Tracking A Shadow: A Jarvis Mann Detective Novel

by R Weir

  Lunch came and we both took a few bites and Emily continued.

  “Karen was all over this other guy and desired to go home with him. That was generally her style, a touch on the loose side if you get my drift. So she said she was leaving but wanted to make sure I was OK. She whispered, ‘Get laid, Emily, you need it.’ An amorous notion overtook me thanks to the alcohol, as it had been quite a while since I’d been with a man; simply put, I was horny. So I told her to enjoy herself and I’d do the same. We hugged and she left me alone with him.”

  The waiter returned with more drinks for both of us and made sure our lunch was satisfactory. As before, my sandwich was excellent, while Emily gushed over the pot pie.

  “Jim and I started dancing to slow music, cheek to cheek, one body rubbing the other, and it was obvious he was aroused. I whispered in his ear I wanted to leave, making it clear what I desired. So we left and ended up at my place, and not his, as he said his roommate had someone over.” She took another small bite of her lunch and wiped her face with her napkin.

  “Well we did the deed, and it was OK, not great but it cleared the decks if you know what I mean. When you hadn’t had sex in a while even OK sex is acceptable. I fell asleep and I woke up next morning, and he was gone. No note or anything, just vanished. That was OK, it wasn’t like I was looking for romance or love, just sex. Still it would have been decent of him to say he enjoyed my company or something along those lines.”

  “I had his full name, so I decided to check if he was on Facebook,” she continued. “And he actually did give me his real name and, lo and behold, it shows his status as married. Now I’m not a happy person to discover this and was really unhappy to learn he had a spouse, though not completely surprised. I mean, he is a man and that is what they do, lie to get into your pants. Well, a couple of days later I got a call from him asking to meet up again, so I confronted him right then and there on him being married. His answer was ‘My wife doesn’t care; our marriage is an open one!’ Of course I called him on it and said bullshit! I hadn’t heard from him until that night at the bar when he started hitting on me. His showing up at the barbeque was a total surprise, and I wanted to quietly tell him to leave so no one noticed until you jumped in and forced him. I became mad because I was embarrassed.”

  “The notion didn’t occur to you that he might be the stalker?” I asked.

  “Not at the time,” she answered. “Like I said, I was embarrassed I’d slept with a complete stranger and one who was married. Your statement the first day we met about not holding anything back got me a little peeved when you implied I was whoring around, causing the stalking. So I didn’t tell you about it, which was my error. I’m sorry.”

  “Can I get his full name to check him out?”

  She contemplated that for a minute, a forlorn look on her face saying she wasn’t willing to share. “I thought we’d caught the person who was involved, and Rickie is in custody. I didn’t think we needed to continue this anymore.”

  I continued to hold back the part about Rickie getting beaten up and any other items he shared with me in the hospital. “He still is sticking to his latest story that he wasn’t stalking you and claiming I coerced it from him. So I’m not 100 percent convinced he is the culprit. Jim looks like a strong suspect I should investigate.”

  “Well, I’d rather not drag Jim into this,” she said. “I’m pretty certain Rickie is the one, and I would prefer to put this all behind us. There have been no problems since he was arrested, so I’m confident I’m safe now.”

  “So you want to call it good? Close the case?”

  “Yes. Send me a bill and I’ll promptly pay it. You’ve done an outstanding job of getting to the bottom of this.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. A preliminary tally was ready but I figured there still were a few more loose ends to clean up. She was the boss and writing the checks.

  “So you’re certain of this?”

  “Yes, absolutely.”

  “OK, I’ll send it out tomorrow. I sure hope you’re right.”

  “It will give you time to spend with your new lady,” she stated. “She is extremely pretty.”

  No argument there. “Yes, she is.”

  “Quite a hottie, too, from what I’ve heard!”

  “What you’ve heard?”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t,” she said. “You two looked good together.”

  I was being baited into asking, that was obvious. Lacking in smarts, I took it hook, line and sinker.

