Chapter 2
Cassie
After getting a snack, putting my feet up, and tucking a warm blanket around my legs, I prop my laptop up and start scrolling. I've been publishing ads for the private eye office for the last week, but it hasn't brought us much business.
Pinecrest is a pretty big place, and there have to be more people wanting private investigator services. I'm starting to think maybe we need some ads further out. We could take care of internet sleuthing or maybe even travel for a job or two. I frown.
My dad always had everything under control. People sought his help left and right, and he had a backlog of cases. Have things really changed that much? Maybe it’s just us—maybe we’re not as impressive as when my dad was around.
Sighing, I take a couple of bites from my bowl of ice cream, then tap my head to get rid of the brain freeze. The library in town pops into mind. Lincoln will be fine, but it’s hard not to worry. He’s an adult, but something about the look on his face made me think he’s in some kind of trouble.
He was so secretive about what he was doing in town…
Images of women meeting him at the library for a quiet evening of reading together in a dark corner prance through my mind. Even if Lincoln is meeting some woman, it’s none of my business. I chose this. I knew dating him would be too complicated, especially with everything he hid from me already. We made it clear that we were not going to be romantically involved.
Just partners , I remind myself.
A ping in my inbox catches my attention. It’s an email to the PI office. I click on it so fast that it hasn’t been delivered even a minute before it’s sprawled across my screen.
Hello, Suco and Love Investigations,
I am hoping to get a consultation about a sensitive matter I need taken care of as soon as possible. You’ve been highly recommended, and I think I would be a perfect fit for your agency. It needs to be handled in person.
Please let me know your availability for this matter. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Meredith Thornton.
I read the email two more times. It’s professional and to the point, yet also secretive. Why would Meredith Thornton want to meet about an issue without giving the briefest idea of what it is? Either way, meeting with someone to hear them out couldn’t hurt, could it?
Her name catches my eye. Thornton. I know that name a little too well. They’re the wealthiest family in town. They own several businesses and ventures.
A smile touches my lips. When I auditioned for my show, I was giddy with joy when it was revealed that one of the show’s producers was Corey Thornton, a man from my town. I always believed his connection to the town where I grew up was part of why I was hired. Now, another Thornton is reaching out to me.
Is there any connection? I hit reply and start typing.
Hello Meredith,
Thank you for reaching out. I would love to meet with you.
Does tomorrow at noon work?
After the email is sent, I sit staring at my screen for twenty minutes, hoping Meredith will reply, but she doesn’t. An early night was probably something she valued. My fingers have a mind of their own, and the next thing I know, they’re opening a streaming platform and putting on an episode of the show I started last week. Work can wait.
It’s not as if I’m making any headway with my ads. A good romantic comedy will help distract me from whatever Lincoln is doing in town at this time of the evening. I’m determined not to think about the garage, his apartment, being empty.
Link
Phineas is late, just like he was the first time we met.
He’d been so cryptic then, stating he would have a job for me soon and threatening me with the evidence he had over my head. Desperate for money, I’d done a few harmless jobs with Phineas. Harmless enough until he filmed them, and made the tapes look more incriminating than I thought possible. I never thought I’d be dumb enough to allow someone the power to jerk me around when they wanted and how they wanted, and yet here I am, like a dog on a leash.
The sound of a car approaching fills the street.
The motel is sketchy. It’s on the corner of an abandoned block. The pool stands empty, old leaves and twigs scattered on its cracked cement floor, and the parking lot is empty.
The black Dodge Charger stops in front of the room where Phineas asked me to meet him. He parks crooked across two spaces—not that anyone would mind in a place like this.
Phineas steps out of the car. Ridiculous. That’s what Phineas is: the type of criminal who tries too hard to look the part. A black tailored suit hugs his lanky figure, the best money can buy, and a cowboy hat, of all things, sits on his head like it’s on a pedestal. It’s black to match the suit jacket. Sunglasses make up his attire, even though it’s been dark for over half an hour. In his line of business, I suppose he can afford to make interesting fashion choices.
