“I know what you mean,” Gloria said. “Like this morning, I wanted to be in the office a few minutes before our regular start time, but I didn’t have a key. And then you came along and let me in a few minutes past nine.”
I pointed at Gloria. “Now see,” I said. “That’s kind of what I’m talking about here; you bringing it to my attention that I was a minute or too late this morning. I knew I was going to be late and I also forgot that you didn’t have a key, so I was thinking you’d already be here to answer the phone or whatever else needed to be done.”
“Yes?” Gloria said, looking puzzled. “So what point are you trying to make here?”
“Well,” I said. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not crazy about feeling like a school kid sneaking into class late and getting the fish eye from the teacher, in this case, you. On the other hand, if you happen to come in a minute or two late and I’m already here, I won’t question you, either. How does that sound?”
“I never knew it bothered you so much,” Gloria said. “I was just playing with your head, but if you’d rather not hear it, I understand. Is there anything else bothering you?”
“That’s it for now,” I said. “If I think of something else, we can go over it then. I think it’ll make for a more pleasant workplace if we both just respect each other’s boundaries, don’t you?”
“I can live with that,” Gloria said, rising from my client’s chair and returning to her desk.
“So there’ll be no more staring at the invisible, imaginary wristwatch when I come in?” I said.
Gloria mimed unbuckling the invisible watch from her wrist and pretended to hold it over her wastebasket before opening her thumb and forefinger. “There,” she said. “It’s in the garbage. No more watch.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“You know, Elliott,” Gloria said. “I get the feeling you don’t much care for women in general, or am I just imagining that?”
I gave Gloria a sideways look and said, “I like my women like I like my coffee. And I don’t like coffee.”
“Oooookay,” Gloria said, stretching out the word and giving me a strange look.
“And no,” I said quickly, “I’m not gay, in case that was going through your mind. I just have never found Miss Right yet. I’ve occasionally found Miss Right Now, but that doesn’t count.”
I could tell Gloria was becoming uncomfortable with this conversation. She moved on. “So, what are we looking at for today?”
I flipped my desk calendar over to today’s date. “I have to see a woman this morning who thinks she might like to use our services,” I said. “Can you manage by yourself for an hour or so?”
“Sure,” Gloria said. “This routine is old hat to me. It feels like I’d never left.”
“Great,” I said. “If this turns into anything I may be able to use your help.”
“That would be nice,” Gloria said. “I need something exciting to get my juices flowing again. And Elliott?”
“Huh?”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For bringing me back here,” Gloria said, smiling. “I’ve really missed it these past few months.”
“Thank you for coming back,” I said. “You realize Dad may be out for at least six months this time?”
“Yes,” Gloria said. “How’s he doing?”
“Better,” I said. “I’ve given him strict orders not to exert himself or get himself excited. He’s like a stubborn little kid and still thinks he can do all the things he used to.”
“You’re probably right,” Gloria said.
“Probably?” I said. “You know, I asked him what he was doing when he had this last heart attack and he made up some lame story about lifting something heavy in the garage.”
“And you don’t think he was?” Gloria said.
I shook my head. “When he left the twelfth precinct that night I got the distinct impression that he was late for a date. He kept looking at his watch.”
“A date?” Gloria said. “Clay was involved with someone?”
“It would seem so,” I said. “He wouldn’t tell me, or anyone else, for that matter, who she was. I just hope he has the good sense to stay away from her. A guy his age shouldn’t get that excited. It could kill him.”
“So I’ve heard,” Gloria said. “And you say you still don’t know who she is?”
“He’s not talking,” I said. “And now that I think of it, it’s not important enough to get him all worked up trying to get it out of him. But I tell you, if I find out who the woman is, I’m going to have to have a talk with her about leaving Dad alone for his own good.”
“I think that’s best for him, too,” Gloria said. She wanted to change the subject. “So what time do you have to meet with this potential client?”
“Ten-thirty,” I said. “She’s up in Burbank, so I’d better leave here around ten or so. Meanwhile, would you do something for me?”
“Sure, Elliott,” Gloria said.
I walked over to my filing cabinet and pulled out several dozen file folders and laid them on Gloria’s desk. “Would you go through these case files and enter them into our database? I’ve been neglecting these for too long. Once they’re in, I plan on keeping it up to date by putting in each case as we finish it.”
Gloria looked at the pile and then at me. “I guess I could do that for you,” she said.
I could tell by the look on Gloria’s face that she considered this menial labor. “I’ll help you with them when I get back, okay?”
“Okay,” Gloria said, opening the first file and clicking on the database icon on her screen. “And one more thing before you leave, Elliott. Would you give me a key for the office just in case something comes up while you’re gone? Besides, I’ll need one anyway for tomorrow and every other day.”
I pulled the extra office key off my ring and laid in on Gloria’s desk. I left the office just before ten and caught the Hollywood Freeway north and exited onto Magnolia Boulevard. I took that west to Colfax Avenue. My appointment lived three doors from the corner, just walking distance to the donut shop and across the street from a Thai Restaurant. I was ten minutes early for my appointment but it was way too early for any Thai food. Donuts, however, were perfect any time of day so I parked in their parking lot. I reasoned that even after I’d finished my snack, that I could just leave the car there and walk over to the apartment building down the block.
