Bad Guys Get Caught

If someone were to tell her a few months ago that Dennis would be sleeping in her bed this very moment, she would have never believed it. A part of her still found it hard to believe that he was there now, his head resting peacefully on her pillow, his face looking ever so handsome. The best part was the reason for Dennis’s deep sleep: their passionate lovemaking the night before and the night before, and the night before then … Yes, Dennis Walker was her man, and he was also her work partner. Today was Saturday, which meant that they could forget about work and have the entire weekend to themselves. Well, with the exception of Janet’s Jack Russell Terrier, Baxter, who was now impatiently growling at his empty bowl.
“Here you go, Baxter.” Janet filled Baxter’s bowl. “Eat up.”
Baxter sniffed at his food and barked, as he lifted his nose in the direction of the stove.
Janet shook her head. “Bacon is bad for you. Now, eat your food.”
“Mmm, smells delicious.” Dennis wrapped his arms around Janet’s waist.
“I didn’t hear you get up.”
“That’s because I can be very quiet when I want to be. In case you’ve forgotten, I am an undercover investigator.”
“A white collar crime investigator,” Janet could not resist making the correction. “In case you’ve forgotten so am I, but I don’t go around sneaking up on my boyfriend.” She savored the word; calling Dennis Walker her boyfriend never failed to bring a smile to her face.
“Hmm, you snuck up on me last night with that little lacy number you were wearing. That was quite unexpected and very pleasant,” Dennis added, tugging at Janet’s robe.
“I’m glad you liked it,” said Janet, thinking that her impromptu trip to Macy’s lingerie department had paid off. She playfully pushed Dennis’s hand away. “Your breakfast will get cold.”
“I could have you for breakfast instead,” he murmured, kissing her neck.
“I slaved over those eggs all morning,” she teased him. “You can have me for dessert.”
“In that case …”
Janet placed the larger portion of the eggs on Dennis’s plate and handed it to him. “Do you want coffee?”
“Yes, please. Milk and sugar.”
“I know,” she whispered. Maybe in a few months this novelty would wear off, but right now she still delighted in knowing Dennis’s coffee preference.
“You said you weren’t hungry?” Janet eyed Dennis’s plate, which became almost empty by the time she poured the coffee.
“What can I say? I’ve always been a fast eater. Got it from my old man; he always said that those who worked fast, ate fast. I don’t necessarily agree with that now, but at twelve I wanted to please him and the habit stuck.” Dennis was not one to talk about himself, and whenever he offered these little bits of information, Janet felt like she was getting one step closer to him. “Besides, did anyone ever tell you that you are an incredible cook?” Dennis added.
“Yes.” Janet beamed. “You tell me that every time I make breakfast for you.”
“That’s because you’re great at it, but then there are lots of much more important things that you’re great at. If you take my meaning,” Dennis added huskily.
“Yes, like what?”
“Finish your breakfast and I’ll tell you.”
Janet caught Dennis’s glance wandering to the opening in her robe. “I think I already know what you have in mind.”
“Good, then I won’t have to waste any time on unnecessary explanations. Eat up.”
“I’m done.” Janet pushed her plate away. The prospect of making love to Dennis was a lot more appetizing. Besides, there were other benefits as well. Replacing food with sex did wonders for your body. She had already dropped five pounds without making any changes in her diet other than occasionally replacing meals with sex. What girl, even with the most perfect body, wouldn’t be delighted by such news?
“You call that done?” Dennis eyed her barely touched plate.
“I’m not that hungry.”
“I can’t risk you being malnourished,” said Dennis, picking up a fork and scooping some eggs onto it. “Open up.”
Janet did as she was told. The eggs were good, even if she said so herself. Perhaps she would finish her breakfast after all.
“Good.” Dennis grabbed a piece of bacon and brought it to her lips. “Take a bite.” Just then Dennis’s cell phone rang.
“You should get it. It might be important.”
“Right now nothing is more important to me than feeding my girlfriend.” Dennis lifted a forkful of eggs to Janet’s mouth. Before Janet had the chance to take a bite, her landline began to ring.
“Somebody is being real insistent. Let it go to voicemail.” Dennis shrugged.
The answering machine turned on. “Janet? I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday. This is Ham Kirk. I was wondering if Dennis is there with you. Something important has come up—”
Janet sighed. “You’d better get it.”
“I guess so.” Dennis rose from his chair and reached for the phone.
It had been a little over six months since Dennis and Janet started working for Ham Kirk. Ham used to be their boss when both of them worked for the Treasury Investigations Department. At the Treasury, their specialty had been busting white collar crimes. The job had been rewarding, but there had been too much red tape, so when Ham offered them to work for his own agency, they both loved the idea; no red tape and, best of all, a twenty percent raise.
