Finders Keepers Losers Die

by Carolyn Scott

  "Anything missing?"

  He shrugged. "Nothing obvious but we'll have his girlfriend check to be sure."

  I shrugged. "So that's it?"

  "Yep."

  "So basically you don't have much."

  Scarface leaned against the kitchen bench and crossed his arms and ankles. He knew how to do sexy. "They're looking for prints now."

  We both knew that wouldn't yield much. I'd watched enough CSI to know that if the killer had cleaned the gun, he'd probably made sure his prints didn't appear anywhere else either.

  "And I'm working my contacts," Scarface added.

  "Yeah, I can see that."

  "I will be, as soon as Stankovic and I debrief."

  I sighed and slumped against the bench next to him. Prickles of heat crept along the back of my neck and I could feel a headache coming on. I needed to go to the pool for a swim, or to the mall for a pedicure to clear my head.

  I was distracted from the cooling thoughts by a large figure looming in the open doorway. Will.

  Fuck!

  He looked like he wanted to bite someone's head off. No prizes for guessing whose. I tried to blend into the scenery but I guess I wasn't dressed like a cop because he spotted me straight away. He stalked across the floor, his sharp glare ripping through me. He stopped, hands on hips, between Scarface and me. But instead of telling me what he thought of my entrepreneurial activities, he turned to Scarface.

  "What's going on here?" he asked in the tight voice he seemed to reserve for ticking me off.

  "Nice to see you too, Knight," said Scarface. "Been a while."

  "I haven't got time for reunions, Forde. I got a call from a Detective Stankovic that my…" His gaze slid to me. "…employee was down here making a nuisance of herself—"

  "Hey, I'm right here!" I waved in his face.

  Will ignored me.

  "Not exactly a nuisance," Scarface said, his one eye grazing over my body.

  A little shiver followed in the wake of his scrutiny, but it wasn't from being creeped out. Quite the opposite.

  Will noticed the look too, and my reaction. A deep frown split his forehead. "Anyone care to answer me?"

  I cleared my throat and tried to think of something to get me out of the mess but it appeared to be one of those rare occasions where the truth might be best. I drew Will aside.

  "Now don't get mad—"

  "It's a little late for that."

  "I took on Roberta Scarletti as a client."

  I expected him to lose his temper and swear and generally act like a pig, but he merely sighed. "I thought as much. Cat, why? After everything I said?" He looked exhausted. His stubble could rival Scarface's for length and the spidery lines around his bloodshot eyes were deeper than ever.

  Too bad he'd used up all my sympathy votes in the previous couple of days.

  "She was desperate. She needed help and I felt sorry for her. Lou is—was—awful to her." I paused but he said nothing. "I can do this, Will. Just give me a chance."

  He held up his hands. "Let's not go into that right now. I just want to fix this mess and get back to work. Now," he turned to Scarface and Stankovic who'd joined us, "is Cat in any trouble here?"

  "Her bugging device was found under the coffee table," said Stankovic, "and I'm sure her fingerprints are everywhere. But I doubt we'll be needing to talk to her. She doesn't seem to know much."

  Condescending asshole.

  "Thank you," Will said on a breath. "Come on, Cat, let's go." He strode off but I didn't follow.

  I felt like I was holding onto a slippery pole and losing my grip fast. "Wait," I said, "I'm not finished here."

  "I think you are."

  My blood reached boiling point. He might be my boss but he didn't have to make me look like an idiot. A hundred curses bubbled up inside and it was just a matter of which one spilled out first.

  "Relax, Knight," said Scarface, getting in first. "Let Cat finish her investigations here. She's a good interrogator. She makes me want to tell her everything." He said it with a cheeky grin that changed his whole appearance. He really was quite handsome, if you could look past the scar.

  Will had been near the door but he strode back into the living room and crossed his arms. He squared off with Scarface and I could practically see the testosterone flying between them. They must have had a serious history together to dislike each other so much. Not knowing was like a red rag to a bull. They don't call me Cat for nothing. Mom often said my curiosity would be my downfall one day. That and my tendency to lie through my teeth to save my butt.

