Act Fast

by R A Wallace

  Toward the end of the day, she returned to her mother’s retirement community. She found her at home this time. Margaret was just covering the lasagna with foil.

  “I’ll put that into the oven for you,” Callie offered as she opened the oven door.

  “Have you seen your father lately?” Margaret asked. Although their marriage hadn’t lasted as long as Callie would have liked as a young girl, she knew that her mother still cared for Wade Indigo in her own way.

  “Yeah, and you were right. They’re worried about Ariana.”

  “Well, she is at that age,” Margaret said.

  Callie assumed that her mother was speaking from personal experience when Margaret herself had been eighteen. It was their stepmother, Leslie, that had suffered through most of the trials and tribulations of Gemma and Callie at eighteen. Margaret had been focusing on her second husband at that point.

  “Hopefully, that’s all it is,” Callie agreed as she went to the refrigerator. There was no sweet tea made. Callie retrieved the pot her mother used to boil water for her tea and filled it to the level of the dark line on the pot. She added the sugar she needed to make the syrup and turned on the element.

  “Any luck with Trudy’s problem?” Margaret took a seat in the dining area. Her home was an open floor plan. The dining area, living room, and kitchen were all visible and essentially one large space with a counter separating the dining area from the kitchen.

  Callie waited in the kitchen. “I’ve discovered that Frank isn’t faithful.”

  “No real surprise there.” Margaret made a face of distaste.

  “Also, I’ve learned that a lot of pets, certainly those worth thousands of dollars, are chipped.”

  “Of course. Very clever of you. I knew that, but hadn’t considered it. You think you can use it to your advantage?”

  Callie pulled the tea bags from the tea tin. “I plan to call around to the local vets and see if anyone can trace the dog that way. To be honest, I doubt that there are many dogs of the same breed in the area, so Layla is kind of unique anyway.”

  Callie noticed that her mother wasn’t listening to her. “Are you okay?”

  Margaret’s face lit up. “Oh, yes. I’m just worried about my lines.”

  “Lines?” Callie checked the hot water to see if the sugar was melted.

  “Didn’t I tell you, dear? I’m in a play.” Margaret clasped her hands together in front of her chest. “It’s so exciting. Elliot is funding it, of course.”

  “Of course,” Callie agreed with a smile. Elliot was known to spend large sums of money to keep her mother entertained. This would be the first time he had funded an entire production just to keep her amused, however. She transferred the syrup to another container and refilled the pot with water for the tea.

  “Where will you be performing?” Callie assumed it would be here at the clubhouse.

  “At the theater in town,” Margaret said, the excitement evident in her voice.

  The historic Pomelo Cove Theater had been restored to its original glory over time and was considered a jewel among those who enjoyed such things. The production sounded much larger than Callie had first imagined.

  “That sounds exciting,” Callie said. She was trying to be supportive. If her mother enjoyed acting in a play, that was all right by her.

  “Oh, it is. Some of the main characters are real actors who will be coming in from out of town just for the performance. My role is very limited, of course,” Margaret said modestly.

  “Well, I can’t wait to see you on the stage,” Callie said as she waited for the water to boil.

  Chapter Five

  Callie chose the black slim-fit stretch pants, white top, and lightweight jacket with heels the next morning. She was at her office in time to touch base with Sierra and Michael before they left for a meeting. She could always tell when they had something scheduled. Michael switched up his usual tee and shorts with a tee and khaki pants. Sierra, on the other hand, always looked professionally dressed for the office.

  “Anything going on?” Callie dropped a bag of homemade cookies on the side table with the coffee pot. Their office also sported a mid-size fridge next to the side table.

  “A woman stopped in to see you,” Sierra said. “I thought Michael’s eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw her.”

  Callie watched a red tinge color Michael’s neck.

  “She was too old,” he said defensively, but kept his eyes focused on his monitor.

  Sierra ignored him. “She said she’d be back to speak with you.”

  “Any clue what it was about?” Callie took a cookie out of the bag and handed it to Michael. He looked like he needed it.

  “No, but I got the impression she wants to hire you.” Sierra returned her focus to her own computer.

  “Hopefully, she’ll come back.” Callie watched as Sierra logged out of her screen and stood.

  “We need to go,” Sierra said to Michael.

  He brushed the crumbs from the front of his tee after standing.

  “Thanks,” he mumbled to Callie. As usual, his eyes tracked Sierra as she walked to the front door. He followed behind her.

  “Our meeting is supposed to include lunch,” Sierra said on her way out the door. “We’ll be back in the afternoon.”

  Callie knew what that meant. If she left before the others returned, she needed to lock up the office. She began searching online for veterinarians in the area. After several phone calls, she had exhausted her options with no luck of finding any who had recently treated a little lion dog.

  She assumed that if any lost pet had been found with a chip, it would have been scanned into the system and Jackee would have been notified. She discovered from her research that the RFID microchips could also be on a collar, rather than embedded, and were even being used as automatic door openers for pet doors and pet feeders so their food wasn’t stolen.

