Endangered: A Delecoeur Mystery #1 Read Online Free Page A

you."
    "And Madeleine seems
terrific."
    Max smiled. Although he had achieved
business success prior to meeting Madeleine, he hadn't ever considered himself
a success until she'd come into his life. "She is. I never believed in
true love and all that fairy tale stuff, but Madeleine proved me wrong."
Max pulled his hand away, uncomfortable with Julia's nearness.
    "You don't have children."
    "No," he said not wanting to
divulge further into his and Madeleine's private life.
    "That's too bad. I always thought
you'd make a wonderful father."
    "I was surprised to hear about
Chas," Max said.
    She laughed. "I know what you're
thinking. That I'm too self-centered to be a mother. You're probably right,
although I tried with Chas."
    "He seems to be doing well."
    "Yes. He gets that from his father.
But, as I'm sure you've noticed, he's a little self-centered, which I suppose
he gets from me."
    "I hadn't heard about
William," Max said.
    "Heart attack."
    "I'm sorry."
    "Yes well, we didn't have what you
and Madeleine have. Not that it wasn't good in the beginning, but by the end
there really wasn't anything left. He pretty much abandoned Chas and me."
    "I'm sorry for that as well. You're
a challenging woman, Julia, but you deserve love and respect."
    She looked surprised by his statement.
As if it was the first time anyone had said something kind to her. "Do you
ever wonder... about us...if maybe..."
    Max sighed. The truth would bruise her
ego, but he couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear. His feelings for Julia
had run their course long ago. "That was a long time ago. We've both moved
on."
    "I know. I just wonder if I'd been
more patient and waited for you-"
    Max shook his head. "You did the
right thing."
    She didn't look convinced, but he knew
she was smart enough to know that if she pushed the issue he'd be forced to
tell her the truth; that he'd have never made a life with her.
    "Madeleine is a lucky woman,"
she finally said.
    "No. I'm the lucky one."
     
    ~~~
     
    Max checked his watch again….8:15.
Madeleine's call was nearly 2 hours late and he was quickly moving from
concerned to worried. He’d already tried her cell phone and hotel room without
luck. It wasn’t like her to miss a call.
    "Where is she, Oscar?" he said
to the dog sitting next to him on the couch. Oscar looked up at his master, but
his eyes held no answers. "I can't wait any longer." He pulled his
cell phone from his pocket and arranged for a private flight to San Francisco.
Then he dropped Oscar off with the neighbor as he headed to the airport.
    During the flight, Max called Marie to
cancel his appointments for the rest of the week. Then he called Lieutenant
Springer of the San Francisco Police Department to report Madeleine missing. He
knew Springer would help him not because Max had money and power, but because
they had lived in the same foster home for several years as children and over
time remained friends. Max was sure that people who'd known the two of them as
mischievous boys would be surprised that they weren't sharing a jail cell.
Somehow they'd managed to survive without parents and make something of
themselves. It was the bond they'd formed as children that had Springer walking
toward Max as he departed the plane in San Francisco. They greeted each other
with a hug.
    "I haven't found anything
yet," Springer said. "We know she checked into the hotel around nine this
morning and left a little before ten."
    “Did you talk to anybody from the
conference?”
    “Yes, a few people.”
    Max shook his head trying to keep panic
from clouding his thinking.
    “I've got someone checking the hospitals
around the city. And we have monitors on the hotel phone and her cell phone. So
far, you’re the only one calling.”
    “Where the hell is she?”
    Springer and Max got into the waiting
police car. “Do you know of anyone who wanted to harm her?”
    “No.” Then Max remembered Alan. But he
wouldn’t hurt her, would he? And she seemed concerned about a