  "So how do you know each other?" I asked.

  "We used to work together," Will said without taking his eyes off Scarface.

  "Back when he had some balls," Scarface said.

  Oh-kay.

  "As you may have already learned, Cat," Will said, "Forde not only thinks he's God's gift to women and the police force, he thinks private investigators are the scum of the earth."

  "He hasn't treated me that way," I said.

  "That's because he wants to get into your pants."

  Since Scarface didn't deny it, I had to assume Will was on the money. I suddenly felt awkward. Although I'd flirted with Scarface, I wasn't sure I wanted to go beyond that. He still freaked me out, not because of his disfigurement but because of his don't-give-a-fuck attitude. I got the feeling he lived on the edge, with one foot in respectability but the other foot firmly in the sinister underbelly of the city. I suppose when you work undercover, the line between the two can blur.

  Will and I left when Stankovic and Scarface refused to answer anymore questions. Outside, Will chaperoned me across the road to my car even though his SUV was parked right outside the apartment building. I unlocked the door to my Civic and he held it open.

  "See you back at the office," he said as I got in.

  He slammed the door and jogged across the road to his Jeep. He followed me the whole way back to High Street, parked behind me near the office and walked me through the door, sticking closer than Kevin to Whitney in The Bodyguard, only it was more irritating than sweet.

  Carl came out, took one look at us, and returned to his office and closed the door. Coward. It was his fault I was on Will's hit list.

  I dumped my handbag on my desk and sat in my chair. "I'll just check the emails," I chirped.

  "My office. Now."

  "Okay, but don't say I never do anything around here. When I offer to do something—"

  "CAT!"

  I held up my hands and marched up the corridor to his office. He followed behind, closed the door and directed me to a chair. Instead of sitting in his, he sat on the edge of the desk in front of me. Not only was he closer that way, but he was far higher than me. Good intimidation tactic. I'd have to remember that if I ever interrogated a suspect.

  He didn't say anything for a long time and I avoided his gaze while he planned his lecture. Then I looked at him. He was so furious, a little vein pulsed in his temple and steam practically rose from his nostrils.

  "Maybe I should start," I said. "I'm sorry, Will, for—" I stopped. What the hell was I sorry for? For taking on Roberta as a client? No. For going to the apartment to investigate Lou's death? No.

  "You lied to me, Cat." His voice, thick and low, shook with anger. "You lied to me about Roberta, about your dead grandmother—"

  "My what? Oh, yeah, that was Carl's idea."

  "Don't change the subject. I'm so angry with you right now. You put Knight Investigations' reputation on the line. My license could be revoked if they find out you're my secretary."

  So that's why he hadn't told Stankovic and Scarface what I really did at the office. And here I thought he was being kind to me but all the while he was saving his bacon.

  "I've spent years building up a relationship with the police and you nearly ruined it by getting involved in a murder."

  "How was I to know Lou would wind up dead? It was supposed to be a little surveillance case."

  "This is wh
y we don't take on domestics."

  "Because they end in murder?"

  "Because they get messy. Cat, did you seriously think you could do this on your own?"

  I stood abruptly and Will reared back in surprise. "I wouldn't have had to do it on my own if you were willing to help me. Or maybe show me how to be an investigator like you promised."

  "Promised? I never—"

  "You did, Will." I pointed my finger at his chest, really pissed off now.

  He stood too. "Show me where in your contract."

  Contract? Oh. "We had a verbal agreement."

  He spread his hands out in a placating gesture. "Look, Cat, this isn't about your terms of employment. It's about you lying to me and putting Knights in hot water. Thank Christ Stankovic didn't ask to see your P.I. license."

  I couldn't believe he was putting the blame onto me. Okay, so I was a teeny bit responsible for pretending to be an investigator when I wasn't, and I suppose I did use the agency name. And I lied to him. But none of that would have happened if he'd taken on Roberta's case in the first place. Besides, I didn't kill Lou.

