by Maria Pease
Chapter 5
Frank and Chuck had been partners for several years. Both had been cops before opening the agency. When Frank recruited me, Chuck had been pissed. Despite our best efforts, mostly for Frank’s sake, we’d never gotten along. The truth is, we just didn’t like each other.
My friend and neighbor, Kim, was just getting out of her car when I pulled up, so I invited her in for a drink. I needed to talk.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Well…no. I just saw something so disturbing on so many levels.”
“Tell me! I love disturbing!”
“Chuck is back.”
“You mean, PI Chuck?”
“Yup, PI Chuck. My least favorite guy in the world.”
“So, did you two get into it again?”
“No. I kind of walked in on him… um… bending some woman over a table.”
“You mean… going to town?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my God! Where?”
“In the office, over the conference room table.”
“Really? That’s just gross!”
“I know!” I handed her a glass of red wine.
“No wonder you don’t look so good. Are you going to say anything to Frank?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it,” I said, sipping my wine. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. It’ll just cause more problems.”
“It could be your chance to get rid of him. Frank’s going to be pissed,” she said.
“I don’t know. It’s not really my style.”
“It’s an option if things get ugly.” She grinned.
After one glass, Kim was on her way. She had a date with a guy she’d met online.
“Check in with me and let me know if you need any backup.”
I still hadn’t heard from Jake and was wondering where he could be. Although it was against my better judgment, I decided to call Monique to see if she’d seen him. It was probably because of the wine.
After some small talk, she told me she hadn’t seen him all day, but asked if I felt like meeting for a drink and a bite to eat.
When I got to Killarney’s Pub, she was sitting at a table just around the corner from the door. The waitress came over, and we ordered a couple of beers and some appetizers.
“Don’t worry about not hearing from Jake. He’s probably just involved in a case.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, and then, “Monique, I know it’s none of my business, but is everything okay with Frank?”
“We hit a bit of a rough patch, that’s all. It’ll be fine.”
As we ate our potato skins and sipped our beer, the place started to get busy. It was a favorite watering hole for locals, and everyone seemed to know each other. But even if you didn’t know anyone, the people there make you feel like you belonged, which is probably why it’s so popular.
Monique and I both had to be up early, so we finished our beers and headed out just as the DJ was starting karaoke night.
Arriving home, I got a cold glass of water and went straight up to bed. My sleep was restless as my thoughts drifted to all the horrible things that could’ve happened to Jake. I woke at 6:17 AM and had to drag myself out of bed. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck, so I got some coffee and decided my workout could wait; I just didn’t have the strength. With coffee in hand, I went to get my shower.
Feeling somewhat refreshed, I looked out the window and decided that the cloud cover made it a perfect day for jeans and my pink V-neck sweater. I put on some make-up, dried my hair, and over a second cup of coffee, looked over some notes that Ted Williams had given me on the social media and gaming sites. I logged on to my computer and made my way to the different sites to get a feel for the rules.
Facebook was the easiest to figure out. I just had to post what I wanted, and so long as it didn’t violate their policies, I was fine. Twitter was another animal altogether. You could only post - or tweet - messages shorter than the 140-character limit. Short, sweet, and to the point. Then there was Pinterest. From what I could understand, that site was all about visuals. People posted or pinned photos that represented every imaginable topic, project, recipe, and anything else that someone could find fun or interesting.
Once I spent some time getting familiar with the social scene, I moved on to the gaming sites. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was going to need some help, so I called Ted Williams. He didn’t pick up, so I left a message and asked him to call me back.
I needed to get to the office, so I shut down my computer and headed out. It was cool and gloomy out, and the clouds hung low in the sky. Maybe Jonny Mountain was right; it looked like it might rain. Once on Front Street, I slowed, looking for signs of Chuck. I wasn’t up to dealing with him or discussing what I’d walked in on.
Frank was just hanging up the phone when I walked in. “Hi. Glad you’re here. I’ve got something for you.”
“Sure. You okay?”
“You know, Sammy, at this point, I’m just not sure. How’s that for an answer?”
“Vague. Very vague.”
“Have a seat. We have someone coming in, so I want to get you up to speed.”
I put my bag on my desk and sat down.
“Captain Foley’s niece is a student at CSU San Marcos majoring in criminal justice. She’s been interning at the Justice Center in some of the different departments.”
“Good for her.” I wasn’t sure where this was going.
“I guess she needs six thousand hours of training for her program, and school can only account for two thousand of those hours. She’s expressed interest in getting her PI license, and the captain asked if we could help her get some experience.”
Anxiety clutched my stomach and my face flushed as panic set in. Is this the new case he’s been talking about? “Frank, I’m lost.”
