Mona Lisa Eyes (Danny Logan Mystery #4) Read Free Page B

would be to say that if it so much as resembles work, Nicki suddenly becomes disinterested. She has nothing like Sophie’s work ethic.”
    Oliver shook his head. “I hate to say it , but I must agree. As regards our Foundation, Nicki seems to have no interest in the plight of the peoples of Africa.”
    Cecilia added, “I’m not sure that she has an interest in anything at all aside from parties and social functions.”
    “Got it,” I said, nodding. Unless I was mistaken, I’d seen the Nicki Thoms type many times before: wealthy parents, lots of freedom, lots of money , low expectations. Have fun, but not too much fun. Keep it quiet. Above all, don’t embarrass Mom and Dad .
    “Let’s switch up. In my experience, trouble often stems from vices and bad habits. Let’s talk about drugs —was Sophie involved with drugs? Or Nicki? Any problems there ?”
    Oliver shrugged. “In all honesty, this isn’t the type of conversation topic that either of the girls would have felt comfortable having with us. But, from my own personal experience, Sophie never gave me any reason to suspect that she might have been high on drugs.”
    “Nor I,” Cecilia added.
    “And Nicki?”
    “Well . . .”
    Cecilia took a deep breath. “Mr . Logan,” she said slowly, “you must realize that it’s not easy for our family to open up about what we consider to be our internal affairs—our ‘dirty laundry ’ as it were. We typically keep such . . . delicate matters to ourselves. That said, I suppose I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that we have reason to suspect that Nicki may have problems with drugs, and perhaps with alcohol as well. I’ve smelled both liquor and marijuana on her breath and clothing several times. She tries to hide it, but I’m not that old—certainly not the old fogey she takes me for. I was around in the eighties, you know.”
    I smiled politely. “I understand .” Actually, if I worked really hard at it, I could just about picture buttoned-up Cecilia taking an experimental bong -hit as a teenager. I started to smile at the mental picture. Fortunately, Toni kept us moving.
    “Obviously, our conversation is confidential,” she said.
    Cecilia nodded. “Of course.”
    “That said , have you provided this information to the police?”
    Cecilia nodded again. “We have.”
    “Good,” Toni said.
    We asked a few more background questions—boyfriends? girlfriends?—that sort of thing, but by ten o’clock, we had enough information to be able to evaluate the case. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the rain on the windows for a few moments, considering everything I’d heard. I glanced at Toni, but she didn’t notice, so I turned back to Cecilia. “Mrs. Ward, first of all, thanks for all the background information. We probably asked a few more detailed questions than I’d originally intended, but it’s easy to get caught up in the case.” I paused , then continued. “When you got here, I think you said you wished to hire us to represent the family. What is it you expect us to do for you?”
    Cecilia looked at me, puzzled. “Simple. Find out who did it . Find out who killed Sophie and dumped her into the river. Help bring the bastard to justice.”
    “Find out who did it,” I repeated, nodding. Sure. Piece of cake. “There are two obvious questions. First, why do you think our little firm would be able to find something that a forty-man police task force has missed?”
    Cecilia gave me a hard look. “You’re good at what you do , right?”
    I studied her for a moment, and then I nodded. “Yes, we like to think so. But that’s no guarantee that we’d be able to add any value to the investigation. Your money could end up being wasted.”
    She gave me another firm stare. “Well, I most certainly do not agree with you, Mr. Logan. Even if you prove unable to find Sophie’s killer, you would still be representing us—the family—as the police continue their investigation. And your participation