Vic looked down at the table, drawing circles on the
top with one finger. "I'm not a crook. I'm a private investigator."
He glanced up at Evan. "A damned good one—usually. This time I made a
mistake and it cost me. Not a big one, but one that apparently let someone know
I was more interested in them than they liked."
"Some gangster?"
Vic smiled wryly. "It should be so easy. I was
hired to find out who was blackmailing… well, let's just say a person whose
name you'd probably recognize."
"Isn't stopping that what the cops are
for?"
"If you were well known and someone was
blackmailing you, would you go to the police? They'd want to know the details
and…" Vic spread his hands. "Get the picture?"
Evan nodded. "So instead, he hires you."
"One of his people did, so no one will connect
it to him. Supposedly I'm watching this woman's husband because she thinks he's
playing around."
"Is he?"
"No. That's just the cover story, with her
husband's consent. It gives me a reason to be places he is, since he's one of
the blackmail victim's…associates."
Evan shook his head. "I think I'll stick with
setting up security for people and let them deal with the consequences if
someone tries to breach it. No one's going to beat me up, or worse, for
that."
"Probably not," Vic agreed, smiling. He got
up at that point, slowly, and limped into the living room.
Evan started to follow him, stopping when Vic
returned with the bottle of pills in hand. "If you'd asked, I could have
gotten those for you."
Vic shrugged. "I'm going to owe you a new
bottle," he said, popping two pills, washing them down with the last of
his milk after he'd retaken his seat.
Evan watched Vic carefully, trying to assess what
shape he was in. "You're not planning on working for a while, I
hope."
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really. You're fifty shades of purple and
puce; every time you take a deep breath, you wince. You're limping, though
you're trying to hide it."
"Not too successfully I take it."
Evan chuckled. "Not at all. So, since you're
going to be stuck here for at least a couple of days, let's use the time to
figure out how you're going to catch the blackmailer."
"Stuck here?"
Vic cocked an eyebrow.
"Obviously the person you're looking for knows
who you are, since they sent someone after you. That means they know where your
office is, and probably where you live as well. I doubt you could fight off
another attack—or escape one."
Vic frowned. "Unfortunately you're right, but
you don't have to put me up. I can… go to a motel."
"I have the spare bedroom that you're welcome to
use. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think you should stay so I can
make certain there was no internal damage that hasn't shown up yet. Also,
you're safer here, since I practice what I preach. No one can get in here
without my knowing it."
* * * *
"Bet
me," Dom said, chortling.
"I
don't think we count," Paddy
replied. He studied Vic intently. "No
internal damage, but I can't quite reassure him or Evan about that. I wish we
knew who sent those men to deal with him."
"I'm
sure he does as well."
"He has
to have some idea. I could try reading his mind."
Dom shot Paddy a dire look. "That is not allowed except in emergencies and you know it."
"Don't
you think keeping him alive is an emergency?"
"Not
the way I meant it. The rules say…"
"Rules
are meant to be broken." Paddy
sighed. "Okay, for now I'll play by
them but if Evan can't worm a name out of him…"
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