Mad, Bad and Blonde - Cathie Linz [68]
“The best way to ensure that is to include me in the surveillance process. Two sets of eyes are better than one. Remember, I’m the one who got Nolan to speak to us in the first place.”
Silence.
“Are you still there?” she said,
“Be ready in fifteen minutes.”
She had to sprint the last block, but she was wearing her commuter shoes, so she made it in time to race inside and change her work outfit into something much more casual and nondescript.
She had her hair stuffed into a baseball cap, and it wasn’t even a White Sox one. Just a plain navy blue cap to go with her plain navy blue T-shirt and plain jeans.
“Is it safe to assume that I have permission to let Caine in the building?” Yuri asked her as she paused at the building’s front door.
“It’s not safe to assume anything where Caine is concerned,” Faith said.
“Oh no. What did he do now?”
“Nothing.”
“I thought you two were . . . uh . . . getting along better.”
Faith sighed. “You heard he spent the night, right?”
Yuri didn’t reply.
“It isn’t the way it looks.”
“I don’t judge,” Yuri said.
“He was just being nice.”
Yuri nodded. “Right.”
“I know it’s hard to believe.”
“Nearly impossible,” Yuri agreed.
“Really, he was just being nice. I’d had too much to drink and got sick, and he stayed to make sure I was okay. That’s all it was.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. And don’t say anything to anyone else about this.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Yuri held the door open for her as she hurried outside to hop into Caine’s Mustang.
“Is this surveillance on foot or are we tailing him by car?” she asked, swinging her backpack onto the floor in front of her.
“The car,” Caine said.
“Then you really should have a more inconspicuous vehicle, preferably something blue.”
“Why? Is that your favorite color?”
“No, it’s the most common car color. I’ve been doing my research. Brushing up on my PI skills.”
“This isn’t meant to be a training mission.”
“I don’t mind training you,” she said.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh, you thought you’d train me.” She laughed. “I can assure you that’s not necessary. You still haven’t told me why you’re doing this surveillance tonight. Did something happen?”
“Nolan called Fred Jr. today and asked for a meeting tonight.”
“How do you know that?”
“I talked to Fred Jr. today. Met him.”
“You didn’t tell me you were going to do that.”
“I’m telling you now.”
“Where’s Buddy tonight? Will he be tailing us?”
“No. He’s taking your grandmother out to dinner at O’Sullivan’s tonight.”
“She didn’t tell me that.”
“I guess you don’t know everything then, do you?”
“I didn’t say I know everything.” She almost added that she knew where to find information she didn’t know, before remembering that was a librarian’s line. And she was no longer a librarian.
She had checked out Buddy, however. He was a Chicago cop for twenty years, as was his son and even his grandson Logan. After retiring, Buddy opened his investigation business over two decades ago. He was seventy-eight, owned his own home and had no major debt.
Which she supposed made him okay to take out her grandmother.
“What was your impression of Fred Jr.?” Faith asked.
“A brainiac chemist following in his father’s footsteps. Not as bad a pain the ass as Nolan Parker. Fred Jr. made no derogatory comments regarding my dad.”
“Was he as . . . uh . . . confident as Nolan?”
“That wasn’t confidence Nolan displayed. That was self-aggrandizement.”
“Agreed.”
“A famous football coach once said empty barrels make the most noise.”
“So you’re a football fan as well as a Cubs fan?”
Caine eyed her suspiciously. “Why do you want to know?”
“No reason. I was just making conversation.”
“We don’t make conversation on surveillance.”
“By ‘we,’ are you referring to Marines or PIs? Because I’ve actually had my PI license longer than you’ve had yours. Not that I’m bragging or anything.”
“Right. You’re just being self-aggrandizing.”
“I am not.” She socked his arm. “Take that back.”
“And you hit like a girl.”
“Only when I want to. You know I’m capable of doing much worse.” She