Obsessed (The Lizzy Gardner Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Santos. He disappeared three months ago, leaving behind two teenage daughters and a wife of seventeen years whose job hardly pays for groceries and gas. She can’t make the mortgage payment and—”
    “Another pro bono case, then.”
    “No. The wife’s brother, Andrew Morales, came to me. He’s hiring us to find Owen, his brother-in-law. He’s offering a five-thousand-dollar bonus if we find Owen Santos within thirty days.” Lizzy handed her the file.
    Hayley skimmed through it. “What else?”
    Lizzy opened another file. “A woman, Kat McBane, design engineer at Intel, is having trouble at home. Every night when she returns home from work, she finds something has been disturbed—sofa cushions shifted around, food items missing. She swears someone even used her shower, but there is no evidence of a break-in. The police were supposedly keeping half an eye on her house for a few weeks, but didn’t see anything suspicious.”
    “What’s your plan?” Hayley asked. “There’s not much we could do for her that the cops didn’t already do, other than move in with the lady.”
    “You mentioned once that Tommy had used a night-vision camera to catch a car thief in his neighborhood. Maybe the two of you could set up a camera or two. One in the front yard and one in the back.”
    “I’ll talk to him.”
    “Thanks.”
    Hayley took that file, too, then plopped it on the table with everything else.
    Lizzy’s attention slid to the pile of pictures scattered across the wooden chest next to Hayley’s laptop. Pictures of Brian Rosie and various thugs he used to hang out with, back when Hayley’s mom was still alive. “I thought we agreed to forget about Brian and let the police handle the matter.”
    “I changed my mind.”
    “They will find him. Brian won’t get away with murder. They always get caught in the end.”
    “In the end ,” Hayley said, her tone lined with bitterness. “After how many more people are raped, abused, and murdered?”
    Lizzy opened her mouth to speak, but Hayley cut her off.
    “Don’t say another word, Lizzy. I don’t want to hear it. Brian’s drug business is growing into an empire and yet they can’t catch him. The police obviously need a little help.”
    As Lizzy sucked in a breath, the door came open. A little boy appeared—four years old, maybe five. His clothes were dirty and stained. His brown hair was matted. He hadn’t knocked, and he seemed perfectly at home inside the apartment until he saw Lizzy. He set his gaze on Hayley.
    “Your mom didn’t come home?” Hayley asked the boy.
    He shook his head.
    “This is Lizzy, my boss. Why don’t you go ahead and get something to eat. There’s stuff in the fridge.” The boy didn’t need to be told twice.
    Lizzy didn’t try to strike up a conversation as he passed her. It was obvious he was not comfortable around strangers. “I should get going,” Lizzy said.
    Hayley stood.
    Lizzy grabbed her purse from the kitchen and followed Hayley outside. “What’s the deal?” she asked, referring to the boy.
    “Just another kid with a mother who can’t get her shit together.”
    “Maybe you should call child support services.”
    “Nope,” Hayley said, then scratched her arm. “Hudson is a great kid. His mom is trying. She’s been better lately, sticking around longer. He’ll be fine.”
    “OK,” Lizzy said. “Sounds like you have it under control. I better get the dog to a vet.”
    “Thanks for the groceries. If I need to talk to the deadbeat dad’s wife and daughters, is that a problem?”
    Lizzy shook her head. “Talk to anyone you need to.”
    “I’ll get cameras set up at McBane’s house, too. Anything else?”
    “There is one more thing.”
    Hayley waited.
    “I was wondering if you would do me the honor of being one of my bridesmaids?”
    Hayley rubbed her forehead as if she were trying to completely erase the question from her mind. When she dropped her hand, she let out a moan. “You’re