Caliber Detective Agency - Box Set - Case Files 1-6 (2 page)

“He did. Your son seems to enjoy... variety.”

“All Caliber men do, but they all settle down eventually. My husband had gone through hundreds of women before I met him, and that old man up there... I could tell you some stories. Don’t give up on my son Kelli; I think you would make an excellent daughter-in-law.”

“Thank you ma’am, but I think that boat has sailed.”

Gail smiled. “Perhaps we can bring it back to port.”

The elevator doors slid apart to reveal a large open space on the second floor. Dozens of desks were laid out in rows, while a series of cubicle size, glass enclosed offices lined the walls. At the back, was a long room on the left that was the office manager’s; it was separated from the break room on the right by a pair of restrooms.

The Caliber building was a three-story brownstone. Adjacent to the reception area on the ground floor, were the offices that handled billing, employment and other day-to-day business activities of Caliber Investigations.

The top floor was where the Caliber Detective Agency did business, and where it had done business for over ninety years. It also housed Jake Caliber’s apartment. The old man had been bequeathed the building back in the eighties when the Caliber Detective Agency only occupied one office.

Caliber Investigations grew to fill, not only this building, but also many others. Caliber has over a dozen locations across the country, the largest and most profitable being located in Los Angeles, where Gail makes her home.

Gail walked about the room, greeting the few familiar faces that remained since she ran this office over ten years ago.

After she and Kelli entered the manager’s office, she shut the door and took a seat behind the desk.

The first thing she saw was a framed photo of the old man with his signature trench coat, hat and cigar, his right arm was draped around the shoulders of an elderly, but still very beautiful woman. Gail picked up the photo and stared at it.

“Poor Velma, I was sick that I couldn’t make it back in time for the funeral, by the way, how was it?”

Kelli smiled. “It was beautiful, hundreds of people showed up.”

“She ran Caliber Investigations when it was just a one-man operation, and without her here to run this place and keep the old man in line, I never could have grown the company to what it is today.”

Kelli wiped at her eyes. “I miss her.”

Gail set the photo down.

“You’ve done a good job of running things since her passing Kelli, and from what I gather; even the old man likes you.”

“Yes ma’am, and I would like to keep running things, is that a possibility?”

“No.”

“No? Are you unhappy with my work?”

“No dear, but I’ve hired someone else to run the office.”

“An outsider?”

“She’s out of our Los Angeles office.”

“What’s she like?”

“Efficient, and also very beautiful, a fact that should please the old man,”

Kelli hung her head.

“And Jake too, so what do you want me to do, be her assistant?”

“No dear, Velma, poor Velma, ran everything, including that archaic detective agency upstairs. I think it’s time we bring it into the twenty-first century though, don’t you?”

Kelli raised her head and smiled.

“You want me to run the agency, which means that I’ll be working directly with—”

“My son Jake, yes,”

“And we’ll be spending a lot of time together,”

“And what you do with that time is up to you,”

“Thank you ma’am,”

“Don’t thank me, remember, you’ll also have to deal with that stubborn fool.”

“The old man, I mean Mr. Caliber likes me, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

A ringing sound emanated from Gail’s purse and she took out her phone. After reading the screen, she broke out in a broad smile.

“Christopher! How are you dear?”

There’s a pause while she listens.

“I’m fine, now what time are you arriving?”

Another pause,

“Excellent, now hurry, and don’t miss your flight; I’ll see you soon.”

As Gail ended the call, Kelli asked a question.

“Is Christopher coming here too?”

“Yes, he graduated from law school you know?”

“Oh my God, really? You know it’s funny, we’re about the same age, but somehow, I always think of him as a boy.”

“He is a boy in many ways, and so different from his brother and grandfather, thank God.”

“Does Jake know that you’re here?”

Gail rose from behind the desk.

“He knew I planned to visit, but he didn’t know when to expect me. I think I’ll go see him now. Tag along Kelli, it’s time I’ve let the old man know about your new position.”

“And Jake too,”

“Yes, this will give you another chance with my son, don’t blow it.”

Kelli grinned. “Oh, trust me, I won’t.”

