by Marie Astor
“Sorry. No need to get all worked up. Last time I checked, we still need a paycheck. I just finished the Delaney case, by the way,” she added pointedly. She and Dennis were supposed to be working on it together, but she’d gone through the data on her own and finished the analysis.
“Thank you for that. Ham will be pleased.”
“I’m glad you remember we still have a boss to please.”
“Of course we do. Do you think I like sneaking around like this? I don’t like this any more than you do, but the Kovars are on the loose and we have to stop them.”
Janet shook her head. She was beginning to fear her fiancé was not only a workaholic, but also an adrenaline junky, out to single-handedly save the world. “No, I don’t.” But sometimes I wonder, she wanted to add, what would’ve happened if you didn’t answer Mila’s phone call?
“Mila came to us for help,” Dennis continued. “And now she’s gone missing—”
“Missing? What makes you think she’s missing?” Janet instantly felt guilty for her inner grumblings.
“Because I haven’t heard from her. How many times do I have to repeat myself? I thought maybe by some crazy chance she called you, but since you haven’t heard from her either—” Dennis broke off. “I gotta go to my apartment and see what’s going on. There’s still hope she’s asleep and didn’t hear me call, all of the five times I tried to reach her. After all, it’s only eleven a.m. now,” he added hopefully. “Can you cover for me with Ham?”
She shook her head and got up. “I’m coming with you.”
“Fine. Let’s go then.”
“Hang on.” Janet hit the print button and walked over to the printer to get a copy of her memo. She stacked the pages and stapled them. “This should keep Ham occupied for a few hours.” She hadn’t proofread the memo, but she usually typed neatly. She picked up the accompanying file and gathered it all in a neat pile. “I’ll just drop this off in his office and then we’re ready to go.”
“I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Janet narrowed her eyes. “If I come down there and find you gone—”
“I’ll wait for you,” he cut her off. “Just hurry up, will ya?”
“As soon as I drop this off in Ham’s office. Somebody still has to work around here,” she muttered.
“I heard that,” Dennis called over his shoulder as he left her office.
Ten minutes later Janet was walking through the lobby. Through the glass doors, she saw Dennis standing outside, waiting for her as he’d promised.
“We’re in luck,” she said smiling. “Ham is meeting with a prospective client. He’ll be gone all afternoon.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t tell us.”
“He did. He told the receptionist and she forgot to tell us.”
“Figures. That woman never gets anything right,” Dennis grumbled. “Come on, let’s go.”
They were lucky to get a cab and fifteen minutes later they were in the elevator of Dennis’s building.
After ringing the bell several times and getting no answer, Dennis cautiously opened his apartment door and walked inside. Janet followed him.
“Mila! It’s Dennis and Janet,” Dennis called out. “Are you there?” There was no answer.
Dennis moved inside. Janet was right behind him. It took all of two minutes for them to check Dennis’s studio in its entirety and ascertain that Mila wasn’t there.
“This doesn’t look good.” Dennis frowned.
“It could’ve been worse. At least there are no signs of struggle, so it doesn’t look like she was kidnapped.”
“They could’ve drugged her with chloroform and put everything back together the way it was,” Dennis countered.
Janet eyed the neatly made bed—it looked like it hadn’t been slept in. “I doubt it. And the front door was locked—I don’t think the kidnapper would’ve bothered to lock the door.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know.” Dennis shook his head. “I should’ve checked on her last night. I knew something was off when she called me—she sounded funny.”
Janet decided not to say anything. She couldn’t deny that she would’ve been mad if Dennis had taken off in the middle of the night to check on Mila. And now she felt guilty. “Do you remember the exact time you spoke with her last?”
“Eleven p.m. She said she was going to bed and that she’d call me in the morning.”
Janet frowned. “Mila doesn’t seem like the type who goes to bed at 11 p.m.”
“She sounded stressed out, like she needed a rest. Why would she lie? She’s the one who asked for help. I offered to protect her, not to jail her. I explained it was in her interest to stay put. I thought she understood that. We’re all adults here.”
