Allyn and Ransom – 7

 

Allyn left Liam's condo just as the sun was rising, going to pick up his Ferrari from the secure parking garage where he'd left it the previous evening. He arrived home just as Miranda was coming down for breakfast and joined her, with the intention of heading straight to bed afterward to catch up on lost sleep.

 

They were halfway through their meal—with Miranda telling Allyn about her evening on the boat with John—when their houseman, Peter, appeared.

 

"Allyn, Miranda, there's a gentleman at the front door who says he needs to talk with you."

 

"Did he give you a name?"

 

"I suspect he already has one," an amused voice said from the breakfast nook archway. A tall, muscular man with brown, sun-streaked hair and hazel eyes stood there.

 

"Shit!" Allyn said, jumping to his feet with the intention of leaving the room post-haste. "What the hell are you doing here, Ransom?"

 

"Now is that the way to greet an old friend? I'd have waited until your man said it was okay to come in, but I knew that would be your reaction, Allyn."

 

"The infamous Ransom Carlyle, as I live and breathe," Miranda said in a deep—and very feigned—Southern accent, fluttering her eyelashes. "What brings y'all to this part of our fair city?"

 

Ransom chuckled. "More like outside of the fair city, Miss…Miranda I believe." When she nodded, he turned and said, "Allyn, please sit down."

 

Allyn clenched his hands but did as Ransom requested, giving a nod to Peter to let him know it was all right for him to leave. Then, glaring at Ransom, Allyn asked, "Why are you here?"

 

Grinning, Ransom replied, "To see your handsome face again? Not really, although that is a definite perk."

 

"Cut the…the flattery, if that's what you think it is. We ended things a long time ago."

 

"About fifty years ago, by my count," Ransom said. "To answer your question, I understand the two of you were at the big masked ball a couple of nights ago."

 

"We were. It was a blast," Miranda replied.

 

Since Ransom was currently a detective with the NOPD, Allyn had to presume the question related to something that happened at the ball, so he nodded in agreement with Miranda.

 

"Did either of you see this young man while you were there. And more to the point, did you see who he left with?" Ransom put a photo down on the table.

 

"I didn't see him there, but then the place was very crowded," Allyn told him. "I do recognize him. Ellis Patterson. His father's some bigwig, from what I remember."

 

Ransom smiled sourly. "Very much so. He reported Ellis as missing and has been raising hell because we don't have half the force going door-to-door looking for him."

 

"So you're questioning everyone at the party to keep Mr. Patterson off your back. It took you long enough to get to us," Allyn said.

 

Ransom nodded. "I'm working through the list from A-to-Z. Warwick is one of the last names on it."

 

"Did anyone see Ellis?" Miranda asked.

 

"A lot of people did," Ransom told her. "But only two—friends of his—actually saw him when he left. Their description of the man he was with leaves something to be desired. Tall, with dark hair."

 

Allyn snorted. "That could be half the men at the ball. Why are you involved with finding Ellis, other than his father putting the pressure on? I thought that was something missing persons took care of."

 

"Normally it would be. However, Ellis Patterson is the third young person in the last month to have vanished without a trace."