  "I was handling the police just fine on my own," I said.

  He laughed without humor. "Yeah, and Forde was handling you."

  I didn't know what to say to that so I kept quiet.

  His deep sigh put an end to the argument. "I don't need this," he said. "Not now. Both Waterstone and Slim want me at their beck and call twenty-four seven. I can't keep both of them at this rate."

  "Well, Roberta didn't want you. She wanted me. If you'd let me take her on, it would have been easy money. But I guess that escaped your notice." I strode out of his office and down the corridor to my desk.

  Okay, so I'd behaved like a drama queen. It was a state of mind I'd perfected while acting. You don't get noticed in Hollywood, even for bit parts, if you don't have a diva lurking inside, no matter how deep down.

  "I'll just collect my things and go," I shot over my shoulder.

  That brought the tortoise out of his shell. Carl's blond head emerged from round his door. "You're leaving?"

  "Looks like it." I threw my coffee-stained mug into my handbag and ripped off the funny movie quotes I'd stuck around my computer screen for inspiration. "Send my final pay check to my home address," I yelled up to Will. "By the end of the week," I added, "not two days late like last time."

  When he didn't answer, I turned round to make sure he was listening. (To appreciate the effects of the diva mode, it helps if the other party is present.) He was. He stood at the end of the corridor, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. He still looked angry but for the first time, it struck me how sexy he was. With his dark hair, dark eyes and shadowy stubble, he had the mysterious and broody look of a highly paid movie star but without the stylist. Why I noticed at that moment was a mystery.

  Sexiness aside, I couldn't work with a man who didn't respect me.

  I wasn't sure if I'd just quit or he'd fired me, but the semantics didn't really matter. I was outta there. Will didn't say anything, not even goodbye, as I left. Carl on the other hand, followed me out like a puppy.

  "You're really going?" he said. "Just like that?"

  "Yep. See ya." I was still too pissed off with Will to give Carl a proper farewell.

  "But…what'll you do now?"

  I shrugged. "I'm sure I'll find another secretarial job." Although I wasn't sure I wanted one.

  "Not without a reference from Will, you won't."

  Damn it. I hadn't thought of that. "Maybe I'll go back to acting."

  "Not too many movies get made in Renford."

  I threw up my hands. "Then I'll return to Hollywood."

  "Who's going to Hollywood?" Gina joined us on the footpath. She wore a pretty floral dress that showed off her curves and sent Carl's eyes spinning. The smile she also wore quickly faded when she saw my expression. "What's the matter?"

  "Will fired me," I said, just as Carl said, "She quit."

  "Well, which is it?" Gina asked.

  I shrugged. "It's a little unclear."

  "You must have quit," she said matter of factly. "I don't believe Will fired you."

  "Why not?"

  She shrugged. "He just wouldn't. He feels obligated to your dad, and besides, he likes you."

  "Yeah, you could probably hear how much he likes me through the wall." I grunted. "I'm going home and taking a bath with a glass of champagne to celebrate my new freedom from the Kaiser."

  "That's unfair," Gina said.

  "You never had to work for him. Tell her, Carl."

  He hesitated before giving a small nod. "He can be a bit of a task master," he whispered, glancing back at the office. "He expects everyone to work as hard as him, but the truth is, it's his business. Why should I put in extra effort to make him rich?"

  Did I sound as whiny as that?

  "I think you're both being too harsh," Gina said with a sniff. "He's under pressure. And it can't be easy finding out his ex-girlfriend stole from him."

  "If you feel so sorry for him, then you go work there." I regretted the words as soon as I said them. Gina was my best friend. If she liked Will, then I'd still be her friend. I may not help her get him, but I'd—

  Who was I kidding? If she wanted Will, he was hers, easy. She didn't need my help. A woman looking like Gina could have any man she set her mind to.

  Why she'd set it on him was something I'd never understand.

