Chapter 21: Stakeout and Dossiers

Why is it that whenever you wake up refreshed, ready to conquer the world, and really get some work done, it turns out to be Sunday and everything is closed?

Maizie Day

We literally bounced out of bed this morning in the airport motel. Everything was suddenly clear to me. I decided I was not going to be Peg today at all. Cinnamon and I went to 13 Coins for way too much food for breakfast and then headed to my apartment to visit Maizie. I call every day but Mrs. Prior says Maizie has been worried about me and missed me. She thinks she should be my backup.

When I walked into the apartment, though, Maizie was curled up on Dag’s chair—with a cat. Maizie has free range to come in and out of the apartment when she is staying downstairs with Mrs. Prior. It’s her home. None of Mrs. Prior’s other animals have ever ventured to follow her into the apartment because Maizie is a little territorial about her apartment. It looked to me—not being a pet communicator—like I had been replaced by a gray ball of fur I would have expected Maizie to use as a squeaky toy.

Maizie ushered the cat downstairs when I shook her leash and Mrs. Prior picked it up while the other three of us went for a walk. When we got to Tovoni’s, Jackie served espresso just the way we like it and gave Maizie a treat. Maizie carried the treat to the fireplace and sat down to take dainty little bites while Cinnamon and I sat to talk.

“I know it’s still early in our employee/employer relationship,” Cinnamon said, “but I was wondering if I could ever have a day off.” It suddenly dawned on me that Cinnamon had been my almost constant companion since I was drugged last weekend. I was totally embarrassed. How self-centered can I get? When I’m on a case, I work it day and night until it’s cracked. I guess it’s my own manifestation of OCD behavior. I hadn’t even considered that the case might not have Cinnamon as engrossed as I was.

“Oh, my gosh, Cinnamon!” I said. “Of course you can have a day off. I shouldn’t have kept you at the hotel last night. I just completely got wound up in what we were doing and forgot you have a life, too.”

“I’m a big girl, Deb. I could have spoken up,” she answered. “But there is no way I leave a friend in the condition and danger you’ve been in this week. I screwed up last month and I know what the consequences are.” Cinnamon had allowed herself to be used by Angel to get me to the Condo. That ended with Angel and Brenda going off a fourteenth floor rooftop. Neither of us were proud of the way we handled that case. And Cinnamon had only been working for me a few weeks. She came in with such a flurry of efficiency that I started depending on her immediately.

“You’re too generous, girl,” I said, laughing. “I appreciate a friend as much as anyone and you’ve really been there for me. But you work for me and you’ve got your own life, too. I’ve already decided not to go back to the house today and maybe not tomorrow, either. It’s mostly errands to run and research to do. Why don’t you take today and tomorrow off? Then we’ll talk about some kind of regular schedule so you aren’t tied down by my crazy hours. Just because I went undercover doesn’t mean you have to be with me all the time.”

“It’s been fun in a spooky sort of way,” Cinnamon said. “But a couple days to tend to personal business would be good. I’ll have my phone on ... unless I’m indisposed.”

“Speaking of which, please remember that Jordan and I do not share details of any cases we are working on unless we have agreed to work together. He doesn’t know all the aliases I have and he doesn’t want to know. Officially, I’ve been in isolation analyzing some computers in an estate on behalf of the heirs. That’s all he needs to know.”