Heels. Stiletto heels. Maybe some silk stockings. And a short skirt, definitely a short skirt.
My mental picture became more detailed as I listened to the footsteps in the hall. Business had been slow, but I tried to keep my skills sharp. Too bad I’d never know if I was right. As I said, business was slow.
I was debating whether the walker was blonde or brunette when a shadow darkened the frosted glass of my door. The knob rattled impatiently. Redhead, I thought, in three…two…one…
On cue, the door opened.
The woman who walked through the door had the determination of someone on a mission. Despite her 3” heels, she seemed to glide across the floor towards me. My eyes drifted up her silk stockings until those long legs disappeared under a short black dress. Her hair was a vivid auburn, the kind of color that you can’t get out of a bottle.
“Mr. Odowski?” My name was a husky growl.
“Call me Sam,” I replied, helping her into a chair. I casually walked around my desk, trying not to notice as she gracefully crossed those sinful legs.
“Sam,” she agreed.
“And you are…?” I asked.
“Victoria Lubins.”
I nodded my acceptance and waited.
“I understand that you specialize in finding…difficult people,” she said.
Again, I nodded.
“I need you to find someone who is very special to me,” she said. A scrap of paper appeared and she slid it across the desk to me. I picked it up, noticing the fine writing and the faint smell of lavender.
“Around six feet tall, dark hair, blue eyes, night person, radio ad,” I read.
“Radio ad?” I asked.
“He is the voice of Midnight,” she said.
“The perfume?”
“Yes. Find him for me.” Her green eyes drilled into mine.
I looked down at the list. Not much to go on. Then again, I didn’t have anything better to do.
-----------------------
A little bit of legwork, a few strategically placed bills, and three days later she was back in my office.
“Did you find him?” She was sitting on the edge of her chair, tension radiating through her body.
I hesitated and studied her carefully. Today her dress was midnight blue and her vivid hair was pulled back in a bun. But she was still a gorgeous woman, who could have her pick of men. Why was she so desperate for this one?
“Why him?” I asked.
She flushed, but stayed silent.
“Do you have a grudge? Will I be reading his obituary tomorrow?” She paled, but I continued on. I had to know.
“Maybe the kid needs some new shoes?”
Her sudden laughter startled me.
“He won’t be dying anytime soon. As to the other – I don’t have any children, but I’ve been looking for the perfect man for a very, very long time. Let’s just say that I’m interested in his potential.”
She’d satisfied my conscience, so I told her what I’d found. But she hadn’t satisfied my curiosity.
By 11:30 that night, I was ready to tell my curiosity to take a long walk off a short pier.
A drop of cold rain dripped off the brim of my hat, eluded my trenchcoat collar and made its presence known all the way down my spine. She’d been sitting in her warm, dry car for over two hours, waiting for him to leave the radio station. One more drop of rain and I was going in after him.
Light blazed onto the street as the station door opened. A long shadow appeared briefly in the street before the light blinked out. I waited as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Before that could happen, I heard the tell-tale sound of stilettos running across pavement. As my night vision returned, I saw their outlines, two figures warily approaching each other, cautiously circling. I couldn’t hear words, only the low growl of his voice and the soft answering of hers.
I tensed as they moved closer, ready to step in at the first sign of violence. Instead, I saw their figures embrace, becoming a single shadow in the darkness.
The clouds broke for a moment and the full moon illuminated the scene. It might have been a trick of the light, but their bodies seemed to change. Her flowing hair merged into her body like soft fur. His features sharpened and he looked directly at me. I had the impression of a hunter protecting his mate.
A frisson of fear ran down my spine. Then the moon disappeared behind the clouds and the illusion shattered. The shadow separated and two figures slowly walked away, hands joined.
I wasn’t sure what I’d seen, but I put my curiosity back on the shelf for another day.