Erica Jensen, a retired Marine with PTSD, struggles with making a living as an unlicensed private eye and overcoming her opioid addiction. When she's hired by a rich business man to find his missing daughter and recover embezzled money, things go so...
Melissa's gaze locked onto mine. "Leave him alone. He's just trying to protect me."
I scrutinized her. "From what?"
She looked incredulous. "Have you met my father?" Her expression suggested a stench had enveloped her.
"Point taken. He's not the easiest guy to like."
"Ha!" She approached me, still wearing a look of disgust. "You don't know the half of it."
I held up a hand. "And I don't want to know. Just know this. The feds are looking for the money you're using to do your disappearing act. At some point, unless you leave their jurisdiction, they'll probably find you. I did."
Melissa's expression morphed from disgust to mild gratitude. "I guess I owe you."
I stood. "In that case, do me a favor. Forget that I was here. I'm done with your father and his father." I cocked my head toward David Kandinsky.
"Sure," Melissa said. She did me the huge favor of not feigning ignorance about what I meant.
"Great. By the way, I have no idea where you are or where you're going, and I plan to leave it that way." I turned to go.
My hand was on the knob when Melissa called out, "Thank you."
"Good luck." I opened the door and left.
ϕϕϕ
By the time I reached the Virginia state line, Nick had texted me twice. I was anxious to get home, and I don't text while driving. But when he pinged me a third time, I pulled into a rest area to reply.
Each message asked how I was doing. By the third message, something in his words, "please get back to me ASAP" hinted at panic.
I sent back "I'm fine. Mission accomplished. Coming home now." I resisted the urge to add, "I had no idea you cared so much." Smiley-face.
*****
BTW, here are recent developments that kind of blew me away a bit. :)
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