Catch Your Breath

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “We provide a legal service.”

  That wasn’t much of an answer. If everything they did was legal, why the secrecy? “How do you find your clientele? Do you vet them? How do you know that the next Craigslist killer hasn’t just hired you?”

  Billie let out a raspy chuckle. “There are no guarantees in life. People discover us the same way you did: word of mouth.”

  Moira played with her hands in her lap and hoped the next question wouldn’t ruin it. “What am I expected to do on a date?”

  “You’re expected to dress appropriately for the date, usually on the formal side. These men are not looking to go to the movies. It’s the theater, opera, et cetera. You need to be able to hold up your end of the conversation. You’re more than arm candy; you’re an actual date. In addition, there will be times when we’ll have you attend a party or reception with a few other girls to work the room. Beyond that, anything else is up to you.”

  “How do I get paid?”

  “The price is based on the length of the date and what the client expects. After the date, you’ll receive payment from me.”

  “How often will I work?”

  “You let us know when you’re available, and as dates are needed, we’ll contact you with the pertinent information. Some clients will specifically request you, and we’ll do our best to accommodate that, if you’re available.”

  Moira nodded, unsure if there were other questions she should ask. The thought of attending parties made her remember the mystery woman and all of the people who knew her as a reporter. “One more thing. You mentioned parties, so I was wondering if it would be okay for me to change my appearance.”

  “Why?” Billie’s expression shifted, but she hadn’t gone cold, more like she was intrigued.

  “I’ve attended some parties with my stupid ex. I wouldn’t want people to recognize me. I’m starting a new life and don’t want to be associated with him.”

  “That’s fine. Some of the girls have different personas they take on depending on where they’re going or who their dates are.”

  Air seeped from Moira’s mouth in relief. She was afraid she’d gotten this far and had blown it.

  “Well, Moira, I think you’ll fit right in here. Are you interested in a job?”

  “Yes, I think I am.”

  Billie stood and shook her hand again. “Go back out there, and Lisa will take your picture for our portfolio and get all of your information. Welcome aboard.”

  Moira tried not to wobble on her heels on the way out of the office. She shut the door behind her and leaned against the wall to take a deep breath.

  From her station by the elevator, Lisa smiled. “How’d it go?” Moira walked the length of the hall and said, “I’m supposed to see you about taking my picture and getting my information.”

  “Excellent.” She stood again. “Come this way.” This time, she walked around her desk and down the opposite hall, which wasn’t much of a hall, more like a cubby with three doors.

  One door stood open. Break room. Unfortunately, no one was there.

  “It’s early. Girls usually trickle in later in the day. Most prefer to have their dates pick them up here. That way, they don’t have to drive themselves or give out their home addresses.” Lisa turned the handle on the adjacent door. “This is a smaller office we use to take photos. Can I get you a cup of coffee or water or something?”

  “Coffee would be great. Cream and extra sugar, please.”

  Moira sat at the small round table. Behind her were photographer screens. Lisa returned with a Styrofoam cup of coffee and a high-end digital camera.

  “We’ll snap a couple now, but next time you’re here for a date, we’ll get some more of you all dressed up.”

  Moira nodded and stood. Lisa snapped on a few more lights and then positioned Moira. It was all a little surreal. After she took four photos, Lisa told Moira she could sit. She left the room again and Moira took a slug of coffee.

  Lisa returned with a one-page information sheet. Moira began to fill it out. She used the address of O’Leary’s Pub to be safe.

  “If you want to come back later, I’ll introduce you to some of the girls. They can give you the real scoop, like standing around the water-cooler at the office.”

  Moira lit up. “I’d love that. What time?”

  Lisa looked up to the ceiling as if calculating. “We have four girls booked tonight. Three of them have early dinner before a show, so if you come by around four thirty, they should be here.”

  “Awesome. Thank you so much.” Moira finished filling out the paper and shook Lisa’s hand. Getting her story didn’t seem like it was going to be so difficult after all.

  Jimmy stood on the outer edge of the conference room and stared at the group of men in front of him. Gabby stood by his side, surveying the same. She was the only woman in the room. The commander had developed a full-blown task force in the days since the victims had come forward.

  Jimmy figured many of the men had probably come from vice since they had the whole escort angle. No one believed for a second the escorts wanted to sleep with these men for free. The men had probably been advised by their attorneys not to admit to sex for money.

  The whole situation bugged him. Rich men hiring prostitutes and everyone was going to look the other way because someone had stolen from these men. He couldn’t argue that the theft was the bigger crime. More than a hundred thousand dollars in jewelry had been stolen from the three households. All jewelry belonging to the wives.

  Jimmy couldn’t help but think that in addition to wanting the cash the jewelry would bring, the thieves also wanted to send a message to the men. And from what he’d observed, the men received the message loud and clear: stay with your wives and away from escorts.

  The commander yelled for everyone to quiet down so he could brief them on the case. Jimmy only half listened since he’d been in on it from the beginning. Elks introduced the new players and named someone the head of the task force. He should’ve paid closer attention to that part, but he knew the man in charge would make himself known repeatedly.

