Leaving the station, Vic wandered down Wiamut Avenue, lost in thought. Logan wasn’t wrong. This case was a mess. Nicole Quinn was the wife of billionaire businessman Anthony Quinn, one of the most influential people in Arch City. There wasn’t a successful business, legit or otherwise, that he didn’t have his hands in. And everyone knew he’d only gotten into politics to keep that hand heavy. Nicole was the perfect showpiece for a man like Quinn. Model turned comically ditzy yet devoted wife; she fawned on her husband, attended all the ritziest parties, spent ungodly amounts of money, and set fashion trends. She also banged gang leaders on the side, it seemed. That sure wasn’t public knowledge. Oh, Gunn hadn’t added that little detail to his packet, but Vic’s job was putting two and two together, and this was an easy four. Gunn wanted her found, quick and quiet, and he was desperate if he was turning to a PI to do the job. That meant he wanted her back in his bed. Sure, he could be trying to track her down for more nefarious reasons, but no way he got anywhere in this city if he was stupid enough to try and off Tony Quinn’s wife. Gunn was a pretty big fish, but Quinn was a shark. For him, just hiring Vic was risky regardless of motive. And lover was about the only thing that made a man that desperate. She felt a little guilty keeping that from Logan. It would likely prove vital at some point, but she hadn’t lied when she’d told him ratting out Emerson Gunn would end up with her floating in the river.
“Tori! Is that Tori Cross walking down Wiamut and not stopping to see Old Mac? What is this world coming to?”
“Hey, Mac.” Vic smiled at the heavy-jawed old man with a mostly toothless grin. Of course she’d wander this way.
Ol’ Mac had been slinging hot dogs and lemonade on the corner of Wiamut and 5th since before she was born, and he was probably the only reason she hadn’t starved every summer as a child. His lined face hadn’t changed a bit since those days, either. Mac tossed a hot dog together with all her favorites before she could ask. He pondered her with slightly clouded eyes as he poured a lemonade.
“Haven’t seen you that deep in thought in a long time. You must be working on a real head-scratcher,” he wiped knobby hands on the long green apron he always wore, “or has Billy O’Leary been pulling on your pigtails again?”
Vic chuckled. “It’s a head-scratcher for sure. I never had a problem with Billy pulling my hair after I broke his nose.”
“No,” he barked a laugh, “then you had a problem with him being in love with you.” He looked at her more seriously, “need to talk it out?”
“Bit tricky on this one.” She took a small stool to one side of the stand while he helped another customer. Mac had been getting her to “talk out” problems since she was no higher than his knee. Sitting on his little stool, she’d talk about everything from algebra to Suzie Kane’s bitchy attitude. He rarely had much to add, but she usually left with a solution, or at least a clearer head. That didn’t change when she started up the PI business. Although she hadn’t had a case that needed talking out for a long time.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
“Come on, Tori,” Mac had moved to chopping pickles, preparing for the lunch rush, “you’re gonna give yourself wrinkles.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll give it a go.” She thought as she finished off the last of her hot dog. “So a rich lady with a richer husband goes missing.”
“Oh, you’re moving up in the world.”
She gave him a noncommittal grunt, “but it’s not the rich hubby that hires the PI to find her. It’s the only slightly less powerful and very well-hidden side piece instead. Which stinks of desperation. But that in itself makes no sense for a guy like this.”
“Hmmm….”
“Hubby’s looking too, though. Through legit channels, of course. But he doesn’t have any more information than the lover. Which seems odd. Or does he not want to offer more? It’s possible his missing person call is just a cover.” She paused and shook her head. “Both are trying very hard to keep the disappearance quiet, but probably for different reasons. Did she have dirt on one? Or maybe got caught in a scandal too big to cover up. Maybe she fleeced them both and ran?” Vic sighed. “Only useful clue I’ve got is the name of a shady club written in a datebook, otherwise full of the mundane. And she never even made it to the club, so it’s not useful at all.” Mac worked quietly while she finished her lemonade, deep in thought. “Was she going to the club and got nabbed on the way? And why was she going to this club at all? It’s not a place a woman like her would go for fun, that’s for sure. Can’t imagine her going there at all unless she had a lot to gain from the visit. But based on what I know of this lady, she’s not likely to scheme up an ingenious double-cross or something. No, this girl’s working with beauty, not brains, I think.”
There was a long pause while Mac worked, and Vic watched people pass on the street. “Another side lover, maybe? That seems unlikely. She’s risking a lot with just one, like a lot. Between the side guy and the seedy club, she’s bound to be outed no matter how careful she is. Hell, it’d probably be a scandal if she even mentioned going...” Vic closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “The club is a clue, at least. Like the old man used to say, ‘silly to cry for steak when you got beans in the cupboard’. And where there is one clue there may be more. At least that’s a place to start.” She gave the old man a peck on the cheek, “thanks, Mac.”
“Anytime, doll,” he smiled at her fondly, “anytime.”
Vic thought hard on the walk back to her office. She was sure Azure was a clue even if Logan had dismissed it already. Nicole Quinn had it in her datebook for a reason. There had to be more, either at Azure or in Quinn’s apartments. Logan was a damn good detective, but even he could miss something. She needed inside both Azure and the Quinn house. Neither would be easy. Picking up the phone she suddenly felt like the down payment from Gunn now stashed in her safe was way too little for this headache.