Dev Haskell Box Set 8-14 (Dev Haskell - Private Investigator)

by Mike Faricy

  “How’d you ever find him?”

  “We met online. No,” she said in response to my look. “Not a dating site. I was on a number of different sites asking questions regarding the software I was trying to develop, and he kept giving me these great suggestions and answers. Then, when I found out he was actually living in the area, after about three dozen emails back and forth I was able to set up a meeting.”

  “He agreed to meet you? Amazing, considering he had to see my driver’s license even with you making the introduction.”

  “Well, let me tell you, I had to send him sort of a resume. He wanted to know where I’d been living the last fifteen years, places of employment, education, Facebook sites, email addresses.”

  “And you agreed to give him all that?”

  “You bet. Dev, like I told you yesterday, the guy has developed the program in easily half the time it would have taken a team to do the work, and I would have had to pay them.”

  “You’re not paying him?”

  “No. I mean he gets to live there for free, I buy the groceries, pay the bills.”

  “But still he has to have some need for funds, I don’t know maybe insurance? A car? God forbid he’d ever want to go out and see a movie.”

  “To tell you the truth, he hasn’t ventured outside since the day he moved into the lower level. He doesn’t own a car. I don’t know about insurance, I’ve never asked.”

  “So day in and day out he’s just been working on this program he’s developed?”

  “Yeah, I mean, I know it sounds crazy, and you’re exactly right. When I finally got to meet him I went to his place. It was this hell-hole, one room, little basement apartment just off of downtown. There was graffiti written all over his door, I saw a mouse running under a chair, cobwebs, drippy faucet, it was just awful and as we talked he alluded to some of the other tenants abusing him.”

  “What do you mean, abusing him?”

  “Well, I just told you about the graffiti. I guess they’d chase him if he went to the grocery store or if they caught him outside. He’d been robbed a number of times. I think assaulted more than once.”

  “Do you think he’s crazy?”

  “Yeah, a little, but then, aren’t we all? He’s a genius, he’s very gentle and he’s very kind.”

  “As long as there’s plenty of tinfoil to go around.”

  “Don’t pick on him, Dev.”

  “Okay, sorry.”

  “Anyway, when I saw how he was living and he told me some of the things that had happened to him, the assaults, the robberies, and here he was just trying to help me with the program I was trying to get off the ground, well, I brought him home that day and he moved into the lower level.”

  “You hauled all those computers in, his furniture, and stuff?”

  “We, or rather I, got some people who owed me a favor to help. It really wasn’t that much, I mean once you got past the computer stuff. I think he sleeps on the floor in a sleeping bag. He brought a couple of desk chairs, a coffee mug and one set of silverware and that was about it. Oh, yeah, and about four dozen Star Wars t-shirts.”

  “How could I forget, ‘The Force Awakens’.”

  “Exactly,” she said and drained her glass.

  “Tell you what, if you want to carry your wine glass in I’ll take everything off the grill. Hope you don’t mind, I figured we’d just eat at the kitchen counter.”

  “As long as I’m not cooking and three kids aren’t turning their noises up at whatever I just made, it’s wonderful.”

  “Come on, I’ll refill your glass.”

  Chapter Eight

  The steaks were done to perfection, if I do say so myself. We had an enjoyable meal and chatted about everything and nothing. Bonnie gave me some general information about her ex. Turns out the guy more or less abandoned her and the kids and she filed a restraining order against him about three years ago. “The only time he ever gets in contact with me is when he wants something, usually money, by the way.”

  “What does he think about Iggy?”

  “As far as I know he’s unaware Iggy’s even there. I guess that’s another reason I wanted you there, if Wayne ever showed up it would be just like him to create a scene. I know we all make mistakes, but for the life of me I can’t remember what I ever saw in him.”

  “Didn’t you tell me you met him at your sister’s wedding?”

  “Yeah. He was actually doing the girl I had the disagreement with, and…”

  “Disagreement? It was more like you two bridesmaids had a fist fight. If you’ll recall I had to pull you off of her, you gave her a bloody nose.”

