Toby quickly said his h.e.l.los, politely shaking both Nigel"s and my hand, before stepping back behind Audrey. There, from a respectful distance, he watched her with mournful eyes.
"h.e.l.lo, Audrey," I said, as I moved to her. "How are you?"
Audrey squeaked out a faint "fine" just as Nigel enveloped her in an awkward, one-sided hug. "Hey, kiddo. It"s good to see you again," he said. Audrey murmured something incoherent into his shirt collar.
Shrugging out of her fur-trimmed wool coat and tossing it over her hat, Daphne looked at her mother and then at me. "Well?" she demanded. "Are you going to do it?"
I turned to Nigel. "You know, if I had a nickel for every time I"ve been asked that today ..." I began.
"You"d have three nickels," Nigel said.
"Doesn"t seem so impressive when you put it that way," I conceded.
"It"s this new math. It"s worthless. However, I think the more important question is one that Audrey needs to answer," said Nigel, looking down her. "Do you really want Leo found? You may discover that life is better without him."
Audrey"s eyes immediately welled with tears. "No. It won"t be. Don"t you understand? I love him. I know he has his faults, but then so do I." Her small voice rose to a chipmunk-like pitch, causing Skippy to c.o.c.k his head at her in confusion. "I will make this marriage work. I have to." She lowered her head and in a soft whisper added, "He"s all I have. He"s my life."
Toby, still standing out of Audrey"s sight, reacted as if he"d been slapped.
I sat back down on the couch. Leo was an opportunistic louse, and Audrey was a naive heiress. Earlier I had considered helping Audrey, but now I saw no reason why I should reunite her with someone who would ultimately drain both her savings account and the remaining tatters of her pride. I knew that Olive regarded members of my former profession to be rough, hardened maladroits whose dealings with the uncivilized factions of society rendered them unfit to mingle with the remaining civilized segments. Or to use my vernacular: dirt bags. Most times, I liked to let her think I was such a heartless misfit. I may have even encouraged it from time to time. This was not one of those times. Returning Leo to Audrey would be like returning a cobra to a mouse. Audrey"s blind devotion to Leo was annoying, but I wasn"t without some sympathy. I opened my mouth to tell her a polite version of this, but instead I heard, "But of course we"ll help you find him. Don"t worry. We"ll take care of it."
I gaped in mute horror at Nigel, who was now smiling confidently at Audrey. Audrey gave a great sniff and produced a smile; a teary, weepy smile. Nigel threw his arm protectively around her shoulders and winked at me. "Won"t we, dear?"
I didn"t answer. At best, it seemed a rhetorical question. At worst, it seemed something best left unsaid.
"Good. At least that"s settled," said Daphne, fluffing out her flaxen hair. "Now, what"s for dinner?"
six.
Fish still attached to its head was for dinner. I don"t particularly enjoy eating food that appears to be watching me as I eat it, but then I usually don"t enjoy eating with Olive, either. I chalked it up to a two birds with one stone kind of situation and hoped the Universe took note that I was owed something truly awesome.
"Do you really think you can find him?" Audrey asked as she pushed her uneaten fish around on her plate.
"I don"t know," I answered as I did the same with mine. "Tell me about when you last saw him."
Audrey put down her fork. "It was Sat.u.r.day morning. We had breakfast, and then he said he was going out for a while. He didn"t say where. He said he"d be back later that afternoon. We were going to a friend"s house for dinner. He never came home."
"Did you have a fight?" I asked.
"No, in fact, Leo was in a particularly good mood. He"d been in one for the last few weeks actually. He was being very ... um, sweet, if you know what I mean."
I did. From the way everyone at the table suddenly put down their forks, I gathered I wasn"t alone.
"So, he left without saying where he was going, what he was going to do there, or when he"d be back," I repeated. "And you"ve no idea about why he was in such a good mood?"
Again, Audrey had no helpful answer. "He just seemed happy. We were getting along. He was looking forward to my birthday party. He"d even begun talking about starting a family."