***

J
ake Caliber the fifth, leaned back in a wooden chair with his feet propped up on the desk. Across the room, his grandfather sat in the same position. Seated in front of the old man’s desk was a young woman.

The woman was in her late twenties, blonde, blue-eyed and beautiful. She was wearing a black skirt with a white silk blouse and a pair of red shoes. Her legs, shapely and tanned, had been eyed by both men more than her face, and her face was in danger of falling into third place behind her cleavage.

The office was lit only by the light shining in from the windows behind the old man’s desk. The plaster walls were painted a deep green and the hardwood floor shined, while the air, filled with tendrils of smoke, drifted about by the blades of a slowly rotating ceiling fan, as both men puffed on cigars. Only two things hung on the walls, one was a clock above the door; the other was a glass case containing a strange looking gun, the same gun used by the old man’s grandfather on the plains of Texas.

As they talked, the woman looked back and forth between the men and fought the impulse to smile. To her left sat Jake the fifth, he was about her age and as sexy a man as she had ever seen, with perhaps just a bit of roughness around the edges. He was six-foot-four, two hundred and twenty, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and black shoes. His tie hung loosely about his neck and he eyed her with interest that was just this side of lecherous. He had two days of dark brown stubble on his face and a faint scent of whiskey on his breath. To her right sat the old man, the legendary Jake Caliber, and whenever the woman turned her head to talk to him, it was as if the younger man had aged half a century. If not for the divide in age, she might have thought them twins.

At the sound of the elevator’s arrival, both men dropped their feet from their desks and stood looking at the doorway.

The woman also rose, and then asked a question.

“Were you expecting someone?”

The old man answered her. “It could be a Red Case.”

“What’s a ‘Red Case?”

“Well honey, downstairs they handle the White Cases, the easy stuff; insurance fraud, cheating spouses, day-to-day security, but up here, we get the hard ones, unsolved murders, death threats, extortion, that sort of thing.”

The woman smiled. “It sounds exciting.”

The old man smiled back, but a second later, Gail walked in from the outer office and the old man’s smile turned into a frown.

“Oh, it’s you,”

“That’s all you have to say? It has been ten years; I thought old age would have softened you up some?”

The old man blew smoke at her.

“Who you callin’ old, lady?”

Jake walked over and hugged his mother.

“Hello mother, it’s good to see you.”

Gail stretched up and kissed her son on the cheek, then, she left his arms and stood back a step.

“Let me look at you. Have you been taking care of yourself? You do realize that just because you’re related to this old fool that you don’t have to live like him? You could have a nice, easy job back with me in Los Angeles. You could supervise our insurance investigators; it would be much safer than the things you get involved with here.”

Jake laughed.

“I’d be bored to tears in a week in L.A. No mother, I belong here, and if I turn out half as good as granddad, then I’ll be doing all right.”

Gail let out a huff and then spotted the blonde.

“Who is she?”

“Yes,” Kelli said. “That’s what I was wondering.” She’d been eyeing the woman since entering the room.

The blonde walked over and offered Gail her hand.

“Hello Mrs. Caliber, I’m Velma Harper’s niece, actually, her great niece; my grandmother was her sister.”

Gail shook her hand.

“Oh, well, it’s a pleasure to meet you dear; I considered your aunt to be a good friend.”

The old man chuckled. “Is that why you didn’t come to her funeral?”

“It was the same day as Christopher’s graduation from law school, and so yes, I chose to be with my son.”

“How is Chris, mother?” Jake said.

“He’s excellent dear, and in fact, he’ll be joining me here soon.”

The old man smiled.

“My grandson is coming home? Please tell me that he’s coming back to stay.”

“He has an interview with the best firm in the city; if he gets the position, then yes, he’ll be living here.” Gail said, and then she spoke to the blonde again. “I’m sorry dear, but I didn’t catch your name.”

“I’m Velma, Velma Channing; I was named after my aunt.”

“That’s nice, and will you be staying in the city long?”

“I hope so; it’s why I’m here. I’ve come to apply for a job.”

Kelli stepped forward.

