ROB

 

I HAD ANNIE MEET me at the house the next morning. She arrived at nine, I was ready for her. "Good morning, Rob," she said, notebook already in hand as Potter brought her to join me in the study.

"Good morning yourself," I replied. "Ready?"

She nodded, sitting down on the chair opposite, pen held poised.

"I have a guest staying here and I need you to do a few things for me."

"A guest?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I know that look and before you say anything, it's not like that."

"Like what?"

"This is different. I want this one to stay."

"That is different."

I'd had to use Annie to get rid of a few women from the house before, ones who had outstayed their welcome. It was easier to leave her to do it, I couldn't be doing with the drama. I paid Annie well enough for her not to mind turfing out the odd uninvited guest.

"Her name is Hope Lewis and she's asleep upstairs at the minute. I want you to keep an eye on her while I'm at work."

"You want me to babysit?"

"Sort of. She's been through a difficult time and I want you to make sure she's all right. I'd do it myself but I've already taken one day off, I can't afford to fall any further behind."

"Look, Rob, who is she?"

"What do you mean? I've just told you her name."

"No, who is she? You look happy, I'm guessing she's done that."

I nodded. "I look happy?"

"You do."

"I suppose I am. Did you order those clothes like I asked?"

"They should be here by noon."

"Good. Find out which ones fit and order more, she's going to be here for a while."

"Oh really?" The eyebrows went up again.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm going to tell you a few details but I don't want it going any further, all right?"

"Mum's the word," she said, drawing a line across her lips with her hand.

"I met her last night.”

“You always meet them at night.”

“She was running away from two men."

"What? What men?"

"I don't know yet. That's next on my list of things to find out."

"But she could be anyone, Rob. For all you know, she's a bank robber on the run."

"She's not."

"How can you tell?"

"I just can. She's scared and lost and I want to look after her for a while. If she gives you any details, will you let me know?"

"Like what?"

"Who she was running from, where she's from, that kind of thing. She might find it easier talking to you."

She smiled. "That was halfway to a compliment, Rob, I'm impressed."

"What was the name of that guy we used when the Treadstone stuff was happening?"

"Harry Foster. You want me to give him a ring?"

"No, I'll do it. Just forward me the number."

"Are you sure? He's not the cleanest."

"I don't need the cleanest. I need the best. He got us out of a hell of a mess last time."

"Nearly got you arrested too."

"But I wasn't, was I? Look, I need to get going. When she wakes up, just keep her company, stop her from wandering off until I can find out who was chasing her. All right?"

She nodded, closing her notebook. "Babysitter, stylist, and prison guard all rolled into one, that's me."

I left the house a few minutes later, knowing that Hope was in good hands. I rang the number Annie had given me once I climbed into the car.

Harry Foster was a private detective, ex-police, very good, very discreet. We'd used him a couple of times in the past but I'd never spoken to him personally. Anthony had told me it was better if the big boss maintained what he called plausible deniability.

We weren't crooks, far from it. But when a rival pulled out the stops to steal from us, we made sure we used every tool at our disposal to stop them, that included Harry.

He'd dug deep into the CEO of Treadstone and found enough skeletons in his closet to get him to back down for good. That was work. That was what he did. I kept my distance, usually. This was personal which was why I was ringing him myself.

"Harry Foster? Rob Davies," I said into the phone when it connected.

"Mr Davies," he replied bluntly. If he was surprised to hear from me, it didn’t show in his voice.

"I wondered if we could meet?"

"Shall I come to your house?"

"No," I said a little too quickly. "Do you know Betty's Cafe on the ringroad?"

"I can be there in thirty minutes."

"Great, see you then."

He was waiting for me at the cafe, sitting alone, facing the door.

"Mr Davies?" he said, standing up when he saw me. "What can I do for you?"

I sank into the seat on the far side of his table. "I have a problem."

I explained as succinctly as I could. When I was finished, he slid back in his seat. "You want a coffee?" he asked.

"I'm good."

"Well I'm getting one." He waved his hand and a waitress appeared. "Can I get a refill?"

"Sure," she said, smiling as I waited impatiently to find out what his plan was. Only when he had a brimming mug did he return his attention to me.

"You have a woman who has provided you with no background information. Correct?"

"Beyond her name, I don't know a thing about her."

"I will have everything you need. For the right price, of course."

"Money is no object."

"Music to my ears. You have two men looking for this woman, two men who are as yet unidentified, correct?"

"Correct."

"I recommend you secure the house, get a weapon if you haven't already."

"I have a case with-"

He waved his hand towards me. "I don't need to know. Just have it handy. Why are you smiling?"

"It's funny. I thought you'd tell me to call the police."

"You haven't done that already?"

"No, not yet."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure."

"I think you are. I think you know that if the police know about her, these two men will find out soon enough."

"What makes you say that?"

"Experience. You were right not to involve them. "He took a sip of his coffee. "I doubt they'd achieve half as much as I can. They have a need to follow the correct procedure, it slows things down. By then, she'd have been snatched and you might be dead."

"You're not serious?"

He didn't smile, his eyes narrowing as he looked closely at me. "They want her back. I suspect one of them is either her father or her husband, a close relative for sure. You want my honest opinion, Mr Davies?"

"I do."

"We need to find out who she is, who they are, and deal with them before they come for her."

"How much to do that?"

"For a job like this, I'd usually charge ten but I get the feeling you want a quick result on this one. Fifty and I should have it done by the end of the week."

"Cash on results?"

"Cash on acceptance. You want the best, you pay for it upfront."

"I'll have it for you in an hour."

"One more question, Mr Davies." For the first time, he looked around him, checking who was nearby before speaking. "If I find them, do you want me to deal with them?" The coldness in the word ‘deal’ told me everything I needed to know about his work.

"Just find out who they are, then we'll decide what to do next."