Read Online The Lady Who Sang High: A Reed Ferguson Mystery (A Private Investigator Mystery Series - Crime Suspense Thriller Book 7) by Renee Pawlish - Free Book Online
Authors: Renee Pawlish
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Jude?”
I shrugged. “It’s as likely as anything. And that’s what I’ll be working on.”
“Yes, as you sweep floors and take out trash.” She got up and planted a long, Rita Hayworth-y kiss right on my mouth. Nothing unselfconscious about that! “Look on the bright side. It’s a living if this detecting thing doesn’t work out.”
“How can you even suggest such a thing,” I whined as she put our dishes in the sink and walked out of the room. She sounded vaguely like my mother, which unsettled me just a little. My dear, sweet mother, who never let me forget that she thought my profession was dangerous and that I should do something else.
“Don’t forget, my parents will be here next week,” I called out to her. “On Wednesday.”
“That’s why I’m going to the store,” she called back. “I want to look for some new tops and jeans. And don’t forget we have the inspection of my house next week, too. On Tuesday. And the insurance people will be there, too.”
“I won’t forget,” I said.
Willie left to do her errands, so I cleaned up the rest of the dishes and then went into my office and called Cal.
“What’s up, O Great Detective?” He used his standard greeting for me.
“Things have taken a turn.”
“I can hear it in your voice. What happened?”
I told him everything. “I’m waiting for Jodie to call, and then I’ll search Jude’s apartment.”
“In the meantime, you need something from me, right?”
“You got it. First, have you found out anything about Jude, Wes, and Heath?”
“Only Jude.” Clicking noises burst through the phone as he began typing. “He wasn’t making very much at Blue Light, but that’s probably because he invested everything into the business. He had half a million in 401k and other investments, but he sunk all that into Blue Light.”
That fit with what Jodie had said.
“There’s a lot I can send you on his financials with Blue Light,” he continued, “but from a cursory look, nothing seems out of the ordinary. He had a little over ten thousand in credit card debt. Not extraordinary if you believe what the media says about average household debt. No second on his house, paid his bills on time.”
“So no reason for him to be killed.”
“Right.”
“Great work,” I said. “Next, there’s a computer in Jude’s office that’s not hooked up to the network or Internet, so you won’t be able to use your usual techniques to hack into it.”
“I’m not a hacker, I’m a ‘Clandestine Information Specialist’,” he said, using a phrase he’d coined not too long ago.
I laughed, then suggested something I knew he wouldn’t like. “So you’ll have to come down to the office and see if you can break into the computer.”
“No.” He groaned. If there was one thing he hated, it was leaving his secluded spot in the foothills west of Denver.
“If I can’t discover a password, you’ll have to. I need to get on that computer to see if Jude was hiding anything.”
“Okay, Sherlock. How will you explain my presence there?”
“I don’t know.” I thought for a second. “We can’t say you’re a computer consultant because that might make Wes and Heath suspicious.”
“Why?”
“Someone’s looking at Jude’s computer right after he dies? Doesn’t look good.”
“Good point. Guess that blows your plans and I won’t be able to help.”
“You don’t get off that easily,” I said. “I’ll figure something out later.”
Another groan, and then he said, “Is that his only computer?”
“No, there’s another one that Jodie says is hooked up to their network. We tried some passwords, but no luck.”
“What’s the company?”
“Blue Light,” I said.
I could hear him typing. “Found it. I should be able to hack into it and I’ll let you know what I find.”
“I thought you don’t ‘hack’,” I said.
He laughed. “ I can say it; you can’t.”
“Be careful, okay? I’m undercover
I shrugged. “It’s as likely as anything. And that’s what I’ll be working on.”
“Yes, as you sweep floors and take out trash.” She got up and planted a long, Rita Hayworth-y kiss right on my mouth. Nothing unselfconscious about that! “Look on the bright side. It’s a living if this detecting thing doesn’t work out.”
“How can you even suggest such a thing,” I whined as she put our dishes in the sink and walked out of the room. She sounded vaguely like my mother, which unsettled me just a little. My dear, sweet mother, who never let me forget that she thought my profession was dangerous and that I should do something else.
“Don’t forget, my parents will be here next week,” I called out to her. “On Wednesday.”
“That’s why I’m going to the store,” she called back. “I want to look for some new tops and jeans. And don’t forget we have the inspection of my house next week, too. On Tuesday. And the insurance people will be there, too.”
“I won’t forget,” I said.
Willie left to do her errands, so I cleaned up the rest of the dishes and then went into my office and called Cal.
“What’s up, O Great Detective?” He used his standard greeting for me.
“Things have taken a turn.”
“I can hear it in your voice. What happened?”
I told him everything. “I’m waiting for Jodie to call, and then I’ll search Jude’s apartment.”
“In the meantime, you need something from me, right?”
“You got it. First, have you found out anything about Jude, Wes, and Heath?”
“Only Jude.” Clicking noises burst through the phone as he began typing. “He wasn’t making very much at Blue Light, but that’s probably because he invested everything into the business. He had half a million in 401k and other investments, but he sunk all that into Blue Light.”
That fit with what Jodie had said.
“There’s a lot I can send you on his financials with Blue Light,” he continued, “but from a cursory look, nothing seems out of the ordinary. He had a little over ten thousand in credit card debt. Not extraordinary if you believe what the media says about average household debt. No second on his house, paid his bills on time.”
“So no reason for him to be killed.”
“Right.”
“Great work,” I said. “Next, there’s a computer in Jude’s office that’s not hooked up to the network or Internet, so you won’t be able to use your usual techniques to hack into it.”
“I’m not a hacker, I’m a ‘Clandestine Information Specialist’,” he said, using a phrase he’d coined not too long ago.
I laughed, then suggested something I knew he wouldn’t like. “So you’ll have to come down to the office and see if you can break into the computer.”
“No.” He groaned. If there was one thing he hated, it was leaving his secluded spot in the foothills west of Denver.
“If I can’t discover a password, you’ll have to. I need to get on that computer to see if Jude was hiding anything.”
“Okay, Sherlock. How will you explain my presence there?”
“I don’t know.” I thought for a second. “We can’t say you’re a computer consultant because that might make Wes and Heath suspicious.”
“Why?”
“Someone’s looking at Jude’s computer right after he dies? Doesn’t look good.”
“Good point. Guess that blows your plans and I won’t be able to help.”
“You don’t get off that easily,” I said. “I’ll figure something out later.”
Another groan, and then he said, “Is that his only computer?”
“No, there’s another one that Jodie says is hooked up to their network. We tried some passwords, but no luck.”
“What’s the company?”
“Blue Light,” I said.
I could hear him typing. “Found it. I should be able to hack into it and I’ll let you know what I find.”
“I thought you don’t ‘hack’,” I said.
He laughed. “ I can say it; you can’t.”
“Be careful, okay? I’m undercover
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