Janet cocked her eyebrow. “I’d put my dollar on her sneaking out to meet someone—her friend or her boyfriend. Maybe even Anton Kovar.” Janet patted her chin, her frown deepening.
“Anton Kovar?”
“Yes, Anton Kovar.” The thought had just come into her mind and the possibilities were frightening.
“She’s running away from the guy, terrified of him.”
“That’s what she told you, but it doesn’t make it automatically true. She was with Anton for a long time. They could’ve gotten back together. For all we know, she could be baiting you—baiting us into Anton’s net.”
Dennis shook his head. “No way. She never liked the guy—she was only with him because she was trapped. She’s turned her life around since then. I’m telling you, she was terrified when she came to see me, terrified.”
“I believe you,” Janet said calmly. “I just don’t believe her.”
“She has a boyfriend for crying out loud. Philip Barrett—I looked him up—he’s some big shot entrepreneur. Apparently, he’s crazy about her.”
“Why didn’t you say so before?”
“Because she swore me to secrecy. She’s crazy about this guy and she was scared that if he found out about her and the Kovars he’d leave her.”
“You could’ve told me,” Janet pointed out. “This rules out my Kovars theory.” She’d seen Philip Barrett’s picture on the cover of Forbes—with a boyfriend like that, it was unlikely Mila would reunite with Anton Kovar.
“Told you it wasn’t plausible.”
“Yeah, well, if we’re going to get anywhere with this case, you’ve got to stop keeping secrets from me.”
“I wasn’t keeping secrets.”
Janet met him with a silent stare.
“Okay. I won’t do it again. I promise.”
“We’d better give Philip Barrett a call,” Janet said.
“There’s also her best friend, Amy.”
“Let’s start with Barrett,” Janet suggested. “If Anton had kidnapped Mila, he might go to Barrett for ransom and we need to get to him first.”
***
Half an hour later, Janet and Dennis were walking through the lobby of the building that housed the headquarters of Barrett Enterprises. A quick elevator ride later, they were on their way to Philip Barrett’s office. The secretary, a polished blonde in a tailored suit, guided them down a long, carpeted hallway to the corner office at the end. “Mr. Barrett is expecting you,” she informed them, opening the door for them.
Philip Barrett rose from behind his desk to greet them. He looked just as dashing and charming as his magazine picture. “Please cancel all my meetings for today, Thelma,” he instructed the secretary. “Mr. Walker, Ms. Maple, please make yourselves comfortable,” he added, pointing at the two leather armchairs facing his desk.
“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Mr. Barrett. Please, call me Dennis.” Dennis extended his hand for a shake. “It is a pleasure to meet you, although I wish we were meeting under a different set of circumstances.”
“Please, call me Philip.” Philip Barrett shook Dennis’s hand heartily and then extended his hand to Janet. “Very nice to meet you, Ms. Maple. I must say that I am very impressed by your work. Kirk & Associates
may be a small agency, but it has certainly left its mark on those elements of society who choose not to play by the rules, shall we say.”
“We try our best,” Janet said modestly. “And please, call me Janet. I am afraid we don’t have much time for formalities.”
Philip Barrett’s expression remained unchanged except for a barely perceptible shift of his eyebrows. “I understand that you may have some information about Mila?”
Dennis nodded. “But we need to ask you some questions first.”
“Would you mind clarifying that, Dennis? I hope you’ll forgive my tone, but I find your remark particularly disconcerting since I haven’t spoken to Mila for almost two days.”
“You just answered my question.” Dennis frowned. “So it is as I feared. When was the last time you spoke with her?”
“The day before yesterday,” Philip clarified. “Now, would you mind telling me what’s going on?”
“Have you ever heard of the mobster Petr Kovar and his nephew, Anton Kovar?” Dennis asked.
“Didn’t he run organized crime for all of Eastern Europe? He was arrested for running a prostitution ring here in the U.S. I remember reading in the papers that he died in a car crash while being transported to another jail facility. The story stuck in my mind because of how ghoulish the whole thing was,” Philip replied. “How’s any of this related to Mila?”
