Carlos had been an engaging breakfast companion, pumping me eagerly for information about “spy tools” and exciting assignments. I didn’t tell him that most of my investigations these days rarely involved much more than sitting at a computer, poring through legal data. Let him think I was the next 007 if it would get him to cooperate with me and keep my identity a secret. In time, I would find the murderer of his grandfather, and then his life could return to normal—or as normal as could be expected, under the circumstances.

As we talked, I found myself watching the door. Then finally, at about 7:30, it swung open and in walked Derek. He came straight to our table, his face stern.

“What the heck is going on?” he asked, thrusting my note at me. It said, Please meet us at the Town and Country Diner as soon as you get up. Don’t tell anyone. Come right away. I had signed it, Callie Webber and Carlos.

“I think you should sit down,” I said calmly. “Carlos and I have something to tell you.”

Concerned, he slid into the booth next to his son. In the light from the window, I could see that he hadn’t shaved or even brushed his hair.

“Are you okay?” he asked Carlos.

Wide-eyed and excited, Carlos nodded back.

“Callie’s a private eye, Dad,” he said. “Did you know that? She’s here on an investigation!”

Derek looked at me.

“Not exactly,” I said. “I came here to deliver some money to Feed the Need. Then your father was murdered. I stayed for an investigation.”

“Okay, take it back a few,” Derek said. “You’ve both caught me totally off guard.”

A waitress appeared then and poured Derek some coffee. Once she was gone, I tried to explain everything in terms that were simple and direct.

“I do investigations for the J.O.S.H.U.A Foundation,” I said. “Programmatic investigations. Verifying the integrity of nonprofit organizations, making sure they do what they say they do, seeing that they spend their money in a responsible way. As you know, I came here to deliver a grant to your organization.”

“A grant? To Feed the Need?”

His question threw me.

“Of course,” I said. “You mean you didn’t know about it? But you’re the CEO.”

He shook his head.

“I knew you were here on some sort of business with my father, but I never thought to ask what it was.”

“But your mother told you that I work for Tom, for the foundation.”

“I guess I just never put two and two together. I’ve been a little distracted.”

“Your father asked us for $250,000. He said it was for a building you all wanted to buy.”

“I can’t imagine that,” Derek said. “There’s no building that I know of. My father never breathed a word of this to me.”

“Is that unusual?” I asked.