  “Please don’t hold out on me, Emily,” I stated. “You’ve done enough holding out already. Tell me what you’ve heard.”

  She paused, thinking it over, searching for the right words. “There were stories about her when working with Bristol & Bristol. Word is she is a real go-getter and will do whatever is necessary to win a case. She is almost a detective herself the way she can use her feminine whiles to retrieve data from men. Her talent is unmatched in that regard.”

  I couldn’t tell where this was going but needed to hear more. “So are you implying she is with me to get information about this case?”

  “Well, I don’t know for certain,” she answered. “Historically, that was her M.O. through the years. Maybe she likes you. Any woman would be thrilled to be with you. You are pretty good-looking!”

  Well, wherever this was heading didn’t put a lot of glee in my heart. Was she telling the truth about Melissa? I wasn’t sure what her motive would be to tear us up, but I was going to find out.

  “How can you know so much about her?”

  “My father is Bristol & Bristol’s biggest client. So it comes from a knowledgeable source.”

  “Why tell me this now?”

  “Because I don’t care to see you get hurt by her, as she might break your heart. I can guarantee it won’t end well for you. You’re sweet, and I appreciate what you’ve done for me.” She reached her hand out to touch mine on the table. Her palm was warm and her skin was quite soft. “It would be thrilling to get to know you better.”

  This was now getting confusing. Normally, I was always on top of things, not thrown out of whack by anything. But this had me perplexed. Clarity was required, as I had to know who her father was.

  “Bristol & Bristol’s number one client is your father. And that would be?”

  “You’ve probably heard of him, seen stories on the news about him. He is the biggest building contractor in the state. Brandon Sparks is my father.”

  I pulled my hand back from hers and let out a multiple-syllable curse word everyone around us could hear.

  Chapter 24

  The Great Northern was busy and brimming with lunchtime restaurant noise. Sounds of people talking, rattling of dishes, silverware and glasses; wait staff coming and going, taking orders and filling drinks. The space stopped to a dead silence after I yelled out my obscenity. I looked around the room at all the staring glances and waved I’m sorry to those who heard me. Sometimes you sound out with four-letter words without realizing it when you’re caught off guard. Never had it occurred to me Brandon might be her father. There was no real resemblance to lead me to that conclusion. I had totally missed the possibility. Good detective work, Jarvis!

  “I can tell you’re surprised,” she stated. “Most people are. He is not my biological father, but adopted me shortly after marrying my mother. I don’t know who my real father is, as Mom got pregnant when she was seventeen and he didn’t want anything to do with her. So she went on her own and raised me by herself. She met Brandon when I was about eight years old and married him six months later.”

  “Did she realize the type of man he was?” I asked.

  “She knew he was well known, but didn’t know of his connections to the criminal world. It wouldn’t have mattered, as she loved him so dearly. As I grew older I found out things about him I didn’t enjoy learning, though I never liked him much anyway. Our relationship was always strained. He wasn’t good with kids, a hard-ass. He had a mean streak I experienced on s
everal occasions. Not in the physical sense, but he would yell and scream at times, even at Mom. The littlest of things drew his ire. She didn’t care and later on, as her illness was discovered, he mellowed. That’s when I did see, deep down, he did love her a great deal.”

  “So what happened to your mother?”

  “She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer when I was twenty-one. She lived another three years and paid the price. He got her all the best care in the world, spared no expense. In the end it didn’t matter and only prolonged her life, transforming her into a shell of the person I knew. It was painful to see her wither away, and it took its toll on Brandon. His drinking became heavier as he couldn’t accept what was happening. He ceded total control of his company to be by her side and even cried when she passed. For me, it was a relief her pain finally ended. For him, I’m not sure he ever got over her dying.”

  “Breast cancer runs in my family as well. It affected my aunt and grandmother on Dad’s side of the family. It is a horrible disease to go through.”

