The Case of the Stolen Art Work
Page 14
“I want to thank you for your time, and your help,” Amy said as she and Lorelei stood. Michael had finished up with Dee fifteen minutes before and had taken her out of the room.
“Can I go home now?” Lorelei asked.
“Yes, I think we have everything. They’ve all lawyered up so we haven’t been able to talk to them. I’m hoping they will take a plea deal since they are all being charged with kidnapping and attempted murder, along with the burglaries.” Amy opened the door for Lorelei and walked her down the hallway. Lorelei didn’t see Dee anywhere.
“Did Dee leave?” she asked.
“She’s in the ladies room,” Michael answered from behind her.
Startled, she turned and found herself so close she could feel the heat from his body.
“Thank you, I just didn’t want to leave without her.”
“Can I talk to you?” Michael asked, “outside, before you head home?”
“Sure,” she said, then turned to Amy, “Can you let Dee know I’ll be outside waiting for her?”
“I can do that,” Amy said as a smile spread across her face, showing her perfect teeth.
Michael held Lorelei’s elbow as he escorted her out of the building and to her car. Lorelei leaned against the driver’s door as Michael stood close in front of her.
“I was wondering, when this is all over, would you mind if I called you and took you to dinner?” he asked as he took her hands.
“What do you mean, when this is all over?” she asked, intertwining her fingers with his.
“With this being an open case, and now that Amy and I are part of the investigation, I need to keep this as professional as I can. It wouldn’t look good if I was dating the main witness.”
“How long do I have to wait? I mean, I do have things to do, people to see, and places to go,” she said giving him her best smile.
“With everything we have, I don’t think you’ll have to forgo your plans for too long.” He pulled her close and gently kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear, “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve met in a very long time.”
She pulled back, smiled, and said, “I think I can handle that. Can we talk while we wait for that dinner?”
“I honestly don’t know. I will talk it over with my partner, since this will affect her too.” Michael kept his arms draped on her shoulders.
“I don’t want to jeopardize anything for either of you. I can wait. I still have to find a job and am going to have to find someone to help me remodel my house. I’m not going anywhere.” She stood on tip toes and kissed his cheek. “Dee’s coming, and I’m sure you’re ready to go home and get some sleep.”
“I am,” he said, “and I will be in touch, one way or another.” He leaned back over but instead of her cheek, his let his lips softly press against hers before he turned to leave.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“I KNOW WHAT I want to do,” Lorelei said a week later, while she was having lunch with Dee at Miller’s, the sports bar in Charleston.
“What’s that?” Dee asked.
“I going to be a Private Detective,” she said.
“A what?” Dee spit her coffee out, almost spraying Lorelei.
“No, really,” Lorelei laughed, “I’ve been giving it some thought. I did pretty well at finding the man who broke into the house, and the stolen art work.”
“And you got yourself kidnapped!” Dee reminded her.
Lorelei took a bite of her grilled fish taco before continuing, “But I also escaped, you keep forgetting that part. And, I found the perfect way to do this. I found this detective course online. I’ve ordered the text books, and bought a new camera. I figure I can work for one of the insurance companies here in town as an official photographer or something, taking pictures of claims and what not, and study the courses in the evening.”
“You’re crazy!” Dee said as she wiped up the coffee. “What do you know about being a detective?”
“Nothing, that’s why I’m taking the course, but being a photographer is something I’m good at. I’ve already been in touch with an insurance company here in town. I showed them my skills and I start next Monday. So I have this week to get everything in order before I start my new adventure. I can’t keep living off what Mom gives me every month. I have to make my own way.”
Dee nodded
“Want to see my new home, across from you. I haven’t taken you there yet, have I?”
“Actually, no, you haven’t, but that’s no fault of yours, we’ve been too busy every time you brought it up.”
“Let me give you a tour,” Lorelei said.
“Let’s go,” Dee laughed and finished her coffee.
Back at Dee’s, they leashed the dogs and went across the street. The house had an unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean. The detached garage was newly built and had a small office, which Lorelei loved, that faced the ocean. The small house had a large cedar deck that went clear to the bluffs. Most of the boards were new and those that needed replacing were few and far between. The railing around the deck was also new, so there was one less thing to worry about. Lorelei escorted Dee into the main living area, which was pretty much the main floor. There were two rooms off to the right, where the bedroom and bathroom were located. The walls needed painted, the floor needed to be stripped and refinished, but other than that, Lorelei was home.
Once inside, they let the dogs run. Bindi sniffed every corner, checking out the new place. Lily stood in the middle of the main room, watching her, not sure if she wanted to leave Dee’s side.
“My plan is to have the bathroom redone, made larger to add a laundry room, instead of having the washer and dryer off the back porch. And I’ll add a loft that will be the master bedroom. I’ll keep the other bedroom for a guest room when I have company. But I want to open this place up, have the entire west wall windows, so I have an unobstructed view of the light house and the ocean,” Lorelei started, and took Dee on a tour showing her all the things she had planned.
Dee and Lorelei headed back to Dee’s house.
“I finally have a home of my own!” Lorelei exclaimed.
“Yes, you do,” said Dee as looked for cars before crossing the road.
“I hate the way I got it, but I am so thrilled to be back home,” Lorelei sobered for a moment, but was caught up in the excitement again. “I need to find a contractor who will get this done for me.”
“I can get you the number for the contractor Harry and I used, when we had the house build. And Lorelei,” Dee stopped and turned to face her, “I understand your excitement. We had insurance on our mortgage. So when I lost Harry, our home was paid off. I hated losing him, but he was able to offer me security, knowing he wouldn’t be around to help me. It’s kind of the same here.”
Lorelei tucked her arm into Dee’s as they started up Dee’s driveway.
The mailman was unloading a large box from his jeep. He walked over and placed it next to Dee’s gate. Lorelei had to tighten her grip on Bindi’s leash. After she passed him, she tucked Bindi behind the gate before turning back.
“Can I get that for you?” Lorelei asked.
“Are you Lorelei Silence?” he asked.
“I am.”
“I need you to sign for these, please.” He set the box down by the gate and pulled out an electronic gadget for her to sign. As she signed for the package, he pulled out another box the same size, from his vehicle, and set it next to the first. She thanked him as she handed back his electronics.
“Don’t forget your mail,” he called to her. She followed him to his jeep and grabbed their mail. She handed Dee her’s and went through her own. She had a couple envelopes address to occupant, but her cheeks reddened as she noticed the writing on one of the envelopes. It was a card from Michael.
“Is that from your cop friend?” Dee asked her when she saw the smile grow across Lorelei’s face.
“It is,” she grinned, “but we can’t talk until this case is closed. Wonder what it i
s?” She opened the card. It was a silly card, with a dog on the front running from the photographer. The inside was blank except for a few words written. She read, “Don’t forget we have a dinner date when all this ends, Michael.”
She smiled as she returned the card to the envelope. She walked over to the boxes by the gate. The return address label read “Acme Private Investigators”.
“Oh my gosh! This day keeps getting better and better!”