by Robin Roseau
"I wouldn't keep Marley in a hamster bubble."
"Yes, I think you would. A big, warm, cozy, loving hamster ball. Because while Poppy may not need protecting, it wouldn't take you long before you understood how much Marley does."
I nodded. She was probably right.
"But you know what else? That would also grow wearying for you. You can't keep that up indefinitely. Your woman needs to be strong enough to stand on her own feet most of the time. Sure, it's all right if sometimes she needs your protection, but not full time."
"I suppose you're right."
"And so, I would have been happy to see you and Marley together. But she's happy with Aggie, and she's becoming more confident as Marley." She smiled. "She danced."
"Poppy dances every night, or so I thought."
"No. Marley danced. As Marley. No one recognized her."
Just then the waitress returned with our initial order. Evaline had ordered -- in Japanese, no less -- and I had little idea what anything was.
Evaline smiled at me then spoke -- in Japanese. But she picked up her chopsticks then waited for me to pick up mine. She showed me how to hold them, waiting while I practiced. Then she gestured to one of the foods. I was sure she was describing it, but she didn't speak a single word I understood.
But then she reached for one with her chopsticks but froze, not quite touching it. She stared pointedly at me then gestured with her nose.
"Funny," I said. But I reached for another of the same foods. She smiled and took hers, moving slowly. I grabbed my own and carefully brought it to my plate. Then, for the rest of the meal, I did my best to mirror everything Evaline did.
After the third or fourth thing she had me try, I decided eating like this was kind of hot, and as soon as I had that thought, I had to fan myself. Evaline offered a quizzical expression. So I leaned forward and spoke conspiratorially.
"This is just really sexy."
She smiled broadly.
She didn't speak another word of English to me until we stepped out of the restaurant. Then she took my arm and asked if I'd walk with her.
"I'd like that."
We were two blocks away before she spoke again. "Did you like it?"
"I don't want it every day. But yes, I did." I looked over at her. "Eating that way was almost like you were feeding me yourself."
She smiled. "I thought so, too. I would have fed you directly, but that would be a little forward in such a public venue."
"I'm not sure I would have minded, but I suppose you're right."
We walked another block. It was a nice day, and I had just decided she was prolonging our time together before she spoke again. "I have two other things I wanted to talk to you about. One is business; one is pleasure. Do you mind if we do the business first?"
"Not at all. Should I be worried?"
"No. I may have a case for you."
"A case?"
"You are a member of the White Collar Division, aren't you?"
"Ah. That kind of case. Shouldn't you report this through the usual channels?"
"I don't want my name associated with it. I won't tell you about it if you can't keep me out of it."
I thought carefully. "Give me an overview."
"I hired a firm to do some work for me. I've been using this firm for years. About 18 months ago, the bills grew about five percent."
"Prices go up."
"I did an audit. They've been billing me for service I didn't request." I didn't say anything but waited for it. "When I called them on it, the person in the billing department immediately apologized and offered a refund of the overage."
"All right," I said slowly. "It sounds like they did the right thing."
"Yes, it does. But something felt off. So I stopped by to thank her in person for taking care of it."
"And she refused to see you?"
"Nope. We met, I thanked her, and I left."
"All right?"
"And then, somehow, I ran into her at her kid's soccer game the next afternoon."
"How small worldish, you stalker."
"And we got to talking."
"As people do."
"And I asked a few careful questions."
"And she lied."
"Through her teeth."
"Still not evidence of a crime."
"No, but I went back to the old bills. And I compared a few things."
"I am all pins and needles in anticipation."
"About when the bills increased by five percent, the checks began being deposited to an account in a different bank into the account for a company with a very similar, but yet not quite identical name. And the refund check I received came from this very same company."
"Interesting."
"And so I checked something else."
"You pause to build the anticipation. Subtle, demon, very subtle."
"That's me," she said. "Subtle to the core. When you were investigating my holdings, do you remember the name of the company?"
"Of course. Red Tail Enterprises."
"Well, you can imagine my surprise when a company by the name of Red Tailed Industries came into being just days before my invoices grew by five percent."
Then she grew still.
"You won't let me have copies of your invoices or the checks, will you?"
"If you can somehow bring the investigation to me, we will fully cooperate with law enforcement. You won't need a court order. But it can't start with me, Detective. There needs to be a good, long path before you get to me, especially if you're known to be involved in the case."
"Tell me why. It's not like you keep a low profile. You attend benefit dinners and talk to the mayor!"
"We're to the point that if I tell you more, you might be able to identify the company in question. You probably can't, but you might. I need you to promise to keep me out of this."
I thought carefully. "So far, there's no reported crime. If I find a way to dig deeper, I'll keep you out of it."
"That means the investigation can't start with Red Tail Enterprises or Red Tailed Industries. But I can give you a list of this company's clients. They're quite open with their client list."