  “Yes, it is hereditary. I get regular checkups and do the self-exams often, as there is a strong chance it could happen to me as well. If it’s caught early, the survival rate is positive. I don’t plan on going through what Mom did.”

  I finished up my sandwich while Emily picked at her Chicken Pot Pie. Our waiter brought us refills again on the drinks and took away our plates, her lunch only half completed.

  “So you didn’t care for the food?” I asked.

  “No, it was good,” she answered. “I’m not real hungry. Talking about all of this kind of kills the appetite.”

  “I understand. It’s important for me to learn as much as I can to do my job.”

  Emily nodded her head, though you could see dredging up the past was not pleasant for her. She sipped at her drink and looked off in the distance, not wanting to make eye contact. She appeared to be a complicated person, with a complicated life I was trying to get a better grasp of. Breaking the barriers would be challenging, and I doubted I’d ever fully understand what made her tick.

  “So after your mother passed, what transpired between you and Brandon?” I asked trying to bring her focus back.

  “He helped pay for college,” she replied, her eyes now on me. “Foot the bill for starting my own business. I only let him do it if he left me alone. I wanted no strings attached and nothing to do with him personally. No Sunday dinners together, no holidays exchanging gifts. He loved Mom and I was happy for all he gave and did for her, but I didn’t care for him and his lifestyle. I knew he was a criminal in many ways. I’d heard about what happens to anyone who crossed him. I couldn’t be a part of his world. So I changed my last name and created my own life without him. We haven’t talked in years.”

  “No help with your divorce?” I asked, knowing the answer to be yes.

  “Nothing other than getting me connected to Bristol & Bristol. I paid for it with my money after selling shares in the business. I required no assistance beyond that. Though with his connections to them, I knew down inside he would be getting regular updates. He does own them, so to speak. They are his shield from the authorities.”

  “So he is as bad as some say?”

  She stopped for a minute to think about how to answer. “I’m sure he does good things as well. He creates jobs, helps the economy with his building projects. He even gives to charity, as I know he is a strong contributor to breast cancer charities and twists arms to get others to contribute. There is a dark side I like to stay clear of.”

  The whole revelation was making a lot of things little clearer in my mind. Pieces were starting to add up with what had been going on and why Brandon was so interested. Though I’d wished I’d learned some of this sooner, it was good she was opening up now about all of this.

  “He sent two men who tried to coerce me to see him shortly after you hired me,” I stated. “I bested them and we did meet afterwards under my terms. He wanted me to give him regular updates, so I’ve given him basic information since, leaving out key facts. He seems to know whether I tell him or not. He never mentioned your relationship, even when I pressed him. And he insisted I not reveal to you of his involvement. He made that abundantly clear.”

  “No surprise there. He wields a lot of power in this town and has often nosed his way into my business without asking. I think he feels he owes it to Mom to make sure I’m OK. Likely a promise he made to her when she passed away.”

  “It would have been helpful to know this,” I stated. “Helped me to understand more what was happening.”

  “Yes, I was aware. I was hoping he would stay out of this. I knew it was possible, and it became clearer about his involvement when I saw you with Melissa. She is his eyes and ears in that office. They even were intimate there for awhile. I’m certain it was a physical fling only. The thrill of sleeping with a powerful man. She uses her sexual prowess to get what she wants. I’m sure that is hard for you to believe.”

  Hard to believe was an understatement, as I was definitely falling for Melissa. Now of course I wasn’t clear what to think. Could it be she was the one sending info to Brandon? Or was Emily trying to manipulate me in some way? “The lady is not always what she seems” were the words Adam King had used. She had not been truthful at admitting things about herself. And for someone who had not spoken to her stepfather in years, she seemed to know an awful lot about him. This was a big mess, and I was going to need to mull over how to relieve myself of it.

  “Yes. I’m not sure what to think or say at this point. Maybe it’s best to end the case like you said, and we can both move on with our lives. It seems you believe the danger is over anyway. Call it good and mail you a bill.”