  "I'll call you later," I said to Gina. "Maybe we can go out after you close the shop."

  "Sounds good." She squeezed my arm and disappeared back inside after a customer.

  "Getting back to what you're going to do next," Carl said. "What about Roberta?"

  "Roberta?" Oh. I'd forgotten about her. It was one thing to snap at Gina, but to forget about my client too? I briefly wondered if I could beg Will for my job back but I dismissed the idea while I still had some pride. "Oh, Carl, what should I tell her?"

  "It's a shame to have to tell her anything. Why not keep looking for the jewelry? I mean, you must be close or Lou wouldn't be dead."

  A cold chill rippled down my spine. I shivered. "You think the two events are related?"

  "Don't you?"

  I lifted one shoulder. It just seemed so unlikely that anything I was involved in could lead to murder. My world was full of light and fluffy things like movie stars and designer bags that it had sort of escaped my notice that the person I was investigating had wound up dead. I mean, I knew he was dead, I just hadn't put his death together with my investigation. I hated to admit it, but up until then, following Lou and looking for the jewelry had been a bit of a game, a way of relieving the boredom at work.

  But the more I thought about it, the more I felt in my bones that Carl was right. God, I sounded like Roberta.

  "Do you think that's why he died? Because I was getting too close so somebody killed him to keep him quiet?"

  "I don't think you were that close, Cat." I must have looked offended because he added, "But it's possible."

  "So what are the legalities? I don't work for Knights anymore so can I still investigate the case?"

  Carl smirked at me. "Off the record."

  I smirked back. "That's not illegal?"

  "If there's no contract between you, and if no money officially changes hands then who's to say you're not just helping out a friend?"

  My insides slowly stopped rolling around in misery. Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel. Carl had just given me something to focus on, something to keep me busy while I looked for paying work.

  But I still had my doubts. I wasn't an investigator. I wasn't even semi-trained. I had my mother's books and the internet, which I'd have to use at Mom's now that I'd quit. That wasn't a broad skill set to fall back on. It wasn't even a narrow one.

  "I don't know," I hedged.

  Carl placed his hands on my shoulders and ducked his head to look into my eyes. "Cat, listen to me. You're smart. You're good at figuring things o
ut and God knows, you can talk your way out of a sticky situation better than anyone I know."

  "I don't know if that's enough."

  "Will agrees with me," he added.

  "He thinks I can lie my ass off when I have to?"

  "He thinks you're clever. And intuitive. He would have got around to telling you too, when things weren't so hectic."

  Yeah, right. I shook my head.

  "Cat, forget about Will. Forget about Knight Investigations and do this for Roberta. And for yourself. Show Will you've got what it takes." He kissed my forehead. "And your Dad."

  Dad? Something inside me lurched and welled, making my heart feel like a brick as it pounded into my ribcage. I bit my lip. Scarletti had been Dad's case. Now it was mine. My chance. My way of giving the old man the finger for all those years he tried to force me into the perfect daughter mold.

  Something about the Scarletti case had bothered Dad back then. If I figured it out, and found the missing jewelry as well…

  I gave Carl a hug. "You're a smooth talker, Carl Fortune."

  He gave me his wickedest grin. "So they tell me."

  CHAPTER 6

  Gina and I sat on stools facing each other at a table in Code Red, a bar in Downtown Renford where the office crowd liked to drink their boring week into oblivion on Friday nights with over-priced cocktails. My not-so boring day was still bothering me, so I ordered another couple of vodka and limes.

  "Cat, I haven't even finished my second," said Gina. "If you keep this pace up, you'll be throwing yourself into the arms of…" She checked out the suits standing at the bar. "That guy." She nodded in the direction of a short, bald man who was well on his way to thinking he was the hottest guy in the bar if his stumbling was anything to go by.

  "I'll be fine," I said. "Just one more then I'll slow down."

  "No, you'll stop and I'll take you home."

  "But I might get lucky," I protested.