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interested?"
    Maddox glanced at the fax sitting in front of him. Wasn't like he could get much done on a weekend anyway.
    "Maddox?" Something in George's voice . . . a hesitation . . . a question . . .
    "Who all's going?"
    "Just a couple of us old-timers. And you, I hope."
    Maddox ground out a sigh. "Is Pop going?"
    "Well, Tyson ain't said for sure yet."
    Shaking his head, Maddox worked to keep his temper in check. Wasn't George's fault—he was such a peacemaker that he only wanted the rift between father and son to be mended. But he couldn't understand. George could never grasp the enormity of blame Tyson had dumped on Maddox. Even though Pop was the one to blame.
    "Come on, Maddox. It'll be fun."
    Fun? With Tyson involved? Not hardly. The man never missed an opportunity to harp on Maddox and every fault he ever had. "I can't. Had a homicide land in my lap early this morning."
    "It's the weekend."
    Maddox forced a chuckle. "Yeah, tell that to the murderers. They don't exactly take nights and weekends off."
    "And you're positioning yourself for the promotion."
    This time Maddox's chuckle was sincere. "There's always that."
    "I understand, but I'll miss you."
    And he'd miss hanging out with George. Maddox swallowed. "We'll do it another time."
    "Hunting season's almost over."
    "Maybe next weekend?"
    "I'll call you."
    "Good luck, George. Get a twelve-point for me."
    George laughed and then the line went dead. Maddox shut the phone and shoved it into his belt clip. He ignored the unnamed emotion rising in his chest as he turned his attention back to the fax.
    He flipped to the next page. Construction on the house had been completed two months ago. By—he turned the page to find the information he sought—Taylor Construction. Maddox lifted his pen and jotted himself a note to pull records on the company.
    He finished reading the pages. Still didn't understand why Megan thought this was complicated and felt he needed to see this himself. Made no sense.
    And then he saw the last line of the notes.
    Contractor utilized licensed professionals who employed Second Chances residents on the work-release program.
    He didn't know what Second Chances was, but he sure didn't like the sound of work-release program.
    Obviously Megan had known what it was. He opened his cell and dialed her number. It rang twice before going to voice mail. Maddox shut the phone without leaving a message.
    Footsteps in the hall drew his attention.
    Houston ambled into their shared space and plopped onto the edge of the desk. "Thought I'd find you here."
    Maddox leaned back and propped his feet up on his desk. "Question is, what're you doing here?"
    "Boys are headed to the hunting lease with their buddies, and Margie's pulling a double shift at the hospital."
    Maddox laughed. "And she left you a honey-do list you don't wanna do?"
    Houston had the decency to blush. "Hey, I'm here to work the case. Can't you show a little appreciation?"
    "Something going on at the hospital?" Houston's wife was an RN.
    "Margie said there's a baby they admitted last night she's all worried about. Respiratory stuff. Doesn't know if the kid's gonna make it."
    "That's sad." Little kids made him nervous—they were a commitment to a woman. One woman. Maddox handed his partner the papers on the property. "Check out the background on the house. It was one of the Hope for Homes."
    "Ouch." Houston scanned the pages as he swung his foot back and forth. When he was finished, he set the stack of papers on Maddox's desk. "Dare I ask where you got this?"
    "I have a friend in the courthouse."
    "Who was willing to go in on a Saturday morning to look this up for you?" Houston slipped a piece of gum between his lips.
    Heat raced up the back of his neck. "A good friend."
    Houston wasn't fooled. "A female friend?"
    Why did his partner constantly bring up or insinuate about Maddox's lack of desire to find a nice lady and settle down? If only he could tell Houston he'd never, ever, allow a woman to