Darn. Now what? Her phone rang before she could muster another plan of action. “Hi,” she said to Emily, forcing a lift to her voice. It was Christmas. No moaning or whining allowed. Ho, ho, ho.
“Hi. I thought I’d call and see if you’ve gotten any replies to your messages yet.”
“Yeah, actually. Her granddaughter.”
“That’s great! Then you’ve found her.”
“Not exactly. She wants to know who’s looking for Clara. I don’t want to give Lily’s name, so we’re at an impasse, at least on Facebook. I have her address, so I could show up on her doorstep and harass her.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you but she gave you her address?”
“No, I did a little online research and found addresses for some of the people I messaged. Hey, give me a little credit, here,” she teased. “I am a PI. I don’t need everything handed to me on a platter.”
“I’m sorry for not acknowledging your brilliance,” Emily said. “So why not show up on her doorstep?”
“She’s in Colbridge, for one thing. That’s two hours away. Three by bus, with all the stops.”
“We’ll go together. Tomorrow! We were going to see a movie, but we can do that some other day. I don’t have anything else planned for tomorrow, do you?”
Only scouring stores for the perfect gift, but Christmas was still over a week away. “Nothing I can’t do another time.”
“That’s settled, then. I’ll drive.”
“Are you sure? What if she’s not home?”
“Then we’ll stake out her place. It’ll be fun,” Emily said, reminding Casey of why she loved her. “Come over tonight. We’ll leave right after breakfast tomorrow.”
“I thought you were going Christmas shopping and then doing a shift at the coffee shop.”
“I’ll be home by eight.” Emily paused. “If I manage to get everything on my list, that’ll be my Christmas shopping done,” she said cheerfully.
“For everyone?” Casey squeaked.
“Yeah.”
The pressure to find the perfect gift mounted. “Okay. I’ll be over around eight thirty, then.” If she had a key, she could be there when Emily arrived home, with candles lit and soft music playing. But no key. Six months and she frequently stayed over at Emily’s, but no key. “I’ll see you later.”
They hung up. Casey tucked her phone into her pocket. What had Emily gotten her? How had she known what to buy? A guy wearing a Santa hat got on the bus and sat in front of her. She scowled at the back of his head. The carols, the lights, the wreaths, and the Santa hats…until she found Emily’s gift, they all made her feel like she was failing at the “first Christmas with girlfriend” thing. She wanted it to be special, and it was making her crazy.
*****
Casey climbed back into Emily’s car and quickly pulled the door shut to keep the chill out. “She’s not home,” she mumbled.
Emily peered at the entrance to the four-storey apartment building in Colbridge. “Are you sure you buzzed the right apartment?”
“Yep. It said M. Richards. But it’s early. We could go for lunch and come back, and if she’s not here, then stake her out. But it would be better if one of us went for takeout while the other stayed here, just in case she comes home soon and then leaves to go away for Christmas.” They’d know what the woman looked like from her Facebook profile photo, assuming it was genuine.
Emily nodded. “I guess I’m getting the food, unless you want to walk to a takeout place. I don’t remember passing one in the last few minutes.”
Neither did Casey. The apartment building was in a residential neighbourhood. “Don’t take long. It’s cold out there.”
“And here I thought you led a glamourous life as a PI. I never imagined you standing outside, freezing your ass off.”
Casey bit her tongue and got out of the car again.
“Do you have your mitts on?” Emily asked. Casey lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers. “See you soon, then.” She pulled away.
Casey shoved her mitted hands into her jacket pockets and looked around. A bus stop was on the corner not too far away, and it had a bus shelter. She made a beeline for it. She could still see the entrance to Megan’s apartment from inside, and the shelter would protect her from the icy wind. A minute later, she stamped her feet to warm them up. Why had she gotten her PI licence, anyway? She could be inside right now, asking someone if they wanted fries with their hamburger, and a super-sized drink.