I finished my donut and milk with two minutes to spare and headed back up Magnolia to the apartment building. I pressed the buzzer to the apartment I wanted and a voice came over the intercom.
“Yes?” a woman’s voice said.
“Good morning,” I said. “Elliott Cooper from Cooper Investigations.”
“Oh yes,” the woman said. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Another buzzer sounded and the door latch snicked open. I walked into a lobby of sorts and found the right apartment. I knocked on the door and was asked inside. The woman quickly closed the door behind me.
“Mr. Cooper,” she said, gesturing toward her sofa. “My name is Marie Reese. Won’t you have a seat?”
Marie stood over me as I sat. “Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Cooper?” she said.
I waved her off. “No thank you, Miss Reese,” I said.
“Mrs. Reese,” Marie said, correcting me.
“Well, Mrs. Reese,” I said. “How can I help you today? You didn’t want to tell me anything on the phone. I take it your problem would be of a confidential nature.”
Marie sat across from me in an easy chair. She leaned toward me, her elbows on her knees. “Yes, it is,” she said. “I’d like you to look into my husband’s affairs.”
“Oh,” I said. “You suspect him of cheating on you?”
“Not likely,” Marie said. “He’s been dead for two months. No, what I’d like you to check on is what he was working on just before his death. You see, Mr. Cooper, Gordon was a private investigator
not unlike yourself. He would never discuss his work with me, so I have no idea where you would even start looking.”
“Was there something in particular that you want to know about his work?” I said.
“Mr. Cooper,” Marie began. “Gordon had been in the investigation business for only a few months before he died. He should never have gotten into that kind of work, but he was miserable at his last job and he thought being a private eye would offer him a little excitement in his life.”
I licked my lips and shifted in my seat. “What did he do before he began in the investigation business?” I said.
Marie shook her head. “Gordon sold insurance, and he hated every minute of it. Many a time he’d told me if he didn’t get out that line of work that he was going to open a vein. I agreed to his mid-life career change just to keep him happy, but look where it got him.”
“Just where did it get him?” I said.
“It got him killed,” Marie said. “Shortly after he began on what was only his second case, someone shot him to death. So you see, Mr. Cooper, he’d have been better off sticking with the insurance job. He might not have been happy, but he’d still be alive. I want you to look into what happened to Gordon, if you would.”
“Haven’t the police looked into his death?” I said.
“Oh, yes,” Marie said. “They stayed with it for over a month but they told me that they had absolutely no leads and before long the case didn’t seem too important to them anymore. They said they had a dozen other homicides to solve and that they’d do what they could for me, but you and I both know what that means. They’d given up.”
“Marie,” I said. “Do you remember who you talked to at the police station?”
She reached into her apron pocket, anticipating my question. She handed me a slip of paper with some writing on it. The paper had the number of the Burbank Police Station on it along with the name Lieutenant Gregory Houser. I pulled out my notepad and copied this information before handing the slip back to her.
“Did Gordon keep any notes or records on his clients?” I said.
“Like I said,” she reminded me, “This was only Gordon’s second case, so he never did put together one of those computer files with the names and all of that. He just had a folder in his file cabinet. I gave that to that police detective right after it happened. I’m still waiting for them to return it to me.”
“So let me see if I have this straight,” I said. “You want me to see if I can find out what Gordon was working on and see if I can determine who killed him. Is that about it, Mrs. Reese?”
Marie nodded. “This whole thing has been gnawing at me ever since Gordon was killed,” she said. “I need this for closure so I can get on with my life and stop wondering. I just need to know that Gordon is at peace, wherever he is. You can understand that, can’t you, Mr. Cooper?”
“Certainly,” I said. “I can get started right after you sign one of our standard contracts. I get two hundred dollars a day plus expenses. If after a week, you decide not to pursue it or if I determine that there’s nothing I can do, either one of us can void the contract, but at least you’ll know you did everything you could. Does that sound all right with you, Marie?”
She nodded and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “That’s all I can hope for,” she said.
“Fine,” I said. “I have one of my standard contracts with me. I can go over it with you if you like.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Marie said. “I didn’t pick you at random, Mr. Cooper. I found your name in the phone book along with several others. After a little research and after talking to the Hollywood police, I determined that you were the right man for the job. Where do I sign?”
I secured Marie’s signature on the contract, gave her a copy and pocketed my copy. I stood and walked toward the apartment door. I turned back to Marie and said, “I’ll keep you abreast of any progress if you like.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Marie said. “We’ll talk when the week is up. We should both know by then whether or not this is going to be productive. Thank you so much for seeing me, Mr. Cooper.”
I left the apartment and walked back to the donut shop parking lot. Before I got back into my car, I decided to bring back a couple of donuts for Gloria. It was nearly noon before I got back to the office. I laid the small white bag on Gloria’s desk. She looked up from her computer.