I glanced at Nigel. From the way his upper lip twitched, I gathered he was thinking the same thing that I was. Leo"s recent good mood probably had more to do with Audrey"s impending inheritance upon turning twenty-five than a sudden newfound love for his wife. I had no idea what kind of prenuptial contract they had-or even if they had one. As Audrey"s trustee, Max would be the one to ask about that. But having a child with Audrey would definitely be a giant plus in Leo"s ledger.
"Where do you think he is?" I asked.
Audrey stared at her plate. "I ... I don"t know really. In the past, there have been times when Leo hasn"t come home, but I never asked him where he"d been. I don"t know if he"d tell me anyway. But this time it"s different. I just know it. While our marriage isn"t perfect, he"s never taken off for three days in a row. And despite what you think, he wouldn"t abandon me on my birthday. I know something"s happened to him."
I nodded noncommittally. "Do you know any of his friends? Is there anyone you could call?"
Audrey shook her head. "There are some guys that he plays poker with on a regular basis. I"ve never met them. There is one man I heard Leo talk to a couple of times on the phone. Frank Little. I found his number and called him, but he said that he hadn"t seen Leo in over a week." Audrey fell silent and resumed pushing her fish around.
The name rang a bell. If Frank Little was who I thought he was, then Leo could be in serious trouble. "And?" I prompted.
Audrey looked up at me. "And what?"
"What else did Frank tell you? You"re holding something back."
Audrey"s face flushed. "It"s nothing really. He just said something about Leo owing some people money."
"How much?"
Audrey lowered her eyes to her plate, preferring eye contact with a dead fish over me. "Fifty thousand," she said. "Maybe more."
"Dollars?" Olive gasped.
Audrey ducked her head lower. Toby, who was sitting next to her, reached over and put a consoling hand on hers. "Well, I hope it"s dollars," said Nigel after a moment. "G.o.d forbid it"s Euros or, even worse, the Pound Sterling. The exchange rate now is terrible for us."
"Nigel, this is serious!" said Olive.
"I think he knows that, dear," said Max. "I think we all know that. Berating the girl isn"t going to help any."
"Do you think Leo"s disappearance has something to do with the money?" I asked.
Audrey shook her head. "No. He knows I"d pay it. I always pay it. That"s why I didn"t mention it. It can"t have anything to do with his disappearance. He knows he can always come to me."
As Olive began to berate Audrey on the particulars of her marriage, I sat back in my chair and stared at my fish. While Leo might know that he could always get the money from Audrey, the people he owed might not have that same confidence.
seven.
After the fish remains were taken off for a decent burial, we retuned to the living room for coffee. Audrey barely touched hers and soon begged off with the excuse of a headache. I didn"t blame her. I was starting to get one too.
"Thank you for agreeing to help me, Nic," Audrey said as she put on her coat. Daphne had offered to see Audrey home, but Toby insisted on doing it. He now stood next to her, his sensible black wool coat already on, and ready to go.
"I can"t promise anything," I said. "But I will see what I can do. Can you get me Frank Little"s number? I"d like to talk to him. Sometimes people are more forthcoming when they"re not talking to wives."
Audrey nodded. "Sure, I understand. But I still think you"re wrong. I think Frank told me everything he knew. He seemed to want to find Leo too."
Audrey and Toby then said their good-byes with promises to call and left.
After listening for the sound of the front door closing, Olive let out a long sigh. "I hardly recognize her anymore! She"s nothing but a walking sh.e.l.l of her former self ! Do you know that she"s given up all her charity work? She says she just wants to concentrate on Leo! It"s ridiculous!"
"Well, there are some who might consider Leo a form of charity work," said Daphne.
Olive ignored her. "Oh, why couldn"t Audrey have married Tobias? He"s so wonderful to her," she wailed.
"Well, for one, I don"t believe Toby ever asked her," said Max.
Olive dismissed this fact with a wave of her hand. "He would have, I"m sure of it. But then Leo came along and ruined everything. Lord, I hate that man. How could Audrey have ever thought Leo was a better man than Tobias?"
Daphne twisted her mouth. "I don"t know about that, Mother. If you ask me, Toby is no different from Leo. Just a little more mannered and better dressed."
"Nonsense!" said Olive. "Tobias comes from a good family. And he"s devoted to Audrey. Always has been, too."
"You forget, Mother," Daphne countered, "that I"ve worked with him for the past two years. I know him better than you do."