  The thought of having an automatic pet door tempted her. She would like to have a dog but knew it wouldn’t be fair to leave an animal alone much of the time, even if it could get in and out of the house on its own. She had settled for an aquarium instead. Her fish never minded if she was gone all day, as long as they were kept fed.

  Callie knew as soon as the curvy woman walked into her office that the mystery woman of the morning had returned. Although she strongly suspected he had a crush on Sierra, she could understand why Michael would have had a reaction to the attractive woman with reddish blonde hair that stood in front of her now.

  “Welcome to Indigo Investigations. Can I help you?” Callie stood from her desk.

  “Are you the owner?”

  “Yes. You are?” Callie studied the woman in front of her. She was dressed in a form fitting skirt, knit top, and mile high heels. She guessed the other woman was in her mid to late thirties.

  “Anilese. Anilese Moore. I need a private investigator.”

  Callie waved to a reception area in the front of the office where there were comfortable chairs. She followed Anilese across the room and offered her a drink. Anilese declined, so Callie took the seat across from her.

  “How can I help you?”

  Anilese crossed one long leg over the other and perched her purse on her lap.

  “I’m looking for my boyfriend.”

  Callie cringed inwardly. Chasing a runaway boyfriend wasn’t her favorite job, but if Anilese was paying, she’d consider it under the right circumstances. The unpaid bills she’d received the other day taunted her each time she opened her desk drawer. As bad as they were, she knew there were even more she’d received electronically waiting in her inbox.

  While running the business on her own and under her own name for the past year since Corky’s death, she’d had several paying jobs, but they had been sporadic. The last paying job that she’d had was quite a while ago and Callie strongly suspected that her mother’s friend, Elliot, had contrived it for her. Her dreams of successfully running her own private investigator business and
earning a livable income danced briefly in her head.

  “What can you tell me about him?” Callie flipped to a blank page in her notepad.

  Anilese took a photo from her purse and passed it over to Callie.

  “His name is Ian. Ian Rubio. He’s thirty-four, which is four years younger than I am, but it isn’t an issue for us.” Anilese leaned forward to get a better look at the photo Callie held, as though having it out of her own hands stressed her.

  “What does he do?” Callie studied the photo. It reminded her of the professional headshot of Kym Turpin.

  “He’s an actor,” Anilese said proudly.

  Callie wondered what kind of roles he played. He didn’t seem to have the leading man looks.

  “How long have you been seeing him?” Callie asked.

  An almost imperceptible frown appeared between Anilese’s eyes momentarily as she considered her answer. “Oh, I’m not sure of the actual time but we’ve been practically inseparable. We spend every day together.” The frown reappeared. “We did, anyway, until he disappeared.”

  “What do you believe happened to him to cause him to disappear?”

  “I think he must be in trouble. It’s the only reason I can think of for him to leave me. He must be trying to protect me somehow.” Anilese’s hands tightened their grip on her purse.

  Callie could see that the other woman was getting emotional.

  “Tell me about Ian. What was your typical day like with him?”

  Anilese took a deep breath as she tried to get her emotions under control.

  “Well, we have a favorite place where we get coffee in the morning. You mean like that?” Anilese asked.

  “Yes. That’s good. Where do you go for coffee?”

  Anilese pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed at an eye. “It’s a little coffee place on Seventeenth. It’s called The Bean.”

  Callie knew the place. It was too expensive for her budget to frequent on a regular basis.

  “And this is a fairly common event? You two go there often?”

  “Oh, yes. We love it there. Ian is particular about his coffee. He even made up a special drink based on my tastes and the coffee shop makes it for me special. Ian calls it the Caramel AniBean.”

  Callie made a note. “Okay, what else?”

  “Well, he has a boat. We go out on the water fairly often. We have a lot of fun with that.” Anilese dabbed at her eyes again.

  “A boat? Does he dock it?”

  “Yes. Down at the cove.”

  Callie wondered if Ian had decided to take a trip without Anilese.

  “Do you remember the name of the boat?”

  Anilese’s face lit up. “Oh, yes. He called it AniLove, after me.”

  Callie figured that should be easy enough to find. She doubted there would be many boats docked in Pomelo Cove with the same name.

  “I’m certain something must have happened to him,” Anilese repeated.

  “Why do you say that?” Callie wondered what Ian could have gotten himself into.

  “The last night I saw him, he took me to a fancy restaurant. He had champagne already waiting for us at the table. There was a trio of men who came to our table. They gave me a red rose and one of them played the violin while the other two sang. It was so romantic.” Anilese leaned forward again in her seat and she lowered her voice. “I was certain he was going to propose.”

  “He didn’t?” Callie asked.

  Anilese shook her head. “No, but now that you mention it, I think that’s when he started acting a little different.” Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe he saw someone there or someone approached him and said something to him. Now I’m sure of it.”

  “Sure of what?”

  “That he left to protect me somehow. I was with him when something happened. That must have been it.” Anilese was sitting on the edge of her seat now.

