The Truth of Yesterday (24 page)

     “Meaning ex-lover,” Novak amended.

     I tried not to blush.
“Right.
Ahem. Well, Micah's ex…boyfriend was murdered last week. He lived in DC.”

     “And what does that have to do with you?”

     “Micah wants me to look into the murder.”

     “No.”

     “What?” I asked
,
a little surprised at the firmness in his curt answer, even though I'd been half hoping that would be his response.

     “A murder is a matter for the police. You don't need to go sticking your nose into it.”

     “You didn't mind it when we were looking into the murder of Caleb's dad,” I argued. Why was I arguing? He'd given me the answer I'd wanted. Why couldn't I just leave it at that?

     “That was a different set of circumstances. The police were at a standstill in their investigation. It even seemed they were chasing the wrong guy. Plus, they welcomed our assistance.”

     “Maybe the DC police would welcome the assistance too. They're really overworked, and besides, they aren't even trying to solve this case.”

     “How do you know so much about the police in DC?”

     “Micah has contacts. They told him that the murder of a known escort wasn't high on their list of priorities.”

     Novak nodded as if that made sense.
“An escort, huh?
And he's Micah's ex?”

     I blushed again, but thankfully, he didn't seem to expect an answer.

     
“Why you?
Wouldn't a PI from the city be a better choice?”

     “That's what I said, but Micah seems to really want me to do this. I said I didn't know the city but Micah says he does and that he'll help.”

     “That would make a big difference. How familiar is he with the escort business?”

     “Uh, very,” I mumbled, trying not to blush yet again.

     “That would put you at a distinct advantage.” He seemed to be thinking for a minute. “There's only one major problem left.”

     “What's that?”

     “You don't have a license yet; Micah can't hire you.”

     “Oh.” I said in surprise. I hadn't even thought of that.

     “There is a way around it,” Novak offered.

     “What's that?”

     “Micah can hire me and I'll assign you the investigation.”

     “We can do that?”

     “It's the same as what we did with the Knox case. You'll just report everything back to me. You'll need someone to hash things out with anyway. And if you get in over your head then I'll step in and help.”

     “That's pretty much a given,” I muttered.

     “Don't sell yourself short, kid. You're a good investigator. A little more time and you'll be great.”

     I flushed with pleasure under his praise.

     “So I should tell Micah it's a go?”

     “Sure. Just type up the contract and have him sign it. You can start right away.”

     “Great.” I jumped up and started for my desk in the outer room.

     “One more thing,” he called, stopping me at the door. “I know I said I'd help you if you got in over your head, and I will, but this case I just took could be demanding a lot of my time. Don't plan on using me like a crutch. You'll be on your own for the most part.”

     I gulped a little, but nodded. “Ok.”

     Novak smiled. “You can do this, kid. Don't worry.”

     I left his office flattered at his faith in me, but more than a little miffed at myself. Why had I argued him into this? Of course, it hadn't really taken that much arguing. That made me suddenly suspicious. Was Novak trying to get me out of his hair? And if so, could it have something to do with the mysterious bird-like woman who was now his client?

     I decided that fretting about it wouldn't serve any purpose at all, and I could certainly make better use of my time. I started off by calling Micah and getting all the information I could from him; names, addresses, and details he hadn't told me before. While we talked, I realized that having Micah along on the interviews would probably be more of a hindrance than a help. He was definitely too close to this, too emotional. People would be less likely to talk in front of him, to say things about Paul that he might not want to hear. At the same time, I didn't know my way around the city like he did. I had no idea how to find any of the places on my list.

     When I posed the question to Micah, he agreed that he probably wouldn't be the best person to have along when I went to talk to people. He didn't have any suggestions for a solution.

     Novak unexpectedly provided the answer while I was still talking to Micah.

     “Good news, kid,” he said as his head popped out of the office door. “I just got off the phone with an old buddy of mine who transferred to the DC department. He confirmed what you said about the police not being overly interested in this case. He also offered to give us a little help in exchange for a few favors.”

     “What kind of help?” I asked with more than a little suspicion. “And more importantly, what does he want in return?”

