Sweet Fortune

thing.”
    Alex's mouth curved ruefully. “So did her client.”
    “What?” Hatch turned his head to confront her. “You talked to Mrs. Attwood?”
    “That's right.” Jessie picked up a half-finished carton of takeout potato salad and forked up a bite. “She told me she wanted me to stop the investigation.”
    Hatch raised his brows. “Interesting. You, naturally, are going full steam ahead.”
    Jessie shot him a quick glance and then returned her attention to her food. “I think something happened to frighten Mrs. Attwood.”
    “Then she should go straight to the police,” Hatch said flatly.
    “Probably. But I don't think she will. She was scared, Hatch. I could feel it. I suspect that someone from DEL warned her off. She said it had all been a misunderstanding. But I don't believe a word of it.”
    “Christ.” Hatch shook his head, knowing a losing battle when he saw one. “So what are you two up to here?”
    “Just poking around,” Alex explained. “Trying to find out what's going on at DEL. Our main goal at the moment is to see if we can find out anything at all about the money. But I'm also curious about this climate program they're running.” He punched some more keys.
    “Why?”
    “I've got a buddy up at the university who's into this kind of thing. I know for a fact his programs aren't projecting any ten-to-fifteen-year disaster scenarios. I'd like to see what he says about these DEL projections. I'm going to download them onto some diskettes and have him take a look.”
    Jessie spoke up around a mouthful of potato salad. “We want to see if they're genuine scientific projections or some kind of fake theories designed to fool potential investors.”
    Hatch groaned. “What are you going to do if you do manage to prove the program is a deliberate fraud?”
    “Well, I suppose we could go to the authorities with the information,” Jessie said slowly, obviously thinking through the situation. “After all, fraud is fraud. We can at least get DEL closed down.”
    “And how is that going to help Susan Attwood?” Hatch asked quietly. “If she's a part of this fraud, she's guilty of a crime. Do you really want to push things that far?”
    Jessie gave him a stubborn look. “I just want to see if she's working with DEL of her own free will or if she's been duped. Please try to understand, Hatch. I can't seem to let this go now. I've gone too far with it. I have this feeling that there's something terribly wrong and that my client's daughter is in some kind of danger.”
    “You've been playing psychic investigator too long.” Hatch turned back to Alex. “Can you do this without alerting anyone on the other end?”
    “I think so,” Alex said confidently.
    “No footprints that would lead anyone back here to you and Jessie?” Hatch clarified, wanting to be absolutely certain on that point.
    “Heck, no.” Alex pulled his attention away from the screen long enough to squint briefly up at Hatch. “Does this mean you're going to help us?”
    “It doesn't look like I've got a whole hell of a lot of choice, does it?”
    Something clattered to the floor behind Hatch. He turned his head in time to see Jessie bending down to pick up the plastic fork she had just dropped.
    “Want some potato salad?” she asked brightly.

    A long time later Jessie stirred amid the tangle of sheets, stretched out one bare foot, and encountered Hatch's leg.
    “You awake?”
    “Yes.”
    “I've been thinking,” she said softly.
    “About what?”
    “About you. I haven't thanked you yet for staying on the case. I know you're not exactly thrilled with the idea of me pursuing the investigation.”
    “That's a mild way of putting it.”
    “Well, thanks anyway,” she mumbled.
    “Jessie?”
    “Uh-huh?”
    “Your Aunt Glenna talked to me today.”
    “Good grief. Why on earth did she do that?”
    “She wanted to point out that I'm really not the kind of man you should marry. Even if it would be convenient for all concerned.”
    Jessie was startled to find herself annoyed. “Aunt Glenna said that?”
    “Yes.”
    “I know Aunt Glenna means well, but sometimes she thinks that because she's got a degree in psychology she knows what's best for the rest of us. It can be irritating.”
    “But you agree with her, don't you? You told me yourself that I'm not the kind of man you would ever marry.”
    “Let's not get into that subject, Hatch. It's nearly three in the morning.”
    He grunted. “Did you know that