The following is another excerpt from my work in progress, The Throuple Private Eye—Business is Booming, a Jen McDowell Series. This is the second draft. I’m at 47k words now. If you want to catch up, order the novella The Throuple Private Eye—Hate Crimes, on Amazon ($2.99). The link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084LTTHGN. Enjoy.
CHAPTER 12
On Friday, Jen decide to follow the elusive Jimmy Richardson. She knew by now that he always checked his post office box after work on Fridays. She parked in a spot where she had a good view of the entrance to the post office. Short after 4:30 pm, Jimmy showed up. Jen thought it would be best if she relied on the GPS tracker she planted on his cars rather than risk being spotted tailing him. After a short time, the tracking software indicated that Jimmy’s BMW was moving. Jen followed at a safe distance. She already had the address where he was heading from Charlize.
Jimmy drove up to a luxury apartment building and entered the underground parking. Jen decided that she could monitor the tracker from her office, so she headed back. Just after sunset, an alarm on her software told her that Jimmy was on the move. When the tracker showed that Jimmy had parked, Jen found the address. It was a nice restaurant downtown. She grabbed her camera and headed downtown.
Jen found the restaurant and used valent parking for her car. She decided against taking her camera inside the restaurant; too conspicuous. Once inside, she told the maître d, “I’m looking for a guy named Richardson.” The maître d looked puzzled and shook his head. “His wife is oriental,” she added.
“I think you mean Mr. Richards,” the maître d said. “He’s here with his fiancé. Shall I take you to his table?”
“No,” Jen replied. “I can find them.” She entered the dining room. Once inside the dining room, it wasn’t difficult to find Jimmy and his date, a young Asian woman, but definitely not Biyu. Jen took out her cellphone and snapped a picture while pretending to take a picture of another group. Jen left by a side exit.
Monday morning, Jen’s software told her that Jimmy was driving the BMW. Jen figured he would drive to the garage, switch cars and head to work. Thirty minutes later, her trackers told her that’s exactly what he did. The tracker indicated he was now at work. Jen decided to check out his office. Before lunch he drove to the real estate agency where Jimmy worked. She parked across the street and waited. She didn’t have to wait long. Jimmy walked out, got in his car and drove off.
Jen took that moment to check out Jimmy’s place of employment to see what she could find out. She walked in and was greeted in the lobby by an elderly woman sitting at a desk. “May I help you?” the woman asked.
“I’m looking for Mr. Jimmy Richardson,” Jen answered, using Jimmy’s real name.
“I sorry,” said the woman. “He’s with a client at the moment, and I don’t expect him back for some time. Can I make an appointment for you, or would you like to see one of our other agents?”
“No,” Jen answered. “That’s alright. I’ll just call him. Can I have his card?”
The woman removed a card from a holder and handed it to Jen. “Can I tell him your name?”
Jen put the card in her purse. “No thanks. I’ll just call him.” Jen left. Now she knew Jimmy’s real name was Richardson and not Richards.
Later that afternoon, Jen’s tracker indicated that Jimmy was leaving work in his Honda. To Jen’s surprise, he drove to the suburbs. When the tracker stopped moving, Jen located the address and headed out. The address was in an upscale Atlanta suburb. It was a gated community and a card key was required to gain entrance. Jen noted that there was no wall around the perimeter of the neighborhood. She parked nearby, found a way inside and walked to the address. By the time she arrived across the street from the address, she was worn out from walking. She wished she had worn her blades today.
The house looked like a typical upscale home for the neighborhood: two-car garage, fenced in backyard and well-kept yard with flowers and nice bushes under the windows. Jen thought if she used her camera, it would cause suspicion, and she could just stand around and stare at the house. She sat down on the curb and pretended to adjust her prosthetics. After a few minutes she saw a Caucasian woman through the front living room window. She was soon followed by two young children and then by Jimmy Richardson. Apparently, Jen concluded, Jimmy has a real family here, and is having an affair with a Chinese woman.
When Jen arrived at her home office, she was surprised to find Molly and Marty both there. “What’s going on?” she asked. Before Molly could answer, Jen walked over and offered her hand to Marty. “You must be William,” Jen said with a grin. “Molly has told me so much about you.”
Marty laughed. “It won’t work. Molly warned me about you. I’m Marty. We met last Friday at the VFW.”
Molly glared at Jen. “Not funny,” she said. Then she changed her tone and said, “Marty came over to help me do some research. We found out some things about Ken and Kiera”
Jen laughed at her weak attempt to embarrass Molly. She glanced down on Molly’s desk, and there was a dish of M&M’s. Pointing at the dish, she said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Molly smile. “What? Our expensive monogrammed candy? It was your idea. I got you some too. I think yours are the ones with peanuts.”
Jen waited as Marty moved his stuff from Jen desk over to a coffee table. “I’ve found out some interesting things about my Mr. Richardson too,” Jen said.
“Richardson?” Molly asked. “I thought his name was Richard.”