Janet wondered what kind of an assignment prompted Ham to call on a Saturday. They had been busy at the agency, but Ham had a firm rule about work-free weekends, so what was it that made him break his rule? She did not have to wonder for long, as Dennis had hung up the phone after speaking with Ham for only a few minutes.
“So, what did Ham say?” Janet asked after Dennis failed to produce any details about the conversation.
Dennis frowned. “Not much. He wants us to meet him at the office.”
“Right now?”
“He said it’s really important.”
“Then we should go. Did he at least give you an idea what it’s about?”
“No. He said it was too important to discuss over the phone.”
“Hmm, that’s not like Ham to be so cryptic,” Janet paused.
“You’d better go get dressed,” said Dennis. “I’m going to clean up.”
“You are the best.” Janet planted a kiss on Dennis’s lips.
“Careful babe, or we’ll be late for our meeting with Ham,” Dennis whispered after their kiss turned out to be much longer than Janet had intended.
“You’ve got a point. Wouldn’t want to disappoint our boss, but that doesn’t mean that you should be deprived of a little preview,” Janet whispered. She pulled away from Dennis and headed into the bedroom, playfully swinging her hips.
“You’re a tease, Janet Maple,” Dennis called after her. “Just wait until I get my hands on you tonight.”
Relishing Dennis’s threat, Janet surveyed her closet for suitable attire for their meeting with Ham. It was work, but it was also the weekend, and she wanted to look at least somewhat sexy. She settled on a knit wrap dress of electric blue, pairing it with black pumps and a pair of gold hoop earrings.
When she returned to the kitchen she found that not only had Dennis cleared away the table, but he was also already dressed. “Well, that was quicker than usual,” Dennis remarked, eyeing her. “Nice dress, by the way.”
“How did you manage to—”
“Clean the table and get dressed while you dolled yourself up?” Dennis finished the question for her. “I told you, I’m fast.”
“Race you to the elevator!” Janet grabbed her purse and rushed for the door. She hurriedly pushed the elevator button. The elevator door opened just as Dennis appeared in hallway.
“Do you want me to lock your apartment door or are you going to leave without me?” he called out.
“Damn, I forgot that part. Lock it up; I’ll wait,” Janet called back.
A few moments later Dennis joined her in the elevator. “Were you really going to leave without me?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a long, passionate kiss.
“You know I wasn’t,” Janet gasped. “Whatever it is Ham wants from us this morning, it’d better be important,” she added.
Luckily, there was a cab about to unload a passenger right by the curb of Janet’s building. Dennis used the pretext of gallantry to nix the claim of the man a few paces away from them who had been about to lunge for the same cab and held the door open for the elderly lady exiting the cab. Janet instantly recognized her neighbor, Mrs. Chapman.
“Dennis, how nice to see you!” Mrs. Chapman leaned on Dennis’s hand. “It’s so nice to know that there are still chivalrous young men out there. You hold on to him, Janet,” she added.
“Oh, don’t you worry. I don’t plan on letting go of him,” Janet assured her.
“Young people in love!” Mrs. Chapman exclaimed, dabbing her eyes.
Janet felt Dennis’s hand graze her behind as he ushered her into the car. She threw him a playful glace. Too bad they had to go into the office.
A fifteen-minute cab ride later, Dennis and Janet were approaching the headquarters of Ham Kirk’s private intelligence agency. Although “headquarters” was probably too grand a word; the agency occupied a suite of four rooms in a nondescript building located on one of the side streets that ran like a maze in downtown Manhattan. There was no gleaming sign announcing its presence in the building lobby, but only a small listing in the table of building offices that read Kirk & Associates.
“Janet, Dennis, thank you so much for coming to see me on such a short notice,” Ham Kirk greeted them.
“It’s no problem, Ham. We’re always glad to help,” Dennis replied for both of them.
Yes, we are, Janet thought, even when we’d rather be doing other things, like having hot, passionate sex. She felt herself blushing from her own thoughts. What was wrong with her? It was all Dennis’s fault; his hot body and dirty mind turned her into a horny, wild creature she barely recognized as herself. “How can we help, Ham?” Janet asked, willing her thoughts into submission.
“Please, have a seat.” Ham pointed at the chairs facing his desk. “I have some really exciting news.”
“We’re listening, Ham,” said Dennis. “What is it that you need us to do?”
“I’ve just received a contract for vetting a future candidate for the New York senator seat. The party wants us to do a thorough background check before his candidacy is officially announced and the campaign begins.”
“Doesn’t the party have its people to do this kind of work?” Dennis asked.
“I don’t have much confidence in the bozos that are doing background checks for the government. As you might have guessed, I am not alone in my opinion or we wouldn’t be getting so much work in this little agency of ours. Remember the scandal with the previous candidate? We really need to put our best foot forward on this. The party management has made it clear that they can’t afford another blow-up.”
