Page 96 of Heartbeat

Wolf was in his suite, finishing up a conference call with the staff at his Miami headquarters.

He’d just designated a private investigator to catch the first flight out to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to find out what he could about the situation at the refinery and get what info he could on Julio Ruiz. He wasn’t chasing any more of his business troubles down on his own until he had his personal life straightened out here, and the next call he made was to his lawyer.

Arnie Walters was working on a brief and his third cup of coffee when his phone rang.

“Arnie Walters speaking.”

“Arnie, it’s me, Wolf.”

“Oh hey. How’s it going?” Arnie asked.

“Good. I have a legal question and a request.”

“Fire away,” Arnie said.

“Is there a statute of limitations on kidnapping in the United States?” Wolf asked.

“No,” Arnie said, wondering what the hell Wolf was up to now.

“If I want to press charges against people for kidnapping in the state of Louisiana, do I have to have a Louisiana lawyer to represent me?” Wolf asked.

“Yes… At least…the lawyer has to be licensed in that state.”

“Then I need some names,” Wolf said.

“What’s going on?” Arnie asked.

“I’m about to take some people to task for telling me my daughter was born dead and then giving her away.”

“You’re taking about Shandy’s parents, right?”

“Yes. I don’t know who all they paid off to make that happen, but I’m not stopping until they all go down. They stole my child, and if it hadn’t been for Ancestry.com, I would never have known she existed.”

“So, they’re still alive? How old would they be now?” Arnie asked.

“Late seventies. They think they got away with this, but they’re about to receive a rude awakening.”

Arnie shuddered. The rage in Wolf’s voice was palpable, and he couldn’t blame him.

“I have to be in court this afternoon, but I’ll put some people on it. I’ll get the list to you before the end of the day, okay?” Arnie said.

“Yes, thank you, and good luck in court,” Wolf added.

“Thanks, buddy. Talk to you soon.”

Wolf disconnected, then thought about dinner tonight with the Popes. He needed to take a hostess gift, but he didn’t know Shirley Pope. He didn’t want to present something ostentatious and make them feel like he was rubbing their noses in his wealth. Just something genuine, from him to her. He wanted to make Amalie proud and had the whole day ahead of him. Maybe it was time to finally see the sights of Jubilee. Surely, he’d find something that struck his fancy.

He got his coat, wallet, and the key card to his suite and was on his way out the door when he got a text from Amalie.

The flowers are lovely! Thank you, Dad. You’re the best. I’ll pick you up at the hotel at 6:30.

Love, Amalie

He was still smiling when he ran into Michael in the lobby.

“Good morning,” Michael said. “I see you’re heading out. Do you need a ride somewhere?”

“I thought I’d see the sights,” Wolf said. “I’ve been here countless times and never got beyond the amenities of the hotel.”

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