“We’re not hiring right now, but, since you’re Velma’s niece, I guess we could hire you on as a B-Girl.”

The old man waved a hand in the air, as if to disperse the very idea.

“No kin of Velma’s is starting at the bottom. Hell, why don’t we just give her Velma’s old job?”

“I’ve already got someone in mind for that position.” Gail said. “Also, as of today, Kelli here will be your assistant. It’s past time that this, ‘detective agency’ joined the rest of the business. You don’t even have a computer up here for God’s sake.”

“We deal with real crimes lady.” The old man said. “We don’t need computers to do that, just guts.”

Gail gave the old man a sour look and then spoke to Velma Channing.

“What sort of experience do you have?”

“I worked for the Sam Sloan detective agency in Vegas for eight years.”

“You worked for Sam?” The old man said. “Hell, he and I solved a case together back in the sixties, how is ol’ Sam?”

“Oh, well, I’m sorry to tell you sir, but Sam Sloan died about twenty years ago, I actually worked for his son, Jackson.”

“Sam’s dead? Christ, sometimes I feel like the last of my kind.”

“What sort of work did you do in Vegas?” Gail said.

Velma smiled at the old man.

“I think here you would call them, ‘Red Cases’. I don’t want my aunt’s job. I don’t want to shuffle papers or tempt cheating husbands. I’m a private detective, always have been, and I’ve come here to learn from the best, and that’s you Mr. Caliber.”

Gail began laughing and Kelli soon joined her.

“What are you two laughing at?” The old man growled.

“You, working with a woman? Why you’re the biggest chauvinist I know.”

“Chauvinist my ass, for your information her Aunt Velma worked her share of cases with me.”

Gail smirked. “Since when does bringing you coffee count as working on a case?”

“Velma did more than that. She and I had been working together before you were born, hell, she even saved my life a time or two.”

Velma Channing stood before the old man and stared up at him with hopeful eyes.

“Does that mean I’m hired? I promise you, I’m tougher than I look.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your looks honey, and yeah, you got the job.”

“What?” Jake Caliber said.

He had been sitting atop his desk, watching the show, now; he stands and walks over to his grandfather.

“What do you mean she’s hired? I don’t need a partner.”

“I had my Velma, now you got yours, but if she screws up, she’s out.”

“I won’t let you down Mr. Caliber.” Velma said.

Gail holds up a hand.

“Wait just a minute. When I teased you about being a chauvinist, I didn’t mean you should hire her. Good God, the last thing I want is for this anachronistic detective agency to grow. That’s why Kelli is moving up here, she was to phase you into the rest of the business.”

“Caliber Detective Agency
is
the business, Gail.”

“No Jake,
Caliber
is national. I made that happen. I took this rinky-dink gumshoe factory and turned it into a thriving business.”

“You built this business on the back of my blood, sweat and tears. When I saved the president, I became a household name. You parleyed that into something huge, I’ll give you that, but remember something,
Caliber
is mine, and I’ll hire whoever I want.”

“Fine, then she can have her aunt’s job, but not here, the things you do, the people you go after are too dangerous.”

“Too dangerous for a woman? Now who’s being a sexist?”

“You know what I mean. These ‘Red Cases’ of yours often end with someone getting hurt, or worse, are you really willing to put Velma’s niece in danger?”

“I’m highly trained and experienced Mrs. Caliber, I can handle myself.” Velma Channing said.

Gail sighed. “All right, but remember something, I am against this, and oh yes, Kelli will be working up here also, someone needs to keep an eye on you now that Velma’s passed on.”

The old man looked Kelli over and then sent her a wink.

“Kelli’s welcome any time.”

Gail shook her head. “You’re a dirty old man, do you know that?”

The old man chuckled.

“I’m a man, doll, ‘dirty’ comes with the job.”

***

T
hat night, Gail Caliber sat alone in the manager’s office.

The elevator pinged its arrival on the second floor, and as the doors opened, a lone passenger walked off and made her way past the empty desks and cubicles, to enter the office, where she took a seat in front of the desk.

Gail greeted her visitor with a raised eyebrow.