“What’s this?” she said.
“Just a small token,” I said. “The client lived next door to a donut shop and I remembered that you have a bit of a sweet tooth.”
“Why, thank you, Elliott,” Gloria said. “That was mighty thoughtful of you.”
“It was the least I could do after sticking you with those files,” I said. “Besides, I had a couple myself on the way back here. You want some coffee with those?”
Gloria nodded as she bit into the glazed donut. I took a cup off the shelf above Dad’s coffee maker and filled it for her. I turned back to her and said, “Let’s see if I remember. Just cream, no sugar, right?”
“Good memory,” Gloria said.
I set her coffee on her desk and pulled out my copy of the contract. I laid it on Gloria’s pile and shrugged. “It’s just one more,” I said.
“Is it a good case?” Gloria said between bites.
“Depends on your definition of good,” I said. “How does a murder investigation grab you?”
“Really?” Gloria said. “Who got killed?”
I pointed to the contract. “The client’s husband,” I said. “And get this; he was a brand new private investigator on only his second case when he got himself shot. You see, this is why people should not become a private eye through the mail with those correspondence courses.”
Gloria stared at me for a moment and then smiled. “You’re making that up, aren’t you?” she said.
I nodded. “It might as well have been a correspondence course for all the good it did him,” I said. “He apparently didn’t know what he was doing.”
“Any idea what he was working on or who killed him?” Gloria said.
“If I did, I wouldn’t be working on this case,” I said. “That is exactly what Mrs. Reese wants us to find out for her.”
“So what can I do to help with this?” Gloria said.
“I won’t know until I talk to the Burbank police,” I said. “I was going to head back up there right after I deposited Mrs. Reese’s check. I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun you’re obviously having with those files, but would you like to come along?”
Gloria clicked her Save button and shut off her monitor. “Let’s go,” she said, grabbing the bag with the remaining donut in it.
I made out a deposit slip and endorsed the back of Marie Reese’s check and sent it in through the drive-in window at my bank. Once I had the receipt, I pulled back onto the boulevard and found the on ramp for the Golden State Freeway. Gloria and I made it to the Burbank Police Department in twenty-five minutes. It was on Third Street, between Palm and Orange Grove. The intersection sported a beautiful star design in the bricks. The Police Department was housed in an L-shaped building that also served as the Burbank Fire Department.
Just inside the entrance I found an information desk. A beautiful blonde police woman was sitting behind it, her hair clipped up behind her head. She watched us as we approached. I pulled out my I.D. card and shield and held them up for the police woman to see.
“Can you tell me who I’d see about a murder case from two months ago?” I said.
“You want the detective division,” she said, pointing down the hall. “That would be the third door on your left.”
I nodded. “Thank you,” I said and walked down the hallway. I counted doors as I walked and stopped in front of the third one. The name plate on the door said, ‘Detective Division, Lieutenant Gregory Houser.’ Gloria and I entered and found a chest-high counter. We walked up to it and saw a man in a blue suit sitting at the front desk.
“Excuse me,” I said.
“I’m looking for Lieutenant Houser.”
“You found him,” the man said, standing and walking over to where Gloria and I stood. “How can I help you?”
I showed him my I.D. and shield. “Elliott Cooper,” I said and then turned and gestured toward Gloria. “This is Gloria Campbell.”
Houser shook both of our hands and nodded politely.
“We’ve been hired by a Mrs. Marie Reese to…” I said.
“To look into her husband’s death,” Houser said. “Good luck. We’ve been on that case for two months and still have nothing to go on. I don’t know what you expect to find, but you’re welcome to give it a shot, if you think you can do the woman any good.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” I said. “Frankly I wasn’t expecting this much cooperation right away.”
Houser shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by your looking into this one. We’re up against a dead end.”
“Do you suppose I could look at Gordon Reese’s file?” I said.
Houser looked at Gloria. “She’s doesn’t say much, does she?” he said.
I shook my head. “Don’t get her started,” I said. Gloria slapped my arm.
“Hold on a moment,” Houser said, lifting a hinged section of the counter that separated his desk area from the waiting area. “Come on back here, won’t you?” He gestured toward two chairs that sat across from his desk. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back with the Reese file.”
Gloria and I sat and waited. She leaned over toward me and whispered, “What a clean, modern, tidy police department,” she said. “All that’s missing is a butler.”
“We had one,” Houser said, returning with the file, “But he didn’t work out and we had to let him go.”
“Sorry,” Gloria said. “I didn’t realize I was talking that loud.”
Houser gave a short laugh and handed me the file folder.
I opened the file as Houser took his seat across from us. There were a total of three documents and four color photos of the crime scene in this folder. “You’re right,” I said. “You really don’t have much on this one.” Houser shrugged and spread his hands. I looked at the four documents. There was the initial police report, the coroner’s report and a form listing Gordon Reese’s possessions at the time of his murder. I handed them to Gloria.
The Complete Cooper Collection (All 97 Stories) Page 187