  Callie wasn’t certain that she saw the connection, but she asked for the name of the restaurant. She also asked Anilese several other questions and outlined the typical fees for her services. She was happy to see that Anilese didn’t look concerned when Callie named prices.

  Once Anilese left, Callie went online and checked out the restaurant that Anilese had mentioned. She wrote down the address and checked out the menu. Anilese was right. It was a fancy restaurant.

  Callie couldn’t remember the last time she had been to any place so nice. She also couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date. Then she remembered. It was back when Corky was still alive. She remembered because Corky hadn’t liked the guy in question. Callie had ignored her mentor at first. Right up until she’d surprised her boyfriend at home by dropping by unexpectedly and found him with another woman.

  Chapter Six

  The office of the Fielding Modeling Agency was quiet. So much so that Callie wondered if the business was even open, but the outer door had been unlocked. She took another step into the office and looked around. It was a small room and she assumed it was just the reception area. The logo for the modeling company was prominently displayed everywhere. There was another door across from her. She assumed that led to the rear of the agency with additional offices for the owners and perhaps some sort of studio for photography and maybe a classroom for instruction.

  The silence in the agency was broken by the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor. Callie could tell that the steps were coming toward her and wasn’t surprised when the other door opened. Kym stepped through and immediately frowned at Callie.

  “I’m sorry, they aren’t hiring right now.”

  Callie smiled as she took another step into the room.

  “Actually, I was hoping to speak with you.”

  Kym moved over to a desk and leaned against it.

  “About what?”

  “Your photo shoots.”

  Kym crossed her arms. “What about them?”

  “Maybe you could give me a tour and show me the studio?” Callie suggested.

  “The owners usually speak with prospective models.” Kym looked dubiously at Callie.

  “I was curious about the studio here.” Callie lowered her voice. “I heard the photographer might be taking another job. I thought I might have a better chance of getting my foot in the door if I know what the setup here is like.”

  The confusion on Kym’s face cleared. She knew that the older woman wasn’t the typical age for a Fielding model. Being a photographer made more sense. And, if the other woman got the job, Kym didn’t want to make her mad at her now.

  “Sure. It’s back here.” Kym led Callie through the other door. Callie’s guess had been correct. There was another office that was obviously used by the owners. The hallway was lined with photos of young people, both male and female, ostensibly all successful models of the agency.

  “This is the studio. The other photographer and the owners aren’t here right now.” Kym glanced at the clock on the wall. “The owners should be back pretty soon though.”

  Callie wanted to be gone before they got there. “Have you had many sessions in here?”

  Kym shrugged. She was looking worried about Callie’s questions again.

  “A couple.” Kym’s eyes tracked back to the clock.

  Callie took the hint. After a few more questions, most of which Kym managed to dodge, Callie left the building. As she got into her car, she saw a couple walking toward the agency. Based on the photos she had seen online at the agency web site, she knew they were the Fieldings. She wondered what Kym would tell them about her.

  ***

  By the time she arrived at The Bean, the morning rush was long gone. Callie stepped up to the counter and was happy to see there was no one in line behind her. The young man working behind the counter had a name tag. He looked expectantly at Callie when she reached the counter.

  “Hi, Ryan?”

  The young man nodded. “What can I get you?”

  “Actually, I have a few questions, if you don’t mind.” Callie di
dn’t wait for a response. “Some friends of mine told me that they come in here all the time. They claim that you make a special drink for them?”

  Ryan shrugged. “Some of our customers have special requests. We try to accommodate them.”

  Callie smiled. “This one is called the Caramel AniBean.”

  Ryan frowned. “That one doesn’t ring a bell.”

  “Maybe they come in when you aren’t working?” Callie figured it was possible.

  “Maybe. I only work the first shift. If they come in late in the afternoon or on the weekends, I’m not here.”

  Now it was Callie’s turn to frown. According to Anilese, they came in pretty much every morning during the week. She pulled out the photo that Anilese had given her and held it up for Ryan to see.

  His face lit up. “The macchiato. Sure, I know him. Comes in pretty often.”

  “It’s his girlfriend that gets the special drink. Her name is Anilese. That’s why they call it the AniBean.”

  Ryan frowned again. “No. The macchiato always comes in alone.”

  “You’re sure?” Callie saw Ryan’s eyes shift past her. Someone else had entered the coffee shop.

  “Positive. You ordering anything?”

  Callie looked at the prices on the board. She thanked him for his time and left without placing an order. Her next stop was The Cove. She pulled into the lot next to the restaurant and walked inside. It was, indeed, a fancy restaurant. The tables were all covered with white linen cloths. It was a stark difference from the rare times Callie went out for food. Usually, the restaurants she stopped at featured seafood or barbeque and had takeout menus.

  Callie stopped at the front desk where a formally dressed man stood waiting to assist her. Her eyes dropped to his name tag. It read Alec.

  “Do you have a reservation?” Alec asked.

  Callie considered her options. “I was hoping to speak with one of your waiters.”