by Maisie Dean
There was fear in her voice. I couldn’t hang up or immediately turn her down. I decided to treat the call like any other “domestic” inquiry. The office occasionally received calls from individuals in the community, but most often they came from time-wasters or crazies. For the most part, we took our cases from lawyers and larger companies that had already done background checks to determine the cases were legitimate. It was one of my jobs to take these kinds of calls or sort through notes and files to find out if any of the cases were actually worth taking. But this was Annie calling. Annie, whose case had already been closed and taken out of our hands. It would likely end up being a conflict of interest to talk to her, but there was no one else in the office to confirm it was a problem
Annie’s quivering voice on the other end of the line made the little hairs on my arms lift up. “Please?” she said again.
I picked up a pen and flipped my legal pad to a clear page. “Yes, I’ll try to help you. Can you tell me why you think you’re in trouble?” I asked.
“I think someone has been following me,” Annie said. She was breathless and I could feel her anxiety creeping toward me through the phone line.
“It’s all going to be alright,” I said. What could I tell her? It was our agency that had been following her, after all. I couldn’t come out and say, “Sorry, Annie, that was just me and three guys investigating whether or not you were committing insurance fraud.”
“What makes you think you’re being watch—I mean followed?” I said.
“It’s...it’s this feeling I’ve been getting, I’m not even sure where it’s coming from. I’m hurt and haven’t even been able to leave the house but...I’m worried about my roommate. Her name is Busty and I think she might be in danger. She hasn’t been home for several days, it’s not like her,” Annie said.
My underarms began to prickle and sweat. “If you really believe something may have happened to her you should call the police, you can make a missing persons report.” There was silence on the other end for a few moments. “Hello?” I said.
“The thing is,” Annie said. “Busty, she… there’s something that isn’t quite legal about her identity.”
Busty’s identity not legal? I recalled Busty’s husky voice, all her makeup, and her wardrobe. I’d had a sneaking suspicion that she was transgender. Perhaps I’d been correct. I knew it could be an issue, government-wise. They often made it incredibly difficult to alter your identification cards. “Okay, I think I understand. But, if she’s missing, you should call the police regardless,” I said.
“No, please. Not yet. I just need someone to go by Rockburger, where she works. I need to know if anyone has seen her in the last twenty-four hours,” Annie said.
“Have you tried calling the restaurant?” I asked.
“I have but...they aren’t talking to me. There was a different issue and they aren’t supposed to…” Annie trailed off.
Of course, the insurance claim. I silently brought my palm to my forehead. The insurance claim may have been wrapped up on our end but it was likely that lawyers were advising Neil, and potentially even Busty herself, not to speak or discuss matters with Annie. If that was the case, I could only imagine the kind of trouble I’d get myself and the agency into if I showed up at Rockburger asking about Busty.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t go and—” I began.
“Please, oh please. Can anybody at your agency go? I need your help. I don’t think I can handle calling another agency, my head is hurting so much...” Annie said.
I felt for Annie. If she was truly hurt, and I believed she was, the whole insurance process must have been an ordeal. And even in the midst of that it was Busty who she was the most concerned about. It would get even more complicated if Annie hired another investigating agency to go to Rockburger. I thought of the mess and chaos that it might create and quickly weighed my options.
I cleared my throat. “Okay, I’ll have someone stop by the restaurant,” I told Annie. “Can I reach you at this number if necessary?” I asked.
“Yes, thank you. Thank you so much. Oh, and my name is Annie,” she said.
Unbeknownst to her, of course, I’d already known who she was from the start of the call. For her sake, I’d forgotten to ask her name.
“Thank you, Annie. We’re going to do what we can to help you and your friend,” I said.
“Thank you, again,”Annie said.
I heard a click and the line went dead, leaving only empty phone space between us. I looked around me at the empty office. I’d promised to send someone, and from the looks of it that person would have to be me. There was a buzzing sensation in my arms and legs. Annie’s call had reaffirmed my gut feeling that there was something missing, something more to this case that we hadn’t figured out yet. I also felt partly responsible. If Busty was in some kind of danger, the way Annie thought, could it have something to do with the Booker Brothers Agency and how we handled the case? I would have to go to Rockburger and find out. But I knew one thing was certain: The case was not over.
