Kidnapped: A Jarek Grayson Private Detective Novel (Grayson Investigative Services Book 1)
Page 13
“Jarek,” Pete and Susan said together.
“Anyway, from what I have seen, love can force people to do some really strange things. Even lie about their feelings with regards to it. I think,” I finished.
Susan gave me a long look and then nodded.
“So what happens?” Mayor Taylor asked.
“Well,” Landon said, looking around. “Everyone is being interrogated, but this is an open investigation still. We agreed to this meeting because it was your daughter and, of course, Jarek and his associates were acting on your behalf and also as a police contractor, according to the paperwork I’m seeing here.”
“Made the information requests official, for the case,” Pete piped in.
If I was into men, I could have kissed him right then, germs and phobias be damned.
“Why did Martin and Caroline hire Fuller?” Susan asked. “He was already doing his own surveillance, which makes no sense, since the Mayor’s daughter was in on it.”
“Red herring. Probably didn’t expect us to trace and fast track things. It would have given the three of them enough time to have skipped town with the money,” I told them.
“I’m still not clear on how you got her ID so fast,” Landon said. “Fingerprints, yes, but you must have used facial recognition software or already had a good idea. Did you use her as some sort of honey trap yourself?”
“If that’s all, I must get back to the hospital,” I said, changing the subject. “One of my associates was injured in the process, and I’m going to check in on her.” I stood.
The table was silent for a moment. “Tell Jo to give ‘em hell,” Pete told me, offering his hand.
I hesitated. A week or even a day ago, I would have never even contemplated shaking it. Hell, he knew I was having an anxiety attack a mere handful of minutes ago, and he was—
I took his hand and shook. Susan grinned and put her hand on my shoulder. I didn’t flinch, and she walked out with me.
“I’ll give you a ride,” she said softly. “So I don’t have to play catch up with whatever you and Pete cooked up,” she whispered as the door to the conference room swung shut behind us.
* * *
Johanna was awake as I strolled into her room. She’d been in the process of getting dressed, and she was wobbly on her feet. Her unsure footing and the surprise of my arrival led up to a spectacular tumble that would have had her hitting her head if I hadn’t grabbed her, stopping her fall.
“You have to knock, you…” she sputtered out curses as I stood, still holding her.
She was warm and felt comfortable in my arms. My chest felt tight, and something, some emotion, was coming to the surface. Something I hadn’t felt before. I’d been thinking about what I’d told them about love, and the lie that I was sure Johanna had told me. Maybe I was being presumptuous, but I was a good study, and I’d been learning body language. I got it hilariously wrong at times, but when Jo’s curses stopped, I felt a warm hand on the side of my face. I looked down to see her looking up at me, smiling. I put her back on the bed and handed her the sweatpants she’d been struggling with.
“Thanks, Jarek,” she said, more than a little annoyed.
I sat down, turning so she could have some privacy. I didn’t understand the need for it, given all we’d done together, but it was something she expected. I stared out the window into the empty courtyard and concrete jungle below us, feeling exhausted.
“You know,” she said, “you’re one of my best friends too.” She said the words slowly and in a soft tone.
I tried to read the meaning into it, but I couldn’t. It was escaping me. I turned to find her wearing her sweats, the hospital gown now just a large robe.
“I know,” I told her softly. “And I think you were right about friendship being mistaken as love,” I told her, the lie coming out smoothly.
She said nothing for a long moment and then patted the edge of the bed. I walked over to her and sat there, by her legs.
“So no more wild monkey sex,” she said, pointing a fingernail at me.
“That was a mistake.” I echoed her words from before.
“I don’t want to ruin the business or friendship,” Jo told me quietly.
“I can’t even fake a relationship; it’d be horrible for both of us,” I told her, taking her hand.
“Would you look at this,” Susan said, strolling in the room and making the both of us start.
And like the smooth operator I was, I fell off the edge of the bed, cracking my ass on the hard floor. Susan of course laughed; she found humor everywhere. Maybe she should be the one working with me on body language.
“Did I interrupt a little domestic scene?” she crooned, her voice sounding all fake.
What she was trying to convey? Well, that must have been sarcasm. Score one for me!
“No, he’s just checking on me,” Johanna said.
“Holding hands… sitting on the bed…”
“I was checking her pulse,” I said, regaining my feet and sitting on the edge again.
“I was just messing with you two. I decided to grab a pop before heading back and wanted to stop in and see how you’re doing, Jo. You scared me when I came in and saw everyone unconscious,” Susan said, sitting in the chair I’d vacated a few moments before.
“I’m doing ok. I may have to hire a car service for a week or two, unless we can get Tech Support to drive us around,” Johanna said.
“After this case, I’m thinking a small vacation is in order. On the drive over here I sent the final bill to the Mayor.”
“Do you think he’s going to pay it?” Susan asked.
She had a point. I was hired to help find his kidnapped daughter, who didn’t end up being kidnapped. She was now under arrest for that, plus assault and battery, attempted murder, wire fraud… the list went on, and she was the one who had the lighter charges.
“He will, one way or another,” I told them confidently.
“How do you know?” Jo asked.
“Just a guess,” I said, thinking about all the details that could go public and how much backlash from the community he would get if too much info got out there.
“Where would we go on vacation?” Jo asked, surprising me.
“Somewhere warm. And clean. You can take your guy friend Carl and—”
“Wait, you’ve skipped the break-up and now you’re proposing a double date?” Susan asked, standing suddenly.
“We weren’t dating,” Jo said, not looking her in the eyes. She then looked to me. “I suppose he’d like that, if he can get off of work. Who would you take?”
I thought about it a moment, and decided I wanted to see the furious side of her again. I knew it was mean, but this time it was a joke, and her prickly manner was more of the normal than most, from my understanding.
“Is Sasha out of interrogation?” I asked Susan.
I felt Jo’s foot push me off the bed and launch me towards Susan’s feet as she yelled, “I’ll end you!”
I didn’t have to see it, but I knew a manicured fingernail would be pointed right at me.
--The End--
About the Author
Boyd Craven III was born and raised in Michigan, an avid outdoorsman who has always loved to read and write from a young age. When he isn’t working outside on the farm, or chasing a household of kids, he’s sitting in his Lazy Boy, typing away.
You can find the rest of Boyd’s books on Amazon here.
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