Chapter 203: The Search V: Roman
"I looked it up on the internet," said the woman.
"I don’t see a computer in this place," I retorted.
I could tell she was starting to grow nervous, her top lip upturned a little.
"Just tell me. Did someone bribe you for this information?" I pointed to the piece of paper. "Maybe they claimed they were going to help Hannah and showed you her picture?"
"It wasn’t like that," the lady sighed. "Now, this is just between you and me. The police already asked, but I kept it quiet. I can’t believe Nick turned up dead."
"You’re next if you don’t spill it," I warned, tired of wasting time.
"The money was good. All cash. They already knew about the booking. That must have been Nick and his blabber mouth. But they wanted more details."
"And you gave it to them? I thought this was a security business? You made it less safe. For me, and especially for Nick." My voice was starting to rise.
This agency came well recommended from a colleague of mine. In that sh*tty building in New Jersey, I couldn’t believe anyone would have suggested I use their services. But, like me, they probably hadn’t seen behind the curtain that revealed a dying business.
"We were short on funds. Not exactly keeping up with the times. It was just a bribe..."
"Just a bribe?" I fumed. "You’re in the business of keeping people safe. I paid for your services, and you did the exact opposite."
I stepped toward her, towering over the woman who had a hunched back.
"Please..." She held up her hands in surrender. "This is all I have. I never thought it would end with a death. I only gave them your address and the time when Nick was supposed to show up. That’s all. Nothing personal."
"What can you tell me about the person?" I asked.
"All I know is that someone is holding a grudge against you. Look, sometimes if the clients get a little spooked, it’s good for business. I thought that was all it was. A silly stalker. A jealous boyfriend."
"Did he drive a black car?"
"How would I know? I don’t have a great view from here."
I looked out the window. The only view was that of the next building and the dumpster below.
Now that I knew how the fake Nick had gotten the information, I could at least pass it on to Ed and Marcus. Otherwise, it looked like a dead end.
I decided to let the lady be and leave the investigation to the police. She was getting herself into a world of trouble, anyway, and I didn’t feel any need to bring justice down on her.
"One last thing," I asked. "The private detectives downstairs, are they as crooked as you?" I asked.
"Nah," the lady waved her hand. "They have something like a 97% success rate."
"So they say," I mumbled.
It was worth a try. Everyone else had failed me. Hannah had disappeared right under Ed and Marcus’ noses. The cops were no help because they weren’t taking the case seriously, probably just assuming Hannah went off with some guy on her own.
I thought hiring a secret private investigator might be the way to go. Money was no object, there was nothing stopping me, and I decided it was worth a try.
So, I headed down to the third floor and rapped on the door of the Plunkerton Private Investigators.
"Whaddya want?" a grouchy old man answered when I pushed the door open.
"I’m here to hire a private eye," I said. "I can pay cash." I took out a wad of bills from my pocket.
The man, seeing the bills, smirked and waved me over to his desk.
It was another tiny office, but with a couple small desks as opposed to filing cabinets. It was a bit messy with papers and crumbs littering the wooden tops of the desks, and it smelled a little like pastrami, probably from someone’s lunch, but the other two men at their desks at least looked professional. Plus, they were actually using computers, which was more than they were doing at the security company.
"Whatchya looking for?" the man asked, squinting one eye and looking at me with the other.
"My wife," I said. "She’s been kidnapped."
He raised his eyebrow a little higher. "When?"
"Last night?"
"Where?"
"In front of the Roundhouse Club downtown."
"Harry," the man called over his shoulder. "Wanna help this guy?"
"Yeah, send him my way," said a man in his 40s, fairly buff, pecking away on the computer keyboard. "I gotta go downtown anyway, workin’ on this cheating husband."
I was surprised by their lack of urgency in the matter and how blasé they were about taking the case, and I almost walked out. However, something in Harry’s face made me trust him.
He pushed the chair out with his foot to offer me a seat in front of his tiny desk.
Sitting hunched over the computer, he nearly covered the entire desk with his body.
"So, what’s she look like?" Harry asked, barely looking at me, staring at the computer screen.
I pulled up a picture on my phone and held it out for him.
"Um, nice," Harry nodded. "Alright, so, last time you saw her?"
"I said, at the Roundhouse Club. Well, I didn’t see her. I was on the phone with her and then we hung up. The next thing I knew, she was gone. There’s a surveillance tape. But the cops aren’t taking it seriously. And the FBI..."
"The FBI?" Harry asked. "Who is this chick, anyway?"
"She’s special. Really special," I said. "See, we exposed this club that was auctioning off women, and the FBI got involved. The Auction House?"
I could tell by Harry’s face it didn’t ring a bell. At the very least, I wasn’t dealing with a guy who liked to buy women.
All I could think of was how much time had gone by since I last spoke to Hannah. I was desperate and willing to try anything; that’s why I was sitting there with the likes of Harry. I was at the point of looking up psychics or hiring someone with blood hounds to follow Hannah’s scent.
After I gave Harry all the information I had, he vowed to help me find Hannah. His strong handshake on solidifying our agreement felt confident, and, therefore, at least a little comforting.
The old man at the door didn’t forget to collect the down payment for their services, and I handed over the cash and walked out.
Looking over my shoulder, I jumped in my car and headed back to my office.
As soon as I entered the room, Lauren came running at me and gave me a big hug.
I had to admit, it made me miss Hannah even more - her arms around me, how she gently scratched my back when she was happy to see me.
"Thanks, Lauren," I said.
She grabbed my arm and dragged me over to Marcus.
"Any luck?" he asked.
I shook my head no.
"We heard from the police. They’re convinced now that Hannah’s disappearance may have something to do with the Auction House. They’re searching out the old location. Seeing what they can find."
I nodded. "Let’s go," I said.
"Wait, wait, wait," Marcus said. "If that’s the case, we’re all worried you need someone with you at all times. Someone could be after you, too, for helping put the people from the Auction House in jail. If there is someone out there, you need to be protected."
"It didn’t help Hannah, did it?" I said.
"I know you had some bad luck with a bodyguard..." Marcus started to say.
"Bad luck? If you mean welcoming some poser into my life while the real security guard was disposed of, then, yeah, I guess you’re right."
"I know someone I think would be great," Marcus said, waving his hand for someone to come over and join them.
"But I have Miguel," I said - and then I saw and a very tall, almost giant-looking man, hulking over to us.
"This is Stan," said Marcus.
Stan reached out his hand, and I offered mine. His hand nearly crushed my knuckles.
I often thought of myself as being on the tall and strong side, but Stan was a beast.
"Nice to meet you," I said. "I guess we’re not trying to be inconspicuous."
"It sends a message," said Marcus.
I felt like I didn’t have a choice. I’d take Stan the giant with me, and everyone would see us thumping along. So much for the element of surprise.
"Having both Stan and Miguel will be an asset," said Marcus.
By that point, I could tell that everyone was grasping at straws.
We were all trying new ways to find Hannah, but whoever had taken her was doing a good job of staying hidden. It was almost like they were so skilled at doing so, they’d had years of practice.
But I couldn’t give up hope. Hannah needed me.