Just for clarification, Perry and Della are married in this story. In my story, TCO The Absentminded Wife, Della decides to leave work two hours before Perry does, in order to get housework and things done before he comes home. Just a little bit of background, so no one is getting confused. :)

"Oh, hi, Della," Gertie, the receptionist, sat up straighter at her desk when Della walked into the office late in the afternoon, "I thought you had left for the day."

"I came back. Is Perry seeing anyone right now?" Della asked.

"No, he went out. There was a murder!" Gertie went on filing her fingernails.

"Who was murdered?"

"Mr. Direz. His stepdaughter, Yvonne, was at the house at the time, then disappeared right afterwards. The police cleared her of the murder, but they think she might be a witness. No one can find her."

"Poor Yvonne. Is Perry at the Direz's house?"

"That's where he was going," Gertie shrugged.

Della went downstairs and hailed a taxi. When she got to the Direz house, there were still police cars parked out front, but Della did not see her husband's sedan. Having come all of the way, she decided to go up to the house anyway. Lt. Tragg was just coming through the door.

"Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise!" he smiled and took off his hat, "How is Mrs. Mason doing this evening?"

"Just fine, thank you. Is Perry here?"

"He was, but he left. I think he may be helping us for once and is looking for Yvonne."

Della sighed and put her hands on her hips, "Do you know where he went?"

"No, but you could try her place," Tragg suggested.

"She didn't live here?"

"No, she had her own apartment in the city," he pulled a worn notebook from his pocket and showed her the address he had hastily scrawled down.

"Thank you!" Della hurried down the front walk, repeating the address over and over to herself so she would not forget it.

The apartment where Yvonne Direz was living was a very nice combination of a hotel and an apartment house. If Perry was not there, Della decided she would just go home and wait for him. The clerk smiled pleasantly when Della entered.

"Good afternoon! How can I help you?"

"I am looking for a Miss Yvonne Direz."

"My, isn't she the popular one?" the clerk raised his eyebrow.

"Has she had a lot of visitors?"

"Three cops and two other gentlemen came in at different times later. But Miss Direz is not home. She left this morning and didn't say when she is coming back. She does have a house on the beach and stays there sometimes."

"Are you sure she isn't here?"

"Positive."

"Are any of the gentlemen still here?"

"I don't know. They all insisted on going up to her room. I let the police in to look around, but they didn't find anything."

"Can I please go up and see? I am not looking for Yvonne, but someone else who is looking for Yvonne," Della explained.

"Well," the clerk eyed her, hesitating, "All right," and he gave her the apartment number.

There was no one waiting outside Yvonne's door, as Della half hoped there would be. No one answered when she knocked, either. Della was about to give up and just go home, when she noticed a tiny corner of a piece of paper sticking out from under the door. This peeked her interest.

Della checked first to see if anyone was coming, then knelt down. She dug through her purse until she found a pencil. She had not been around Perry and Paul for all these years and not learned something. She used the pencil to pull the paper out, without touching the paper. Unfortunately, the writing was face down. Della did not want her fingerprints all over the paper, so she lifted the corner of it with the pencil and read,

"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you or you'll regret it big time."

The startled Della pushed the note back under the door, leaving everything in the exact same way she had found it. This was definitely important, she decided. She had to find Yvonne - or Perry - and warn them. Someone had to keep their mouth shut or they would be sorry, and that did not sound good.

Della went back downstairs to the front desk.

"Excuse me," Della called the clerk over, "I need some information about Yvonne Direz."

"So has everyone else who has been through here," the clerk rolled his eyes.

"That is one of the things I want to know. Who has been asking about her?" Della fumbled with her purse and pulled out her notepad and pencil.

"There were three cops."

Della nodded and wrote this down.

"And a lawyer guy."

Della did not write this down.

"Lady, I said there was a lawyer here," the clerk motioned to her notebook.

"I know. The lawyer is my husband."

"Oh, do you think he messing around with the Direz dame?" the clerk chucked.

Della pulled herself to her full height and gave the man a good hard glare, "I most certainly do not. Miss Direz may have been a witness to a crime, and now she's missing. My husband is trying to help find her. Now, who else was here asking about her?"

"The last one was a blonde guy."

"What did the blonde guy look like?" Della pressed.

"Well, he was tall-ish. He had blonde hair, I think. I don't know, he had a hat on. He had a gray suit - or was it blue? His eyes were brown; I remember they were dark. And he had a nice watch on," the clerk scratched his head.

"He didn't leave his name or number, did he?"

"Nope."

Della nodded and wrote it down, though his information was no help at all.

"Did he ask any questions about Yvonne?"

"Yeah, he asked where she worked, I think. I don't know, maybe the lawyer asked that. Someone asked where she worked and the other asked if she had any friends nearby, and another one asked if she had any frequent visitors."

"Where does she work?" asked Della.

"She sings at a nightclub. I think it's called the Blue Button. It's about ten blocks from here. I've been there before. She's pretty good!"

"Uh-huh, does she have any friends around here?"

The clerk shrugged.

"Does she have any frequent visitors?"

"No, she's almost always out."

"Is there anything else you can think of that would help me find her?"

"No."

"Thank you very much for your help. If you think of anything else, can you please call this number here?" she wrote down the office number and handed it to him.

"Will do."

"Thank you," Della went out to catch a taxi, "Blue Button nightclub, please!"

I am sorry I have not been able to post more often! I had my second round of strep, which really took the energy out of me, and I have been busy with church and school stuff. But, here is another story! I hope you guys like it! Please leave a comment, telling me what you think!