Rick and A.J. arrived at their office within a few minutes of each other, Rick in his beat up Dodge, A.J. in his snazzy Chevy. Both vehicles were all-American but distinctly different as their owners. When Rick and A.J. walked up the stairs to get to their office, Jennifer Schwarz from Terrible Twos, a daycare across the hallway, was wiping down the agency's door with a rag and a bucket of soapy water.

"Oh, great. What did her brats do this time?" Rick muttered.

A.J. elbowed his brother's side to silence him. "Hi, Jennifer. You don't have to do that. I'll ask the cleaning crew to take care of it."

She seemed uneasy and embarrassed when the brothers saw what was on their office door: two crudely drawn figures by a child's hand with markers. One figure had a cowboy hat, a mustache and was lying on the ground bleeding. The other one was standing by the man on the ground with a gun in his hand and had on a sheriff's badge and lots of yellow hair. The drawing elicited a smile from A.J. and scowl from Rick.

"I bet it's that Marcus kid who did this," said Rick fuming.

"How did you know?"

"Never mind him, Jennifer. My brother gets cranky whenever someone younger than he outsmarts him, which is often," said A.J. with a smirk. "Besides, I really like this artwork. Maybe we should keep it for a while. What do you think, Rick?"

Rick answered his brother's question with a menacing glare. He knew A.J. was enjoying this immensely.

"When we were kids, Rick always got to play a sheriff or a cowboy whereas I was forced to play either an outlaw or an Indian who had to be gunned down every single time. He'd beat me up if I refused to play along." A.J. told Jennifer unlocking the door. "Would you like to come in and sit down for a few minutes? I know getting a breather is a luxury at your workplace." He winked at her.

She took a furtive look in the direction of the daycare center and said breathlessly, "Actually, I'd like to speak to you in private if you're not terribly busy."

She sounded a little nervous.

"Um, sure, please come in," offered A.J. opening the door for her.

All three entered the office of Simon & Simon Investigations. A.J. closed the door behind him as Rick made a beeline for the coffee maker to brew a fresh pot of coffee. Jennifer stood in front of A.J.'s desk thinking over several things simultaneously: Should I sit down by A.J.'s desk? How should I begin the conversation? Oh, God, I hope my hair looks all right.

A.J. offered her a guest chair and a smile to calm her nerves. "Please have a seat, Jennifer, and we'd like you to know that we're professionals and deal with delicate and confidential matters all the time, so there's nothing to worry about. You can tell us anything. Your secrets are safe with us. We're here to help you, not to judge you. Okay?"

Jennifer wasn't a wide-eyed, naive teenager and knew this was what Rick and A.J. told all their clients, but she had found some comfort in it, especially when the younger Simon, perched on his desk, placed his hand on her shoulder for moral support and encouragement.

As soon as he got the coffee maker going, Rick grabbed one of the guest chairs and sat down next to Jennifer. Disregarding A.J.'s warning glare, Rick put his feet up on his brother's desk, leaned back in the chair with the clasped hands cradling the back of his head, which made his ever-present cowboy hat dip to the eye level.

"Okay, Jen. The floor's yours. Is it love, money, a minor brush with the law…?"

A.J. was mortified. "Rick! Will you…"

"It's all right, A.J." Jennifer seemed more amused than embarrassed. "And it's not me who needs your help."

Puzzled, the brothers looked at each other.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Rick asked first, pushing his hat up to have a better view of Jennifer.

"And how did you get involved in someone else's affairs? Why do you have to consult us on their behalf?" asked A.J.

"Well, this is about my neighbor who moved into the same apartment building around the same time as I did—six or seven months ago, I think. She lives a couple of doors down from my unit, and we sometimes bump into each other and chitchat.

"Last week, she casually mentioned that her husband hadn't come home for a few nights, so I told her you are very good at tracking a missing person, and your rates are reasonable. But at that time, all she said was she'd think about it. Then she knocked on my door last night and asked me how to get in touch with you, but I wanted to speak with you first to see if you're interested."

"How come? We always welcome cut-and-dried work like a missing persons case." Rick asked.

"Because you told me more than once you hate divorce cases… I hope I didn't do anything out of line."

"Is it shaping up to be a divorce case, you think?" inquired A.J.

