Dan Sharp Mysteries 4-Book Bundle (58 page)

And now he’d just been resurrected on the other end of the phone.

Dan went downstairs where Ked had just returned from his mother’s.

“Hey, Dad!”

“Hey, sonny boy!”

Ked gave him a funny look. “What is this? An episode of
Father Knows Best
?”

Dan snorted. “Maybe. It sounds like something they ought to consider making a national holiday.”

“Yeah, as if.”

A few minutes later, Ked was helping Trevor set the table when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Ked yelled, as he dashed to the front door.

They heard a mumbled conversation then Ked returned to the kitchen.

Ked: “Dad, um, Jags Rohmer is at the door?”

Dan: “Thanks, son. Please tell him I’ll be right there.”

Ked: “Uh, yeah. I will.”

He turned to Trevor. “Did you know about this?”

Trevor shook his head.

Ked took a big breath and headed for the hall. Before he reached it, he turned back and looked at Dan. “Is this for real?”

“Yes, son.”

“Whoa!” they heard him say as he rounded the corner and headed for the door.

Dan’s first impression was how tall Jags Rohmer really was, though his presence defied logic and seemed to suggest he was even taller than his six foot three.

“Come in,” Dan said.

“Thanks, but …” Rohmer peered over Dan’s shoulder and waved at Trevor in the next room. “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to conduct business in my car.”

Dan looked at him blankly.

“If that’s all right with you. Just a preference.”

Dan shrugged. “Sure.” He turned to the dining room. “I won’t be long,” he called to Trevor, closing the door behind him.

A Porsche Carrera GT was parked outside the house. Dan had only a hazy idea of the vehicle’s cost, but he was pretty sure it easily equalled the price of his new house.

“Nice car,” Dan said. “But if you ever come back, park it around the side so my neighbours won’t start getting strange ideas.”

Jags smirked. They got in the car.

“Shall we take a little ride?”

“Sounds good to me.”

He turned the key and the car drifted away from the curb. Jags manoeuvred a corner and headed south. The car felt airborne as the towers of the city approached. The ride was smooth, like a razor on glass.

“Do you know anything about Porsches, Dan?”

“Not a lot. Other than that I will never be able to buy one. That’s all I need to know.”

“Fair enough. Let me tell you a few facts then. Just because I like to do that.” Jags looked over at him and winked. “Manufactured in Germany, as you probably know, this car has a 5.7 litre V10 engine. Six-twelve horsepower.”

“Sounds very impressive.”

“It is. The Porsche people claim you can accelerate from zero to a hundred kilometres in less than four seconds, with a maximum speed of 330 kliks. Fast, huh?”

“Scary fast,” Dan agreed.

“Personally, I’ve never managed to get from zero to a hundred in less than eight seconds, give or take a few nanos. On the other hand, I’ve had it up to 340 kliks, going full-out on a deserted stretch of highway in Joshua Tree National Park.”

The city drifted by, soundless, outside the windows. Dan waited for Jags to tell him the reason for his visit, but he concentrated on driving. Traffic was thinning. They drifted lazily from lane to lane. Jags kept a light foot. The car moved along effortlessly.

“As I said on the phone, you come highly recommended.”

“Glad to hear it. What exactly have I been recommended to do?”

Jags looked over. “I want to hire you to look out for me.”

Dan was puzzled. “To look out for you?”

“Watch my ass and keep me out of trouble.”

“I think you’ve been misinformed. That’s not my field. I find missing people.”

“Yes, that’s what I was told. What I want is something more proactive. I want you to prevent me from going missing.”

Dan laughed. “I’m not a hard-ass. I’m not trained to fight to prevent anyone from being kidnapped, if that’s what you’re saying.”

Jags turned in his seat and made a face. “Ach, it doesn’t have to be so intense and noirish. Nothing sinister in the wings. Mostly I want a babysitter — someone to keep on his toes when I can’t. I don’t want a SWAT team. I just need someone to watch my back.”

“Fair enough. Why?”

“Among other reasons, I’ve got a book coming out.”

Dan was perplexed. “Fiction?”

“No. Memoirs. It’s a tell-all about my sordid little life.”

“Are you expecting some trouble from disgruntled former band members?”