"I can take it from there," I said.
"The company is owned by a small partnership. Membership in this particular partnership is predicated on a few simple criteria, the most obvious is net worth."
"And the more interesting criteria?"
"Full blooded fae."
"Oh hell. And don't tell me. The fae and unaffiliated demons don't get along very well."
"We're polite to each other. But that could change if I report the company for fraud."
"You could just call the owners. It sounds like this is being perpetrated by a single employee."
"Yes, it does, but I couldn't discover whether this particular employee is engaging in the fraud with the blessing -- and perhaps cooperation -- of others higher in the organization. If you go high enough you will begin to unearth fae blood."
"Fuck. Will this have blow back to me if I investigate it?"
"Not if you cross your tees and dot your eyes. And if she's working alone, you'll earn their honest gratitude."
"All right. What can you give me?"
She slipped her hand into her pocket then withdrew a business card. I looked at it. "Oh fuck. You're kidding me. They're huge."
"They certainly are. And by the way, I have a present for you."
"Oh?"
"Amongst their customers?"
"Oh, do tell."
"Applewood Community Bank. I believe you have contacts there, contacts good enough to review their security footage without a warrant."
"I admit nothing on that front."
"Oh, please. I don't blame them."
"I might know someone there."
"I thought you might."
She took my arm and got us moving again. I thought about the case she brought me, and Evaline allowed me to mull it over. But then I remembered she said she had something els
e.
"Spill it," I said.
She laughed. "We're friends, right?"
"Yes."
"And friends do things together."
"They do, or so I hear."
"There's something I've thought about doing, and I wondered if maybe you would like to do it with me. It would be a lot more fun that way."
"Are you asking me on a date?"
"No, although that's next."
I laughed. "Keep going."
"How are you on woodworking?"
"I can do basic maintenance on the house."
"There's a woodworking class I've been thinking about. It's for women only. It's ten weeks and begins next Wednesday at 7:30. And I think there's homework."
I laughed. "I haven't had homework in a long time."
"You're allowed to sign up as individuals or couples. If you sign up as individuals, they'll partner you with someone else. I'd rather do it with you."
"What kind of woodworking?"
"Small wooden toys, actually. The class assumes no prior knowledge."
"And would you have to blindfold me when you pick me up on Saturdays?"
She laughed. "I hope not. I was hoping we'd work in your garage."
"I have a small shop in my basement. It's just a workbench and a few hand tools. Really it's just where I keep the tools I have and stuff."
"Is that a 'yes'?"
"Yeah. It sounds like fun."
"Good, because I already signed us up."
I laughed. "And what was my bribe going to be if I tried to say 'no'?"
"Oh please. I'm irresistible."
We made small talk for the rest of the walk. Evaline walked me straight to my car. When she pulled me into her arms, I went willingly.
It was a lovely kiss.
* * * *
I drove straight to the station, sat down at my desk, and spent a sparse half hour doing some basic research. I was shaking my head long before I was done.
After that, it was the walk to the captain's office. I knocked then entered, pulling the door shut. He looked up at me.
"I received an anonymous tip. I just spent a half hour checking it out." I showed him what I had found so far. I gave him no more information about Red Tail Enterprises than I had for a dozen other clients I thought were involved.
"This is nothing," he said.
"No, but I have a friendly relationship with three of those companies. I want to have a discrete chat with them. I bet I have clear evidence by noon tomorrow."
"Keep me posted."
* * * *
I started at the bank. Alexis Givens was happy to see me. We disappeared into her office, and the first thing she asked me was, "Did you find that girl?"
"No," I said. "But her family receive a letter telling them she's okay."
"What happened to her?"
"The letter didn't say, only that she'd be away for a while."
"That's very odd."
"Yes," I agreed. "I'm here for something else. I believe Applewood Neighborhood Bank is the potential victim of fraud perpetrated by one of your suppliers."
Alexis grimaced. "Not again."
"I suspect it's a fairly minor amount to you. The investigation is extremely preliminary. I believe you are being overcharged by a small percentage, maybe five percent or less, and the person committing the fraud is skimming the overage." I paused. "It's a small amount for you, but if the people doing this are doing it to every customer of this particular supplier, they may have made off with a million, maybe a million and a half. I was hoping for the utmost discretion."
"In other words, let you see our records but don't tip off the miscreants."
"Yes."
She paused. "How long will you need?"
"Two days. And you know how this works. Once we freeze the relevant accounts, you won't be able to recover your losses. However, I suspect the supplier is going to do what is necessary to repair their reputation, so you will probably see some form of compensation from them."
"Well," she replied. "We're happy to help with your investigation."
And so I laid out the rest of what I had. Alexis pulled up their records. "Oh, I remember this. They said the price increase was related to increased security requirements in the face of all those hacks."
"Do you pay by check?"
"No. It's direct deposit."
