Stuff to Spy For by Don Bruns Read Free Book Online Page A

I’m not a detective. I’m just a security salesman.”
    The lady moved her bottle of beer over to my side of the pitted booth. “Have mine.” I looked down and saw someone had carved the word “muerte” in the vinyl. I was pretty sure the word was Spanish for death.
    “What makes you think someone killed Mr. Walters?”
    She took a deep breath. “Ever since Synco Systems took on this new project, there have been strange things going on. I’m not supposed to tell anyone this, but the project does involve the United States government. Enough said.”
    I just kept listening.
    “Did Sarah tell you about Tony Quatman?”
    I shook my head. The name didn’t ring a bell.
    “He is the designer of the system. This new computer system that’s supposed to prohibit any hackers from breaking in.”
    “Okay.”
    “A week after Synco signed a contract with the government, Tony resigned. Didn’t give a reason. He just wrote a note and walked out.” She made a flourish with her right hand, brandishing the yellow pencil as if she was writing the note herself.
    “And why is that a problem?”
    “Tony was to get a very nice bonus when the project was completed.”
    I understood. I was to get a very nice bonus when I’d finished playing Sarah’s boyfriend. And thinking about that made me feel kind of sleazy, sitting here talking to Sandler Conroy’s wife while Conroy was probably boinking his prostitute girlfriend. My pretend girlfriend. This whole thing was so sordid.
    “He walked out. No bonus. Now does that make any sense to you? You’re a businessman, Mr. Moore. Would you walk out on a bonus?”
    “Mrs. Conroy—”
    “No one has seen or heard from him since.”
    I shrugged my shoulders.
    “His secretary, Julia Bayford, she didn’t show up the next day, and we’ve heard nothing from her or her husband.”
    “People move. People change plans.”
    “I want you to look into it.”
    “What?”
    “You’re a security guy.” She let that hang, as if I should jump at the chance to use my vast experience in selling security systems to help solve a possible murder and disappearance.
    “As I said, I sell security systems. That’s it.”
    “Listen to me. You’re going to have full access to the building. You’re brand new to the company and you can look places that no one else has looked. If you stumble onto something you shouldn’t see, you just tell them that you were doing security work.”
    I nearly swallowed the entire second beer.
    “Mr. Moore, I believe Ralph was murdered. I believe that someone either forced Tony Quatman out, or they killed him. I believe Julia Bayford—”
    “I can’t do this. I wouldn’t have a clue what to look for. I have no idea why these people are disappearing, and to be honest, Mrs. Conroy, I don’t care. I just want to do my job, get paid, and leave. Look, I really need this job. I can’t take a chance of screwing this up.”
    She shook her head, pulling her hair back from her face. In the dark bar I saw the dark side of the pretty lady. Her lipstick was a little more red than I’d first noticed. Her eyes a little dark with the makeup. Maybe a little too much blush on her cheekbones. “Mr. Moore, if I’m right, and Ralph Walters was murdered, if Tony Quatman was murdered, I believe someone else is going to be killed as well. Believe me when I say I’d like to prevent that at all costs.”
    “Who would—” The bartender stood by the table. He took us both by surprise, and I wondered what he thought if he’d heard the conversation.
    “Another beer?” I shook my head no. Three in mid-afternoon was pushing it a little bit. I had to drive back to Carol City.
    “What do you propose?”
    “I propose that you do security work for me. I’ll give you ideas of what to look for and you basically become my spy.”
    “Mrs. Conroy, I could lose my job.”
    “You work for me. My father owns the company. My husband is the president.” These rich bitches.
    “I work for