Someone was walking toward the apartment building. Casey squinted through the shelter’s dirty plastic. Red hair poked out from underneath the woman’s hood, which meant it wasn’t Megan. Casey stepped to the middle of the bus shelter as the woman approached, then quietly sighed when the woman entered the shelter. They glanced at each other and exchanged a quick smile. Casey flexed her fingers in her mitts and looked up the street. Great. The bus was coming. She glanced at the bus stop pole. Only one number. If the bus driver waited for her to get in, she’d shake her head and hope he got the message.
The bus stopped. The red-haired woman left the shelter. Two people got off the bus, one a woman, but not a match for Megan. Casey would have loved to announce to Emily that Megan had returned, but that would have been too easy. She didn’t have that type of luck.
The red-haired woman went to get on the bus, then glanced over her shoulder. “You’re not getting on?”
Casey shook her head.
“It’s the only bus. The next one won’t be here for half an hour.”
“I’m just warming up in here.” She tried to look harmless and apologetic.
The woman blinked at her, then got on the bus. The doors closed. The bus pulled away. Casey felt her shoulders relax, though for all she knew, the woman was on her phone to the police, reporting the lurker in the bus shelter at the corner of…she peeked out of the shelter…Third and Watson.
But for once, things went her way. A cop car hadn’t screeched to a halt outside the shelter by the time Emily returned. Casey got back into the car and savoured the warmth. Emily handed her a brown paper bag. “I got you a hamburger, fries, and—”
“A super-sized drink?”
“A large coffee.”
Casey opened the bag and breathed in the aroma of coffee and fries. “Thanks.” She pulled off her mitts and wrapped her frozen fingers around the coffee cup. “My fingers and toes are numb.”
Emily frowned and looked down at Casey’s feet. “Why are you wearing sneakers? Why aren’t you in boots?” Then she tutted and shook her head. “Oh my god, listen to me. I sound like your mother, asking you if you have your mitts, and now telling you off for not wearing boots.”
“I don’t mind. It means you care. Right?”
“True. But I could show that in a less parental way.” Emily took a bite of her burger.
Casey gave her a sly smile. “Like how?” she asked, sliding her coffee into one of the cup holders between the seats.
Emily took a moment to swallow her mouthful of food. “Like this.” She leaned into Casey. They shared a lingering kiss that made Casey wish it wasn’t the heater that had steamed up the car windows. When they drew back, Casey touched the corner of her mouth. “I think you got ketchup on me.”
Emily fished a napkin from the bag and went to dab Casey’s mouth. “Let me get—” She chuckled and gave the napkin to Casey. “You do it.”
Casey chuckled in return and wiped her mouth. She was already getting chilly and lifted her coffee from the holder. If only Gran had decided to find Clara during the summer, rather than as a Christmas present to Lily.
“I’ll run the engine every once in a while to give us some heat.” Emily lifted a brow. “And we can keep each other warm, too.”
“As much as that idea has already warmed me up, we have to keep our eyes on the apartment. We’re staking out someone, remember.”
“Right. Are you happy we’re doing this together? It’s fun, isn’t it?”
Casey nodded and bit i
nto her hamburger.
*****
Three hours later, the glow had worn off. Emily had run the engine a few times to warm up the car, but Casey would bet that fun and stakeouts were no longer connected in her mind. Not only was it cold, but Emily’s bladder must be bursting, like hers was. They never had to go to the bathroom in the movies.
As if reading her mind, Emily said, “What do you do about going to the bathroom when you’re staking someone out?”
Casey grinned sheepishly. “To be honest, I don’t usually stake people out. This is my first time.”
“Seriously?”
“Does setting a cat trap count? I’m not actually there, but I’m kind of waiting.”
Emily didn’t look impressed.
“Usually the person tells me what I want online or on the phone. And usually I can tell them why I need the information.”
“Did you try calling her?” Emily asked.
She didn’t sound angry or disappointed, but Casey couldn’t help thinking that she was. “No, because I don’t want to tell her about Lily. Who she was to Clara, I mean. She said she won’t talk to me unless I tell her who’s looking for Clara.”