Molly chuckled. “Well, it is, and it isn’t. I’ll tell you all about it, but you go first. What did you discover?”
CHAPTER 12
On Friday, Jen decide to follow the elusive Jimmy Richardson. She knew by now that he always checked his post office box after work on Fridays. She parked in a spot where she had a good view of the entrance to the post office. Short after 4:30 pm, Jimmy showed up. Jen thought it would be best if she relied on the GPS tracker she planted on his cars rather than risk being spotted tailing him. After a short time, the tracking software indicated that Jimmy’s BMW was moving. Jen followed at a safe distance. She already had the address where he was heading from Charlize.
Jimmy drove up to a luxury apartment building and entered the underground parking. Jen decided that she could monitor the tracker from her office, so she headed back. Just after sunset, an alarm on her software told her that Jimmy was on the move. When the tracker showed that Jimmy had parked, Jen found the address. It was a nice restaurant downtown. She grabbed her camera and headed downtown.
Jen found the restaurant and used valent parking for her car. She decided against taking her camera inside the restaurant; too conspicuous. Once inside, she told the maître d, “I’m looking for a guy named Richardson.” The maître d looked puzzled and shook his head. “His wife is oriental,” she added.
“I think you mean Mr. Richards,” the maître d said. “He’s here with his fiancé. Shall I take you to his table?”
“No,” Jen replied. “I can find them.” She entered the dining room. Once inside the dining room, it wasn’t difficult to find Jimmy and his date, a young Asian woman, but definitely not Biyu. Jen took out her cellphone and snapped a picture while pretending to take a picture of another group. Jen left by a side exit.
Monday morning, Jen’s software told her that Jimmy was driving the BMW. Jen figured he would drive to the garage, switch cars and head to work. Thirty minutes later, her trackers told her that’s exactly what he did. The tracker indicated he was now at work. Jen decided to check out his office. Before lunch he drove to the real estate agency where Jimmy worked. She parked across the street and waited. She didn’t have to wait long. Jimmy walked out, got in his car and drove off.
Jen took that moment to check out Jimmy’s place of employment to see what she could find out. She walked in and was greeted in the lobby by an elderly woman sitting at a desk. “May I help you?” the woman asked.
“I’m looking for Mr. Jimmy Richardson,” Jen answered, using Jimmy’s real name.
“I sorry,” said the woman. “He’s with a client at the moment, and I don’t expect him back for some time. Can I make an appointment for you, or would you like to see one of our other agents?”
“No,” Jen answered. “That’s alright. I’ll just call him. Can I have his card?”
The woman removed a card from a holder and handed it to Jen. “Can I tell him your name?”
Jen put the card in her purse. “No thanks. I’ll just call him.” Jen left. Now she knew Jimmy’s real name was Richardson and not Richards.
Later that afternoon, Jen’s tracker indicated that Jimmy was leaving work in his Honda. To Jen’s surprise, he drove to the suburbs. When the tracker stopped moving, Jen located the address and headed out. The address was in an upscale Atlanta suburb. It was a gated community and a card key was required to gain entrance. Jen noted that there was no wall around the perimeter of the neighborhood. She parked nearby, found a way inside and walked to the address. By the time she arrived across the street from the address, she was worn out from walking. She wished she had worn her blades today.
The house looked like a typical upscale home for the neighborhood: two-car garage, fenced in backyard and well-kept yard with flowers and nice bushes under the windows. Jen thought if she used her camera, it would cause suspicion, and she could just stand around and stare at the house. She sat down on the curb and pretended to adjust her prosthetics. After a few minutes she saw a Caucasian woman through the front living room window. She was soon followed by two young children and then by Jimmy Richardson. Apparently, Jen concluded, Jimmy has a real family here, and is having an affair with a Chinese woman.
When Jen arrived at her home office, she was surprised to find Molly and Marty both there. “What’s going on?” she asked. Before Molly could answer, Jen walked over and offered her hand to Marty. “You must be William,” Jen said with a grin. “Molly has told me so much about you.”
Marty laughed. “It won’t work. Molly warned me about you. I’m Marty. We met last Friday at the VFW.”
Molly glared at Jen. “Not funny,” she said. Then she changed her tone and said, “Marty came over to help me do some research. We found out some things about Ken and Kiera”
Jen laughed at her weak attempt to embarrass Molly. She glanced down on Molly’s desk, and there was a dish of M&M’s. Pointing at the dish, she said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Molly smile. “What? Our expensive monogrammed candy? It was your idea. I got you some too. I think yours are the ones with peanuts.”
Jen waited as Marty moved his stuff from Jen desk over to a coffee table. “I’ve found out some interesting things about my Mr. Richardson too,” Jen said.
“Richardson?” Molly asked. “I thought his name was Richard.”
Molly chuckled. “Well, it is, and it isn’t. I’ll tell you all about it, but you go first. What did you discover?”
RSS Feed
