Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

he was a kid and left him and his mother destitute. He cleaned stalls to help his mother make ends meet and worked his way up, learning to train the horses. By the time I met him he’d built his business and had a lot of rich clients.’
    ‘But he lost it all.’
    She scowled. ‘Because of Travis. Anyway, his father died a few years ago. I don’t know if it was guilt for having abandoned Scott and his mother or if he just never changed his will, but Scott got a sizable inheritance. He was able to buy the property and some really good quality jumpers. Once he trains them and the horses start winning competitions, he can sell them for a lot more. One of his kids is a money whiz and invests well. Scott’s pretty comfortable now.’
    The background checks on Scott Cooper’s sons were still ongoing. Grayson had hoped to have a full report for him by the end of the day.
    ‘Okay. Then let’s talk about Hal Lynch. Did you know Hal owns four homes?’
    She frowned. ‘I knew he had two. A house in Virginia near the Elkhart estate and a row house in Baltimore. He lives in the Virginia house.’
    ‘Not anymore. He lives on your street, Daphne. At the top of the hill.’
    She recoiled. ‘What?’
    ‘He also owns a condo in your building at Inner Harbor. On your floor.’
    ‘That’s . . . really disturbing.’ Her eyes were shocked. ‘But not a crime. And he doesn’t have any sons Doug’s age. His son is . . . maybe thirteen by now.’
    Joseph frowned. ‘No, his son is twenty-five.’
    Daphne shook her head. ‘I remember seeing his son, the night I saw his wife. He was small. Barely school age.’
    ‘Tell me about the night you saw his wife,’ Joseph said.
    Daphne sighed. ‘You have to be careful being friends with men. Sometimes the wives don’t like it. Hal’s wife got the wrong idea about our relationship and confronted me one night. I knew he had a wife, but I’d only met her once, at one of Nadine’s garden parties. I don’t think we said more than hello to each other. Hal and I didn’t have a friendship like that. We didn’t hang out together or individually or with our families. He was my bodyguard.’
    ‘You told me a great deal just then, but not what I asked. Tell me about the night you met his wife.’
    She hesitated. ‘Joseph, I don’t have any feelings for Hal other than platonic friendship and gratitude. He helped me a lot over the years.’
    ‘I believe you. And given that you still haven’t answered my question, I have to assume that Hal’s wife didn’t believe you.’
    ‘No, she didn’t. You need to know that I was alone for most of the twelve years I was married to Travis. After the night I conceived Ford, Travis touched me again a few dozen times, but never once after Ford had gone to elementary school. Hal and I spent a lot of time together, especially when I was going to college, after Ford was in school. Once . . . just once, he kissed me.’
    Joseph kept his cool. ‘What did you do?’
    ‘For a moment, just that tiny split second, I was tempted. I was lonely and honestly, kind of needy. But I told him no. If I was caught cheating, I’d lose everything according to the agreement Mama’s lawyer had negotiated with Nadine’s lawyers before the wedding. I didn’t care about the money or the things, but Nadine would have fought for custody of Ford. And besides, it would have been wrong. I was miserable in the marriage, but I’m no cheat even if Travis was. So I told Hal absolutely no.’
    ‘Did he accept that?’
    ‘Yes. His face got all red. He was embarrassed, too. Flustered. It was one of those heat-of-the-moment things that never happened again.’
    ‘So . . . tell me about the night you met his wife.’
    She sighed. ‘By the time I left Travis, Hal had all but quit. He and Travis had had a falling out over something a few years before and after that Hal cut back his hours and did other things. Started another business. He’d always loved the antiques at the Elkhart estate so he opened a small store in Baltimore. I’ve been there. He carries lovely things. The only hours he worked for Travis at that point were when he functioned as my personal security, which wasn’t so often then as I’d finished school.’
    ‘What was their falling out about?’
    ‘I don’t know. I asked Hal once, but he evaded the question.’
    ‘Why did you need a bodyguard?’
    ‘Nadine said it was because Elkhart wealth and Travis’s rising political career made