CHAPTER 21
I had to lean my full weight against the front door at Rockburger. The frosted glass logo on the heavy slab of wood and glass reluctantly gave way and I slipped inside.
The restaurant was much busier than when I had come for lunch and talked to Neil. Beyond the hostess podium stacked with menus, there was even a band setting up on a small stage in the corner. A few men and women in black leather and more than a few piercings were setting up a drum set and positioning some hefty-looking amplifiers.
Instead of the hostess, there was a small black and faded gold sign instructing me to ‘please seat yourself’. I walked further into the restaurant, passing the solid wood bar on my left. There was a large gold bell sitting on the corner of the bar that I hadn’t noticed before. It must have been used for announcing last call or the occasional celebration, and I had never been at Rockburger for either one of those.
The booth that I’d sat in most recently was free again. I walked over to that table and plopped myself down on the vinyl bench. That side of the booth happened to be less ripped, as well as the one with the better view of the whole restaurant and the main entrance. It would provide me with a good vantage point from which to scout out another waitress who might know Busty. It also, I realized in that moment, gave me the opportunity to keep an eye out for Neil. Neil! Why hadn’t I thought about him earlier? He’d definitely know something was up if he saw me back at his restaurant so soon after our encounter. This was a bad idea. I moved a bunch of my long brown hair over to one side so that it would help hide my identity, at least at a distance. I didn’t plan to stay and eat. It was pizza night at home with Rosie, and I’d been dreaming of my personal favorite—Hawaiian with the wacky addition of sliced pickles—all day long. I would just ask my server if they had seen or heard from Busty in the last day and then I would be on my way. Quick and quiet.
I was busy keeping an eye out for Neil, or even Vivian, so I didn’t notice immediately when my server appeared beside my table. She cleared her throat and stuck out one of her legs on an angle. I was about to look up at her, but first it was her footwear that caught my eye. I took in an incredible pair of chunky heeled, over-the-knee, black leather boots. Based on the boots, I had a feeling. But my suspicions were confirmed when my gaze shot upwards. My server was Busty! I attempted to hide my surprise by shifting in my place on the bench and forcing my lips into a polite smile. Busty, however, didn’t waste time hiding her own reaction. Two expertly-angled, filled in brows stayed high up on her forehead. Her eyes were wide and she pursed her lips. She looked tired, the kind that can’t be covered up with makeup. But there she was, healthy enough and not in any danger. At least at present.
Her thickly lined eyes stared at me, unblinking.“You again,” she said, in her unique, husky tone. Busty put down the menu in front of me and a glass of water she’d brought over.
I let out an uncertain laugh. “It’s me,” I said. “It’s nic
e to see you again.”
Busty crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed. “Are you stalking me?” she asked.
My throat constricted and I could feel my heart rate begin to skyrocket. I started shaking from side to side, but before I could properly answer her, Busty cracked a grin and knocked me firmly on the shoulder. “I’m just kidding,” she said.
I laughed nervously at first, but then it became real when Busty joined in.
“How’s that leg? Healing up okay?” Busty asked.
“It’s much better, thank you again for last week,” I said. “It was kind of you to look after me.”
Busty waved her manicured hand in the air. Her nails were black, just like the rest of her outfit. They were extra long and looked like the kind you buy in a kit and glue on. “Don’t mention it, girl,” she said in her low, almost masculine, voice. “It’s what I do.”
I nodded and gave her a real smile.“I have to say, I love your boots,” I said.
Busty glanced down and kicked her heels together. “Aren’t they fantastic?” she asked. She lifted her hand in front of her mouth and spoke to me from behind it as if she was telling me a secret. “They were definitely a one of a kind purchase,” she said.
I nodded. I wasn’t sure what she meant exactly, but for some reason it made me nervous. I felt like I’d seen them before and I scanned my brain to find out where...
