Chapter 12 – The decoy

The excuse that I had given of an early start on the morrow was no fiction. I was desperate to make use of Guy’s older and wiser head to rearrange my jumble of apparently unrelated findings into some sort of meaningful order and I needed to do this before he disappeared off to pursue his own investigation once again. In deciding what to wear that morning I rather pushed the boat out. The advances made by my client the previous evening had re-awoken my vanity, I’m sorry to admit. Never far below the surface, this failing of mine was something of which I couldn’t be proud, but I’d come to accept it as part of Jennifer’s psyche. My excuse was that seeking to be admired gave some kind of outlet for my unfulfilled sexuality.

I had been able to resist Gloria’s expressions of amity only with difficulty. My libido had been aroused and still remained unsatisfied. I was as pumped as a high-pressure hydrant. To compensate for my frustration, I now needed to be found attractive; attractive to the delivery boy on his bike, to the postal worker on his round, to the traffic cop on the corner, and most of all to my boss. His apparent indifference to my charms continued to irk me!

After rejecting a number of outfits, I selected the shortest skirt in my closet. It was a skimpy little pleated affair, just about decent. Perhaps it might be suitable wear for the tennis court, but nothing else besides. I could almost hear the tutting of the local spinsters as I squeezed it over my butt. The tight-fitting top which accompanied this was in a material which was sheer enough to hint at the lingerie I wore underneath, and I had chosen a pale green set, the delicate lace of which always made me feel sexy. So attired, I felt partway satisfied. My legs looked good in pantyhose and I relished the idea of Guy trying not to stare at their over-exposed extent as we discussed my case!

These unworthy attempts to arouse the man’s interest in my limbs proved vain, however. As far as my superior was concerned, it seemed I could have worn sackcloth and saved myself the trouble. To my chagrin, he signally failed to notice my daring mode of attire throughout our conversation. Drat the man! What’s a girl to do?

When the ex-agent had been brought up to speed, he sat for some moments in deep contemplation before speaking.

“You have done very well with this investigation, Jennifer.” His words were meant to encourage. “Where do you intend to go next with it?”

I hated to admit that I hadn’t the vaguest idea, so I was spurred to suggest some kind of plan of action. “I’m intrigued by the property the Simpsons have acquired” I improvised. “That mansion must have cost a fortune, and I’m guessing the price might have been much more than what was raised by the sale of a ranch situated up in the back of nowhere. How could they afford such a place?”

“Good thinking. It’s not difficult to find out. Both transactions will have been registered” and he proceeded to tell me where I ought to inquire. He suggested that I should check the county records office for documents which related to those property transactions. “You will be able to see what moneys actually changed hands.”

That sounded simple enough, and who knew where that would lead.

“What else?” he questioned.

“How can we find out what sort of gun killed Ray Price? It’s wrong to assume without proof that it was Gloria’s.”

“It’s a long shot. It was her piece that was found there. Hmm… tricky.”

“Yes, but can we do it?”

“I’ll call in another favour. Hand me that phone.”

Ten minutes later we had the answer. “The bullet was from a 38. You know what that means, don’t you?”

My heart sank within me. “That’s the same calibre as Gloria’s gun. But when I asked her, she seemed to have forgotten it even existed. I’m sure she wasn’t pretending. I’ve got to know her pretty well.”

My mentor raised an eyebrow at this last statement and to my embarrassment I found myself colouring up.

“Also, we have no clue as to who was holding the gun” I added lamely.

Guy regarded me critically. “Don’t get too close to that woman” he warned. “She’s still the prime suspect…”

My face fell.

“…so far” he temporised. “On the other hand, don’t ignore your instincts. Sometimes, gut feel is all we have in this game.”

That made me feel a lot better. I could have hugged him, but the brevity of my skirt made me think better of it. I didn’t want him to think I was coming on to him. I mean, I wasn’t… coming on to him. Well, not really. I just liked to flirt a little, and that’s all. Believe it or not!

Another idea came to me which ought to be much more fruitful. “What we really need to know is who Ray was working for. Then we might have an indication as to why he was killed.”

“Now you’re talking! Let me see. We’ll need to search his office. That will require the both of us. The body will be in the morgue by now but while they’re still processing the crime scene there’s bound to be a guard on duty. One of us will have to provide a distraction while the other is busy. But you had got that far yourself. That’s why you’re wearing something eye-catching this morning, right?”

There was no way I was about to contradict him and disclose the real reason for my outfit! Secretly delighted that after all the man had noticed my provocative dress choices, I did my best to appear nonchalant.

We drove in Guy’s anonymous truck to the office building where Ray had met his end and parked a block away.

“You go in first” he directed. “I’ll follow in five minutes.”

To say I was feeling jittery would be putting it mildly. Not only was I reluctant to approach the scene of the murder again but the thought of confronting an officer of the law was daunting. The sound of my heels as I clopped up the stairs to the second floor echoed in my ears. The noise I was making would be bound to herald my approach and that made me feel even more vulnerable. Nevertheless, as I reminded myself, stealth was not an option. My intention was to serve as a distraction!

