“You checking out my apartment, John? What do you think?” asked Nancy, moving to the dining table.
“It’s a nice apartment. For some odd reason, it looks remarkably like my apartment.” John said.
“You can freshen up in the bathroom. It’s right in that direction. I have picked you out some evening attire, if you feel like changing. I bought them on the way over, after you phoned me.” said Nancy.
“Thanks, Nancy. You are still ever the planner.” said John, heading to the restroom. In the few minutes it took him to get ready for dinner, there was a remarkable change on the dining table. Pizza was served on two plates. Side dishes where properly arranged and there was a bottle of wine and two glasses that were half full.
“How long was I in there?” asked John, taking the seat closest to him.
“The pizza had already arrived. I just laid the table, instead of waiting. Time to dig in.” said Nancy, taking the second seat on the table.
“What brings you to Townley, John?” asked Nancy, taking a bite out of her slice.
“Work. You won’t believe the change that has happened since the last time we met. That was one of the reasons why I called you.” said John, following her lead and biting into his own pizza slice.
“Changes? I am guessing they are positive changes. You are looking quite the different man than the one I met a month ago.” replied Nancy.
“Is it that obvious? Me being extremely happy?” asked John.
“You are positively glowing. If you were a woman, I would have said that you are about to announce that you were pregnant.” said Nancy.
“I am glowing, you would say. You are right about the positive change. Do you remember what I told you when we met last time?” asked John.
“You told me that you had quit your previous line of work and were looking at something else. I already knew something was bothering you, and that, things weren’t really going according to plan.” replied Nancy.
“That is a succinct summary. After that, a month later, things did not improve at all. It got so bad, Mother spoke to a friend of hers. Made me apply for a job as an insurance investigator.” said John.
“What? You would never be happy with such a job. I hope you did not consider it.” said Nancy.
“Things were so bad, and Mom sort of mothballed me into it. I eventually ended up having an interview with the manager of the company. I almost considered taking up on that offer.” said John.
“That’s insane. If I know you, and I do know you, you would hate such a job, John. If you had taken that job, I would probably read about you in the news. ‘Young investigator kills himself by jumping off the building’ would read the headline on the news app on my phone.” said Nancy.
“You are not wrong in saying that, Nancy. I almost had a vision of doing something like that if I took that job. You know how God keeps an eye on all of us? Do you believe in such things?” asked John.
“To some extent, I do believe such things, John. There is someone watching us. Sometimes I just convince myself that it is the government that is doing all the watching. Much more believable.” said Nancy.
“Yeah well, I did not believe in such things. Then, on the last day, or what I thought was going to be the last day at my office, I picked up the phone and called my Mom. I was going to borrow money, of all things. That in itself was a bizarre thought for me. I was just about to tell Mom that I wanted some money, and then there was a knock on the door. Do you have any idea who it was?” asked John, continuing his narrative and eating his pizza slice.
“Your Mom, who was already in your office?” asked Nancy.
“It wasn’t my Mom. My first client in six months.” said John.
“Wow! What are the chances of something like that happening? You were just about to quit and on that fateful moment, a client walks in. Your story is making me rethink my faith in the whole God business.” said Nancy, finishing her last piece of pizza and going for the drinking glass.
“That was the weirdest part. That happened just this morning and I have taken advantage of it ever since. I wish I could tell you more about what I am working on, though. It has all the potential to turn out to be an impressive case. Things are very fishy, including my client herself. I think I may even find myself in some danger from unknown parties.” said John.
“What do you mean by ‘danger from unknown parties’, John?” Nancy asked, suddenly her voice turning serious.
“I meant that as a joke. Really.” said John.
“I hope you are just joking, John. Please don’t tell me that your job is actually like one of those stories I read when I was a teenager. Do you think you would get kidnapped, tied to a chair and beaten mercilessly?” asked Nancy, concerned.
“I was really just joking. No one is going to catch me and beat me mercilessly. That stuff just happens in novels and movies, for added drama. A private detective’s job is as safe as a stamp cellar in a post office. You have to believe me, Nancy.” said John, trying his best to assure her.
“Okay. I hope you mean what you say, John. I would really be upset if it turns out that you have put yourself in harm’s way, like you joked about. Looks like we are done here with dinner. I am guessing you will be returning to Primer city in the morning. What do you say, want to rent a movie and take things from there?” asked Nancy.
“That sounds like a plan.” said John, getting up from the table and heading to the washroom.
Next Morning
John left Nancy’s apartment just after six o’ clock. About an hour later, the seven am train from Townley to Primer left the train platform toward its destination. The moment the train stopped at Primer city, John got down. He had phoned ahead, asking Rod to meet him at the station if he was free. John walked out of the train platform and as he entered the lobby, he noticed that Rod was sitting in the waiting room of the train station. Rod got up and walked up to John, greeting him.
“John, what were you doing in Townley? You look tired, my friend.” said Rod, mixing surprise with concern.
“Guess what…” said John, squeezing a smile from behind a tired face.
“What? You took the job from the insurance company and they made you join their office in Townley?” asked Rod.
“Nope.” answered John.
“You borrowed money from your Mother, finally?” asked Rod.
“Is that all you can guess? Come on, I am hungry. Let’s find a place to eat first.” said John.
The two friends crossed the road and got into the diner across the street. They ordered the morning’s specials at the restaurant and grabbed a table next to the television. The food was on their table in minutes and they dug in.
“Okay, will you now stop making me guess and tell me why you were in Townley?” asked Rod, ordering another plate of the breakfast special.
“I got a job. An actual criminal investigation.” said John, looking very pleased with himself.
“Seriously? Wow, that is fantastic. Can you believe your luck? You spend six months moping around like a drunk guy who has forgotten his car keys. The day you are about to quit and give up, you get a client. This is definitely proof that someone upstairs really loves you.” said Rod, continuing to eat his breakfast.