  “Well, no doubt she had it coming, and as far as having to pull me off of her, I thought you were just copping a feel and I figured, hmmm, this could be interesting.”

  “Probably not too far from the truth.”

  “So the next day, remember, you gave me a ride back to the bar so I could get my purse.”

  “Yeah, and you ran into some friend who said he’d give you a ride home.”

  “Yeah, only he wasn’t really a friend, that was Wayne, and I really didn’t know him, well, anyway, not till later that night. Our first time together. Turned out two cheeseburgers and a bunch of shots later, I’m pregnant.”

  “Really, first time?”

  “Yeah, well, with him. Dopey me, I figured getting pregnant was a sign from heaven that we were meant for each other. We got married a couple of months before J.D. was born.”

  “And that’s how he got the name, Jack Daniels? Because it was the wedding theme?”

  “Yeah, well, that and the fact we were doing shots. Of course one thing led to another and Wayne had this big back seat and, well, anyway. Then, just about the time I was thinking of leaving him, first Stella appeared on the scene and then little Buddy. After Buddy, even I learned my lesson and, although it hasn’t been easy, things have definitely been on an upward swing once I got old Wayne out of my hair,” she said. She tilted her right hand at about a forty-five degree angle to indicate the upward swing.

  “And now you’re about to launch this new program.”

  “Yeah, and I’ll be the first to admit it would not be done, and in fact might never have been accomplished, if Iggy and I hadn’t met. So, back to your point, is he crazy? I suppose yeah, in a variety of different ways. He’s definitely got some quirky little habits. But, at the end of the day I’d be nowhere near where I am if it weren’t for Iggy, and I’ll always want to make sure he’s safe and happy.”

  “You really think this program is going to do what you hope?”

  “Absolutely. It’s just a matter of getting it in front of people so they can see for themselves, and then we can sit back and watch who makes the best offer.”

  “You ready for some dessert?” I had some Snickers ice cream bars in the freezer.

  “I told you, I’d take care of that.”

  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice you bringing anything in.”

  She smiled, hopped off the kitchen stool, then sort of ran her hands from her shoulders down to her waist and stood there with her arms out stretched. “Help yourself.”

  I figured the dishes could wait.

  * * *

  She woke me with a kiss, already dressed. “No, you don’t have to get up, stay in bed. I have to go, my sitter has to be home by one. I’ll let myself out.”

  I rolled out of bed, got a nice long kiss and a passionate grab.

  “Oh, God, now I want to stay,” she said. “But I have to go. Stop by tomorrow and I’ll show you around, the kids are on their way to the lake around one, so anytime after that works.”

  I pulled on a t-shirt and followed her downstairs. “Thanks for a memorable evening,” she said at the door, then gave me a quick kiss and was gone.

  Morton was asleep in his bed. I stared for a moment at the remnants of a white silk thong, Bonnie’s, that Morton had apparently chewed up and left on the floor next to his bed. I really couldn’t blame him.


  I went into the kitchen, cleaned up the dishes, put away the leftovers and then headed back upstairs to bed.

  Chapter Nine

  I drove over to Bonnie’s a little after four. I figured by the time we covered whatever she wanted to talk about it would be close to five, and maybe I could scam a dinner from her. I brought a bottle of wine just to increase my chances. Morton was pacing in the back seat looking for his Frisbee pals as we pulled into the driveway. We climbed out and rang the doorbell. There seemed to be an additional sense of calm about the place with the kids gone.

  Bonnie answered a minute or two later. As she opened the door she brushed her forehead with the back of her hand. She wore a t-shirt and jeans, held a sponge in one hand and reeked of Pine Sol or some other cleaning compound.

  “Oh, God, Dev. I completely forgot. Chrissy picked up the kids and I’ve been cleaning ever since. Nothing like two little boys with bad aim in the bathroom.”

  “Keep working if you want, I can come back tomorrow.”

