Amateur Hour

As he walked, he pondered the meeting with Kayla. It was surprising, how adversarial she had been. What was her game, he wondered, aside from monitoring him? Why had she baited him about Steph? Had it been an attempt to put him on the defensive? If so, she hadn’t been very good at it. Julio wasn’t sending his best and brightest.

No, that was us, he thought. Me and Steph — we were the best and brightest, for this job. But the wheels had come off, right before Falconi went crackers. Since then, it had been almost like everything had been working against them, including their own boss.

And that, my friend doesn’t make any sense.

Guy crept into his room, and undressed, after pulling out the phone, and placing it on his bed. It was after eleven. She’d probably be in bed. The phone seemed to stare at him, with its dark black screen “eye”, as he stepped out of his trousers.

He finally slipped into bed, but, rather than tucking the phone under his pillow, he opened it up, and dialed, from memory.

“Guy? What’s wrong?” Steph’s voice was thickened by sleep.

“All kinds of things, Steve.”

“Like what?” she asked, sounding more alert. He could hear her sitting up, and the click of a bedside lamp.

“I got thoughts that won’t go away.”

“Is this an obscene call, vato?” she joked.

He chuckled a little, softly. “Not this time,” he said, sobering. “Remember, when I asked you about your having been… ‘selected’ seeming like the worst kind of luck?”

“I remember.”

“What if it wasn’t luck, at all?”

“You put that out there, too. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that our boss might be playing both ends.”

“Why?”

“Money. Lookit — what if Mr. Billie comes to him, as a client; the outside people dig, and find out who actually has the most controlling interest in this place? What if Julio goes to that person, and says: I got some news for you; you’re being investigated by this teacher, at your school. I’ll drop the ball, for a price.”

“If I were that person, Julio’s car would mysteriously blow up.”

“If he knew it was Julio. What if he contacted this person, anonymously? What if he set up a crypto wallet, for payments?”

“He has that capability. Anyone does.” Steph fell silent, thinking about it. “At that point, I suppose I’d hire a firm of my own, if I were the big guy. Find out who the teacher is, what firm they hired, who the investigators were, inside.”

“You forget — Serrano Investigations doesn’t ‘exist’. Julio is safe enough; everyone else is a sitting duck.”

“So, theoretically, he could blackmail the big guy and continue pretending to work for Mr. Billie.”

“While the big guy cleans house. Falconi’s gone. You’re gone. The Mileses are still in play, but being intimidated. As for Mr. Billie, himself…”

“Wouldn’t it be simpler, to go straight for him, though? Maybe even kill him?”

“Yeah,” Guy admitted. “Maybe the big guy has scruples about murder — I don’t know.”

“The guy who has to know about missing students, some of whom turn up dead?”

“I don’t know,” Guy repeated.

“Should I —“

“NO! You steer clear.”

“While you sit there, with a target, on your back? When they lost a boy, they defaulted to a girl — me. Now, they’ve lost me.”

“Not to worry. I have Kayla Sawyer, to protect me.”

“Not funny, Guy.”

“You would have thought so, if you’d been at our first meet.”

“Dammit, Guy! You’re not going to distract me.”

“Look — Kayla doesn’t have my back. But, Mr. Miles does, and so does his wife. In a dire emergency, I can probably get out of here. In an absolute crisis, there are half a million places I can hide, while I wait for help.”

“I think you should come out, now.”

“So, you do care,” he teased.

“Guy!” she grated.

“Tell you what: let me finish getting the files Mr. Billie wants. If there’s nothing else I can do for him, I’m out. How’s that?”

“Not good enough, but I’ll take it.”

“Good. There’s no need to panic.”

“I’m not panicked,” she objected.

“Then, you’ll stay away from it.”

“That depends on whether or not you plan to keep secrets, from me.”

“As if I could. No secrets, I promise.”

“Good. I couldn’t stand to be treated like you plan to treat your new partner.”

“Partner. That’s a laugh. All she wanted to do was needle me, about you, and suggest that I’m dangerous. If she hadn’t put me in a mood, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

He stifled a yawn. He was very tired, all of a sudden, but he felt better, for having bounced his ideas off Steph.

