No Rest for the Wicked - Chapter 9

Ms. Mini Cooper followed Max to his office. Max watched her step out of her car. She was taller than he expected, given her choice of vehicle. She has a natural, effortless beauty, the kind that doesn’t rely on makeup. Long, disheveled curly hair framed her face like a lion’s mane, a shade of dishwater blond with streaks of sun-lightened gold. She was wearing a flowing red summer dress that caught the breeze, strappy brown sandals, and an artsy tote bag slung over her shoulder that had an old gold broach pinned to the strap that looked like a little beetle. Her demeanor suggested someone simultaneously misplaced yet at ease.

She walked toward him, eyes sharp despite the nonchalant way she carried herself. Max leaned against his car and gave her a nod.

“Why, hello there. I’d ask if I could help you, but it’s pretty clear you think I can.”

“You Max West?”

“Indeed I am. But then again, you already knew that.”

She nodded. “Yes, I suppose I did.”

“And who might you be?”

“I’m Audrey. Audrey Davenport.”

“Ms. Davenport? As in...?”

“Yes, as in those Davenports. Though you wouldn’t know it. They wrote me off years ago.”

“To be fair, I wouldn’t know it, anyway. I don’t keep up with the local gossip rags.”

A small smirk played at her lips. “Is this your office?”

“Yes, it is. Would you like to come in and discuss what has you looking for me?”

Audrey nodded and followed Max inside.

Max’s office is in a shared commercial building, one you’d see tucked away behind larger developments. Not in a bad part of town, but nondescript enough that no one gives it a second look. It’s a single-story building, and he rents a corner space, which he specifically wanted when he first set out on his PI business. It gives him an unobstructed view of the parking lot and the street beyond. Not that there’s much to see…just another office building, identical to his. Still, he’s always liked having a window. Helps him think whenever he’s hit a roadblock in an investigation, which happens more often than he’d prefer to admit.

“Water? Coffee?” Max offered as she settled into one of the two guest chairs.

“Water would be nice.”

Max grabbed a bottle from the mini-fridge and handed it to her before sitting behind his desk.

“Audrey,” he said, reclining, “how may I help the Davenports?”

“I heard you’re a sort of private investigator,” she said, tapping her fingers on the water bottle, “and that you take cases that might not be… typical.”

“I am a private investigator. No ‘of sorts’ about it.” He gave her a measured look. “And yeah, I suppose some of my cases aren’t typical. Do you have one that fits that bill?”

“I do.”

“I hear I have an excellent reputation. Honest, good at what I do.”

A small smile. “That is what I heard, too.”

“Any chance you’ll tell me where you heard it? I always like to know where I’m getting good word of mouth.”

“It’s not important, as long as it’s true.”

With a shrug Max replied, “I like to think it is. So what do you need?”

“I want to hire you.”

“I figured that much. For what?”

She hesitated, looking down at the water bottle before meeting his eyes again. “To find my cousin, Mia.”

It was intriguing to Max that both he and Flip were about to tackle the same investigation. But what puzzled him was why Audrey Davenport would want this particular case examined. Surely, she must be aware that the matriarch of her family had already approached the police about it.

“Is she missing?”

“Yes. Why else would I need you to find her?”

Max rested his elbows on the desk. “It’s been my experience that not everyone who can’t be found is missing. Sometimes, it’s by design.”

Her expression darkened. “I know something’s happened to her.”

“And how do you know that?”

“The last time we spoke, she was a wreck. Barely coherent.”

“From what I’ve heard, that wouldn’t be out of character, given her extracurricular activities.”

Her eyes flashed, her grip tightening on the bottle. “She wasn’t drunk. She wasn’t high. In fact, she’d been staying sober because of everything she was experiencing. Besides, you said you don’t follow the local tabloids.”

Max smiled. “I may have heard something about her disappearance from a friend of mine. Rumor has it your grandmother has already asked the police to look into it. Curious why you would feel the need to come to me when the Vegas PD is already on the case.”

“Well, as I said, I’m not on good terms with my family. And I’m not particularly fond of the authorities.”

“You get into some sort of trouble with the police?”

“No, they just have a history of not helping me out when I’ve needed it.”

It was obvious this was a topic she wasn’t going to be keen to discuss, at least not now. Sitting forward he asked, “How about you tell me what Mia was experiencing?”

“She told me strange things were happening at the house. She was scared. She had overheard my father, Roger, discussing some ritual with our grandfather and it frightened her. She also said she had noticed a strange man at the house talking to Roger. He looked dangerous. Shortly after that visit one of the maids that she had seen Roger fighting with disappeared. When she asked my dad what happened to her he said she quit, but Mia didn’t believe him.”

“Why didn’t she believe him?”

“Because that maid had been with the family for years, very trustworthy and nice.”

“And you think this means something?”

“I think Mia did,” Audrey said. “She brought it up more than once. She said there was something off about the whole thing.”

“Did she report it to anybody?”

“Like who, the police? No, she doesn’t trust the police.”

“Why is that?”

“The police have a history of not believing us.”

“Yet your grandmother was comfortable going to them today.”

Audrey’s eyes narrowed. “It’s me and Mia they don’t believe, or at least refuse to help.”

“Alright, so what about this is…in my wheelhouse so to speak?”

“You don’t care that two women are missing?”

“It’s not that I don’t care, it’s that it’s not an atypical case, and you said that you needed someone like me who…is open to more…out of the norm cases.”

Audrey stood and walked over to one of the windows, worry and confusion written all over her face.

“Mia was saying some things that I can’t really explain. It will sound like she’s crazy or on something if I tell you.”

“Try me.”

Audrey turned to look at Max. He was struck by her beauty. Even with her feminine features and bohemian style she exuded strength.

“She said the boys in the paintings were trying to tell her something.”

Max cocked his head, “Come again?”

“I knew you’d think it was crazy,” Audrey grabbed her tote and began to head to the door.

“No, wait. I don’t think it’s crazy. I just need you to explain a bit more.”

Audrey paused at the door, “You believe me?”

“I believe that your cousin saw something. Please sit, continue with what she shared with you.”

Audrey slowly came back to the chair and sat, “Mia said that the boys in the paintings were trying to warn her, she said they were telling her the boy was in danger.”

“The boy in the painting was in danger?”

“I don’t know, can’t be, how could that be? It’s a painting!?” Audrey began to tear up. Max got up from behind his desk and sat in the chair next to her, handing her a tissue box.

“Stranger things happen, trust me, I’ve seen it all. Please, continue.”

“Well, I don’t know what else to say. I asked her if she thought something bad was going to happen to William, he’s my half-brother. That’s the only boy I could think of, he’d be about ten now.”

“And what did Mia think?”

“She said she thinks the warning was about my dad’s soon to be new baby. His wife, my step-mom, is pregnant again and due any day. Mia said Roger had been more protective of Charlene than usual. And that our grandfather, Frederick, had been visiting her in her room at night.”

“Is it out of the norm for your grandfather to be concerned for Charlene?”

“It’s strange for him to care for anyone who isn’t a male heir. But since Charlie, that’s what she’s known as, is having another boy he would take an interest. He’s always been so concerned about legacy.”

“Did Mia say anything else about the paintings or things happening at the house that didn’t make sense or seemed…strange?”

Audrey’s large eyes met Max’s and he could see she was terrified.

“She said the little boy in the painting told her to leave, said he knows and that she was in danger. And then she said the boy was gone.”