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Curiosity finally got the better of me as I lay there, so I took my time to sit up on the edge of the bed. Picking up my phone, I checked the time and was surprised to see I’d been asleep for over two hours. The phone showed a missed call from Chloe. She didn’t leave a message, but I called her back immediately.
“Hey there, cripple,” she said upon answering. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m hardly a cripple, and I was sleeping. What’s up?”
“Nothing important. We received the hard copy of the background check on the beauty pageant contestant from Sacramento that you’ve been waiting on. Nothing stood out from what you’d already briefed me about. I sent it to the client.”
“God, I’d completely forgotten about that,” I replied.
“That’s why you have me,” she boasted.
“Very true,” I chuckled. “While I’ve got you, can you come by this afternoon? The police received the financial records of the Chandlers. Jonesy would like us to see if anything stands out.”
“Sure, I can come help, but I’m surprised they’re not doing it themselves.”
“They normally would, but they’re busy with the pageant…and more shit has happened. I figured since I’m just hanging out, I could help. Jonesy thought you might be a good set of eyes, too.”
“Wait, wait…back up. What shit happened at the pageant?”
I’d said too much, but I knew she could be trusted. “Another contestant went missing yesterday.”
“No shit? Has this gotten out? I haven’t seen anything on the news,” she said.
“Not that I know of. I know they kept things quiet up in Lake Tahoe about the two missing contestants, so I’m sure they’re treating this the same way.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked quietly.
“That it’s a human trafficking thing? Yes, we think so, too.”
“Oh my God, those poor girls. I can see why the police are so busy with this new development.”
“Yeah, it’s a shit show. But they have leads, so things are being worked on,” I replied, not wanting to get into the details of who we knew was behind it.
“Did you ever hear from, what’s his name? The concierge manager up at the hotel.”
“Mr. Sheffield. No, but from what you heard on that phone call with Simon, he’s apparently on vacation.”
“And anything more from that sexy Brit, Simon?” she asked teasingly.
“No. And I doubt I will,” I replied dryly.
“I’m just teasing. Would you like me to bring you lunch? Say around one o’clock?”
“That would be great. Anything will be fine.”
“I’ll bring a cobb salad from Antonio’s. I know it’s one of your favorites. I’ll grab one for myself, too.”
My mouth watered at her suggestion, and I realized I hadn’t had breakfast yet. “That sounds perfect. Put it on the expense card, Chloe. And thanks.”
“See you later, boss,” she replied before hanging up.
My next move was to head into the kitchen and see what type of protein smoothie I could concoct. It wasn’t difficult since Jonesy always kept his fridge well-stocked. After I’d finished, a shower was in order, and I found his stash of plastic garbage bags that I could wrap around my cast to protect it. The trick was to keep my arm out of the spray as much as I could. I took my time, not wanting to jar my ribs, and showering one-handed also kept me from rushing.
Chloe arrived close to one o’clock with salads in hand. She made me sit at the counter while she plated our lunch.
“Have you heard from your boyfriend yet today? I mean, are there any recent developments surrounding the most recent missing contestant?” she asked as she poured us iced tea.
“He hasn’t called, and I don’t want to bug him. He’s undercover, and he probably wouldn’t answer the call anyway.”