“Sammy, you’ve got yourself an assistant!”
“That’s funny. You’re kidding right?”
“Nope. I told the captain to send her right over. She’ll be here in ten minutes.”
I stared blankly. “Frank, I don’t think this is a good idea…”
He stared at me. “Really? Let me ask you something, Sam. Has Captain Foley been generous with us? Has he allowed us to use the department’s resources and personnel? Aren’t you working with Ted Williams now on that Facebook surveillance of Wally Mason?”
I took in a deep breath. “Uh, huh.”
“So, this isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”
“Nope. No problem at all.”
“Good. Keep her safe. I don’t want to have to explain any mishaps.”
“What am I supposed to do with her?”
“Let her tag along and teach her what you can. Just keep her out of trouble.”
The word trouble was still in the air when the bells on the door rang and the captain's niece came in.
“Detective Meeker?”
Frank stood up and shook her hand “Call me Frank. This is Samantha Parker.”
“Sam,” I said.
“I’m Alana Foley. Thanks for letting me work with you. I’m really excited to learn all I can.”
“No problem. You’re going to be tagging along with Sam. She’ll show you the ropes.”
Alana looked at me excitedly and smiled.
I was less enthusiastic.
Frank had her fill out some of the required paperwork while I took a call from Ted. As he talked about getting into the mindset of the gamers and some ideas on how to get up to speed on their world, I glanced at Alana. That’s when it occurred to me. Alana’s nineteen! She might have a handle on all this social media and gaming stuff.
“Ted, can I get back to you later today? I need to tend to something.”
I went through my email and began to feel a whole lot better about having an assistant.
Alana reminded me a little of myself at that age. She had waist-long blonde hair, blue eyes, and she stood at about 5’3, just a bit shorter t
han me. She had a look about her that made me think there was more to her than what her innocent looks exposed. As she talked with Frank, she glanced over at me and smiled.
I stood up and grabbed my bag. “You ready to go?” I headed toward the door.
She looked at Frank. “Um, are we done?”
Frank shot me a look. “You’d better go, or Sam’s going to leave you behind.”
I was halfway down the stairs when she bolted out the door. “I’m coming!”
We hopped in the Jeep, took a right on Jefferson, up to Winchester, and hung a right. I didn’t say anything but could sense her nervousness. I wondered if she’d start asking questions.
As we approached the Justice Center, her mood suddenly changed. “What are we doing?” Her voice shook.
“We’re checking on a case.”
She looked relieved. “Oh, that’s good.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, I just thought maybe you wanted to send me back here to work.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I can’t tell if you like me or not.”
“Well, to be honest, I don’t know if I like you yet. We just met, so you’re going to have to give me some time to decide. And it’s not my choice whether to get rid of you or no. It’s Frank’s. So, if he says I have an assistant, I have an assistant. Got it?”
“Got it.” She smiled.
“Just stick with me.”
I signed in and was told to head back to the lab. “Hey, Ted. This is Alana. She’s going to be interning with me.”
“Hey.” He nodded at her. “Sam, what happened to you after our call ended so abruptly?”
I laughed. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I was hoping that you could fill Alana in on the social media and gaming stuff we’re working on. She’s nineteen, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for her to use her skills to help with the case.”
Alana’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Sam, can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?”
“Sure. Alana, can you give us a few minutes? There’s a cafeteria where you can grab a cup of coffee.”
“Yeah, sure.” She turned and headed down the hall.
Once she was gone, Ted looked at me. “What are you doing?”
“Look, I just thought that since she’s nineteen and probably knows her way around social media, it would be something for her to do.”
“This is classified stuff.”
“Frank told me to keep her out of trouble, and I thought this would help me to do that. She’s the captain’s niece, for Christ’s sake!”
“Fine. I’ll get her up to speed.”
“So, can I have her help me with this without worrying about it falling apart?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to screw it up before we get started.”
Alana opened the door a crack and leaned in. “Can I come back now?”
“Sure.” I turned to Ted. “You’re right. I’ll have to figure out the best way to get around that. Let’s just fill her in and I’ll go from there.”
“Okay.”
Ted went over the plan but left out the fact that our goal was to bait Wally. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced Ted was right. I didn’t need some kid screwing up this investigation before it got started.
Chapter 6
Back at the office, we logged on and began creating Katy’s online life. I asked Alana to write down her ideas. I told her I’d have to do the posting since I didn’t want her to be responsible, in case anything went wrong. I thought she might be upset about the change, but instead she looked relieved.
Ted had created the profile and had given me a cheat sheet for the background information. I made a copy and gave it to Alana so her ideas would be in sync with the background. We didn’t need any red flags to go up on this.
“Why are we doing this?”
