Caliber Detective Agency Box Set 1

by Remington Kane

  CHAPTER 2

  Caliber Detective Agency - JUNE 2005

  Young Jake left his parents’ apartment building with his brother at his side as they walked towards the detective agency.

  Jake was in a bad mood. Although he had called the number that the girl in the bikini gave him numerous times, all he ever got was a message telling him that the number was no longer in service.

  He thought that she must have been playing him for a fool.

  “Kelli likes you a lot, Jake.”

  “Kelli? She’s your girl, isn’t she?”

  “She’s cute, but I like her friend, Mindy. Kelli and I are just friends.”

  “Well, I’m too old for her.”

  “No you’re not; you just don’t like her because her boobs haven’t popped out yet.”

  Jake laughed.

  “What do you know about popping boobs, huh?”

  Chris smiled.

  “I know that Mindy’s are soft.”

  “You little devil, I—well, I’ll be damned.”

  “What?”

  “Look over there, where Butchie’s used to be, there’s that girl from Coney Island.”

  “That is her, isn’t it? And look, someone’s turning Butchie’s into a pizza parlor.”

  “C’mon, I want to go talk to her.”

  Butchie’s had been an ice-cream parlor before its owner, Butch Conner, died of a stroke in 2001. The Caliber boys had gone there often with their father as they were growing up. The storefront had sat vacant ever since, but the For Sale sign had been replaced by the word, Pizzeria, while the glass front windows were covered over with brown paper, as if the place were being renovated.

  The girl was standing in front of the building. There was no bikini today, just a pair of shorts and a blouse that showed off her cleavage.

  Jake walked up to her smiling, while wagging his finger.

  “That number you gave me yesterday was no good.”

  “You must have written it down wrong, and here I thought you were ignoring me.”

  Jake stared at her breasts.

  “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  The girl moved closer to him and placed a hand on his chest.

  “It looks like we’re together after all.”

  “Is this place gonna be your parents’ pizza parlor?”

  “Yeah... why don’t you and your brother come in and see how nice it is.”

  “You’re almost ready to open? That was quick.”

  “Any day now, come on, I’ll show you.”

  “All right,” Jake said.

  They followed the girl inside, and Jake became puzzled when he saw that the store was completely vacant. He stood in the middle of the room and looked around.

  “Hey Jenny, I thought you said you were almost ready to open?”

  The girl looked up at him, said, “I’m sorry,” and ran into a back room.

  An instant later, two burly men entered through the door behind them as two others stepped out from the doorway the girl had run through.

  “What is this?” Jake said.

  “You’re being kidnapped, stay cool and nobody gets hurt.”

  Jake tapped his brother on the arm.

  “Run!”

  As Chris bolted for the door, Jake spun around and grabbed one of the men by the neck, which opened a hole for Chris to run through. Before the man could shake his grip, Jake extracted a pen from his pocket, jammed it into the man’s eye, and then slammed it in deep with the palm of his hand.

  The man’s howl of agony quickened Chris’s steps and he made it to the door, but no sooner did he get a hand on the knob, when he was yanked back by the collar and shoved hard against a wall. Afterwards, a gun was pointed at him and he stayed still.

  Meanwhile, the wounded man was thrashing about on the floor as Jake struggled with two others, but his struggles came to an end as he took a jolt from a Taser.

  As he fell to his knees, one of the men took out a gun and placed it against his head.

  “No!”

  The order came from their leader, the man who had been with the girl the day before.

  The man with the gun protested.

  “What do you mean, 'no', look what this prick did to Arnie.”

  The man named Arnie lay on the floor moaning, as his breathing slowed. The pen had not only obliterated his eye, but also severely damaged his brain. He was dying.

  “Arnie’s fucked and there’s nothing we can do about that now, but we need this kid alive until we get that ransom money, so don’t kill him.”

  The other man let out a heavy sigh, but removed the gun from Jake’s head.

  “When the time comes, he’s mine.”

  “It’s a deal, now let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “What about Arnie?”

  “Leave him, by the time anyone finds the body this will all be over.”

  “But he’s still alive.”

  “I don’t think so, take a look.”

  The other man gazed over and saw that his friend had stopped moving and that his mouth hung open in a grimace of death.

  “Shit!”

  They gagged and handcuffed the two boys and prodded them out the back door with black hoods on their heads, where the girl named Jenny waited behind the wheel of a green van.

  “Let’s go!”

  Jenny looked confused.

  “Where’s Arnie?”

  “Just drive, goddamn it, just drive.”

  The girl did as she was told, and drove away.

  ***

  Two hours later, Velma answered the phone at her desk, and when she realized what the deep voice on the phone was saying, her hand flew to her throat.

  “Don’t you dare hurt those boys!”

  “Shut up lady, and put Caliber on the phone.”

  “Jake! Jake, come here, hurry!”

  Both Jakes came running, and father and son looked at her with concern.

  Velma handed the phone to the elder Jake.

  “It’s the boys, they’ve been kidnapped.”

  The younger Jake held on to the desk for support.

  “My boys...?”

  “This is Jake Caliber. Where are my grandsons?”