"I'm not sure, but Karyn, my neighbor, called her husband cheating bastard."

Rick sighed, disenchanted. He and his brother hated cheating spouse cases as much as divorce-related investigations. They all led to the same path: boring tail jobs, surveillances at seedy motels, hideously explicit pictures that never turned out glamorous and titillating like a centerfold. The only winners in those cases were greedy divorce lawyers. So, A.J.'s response took Rick by surprise.

"I see. Why don't you give us your neighbor's contact information? Rick and I will discuss this matter and give her a call to let her know one way or the other."

"Now, wait just a minute!"

Rick started to protest, but A.J. cut him off.

"Rick, Jennifer is being considerate and kind enough to bring us work at the same time. This is the least we can do for her so that she won't have to be in an awkward position if we decide to turn down this case."

"Thank you for doing this for me, A.J. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know." Relieved, Jennifer smiled shyly at A.J.

"Don't mention it, but there is something you can do for me," replied A.J. with a grin.

"What's that?" She asked expectantly.

"I'd like to reserve the right to send Rick to the daycare's time-out corner if he and Marcus start going at each other again."

A.J. and Jennifer shared a good laugh on Rick's account as they often did until she realized that she had been away from her work too long.

"Oops! I've got to go back to work!"

She jumped out of the chair and headed for the door, but A.J. put his hand on her arm.

"Wait. We need your neighbor's name and phone number."

"Oh, right." Jennifer took out a piece of paper from her pant pocket and handed it to A.J.

He asked, "When's the best time to call her?"

"Anytime, I guess. She doesn't work," answered she. "Sorry, I really have to get back. Bye!" With that, she ran out of the office to go back to her little charges.

Upon Jennifer's hasty exit, A.J. turned around and encountered Rick's scowling face. Now his brother was in a foul mood, and he was on the defensive.

"Rick, I know what you're thinking," started A.J. to argue his case.

"Oh, no, you don't. If you did, you wouldn't wanna stay in the same room with me," said Rick through the clenched teeth.

"You heard me—I didn't say we'd take this case. All I ask of you is to keep your mind open and talk it over before we decide…"

"Drop it. There, I've spoken."

"As I said, we're going to discuss it, like two adults."

"I don't want another messy divorce case."

"How can you be so sure that this is a divorce case? Because the wife called her husband cheating bastard? Sometimes people say things they don't really mean in the heat of the moment. I know I do." Thanks to that special someone who is the bane of my existence. "We don't even know if he's cheating on her."

"Maybe she has some evidence. Maybe she caught him literally pants down. Or, maybe he has cheated on her before, and now she decided it's time to leave him."

"That's a lot of maybes. We will never know for sure unless we talk to her."

"Then you call her."

"I wouldn't mind it, but under the circumstances, I think you should give her a call." A.J. said to Rick gently but firmly.

"Why should I?" challenged Rick.

"If this turns out to be a divorce or cheating spouse tail job, it doesn't matter who talks to her. But, if I called her and she made a compelling case, do you think you would take my word for it and accept my decision to take her case? I'm asking you to make that decision yourself."

Rick regretted he had let A.J. have one of those discussions—which were technically not discussions—in which he merely sulked and his brother did most of the talking. In the end, A.J. almost always got his way overwhelming Rick with the logic and verbosity, as was this time.

Rick scrunched up his face in frustration and yelled, "Fine! Have it your way!" He snatched the piece of paper that Jennifer had left with them from A.J.'s hand.

Rick stomped all the way to his desk like a spoiled brat being sent to his room and flopped down on the chair. He kept glowering at A.J. while dialing the telephone number. The phone started ringing on the other end, and someone picked it up after a couple of rings.

"Hello, this is Karyn."

Her voice was husky in a seductive way. Rick immediately found it appealing to his ears.

"Ah, morning, Mrs. Hojnacki. This is Rick Simon of Simon & Simon Investigations…"

"Oh, good! So, Jennifer told you about me. When can you start?"

"Um… We did talk to Jennifer, Mrs. Hojnacki, but…"

"Please. Call me Karyn." She was an aggressive woman who wouldn't let him finish his sentences. "That's K-A-R-Y-N. No one calls me Mrs. Hojnacki. I've been married to Ben, my current husband, for only ten months. By the way, may I call you Rick?"

