Out of Bounds: A Thriller (Billy Beckett Book 5) by Kelly Hodge

Author:Kelly Hodge [Hodge, Kelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Phoenix Flying, LLC
Published: 2023-01-31T13:00:00+00:00

30

“Is Franklin here?”

Candace was busy and barely glanced up from her desk. “Back in Billy’s office. Been here about an hour.”

Claire knocked lightly on the open door and walked in. She was delighted to see the chief over in the corner, standing at the workstation Billy had set up for him. He said he wanted to be on his feet as much as possible, to defy gravity if nothing else.

Franklin had his readers on, studying the computer screen. He looked reasonably strong, better than the last time she had seen him.

“Good afternoon, Miss Claire,” he said. “Been on the road?”

“Just drove in from Florida.”

“I thought you were down in the Keys with Zander.”

“He was going to be tied up for a while — something about his boat; you know Zander and his boats — and I just drove on back.”

Franklin raised his eyebrows. “Really? From the Keys?”

“Actually, I headed back this way after we met with Chief Paxton in Sarasota. Really appreciate you setting that up. The chief said to give you his best.”

“Did you learn anything?”

“Nothing specific, but we were glad to hear the details. A detective sat in with us, too. The case has been cold for a while; they have a lot of missing persons in Florida.”

“They have a lot of everything in Florida.”

“I don’t think Sherry Pickens is on their radar anymore, if she ever was.”

Franklin stopped what he was doing and just stood there with a quizzical expression. He was still a striking figure, though his battle with cancer had left him noticeably diminished. He had lost some weight, and his short, graying hair — once kept in a military-style crew cut — was a bit thinner. The signature bushy mustache was gone, too.

Claire couldn’t help but smile. “You look good,” she said.

“Thank you. I’m feeling better than the last time I saw you — good enough to be here.” Franklin turned back to his monitor. “Have you spoken to Billy?”

“Not today. Anything new?”

“He’s juggling, as usual. I looked over a couple of security contracts for him this morning. I believe there’s also a new endorsement proposal on his desk. And, of course, some Ace Winters stuff. Billy is planning to get with him before the next tournament. Plenty to talk about, good and bad.”

“Why is it that so many of Billy’s clients have some kind of baggage that isn’t normal? It’s like he’s a magnet for the craziest stuff.”

“That’s a good question … we used to ask the same thing when he was a boy. He was always in the middle of everything.” Franklin chuckled. “Speaking of crazy, Ace winning at Hilton Head was beyond the pale. Billy was one of the few who thought he was capable of that, for whatever reason. He told me more than once.”

Claire smirked. “He thinks he has the golden touch with whoever he’s dealing with. He’s not afraid to go out on the ledge with them.”

“Sometimes it blows up in his face, but he always comes out on the other side.

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