Olive scoffed. "And since when are you such a expert judge of people? You were convinced that last boyfriend of yours was Mr. Wonderful until you caught him running around on you with that other woman. I told you he was no good."
Daphne flushed a deep red. "You"re unbelievable," she bit out through clenched teeth.
"Does Audrey have a pre-nup with Leo?" I asked, before the fight escalated.
Max shot me a grateful look. "Yes. I couldn"t stop her from marrying him, but at least I made sure that he agreed to a pre-nup. If they divorce, Leo gets shown the door, and that"s pretty much it. He doesn"t see a dime."
"Of course, that doesn"t help us much now. He makes out like a bandit as long as he"s still married to her," Olive said."And it"ll only get worse once she turns twenty-five."
"How so?" I asked.
"According to the terms of Audrey"s trust, she has limited control over her fortune. For her to spend over the predetermined amount she must first get approval from the trustees," said Max.
"Which is you and Olive," I said.
"Correct," said Max. "However, that all ends once she turns twenty-five. After that, she can do whatever she wants without our approval."
"What is the amount she can spend now without your approval?"
He told me. I let out a whistle. Olive wrinkled her nose in disdain at the noise. "That"s still a lot," I said.
"Yes. Yes, it is," Max agreed.
I thought for a moment. "Do you think the reason Leo didn"t ask Audrey for the money this time was because he knew it was more than she could pay?"
Max blanched. "G.o.d. I hope not."
"What about this Frank Little person?" Daphne asked. "Could we get in touch with him? Do you think he might know where Leo is?"
"He might," I said. "Especially if he"s related to Danny Little. Danny is a notorious loan shark. Or at least he used to be when I knew him. He"s a ruthless b.a.s.t.a.r.d. If Leo ended up on the wrong side of Danny"s temper, it could explain his sudden disappearance."
"You mean this man might have killed Leopold?" Olive gasped. "But why? You heard Audrey. She said she always paid his debts. There"d be no reason to kill him!"
I shrugged. "I know. But Danny Little isn"t known for his rational thinking when it comes to overdue debts. Or for anything, really. And if Leo couldn"t pay his debt this time, Danny might have taken matters into his own hands."
Olive shuddered. "That"s horrible. Disgusting. I can"t believe the people you a.s.sociate with," she said.
"Used to a.s.sociate with," I corrected with a smile. "Now, I a.s.sociate with you."
Olive narrowed her eyes, belatedly remembered that I was doing her a favor, and forced a smile on her face.
It was around that time that we all agreed it was time for us to go.
Good-byes were said, airy kisses exchanged, and promises were made to call with news. Then Nigel and I were back in the foyer with Joe. As he helped me into my coat, I grabbed his hand. Hard. "If you want me to keep my mouth shut about what you used to do, Joe, you"re going to do me a favor," I said. "Maybe several favors."
Nigel and Skippy waited patiently while Joe mulled this over. Glancing down the empty hallway, Joe said, "What do you want?"
"Well, as I"m sure you know, we were talking about Frank Little tonight. Is he the same Frank Little that"s related to Danny Little?"
Joe"s eyes widened, but at least he didn"t bother to deny eavesdropping. "I told you, I"m straight now. I don"t deal with them anymore."
"Yes, I"m sure you"re a parole officer"s dream, but that"s not what I asked. Is he the same Frank Little who is related to Danny?"
Joe paused. "Yeah. Frank"s Danny"s kid brother."
"See? That wasn"t so difficult now, was it? Is Frank still involved in the family business?"
"Yeah. Well, he was. A year or so ago, Danny got busted for a.s.sault or something. I heard he got three years. Since then, Frank"s been working for Fat Saul."
Hearing this left me with an uneasy feeling as to Leo"s fate. Fat Saul made Danny Little look like a choirboy. "Thanks, Joe. I"ll be in touch," I said.
Joe was pale as he ushered us out. He shut the door behind us with a resounding thud.
I turned toward Nigel and smiled. "Can I just tell you again how much I love your family?"
Nigel winked. "Don"t be sarcastic, Mrs. Martini. Aunt Olive says that it does horrible things to your complexion."
"Well, she would know, wouldn"t she?"