Chapter Eight

"The Cat is Away"

There had been a few times during my employment at The Quinn Detective Agency when Mr. Quinn and I did not agree. This was one of those times. I wasn't sure what Ami was going to do, but she and Iris had wisely shut the door and so far, were staying out of it.

"Ben, you have no idea what someone like that could do to us! You're dealing with powers beyond our expertise. Someone like Senator Smith could ruin us, or worse yet, come after you and…well, you know what I mean."

Was he serious? "Senator Smith is in Florida! That's several states away from here. Surely, his arm isn't that long." I argued. He was just an old man and a greedy politician!

Quinn stood and placed both hands on his desk to look at me as if I were ten years old. Sometimes, he made me feel that way, which is why I stood my ground in times like this. I wasn't a child and he was only my boss.

"I realize you're still pretty new to this, but you have to understand that someone as rich and influential as Smith can make bad things happen and nothing is ever done about it. Nothing! Not even an investigation."

No, I didn't realize he was that corrupt, though it would make sense. He was related to Kade after all.

"I'm not afraid of Smith," I protested. "What I am afraid of is doing nothing to stop an innocent man from paying for a crime he did not commit. His hearing is tomorrow, and if we don't come through for him, we'll be the ones who are guilty!"

Unchecked, my voice had risen in volume. Quinn had taught me long ago to keep my passions reined in, especially when dealing with suspects. Never let them see you sweat, he'd told me more than once. Well, this time I couldn't help it. I had never allowed an innocent client to be found guilty before, and I wasn't about to start!

"All right, all right," Quinn held his hands out to calm me down and returned to his seat. "Let's be rational about this. I'm just worried about you getting in too deep. I hear Smith has ties to the Mafia and he doesn't mess around. This could be dangerous. If anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself. You know, you're just like…"

"Okay." I interrupted him. He was about to tell me I was just like a son and I didn't wish to hear it. Not at the moment. Not that the feeling wasn't mutual. I looked up to Quinn like a father. In fact, he was the father I'd never known. But I wasn't in the mood for teary-eyed confessions.

"I understand," I said before throwing myself down on the overstuffed sofa and allowing my body to sink into it. "But we can't sit here and do nothing just because we're afraid of the consequences. If Smith has illegally intervened for his brother's sake, and if Kade is guilty of a crime, we need the evidence to prove it."

"That's the trick, isn't it?" Quinn replied before lighting up a cigarette. "Where is the evidence? Just because a medical record reveals Kade is related to the Senator, doesn't prove he killed anyone. The only thing we have right now is the smoking gun. We don't have proof of who fired it."

Dammit. He was right.

"I tell you what," Quinn replied, smashing his smoke into the ashtray. "I'll drive down to Florida and interview Smith myself. I'll have better luck doing that than I would trying to get him on the phone."

"You will?" It was the first hopeful thing I'd heard all day.

"In the meantime, keep after Kade. In his state of mind, surely he'll slip up and confess to something – even if just to gloat." Quinn stood and retrieved his coat and hat from a rack next to his desk. "I'll be taking the car. You'll have to take a cab."

"Thanks, Quinn," I told him, my mind already awhirl with ways to pry a confession from Kade's warped mind, although I wondered about it at the same time. Would an insane man's confession be admissible in court? "Be careful," I added.

"I should say the same to you." Quinn held his hand out to catch the car keys I tossed his way. "Don't get any foolish ideas."

"I wouldn't try anything without backup available," I assured him as he left.

I waited until I heard the outer door close and even stood to walk to the window to watch him drive away. An idea was beginning to form in my mind and he wouldn't like it. Not one bit.

"Why is he so hesitant?"

The voice was Ami's, though I didn't turn around to make sure. I was still staring out the window trying to work out the details of a dangerous scheme beginning to form in my brain.

"He doesn't want me to wind up in the hospital again," I replied. "Or the morgue for that matter."

She was quiet in her approach and nearly made me jump when her hand landed on my shoulder. "Is that a possibility? Maybe you should back off then."

Her warning was spoken out of concern for me and I did appreciate that. But I also had a job to do. It's what I was getting paid for. I turned my head to smile at her. "I've never hesitated in helping someone who's innocent. If I don't help Nick, who will?"

Her dark eyes were filled with worry and there were words she wished to speak. I waited and smiled again when she didn't utter them. It meant Ami realized her opinion of Nick was biased and she shouldn't share it with me.

"Well, whatever you're planning, count me in."

Her mood had changed quicker than you can say Jack Robinson and she had planted herself onto the thinking sofa.

"Hold on," I countered just as Iris walked in.

"Don't pretend you're going to refuse our help, because you know where that will get you," the other woman told me as she flipped her golden hair back.

How had I allowed myself to become outnumbered so fast? "I don't even have a plan yet."

"Well, figure it out then, lover boy," Iris teased with a playful wink toward Ami. "Because Nick Walker is the one sittin' and rottin' in that jail cell while you're in here wondering what to do."

Iris was as blunt as she was attractive. "I have an idea, but I'm not so sure it's going to work."

Ami leaned forward and smiled at me in a way that automatically made me feel more confident. How did she do that? "I'll support whatever decision you make Ben, but I would like to offer my help. You'll be safer out there with someone watching your back."

She had taken the words I usually said to Quinn right out of my mouth. How could I argue with her?

"Fine," I announced glibly. "But the second one of you takes any unnecessary risk or doesn't follow orders, you're out. Understand?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Iris comically replied, saluting me once for good measure.

If this didn't work, Quinn was going to kill me!