  Then Elks called Jimmy to the front of the room. He slid along the wall and felt everyone’s eyes on him. When he got to Elks’s side, he made eye contact with anyone looking his way. He wouldn’t be looked down on because he was newer at this job than most.

  “Detective O’Malley has been undercover for the past three weeks as James Buchanan. He’s been introduced as a friend of the mayor and as a result has become acquainted with the victims. They are all now aware of his position, and in fact, it is partially due to his involvement that the men came forward.” Elks paused and stepped to the side.

  It took a second for Jimmy to realize that Elks wanted him to say something about the case. A little heads-up would’ve been nice.

  “As Commander Elks said, I’ve been undercover, attending different society events. My partner, Gabby Ruiz, has been posing as my wife so I can appear as much like the victims as possible. They are all wealthy and married with a roving eye. We were given a list of possible escort services to look into.”

  Another detective stood with a raised hand. “We have that. We’ve checked the numbers and cross-referenced with addresses and business licenses. We have locations and have sent officers to check things out. We don’t want to rush in and spook them.”

  Elks stood forward again, so Jimmy stepped back. “The likelihood of the business being behind the thefts is small. We think it’s a smaller group of escorts possibly working with more experienced thieves. We’re going to get O’Malley set up with a property that looks like an easy target so we can catch them.”

  Someone in the back of the room yelled, “That means O’Malley has to convince a hooker to come on to him.”

  The room filled with laughter.

  Elks raised his hands to quiet them. “Yeah, well, we’re working on that too. Do we have any idea how the escorts are targeting these guys?”

  The same detective, who had to b
e from vice, stood again. “We don’t have evidence, but these shops target the Viagra Triangle. The Gold Coast has seen a large uptick in business this year. It’s hard to crack down on it because so many of the hotels turn a blind eye, especially when palms are greased.”

  Viagra Triangle. Where had he heard that before?

  Elks continued to outline the plan, and Jimmy’s brain scanned memories. As Elks wrapped up, it hit him. Moira. She’d made jokes about doing a story on the Viagra Triangle.

  Damn it. Everything kept coming back to her. She’d said she wasn’t doing anything to interfere with his investigation, but this sure as shit would get in the way. The room began to clear, and Jimmy stayed back, debating whether he should tell Elks about Moira.

  What would he say? A reporter is working on a story about prostitutes on the Gold Coast? He had no idea what Moira was doing. He shook his head and decided to talk to Moira first. Then he’d decide what to do about it.

  “Did you need something, O’Malley?”

  The brusque question had him jerking his head up to look at Elks. “No, sir. Except I was wondering where we were going to get a mansion that would belong to James Buchanan.”

  “I have no idea. There’s no money in the budget.”

  Jimmy thought of Griffin Walker. It was a long shot, but they didn’t have much else. “I have an idea. A guy I kind of grew up with might have a place we could use.”

  Elks’s eyebrows shot up. “Who’s that?”

  “Griffin Walker. We know each other through mutual friends. I know he recently moved to a house in Oak Park, but he might still have something in the city we could borrow.”

  Jimmy had never used personal connections for anything. Even when he first joined the force, he’d never used his father’s reputation to try to get ahead. But this was different. In his gut, he felt like this case could propel his career forward, give it a jump start, rather than waiting patiently for years for things to click.

  “Talk to him and let me know what he says.” Elks picked up his files and left.

  Jimmy turned and saw that Gabby had waited for him by the door. “I guess you get to be Mrs. Buchanan a while longer.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Not really. In order for the thieves to strike, I need to be conveniently out of town, so I’ll probably only have to appear with you a couple more times to make sure everyone in the world knows you’re married. Then I’m off the hook and back to just being me.”

  Jimmy walked back to his desk and found the task force lead sitting on the edge of the desk. “Can I help you?”

  The man extended his hand. “O’Malley, I wanted to personally introduce myself. Kittner. I wanted to make sure there are no hard feelings about me heading the task force.”

  Jimmy shook his head. “I didn’t expect to be given lead. I don’t have enough years on the job.”

  “Elks told me about this reporter who knows your cover. You grew up with her?”

  This was not going in a positive direction. “Yeah. Moira O’Leary.”

  “She’s been able to help?”

  “Yeah. She made a point of talking to me and Gabby in front of the guests to make it seem like we belong. She also gave us insight into the guests, some of whom turned out to be victims.”

  “Are you feeding her information?”

  “What? No. When we approached her because she’d seen me on my first night as Buchanan, we agreed to give her the exclusive on the case if it developed into something.”

  “Have you seen her outside of the society events you attend as Buchanan?”

  “Yes.”

  “In what capacity?”

  “We’re friends.”

  Kittner narrowed his eyes. The man might be in charge of him while on duty, but he had no business trying to tell Jimmy who he could spend his off hours with. “Do I need to explain the sensitive nature of this case? In my experience, reporters cause trouble.”

  “I don’t discuss the case with anyone.” Not really, not with actual details.

  “Make sure you don’t. I’m working on a list of events you’ll be attending. Make sure you check with me before you go home tonight.”

  “Will do.”