  “No, no, but I need to finish the project I’m on. Damn it, then I’ll have to figure what I’m going to do for dinner. You want to come in and watch TV or something?”

  “I got a better idea, why don’t I get dinner, one less thing you’ll have to fool with. Just take your time. If you’re still cleaning when I get back don’t worry about it.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yeah, not a problem. Do I need to pick something up for Iggy?”

  “Would you mind?”

  “No, but I’m just guessing there might be a couple of things he doesn’t eat. Is he a vegan or he only eats roasted cashews or something?”

  “Actually, he does have a couple of restrictions. Nothing with honey, it…”

  “Honey?”

  “Yeah, commercial honey enslaves bees and when you think about it he’s kinda right.”

  “Okay,” I said, thinking here we go.

  “And if you’re planning on getting any kind of fruit, just make sure it isn’t something that would harm the plant if it’s picked.”

  “Is there something he likes? Maybe it would just be easier to go that route.”

  “Hot dogs, he eats a lot of hot dogs, an awful lot.”

  “Okay, I’ll get him hot dogs. You and I will dine on something a little more elegant.”

  “Is this too much of a pain?”

  “No, it’s not, and if I’m going to be covering for you while you’re gone a day or two I should probably know this stuff anyway. You hungry for anything special?”

  “Just something I don’t have to cook.”

  “I’ll be back within the hour. Take your time. If you want to keep working, go ahead. I’ll just watch.” She was wearing some kind of stretch jeans and appeared to have no bra on beneath her t-shirt. I could only hope she’d be scrubbing floors when I returned.

  I stopped at a Thai restaurant and got two orders of chicken fried rice to go, plus a starter of chicken on skewers with a satay sauce. I had them toss in an extra container of satay sauce just because I like it. Then I went to the grocery store and picked up a package of hot dogs and a bag of buns for Iggy. God, I felt like I was shopping for a ten-year-old.

  I was back in an hour on the dot. Bonnie had left a note on the door. “Dev, I’m in the shower, come on in.”

  I presumed she meant come on into the house, not necessarily the shower. I set the bag on the kitchen counter, set the counter for two, then proceeded to boil hot dogs for Iggy and Morton. When the hot dogs were ready I placed Iggy’s on two buns, draped the plate with Saran Wrap and carried it down to the lower level.

  I knocked loudly on his door. After some time a muffled voice, sounding a little frightened, asked, “Who, who is it?”

  “Hi, Iggy. It’s Dev Haskell, the security specialist. Bonnie’s in the shower and she suggested I cook up some dinner. I’ve got a couple of hot dogs for you.”

  “Just just leave them out there by the door.”

  “Yeah, okay, no problem. I’ll set them on the stairs, here,” I said, doing exactly that. “Great talking to you, Iggy. Enjoy. Hey, do you need mustard or catsup?”

  “I have my own down here, thank you.”

  “Okay, catch you later.” I hurried to the upper level, then leaned over the open stairwell and waited. A few minutes later I heard the lock unsnap and the door slowly opened. Iggy took a cautious step outside his room. I could hear the Mylar sheet rustling before I saw him. He had more tinfoil wrapped around his head and wore another pair of latex gloves. He bent down and waved some black device over the food, like he was holding a metal detector or checking for radiation. Apparently satisfied, he picked up the plate, hurried back into his room, then snapped the lock the moment he closed the door.

  “What exactly are you doing?” Bonnie asked from behind.

  “I just delivered two hot dogs downstairs and I wanted to see what he would do.”

  “And?”

  “I guess it went okay, at least it seemed to. He waved some sort of box or something over them, then brought them back into his lair.”

  “That was the detector he waved over them.”

  “The detector. And what, exactly, is it supposed to detect?”

  “It sort of changes depending on the day, some days toxic fumes, other days electromagnetic rays, although I’ve never had him turn anything down. So, if he’s eating hot dogs, what did you get for us?”

  “I hope you like Thai, I picked up chicken fried rice and some chicken with satay sauce.”

