“The sales associate had been with him that time too?”
“Yes. They seemed close when I attended the company Christmas party. She was sweet and got me refills on my drinks, and she was trying to be careful about not showing any overt affection toward Conrad. But there were coy smiles, and she patted his hand and ran hers over his back in a way that led me to believe there was more intimacy going on between them.”
“How did he react to her attentions?”
“Like he was used to it. He didn’t make her stop. I didn’t see him treat her in the same way, but that could just mean he was being more discreet at the party because I was there. After the way he acted following the last team-building trip, and with Cheryl part of the group again, I want to know what’s really going on.”
“Okay, so anything else that raises your suspicions? Like he’s taking more care with his appearance? Staying away from home later, leaving home earlier? Evasiveness? Defensiveness?”
“He has been working later. If you must know, our sex life is nil. He’s always taken care of his appearance. Evasiveness? Yes, especially after the last trip. And defensiveness, yes. He’s received calls he’s secretive about. I haven’t smelled a woman’s perfume on his clothes though—and I haven’t seen any receipts that would make me suspicious. Of course, he could be using a separate account that I don’t know about for more…personal business.”
“You have a prenuptial agreement, right?”
“Yes. If he’s having an affair and we divorce, he doesn’t get a cent from me. To be fair, if I divorced him and he wasn’t at fault, he’d receive a settlement. I do love him, and I was willing to make that concession.”
“Okay. I’ll get right on this.” Gavin didn’t know what to think. If Conrad was telling his wife about his coworker’s affair, was he trying to get a reaction out of her? Maybe. One of the cops Gavin knew on the Seattle force had done that. His wife thought it was amusing, until she learned her husband was having an affair with a nurse at one of the local hospitals.
“Thank you. I’m emailing you pictures of Conrad and Cheryl. I trust you’ll be inconspicuous.”
“Guaranteed.”
They finished the call, and Gavin studied the photos Eleanor had sent, apparently taken at the company Christmas party. There was a Christmas tree in the background, and both Conrad and Cheryl were holding glasses of champagne.
Conrad was dark-haired, dark-eyed, and had a manicured, pampered appearance. He didn’t appear to be the type who was ready to rough it. Cheryl had dark roots, but the rest of her hair was pale blond, and she had light-green eyes. She looked like the girl next door, sweet and innocent.
Gavin called Faith MacPherson, one partner’s mate, to let her know he had a job and would be leaving as soon as he could. She managed the calls for their business while taking care of her six-year-old triplets. Her husband, Cameron, and their other two partners were out on jobs of their own.
“Oh, Gavin, I’m so sorry you had to be the one to take this particular case,” Faith said.
He wished no one knew about his fear of flying. Faith had learned the truth when Cameron had needed his help to locate their missing friends, and he’d had to fly from Seattle to Maine to aid them.
“No problem. I’ll let you know what’s going on when I locate the group and tell you if I learn anything.”
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
Like everyone else at the agency, Faith knew how things could go wrong at a moment’s notice. Gavin called Adventure Seaplane Tours and got the owner, Henry White.
“Yeah, I had a last-minute sightseeing tour cancellation,” Henry said. “Do you need all the outfitting equipment? Will it be just you?”
“Just me, and I’m bringing my own gear. Thanks.”
“All right. Drive up here, and I’ll fly you out. My son and I are taking a group out there a couple of hours before your flight. We’ll be back well before you arrive. It’s a popular time of year. Though a storm’s coming in tomorrow. So we’ve had a few cancellations.”
Gavin wondered if the earlier group was Conrad’s. It would have worked out time-wise, from the itinerary Eleanor had, and Conrad’s company was also using White’s tour service. “Yeah, thanks. See you soon.”
He was relieved he wouldn’t be too far behind the company’s canoeists, if that’s who White and his son were taking. He’d be able to begin surveillance right away. Getting the job done meant he’d be available for another. He and his partners had accumulated lots of great reviews, and they believed that’s why business had really picked up.
If time hadn’t been against him, Gavin would have just paddled in from Ely and not bothered with the plane trip. But the group would only be out there for nine days, and a thunderstorm was rolling in the night after he arrived. By flying in, he’d be hunkered down well before the storm hit. If they didn’t have too much lightning, the storm shouldn’t hinder him much. In fact, it could provide him cover.
A day and a half later, Gavin loaded his canoe on his Suburban and finished packing his waterproof bags, cooler, and rain gear. He headed out thinking that, despite the storm and the fact that he had to fly there, he was going to enjoy this trip.
***
Amelia Marie White glowered at the group of male tourists who were waiting to take a plane up for sightseeing. One of the men had refused to go if a woman was piloting the plane. Was he a throwback to cavemen or what? She’d already had a day of it, so she wasn’t in the mood for any more trouble. They’d loaded all their gear into her plane while she was away taking a call about placing a foster dog, so they’d thought her dad or brother would be the pilot.
The guy’s arms were folded across his chest in a defiant way, his blue eyes narrowed in contempt. He was around forty, red hair cut in a short burr. He looked like he could be ex-military. Yet something about him seemed so familiar. She couldn’t place where she’d seen him before though.
If they didn’t want her to fly them, no problem. They could go somewhere else, though at this late date, the other seaplane services might be booked. Unless they also had cancellations because of the coming storm. Her dad wouldn’t want to get bad publicity out of this though. The other two companies provided the same services and were already annoyed that her family had settled here and taken some of their business. She was certain they would jump at the chance to take these guys up and bad-mouth her company.
Her dad quickly took her aside to defuse the situation. “You know the other group canceled on me because of the iffy weather. Now I’ve got to take another paddler out to the Boundary Waters. You’re scheduled to fly Winston to Saint Paul. Taking the paddler will give you more time to do that, and you’ll be way ahead of the deadline. Just drop this guy off, take Winston to the shelter, and come back here—or stay there and do some shopping. I’ll take these people up and see you the day after tomorrow.”