Jags laughed. “Yeah, you could say that. Former whatevers, in fact. Girlfriends, wives, songwriting partners. Just … whatever. I need someone to watch my back right now.”

Dan made a face.

“C’mon,” Jags told him. “I’m not expecting trouble,
but I’m sure you could take out a few guys at once,
if you wanted to. You’re built like a prize-fighter. Me? I’m turning into the Pillsbury Doughboy.”

“Mr. Rohmer …”

“Jags.”

“Jags, I’m sure it would be an honour to work for you, but …”

“But what?”

“But it’s not my thing.”

“That’s no reason. Look, I’ll pay you triple whatever you charge.”

They were on the ramp running directly over Corktown. Dan glanced off to the right. One of those adjoining roofs was his. He thought of his diminishing reserves and the mounting costs for the new home. From missing persons investigator to bodyguard. Maybe it was time to expand his skill set.

Jags turned off at the bottom of the ramp, heading up to Queen Street and then east again. They were soon back on Dan’s street. The car turned right and slid into place in front of Dan’s house.

Jags turned to regard him. He looked at his dash. “You said forty-five minutes. We’ve got ten minutes left. So what do you think?”

“Jags, I don’t think so …”

Dan reached for the door handle. Jags snapped the lock down.

“Do I have to kidnap you?”

“That won’t help.” Something occurred to Dan. “You were at the police station today.”

“Right. And you were at the elevator when I got off on the third floor. Green striped V-neck T-shirt and jeans.
With the older man in the checked shirt and beige pants.”

“Good recall,” Dan said. “Is that where you got my name?”

Jags nodded. “I met with some police officers there. A dumpy one and a short one who thinks he’s Cock of the Walk.”

An image of Detective Danes and Constable Pfeiffer came to Dan’s mind. “Yeah, I think I know the ones you mean.”

“They recommended you to me. The older guy told them you were cool.”

Dan wondered what Ed had said to Detective Danes and Constable Pfeiffer to make them recommend him.

“Did they tell you my last client was murdered?”

“Is that a joke?”

“I never joke.”

“I like you even better then. Did your last client hire you to be his bodyguard?”

“No. I never met him. His sister hired me to find him. He disappeared a few days before I found him. I got there too late.”

“That’s different. Not your fault.”

Dan sized him up. “Did they tell you I was gay?”

“I don’t mind queers.”

Dan held up a warning finger. “I can use that word. You can’t.”

Jags’ mouth twitched into a smile. “Ooh, discrimination.”

“You betcha. That’s our word now.”

“Better tell the boys at Metro HQ. I don’t think they got the memo.”

Dan smiled. “I hear you.”

He looked off across the street at a couple passing by with a baby in a stroller. How had his life become so different from everyone else’s?

Jags placed a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Look, Dan —
I checked you out. You come highly recommended from a number of sources, not just the cops. Plus I like you — you talk straight. Well, for a gay guy.” He smiled again. “I’d trust you before I’d trust one of those muscle-bound lunks you meet at the gym and whatnot.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

“Sure it is.” Jags seemed to be running out of arguments. “Look, do you have anything pressing at the moment? Apart from your murdered client, I mean.”

Dan inclined his head. “Actually, no.”

“Then why not try it for a week? It won’t be an everyday thing. Every other day, at best. Mostly when I do public appearances.”

He released the lock and waited.

Dan’s hand moved to the handle. He turned to Jags. “Okay. I’ll try it.”

“Good. Any questions?”

“Just one. Where’d you get your name?”

Jags smiled. “I’m very fond of cars, as you can see. By the time my first record came out, I’d already smashed up three Jaguars.”

“Ouch. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. That’s a very cool car.”

“Tell me about it.”

Dan got out of the car. It turned sleekly and drove off with a
whoosh!
leaving him standing on the sidewalk outside his home.

Ten

Fame

Trevor and Ked were in the living room when Dan entered. They reminded him of a pair of devious teenagers who minutes before had been smoking and playing cards, but were now trying to simulate innocence while noxious fumes hung in the air.

“Well?” Trevor ventured.

“I’ve got Jags Rohmer as a client,” he told them.

“Dad, that’s so cool!” Ked exclaimed.

“But you’re not to tell anyone,” Dan quickly added.