  “I agree it makes the most sense. You’ve done a marvelous job, and I have no problem paying you what we agreed to. If things get screwy, hopefully I can call on you for help, if you’ll be willing? It would be fabulous to keep in touch. Could we meet for lunch again, or even dinner? Time together off the clock would be enjoyable.”

  I noticed a flash of something in her eyes with her last sentence. The way she stated “enjoyable” seemed almost amorous, even sexy-sounding. Was she coming on to me?

  “Sure,” I answered, though not with much conviction, as I didn’t want to lead her on. Involvement with her, professionally or personally, might not be the best thing to do.

  “Mail the bill to me, and I’ll process the check immediately,” she said while standing up. “Time to get back to work. I do appreciate all your help. I’d love it if you’d call me sometime.” I stood as well, and she stepped around the table to give me a big long, full-bodied hug that felt strangely intimate. As she walked away I watched and admired her female form, confused by what appeared to be her attraction to me. Or was it confusion about my attraction to her? I took the restaurant tab and paid it, the last item I would add to her bill.

  Chapter 25

  Emily was true to her word and I had the check the day after I mailed the bill, along with a note hoping she’d see me again. It was a large amount, adding more digits to my account balance. She increased the fee as a bonus, which I never turned down. The question was why, and was there an ulterior motive to it. Though it made for a pleasant end to the summer of what had so far been a successful year moneywise for me. Still, the whole case had me flummoxed, and I had a hard time getting all the events out of my mind

  I spent the rest of the week relaxing, working out, going on long bike rides, taking cold showers and dodging calls from Melissa. I wasn’t sure how to deal with what I learned about her, and anytime she’d call I’d let it go to voicemail. The direct approach was always best, but likely to be messy. I was good at confrontation in my professional life, not my personal one. With each message she left you could hear her concern for why I wasn’t calling her back. I figured she eventually would get the hint and give up, but deep down I wished it wouldn’t end this way. I needed to grasp some answers and, frankly, I didn’t want to miss out on s
omething really good in my life if what Emily said was incorrect or an out-and-out lie. I missed conversing with Melissa, touching her skin, smelling her scent and enjoying her presence in my bed.

  I did research to see what more there was to discover about Melissa. All I had on her up to now is what I’d learned from her during our time together and the information Emily revealed to me. I felt a little guilty trying to track down things about her, like she was a suspect on one of my cases. Sitting around toiling away wasn’t doing anything for me but creating acid in the stomach. So I fired up the computer with the new monitor I’d purchased to replace the damaged one and started with several simple searches. I saw tidbits about her on the Bristol & Bristol website, but all were business related. I found some basic professional info on LinkedIn, mostly covering her job history, nearly all of it with Bristol & Bristol: how many years she had worked there, her college degrees and a blurb about what she specialized in. There were no Facebook or Twitter accounts that I could locate, which was surprising. More detailed searches only brought up others with the same name. Beyond the business aspects she had left no digital footprint to follow. I’d have to do things the old-fashioned way.

  I started by making a phone call to her previous employer in Colorado Springs that I’d found on LinkedIn. She had been an intern with the law firm Pendleton Brothers before joining Bristol & Bristol. The lady who answered said she had not been employed during that time, so she didn’t know her. She transferred me to the office manager who had worked there and remembered Melissa. Her name was Joy and she seemed willing to offer up quite a bit of info.

  “We are interviewing her for a new position,” I said to her. “So can you tell me something about her relating to her professional skills? Also we would like any personal information as well. Interacting with people and fellow employees is important to us when vetting possible hires.”

  “Melissa was bright and outgoing from what I remember,” Joy stated. “She was one of our better interns and transitioned to legal aide. There was nothing she couldn’t or wasn’t willing to do. If she was tasked with something, she got it done. Once finished she was eager to start a new task. Her future in law appeared boundless. We wanted to keep her, but the offer was too rich for us to match. We are a smaller firm and couldn’t compete, as I recall. It was from one of the big Denver firms. We were sorry to see her go.”