Page 6 of Pied Sniper

“Not particularly but I’ve had worse nights out.” Most of those nights either involved Lily and a lot of tequila, or my job at the Solomon Detective Agency and absolutely no tequila. Frederickstown was one of the worst neighborhoods in Montgomery. Originally designed for commuters who wanted to live in the ‘burbs, it got entirely screwed up by sheer lack of foresight regarding public transport and amenities. Now it was populated by the poor, the struggling, and the downright awful, who just made it worse for everyone else. The few shops there were grocery stores, pawnbrokers, gambling dens, and dollar bargain stores. The most successful businesses ranged anywhere from junkyards to strip clubs. A lot of the people were as nice as you’d find in any neighborhood but they rubbed shoulders with a lot of what my parents politely call “a concentrated amount of the wrong sort.” The luckier people, or those with financial smarts, moved out as soon as they could into one of the nicer neighborhoods like West Montgomery, where my parents lived. There were far less undesirable characters residing there, although my mother made up for that statistic. If you wanted to make something disappear, either yourself or a valuable object, Frederickstown was a good place to do it. It was sensible to turn a blind eye to many of the nefarious activities.

“They might call on us,” said Delgado.

“I guess they can’t stake it out twenty-four hours just between the two of them.”

“Nah. All the robberies happened between nine PM and midnight so they’re only physically onsite from eight until one.”

Solomon stepped out of his office and rested against the doorframe, folding his arms. “The clients are pleased,” he said. “They asked us to hand it off to the police now that charges are pending.”

“What about the dogs?”

“Apparently, all the animals were recovered at the employee’s cousin’s farm twenty miles outside town. They’re on the way to the veterinarians now but they seem to be in good health.”

“I’m so pleased!”

“I was right about the plans for breeding too. They’d been matching up the dogs for that purpose.”

“I never doubted you.”

“Now that’s out of the way, we can go car-shopping. Ready?”

I was definitely ready to have my own wheels again. “I’ll get my purse.”

Solomon insisted on visiting several showrooms and convinced me to take my time before buying anything. I had to try out the driver’s seat and predict my usage of the car, while the keen salesmen followed us around and happily discussed “horsepower” and “fuel economy,” neither of which interested me. Unfortunately, I didn’t like any of the cars and I couldn’t decide on the color. SUVs, convertibles, neat, new cars... The brain squeeze was a lot to process, and although my insurance check didn’t quite cut the fee, Solomon reminded me the agency was responsible for some of the replacement cost since my car was set ablaze while I was working a case.

By the time we walked into a small showroom off Century Street, I was so fatigued, I wanted to call it off. I could take cabs everywhere. I could also power walk and have ridiculously muscular legs. I could start running again! Perhaps a bicycle was the kind of low maintenance vehicle I needed? No one could possibly suspect I was investigating them if I turned up on a bike with a cute, little basket. It worked for Jessica Fletcher!

We walked towards the office at the back of the building and I caught the eye of a woman sitting behind a desk beside a large pile of paperwork. She started to stand as a shiny-suited salesman swooped in front of her, his hand outstretched.

“If you’re looking for a great car, you came to the right place,” he said, pumping Solomon’s hand, then mine. “I’m Wesley. What can I help you with today, sir?”

“My wife needs a new car,” said Solomon, throwing a glance at me.

“I’m sure I have the perfect fit. Let’s go look at some popular models while you tell me your needs,” he said, ushering us away. Casting a glance behind me at the lady I locked eyes with, I caught her sighing before she slumped back into her chair. I wondered how often Wesley swooped in front of her and snatched potential clients.

“Would the little lady like to see another model?” asked Wesley, his patronizing smile fastened on me as I circled the fourth car and rejected it. Much as I enjoyed driving Solomon’s SUV from time to time, it was a pain in the ass to park in the grocery store’s small parking lot. I definitely didn’t want my own SUV. Plus, I had no idea what I could fill up so much space with. “Enough room for a double buggyandthe groceries,” added Wesley.

“We don’t have any kids,” I said.

“Not yet,” said Wesley with a wink. “How many are you thinking? Two? Maybe three?”

“How about that one?” I asked, pointing to the car next to the one I stood beside.

“Hop in and get comfy,” he said, racing ahead of me to open the door.

I slid inside and realized my feet didn’t reach the pedals. Sliding the seat forward, it was still uncomfortable. Even though I was average height for a woman, some vehicles are just not designed for shorter legs. Worse yet, the seatbelt cut uncomfortably across my body. “Nope,” I said, getting out. “What about the two-door?”

“A four-door is better for a family,” said Wesley.

“I usually let my husband sit in the front,” I replied.

“And the kids?” asked Wesley. I wondered if he even heard my earlier statement. Although we didn’t have children, kids were a hot debate between Solomon and me lately. By hot, I mean, we both were happy about the idea and even indulged in some earnest practice. Wesley, however, was really putting me off. I didn’t want to conform to his patriarchal ideas.

“No kids yet,” said Solomon.

“Any on the way?” Wesley asked, looking pointedly at my middle. “Imagine multiples!”

I looked down at my stomach. What did he see that I couldn’t? My stomach looked flat to me. Did the slightly loose sweater I wore give me the appearance of a twin pregnancy? “Big cake last night,” I said. “No twins.”

---