“Lincoln, so sorry to keep you waiting,” he drawls, holding his arms out expansively. A big smile stretches across his face. “Just the man I need to see. Professional and handles things with care.” He points in the air as he says ‘handles with care’ as if reading it off a sign. “Am I right, or what?” He laughs. He is referring to the tagline on the door of our private investigator’s office.
“That’s right,” I grit out through clenched teeth. When I sought him out before and worked together, he pretended to be friendly. His demeanor lulled me into a false sense of security, something I only discovered later to be a mistake.
“What can I do for you? You still haven’t told me. ”
“Professional indeed.” Phineas’s smile grows. “Come inside. I had one of my men send over some pizza, and I am starving!” He rubs his hands together, walks to the motel room where we agreed to meet, and fiddles with the key. Sure enough, pizza boxes and a liter of Coke are waiting on the table.
He settles into one of the ratty chairs around the small round table and motions for me to sit across from him. “Come on. Take a seat. I wouldn’t like us to approach this whole case as me, the blackmailer, and you, the guy trying to get through it to get out from under me. You know? We got along fine before, didn't we?”
“Yeah, you gave me an opportunity, friendship, and a knife in the back.”
“So dramatic. You always were.”
“Let’s not even get started on when you kidnapped my friend.”
“Just trying to get your attention and remind you of our deal. No one was hurt.” He shrugs.
“I’m not looking to get along. I just want to do what I have to do and never speak to you again.”
Phineas puts a hand over his chest. “So hurtful. If I weren’t so understanding, I might be offended. We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot, but we can help each other here. We’ll be taking a bad man off the street. Two, technically, if you want to count myself.”
I shake my head.
I prefer the threatening, angry Phineas.
“Who is it that we’re looking for?” Maybe if I push him toward getting to the point, we can move this meeting along .
“Have some pizza first.” Phineas slides the box toward me. “Eat up.”
Vegetable pizza is not the sort anyone would think is Phineas’s preferred choice. Meat lovers’ or maybe plain cheese seemed more his style. I take a slice. If he wanted to poison or kill me, there’d be easier ways than luring me into a motel room and spiking my pizza so I bite into it.
It’s not bad.
“Okay, I’ve taken a bite. Would you please tell me what we’re up against?”
“All business. Don’t worry. I expect you’ll warm up to me over the next few weeks. Lorraine says I’m quite the catch. Have I told you about her?” He chuckles with a sparkle in his eye.
“Yes, you told me last time we met.” I shake my head, still flabbergasted by how Phineas managed to fall in love. That’s not even the most unbelievable part. It’s that Lorraine has convinced him to get on the straight and narrow. I’m not sure I believe it. Phineas isn’t the type to help old ladies across the street and read stories to children.
Cassie comes to mind. Maybe I should have made up a better excuse about my late trip into town. What was she thinking about my absence? What stories was she cooking up in her head? As unreasonable as it is, I don’t want her to think I’ve settled for anyone else.
Phineas clears his throat, demanding my attention.
“One of these days, I’ll have to introduce the two of you.” The expression on his face reminds me of a schoolboy with a crush on a popular girl. Either he's a great actor, or he really thinks he's in love. “Now, the person we’re looking for is Nathan Thornton. You know the Thorntons, don’t you?”
“Of course, I know the Thorntons. Everyone in town knows them. They probably own half the place.” I couldn't have picked a worse family to go after if given the choice. Phineas had to choose something complicated, dangerous, and potentially career-destroying if things go wrong for my payback.
“Well, in that case, it shouldn’t be too hard to find him, should it?” Phineas’s grin grows.
“Why do you want to find him?”
Any information I can get, I'll take. If things go south, I want to have something I can take to the police to get Phineas taken down along with me. It's not planned, though. I intend to try to cooperate with Phineas, but a man with my luck can never be too prepared.
“It’s actually a situation quite similar to ours, but I don’t have time to go into all that today. All you need to know is that we need to find him.”