I wasn’t sure how much to say, but since she was working with me, I wanted her to know enough to be helpful.
“We have a missing sixteen-year-old boy we’re trying to find. He was contacted through social media by an adult male that he met on a gaming site. We’re trying to find out why the teen left his home, to locate him, and to return him home safely.”
“Do you have any leads?”
“We do have one.”
“Why don’t we just ask him?”
“We need to be sure the kid is alive and hasn’t been harmed. And we want to make sure the guy isn’t dangerous.”
“Okay. So, we created this profile of Katy to see if he comes after her?”
“That’s right. There are certain ways to do things so we don’t break the law. If he’s guilty of something, we need to be sure the case doesn’t get thrown out because of something we did.”
We were still working in the office when the bells on the door rang. I glanced up from my computer to see Frank walk in with Chuck. I didn’t say a word but found myself staring at Chuck. Unfortunately for me, the visual of him banging that girl was making my stomach turn.
“Hey, Sam. Look who’s here,” Frank said.
“Hey, Chuck. When did you get back?” I was trying hard not to puke.
“I just rolled in.”
Liar. “Sure, you did,” I said, under my breath. I focused my attention back on my computer while Frank introduced Chuck to Alana.
After some small talk, Chuck moved to his desk and sat down.
I turned and glanced at him. The smug look on his face told me Frank was still in the dark about his game of hide the salami. All at once, I felt closed in. I couldn’t stand being in the same room with Chuck. I took a deep breath. “Alana, we need to head out.”
One look at me and she was on her feet, heading to the door.
“I’ll check in with you later Frank,” I said, closing the door behind me.
Once in the Jeep, I took in a couple of deep breaths.
Alana looked at me awkwardly. “Are you okay?”
“You bet. I just needed to get out of there.”
Richie’s Diner was bustling. I added my name to the list, and we waited for a table. Alana looked around, taking in the atmosphere.
“It’s so cute in here. Like in the olden days!”
“Yeah, kids hung out in diner’s in the 1950s.”
“I wonder if my parents know about this place.”
We followed our waitress to a booth in the back and after checking out the menu, ordered a couple of burgers.
Alana loved the poodle skirts and the small jukeboxes that sat on the tabletops and she commented on how much fun it would have been to be a teen in the fifties. I agreed. I think I was born too late.
“Your uncle said you’re a criminal justice major. How are you enjoying it?”
“It’s really interesting.”
“You’ve been interning at the Justice Center?”
“Yeah. My uncle has helped me. I don’t know if I would’ve gotten this opportunity without him.”
“Are you a pretty good student?”
“I guess. I have a 4.0.”
“You would’ve gotten the internship on your own with those grades.”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s really tough. I’m just glad to have the chance.”
“So, what departments have you worked in?”
“I rode with a cop for a few weeks, which was really fun, and I’ve worked in records, but that was really boring. I’ve been thinking about private investigations for a while, so working with you is really exciting for me.”
We finished up, paid the check, and went to my place to work on the profile. As I turned on to Margarita, it started to drizzle. Finally, we’re getting some rain.
“Come on in. We can finish up here.”
“Is this your house?”
“Yeah.”
We walked inside. “This is adorable!”
“Thanks. I like it, too.”
We set up our laptops in the kitchen, and I poured us some iced tea. Al
ana made a list of ideas for posts while I did some research. A buzzing noise came from my bag, so I picked up. I couldn’t believe it. Chuck had called to find out if I’d told Frank about his rendezvous.
“Asshole!” I tossed my phone on the couch.
“What was that about?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’ll go over your ideas tonight. We can start posting tomorrow.”
Back at the office, we found that Chuck had already left. Thank goodness.
“Thanks for all your work today, Alana. We’ll see you tomorrow at 9:00 AM.” Frank scooted her out the door. Once we were alone, Frank sat down and eyed me. “How’d it go today?”
“It went well. She’s a good kid.”
“So, you’ll play nice?”
“Yes, Frank. I’ll play nice.”
“Anything else you’d like to fill me in on?”
I immediately had a visual of Chuck pop into my head. “Nope.”
“Are you sure?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but Frank seemed a little… off. Like he was uneasy about something. I hoped it wasn’t because of me.
When I got home, Jake was at my door. “You’re here!” I ran toward him.
Before saying a word, he grabbed me and kissed me like it had been months since we’d seen each other. “You look amazing.”
“Let’s go inside.” I unlocked the door.
We opened a bottle of wine, and he told me what he could about his whereabouts over the last couple of days. Of course, he couldn’t say much. He was working undercover on an ongoing investigation.
“Don’t be too alarmed if I’m out of touch. It’s a great opportunity for me.”
“I know. It’s just…”