Chapter 5: What do you do with a man?

Maizie was chasing her tail around in a circle like mad today. What do you do if you catch it, girl? Then I thought about my date tonight. Hmm.

Test drive

I got up feeling a bit fuzzy, then realized I was still Peg Chester. Her hair, her eyelashes, her feeling of near exhaustion. I went into the bathroom to assess the damage of sleeping in full disguise. When I’m undercover, I can’t not be the person I’m supposed to be. I know, double negative. The point is, someone might knock on the door, see me when I get the newspaper, be spying on me through the blinds. If for a moment, I’m not who I say I am, I could be found out.

Stevie did a great job. The new foundation she put on me is like spray paint. It even changes the texture of my skin. I had to make a little adjustment to one eyelash and freshen my makeup. Then I was ready for a day as Peg Chester. Frankly, I can’t wait to get home this afternoon and wash it all off. I want to be the Deb Riley in my new curly wig. Ooh. But what to do as Peg Chester? First, I had to take Maizie out and that meant putting on those damn shoes again. If I spent very long in this outfit, I’d end up crippled, I swear it. I considered stopping in at Tovoni’s but despite Jackie saying she can see right through my aliases, I’m not enthused about showing them all to her. Maybe because she can see through them. Besides, being with Maizie would be a dead giveaway. We walked through the market and I got a cup of coffee at the Daybreak Café overlooking the water. They have the best scones. Then we headed to the office.

It was time to work on the voice. I left Maizie in the hall with a firm command to stay and then walked into the office. Cinnamon stood immediately. I like that. There is no reason a person who greets you in an office should stay seated behind a desk while you are standing in front of them. Cinnamon is more than a receptionist but being my receptionist is one of her jobs. I want people who come into my office to be welcomed, not feel like they just got to the principal’s desk at school.

“Good morning,” Cinnamon said. She paused and I thought she’d seen through me but she continued on. “How may we help you this morning?”

“You can check a computer here, can’t you? I want to know what my son is doing online at 2:00 in the morning.” The voice was just about there. Peg is a Midwesterner and there is a certain amount of twang in the accent. But accent is only part of the problem. I have to keep my voice from being recognized. For Peg, that was accomplished with phlegm in the throat. I sucked on a butterscotch candy. They never fail to cause my throat to clog. It looked like Cinnamon bought the deceit.

“Miss Riley, the investigator, will be here shortly. May I get you a cup of tea or coffee?” I shook my head no. “Did you bring the computer with you? It’s possible Miss Riley will be able to take a look at it right away.” I was satisfied. I wasn’t going to press this because sometime along the way, Cinnamon would figure it out and then it would become a game. Besides, I needed to get into my office and get some work done—in the guise of being a client.

“My dog has it,” I said nonchalantly. I snapped my fingers twice and Maizie came bolting into the room, skidded on the hardwood, and dashed at Cinnamon.

“Maizie?” she said. She looked at me and squinted. “Deb?”

“Hi, Cinnamon,” I answered. She was suitably impressed. We chatted for a while and she pointed out my makeup didn’t extend far enough into my collar line. We fixed it and got started on our assignments. I didn’t go into my office. Today, I’m Peg Chester. I’d have no business in Deb Riley’s office. But I did need Cinnamon to do a couple of things for me. She went around to pick up my car and then drove up to Georgia McFearin’s house to see if there was any mail and if the police were finished yet. I called a cab and went to Allied Computer Network Solutions. As executor of Georgia McFearin’s estate, I was entitled to a little more information than they were willing to give Cinnamon on the phone.

The woman I met with was younger than I expected. And prettier. I wondered if she’d done time at the Condo. I’m so jaded now, I suspected those few who made it good in the business world to be peddling favors to someone. I need to discipline myself not to think that way. Just because she’s beautiful and young and in a position of responsibility doesn’t mean she didn’t get there through legitimate means. Nonetheless, she proved willing to help me and was careful not to be condescending to my middle-age stature. After I’d established my credentials we got started.