I turned onto the landing to see a cop on duty in the corridor leading to the fatal office. I fought to stop myself trembling, reassured to observe that our plan was starting to work. The man was definitely giving me his undivided attention. He looked me up and down and back up again till I felt like I had nothing on at all!

My nervousness must be apparent to the policeman, I realised, so I would have to come up with an explanation to account for it. Fortunately, the nature of business of one of the building’s occupants came to mind and provided me with a corker. “Oh sergeant” I began breathlessly. “I’m looking for the dental clinic that operates in this place. Can you tell me where to find it, please?”

The man drew himself up and with a final stare at my legs replied. “Sure thing, lady. It’s this way.” He ushered me back to the stairs and pointed upwards. “Next floor. You can’t miss it.”

I took a couple of steps upwards then hesitated while I had his full attention. “Oh dear. I know you will think I’m silly, but my legs are like jelly. I’m so frightened of dentists. Would you take me up there? I don’t think I can make it on my own.”

The cop grinned, letting his gaze fall to my butt which was barely covered by the skimpy little skirt I was wearing. “No problem!” he exclaimed with ill-disguised eagerness. “I’ll take you right to the door, sweetheart.”

I waited on the stair for him, coyly smiling at my would-be rescuer. I took his hand and placed it on my waist and allowed him to escort me up towards the halfway landing. I paused there. “I don’t suppose you are at all afraid of the dentist’s chair” I simpered, in my most coquettish manner.

“I can’t say as I like it ma’am, but I’m not exactly scared, if you know what I mean.”

I stepped up onto the landing and turned to face the man to fix him on the step below. His hand slid down onto my butt and I allowed it to rest there. Out of the tail of my eye I saw Guy below us padding silently upwards. He disappeared down the corridor which led to the dead man’s office, so I continued to act out my distraction.

“I don’t expect you are scared of most anything. It must be wonderful being so brave.” I place my hand on the cop’s chest and made a little circle with my fingers. “And so strong” I added.

The policeman must have been in his forties but that didn’t stop the colour rising to his face.
“Well… I don’t know about that” he stated modestly.

“It’s a pity you can’t come in to see the dentist with me” I affected a self-conscious titter. “You could hold my hand (giggle giggle)!”

“Er…” the officer was clearly out of his depth, giving me added confidence, whereas I was in my element. Flirting was my stock in trade, after all!

“But I’m taking so much of your time, when you should be out there catching all those criminals” I exclaimed admiringly. “What cases have you solved recently?”

The cop was only too happy to oblige me and started to relate an account of his most dramatic recent exploit which involved a car chase and a shoot-out. After several minutes had elapsed, I was relieved to see my boss re-emerge from the corridor and stealthily descend the flight below us. Now all I had to do was extricate myself and our mission would have been accomplished.

Easier said than done! The policeman had relaxed completely and was in full flow. The large hand which encompassed my rear end had begun to absently massage and squeeze it. The sensation wasn’t unpleasant in itself though the circumstances made it somewhat gross, but in the semi-aroused condition my libido was in I found I was actually beginning to enjoy the feeling and wanted more! Ewww! His eyes were staring fixedly on the curves of my prominent bosom which was only inches from his face. Insane impulses flitted through my brain. I needed to get out of there!

My salvation came in the shape of a craggy-faced police sergeant who appeared from below and immediately made his presence felt. “Henderson” he bawled. “What in blazes are you doing there? Aren’t you supposed to be on watch at the scene of the shooting, man?”

“Er… this young lady was lost, sarge. I was just showing her the way.”

“I can see what was being shown, thank you. Get back to your post immediately. Now miss. What have you got to say for yourself?”

“Oh, I’m just leaving, inspector. I had the most awful toothache but now it… well it seems to have gone. Your officer here has been most helpful.” I didn’t want the man to get into trouble.

“I see. Miracle worker now, are we, Henderson? Back on duty, instantly.”

The man obeyed, looking rather sheepish. I ran down the stairs, awarding the sergeant my best smile as I did so. Seconds later I was outside, tripping happily towards Guy’s waiting vehicle. As we drove back to the office, he updated me as to what he’d found.

“There was a nothing of note on Ray’s desk and the filing cabinet had been emptied, but there was a metal waste bin by it, and I found two crumpled sheets of paper, rather burnt at one of the edges. Someone was trying to dispose of them but were interrupted. They appeared to contain a list of what looked like names and dates, but the words were unreadable.”

“Illegible?”

“No, unreadable. They’re in some sort of code. It will take some time for me to crack it, I’m afraid.”

“You didn’t bring them away with you.” I was horrified, wondering how far he was prepared to go to bend the rules.

“Of course not!” He tapped his pocket meaningfully. “I’ve taken photos on my camera here. It’s a useful little thing.”

“That’s good!”

“They may hold the key to this business” he mused. “By the way, you did well with that policeman. You had him eating out of your hand.”

He couldn’t have noticed the tingling between my legs for which the encounter had been responsible. It had yet to subside and I coloured up at the thought of it. “It was his hand that was bothering me” I quipped, to cover my confusion.

We pulled up outside the office and alighted.

“Now, while I’m working on the cypher, you had better follow up on that other line of enquiry, the records office. Good luck. Be seeing you!”