Page 46 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

Aislinn: You sure? We can pick up some food. I can make Kieran cook up something to bring with them.

Lachlan: Seriously, no. Just yourselves. I miss you already.

Aislinn: Ahhhh, I miss you too. I really miss what was interrupted this morning,though. ;) We will be there. Is 6ish okay?

Lachlan: 6ish is perfect. Grill is usually done between 6:45-7. Callum isn’t the most precise pitmaster.

Aislinn: I’m sure it will be perfect. Kieran will probably decide he needs to get to know Callum and secretly assist with the grilling. Be forewarned, I’m bringing cookies!

Lachlan: You keep up the baking, and I’ll need to start working out harder.

Aislinn: You don’t need to work out harder. I could wash my clothes on your abs.

Lachlan: I’m willing to be used by you any time.

Aislinn: Good to know! If the power goes out, my clothes will still be clean. Britt is calling from the backroom. See you tonight?

Lachlan: See you later, Hurricane. Crack the whip at work and keep Britt in line. She is like a lost cat or sheep, always straying and getting distracted.

Aislinn: Lol, definitely a cat. I don’t foresee myself ever herding that woman. She is too feisty for me to take on alone.

Lachlan: Bye, Hurricane.

Aislinn: Later, Lachlan.

Adjusting my hat, I stride toward the office.

Chapter 37

Cody

Yanking open the door to my office, my gaze locks on my paralegal. “Well, did you find her?” I ask.

With an imperceptible nod, she glances down at her desk. It’s Friday afternoon, and a stack of paper is on her desk with information I hope will lead me to Aislinn. I wish she’d convert to using her computer more so I could have a digital dossier with a summary page loaded on my phone.

Without making eye contact, she softly says, “Yes, Mr. O’Connell. I found her brother’s name and address. He lives in Kalispell. The state is huge. At first, I wasn’t able to find out much about Aislinn.”

I motion for her to get on with her story, and she continues, “Her brother is a chef in Kalispell and owns a house there. I widened the net for my search and found a small news article from a local paper. I had to pay for the article, but it essentially discussed welcoming the new town vet to Topaz Falls. It’s a little town north of Kalispell. The next closest town is Whitefish. I pulled up their county website, but it appears to be a very small county and therefore, not yet digital. I called the main office, and the lady at the front desk confirmed their new veterinarian's name is Aislinn Braniff, but she didn’t haveany house information yet. She said if she recently purchased a residential property, they may not have the recorded documents uploaded to the system yet.”

Nodding, I swipe the stack of paperwork from her desk. The article doesn’t have a photo of Aislinn or any information about the new veterinarian’s previous work or residence. It basically discusses the retirement of their previous veterinarian, some old guy who cared for all the baby animals in town. Who the fuck cares?

“Good work,” I start to say. “Now, I want you to call back and see if any recorded deeds are uploaded to their system for residential property under Aislinn Braniff. I also want you to call the number listed for the veterinarian's office and see if it’s the same Aislinn. If it is, I want you to give me a list of properties containing approximately three hundred acres of land. James and I are looking at investment opportunities. We plan to present the current owners offers they won’t refuse in hopes of buying them out.”

Continuing to stare at her keyboard, she nods, “Yes, sir.”

Spinning on my heel, I stride back into my office with a newfound purpose. I pull out my phone and unlock it. Scrolling down to James’s phone number, I press the call button.

After two rings, his voice rumbles through the line. “Hey, Cody. What’s up? I’m on my way into the King County Courthouse. Is this something that can wait until later? I want to make sure I get to my court appearance early. There are a few last-minute preparations I need to go over with my client.”

“I think Carol found where Aislinn ran off to last week. I have an idea for my grand gesture. How would you feel about being my partner in a real estate investment? We will break ground on a golf course and resort in Topaz Falls, Montana.”

Chapter 38

Aislinn

Saturday, June 17

When I crack open my front door, I’m greeted by three smiling faces.

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