  “That’s the two-million-dollar question, pops, and if you ever want to see the bastards again, you’d best be ready to pay it.”

  “You want two million?”

  “You catch on fast.”

  “Let me speak to my grandsons.”

  “We’ll get to that, for now, you just start getting that money ready—CLICK!”

  After hearing the click, Jake dropped the phone.

  “What do they want, Dad?”

  “They want two million.”

  “What do we do?”

  “We call in the FBI.”

  CHAPTER 3

  THE PRESENT

  Gail gave Velma a heartfelt hug as they stood together in front of the old man’s desk.

  Chris and his brother, Jake, were behind their respective desks, and Chris sat with an expressionless face, as his grandfather watched him.

  “It’s such a miracle,” Gail said.

  “Yes,” Velma said, and after a deep breath, she spoke to the old man. “I’m here to ask for a leave of absence. I need time to find a new apartment, something ground level so Michael won’t have to deal with stairs, and there are other things that need to be done as well before he returns home. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m hoping that you’ll take me back when I can return.”

  The old man shook his head.

  “I won’t take you back because I won’t consider you gone. You take as long as you need, at full pay, and we’ll be here whenever you’re ready to return.”

  “Full pay? No, Mr. Caliber I can’t—”

  “It’s my name on the building, doll; I can do what I want.”

  Velma’s bottom lip quivered, and then she rushed around the desk and hugged the old man where he sat.

  “I can’t thank you
enough, and I feel so bad about asking for this now, what with Jake and Kelli leaving for vacation soon.”

  “Jakey and Kelli won’t be gone that long, and until then, we’ll be fine, right Chris?”

  “Right, Granddad.”

  Velma checked her watch.

  “Oh, I have to get going. I’m picking up Michael’s mother at the airport.”

  “Let me walk you out, dear,” Gail said.

  Velma smiled at the old man.

  “Thank you, Mr. Caliber, for everything.”

  “We’ll see you around, Velma, just take care of that husband of yours.”

  “I will, goodbye Jake... and goodbye, Chris.”

  Chris sent her a bittersweet smile.

  “So long, Velma.”

  Velma hesitated for a moment, but then walked out of the office, with Gail following behind.

  Jake stood up.

  “I’m going to take Kelli to lunch, see you guys later.”

  As Jake left the office, the old man got up and walked over to stand before Chris’s desk.

  “How far did things go between you two?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I saw the way Velma was looking at you last night in the restaurant. That girl wants you as much as you want her.”

  “We... nothing happened, and even if it did, it wouldn’t matter. As you said before, she’s a married woman. And now, now she has her husband back.”

  The old man sat down on the edge of Chris's desk and patted his hand.

  “How about I go take you for some ice-cream?”

  “Ice-cream? What am I, ten?”

  The old man chuckled.

  “You’re the baby of the family; you’ll always be ten, but... I do have a bottle of whiskey in my desk.”

  “Now you’re talking, Granddad.”

  ***

  After saying goodbye to Velma in the lobby, Gail took the elevator up to the second floor. When the elevator doors slid apart, they revealed a large open space where dozens of desks were laid out in rows, while a series of cubicle-sized, glass-enclosed offices lined the walls.

  At the back, was a long room on the left that was Gail’s office; it was separated from the break room on the right by a pair of restrooms.

  The Caliber building was a three-story brownstone. Adjacent to the reception area on the ground floor, were the offices that handled billing, employment, and other day-to-day business activities of Caliber Investigations.

  The top floor was where the Caliber Detective Agency did business, and where it had done business for nearly a hundred years. It also housed Jake Caliber’s apartment. The old man had been bequeathed the building back in the eighties when the Caliber Detective Agency only occupied one office.

  Gail walked over to one of the desks where a young woman was going through a file. She placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder and smiled down at her.

  “Hello Rayne, may I see you in my office for a moment?”

  The young woman looked surprised by Gail, but smiled pleasantly.

  “Mrs. Caliber, hi, yes ma’am, I’ll be right in.”

  Gail walked away. After stuffing the file folder into a drawer, Rayne Carver followed her.

  Rayne Carver was in her mid-twenties, with dark hair and dark eyes, a shapely five-foot-four and trim, she was nevertheless potentially lethal, as she was highly skilled in karate and firearms.

  She worked for Caliber as an insurance investigator, but her goal was to work for the Caliber Detective Agency as a private investigator.

  Gail sat behind her desk and gestured to the chairs sitting before it. Rayne sat in the one on the right and gazed at her expectantly.

  “You’ve been here over a year now, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you like it here?”

  “Yes, there’s always new work, and I like being busy.”

  “I’ve been extremely pleased by your performance; in fact, you’re on track to break the all-time company record for uncovering fraud.”

  Rayne smiled, and hoped that it looked modest.

  “I seem to have a knack for it.”

  “Yes you do, such as this Ward Roberts case. Do you really think that there’s something there?”

  “Nothing I can put my finger on, but I feel a tingle.”

  “A tingle?”

  “It’s just a... feeling I get, one I can’t put into words, but I’d like to spend more time on that case.”

  “You’ll have it, and then some, if I can arrange it.”

