Shopping is easy, he thought, as one of the salespeople placed a pair of soft pink leather ballet slippers on Clare’s feet.
“She will wear them home,” Gabriel directed with a smile.
(It should be noted that he resisted the urge to dispose of the bunny Paul Norris had given Clare, purely because she seemed to prefer that toy to the expensive one from Barneys. Gabriel sighed the sigh of a martyr upon that realization.)
He’d already returned to his SUV and buckled Clare into her car seat when his cell phone rang. It was Jack Mitchell.
Gabriel sat in the driver’s seat and locked the doors. “Jack.”
“I found your black Nissan. Registered to Pam Landry in Philadelphia.”
Gabriel paused, racking his brain. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“Figured you wouldn’t. But her son, Alex, took her car to a buddy of his to have the rear window fixed.”
“Interesting.” Gabriel looked at Clare through the rearview mirror. She was grabbing Paul’s rabbit and sticking one of its ears in her mouth.
Gabriel winced at the sight.
“No connection between Alex Landry and my niece that I could find,” Jack announced. “But he was in the same fraternity as Simon Talbot at the University of Pennsylvania.”
Gabriel swore.
“Alex is a fuckup,” Jack continued. “Did a lot of drugs, flunked out of school. Bounced around doing different jobs. Came into some money recently. Been throwing around cash.”
“Can you connect him to the asshole?”
“Working on it. Not sure how they are communicating or how the cash was transferred. I think you scared the kid with the rock through the window. He told his mechanic buddy he had a gig out of town but that it ended. Gave the car back to his mother and is driving his own ride now.”
“And what ride is that?”
“Red Dodge Charger with black racing stripes and Pennsylvania plates. Hard to miss.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“Don’t think the kid will be bothering you. Sounds like a simple surveillance gig—look but don’t touch. Kid fucked up, you made him, you broke his window. Kid takes care of his Charger. He won’t want you messing up the custom paint.”
“Right.” Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Do you want me to make contact?”
“Only if he makes a move in my direction. What about the woods? Was that him?”
“Can’t say. Kid doesn’t seem like the type to embrace nature.”
Gabriel hummed. It was possible he’d heard an animal in the woods, but that didn’t explain what he thought was the beam of a flashlight. And if the trespasser wasn’t Landry . . .
“I asked a buddy to keep an eye on your house. His ride is a blue Toyota with Massachusetts plates. Don’t fuck up his window.”
“Noted.” Gabriel checked on Clare again. “Cost?”
“He’s doing me a favor. But I have one piece of good news for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“Simon Talbot is on a plane to Zurich. Word is he reconciled with his father, but the senator wants his son out of the U.S. Got him a job in finance. Kid fucks up, the senator cuts him off permanently. That kid won’t be driving by your house anytime soon.”
“Excellent.” Gabriel’s shoulders lowered.
“Might be worthwhile to keep an eye on the kid in Europe. Want me to send one of my guys?”
“No, but I’m concerned he may have hired someone else to bother us. If you could keep digging, I’d be grateful. What do I owe you?”
“Family discount. Kiss my niece and grandniece for me.” Jack disconnected.
Gabriel put his phone on the center console and carefully backed out of the parking space. He used the drive to his house to contemplate what Jack had told him.
Although it would appear Simon was no longer a threat, Gabriel was still cautious. He needed more information about the asshole’s activities in Switzerland, and he knew just who to call in order to find out.
Chapter Forty-Two
Later that afternoon
Snow.” Julia pointed to the delicate flakes that wafted featherlike in front of the living room window.
Clare reached her hand out to the window and then grabbed a lock of Julia’s hair and pulled.
“Okay, okay. We aren’t interested in snow.” Julia laughed, trying to free her hair.
She’d stopped using crutches the day before and tried putting weight on her ankle today. She’d wrapped it firmly and placed it in a soft-sided brace, which gave her more support. Still, she moved slowly and wouldn’t carry Clare up or down stairs out of an abundance of caution. She didn’t want to fall.
“It’s snowing?” Gabriel flipped a switch and the gas fireplace flared to life, creating a cozy glow.
“Just a few flakes.” Julia directed Clare’s attention to the window once again. “Look, Clare. Snow.”
Clare turned her head toward her father and began babbling.
“Good girl.” Gabriel touched her cheek. “Snow is appalling and I approve of your disinterest.”
Julia shook her head. “Think about Richard and Rebecca walking Beacon Hill in this weather.”
Gabriel consulted his watch. “They’d be at the movies now. Does Rachel know Richard came up for the weekend?”
“Yes. I spoke to her this morning and she said Richard told her last week.”
Gabriel’s blue eyes grew peering. “And Rachel is fine with it?”
“She said she and Richard worked things out and that she wouldn’t begrudge him a friend.” Julia grinned. “But she’s really happy Wonder Woman is coming to Selinsgrove to spend Christmas with everyone.”
“Ah,” said Gabriel. “Katherine would be horrified if she knew Rachel was comparing her to a comic book character.”
“I think Katherine would be flattered. She has a good sense of humor.”
“Hmmm.” Gabriel glanced over Julia’s shoulder, out the window, and became momentarily distracted. A blue Toyota was driving by their house at a snail’s pace. It reached the end of the cul-de-sac, turned around, and drove by their house again.
Gabriel surmised the driver was Jack Mitchell’s contact and watched as the car disappeared around the corner. He felt heartened knowing that someone else was keeping an eye on the house.