“You can’t just tell me we need to find him. I need more information. It’s not like I have a secret database that lists everyone’s whereabouts in this town. I’ve never even met the guy.”
Phineas pulls a folder from his bag and slides it across the table, narrowly missing the greasy pizza box.
“Here you go. Everything you need to know about him, including his last address, where he likes to frequent, and what he looks like. Knock yourself out.”
I open the folder and flip through a few pages.
“All right, this is enough to get started. It looks like a little too much information. Why haven't you found him already? ”
“He's playing hard to get. That's why I need you. I know you are good at tracking people down.”
“I'll do my best.”
“Good.” Phineas smiles. “You know, Lorraine makes a great pizza, much better than this, but she wouldn’t have been able to make it in time for this meeting, so I had to settle for store-bought. Any friendship is built on little acts of kindness.”
I shake my head. “I don’t expect us to become friends out of this. Lorraine may believe you’re turning your life around, but forgive me if I struggle to get on board after everything you’ve done to me.”
“Understandable.” Phineas wipes his mouth after his third piece. “But I intend to prove to you, Lorraine, and everyone else that I am capable of getting on the right path. I’ve just been dealt a couple of lousy cards in life, which led me to be who I am today. It’s not my fault that I’m good at being bad.”
“That’s ridiculous. Everything you did was a choice; saying anything else is lying to yourself.” Expecting Phineas to take my words to heart is like expecting water from a stone. Tucking the folder under my arm, I stand to go.
He taps a pizza box. “Wait, before you go, why don’t you take this home? You haven’t forgotten about your partners. Perhaps Quinn and Cassie would like a slice.” A dangerous glint hovers in his eyes at the mention of their names. There's the Phineas I know.
He hasn’t changed. He’s already threatening me.
“Come on, take them,” Phineas urges. I grab the two pizza boxes with a huff and a roll of my eyes, balancing them under my arm before walking out of the motel room and ordering a taxi on my phone. His attempts to win me over so he can turn on me again are delusional at best.
Phineas never does anything without an agenda up his sleeve. When he threatened Quinn last month, there was no sign of friendliness. Whoever this Lorraine is, she’s either a con woman or a miracle worker.
My taxi pulls up a few minutes later, and I slide in, telling the driver the address. The pizza makes my stomach grumble. No need to put a good dinner to waste, regardless of my suspicions about Phineas’s intentions.
By the time I reach the house, the last slice of the first pizza is gone. After some consideration, I decide to knock on the door between my garage and the main house and offer the second pizza as a peace offering to Cassie.
At first, I think she’s already asleep, but after a few seconds of waiting, the pizza box growing heavy in my hand, the door swings open. I can’t read her expression as she looks me up and down, then settles on the pizza box.
“I…um, thought you might be hungry.” What kind of a thing was that to say? I should have dedicated more time to what I would say before knocking.
She wraps her arms around her waist and oversized sweater as she stares at the box suspiciously.
“Are those your leftovers?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.
“It’s a whole pizza.” That’s the truth.
She reluctantly accepts the box.
“Since when do you buy pizza at this place?” She taps the logo on the box lid, her frown deepening .
“Thought I’d try something new. I hope I didn’t wake you up.”
“No, I was doing some stuff on the computer.” She opens her mouth as if she’s about to say something but doesn’t.
“Waiting up to make sure I got home all right?” Humor is my go-to when things get tense. She laughs and shakes her head.
“I’d forgotten you were out.”
Ouch. Despite her words, her cheeks heat, and I’m relieved it appears I was on track with my comment.
“Goodnight, Cassie. Enjoy the pizza.”
“Thanks. Goodnight to you, too.” She closes the door with a soft click. For a second, I thought she would invite me in for a slice, and I would have accepted that invitation, even though my stomach is protesting with how much I ate.
I swallow my disappointment and head back to the garage. I can’t be encouraging those thoughts anyway, not now, not with Phineas hovering over me—but regret lingers with me for the rest of the evening.