A Dangerous Love

Connie caught her breath "So you were the one who told him how to get to the house. I trusted you with that information and you gave it to the one person she didn't want to know."

Spencer shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. "I know, but at the time I though I was helping her. I feel bad about that." He finally looked up at Len. "I could understand why he would be chasing her, but if I'd have known she'd go for a guy older than me . . ."

"But he isn't," Connie broke in.

"I've been admiring Andy Gordon Paintings for a decade," Howard countered.

"Right. So has Lisa. She was the one who told me that he was a child prodigy. He sold his first painting at age fifteen - something like $17,000." She shook her head in dismay. What are the odds that she'd ever meet him, much less marry him? And when she's surrounded with his work, she still doesn't recognize him. I'm surprised she didn't figure that one out right away." She sighed. "I guess it's true. Love is blind." She glanced quickly at Quint. "Sometimes."

"I figured he was dealing with some kind of contraband." Howard said "That's why I hired Mertz. I figured he would pick up on things I wouldn't. I knew he and Lisa had dated for a long time, and I knew they had a falling out, but I never thought he'd try to hurt her physically. I guess I'm not a good investigator. I was trying to research the buyer. Lisa seemed to fear him more than she did Giddon."

"Yeah," Connie chimed in. "She told me she thought she loved Giddon, but at the same time she was having Howard investigate him. It's almost like fear drew her to him."

"Not fear, adventure." Quint said. "I don't think she was ever afraid of him. I think her biggest fear was that she'd lose him. She didn't want to believe he was doing something like that, but it was fresh on her mind that the unthinkable actually does happen." He shook his head. "I know how she feels. I always thought I knew what was going on out there. I was shocked at how harsh reality can be. It takes a while to adjust. I think helping Lisa has made me realize that one person can make a difference. You just have to work at it a little at a time. Each case I handle gives me that much more experience. For every tragedy, there is a possible happy ending. Lisa wasn't looking for it, but when she saw it, she knew what it was.