  One more thing for him to worry about. After Kittner left, Jimmy tried to recall every conversation he’d had with Moira over the last few weeks. Had he given her any fuel? She’d said he’d inspired whatever she was working on. This wasn’t looking good.

  CHAPTER 12

  Moira had checked her phone for the umpteenth time. Jimmy hadn’t said when he’d call, just that he would when he was free. Her brain was so stuffed with ideas she felt like she’d burst and talking with Jimmy was top of the list. She’d had an entire day to think about what Liam had said.

  While she never saw any indication of Jimmy’s determination to find a doormat, Liam’s reaction warranted a discussion. She needed to know what Jimmy thought they were doing. She knew he’d been hesitant about a relationship with her because of Liam, but she couldn’t fathom that this was behind his thinking. She had a mountain of laundry to do, and she needed to go back to the escort service.

  She loaded her dirty laundry in her car and called her mom to let her know she’d be stopping by later to use her machines. If Moira timed it right, she’d get dinner and a visit in with Mom and then be able to catch Jimmy when he got home from work. Sounded like a hell of a plan.

  Still wearing her dressy clothes from earlier, she headed to the escort office. When she strode in, Lisa greeted her with a smile.

  “I’m so glad you came back. The break room is filled with girls. Also, we have a function Billie would like you to attend on Friday. Will you be free?”

  “Uh . . . I think so, but let me check.” She pulled out her phone and accessed the calendar. She was supposed to attend something, but she could skip it. One minor article for a blog wouldn’t break her career, but getting the scoop on high-class hookers might take her to the next level. “I’m free.”

  “Excellent. Let me introduce you to Jenny. She’ll be your partner for the night, and she has all the details.” Lisa led the way to the break room.

  Moira’s palms sweat. It was just a room full of women. Why was she nervous? The minute she stepped into the room, she knew exactly why. It was like sixth-grade gym class all over. Every pair of eyes in the room swept up and down her body to measure her as competition. She forced the corners of her mouth up and widened her eyes in the hope that it made her look more friendly than crazy.

  Lisa made quick introductions and then left to man her desk and the phones. Jenny flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder and pointed to a chair, so Moira sat. The other women in the room returned to their own conversations.

  “So,” Jenny started, “we’ll be partners on Friday.”

  Moira quickly wiped her hands on her skirt. “I’m sorry. This is probably a stupid question, but what does it mean for us to be partners ?”

  Jenny let out a quick little laugh and her dark blue eyes crinkled. “You really are a newbie.”

  Moira nodded.

  “When we work a party, Billie sends us in with partners in case of trouble. Sometimes a guy will get handsy, and having another woman there is backup. She can call Billie and let her know of a problem without causing a scene. Your partner is also there to get information about where you’ll be in case a guest takes a liking to you.” She crossed her long legs, and her skirt rode a little higher on her thigh.

  “When Billie hired me, she said I would be paid to go on dates and that was it. Anything else was up to me. Working a party makes it sound like I’m expected to sleep with whatever man wants to.”

  “Oh, God, no.” Jenny leaned forward, one elbow balanced elegantly on her knee. “Billie’s clients all know the score. They can look all they want, but if they want more, it’s the woman’s choice. Billie sends security to each party, so there’s backup for our backups. If you choose to extend your date, Billie needs to know who the guest is, so she can bill a
ppropriately.”

  Waves of overwhelming nerves cascaded over Moira. She didn’t know if she could pull this off.

  Another light laugh from Jenny. “You look like a semi ran over you. Don’t be nervous. It’s just a party. Talk to the men, maybe dance if there’s music. That’s all Billie requires.”

  She could do that. She did it every week as a reporter. Well, maybe not the dancing part, but talking to people was her specialty. “I have a quick question. I talked to Billie about changing my appearance for the parties. If I’m on a one-on-one date, I’d go like this, but I’ve attended some social functions with my ex, and I wouldn’t want him or his friends to recognize me. Any suggestions?”

  “Get yourself a wig. Your hair is going to be a selling point for many men, but it also makes you stand out. Maybe spray-on tan and new makeup. Trust me, most men won’t get beyond the hair color.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll meet you here at seven. Eat a decent dinner before, but nothing that will bloat you. Cocktail dress. During the party, limit yourself to one drink. Drink it slowly and then switch to water. Billie will square up with you at the end of the night, unless you make other arrangements to extend a date. Then you can stop by here on Monday and she’ll pay you.” Jenny glanced at her watch. “I have to get going. My date will be here in a minute.”

  Moira stood. “Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it. I kind of expected everyone to be catty and mean.”

  “There’s no need. As long as you don’t try to poach someone’s regular, there are plenty of dates to go around.”

  “Thanks anyway.” Moira watched her leave. Although Jenny had been very helpful, there was no way she’d be a source for Moira’s article. Jenny was too together and appeared to enjoy the job. She needed to find a weak link, someone who would talk freely and not get suspicious.

  Three other women, each dressed to the nines, sat around the small table chatting. Another woman stood by herself by the sink, cradling a cup of coffee. She wasn’t dressed as nicely, so Moira made the assumption she wasn’t on her way to a date.