Someone to Watch Over Me

Chapter 10

It took some time and effort on Spencer's part to track down Scott Winchester, but he'd promised the little boy he'd find the man, and he intended to keep that promise. Bobby only wanted to see his daddy; Mary Winchester wanted the back child support Scott owed her. The past three months had been hard on her and her son financially, and she was counting on that money.

By the time Jeff got to her house, Scott had come by, dropped off the check, and spent time with Bobby. The five-year-old was so excited – he'd gotten to see his daddy. And Jeff had kept his promise. Bobby was waiting for him when he got there. "Mr. Jeff, Mr. Jeff! You found my daddy! He came to see me today. And you know what else? We're going to the zoo on Saturday! You want to come?"

Jeff picked the boy up and carried him up to the front door, which Mary was holding open for them. "Thank you for the invitation, Bobby, but I have to go see my own mother on Saturday. I'm going to help her weed her vegetable garden, and then we're going to have lunch together. Maybe the next time." He set Bobby down on the carpet and the little boy went sampering off to his bedroom.

"Would you like some coffee?" Mary asked, already headed for the kitchen. "I just made a fresh pot."

"Coffee would be terrific." Jeff waited until she appeared with two cups in her hands and took them into the living room for her. "Bobby seems like a different boy."

Mary sat down in a chair and nodded. "He is. He was so excited to see Scott, and just thrilled by their 'date' on Saturday."

Jeff took a swallow of coffee before speaking. "Do you think Scott'll show up?"

"I do. He gave me his new address and phone number and told me where he was working. And he seemed genuinely sorry that things had gotten out of hand. We'll see what happens."

"If it's alright with you, I'll call just to make sure. I don't want him disappearing on Bobby again."

Mary laughed. "Neither do I. I can't believe all the trouble you've gone through to track down a little boy's father. And for somebody that can't even pay you."

They sat in companionable silence for two or three minutes before Jeff spoke. "Mary, I'm not having lunch with my mom on Saturday. But I've thought of a way you can pay me, after all."

"Oh?" she asked skeptically.

"Go to lunch with me."

"I . . . I don't know what to say, Jeff."

"That's easy. Say yes. Bobby will be with Scott, and you deserve to get out of the house for something besides work. Say yes."

"But that's not paying you for what you did for us," she insisted.

"Sure it is. Do you know how long it's been since I've taken a lady out to lunch? You'd be doing me a favor. Private Investigators have to eat, too. There's a pretty little café just down the street from my office. I promise to have you home before Bobby can get back from the zoo. Come on, say yes."

Mary laughed, finally. "Alright, yes. Scott is supposed to be here at ten, so I'm free any time after that."

"I'll pick you up at noon. Wear your prettiest dress – I want everyone to be jealous of me."

Mary blushed. "You flatter me."

Jeff shook his head. "Not in the least. I don't believe in flattery. I'm just being honest."

They finished their coffee and Jeff stood up. "I have to get back to the office. Believe it or not, I have another case to work on."

"Bobby, come out and say goodbye to Jeff. He's leaving."

The little boy came running back to the front room. "You going so soon, Mr. Jeff?"

Jeff squatted down to be on the same level as Bobby. "I have to go to work. You take care of your mommy for me, okay?"

"I will." Bobby put his arms around Jeff's neck. "Thank you for finding my daddy."

"You're welcome."

Bobby let go and ran back to his bedroom. Jeff told Mary, "I'll call you," and she nodded. Then he was out of the house, down the steps and back to the car. He really did have a case waiting for him at the office, and he couldn't wait to get started on it.

XXXXXXXX

Jeff sat in his office, contemplating the situation and trying to figure out what to do next. The shop where he'd had his business cards printed had a problem, and the owner had come to him to solve it. "I remember printing your business cards for you, and I was hoping you could help me with something that keeps happening."

Mr. Talbet was sitting in Jeff's office, explaining the situation to the private investigator. "Small things around the shop keep disappearing. Staplers, copy paper, scotch tape. It's driving me crazy and I have to find out who's stealing from me . . . because things certainly aren't growing legs and walking away by themselves."

"You do know I charge twenty dollars a day, plus expenses, don't you, Mr. Talbet?"

"Seems like a fair price to me," Talbet remarked.

"How many employees do you have?"

"Three. Janie works full-time and Ron and Jerry work part-time. I like all three of them, but if one of them's stealing, they have to go."

"I didn't see anybody but you when I was in the shop."

Talbet laughed. "That's easy to explain. Janie works in the backroom, running the machines. Ron and Jerry alternate, but they work at night."

"So you could introduce me as your son and they'd be none-the-wiser."

"Nope, you've gotta be my grandson. They've met my son."

"That's okay. It would give me a reason to hang around the store," Jeff explained.

"Can you come in tomorrow? I'll introduce you to Janie, and we can go to lunch afterward."

The P.I. nodded. "I can come by, but we don't have to go to lunch, sir."

"Sure we do. And you can be Jeff Talbet, my grandson. Do I need to write you a check now?"

"No, sir. We'll settle all that once we know what's going on."

Talbet stood, as did Jeff, and the men shook hands. "Alright, I'll see you around eleven tomorrow. Thanks, Jeff."

The print-shop owner left, and Jeff sat back down. His first paying client. At least he'd progressed from working for free.

He was tired, worn out, and he left for the apartment a little after six. Jeff went by the Chinese restaurant and picked up some teriyaki chicken and shrimp fried rice for dinner. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten something besides peanut butter but his taste buds couldn't stand any more of it at the moment. After he ate, he called his mother and asked if they could reschedule their Saturday night dinner to Friday night instead. "It's fine with me," Dorothy told him. "Do you have a case?"

"I do, but more important – I have a lunch date on Saturday afternoon."

"A lunch date," his mother repeated. "With a girl?"

"Yes, Mom, with a girl."

"That's fine, Jefferson. Now, tell me about your case."

"I can't, Mom. My client is entitled to privacy."

"Oh. I forgot. Can you talk about it after it's over?" Dorothy asked.

"No, not really. All I can tell you is I'm trying to figure out how to approach it."

"Head on, Jeff. That's the way you've always approached everything."

"I'm sure you're right, Mom, but I just can't see the forest for the trees right now." Jeff sounded worried, but she wasn't going to tell him she thought so. He'd struggled so to get out of the nest, and she wasn't about to grab his tail feathers and pull him back in.

"You'll figure it out. Well, I better let you go. You've got a solution to find for your problem. I'll see you Friday night." Dorothy paused for just a moment. "I love you, Jeff."

"I love you, too, Mom. Tell Kat I said hello."

"I will. Goodnight."

"Night, Mom." Jeff hung up the phone and collapsed deeper into the couch. He was sure his mother was right, but at this moment he couldn't see which way was head on. He sighed, then got undressed and went to bed. He'd tackle the problem in the morning.