to him—or to anyone—she thought she ought to let him know that she had started the ball rolling with getting a job and signing up for the service. She dialed the number for Swingers, but the girl who answered the phone said Mickey was out.
“No, wait, I think that’s him now,” she amended. She set the phone down, and after a few moments Mickey’s voice barked a brusque “hello” into the phone.
“It’s Lettie,” she said softly. “I was just calling to give you an update.”
“Hold on.”
After a brief interval and some clicking on the phone line, he spoke again. From what she could tell, he had switched to the phone in his office.
“What’d you figure out?” he demanded.
“Uh…I…uh…nothing yet. I just wanted to let you know that they’ll be calling for references. They couldn’t hire me right away, not until this girl Viveca goes on maternity leave. So I signed up for the dating service instead, like you said.”
“Maternity leave! When’s that supposed to happen?”
“In a week or so.”
“A week? What was her name? Viveca what?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Never mind. So you signed up for the dating service?”
Lettie could hear a female voice on the other end, speaking in soothing tones.
“Here you go, baby,” the woman said. “It’s all over now. Have a drink.”
“W-what’s going on there?” Lettie asked.
“I just got back from the police station,” Mickey said. “They questioned me for over an hour.” There was a muffled sound and then he spoke in the distance: “Blanche, get Ziggy on the phone.”
“The police?” Lettie asked with a small gasp. “Why?”
“’Cause my business partner died in the middle of a kidnapping and false impersonation. They wanted to know if I knew anything.”
“What did you tell them?”
“The truth. I didn’t have a clue what he was doing with that girl.”
Lettie closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
“Do…do you think they’ll find out about me?”
“Not unless you mess up. I sure didn’t say nothing.”
“Mickey, what if I can’t find out anything here about Frankie or Jo Tulip?”
She could hear the clink of ice in Mickey’s glass as he took a long sip.
“Do what you can,” he told her. “We pulled all of Frankie’s papers and his computer out of his house early this morning. My boy Ziggy is scanning the hard drive now to see if it has any information. Maybe that will give us a clue.”
“Good.”
“In the meantime, I may be sending some muscle to Mulberry Glen.”
“Some muscle?”
Mickey’s voice hardened.
“Things have gotten more complicated,” he said evenly. “I think this Jo Tulip might have something of mine, and I want it back.”
Danny didn’t understand why Jo wanted him to meet her at a gas station out in the country. All he could make out was that she wanted him to stop by her house to let Chewie out and make sure he had some water, and then go directly to the Pack-n-Pay in Bridgemeyer, which was about thirty miles northeast of Mulberry Glen.
“Bridgemeyer?” he had said loudly into the phone. “Why?”
In between bursts of static, she said something about picking her up so they could go to Peter Trumble’s house.
“Bring your camera equipment,” she added before they were cut off completely.
Now Danny was about fifteen minutes away, and as he drove he couldn’t help but wonder if, in a way, he had become Jo’s personal lap dog. He seemed to jump at her every command, didn’t he? He considered his actions of late.
In his concern for her welfare, he kept an eye on her dog and her house, gladly handling any situation where she needed help.
In her quest for better household hints, he had allowed her to invade his home and his closets, sorting his possessions and exploring his messy psyche.
In his desire to give her space, he had kept his feelings about her to himself.
In his need for her to love him back, he had let her work through her relationship issues
“No, wait, I think that’s him now,” she amended. She set the phone down, and after a few moments Mickey’s voice barked a brusque “hello” into the phone.
“It’s Lettie,” she said softly. “I was just calling to give you an update.”
“Hold on.”
After a brief interval and some clicking on the phone line, he spoke again. From what she could tell, he had switched to the phone in his office.
“What’d you figure out?” he demanded.
“Uh…I…uh…nothing yet. I just wanted to let you know that they’ll be calling for references. They couldn’t hire me right away, not until this girl Viveca goes on maternity leave. So I signed up for the dating service instead, like you said.”
“Maternity leave! When’s that supposed to happen?”
“In a week or so.”
“A week? What was her name? Viveca what?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Never mind. So you signed up for the dating service?”
Lettie could hear a female voice on the other end, speaking in soothing tones.
“Here you go, baby,” the woman said. “It’s all over now. Have a drink.”
“W-what’s going on there?” Lettie asked.
“I just got back from the police station,” Mickey said. “They questioned me for over an hour.” There was a muffled sound and then he spoke in the distance: “Blanche, get Ziggy on the phone.”
“The police?” Lettie asked with a small gasp. “Why?”
“’Cause my business partner died in the middle of a kidnapping and false impersonation. They wanted to know if I knew anything.”
“What did you tell them?”
“The truth. I didn’t have a clue what he was doing with that girl.”
Lettie closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
“Do…do you think they’ll find out about me?”
“Not unless you mess up. I sure didn’t say nothing.”
“Mickey, what if I can’t find out anything here about Frankie or Jo Tulip?”
She could hear the clink of ice in Mickey’s glass as he took a long sip.
“Do what you can,” he told her. “We pulled all of Frankie’s papers and his computer out of his house early this morning. My boy Ziggy is scanning the hard drive now to see if it has any information. Maybe that will give us a clue.”
“Good.”
“In the meantime, I may be sending some muscle to Mulberry Glen.”
“Some muscle?”
Mickey’s voice hardened.
“Things have gotten more complicated,” he said evenly. “I think this Jo Tulip might have something of mine, and I want it back.”
Danny didn’t understand why Jo wanted him to meet her at a gas station out in the country. All he could make out was that she wanted him to stop by her house to let Chewie out and make sure he had some water, and then go directly to the Pack-n-Pay in Bridgemeyer, which was about thirty miles northeast of Mulberry Glen.
“Bridgemeyer?” he had said loudly into the phone. “Why?”
In between bursts of static, she said something about picking her up so they could go to Peter Trumble’s house.
“Bring your camera equipment,” she added before they were cut off completely.
Now Danny was about fifteen minutes away, and as he drove he couldn’t help but wonder if, in a way, he had become Jo’s personal lap dog. He seemed to jump at her every command, didn’t he? He considered his actions of late.
In his concern for her welfare, he kept an eye on her dog and her house, gladly handling any situation where she needed help.
In her quest for better household hints, he had allowed her to invade his home and his closets, sorting his possessions and exploring his messy psyche.
In his desire to give her space, he had kept his feelings about her to himself.
In his need for her to love him back, he had let her work through her relationship issues
Similar Books
