Double Trouble (Dev Haskell - Private Investigator Book 10) Read Free

gave a satisfied sort of smile. Maybe a minute or two later he picked up his brown paper lunch bag and said, “Would you excuse me for just a moment.” He slid out of the booth and headed for the restroom.
    He was gone for a good fifteen minutes. I wasn’t surprised. The food at the Over Easy probably had that effect on most people. It was one of the reasons I’d pushed mine to the side. When he returned to the booth, he looked clean shaven.
    “Did you just shave in there?”
    “Yeah, didn’t Lissa mention it? You might say I’m sort of highly mobile, right now.”
    “Highly mobile?”
    “Kind of living in my car, you know, just until I get back on my feet. Shouldn’t be too long, well, if this pans out, I hope. And I’m sure it will,” he said looking up at me trying to sound positive.
    “Your car?” I asked and looked out across the street at the buckled hood and the Bungee Cord holding things together in the rear.
    “Couldn’t you move in with Candi or Lissa? You know, just till you got back on your feet?”
    “That sort of didn’t work out too well with either one of them. They thought some things were missing, they never really said anything, but I know they blamed me. I just figured it would probably be better for all of us if I was on my own. Be great to have a place to land, you know for maybe a day or so, couple of days, tops, just to tide me over until I got this job. And I’m gonna get it, I can feel it, Dev.”
    If I was supposed to respond, I didn’t.
    “Well, I suppose I should get going. I’ll call your pal right away, soon as I find a pay phone. I think there’s one a couple of blocks over, maybe.”
    “You don’t have a phone?”
    “That’s one of the first things I intend to address just as soon as I can. Well, that and I wanted to give some flowers to my Mom. I know, crazy, but it’s just something I gotta do. She just loves flowers.”
    “I thought she passed away a couple of years back?”
    “Oh yeah, she did,” Tommy said, not meeting my eye. “I just wanted to leave them on her grave, you know make it look nice and all. She was such a wonderful woman.”
    “Isn’t she buried back in Ohio, some sort of family cemetery or something?”
    “That’s why it’s so expensive, I’d have to send them. You know, sort of like Joe DiMaggio did for Marilyn Monroe.”
    I was beginning to wonder about the wisdom of passing Tommy Flaherty on to Andy.
    Tommy picked up the tab and looked at it for a long moment. “You mind if we split this? I just have a C-note and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to break it.”
    “Let me get it, Tommy. My pleasure, besides it was nice to see you again.”
    “You sure? I mean I can cover my half, if that’s what you want to do.”
    “No, my pleasure. Why don’t you give me a call once you talk to Andy? Let me know how things went.”
    “Yeah, I’d be happy to, Dev. Hey, thanks again, I’ve sort of been on the short side lately.”
    “Glad I could help, Tommy, talk to you later.”
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    Andy phoned me that afternoon. I was just about to head over to The Spot and meet my officemate, Louie, for just one.
    “Hey, Andy, how are things?”
    “Great, spoke with your guy Flaherty this afternoon.”
    “Yeah, how’d it go?”
    “Sounds like a real nice guy, polite, well-spoken. The last thing I need is some thug making calls. He’s coming in tomorrow, but unless he crashes into my car in the parking lot, I’d say he’s got the job.”
    I wasn’t sure if I should offer congratulations or a warning. I decided to go positive. “That’s great, Andy. I’m sure he’ll work out and hopefully ease that list of past dues you’re carrying.”
    “That’s my hope, too. Well, just wanted to say thanks.”
    “No, Andy, thank you for being a good guy and giving him a chance.”
    “Later,” he said and hung up.
    I walked over to The Spot. Louie was sitting four stools in from the front door. I signaled Jimmy for a