“The man said it has to be you, or he will try and delivery it another time.”
Daniel nodded. He slipped into his jacket and made this way to the front where a young man no more than twenty-five waited. “You have something for me?”
“Are you Daniel Ross?”
“I am.”
The man extended a clipboard to Daniel.
He took it and noticed the sender’s name. Peter Sanders.
His heart rate accelerated, knowing what had finally arrived. When he’d spoken to Katrina’s private investigator, he’d said it could take a few weeks to compile a detailed history of Grant Jacobson. It was three weeks more than he’d wanted, but if it provided him answers, it would be worth it.
Signing his name, he handed the clipboard back to the man. After a brief look, the man reached into a messenger bag and pulled out a large envelope. He handed it to Daniel and turned to leave.
“That was strange,” Kevin said once the man was out the door.
Daniel didn’t comment. He wanted to rip into the information immediately, but he had something he had to attend to first. “I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good night.”
Kevin nodded and went back to his desk.
Tucking the folder under his arm, Daniel made his way to his car and headed home. His phone had alerted him his code had been used to enter the property twenty minutes ago. There were a limited number of people who had that code. His gardener wasn’t due till later in the week, nor was his poolman, and Ali was at work. That left his kids, namely Bradley.
He took the time in the car to prepare himself for the conversation ahead. They’d been interrupted this morning when Ali had come into the kitchen and hadn’t gotten to finish what they’d started. It was time to set some boundaries.
Sure enough, when Daniel drove into his garage, Bradley’s car was there. He left the envelope in the vehicle for now and went to find his son.
After searching inside the house, he went to the pool. Bradley was sitting under the awning, his laptop open in front of him.
He looked up when he heard the patio door open. “Dad. You’re home early.”
“We need to continue our discussion.” He was done beating around the bush.
Bradley closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair.
Daniel took the seat across from him. “You're my son and I love you, but I will not have you disrespecting me or Ali. I understand your concerns about my relationship. However, this is my house and Ali is my guest. You will treat her with respect. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.” Not exactly the response he’d been hoping for. It was like his teenage years all over again.
He took a moment to assess the situation. “Do you expect me to be alone for the rest of my life?”
That got a reaction out of him. A small one, but it was something. He recovered quickly, though, returning to his stoic expression. “It has nothing to do with that.”
“Then explain it to me.”
He sat there, watching, but Daniel waited him out. His son came by his stubbornness honestly. They’d gone head-to-head many times during Bradley’s teenage years, but he wasn’t a kid anymore. “I’ve told you my concerns.”
“Yes, you have. And I’ve explained to you Ali isn’t like that. We’ve known each other for two years and she’s never asked me for a dime.”
He saw something flash in his eyes, and then they grew hard again. “James said you’d been dating for two weeks.”
“We have. But we met two years ago.”
“At a club.”
“Yes.”
His son looked at him for a long moment. “What club?”