Page 32 of Daddy P.I. 3.0

“Okay, let’s plan that for after the weekend. It’s too busy at the club on weekends to try anything and the Joker’s B is a weekday thief. You should have a few days reprieve now.”

More nods.

“I’ll remind everyone to use the lockers,” Vizzi says. “We can do phone and key collections for anyone who’s worried.”

There’s agreement, and a few more suggestions, before we say goodbye. Once I close out the call, I turn to Mac.

“What am I missing?”

He ruffles his graying crew cut. “Nothing that I can see, son. Slippery little minx.”

“You agree with Bren and Emmy’s theory that it’s a woman?”

He shrugs. “I’m willing to entertain any theory at the moment.” He cracks a huge yawn. “Particularly after I get another hour or two of sleep. Were you thinkin’ of that newfangled tech Maxie used to find the bug at Bren’s shop?”

I nod. “We’ll have to wait until Max is back but I think that’s the next step. I don’t see any other way Joker’s B could have known where all the cameras were.”

“Uh-huh. You gonna show me this video of the baby?”

The subbie network. It’s terrifying.

I key up the video on my phone and offer it to Mac. He watches it, a slow smile creeping across his face. When the video finishes, he thumbs my phone and watches it again.

“Not sure what’s cuter, your little ‘un or this bromance Maxie and Myles got going.”

I chuckle. “I think they’re good for each other, don’t you? Myles challenges Max and Max softens Myles.”

“They bring out the best in each other, like any good marriage.”

That gets me laughing. “Don’t let them hear you say that.”

“Myles needs a girl,” Mac observes.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure but I think he swings both ways.”

“Then Myles needs a boy.” Mac shrugs. “Whatever gender, he needs someone other than Maxie to fixate on. They’re cute together but Maxie goes home to Cynnie when he’s done having their Hardy Boys adventures. Myles goes back to an empty house. He’s been alone too long. I know the signs.”

I know the signs, too. But I still worry about inflicting Myles on a little, although he was extremely well behaved at playgroup. He interacted with all the littles but didn’t seem to have any instant connection with any of them the way Max did with Cynnie. He played board games with them and let Brenna paint the Union Jack on his cheek, since face-painting was our activity for the day. Still, I can’t help but wonder if his internal darkness would be too much for a little.

“Cappa mentioned that he and Myles spent time together after Emmy’s Halloween party. From everything Cappa said, it went well. Evidently, they’re going on a date when Myles gets back from England.”

Mac scrubs a hand through his hair again. “That boy’s awfully fragile.”

I nod. “I’m concerned about that, too. He’s had a rough time of it lately. I plan to keep topping him. Keep an eye on things.”

“Seems wise. This phone thing of Max’s work well for that?”

“It actually does. I can keep tabs on Lucy and Cappa all day without them feeling like I’m breathing down their necks.” I take my phone from Mac, flip it over to Max’s app, and show Mac the charts I have for Lucy and Cappa. “These are wellness graphs. The app tracks hydration, eating patterns, and hours of sleep. When they remember to wear their cuffs, which isn’t as often as I’d like, it also tracks heart rate and blood pressure. It asks them questions through the day to track mood. That’s this line here.”

“All these are trending upward,” Mac points out, tracing Cappa’s sleep line with his finger.

“They’re both doing better. Lucy’s had a setback or two. The first time I gave her a warning. The second time, I had Karl and Rob punish her. That seemed to really help. She’s been much better about self-care since then. You can see here and here she’s earned small rewards and she’s working toward a big one. Cappa’s not responding as well to incentives. He’s stable but I’m worried he’s going to spiral, particularly as we get toward the holidays.”

“Holidays a trigger for either of them?”

I nod. “Cappa’s estranged from his family. Holidays are a tough time.”

“And you’ve got just a little going on through the holidays. Want back up?”

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