Crime Seen by Victoria Laurie Read Free Book Online

extra mirror for your grandmother.’’
    Candice laughed and seemed to relax a little. ‘‘You know, this Wolfe guy is known in my circle as someone you don’t want to mess with.’’
    ‘‘His reputation has reached all the way to Kalamazoo, huh?’’
    Candice nodded. ‘‘ ’Fraid so, Abs. Still, it’s obvious to me that you’re going to go poking your nose where it doesn’t belong whether or not I agree to help you, so in the interest of keeping you out of any new lines of fire, I’m tempted to say yes.’’
    ‘‘Four months, Candice, and that’s my final offer.’’ I was rewarded with another laugh and Candice’s arms uncrossed. ‘‘Again, it’s very tempting,’’ she said, tapping her finger against her lips. ‘‘But I’m a little reluctant to commit to this, because I know you could use the money.’’
    ‘‘I’m fine,’’ I said with a wave of my hand. ‘‘I’ve still got some insurance money and we just got an offer on that investment property I own.’’
    Candice nodded, but her look was still pensive. ‘‘I think what I’m getting at is a more formal agreement,’’ she said.
    ‘‘What kind of formal agreement?’’
    ‘‘Well, you’ve certainly helped me out in the past, and I’ve loved having you on my team. What would you say to forming a real partnership?’’
    The corners of my mouth turned up. I could see where she was going with this. ‘‘You want to go into business with each other?’’
    ‘‘The way I see it, you’ve let go of most of your clientele, right?’’
    I squirmed in my chair. This was smacking of the recent lectures I’d received from my boyfriend, and I was never really good at dealing with other people’s opinions. ‘‘I’m easing back into the idea of starting up again.’’
    ‘‘But in the meantime, you’ve got all this free time. What better way to keep your radar sharp than to work on my cases with me? We can hammer out some sort of hourly trade. It would really help me get established here, Abs. I could cut down on the number of hours I’d need to resolve a lot of my cases and take on more in less time. It’s win-win for me.’’
    ‘‘And you’d be willing to help me by getting to the bottom of Walter McDaniel’s murder?’’
    It was Candice’s turn to squirm. ‘‘Yes,’’ she finally said. ‘‘But there are a few conditions that I’d need you to agree to.’’
    ‘‘Like what?’’
    ‘‘Like, you’d need to put me in charge of the overall investigation. I’m serious about this Wolfe guy. I know for a fact that the FBI’s been trying to nail him for years but hasn’t been able to get him yet. He’s slippery and smart and has one hell of a nasty reputation. Plus, I personally knew someone who got caught up in Wolfe’s business and hasn’t shown up to work in two years.’’
    My eyes widened. ‘‘What happened?’’
    ‘‘One of the other PIs at my old firm took on an ex-girlfriend of Wolfe’s in a paternity suit. The PI— Darren Cox is his name— was a rookie investigator. I thought he was an idiot, but my boss saw some potential in him. Two weeks after he took on the Wolfe case, my boss gets a call from Darren. He tells him that he’s taking a vacation. He’s just won a ticket to the Caribbean and the deal was that he needed to leave immediately. We never saw or heard from Darren again. Then, an hour after Darren calls us, his client telephones. She wants to pay her bill and close the case, says it was all just a big fat misunderstanding.’’
    ‘‘My ass it was,’’ I said, feeling my radar buzz its agreement.
    ‘‘Those were our sentiments exactly,’’ Candice said.
    ‘‘Do you think Darren was paid off? Or just scared into leaving town?’’
    ‘‘Probably a little of both, so it’s important that we be discreet, Abby. Wolfe isn’t someone I want on my ass, especially given your impressions that he had a direct hand in offing McDaniel.’’
    ‘‘Got it,’’ I said,