  “Arrange what?”

  “First, tell me, how’s your personal life?”

  “Ma’am?”

  Gail laughed.

  “I know that I’m prying, but I have my reasons.”

  Rayne shrugged.

  “I’m single, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “No boyfriend?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Do you know Velma Channing, Rayne?”

  “Not well, but we’ve spoken once or twice.”

  “Velma doesn’t work for Caliber Investigations; she actually works for the Caliber Detective Agency.”

  “Yes ma’am, I know.”

  “Well, it so happens that Velma is taking some time off for personal reasons, and I wondered if you would be interested in filling in for her?

  Rayne sat up straight, while grinning.

  “Absolutely.”

  Gail nibbled her bottom lip.

  “There’s just one hurdle we have to overcome.”

  ***

  The old man puffed on a cigar as Gail explained why she brought Rayne up to the third floor.

  “We actually don’t know how long Velma will be gone and with Jake and Kelli going on vacation, I thought that the agency could use Rayne temporarily. She’s quite good.”

  They were in the old man’s office. Rayne stood beside Gail in front of his desk, as Christopher watched from the sofa.

  “We’re not working on anything right now,” the old man said.

  Gail smiled.

  “We actually have something that we could use your help with.”

  “How’s that? You don’t work Red Cases downstairs.”

  “No... but um, why don’t I let Rayne tell you about it, Rayne?”

  Rayne gave Gail a blank look.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Please tell Mr. Caliber about the Ward Roberts case.”

  “Sure, well, Ward Roberts was murdered in his home by a burglar who apparently was after Roberts’ coin collection, which is worth nearly fifty thousand. However, Mr. Roberts’ life was insured for one million dollars. I believe that policy is the real reason he was murdered, and that the murder was ordered by his wife.”

  “What do the cops say?” Jake asked.

  “They investigated the wife and found nothing suspicious, so now they’re leaning towards the robbery theory.”

  “But you think that the wife is guilty, why?”

  Rayne smiled slightly as she said, “Instinct.”

  Jake looked at Gail.

  “How is this a Red Case?”

  “The man died from violence, and somewhere out there is a paid killer.”

  “But there’s no client.”

  “There most certainly is, the Eastern Perennial Insurance Company is our client. If we can prove foul play, we’ll save them a million dollar payout.”

  The old man stared at his daughter-in-law for several seconds.

  “Chris?”

  “Yes, Granddad?”

  “I’d like you to help this young lady out for a while. I think she may be on to something.”

  Chris stood and walked over to Rayne.

  “The case does sound interesting; I’d like a look at the file.”

  Rayne smiled at him.

  “It’s at my desk.”

  Chris gestured towards the door.

  “Lead the way.”

  As Christopher and Rayne left the office, the old man got up and walked over to Gail.
<
br />   “Why are you staring at me, Jake?”

  “You’re trying to play matchmaker, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, but I won’t apologize for it. I have my reasons.”

  “You’re hoping that this Rayne Carver takes Chris’s mind off of Velma.”

  “You know that he’s in love with Velma?”

  “A blind man could see it.”

  Gail smiled.

  “You’re more perceptive about affairs of the heart than I give you credit for, you old goat.”

  “I’ll tell you something else, I hope your scheme works, otherwise, that boy could spend his life lusting after a woman he can’t have.”

  “It’s all such a shame, because I think that he and Velma make a great pair.”

  ***

  At JFK Airport, Velma forced a smile when she saw her mother-in-law walking towards her.

  She had never gotten along with the woman, whose manner could be abrasive at times. Cynthia Channing found Velma’s career as a private investigator to be “Tawdry and unbecoming a woman,” and the two of them have in the past, had many verbal battles.

  Cynthia Channing was sixty, with snow-white hair and blue eyes. Her manner was haughty, her clothing expensive, and even on such a joyous occasion as the miraculous recovery of her son, she still greeted Velma with a tight-lipped nod.

  “Hello, Cynthia.”

  “Hello, Velma, how is Michael, has he truly recovered?”

  “He’s wide awake; however, as I said on the phone, his memory has been impaired. His last memories are of the year 2010.”

  “Good lord, well I best get to him.”

  “I’ll bring my car around.”

  Cynthia gestured outside.

  “I have a limo waiting for me. Will I see you at the hospital?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well then, I’ll see you later.”

  Velma watched Cynthia stride off as a motorized luggage cart followed behind her. When she saw the number of bags on the cart, she realized that Cynthia had come for more than a visit.

  ***

  When Velma arrived at the hospital early the next day, she found the nurse, Maya, sitting at Michael’s bedside and chatting away.

  Velma entered the room just as Michael laughed at something Maya said, but when the two spotted her, they both grew quiet.

  “Hello Maya, how are you today?”

  “I’m fantastic, Mrs. Channing. It’s such a pleasure to see Michael awake and aware.”

  “Yes it is,” Velma said, and then continued to stare at Maya, while noticing the changes in her. Maya normally wore her hair tied back in a ponytail; however, today it was sitting up in a swirl arrangement that was very cute. There was also just a slight hint of cleavage showing, and the scent of perfume was in the air.