Page 35 of Return Ticket

Ben was always there first because he lived closest, and she wanted a few minutes alone with him before Dominique and Trevor arrived.

She’d spent her Saturday morning shift thinking about what was coming next in her case, and realized she needed to get a timeline out of Ben.

He waved to her when she walked in, and she rubbed her hands together as she made her way to the booth, nose and cheeks stinging in the sudden warmth of the pub.

“You’re early,” Ben said.

“On purpose,” she told him. “I wanted to know what to expect from your boss. I don’t even know his name.”

“Monty Havelock, QC.” Ben said the name with a put-on upper class accent.

“That’s how he speaks?” she asked.

“He speaks better English than the queen. All part of what drives him, I think. He won’t allow a single chink in his armor.” Ben’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “He’ll be in touch next week some time. He’ll be on this quickly, I promise you that.”

She gave a nod. “Can you tell me what Solomon’s business was with you, when he gave you a lift home?”

He looked up, eyes wide, and then leaned back. “Client privilege, Gabby. I can’t say.”

“So he’s now a client.” That was all she needed to know. Solomon had hired Ben for something. She wondered what it could be, but it wasn’t surprising. Solomon was getting more organized. She could tell by the number of people he seemed to command, and the fact that he’d had the money to recently buy a car.

Sooner or later, he’d come to the attention of someone in authority. If he hadn’t already.

It was wise to get a lawyer on his side ahead of any possible trouble.

She hoped Ben knew what he was getting into, but she also hoped Solomon was able to stay out of trouble. A lot of people depended on him, including Mr. Rodney.

“He’s an interesting man,” Ben said. “Where does his family hail from?”

“Trinidad and Tobago. And don’t you ever confuse that with Jamaica,” Gabriella told him, very seriously. “Ever. It’s like mistaking Australians for New Zealanders.”

“Got you.” Ben grinned, then looked toward the door and waved.

Dominique and Trevor walked in, removing hats and coats as the heat inside hit them.

There was the usual laughter as they got drinks and settled in, catching up and exchanging news. Neeky had been working at Terrific Teen magazine for a few months now, and had managed to get off the reception desk and into the main office. She was telling a hilarious story about trying on bright pink and yellow eye shadow for one of the feature writers, putting one shade on each eyelid, and then forgetting it was still on when she took the bus home.

“I brought your cousin some samples,” she said, holding out a pretty package to Trevor. “I remember you said she reads Terrific Teen.”

“Ta.” Trev took it with a grin. “That’ll get my points up.”

“And you, Gabs?” Dominique leaned forward. “Any news about your dad?”

Gabriella shared a quick look with Ben, then gave a nod.

“What?” Neeky reached out to grip her hand. “What did you find? And Ben knows? How come?”

Gabriella laughed. “Ben knows because I asked him to take on my case. Ruby Everett helped me find my father. And what she found was my father has a title.”

There was a moment of silence.

“You’re kidding?” Trevor frowned.

“No. I wish I were. My father got on that ship as Lord Granger, and that was exactly who he was.” She had sent a letter to her mother yesterday. She had agonized over the wording, and hoped to get some answers from her. “My uncle always said he never liked my father because he always acted like he was better than everyone else. Now I know why.”

“Where is he based?” Dominique asked.

“Sussex. Near Chichester. He has a wife and family.” Her lips twisted. “Or, not a legal wife, given I have the marriage certificate between him and my mother that predates his second marriage. And he has three kids.”

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