“I’ll explain as quickly as I can,” Dennis replied. “I understand that you are already familiar with the nature of the work that Janet and I do.”
Philip nodded impatiently. “Yes. How do you know Mila?”
“Mila contacted me two days ago and asked for protection—”
“Why would Mila contact you for help?” Philip cut in. “She knows perfectly well that she could come to me for help with anything. Anything.”
“Because she didn’t want you to know about her connection with the Kovars,” Dennis explained. “I promised to keep her secret, but current turn of events is forcing me to break my promise. I only hope Mila will forgive me for it and you won’t judge her too harshly for what I am about to tell you.”
After Dennis had finished telling him the facts, Philip looked almost relieved. “I can’t believe she thought that this might change the way I feel about her. If anything, knowing what she’s been through makes me love her even more. She’s a very strong woman.”
“That she is,” Dennis agreed. “And now she needs our help.”
“My resources are at your disposal,” Philip offered. “Anything you need—just say the word.”
“Mr. Barrett, Philip,” Janet corrected herself, “it would be really helpful if you would retain our services officially. You see, when Mila came to Dennis for help, it was off the books and our boss has no idea we’re doing this investigation. And, at this unfortunate turn of events, I’m afraid we’ll have to dedicate a lot more time to this case, which will make it impossible to keep it a secret.”
“Yes, of course,” Philip was quick to answer. “I will call Hamilton Kirk right away. But don’t you think we should also go to the authorities?”
“Not until we know more about how the Kovars escaped,” Dennis said. “We don’t want to accidently tip off whomever it is they’ve got working for them.”
“But how are we going to find Mila on our own?” Philip exclaimed. “Every minute she might be spending captured by that Kovar brute makes me crazy with rage. We have to get her out!”
“And we will,” Dennis assured him. “First, we need to call all her friends and find out what they know.”
Philip slapped his forehead. “That reminds me—Mila’s friend Amy called me just as you walked in. I didn’t pick up because I didn’t think it was anything urgent—” He was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in,” Philip called out briskly. “I thought I asked you to cancel all my meetings, Thelma,” he said when the secretary appeared in the doorway.
“Yes, sir, I apologize,” Thelma said smoothly. “But there’s Ms. Amy Walsh here to see you and she said it was urgent. She wouldn’t leave,” Thelma added in a hushed tone.
“Please escort Ms. Walsh to my office immediately,” Philip asked.
A few moments later a petite redhead walked swiftly into Philip’s office. “Philip, I’m so sorry to barge in like this, but you didn’t call me back and I just couldn’t wait,” she rattled on, oblivious to Janet and Dennis’s presence and ignoring the secretary who was standing awkwardly in the doorway.
“That will be all, Thelma, thank you.” Philip instructed his secretary and she closed the door behind her.
“I’m worried about Mila,” Amy continued. “We went out last night and this morning she didn’t answer any of my calls. We always call each other the morning after we go out to make sure we got home okay. It’s our thing. Normally I wouldn’t make such a fuss about it, but with the bar burning down, I’m a bit jumpy. Plus we all had a little too much to drink—Mila and I were going to call it a night, but then Jess called and we overdid it with tequila shots. I thought maybe Mila was with you and forgot to call. Have you heard from her?”
“Calm down, Amy.” Philip took her hands in his. “I’d like you to meet Janet Maple and Dennis Walker.”
Amy turned around, a look of alarm on her face. Amy and Janet had met when Janet was working the Kovars case undercover, but if Amy recognized her, she didn’t show it. “My apologies—I didn’t see you two standing there,” she said dryly. “Philip, could we speak privately? It will only take a minute.”
“It’s okay, Amy. Janet and Dennis are here to help us find Mila,” Philip explained.
“So Mila’s not with you?” Amy asked, crestfallen.
“Mila was out with you last night?” Dennis cut in. “Who is this Jess you mentioned and what exactly happened?”