“But you think showing up on her doorstep will make her talk.”
“I’m not going to threaten to break her legs, or anything,” Casey said. Then she felt stupid when Emily laughed.
“I know that. I just thought—” Emily lifted her hands in a gesture of surrender. “It’s your case. You’re the PI. If you think trying to talk to her in person is the best way to go, then you’re right.” She shifted in her seat. “But I’ll be a lot happier once I’ve gone to the bathroom.” She took Casey’s hand. “This is fun, though.”
Casey nodded, torn between thinking she had the best girlfriend in the whole world, or the craziest.
“There’s a Tim Hortons five minutes away,” Emily said. “We could go and pee. The worst thing that’ll happen is she’ll come home while we’re gone. We can try buzzing her again as soon as we’re back. What are the chances she’ll come home and leave again?”
Casey opened her mouth to say no, then changed her mind. The granddaughter might not come home for hours. Casey really needed to get her driver’s licence. If she had one, she and Emily could have taken turns driving to Tim’s. “Let’s do it. When she does come home, I want to be able to focus.”
Emily slipped her hand from Casey’s and turned on the engine, then waited for a bus to pass them. It pulled up at the corner.
“Wait!” Casey leaned forward, so she could get a better look at those getting off the bus. She gasped. “I think that’s her.”
Emily stared out the windshield. “You’re right. Go.”
Casey scrambled from the car. Her jacket was already zipped and her mittens on. “Excuse me,” she said, intercepting Clara’s granddaughter outside the apartment’s entrance. “Are you Megan Richards?”
Megan stopped and gave Casey a guarded look. “Who’s asking?”
“My name’s Casey Cook, and—”
Megan’s eyes widened. “You’re the one who contacted me on Facebook. And now you show up at my home?” She pulled out her phone. “I’m calling the cops.”
“No! You wouldn’t talk to me on Facebook. That’s the only reason I’m here.”
“You thought harassing me in front of my apartment would make me feel more comfortable about you? Really?”
“It shows that I’m who I said I was. My profile picture isn’t fake.”
Megan snorted. “You could still be a con artist.” She lifted her phone and tapped on it.
Casey frantically motioned for Megan to stop tapping. “Look, one of your grandmother’s friends from a long time ago wants to know what happened to her, that’s all.” She pulled off one of her mitts and slipped her PI licence from her back pocket. “I’m a private investigator.”
Megan examined the licence, but her phone remained in her hand. “You can report back that my grandmother is alive and well.”
“I think my client would like to speak to her.”
“I don’t know, something smells fishy. Why would someone hire a PI to track down an old friend? It sounds like an extreme measure to me. What do you really want?”
“My client hired me because they can’t find the person on their own,” Casey said, choosing her words carefully.
“No, I don’t think so. They could have done what you did. Posted on social media.”
“My client isn’t tech savvy.”
Megan shook her head. “There must be more to it. Why don’t you just give me your client’s name?”
For the same reason Casey hadn’t given Lily’s name over Facebook. She wanted to tell Clara about Lily herself, but Megan wouldn’t cooperate unless Casey gave her more. She made a snap decision, hoping it wouldn’t backfire on her. “My client is a former love interest of your grandmother’s.”
Megan’s eyes narrowed with interest. “When did they know each other?”
“Before your grandmother got married.”
“Wow. That’s, like, over fifty years ago. Give me the poor guy’s details and I’ll pass them along.”
“I’d rather speak to your grandmother myself. I was wondering if you could give me her phone number.”
“What if my grandmother doesn’t want to hear from this person?”
“Then she’ll say that when I speak to her. But don’t you agree that it’s her decision? All I’m asking for is the chance to talk to her about it.”
Megan grimaced. “I don’t know. You could be bullshitting me.”