“You sound sleepy, and it’s late.”

“I am, and it is. Good night, Steve.”

“Good night.”

Guy disconnected, and shoved his phone under the pillow. It was only as sleep claimed him that he realized she hadn’t promised to keep out of the whole thing, though she’d secured his promise of full disclosure. Damn. She was crafty.

**************

Steph

Steph was a bundle of nerves, as she sat in the parking lot, waiting for Mr. Billie to arrive. She was still surprised that he had agreed to meet her, and to drive so far, to do it. She would have driven farther, but he had proposed that they meet halfway, in Marianna, at the Waffle House.

He’d sounded distracted, on the phone, but had been patient enough. When he did arrive, she saw that he wasn’t alone. He’d brought Janice Miles with him. They stood behind their car, for a moment, conferring, and Steph hastened to get out, to meet them.

She didn’t know how she was going to proceed, and she was somewhat astonished, when Janice drew her into a warm hug, when she was near enough.

“I’m so glad you’re all right!” she exclaimed.

“Likewise,” Steph replied. “Last glimpse I got of you, Mr. Miles was carrying you out of the Admin wing.”

“I’m fine, now. Due to go back to work, tomorrow.”

“I’m glad you’re well enough, but I wish you wouldn’t.”

Janice only smiled, and patted her arm, so she turned her attention on Mr. Billie.

“Mr. Billie — I’m so sorry to hear about your wife.”

“Thank you, Miss Howard.”

“I… That’s why I wanted to see you.”

“So I gathered. Let’s go in and get some coffee.”

He looked drained, she thought, as he slid into the booth opposite her and Janice. A waitress took their order for coffee all around, and they all waited for her to bring it, before anyone spoke.

“I don’t really know how to began,” Steph opened, since everyone seemed to be waiting for her to do so. “I… I was wondering, sir, have you called on Serrano, to help you look for your wife?”

“How about we all just go to first names, and drop the courtesies,” he suggested, with a faint smile. “They only bog things down, and make people uncomfortable. To answer your question, Stephanie, I tried to go to Serrano, the first day, and the second, but they never got back with me, until yesterday. I told them, never mind, and that the Sheriff’s Department seemed to be doing an adequate job.”

“If you’re satisfied that they are, I’ll finish my coffee, and get out of your hair, then. After I apologize for asking you to meet me.”

“You’re not with Serrano any longer.”

“No, sir. I bailed on the assignment, and the job. I’m sorry I did that, to you.”

“No, don’t apologize. I understand. Janice explained it all. What are you doing, now?”

“I’m looking at rental properties, mostly. My partner plans to leave the firm, too, after this assignment.”

“Striking out, on your own.”

“Mr. Billie — I’m not here, to drum up business. I’m here, because I feel that I still owe you any help I can offer. And, because… I’m really scared for my partner. I’ll do anything I can, to help shut this thing down.”

Mr. Billie regarded her, for a moment, then pulled out his phone. He opened his photos, and handed the device across the table.

“What do you make of those?” he asked, reminding her, eerily, of the teacher she had known, in what seemed like a distant past. Yet, it had been a week ago. There was challenge, in the question, but it was gentle, as though he was rooting for her, at the same time.

She bent her eyes, and her focus, to the photos. Studying and enlarging. By the time she was finished, he and Janice were ready for refills, and her own coffee was lukewarm. She swallowed some, to moisten her dry mouth, and grimaced.

“The car was struck from behind, but the airbags deployed. That’s unusual, even for a hard hit. There is a little damage to the front end; not a lot, but there’s a scrape toward the bottom of the bumper. My guess is that the car went into some narrow trench, or ditch, maybe even a curb, after it was hit, the first time, and that’s why the airbags deployed.”

The waitress returned, and offered refills. Ted asked for a fresh cup for Steph, as well.

“Am I right, that it was found in that water?” Steph asked, adding creamer to her cup.

“It was. Could the airbags have deployed, when it hit that?”

“It’s not impossible,” Steph allowed. “But that wouldn’t explain the scraping on the front bumper. Was the door open, do you know, when they pulled it out?”