“What? No fair!”

“You heard me. This is a confidential arrangement. You can talk about it when the job is done.”

Ked glowered. “Then why did you have to tell me now?”

“Because I need to keep you in the loop. It’s going to change a few things around here. And by the way, your dog needs walking. He told me so at the door when I came in.”

Ked rolled his eyes then stomped out of the room.

“Congratulations, I guess?” Trevor said.

Dan shrugged. “I took the job because I need the money, not because he’s famous.”

“Good money?”

“Very good.” He stopped to consider. “And I think I might like the guy.”

“That’s always a plus. So what will you be doing for him? Did he lose someone?”

Dan looked at him. “Actually, no. He didn’t lose anyone. He needs a bodyguard so he doesn’t lose himself.”

Trevor shook his head. “Since when are you a bodyguard?”

“Since today. Are you shocked?”

Trevor hesitated. “A little, I guess. What brought this on? For him, I mean.”

“His autobiography is coming out and he wants back-up for his public appearances. And I need the cash flow right now.”

Consternation showed on Trevor’s face. “Wish I could be more help in that department.”

Dan held up his hand. “We agreed that’s not your part here. Not for now, anyway. I don’t want you to start worrying about it. Not about the house or about money or about anything.”

“Well, good. I’ll just put all that worry on hold. Let me know when you think it’s time to start, because I’m sure I’ll be primed for it.” Trevor screwed up his mouth. Too much to say and no good way to say it. “Will you have to carry a gun?”

Dan shook his head. “This isn’t going to be dangerous.”

“Still, I mean … a bodyguard? It sounds a bit ominous, Dan.”

Dan hesitated. He hadn’t really considered Trevor’s reaction when he agreed to take the job. “I’m sorry,
I should have discussed it with you first. I don’t want to give you anything to worry about.”

Trevor shook his head. “That’s not it. I know you’ll be sensible.”

“What is it then?”

Trevor shrugged. “I just wish you had a risk-free job.”

“Like what, an accountant?”

Trevor grinned. “Yeah, something like that. You’d make a super-sexy accountant in your pinstripe three-piece. Anyway, supper is nearly ready. Be a good boy and go wash your hands and get ready to eat. Afterward, you can be my dishwasher. That’s relatively safe, I think.”

“Give me five minutes. I’ve got a few phone calls to make first.”

“Don’t be long,” Trevor said with mock-gruffness.

His office felt like a tomb. Lights down low, the rumble of traffic outside on the street, the air nicely chill from the AC. Death might be a pleasant lull, if this was any indication. All that peace and nothing to disturb you. He had Ed on the phone. His ex-boss sounded happily surprised to hear from him. He was probably hoping Dan had changed his mind about offering his sources. Dan nipped that possibility in the bud. He didn’t want it to become an issue, especially as he’d cultivated a number of those sources while working for Ed’s firm. He mentioned Jags Rohmer. Ed remembered the name from their conversation outside the elevator but still had only a vague idea who he was.

“I could hum a few bars of his songs if you think it would help.”

“No, thanks, Daniel. I seem to recall that you’re a worse singer than I am. My ex-wife said something to that effect in her divorce suit. Anyway, what about him?”

“He showed up on my doorstep this evening. He wants to hire me as a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?” Ed snorted.

“Yes. I was wondering if you had anything to do with it.”

“Not intentionally. Does this have something to do with our meeting at the police station?”

“He seemed to think you recommended me to them. I wondered if you said anything to make them think I did personal bodyguard work.”

“Not me,” Ed said.

“Okay, no problem.”

“My turn. I know it’s none of my business, but don’t tell me that. One of your last cases with us, right before you deserted us …”

“Before I retired from the firm,” Dan corrected.

“Whatever you want to call it. And I’m still trying to find a replacement, by the way, so the offer to return is still there. Anyway, right before you left me without the best investigator I ever had, there was a case involving a teenager who went missing after being picked up by the police for soliciting at a gay cruising area in Oshawa.”

A pot clanked downstairs in the kitchen.

Ed was referring to Lester before he changed his name from Richard and before he had the good fortune to move in with Donny.

‘I vaguely remember it.”

“Vaguely? Like hell, Danny. You’ve got a mind like a steel trap.”