Busty put a hand on her hip. “Anyway, I’ll give you a minute with the menu, girl. I’ll be right back,” she said, and walked away. Her leather boots clomped audibly with each step, even across the carpeted floor, and her narrow hips swung confidently from side to side.
Where had I seen those boots before? At the mall? No. Online? Not there either. Had Rosie shown them to me? No. She was more likely to show me the newest pair of high-tech running shoes. Then it hit me—Sidney’s catalog! They looked exactly like the boots I had loved from the catalog, the ones that Lucky had agreed were very sexy. But... those were also the ones that contained a special holster for a concealed handgun. Was it possible that Busty was packing a gun in her pair of boots? It could just be a coincidence. Plenty of black leather boots had a similar design. But I had a feeling in my gut I couldn’t ignore.
As Busty checked in on another few tables I watched the boots. I tried to catch a glimpse inside but I didn’t have any luck. That was the whole point of concealment, after all.
I held on tightly to my purse beside me on the bench, ready to get out of there before Busty returned to take my order. She was acting like my friend again now, but she’d turned cold quickly before. I wasn’t going to take that chance while she was wearing those boots. While she was potentially armed!
I mentally kicked myself for coming alone in the first place. Why hadn’t I called Owen? He was always willing to drop what he was doing to help me out. One time he had left early from a scuba diving class. His hair was still wet when he had arrived at the office to analyze a security video.
But I hadn’t called Owen. I was stuck figuring this one out on my own, and my senses told me it was time to get out of there. First, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Annie’s number, letting her know that I’d seen Busty myself and that she was fine. I made sure to use include the word ‘roommate’ as well as Busty’s name in my text, the way Annie had on the phone. I didn’t want her to suspect that I was too familiar with her identity and Busty’s, not to mention tracking their whereabouts. I’d already forgotten to ask for Annie’s name on the phone earlier. I silently resolved that I wouldn’t make any more slip-ups. Nothing that would get me or the Booker brothers in trouble.
I pressed the ‘send’ button and shoved my phone into my pocket. Now to get out of this restaurant, once and for all… Well, maybe I’d come back eventually, with backup. They did have pretty good milkshakes at Rockburger.
I glanced toward the door. Busty was standing there by the edge of the bar near the gold bell. She was waiting for a spikey haired bartender to fill up a tray of drinks. All of a sudden, as if she’d heard or felt it ring, Busty pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her small, black apron. She looked at the screen for a moment. Her brows pulled together tightly and one eye narrowed more than the other. To my surprise, Busty’s gaze left her phone and moved directly onto me! Her stare was piercing, all the way from across the restaurant. It made my stomach clench. There was no way that timing could have been a coincidence. A sharp tingling sensation ran through my arms and legs, and I wrapped my hand around my phone inside my pocket, ready to make an emergency call to one of the Booker brothers, and then, if necessary, the police. My mind raced and my breathing became shallower and shallower. There was no doubt in my mind. Busty had just received my text. The text that I had sent only to Annie...but why?
CHAPTER 22
Acting on an instinct, I pressed the button to call Annie’s number.
I held my phone firmly against my ear as it rang, adjusting my clammy fingers so that it wouldn’t slide from my grasp. I kept my eyes locked on Busty who was still standing beside the bar with her phone out.
The bartender placed the last drink onto the tray. He said something to Busty that I couldn’t hear from where I sat, but it didn’t seem like Busty had heard him either. She kept her eyes glued to her own phone screen.
Instead of delivering the drinks, Busty walked away from the full tray on the bar. Without so much as a glance back at me, she headed toward the far side of the restaurant and down a hall that led back to the washrooms and the staff area.
Once she’d woven around the busy tables and the bass player adjusting his amplifier, she disappeared around a corner.
I’d all but forgotten that my phone was still ringing. I had let my hand drift away from the side of my head, staring after Busty. The ring was tinny and distant as if it was stuck somewhere in the back of my head. Suddenly there was an abrupt end to the ringing and a small voice answered, barely audible.
“Annie speaking,” said the voice.