“I’m not.” But she could tell that Megan wasn’t going to give her Clara’s contact information, so she’d play her game. “How about you call her?” Listening to Megan’s side of the conversation would almost be as good as speaking to Clara directly. “Tell her that she was supposed to meet someone before she married your grandfather, but she never showed up. Tell her she wrote a letter to the person a couple of years later because she wanted them to hear it from her that she was getting married. Tell her the person has been wondering about her and would like to get in touch. Ask if it’s okay for me to speak to her.”
“The person? It would be so much easier if you’d just tell me a name.”
“I can’t. I have to protect the privacy of my client.”
Megan frowned. “So my grandmother was involved with someone else before she got married?” She was silent for a moment. “It sounded serious.”
“I think it was.”
“She’s never talked about it, but then why would she?”
“Can you call her? If I’m lying, your grandmother won’t know what you’re talking about and you can tell me to buzz off.” Casey dearly hoped Clara wouldn’t play dumb to protect her past. But if she did, that would be an answer for Lily, too.
Megan looked down at her feet, then lifted her head. “Okay. I don’t see what harm it can do.” She pointed her phone at Casey. “But if she says she has no idea what I’m talking about or she doesn’t want to hear from your client, you won’t contact me or anyone else in my family again, or I will call the cops. Understand?”
“You have my word.” Not that it would mean anything to Megan. “If she doesn’t want to have any contact with my client, it will be case closed.”
Megan’s brows drew together. “You sure are diligent about protecting your client’s identity. I guess that’s a good sign. I’ll call her. By myself. Later. Give me your phone number, and I’ll let you know.”
“But—”
“You want to protect your client’s identity. I want to protect my grandmother. I promise I’ll call her later today, okay? If I can’t get hold of her today, I’ll call tomorrow. That’s the best I can do. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it.” She couldn’t force Megan to phone now. Refusing to leave until she did would be a sure-fire way of losing the tiny shred of trust Megan had. “Thanks.” She gave Megan her phone number. “Call any time. If I don’t answer, just leave me
a message. All I want is a phone number, or an address, if your grandmother would rather speak to me in person.”
“She might not want to speak to you at all,” Megan snapped. Then she sighed. “But you never know.” She hurried up the apartment steps and disappeared inside.
Casey stared after her. With her shoulders slumped, she returned to the car and tried not to look glum.
“So?” Emily asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“She’s going to call Clara and see if it’s okay to pass her contact information to me.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“If she actually does it.” Casey smiled tightly. “She’s very protective of her.”
“Let’s assume she does. If Clara says it’s okay, you’ll be able to talk to her. If not, then you have something to tell your gran and Lily.”
“Yeah, something that will break Lily’s heart and ruin her Christmas. Not exactly what Gran was hoping for when she hired me.”
“That wouldn’t be your fault. Your gran had to know it could turn out badly. Clara could have been dead.”
“I know. I warned her, and she said Lily needs to know either way. But I think, inside, she’s hoping they’ll reunite, and it’ll be all hearts and rainbows.”
Emily squeezed Casey’s hand. “You’ve done all you can. Now it’s up to Clara.”
Casey grunted. Her gut told her that Megan would call Clara, but it could be wishful thinking. All she knew for sure was that she’d feel terrible if she had to go to Gran and tell her that Clara wasn’t interested in having any contact with Lily. She’d want to give Gran her money back.
Emily fired up the engine. “Let’s go to that Tim’s.” She pulled away from the curb. “Do you want to stay at my place tonight? We can watch a movie. It’ll be better than sitting by yourself, waiting for your phone to ring.”
Emily knew her too well. “Yeah, sure.”
“I have to be up and out by nine tomorrow, though. No sleeping in.”
Casey swallowed. “Sometimes I think it would be easier if I had a key.”
Emily didn’t say anything.
“T-t-to your place, I mean,” Casey said. “Not that I’m pushing you for one.” Was it her imagination, or was Emily gripping the steering wheel tighter? And her eyes were glued to the windshield. She hadn’t glanced Casey’s way. “Sorry. Forget I brought it up.”
The Perfect Christmas Gift Page 3