Amy backed away and crossed her arms on her chest, throwing a questioning glance at Philip. “What’s going on here?”
“Calm down Amy. Like I said, Janet and Dennis are here to help,” Philip repeated. “They told me about the Kovars and Mila’s involvement with them, and I want you to know it didn’t diminish my feelings for her one bit. She’s been through hell and I’ll do anything to get her back.”
“I’m relieved to hear you got Mila’s back, Philip, but if I were you, I’d throw these two clowns out.” Amy shook her head. “Did they tell you how this one,” she pointed at Janet, “befriended Mila with lies and this one,” she pointed at Dennis, “blackmailed her into giving evidence against the Kovars?”
“We didn’t blackmail anyone,” Dennis countered. “Mila had gotten herself into enough trouble before we were in the picture. She was given an option to cooperate with the authorities, in exchange for which she received immunity from prosecution. It was a fair deal.”
“A fair deal?” Amy scoffed. “You call that a fair deal?”
Dennis’s jaw tightened. “Things don’t always turn out the way we hope. We’re doing everything we can to protect Mila from the Kovars.”
“To protect Mila?” Amy asked. “Why would she need your protection now? She helped you put the Kovars away, so that’s all done with—Anton Kovar can’t harm her from behind bars.”
“Didn’t Mila tell you about the note she found in her apartment?” Dennis asked.
“What note?” Amy asked.
“A note from Anton Kovar,” Dennis explained, summarizing the note to her.
“But Anton’s in jail. How on earth could he be slipping notes underneath Mila’s door?” Amy wondered.
“A few weeks ago, there was an article in the papers about the Kovars dying in a car crash while being transported to another jail facility. We don’t know for sure, but we believe the accident was a cover up for their escape,” Dennis explained.
Amy backed away, looking horrified. “Now it all makes sense . . . Mila was acting so strange last night. I thought she was worrying about the bar, but it’s way worse than that—” Amy pressed her palm to her mouth. “Oh, my God, what’s going to happen now?
What if the Kovars got her?”
The room went quiet as Janet and Dennis exchanged glances, raking their minds for something comforting to say. The truth of the matter was that things were looking pretty grim.
Suddenly, the sound of ringing telephone pierced the silence, making everyone jump.
“I thought I said no calls,” Philip grumbled, but corrected himself as soon as he glanced at the caller ID screen, “this is my private line—it’s the private investigator. He might’ve found out something about the fire. Let me get this. Hello, Fred, any news?” Philip asked tersely, as he picked up the phone. “Yes, I see.” Philip looked grave as he listened to the other end of the line. “Are you sure? Could it be something else that caused it?” He paused, looking even graver. “I understand. Thank you.” Philip hung up the receiver as though it weighed a thousand pounds. “The private investigator I hired found what caused the fire in the bar,” Philip said slowly.
“He did?” Amy exclaimed excitedly. “That’s great news— You know what I mean,” she corrected herself. “So, what was it?”
“Amy, who was closing the bar the night before the fire happened?” Philip asked.
“Jess and Alex—one of the busboys. Mila and I cut out early to be in top shape for our meeting with the bankers,” Amy added. “Why? What did they find?”
“An old warming plate that was left on—the wiring ignited and that’s what caused the fire,” Philip said gravely.
“Dammit,” Amy cursed. “We’ve been meaning to throw that stupid thing out. But there’s no way anyone could’ve left it turned on—everyone knew not to use it—the wiring was frayed. Unless— Unless, someone did it on purpose,” Amy added slowly.
“Didn’t you say a busboy was helping Jess close the place?” Janet asked. “Can you call him and ask what happened?”
“Let me see what he’s got to say for himself,” Amy muttered, grabbing her phone. “Alex, it’s Amy. No, I don’t have a job for ya, but I need you to tell me what happened the night you were closing the bar with Jess.” Amy paused and the room was filled with anticipation. “I see. No, you’re not in trouble. Yeah, sure, I’ll be in touch,” she added weakly and hung up. “Stupid bugger,” she muttered.