     “You get more like me everyday.” Novak chuckled. “You don't have to worry about his price. It involves a few tins of Fisher's caramel corn and our combined weight in
Dolle's
salt-water taffy.” The caramel corn and salt-water taffy were both world famous treats available from the boardwalk in the nearby resort town of
Ocean
City, but not in the city where Novak's friend lived. “Those gifts will buy you a personal guide of the city.”

     “Huh?” I countered wittily.

     “My friend, his name is Louis; he has a daughter around your age who is driving him crazy wanting to become a cop. He thinks that partnering her with you for this investigation will cure her of that idea without placing her in any immediate danger.”

     “How will that cure her?” I asked in confusion. My early experiences playing junior detective had only solidified my desires to become an investigator.

     “He thinks that once she sees how boring a routine investigation is, she'll change her mind. Plus, this case had the added bonus of being somewhat unsavory. He said she's been a little sheltered and being exposed to the darker side of the city might scare her off.”

     
“Darker side?
He was an escort, not a street prostitute.”

     “The only difference is how much they get paid,” Novak said waving, off my arguments.

     “Spoken like a true ex-cop,” Micah said into my ear, and I realized that he'd been listening to the whole conversation over the phone.

     “Well, what's my escort's name and how soon is she available?” I asked, ignoring Micah for the moment.

     “Her name is
Chris
tina and Louis has to talk to her first; he's supposed to call me back later this afternoon. He seemed to think that she'd be ready to start when you are.”

     “I hope so. I would like to get started tomorrow, if possible.”

     “We'll see what Louis has to say when he calls back.”

     I finished up my call with Micah, promising to call him as soon as I knew what was going on, and then I finished up my paperwork so I'd be free for the rest of the week. It was mid-afternoon before Novak's friend called back. His daughter was all for the arrangement and was ready to start tomorrow. We agreed that I'd park outside DC at one of the metro stations and meet her in the city. With that settled I called Micah back and told him the plan.

     
Well
, I thought as I hung up,
you've committed yourself now. There's no turning back.
What had I gotten myself into? A murder investigation in a city I knew nothing about?

     I did have a new partner, though-a strong-willed girl from the sound of it. I'd partnered with girls in an investigation twice before, and neither had turned out well, to say the least. The first time had been with Jake's sister,
Gilly
. She'd pretended to be my girlfriend while I tried to figure out who killed Seth. Except, even though we'd agreed up front that we'd be dating in name only, she'd developed a crush on me which turned to anger and hurt when I couldn't return her feelings. It had complicated things greatly and, in the end, she was just one more victim for a serial killer. The next girl I'd worked with had turned out to
be
a serial killer. No, I hadn't had much luck with girls in the past. This was going to be an uphill battle all the way.

     The thought of a battle made me think of Judy's ominous predictions. Could this be one of the battles Judy had mentioned in our tealeaf reading session? Or was I just being paranoid after all her talk of battles and death? I could only hope I was being paranoid.

Chapter 11

     Visions of medieval battles filled my dreams that night-horrible scenes of unkempt, empty-eyed men slashing, chopping, and clubbing each other on a bloody battlefield. Needless to say, I awoke the next morning less than refreshed. I rolled out of bed with a groan and stumbled for the bathroom. It was not an auspicious beginning to the first day of my investigation into the death of Micah's ex.

     I had been planning on driving up to DC that morning to meet my new partner in crime,
Chris
tina. The way I was feeling, though, I was wondering if that was the wisest course of action. I felt as if I had been fighting in the battle myself; and judging by the state of my head, I'd been hit by a flying flail.

     I felt a little better after a shower, enough so that I decided to go ahead with the original plan. I forced myself to eat a slice of toast even though I wasn't hungry and set off in my little black mustang that I affectionately called Shadow. The drive up Route 50 could never be described as exciting or even interesting. The land on the
Eastern Shore
is amazingly flat. The highlight, as usual, was the huge span of bridge that crossed the
Chesapeake Bay
. I arrived at New Carrolton Station, the Metro station I was parking at, in late morning. I got my fare card and found a seat on the train. It wasn't too crowded yet since this was the first stop.