She must be the kind of woman who would spill her life story without any reservation to any unlucky and unsuspecting stranger sitting next to her on a park bench, Rick imagined.

"Fine, mi… Karyn. As I was sayin', we talked to Jennifer, but we need more information from you before we make a decision."

"What kind of information?" Suddenly, she sounded anxious. "You're not going to help me?" She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"I didn't say that," said Rick backpedaling. As much as he wanted to drop her like a hot potato right then and there, he wasn't sure if he could deal with a crying woman even on the phone. Not at this hour of the morning before a cup of joe, he decided sighing quietly.

"So, what do you wanna know?" Karyn asked sniffling.

"Well, for starters, tell us your expectations. What are your goals? Do you want us to find your husband? Or, do you want to know if he's cheating on you? Are you looking for the grounds for divorce? Trying to reconcile? Undecided? None of the above?"

"I don't want a divorce," said Karyn still in a teary voice. "We've been married for ten months, but we've been together a lot longer. I'm not sure if he's cheating on me, but if he is, this may not be the first time."

"Oh?" Rick let Karyn know he was listening but kept it short to keep her going.

"We met and got married in Las Vegas, you know," said she as if it would explain everything.

"Do you want us to find out if he's cheating?"

"Not really. I don't know."

Rick felt like banging his head against the desktop. Why is it so hard for some women to answer a simple question with ' yes' or 'no'?

"Do you think he's cheating on you?" Rick changed the angle of his question.

"Probably not. He's a loner and sometimes goes off unannounced for a few days just to be alone. But he's never been gone this long before."

"Have you filed a missing person report with the police?"

"Yes, but I can tell they're not really looking for my Ben. I mean, he's a full-grown man and known to disappear for a few days from time to time. The officer who took all the information said, 'Your husband probably will come back in a couple of days,' or something to that effect."

That sounded like a typical response from the boys in blue, Rick thought. "So, you want us to look for your husband—is that it?"

"Uh-huh. He may be hard to get along with, but he is my husband. I just want to know he's safe." After a brief pause, Karyn added, "He'd better come back before our Hawaiian vacation starts! The trip's all paid for!"

That got Rick chuckling.

"If he doesn't, maybe I'll take you to Hawaii with me. I've been looking forward to this trip so long."

"You should be careful what you wish for, Karyn." Rick continued chuckling.

"Rick, if you don't my saying, you sound very nice—well decidedly that, but…attractive."

Rick didn't know how to respond because, unlike his brother, he was rarely showered with compliments on his looks, sartorial taste, behavior, or anything else in-between from women. He just laughed feeling awkward.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you or to be so forward." Karyn started to apologize, but Rick cut her short. "Don't be—it's just that I'm not used to hearing strangers say something nice about me."

"You're just being modest, aren't you? I like that in a man."

Rick detected a slight sexual overtone in Karyn's comment. She must be flirting, he was sure of it. After all, didn't she just quote that infamous line from Body Heat? He was grateful that she hadn't quoted the whole thing skipping the "you're not too bright, are you?" part.

Rick was also glad that she couldn't see his silly grin on his face. He copped a peek at A.J., and of course, he was all ears. The old habit of a tattletale little brother would never die, or fade away. A.J. had become much sneakier over the years as a matter of fact. At the moment, he was hunched over his desk pretending to be working on the ledger with fierce concentration, just the way he used to devour his favorite novels like Treasure Island, or Journey To The West.

"Don't get your hopes up too high—you might get disappointed when you see us in flesh." Rick started to enjoy these exchanges with a woman he'd never seen.

"Oh, I don't think so. I'd say you definitely sound tall, dark and ruggedly handsome." Any hint of subtlety had gone out the window, and Karyn was now getting aggressive and boldly hitting on Rick. He liked that in a woman.

"Me and my brother together might be able to make up a whole man of your dream." This time, Rick's laugh sounded more natural. "I'm tall, dark and just rugged although my brother used to call me toadface whenever he got angry with me."

"So, your brother is…"

"Short, pale and cute, yes."

Rick felt a certain degree of satisfaction when he heard A.J. huff indignantly. So, he was paying attention to Rick's phone conversation with Karyn. Serves him right for eavesdropping.

