Ecuperating - Chapter 24

Jayne called Carl McNabb at eight Vegas time. That was 11 Michigan time. He should be in the office by now, she thought

“McNabb investigations!”

The cheery voice of Shirley came through.

“How may we help you?”

“Hi Shirl! Hey, can I talk to Carl?”

“Hi Jayne! Hey! Did we get in trouble with the FBI last time? And is one of those guys ever cute! Carl is disgusted with me, of course!”

Shirley was gushing. “I’ll put you through.”

“Now what kind of trouble are you going to make for me?” Carl asked.

“Just kiddingJust kidding! You know I’ll do anything I can for you, Jayne!”

“Thanks a lot Carl,” Jayne said.

“I have a little problem. The other day I got a call from Newsweek magazine. They sent a guy out here to interview me for a human interest story in their magazine. He doesn’t ring quite true. I’d like you to take a look to see if you can verify the guy.”

“OK. That should be easy. What’s his name?”

“Brett Kelly, he claims, but his accent is pure Yooper. I suspect a connection somewhere. I don’t know where.”

“I’ll check it out for you and let you know as soon as I get something.”

Jayne disconnected and sat at her computer trying to come up with a storyline with what she now had. It wasn’t jelling very well. She kept at it for two hours and then quit. When it didn’t work, she usually went shopping. She needed a new outfit anyway. She went to Sax Fifth Avenue on the strip and paid a fortune for a skimpy cocktail dress. If it got her back on the computer it was worth it.

Her phone rang on the way back to her house. It was Carl.

“It looks like, on the surface anyway, that Kelly is legitimate, Jayne. I called Newsweek and they confirmed that Kelly is on assignment getting an interview with an author for a human interest story. They wouldn’t tell me who it was, but it all fits. What does your guy look like?”

“He’s kind of good lookingHellHe’s a knockout. He’s anywhere from 35 to 50. 6 feet. White hair and athletic.”

Jayne told him.

“Oh, shit!”

Carl exclaimed. “That’s not him!”

“How the hell do you know?”

Jayne asked. “I’m looking at his picture on newsweek.com. My guy is homely as a mud hut; has buck teeth and can’t be more than 25. Red Hair and a scrawny neck. Definitely not the same guy.”

“I’m on my way home. I’ll check out the site for myself. I can’t believe they would try to fool me. And for what? Why me?” Jayne complained.

Jayne logged on to the net when she got home. She brought up newsweek.com, then went to ‘personnel’. She put in ‘Brett Kelly’ and hit enter. A picture of Brett Kelly came up. It was her Brett Kelly. White hair and all.

She got Carl back on the line.

“What are you trying to do?” she asked him.

“This is my guy on the net. Right down to the white hair and smile. No doubt about it.”

“Just a minute. I’ll bring up the site.” She could hear Carl typing the commands.

“I’ll be damned! This isn’t the same picture that was here a half hour ago! It’s been changed! Whoever is doing this is good! They’ve covered their tracks pretty good. A little late in this case, but definitely a professional job. Too damn professional.

“What do you mean, too professional?”

Jayne asked. “It’s too good. When we bring it all together, we have to come to only one conclusion. We have stepped on the toes of a place called Lodge 16, who, it turns out, owns a security company called Personal Securities, Inc. Their fingerprints are all over this.”

“What do you think I should do?”

Jayne asked. “Call their bluff. Just go along with it. Stay with this guy and see where it takes you. In the meantime, I’ll try to find out just who this guy really is. He’s not Kelly, that’s for sure. You say he has a Yooper accent? Then maybe he’s from Lodge 16, or certainly from Personal Securities. There has to be a record somewhere on this guy. I’ll call you when I get something.”

“OK. I’m having lunch with him at noonShit! I’d better hurry! Bye!” Jayne hung up and headed for her Cadillac. I’m going to be lateOh well, big deal, she thought. Jayne arrived at the Sherwood Forest Caf 10 minutes late. Brett was at the counter. She sat in the empty seat alongside him.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I lost track of time in the mall.”

“No problem,” Brett shrugged it off. “All I have is time, and my time is yours.”

“I think just a small Caesar’s Salad for me today. That dinner last night is the extent of my week’s worth of carbs,” Jayne explained.

“You don’t look like you have to count too many carbs,” Brett said, looking her up and down. Relatively tight black slacks and a baggy white blouse rounded out her wardrobe today. The pony tail made her look about 25 at the most.