Absolutely, Positively

learned the craft, but he preferred not to spend his time in the mundane task of checking addresses and phone numbers. He paid other people to do that for him when necessary and billed the client for the expense.

    “Is that it?” Fergus asked when he'd finished his notes.

    “For now. If I come up with more, I'll let you know. Put a rush on this, will you, Fergus? The man's getting flakier by the day. The first two practical jokes were not lethal, but if that was Kendall in the blue Ford yesterday, he's definitely become dangerous.”

    “I'll get right on it.”

    Harry tossed the phone down into the cradle and went to stand in front of the large saltwater aquarium. He contemplated the angel fish as they cruised the miniature reef and wondered how many more people were going to get in line to convince Molly that she should not put her trust in him.

    He had a reputation for being able to identify swindlers and charlatans of the most sophisticated kind, Harry thought. Large corporations and the government sought out his services when scientific fraud was suspected. He had written a book on the history of scientific hoaxes and another volume on the perils of scientific and academic illusions.

    It seemed to him that his entire life had been devoted to the study of deception. His Trevelyan birthright had given him the skills to detect hustlers, liars, and cheats. His Stratton blood had provided him with sound business instincts. His academic training had endowed him with the knowledge and insight that enabled him to spot high-tech flimflammers.

    Always he had been on the side of truth. Always he had been the one to expose the deceivers. Always he had taken the righteous stance and pointed the finger at those who sought to deceive.

    Now people were telling Molly that he was very probably trying to deceive and defraud her. And he had no way to prove his innocence.

    So far she seemed to trust him. How many times would she have to hear him accused of sleeping with her in order to get his hands on the Abberwick Foundation assets before she began to put some credence in the notion, he wondered.

    He also wondered how many times she could listen to someone label him crazy before she began to believe it.

    There was a soft sound from the hall.

    “Brooding again?” Molly asked cheerfully from the doorway.

    Harry turned swiftly to face her. “I didn't hear you come home.”

    “I arrived just as Ginny was leaving.” Molly crossed the study to put her arms around his neck.

    He folded her close and bent his head to kiss her. It felt good to have her here at the end of a long day, he thought. It felt right. He did not want to think about what might happen if she listened to the accusations and warnings.

    Molly leaned her head back and searched his face with her gem-green eyes. “Want to talk about dinner?”

    He smiled slightly. “What did you have in mind?”

    “I think we should go out this evening. You're in one of your morose phases. Probably the full moon. Dinner out might help you shake off the mood.”

    “All right.” A shiver of unease went through him. He wondered if his periodic bouts of solemn contemplation were starting to bother her. The possibility darkened his already bleak frame of mind. He struggled to strike an upbeat note. “You choose the restaurant.”

    “Why don't we go across the street to that new place featuring Pacific Rim cuisine?” She paused as one of the two phones on the desk burbled. “Oops. Private line. Must be family.” Her hands dropped away from his neck.

    “Damn.” Harry eyed the phone with misgivings. For a few seconds he actually thought about ignoring the call. He did not want to deal with any more family problems today. Then he reached for the receiver.

    “This is Harry.”

    “Harry, it's me, Josh.”

    The urgency in Josh's voice fueled Harry's gathering gloom as nothing else could have done. “What's wrong?”

    “Grandpa is in the hospital here in Hidden Springs. He crashed his new truck an hour ago.”

    Harry closed his eyes briefly. “How bad?”

    “Bad. The doctor warned us that the next few hours are critical.” There was a desperate, disbelieving note in Josh's voice. “He said Grandpa might not make it through the night.”

    Harry glanced at his watch. “I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't give up the ship. Leon is one tough old bird.”

    “He's not really that old. He's not even seventy, you know. Lots of people live a lot