"Can you see if there was a change in routing that corresponds to the price increase?"
"Already checking." She spent a minute on her computer before looking up. Her printer began to fire and ejected a single sheet of paper. Alexis handed it to me. "We never would have found this on our side."
The paper contained the old routing and new routing information. Alexis gave me copies of everything she had that was pertinent.
"And I wouldn't suppose they mail the bills to you?"
"Oh, how very John Grisham of you," she said. "Yes. Even with everything largely automated, we require the paper trail."
* * * *
It was the same story at the other two businesses I checked. I'd been wrong when I talked to the captain. It didn't take me until noon the next day. I had everything on his desk before he left for the day.
"It's thin for a warrant."
"Bullshit," I said.
He didn't need much arm twisting, and once he was on board, things moved fast. We called in the DA. He assigned an assistant DA but called a friendly judge. We had warrants by ten the next morning and then did a multi-pronged approach. We sent a small team to the new bank with a warrant for the records of the fake company and a second warrant freezing the accounts of the fake company. Two more teams went to the supplier. We had one team of accountants to look at the billing records for the three businesses I'd talked to.
I asked to be the one to bring in one Ms. Karla Peets for questioning. I tossed her into an examination room and let her sweat.
In the end it took us a week to trace everything down. Everyone involved, except Ms. Peets herself, was quite happy to cooperate with our investigation.
"I received a visit from the local police department this afternoon."
"Did you?" I replied. "Another missing persons investigation?"
"Not this time. It seems one of my suppliers has been overcharging me and a great many other people."
"Oh dear," I said. I grinned. "Evaline."
"Yes, Teigan."
"Thanks. Easiest case ever."
"I don't know what you're talking about." I could hear the smile over the phone. "I'll pick you up at 5:30 tomorrow."
"Huh?" Yes, I was that articulate.
"Wear jeans, work boots, and a long sleeve, casual shirt. I have everything else you need."
"Just what is it you think we're doing?"
"Oh, how quickly she forgets. Woodworking class."
"Oh." I paused. "Oh." I smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."
* * * *
Time passed. The woodworking class was fun, and Evaline really got into it. She kept buying more tools, bringing them to my house. Soon my little shop was full, and I had to beg her to stop.
"Surely you have a little warehouse somewhere that isn't getting used."
"This is more convenient."
"How is it more convenient? Every time you want to work on something, you have to coordinate around my schedule."
"You could give me a key."
I studied her carefully. She gazed at me dispassionately, but I didn't think this was as casual as she was letting on.
I folded my arms. "How is this more convenient, Evaline?"
"Are you upset? Don't you want me here?"
"I want you to answer my question."
"It's more convenient because I can kill two birds with one stone."
"Keep going."
"Well, I get to do something I've never really done before."
"All right. And?"
"And I get to learn woodworking."
"Right. But that's one bird."
"No. It's two. Somethi
ng I haven't really done before, and learning woodworking."
"Those are the same thing."
She grinned at me.
"Fine," I said. "What's the thing you haven't really done before?"
"Spent quality time with you."
"Oh, you..." I said with a smile. "Was this entire woodworking class a ploy?"
"Of course not." I cocked my hip at her. "It sounded like something I thought you might enjoy doing with me. If you had declined, I'd have found something else." She set an arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. I folded around into her, and we hugged properly.
"I'm not giving you a key," I said. "So you're just going to have to continue to coordinate. But stop buying more tools. I don't have any room for them."
* * * *
Time passed. The woodworking classes came and went, but Evaline and I continued to spend time in my little shop. Evaline had bought a lathe, and woodturning became my favorite woodworking activity. Evaline enjoyed turning as well, but she spent more of her time with the scroll saw and router, crafting intricate objects. She made a variety of toys, giving most of them to the children of her employees.
In an age of iPads and Playstations, I wasn't sure whether the children would appreciate the work that had gone into the toys. I thought perhaps her employees appreciated the gesture more than the kids did, and maybe that was good enough reason to do it.
But her masterpiece to date was an amazing wood inlay coffee table. It was an image of two women kissing, and it was absolutely brilliant. I loved it, and when she gave it to me for my birthday, I cried like a little girl.
* * * *
Time passed. I began having dreams. Bad dreams.
Time passed.
* * * *
It was late Thursday afternoon when I stepped through the door of The Vixen Club and headed straight for the bar. Brendan was working, the same bartender who had been working the first time I'd stepped into this club. I hadn't been here in months, but he recognized me.
It was unlikely Evaline was here. This was only one of her business, after all. But I came here anyway.
I took a seat at the bar, and Brendan had a coke in front of me before I was even squared away. I pushed it back at him. "Give me something with teeth," I said, "and if you have any Ibuprofen back there, I'll take some of that, too."
"Um. Sure." A glass of water and three Ibuprofen appeared in front of me. "Anything in particular?"