Who was she?

Could she…somehow be related to Belle?

I’d hardly slept when a startling thought came to me at some point between midnight and dawn.

She could be a Brockmire.

That’s who Belle resembled. Her father’s side of the family. Maybe that was why this woman looked like Belle, because she was a Brockmire.

I wanted to know.

I could have asked Stellan if he had a relative in her late twenties, someone in the family who looked similar to Belle, but that would’ve led to a whole awkward conversation.

“Mr. Mac Gilleain?”

I looked up to see my assistant, Melvin Borden, standing in the doorway. In his mid-thirties, he looked younger. He’d worked for me since he had graduated. Uncle Ben had asked more than once if there was another position he was interested in, but Mel said he was content. I was grateful I wouldn’t need to train a new assistant while taking over the company.

“Good morning, Mel.” I smiled at him.

“Are you alright? You look tired.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t sleep well.”

“I’ll get you more coffee.” He flashed a bright smile and disappeared into the hall.

As I waited for my coffee, I made a decision. I would look into Dale Leighton. From him, I could possibly find out the woman’s name, my Belle look-alike. After that, I would decide if I should ask Stellan about her.

By the time Mel returned with my coffee, I’d outlined the plan.

“I have an odd and non-work-related request,” I said.

“I’m intrigued.” Mel’s hazel eyes shone with excitement.

“I can’t tell you why, but I want as much information as possible about a man named Dale Leighton living here in the city.”

Mel pulled out his phone. “Dale Leighton? Anything else you know about him? I mean, this is New York City. Who knows how many Dale Leighton’s there are.”

I thought back to the man, trying to remember what he looked like. “Probably about your age. Reddish-brown hair. Tall. Broad shoulders.”

Mel nodded. “Okay, so if I find a picture, you’ll be able to tell me if it’s him?”

I’d gotten a pretty good look at Leighton. I nodded. “Most likely.”

“How much work do you want me to put into this?” Mel asked next. “I can do a basic internet search, narrow things down that way…or I can talk to a PI friend of mine and hand it over completely.”

“Do you think he’d be able to start right away?” I asked.

“He owes me a favor that I’m more than happy to call in,” Mel said. “He’s good at what he does.”

I nodded. “All right then. Talk to him. Whatever the rate is, it will be fine. He can bill me directly.”

“Great.” Mel stood. “I’ll take care of that right now.”

“Thank you.”

As he left, I leaned back in my chair and wondered.

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