Page 23 of Shattering Dawn
Amelia shivered. “That means your stalker could be almost any woman of the right age you happen to pass on the street.”
“Theoretically. But sooner or later the bride will make herself known. Stalkers always escalate.”
“You don’t sound especially worried.”
Gideon’s mouth kicked up in a rare, wry smile. “I’m good at compartmentalizing. Ask any of my exes.”
“Ex-wives?”
“None of my relationships got as far as marriage.”
She contemplated the subject of his exes and decided she really did not want to know anything more about them. Then she remembered the paintings on the walls of his home. He might be good at compartmentalizing, but he was paying a price.
“Are all of your cases as exciting as the Colony cult case?” she asked.
“No, fortunately.”
“I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to be very successful in the private investigation business. I always assumed the good money in that line came from corporate security work. But your website states that you don’t take those kinds of jobs.”
“I prefer to work with private individuals. People like you. People who can’t or won’t go to the police.”
“I see.”
His mouth kicked up a little at the corner. “You want to know where my money comes from.”
“You mentioned that you have been successful with your investments.”
“My talent has one useful side effect,” he said. “It gives me a certain insight into the financial markets.”
“Convenient. Wish my talent had an upside like that. How does your special insight work?”
“I know what spooks individuals and markets,” he said, his voice tightening. “With that kind of information it’s not hard to decide where to put your money.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
Gideon did not respond.
“I get the feeling making money is boring for you,” she said.
“I’ve got bills like everyone else.”
“Your investigation work is your true passion, isn’t it?”
He seemed surprised by the question. “I’ve never thought of my investigation work as a passion, but it feels like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. You could say it’s a branch of the family business.”
“What, exactly, is the family business?”
“Sweetwater Security. It’s a consulting firm. Does mostly extremely boring work for the government and one or two outside clients. What about you? Are you passionate about photography?”
Okay, that was a quick change of subject. She got the feeling he did not want to go too deeply into the work his family’s firm did for the government. Probably classified.
“I’m drawn to photography,” she admitted. “But I can’t seem to find the right niche. I’m getting by, barely, on real estate shoots and CEO headshots and pet portraits, but I don’t love that work. I failed at fashion photography. I don’t have the artistic vision it takes to make it in the art world. I’m not interested in videos. And to make life even more difficult, I prefer to work with old-school prism-and-mirror cameras and black-and-white film.”
“What do you like to shoot?”
“I love photographing abandoned buildings that have an interesting past. Hotels. Spas. Asylums. Hospitals. So much atmosphere. Butthat’s about it, really, and there’s not much money in that end of the market. As far as I can tell, my stupid talent doesn’t come with a useful side effect.” She paused. “Unlike, say, a psychic feel for the financial markets.”
“You’re not going to let that go, are you?”