Rick heard Karyn's throaty laugh on the other end of the line, and it sounded lusty to his ears.

"Now I'm truly intrigued. You and your brother sound like quite a pair. How soon can I see you? Can I make an appointment now?"

"Let me talk to my brother first. And I think it's better for us to see you at your home."

"Why is that?"

"We may want to take a look at pictures of your husband, or go through some other personal effects to look for a clue."

"That makes sense. Just give me a call when you're ready to stop by."

"Will do."

"Thanks, Rick. I'll be waiting to hear from you. Bye."

"Bye, Karyn."

By the time Rick put the phone down and looked up, A.J. had dropped the pretense and was openly staring at him.

Rick cleared his throat. "Uh, I gotta hand it to you, A.J., making this call was the right thing to do. Turns out it's only a missing persons case after all."

"Is it?" A.J. held his stare. "I wish I could be as certain as you are."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"What I mean is, I have some misgivings about this case, especially about Mrs. Hojnacki."

"What? What do you know? You didn't talk to her; I did."

"But I could hear your end of the phone conversation. At first, you were ready to kiss this case goodbye. Then your attitude changed—softened like consoling a crying woman. But only a moment or two later, you started flirting with her, and it sounded like she'd initiated it. Don't you think it's rather odd? One minute she was teary and concerned about her husband, the next, she was openly hitting on you. For some reason, she makes me nervous."

"So? Some women are fickle. They're hardwired that way."

A.J. let out a cynical laugh. "Oh, that's a good one. You're just like the Duke in Rigoletto singing La donna é mobile."

Rick had no idea what exactly his brother had meant by that, but his sarcasm was hard to miss.

"What's wrong with you, A.J.? First, you wanted to take this case, now, you're trying to convince me we shouldn't. Make up your cotton-pickin' mind!"

"I never said I wanted to take this case. All I said was we should keep our minds open. Besides, you did an about-face too—you didn't want any part of it before. You sure changed your tune quickly after talking to Mrs. Hojnacki."

"Well, Karyn is a…" Rick hemmed and hawed. "…a very persuasive lady." He concluded with a goofy grin.

"Karyn, huh?" A.J. shook his head. "I don't think I wanna know which part of you was persuaded."

"Let's just say a little voice is telling me we should pick up her case."

"Don't listen to it, Rick. It's your testosterone talking, not your brain."

"Hey, get off your high horse, A.J.! You're just as bad as me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know that you know Jennifer has a serious case of crush on you."

"I…uh…" A.J. stammered and blushed. "What's that got to do with our business?"

"You don't wanna go out with her, but you keep stringing her along by flashing your pearly whites, or giving a little pat on her back whenever she makes goo-goo eyes at you like a love-sick teenage girl."

"I never…"

"Yes, you do! You always moan and groan when we're hired for a divorce or cheating spouse case, but you didn't bat an eye when Jennifer brought up Karyn's problem. And I never woulda considered taking the case if you hadn't badgered me into calling Karyn."

Rick savored the moment when his brother failed to come up with a snappy comeback.

"Rick…" A.J. sounded tired all of a sudden. "Being on good terms with someone and stringing her along are not exactly the same thing. But you're right—I don't want to be romantically involved with Jennifer although I like her as a person and neighbor in this building. The last thing I want to do is to hurt her feelings and have to face her everyday when we come to work. Besides, you'll never know how a spurned woman would react. Don't you remember what Shannon did after you broke up with her?"

Truth be told, Rick hadn't thought about Shannon Finnegan for months. He'd had a brief fling with her but broken it off rather abruptly. First, there had been angry calls at all hours. When he'd stopped taking her calls, she had trashed A.J.'s home because Rick had neglected to tell her he lived on his boat, The Hole In The Water, parked in the backyard. After that incident, he'd had to cope with two very cranky individuals for a week or two.

"Yeah, vaguely," admitted Rick reluctantly.

"But you made your point, Rick—I asked you to make a call to Mrs. Hojnacki to make a decision, so I should compromise and take her case against my wish, but only on one condition."

"Which is?"

"No more pranks until the investigation is over. Deal?"

"Deal!" Rick snapped up his brother's offer eagerly. "Why don't I give Karyn a call to arrange a meeting?"

"Yeah, go ahead," muttered A.J. with a sigh of resignation.