“That’s what I was thinking. To be honest, I never thought about it till now. You are right. The lady luck sure has turned her smile towards me.” said John, truly enjoying his breakfast after the previous day of heavy duty work.
“Well, either way, I am happy for you. So, what is it about? Missing money? Stolen jewels and diamonds? Lost dog?” asked Rod.
“It’s something a little more mysterious than that. I am investigating a missing man. The client is his sister.” said John.
“A missing man? You think he might be dead?” asked Rod, observing that the discussion was finally becoming a lot more serious than the food.
“I am keeping all my options open on that one. Right now, I don’t have much data. We both know that drawing conclusions before we have grabbed and analyzed all the relevant data is an idiotic thing to do.” said John.
“I agree with that. That reminds me, did you do that background verification thing?” asked Rod.
“That was the first thing I did. I still have nightmares from those days when I did not do that. Do you remember that case when this neighbor was pretending to be the husband for this woman? I had to take your help with that one.” asked John.
“Oh yeah. What was his deal again? Was he stalker? Ex-husband?” asked Rod.
“He was the ex-boyfriend from high school. He wasn’t exactly stalking her, but he was sort of obsessed with her. I cannot imagine her shock when she found out that there were two guys - the guy and me - spying on her. That could have been an expensive mistake for me, Rod. If it wasn’t for your smooth talking with her. I never got around to thanking you for that. Thanks, buddy.” said John.
“That is quite alright, John. She was hot, so I had my own reasons to do that.” said Rod, winking at him, implying a lot more than what he was saying.
“I don’t need to know the details, Rod. I can make the necessary assumptions. I visited my current client’s hometown, her neighbors, and even her bank account manager. She checks out okay. Multiple points of verification. She is who she claims to be, and this brother she is searching for, he is definitely her brother.” said John.
“I doubt that you will always be in a position to do the identity verification on your own. You have got to get someone else to do that for you, John.” said Rod.
“I guess you are right. Then again, this is just my first job in a long time. I will consider that suggestion, though.” answered John.
“Your client is confirmed. What is your next play?” asked Rod, finishing up his breakfast and the waitress grabbed their dishes.
“There were some odd facts about the way this woman gets money to her bank account. I doubt if she, herself, is involved with any sort of fraud or criminal activity. I cannot rule out her brother though. Again, no data. He could be a criminal, he could not be a criminal. That is what I need to find out. Of course, I still need to find out if he is alive or dead. If he is alive, then where the hell is he? Why hasn’t he called his sister in such a long time? So many questions, Rod.” said John.
“Looks like you have been awarded for your patience with a seriously huge task. Talk about good luck.” said Rod, calling for the bill.
“I agree. Thanks for the fine breakfast. I do sense another busy day. I will be travelling a lot again, Rod.” said John, getting up from his chair. Rod did the same, and they both went out of the diner and into the road.
“What do you mean, more travelling?” asked Rod, looking around for a cab for John.
“Well, you know this as well as I do, Rod. I cannot work alone. I need to get my support team back. Sheila, the doctor guy, the information guy, and of course the weapons fellow. I have got to rehire them, even if it means this is a one-time case. I have already mailed all the possible expenses to my client and if I know her, she has already made the payments.” said John.
A cab had been stopped by Rod. Rod waited for John to get into it. John got into the passenger seat, waved bye to his friend, and the cab drove away. He turned back to see that Rod was walking towards his car to head off in the opposite direction. John’s cab driver today looked like he had got out of college just a few months prior. He had an odd collection of music that was playing from his music station. John did not bother asking him to change it. The drive was bumpy enough, indicating the driver’s inexperience. The cab was fast, and before John could wonder what sort of a driver that cab was being driven by, he was already in front of his office building. John got out, paid the fare and a generous tip. John passed the lobby, got into the elevator, and went into his office.
Upon reaching his office, he noticed that it was about 10 o’ clock. He emailed his client to brief her on the latest developments, and also to request an advance to proceed with in-depth investigation. He expected to hear back from his client before the evening. Once his client confirmed his email and initial milestone payment, he could get started.
The next item on the agenda was to get back his team. Back when John Russo was busy and up to his neck with work, he had a full team working for him. First, there was his receptionist, who has always been his backbone. She did almost everything for him. She only needed to be told to do things once. Russo also had people with specific skills helping him.
There was this retired military doctor, Rick Falk, who was his physician, available on call, around the clock. John rarely had a chance to use his services, but that could change. He needed to get him back on the payroll. Then, there was the weapons guy, John Trek, who was also a mechanic and a gadgetry person. He was the man John Russo turned to for everything from weapons to mobile phones. Lastly, there was Gerald Drake, an IT specialist and information broker. He was the best computer hacker that John Russo had ever met. He could be useful, too.
Each and every one of them had helped John Russo at different times when he was busy with work, except for the doctor, who never had a chance to help him. Three months ago, John was forced to let go of Sheila. A month before he informed the rest that they probably would not see any business from him. Now, he wanted them all back. Would they still be free to work for him? Did he have to look for new talent? He did not know. Thankfully, at least now he would have the money. It was time to contact them to inform about his new case and see if they were still available.
His first phone call was to his former assistant/receptionist. The phone rang a few times, and kept ringing some more. Eventually it reached Sheila’s answering machine. John left a message on the answering machine saying that it was urgent that she called him back as soon as possible. It was important that he sorted out everything with his faithful receptionist first. Once she was locked, she would arrange for meetings with all the other experts. John Russo would be the first to admit that he could not get anything done without her.
Even as he pondered as to when Sheila might return his call, he settled onto his couch and started to doze off. Since John barely got any sleep at Nancy’s the previous night, it did not take long before he was fast asleep.