“I was there. No, it was closed. Why?”

“Well, she could have broken the window, and shinnied out, that way. But it would have been easier for her to have used the door, once the pressure equalized. There’s no current, for her to have had to fight.”

“How do you know?”

“Duckweed. It tends to grow in stiller water. Anyway, if she did use the door, she wouldn’t have closed it, behind her, and in that water, it wouldn’t have been closed by a current.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah. There’s not enough glass on the floorboards and the seat. See, if the car was in the water, when the glass was broken, most of it would be inside the car, even if it was deliberately cracked, from the inside. The water would have pressed the window inward. I think window was broken, from the inside, and the glass pushed out, before the car went into the water.”

“So, your opinion is…”

“My opinion is that the major damage to the car happened elsewhere, to cover an abduction, and the scene was staged. Maybe someone ran your wife off the road, into a narrow ditch, causing the airbags to deploy, and they grabbed her, while she was still reeling, from it. There was no handbag. If I’m escaping from a sunken car, my last thought is going to be for my purse. Someone else might have grabbed it, though, in an abduction scenario.”

“Why would they do so much damage to the back of the car?” Janice asked. “You’re proposing more than one hit.”

“I don’t know. Maybe to make it look like she was struck from behind, on the road, lost control, and rolled into the water?”

“Wouldn’t have someone seen and reported the initial accident?” Janice pressed.

“Depends on where it happened.”

“She was only going to the corner store, and back,” Ted said.

“Maybe someone scared her, and she drove off as fast as she could, thinking she had a case of road rage, on her hands. It happens. People panic, especially lone women. The short of it is, I wouldn’t stop searching the woods, but I wouldn’t give up hope, if she’s not found there, either.

“What would you do, if someone told you your spouse might be somewhere other than where people are looking?”

“I would find a reputable private agency. Some place that has an address that can be found, on the internet, and has existed, for a while. A place that can show you licenses, bonds, and has a decent-sized staff.”

“Would you look for a specialist, in missing persons?”

“Not necessarily. Any licensed investigator knows how the laws work, how to gather information from public records, and how to look at forensic evidence; things that are applicable, in solving most cases. A generalist isn’t always your worst choice.” She paused, then said, “I’m sorry, Janice— I really need to make a trip to the restroom.”

Janice smiled, and slid off the bench seat, to let her out.

***

Janice/Ted

“It’s a lot to think about,” she remarked to Ted, who was gazing into his cup.

“What do you think?”

“I think she’s struggling with some ethical dilemmas, right now.”

“How so? You think she’s withholding information?”

“I think she’s withholding some opinions, about her former boss. She didn’t condemn him, but she didn’t recommend him, either, unless his agency is the kind she described.”

“It’s not. It’s so ‘elite’, that I had to be referred, as a client.” His mouth was set, in a bitter line. “Julio Serrano’s business card has only his name and a phone number on it. Out of curiosity, I checked out the number. It’s virtual; forwards the call to a real phone. His offices? Nothing but a street number, on the building. His office suite number is listed under his name, on the directory, in the lobby, but that’s all. No description of the firm – not even the name of it.”

She could see his frustration, and not a little bewilderment, on his face.

“She didn’t recommend herself, either,” Janice pointed out. “That seems to indicate that she thinks it would be unethical, to do so. I honestly don’t think she’s here, looking for a client, Ted. She has a vested interest in her partner’s safety.”

“I suppose she does. I’d like to know what she’s not saying, about Serrano.”

“Doesn’t it say enough, that he doesn’t place much value on his employees’ safety?”

“Enough to make me stop using him, yeah. But, I think there’s more, to it.”

“Here she comes. Try to be gentle, Ted. I think she’s been through the mill, too.”

“Now, it’s my turn,” Janice announced, rising to allow Steph to slide back into her place. “I won’t be long,” she said, to reassure Steph.

The silence drew out between them, in her wake.

Finally, Ted spoke. “I can see that you’re uncomfortable, but I’d really like to know what your opinion is, on Julio Serrano.”

