Chapter Three

Chloe was grateful for the brisk pace Jim set as he led her a few blocks west of the coffee shop to Raul’s House of Beauty; Raul being the owner and also his friend.  It forced her to pay attention so as not to lose him in the bustling street rather than fester over his rudeness.

“Jim Lancer, you sly dog.  Where have you been hiding?” Raul purred as Jim leaned forward to accept a light kiss on the cheek.

“Raul Diego, may I introduce Chloe Kensington, my coworker?” Jim said as he pulled Chloe into the space between them.

Raul was an average looking fellow beneath the glitz and glitter of his flamboyant getup.  Being of equal height to Jim, Chloe felt small and insignificant as she craned her head to look up at his delicate and quite feminine face.

The salon owner was as she expected; arrogant and one-hundred-percent positive that he knew the perfect look for her.  A battle of wills ensued for a considerable length of time before Chloe conceded and allowed him to shape the hair around her face while not losing much off the back.  Once her hair was washed, shaped, and blown dry, she was hustled over to the makeup artist to play around with some colors that best suited her complexion.

“So, tell me, love, what’s the big case about?” Raul said in a breathy whisper as he planted himself in a feministic manner next to Jim on the love seat opposite the makeup station.

“Another missing person,” Jim said matter-of-factly.

“You’re so good at solving them,” Raul purred as he crossed his legs and stretched his arm across the back of the loveseat, behind Jim. “Why do you need that little girl’s help?”

Chloe’s brows raised at the hint of jealously she detected.  She excused him calling her a little girl.  Since she’d sat down with Jim at the coffee house, she’d been picked at and insulted until she’d reached the point of being immune to it. Besides, as size would go, she was little.  Not only was she small boned, but she barely reached five-feet-four inches.

“Our target is Antoh Sudnik,” Jim explained. “We need a woman to get close to him.”

“Oh my, I’ve heard of him,” Raul said as he fanned his face with his hand. “He’s one hottie.  Likes the girls.”

“Exactly,” Jim said with a nod.

Raul leaned close to Jim’s ear. “I hear he’s not human.”

“A real animal, eh?” Jim chuckled.

“Whatever he is, rumor has it that once you enter his abode, you don’t come out again,” Raul said slyly.

“If that’s true, how did you find out?” Jim asked skeptically. “I mean, if everyone who goes in doesn’t come out, who told you?”

“Don’t be an ass,” Raul hissed as he leaned back and picked at a loose thread in the sofa fabric.  “My hairdresser, Marsha, told me that her friend, Carol, had a date with him and now she’s missing.  Remember that fabulous masseuse, Peter?  Well, he said that his friend, Sara, disappeared after flirting with him at the club.  It can’t be coincidence.  It’s all the buzz.”

“This is a big city full of bad people.  What makes you think it’s Antoh kidnapping them?” Jim asked.

“Kidnapping?” Raul placed his hands over his heart in mock dismay.  “Who said anything about kidnapping?  Honey, I’m talking about killing.”

Jim studied Raul. “That’s a serious accusation.”

The salon owner raised his chin in defiance. “Peter found Sara’s purse in the alley next to the club. It was covered in blood.”

Jim’s eyebrows forged as one. “Did he tell the police?”

“As if they’re going to do anything,” Raul spat with disgust.

“Did he tell them?” Jim persisted.

Raul waved his hand in the air in the most feminine mannerism Chloe could imagine. “I suppose he did.”

“And?”  Jim asked firmly.

“Okay, believe me or don’t,” Raul pouted. “I’m just saying what the rumor is and, if you know what’s good for that little girl you’re going to such lengths to get all prettied up, you’ll keep her away from him.”

“That’ll be hard to do,” Jim said with a smile, “but, I promise we’ll be careful.”

“See that you do,” he said as he stood up to leave.  “I would hate to waste my efforts on beautifying her only to have her disappear, so no one can appreciate them.”

As they left the salon, Chloe had to admit that she looked better and felt more confident.  She even managed to get an approving look from ‘Jim Almighty’.

“We still need clothes,” Jim said as he extended his hand to assist her from the makeup chair.

“He’s a scientist, isn’t he?” Chloe asked in a low voice.

“Who?” Jim asked in a distracted manner as he headed out the door.

She scurried behind him.  “Antoh Sudnik.  I read he’s a scientist.”

“Don’t be a stranger now!” Raul called out. “You look lovely, darling!”

  Chloe flashed a toothy smile and waved. Jim vocalized his praise for Raul’s artistic prowess and thanked him in earnest while he grabbed her hand and hurried toward a small boutique just doors away.

“Hi Jimmie,” called a slender, leggy young beauty from atop a ladder as they entered the boutique. “I’ll be with you in just a second.  You don’t mind waiting until I put these shirts away, do you?”

“Take your time, Carol,” Jim said as he guided Chloe to a rack of colorful garments. “I’m helping my coworker pick out a few dresses. We’ll just get started.”

“Sure thing,” she said as she continued to place the neatly folded shirts, one on top of the other, in one of the many cubbies set into the wall.

Chloe shook her head at the way Carol shamelessly positioned her bare legs with one foot on a rung of the ladder and the other on the ledge of a corresponding cubby.  A brief look as they passed by proved her assumption that the girl wore no panties. She stole a peak in Jim’s direction. If he’d noticed the opportunity to get a good look, he didn’t seem to have taken advantage of it. Chloe felt just a tad bit guilty for her brief voyeurism.

“I don’t usually wear things this loud,” Chloe protested as Jim held a dress up to her. “Or this revealing.”

“I know,” he said as he continued to select dresses.  “If everything goes right, we’ll only need enough outfits for a few dates.”

“Dates?” she screeched. “I’m supposed to date him?”

With a sigh of exasperation, Jim raised a brow, leaned his arms across the top of the dress rack, and smiled. “Have you another way of getting close to him in mind?”

Normally quick witted and known for her intelligence and clear thinking, Chloe was actually dumbfounded.  In truth, she hadn’t given much thought to how she’d get close to Dr. Antoh Sudnik.  She’d been too preoccupied with the concept of actually being able to work with Jim on a case.  Up until this assignment, she was lucky to say two sentences to him in a week.  She’d literally admired him from afar. Now that she was close enough to get to know him better, she felt deflated over the energy she’d wasted swooning over the self-loving, egotistical, insensitive man he turned out to be. She was so disappointed and disillusioned.  It felt like it did when she learned that Santa and the Easter Bunny weren’t real.

Her eyes came to life as a thought penetrated her muddled mind. “I thought I’d apply for a job.”

“As what?” Jim chuckled.

“An assistant of some sort,” she said with enthusiasm.  “I sailed through science in high school and college.  In fact, my parents expected me to become a scientist.”

“From scientist to private investigator. I can imagine their joy at your chosen profession,” Jim said mockingly.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a private detective.  It helps people and is fulfilling,” she said. “Not to mention exciting.”

Jim’s brows raised with surprise. “Really?”

“Well, it can be,” she said. “Don’t you like being a private detective?” 

Chloe held her breath while she waited for his answer.  If he said, “no”, she was sure she’d collapse from the trauma of it all.  It was bad enough to discover that the office’s hot and sexy top detective was actually the office ass, but if he also hated his job… well… it was just the straw that would break the camel’s back, so to speak.

“I wouldn’t be as good at what I do as I am if I hated it, silly,” he smirked.

Okay, it was official.  Her crush was over.