I yanked my phone back against my ear and tried to steady my breathing. It sounded the way Annie had always sounded each time I’d heard her voice.
“Hi...hi Annie, it’s Kacey from the agency. Good news, I’ve seen Busty and she looks fine,” I said.
There was a quick beat, and for a moment I thought the line had gone dead, but then Annie’s voice returned. “Oh, thank you! Thank you for checking,” she said. Her voice had a breathless quality and she sounded genuinely relieved.
“You’re welcome,” I said. My mind raced. I had to get to the bottom of this whole case. I knew it would be my only chance and I had to stall for time. “Yep, she looks normal. She’s just doing her shift at Rockburger…” I said, and kept rambling on to keep Annie on the phone. “I can let her know that you’re worried, if you like.”
At the same time, I got up from my seat at the booth and started crossing the restaurant. Instead of following after Busty I headed toward the solid, brass bell sat on top of the bar. Before the spikey haired bartender caught onto my plan, I grabbed onto the little rope that dangled beneath the large bell and rattled it back and forth a few times. A lot of eyes looked up and around the room to see what was going on. I listened hard, and then there it was. I heard the delayed ring of the bell coming through the phone. I was right! Busty and Annie were the same person, or they were wrapped up in a very complicated scam.
I heard the phone line click. “Annie? Hello?” I said. There was only silence and when I looked at my phone I saw that she must have hung up the call.
When I slipped my phone back into my pocket I saw the spikey haired bartender storming toward me, clearly angry I’d rung his bell without cause. If he only knew... Luckily, at that moment, a server came out of the kitchen carrying a giant slice of cake with a sparkler on top.
Lightning-fast, I found a way to cover for myself. I took a deep breath and belted out, “Haaappy Birrrthday to youu!” There were some confused looks exchanged between the staff, but soon half the restaurant had joi
ned in to wish one of the patrons a happy birthday. The bartender shook his head at me and retreated to the far side of the counter. I was too distracted to notice who ended up receiving the slice of cake, let alone work up a cake craving of my own.
I peered across the restaurant to where I’d seen the last of tall, darkly clothed Busty slip around the corner. She must have answered the phone and put on Annie’s voice. How long had she been pretending, and why? Was it just so that Annie...or Busty, whoever she really was, could get the insurance payout and keep working in the meantime? Each troublesome step closer to the truth in this case had left me with a bigger and bigger pile of questions.
Was the psychiatric medication I found in the cabinet connected to all of of this? I was surprised to find myself feeling defensive and frustrated. I had believed Annie. I believed that she was really suffering, and I had defended both her and Busty back at the office. Could they, or she, have been lying to me after all? There must be some kind of out-of-the-box explanation, something I hadn’t put my finger on yet…but time was running out. Harrison would be furious with me for following these rabbit hole leads and going against policy. If I was honest with myself, even I was furious with my actions. Why couldn’t I just leave well enough alone? I certainly wouldn’t manage to keep my job for long if I kept going rogue like this. It was time to leave this case alone. For good.
I hadn’t moved from the edge of the bar. My feet held me tiredly to the floor as if they were lead. I’d been holding on tightly to what I was sure were the key pieces of the puzzle, but they’d suddenly been swept away by a strong gust of wind. My hand rested on the bar. I could feel the stiff cardboard circle of a beer coaster beneath my palm. I picked it up absentmindedly while I worked out whether or not to call up Harrison and tell him about my solo adventure that evening. The coaster advertised a type of local craft beer called Sunbeam. I ran my finger along the top where the image of sun rays extending from the logo disappeared over the top edge. I flipped it over to see if it met up with rays from the other side but I was surprised to see that the other side promoted an IPA called Black Dragon. It had a logo and design that matched the name well. I turned the coaster over a few times, like a large coin. Light on one side, dark on the other. Light. Dark. Light. Dark. Suddenly my grip tightened around the coaster and an airy giggle caught in my throat. That was it! Finally, I had put two and two together. It wasn’t a piece of a puzzle that I was after, it had been a coin all along.