“He’s superficially charming, manipulative, deceptive, amoral. In short, he could be a psychopath. Some successful business people have those tendencies, without being dangerous. But Julio… Yeah, he’s dangerous, in his disregard for others.”

“I can understand your feeling that way. The nature of your work is sometimes dangerous, though.”

“It is, and I accept that. I accepted the possibility of physical danger, at New Canaan, when Jess Greene’s body was found. I expected the drugging, after I got my own little love note. But, I was sure Julio had just been yanking my partner’s chain, about sending me back.”

“Guillermo Ramirez. It’s okay. Janice told me, about him.”

“I thought it was baloney, deep down, but Guy didn’t. Turns out, he was right. And… I considered going back.”

“Why? Why would you even think about it?”

Janice returned, and sat back down, next to Steph.

“It’s complicated. It… You don’t know Guy. He’s a great partner. The best, really. But, he doesn’t admire weakness. The bar is high, with him.”

“You felt you had to measure up,” Janice remarked. “It’s not enough, to be as smart. You have to be a tough guy, too.”

“If you’re not as strong, you damned well have to be as brave, yeah. All the same, Guy wanted me to leave. Julio was ready to drop me back in, without turning a hair. I have a ten year-old, at home, and Julio knows it. His disregard for my safety doesn’t surprise me, but his disregard for my boy? It was just too much.”

She paused, and drained her cup.

“I know what you’re thinking, Mr. Billie —” she resumed.

“For heaven’s sake, I think the mom of a ten year-old can call me, ‘Ted’.”

“Ted, then. I know you think I’m a bad mom. You think that I wasn’t thinking about Galen either. But, that’s not true. I’m his sole support, and his father would just love any reason, to take him away from me.”

“I don’t think that. I do think you should limit your engagement to less dangerous aspects of the job.”

“I suppose that’s fair. All we knew, going into New Canaan, was that teenagers were quietly vanishing. It wasn’t until Guy found Jess’s body, that we knew that anyone had died.”

Janice paled, at this revelation.

“This is the first time I’m hearing it. Are you sure?” she asked.

Steph glanced from one of them to the other, taking in the look of shock of Janice’s face, and the perturbation Ted felt, on his own.

“I didn’t see her body, but Guy did. He didn’t want me to see it. Said it was gruesome, but he did give me some jewelry he took, from her, to hide until I could turn it in, to Julio. I don’t know why he didn’t tell you. It was a man’s, well, a boy’s high school class ring, on a chain she wore around her neck. I could describe it to you, in detail.”

“Steph, who told you Ted was the client?” Janice asked.

“No one. Guy and I figured it out, by the pattern of who was being targeted, aside from students. First, it was people who were all associated with Mr — Ted, until it was the closest person of all; Ted’s wife.”

“Her name is Nina. She’s a sweet, gentle soul,” Ted said. “She doesn’t deserve any of this.”

“I know she doesn’t. Nina was the first person targeted, with no direct connection, to the school. That was also a clue, that you were the client, Ted.”

“I think there’s something else, Steph,” Janice said, after a pause that was long enough for the waitress to refill their cups, yet again.

“It’s… a suspicion, and it didn’t originate, with me. It was a notion of Guy’s, and I’m not sure how much I agree with it. If it’s wrong, repeating it is tantamount to slander.”

“I want to hear it,” Ted said. “Stephanie — Steph — the stakes are very high. Nina’s life, Guy’s, who knows how many children’s; Janice and Liam aren’t safe, either. Sometimes, the ethical thing isn’t also the moral thing.”

Steph brooded over that thought, for a long moment.

“All right. Guy suspects that, not only is Julio working for you, he might also be blackmailing whomever has the most controlling interest, in the school. I know how crazy it sounds, and how slanderous, but a lot of things seem to fit. The main one that doesn’t, is that you haven’t been directly attacked.”

Ted leaned back in his seat, shaking his head with an odd little smile.

“No,” he said, after a moment. “It fits. What do you think, Janice?”

“She’s only as good as her information. I think you should tell her.”

“We should order lunch, then. This is going to take a while.”