  “Perfect. It’s a gorgeous evening, mind if we eat out on the deck?”

  “I’d love it.”

  “You in any hurry?”

  “No, not really.”

  “Why don’t we start with a glass of wine. I feel like I’ve been going a mile a minute ever since the kids left.”

  “If you have a beer I’d take that, more wine for you.”

  “I’ll get the glasses if you’ll grab the wine out of the fridge. There are a couple of whites in there, I think one might already be open. The beer is on the bottom shelf in the back.”

  We sat out on the deck enjoying the evening. The picnic table looked home-made and we sat in a couple of aluminum lawn chairs. I actually had two beers, Bonnie finished what had been left of the open bottle of wine. We were just chatting after dinner, largely gossip, when out of the blue she said, “I suppose I should tell you. I think I saw Wayne today.”

  “Wayne, your ex? That Wayne?”

  “Yeah, it was just as we were loading the kids in the car. Fortunately, they didn’t see him, although J.D. is the only one who might recognize him and I’m not even sure about that.”

  “Maybe he just happened to drive past.”

  Bonnie looked at me like I was nuts. “This is the sort of street where you’re either lost or you’re going to visit someone who lives here. He wasn’t lost.”

  “So you think he was coming to see you?”

  “That would be the worst scenario, the best would be he was checking the place out before he came to see me. Not much better than the first scenario. On the other hand, my sister, Chrissy, was here and the two of them have never gotten along.”

  “So I should probably keep an eye out. What does he drive?”

  “A shiny, red, F-150 pickup truck with flames painted on the hood. Real hard to miss.”

  “And you’re sure it was him?”

  “Yeah, idiot tried to duck down as he drove past, then he floored it going down the street just in case I didn’t notice.”

  “Any idea what he might want?”

  “No. Whatever it is, he’s not getting any. I’m reasonably sure he’s up to no good.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “About forty-eight hours after I filed the restraining order. Right after Buddy was born, so call it three years ago.”

  “Strange he’d turn up now.”

  “Not really, he always had a knack for ruining whatever wonderful event was about to ha
ppen. God only knows what I ever saw in him. Hey, how about some dinner?”

  Chapter Ten

  We’d been asleep for a while. According to the digital clock on Bonnie’s dresser it was almost four in the morning. She had a smile on her face and was breathing heavily, not quite a soft snore but almost. God knows she’d earned it. I studied her for a long moment. She’d left the bathroom light on and closed the door, but the sliver of light escaping was just enough to let me see her clearly. In the past ten years she’d added a star tattoo around her pierced navel, and then below that a sort of red ribbon that wrapped all the way around her waist and ended up in a big red bow between her thighs. It sort of gave you the idea you were about to open up a gift, which actually wasn’t too far from the truth.

  I heard something bump outside the bedroom and my first thought was Morton, but then he poked me in the back with his cold nose and whined. The noise seemed to be coming from out in the kitchen. I rolled out of bed and pulled on my boxers, thinking maybe Iggy was up raiding the refrigerator. I opened the bedroom door, the house was dark, which probably made Iggy feel right at home. I heard the noise again and quietly made my way down the hall, Morton hung back in the bedroom. I cautiously peeked around the corner into the kitchen area, but couldn’t see anything.

  I waited for a bit and was about to head back to bed when I heard the noise again. It was coming from out on the deck, a clicking or something. I made my way toward the sliding door. I remembered Bonnie locking it before we went to bed and then she’d placed a board just behind the door so it wouldn’t be able to slide open. Even if the door was left unlocked no one would get in with the board lying there.

  I heard the noise again just as I saw the shadow in the moonlight. It was actually a figure, a guy, leaning down and fiddling with the lock, I think. If he was trying to pick it he wasn’t doing a very good job. As my eyes adjusted I began to make out his features. Long, thinning hair, some sort of tattoo across his neck. He wore cutoff blue jeans and a t-shirt that simply said ‘Grunge’, which somehow seemed to fit. It looked like he was wearing sandals.