“With all due respect, Ham, we weren’t the ones vetting their previous candidate.”
Ham nodded, smiling by way of answer.
“You can count on us, Ham,” Janet assured him. Since they started working for Ham’s agency, Janet and Dennis had conducted several background investigations on candidates for various political posts. These assignments were always top secret and were carried out at the request of government agencies where Ham had many friends who trusted his skill, discretion, and expertise.
“If we do a good job on this, we could become the party’s agency of choice for these types of assignments. Time is of the essence. If there are unsavory things to be found, the party senior management wants to be notified immediately—”
“So that if we find something that’s not kosher, they could keep it in the family,” Dennis cut in.
“Exactly.” Ham nodded.
“I got it, sir,” Dennis replied matter-of-factly. “First things first; we’ll need his name.”
“Julius Libby,” Ham pronounced the name with distaste.
“Sounds like you dislike the fellow already,” said Dennis.
“I dislike all politicians,” Ham replied. “I’ve never met one who didn’t have skeletons in his closet. The only question is how bad the skeletons are, and that I will leave up to you and Janet to find out. You’ll find all the information that you need in this file.” Ham handed Dennis a manila folder.
“We’ll start working on it right away, sir,” Dennis assured Ham, putting the folder under his arm.
“I appreciate it, Dennis. He’s been told to expect your call.”
“You told him that we’ll be doing a background check on him?” Dennis asked.
“I didn’t say I told him that. The party management did. They are sticklers for protocol; all new candidates are vetted and are to be notified of the vetting process.”
“Forgive my impertinence, Ham, but tipping him off seems to defeat the purpose. If he knows that we’ll be looking into his affairs, he’ll have time to conceal things— provided that there are things to find, of course,” Dennis added hastily.
Ham shook his head. “If this Libby character has any common sense, he already hid everything that needed hiding. Well, I’ll leave you to it.” Ham rose from his chair. “Sorry to have ruined your weekend,” he added. With an apologetic wave of his hand, Ham left the office.
A few minutes later Dennis and Janet were seated behind the large table in the conference room. Dennis spread the contents of the folder on the table, looking over each piece of paper and passing it over to Janet.
“A townhouse in Tribeca? That’s a snazzy neighborhood,” Dennis remarked after they had gone through the file contents.
“Libby represents lower Manhattan, so I guess residing in the area makes it more authentic.”
“Libby and his wife live in a townhouse. How do you afford it on a councilman’s salary?”
“Well, Libby was an associate at a law firm before he became a councilman. He must’ve saved up some money.”
“I don’t see too many law firm associates living it up in Tribeca townhouses. Factor in the fact that his wife is a teacher and it makes you wonder where the money is coming from.”
“Come on, Dennis. Do you really think he’d be stupid enough to be that obvious? If he’s running for public office, he knows that his entire life will be under a microscope.”
“Well, let’s find out.” Dennis grabbed his cell phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling to schedule an appointment with Mr. Libby.”
“Don’t you think we should go through the file one more time? Make some notes?”
“There’s nothing in that file except for the most basic information. The clock is ticking and we need to find out the rest.” Dennis punched in Libby’s phone number and waited for an answer. “Mr. Libby? Yes, this is Dennis Walker. Yes, thank you very much. I was hoping my associate, Janet Maple, and I might meet with you today. We will not take more than an hour of your time. Yes, wonderful. Thank you for your understanding; see you then.”
“So, when are we meeting him?” Janet asked impatiently.
“Right now,” Dennis replied.
“Great. This is going to be fun.” Janet rose from her chair. “Ready?”
“I was born ready.”
“Of course you were.” Normally, Janet would have laughed, but right now she was annoyed. She wasn’t going to say it out loud, but it irked her that Dennis had referred to her as his “associate” during his conversation with Libby. My associate, my foot, she thought. They were partners. “What are we waiting for?” Janet asked, seeing Dennis linger in the doorway.
“I was just thinking that it might be better if I met with Libby alone.”
“Why is that?”
Dennis shrugged. “I just have a hunch.”
“Do you think that we should base the entire investigation on your hunch?” Janet did her best to sound calm.
“Not the entire investigation, but I do think that it might be useful if Libby didn’t meet both of us face to face. Who knows, one of us may need to go undercover.”
“One of us? Aren’t you the ace when it comes to undercover work? Why don’t I meet with Libby then?”
“Normally it would be a good idea, but I think I could get him to open up more.”
“What makes you think so?”
“Men tend to be more open with other men.”
You think you’re better than me, Janet thought, but decided to hold her tongue.
“I promise I’ll tell you everything over dinner tonight. Seven o’clock, your place?”
“Yes. I’ll make steak,” Janet blurted out mechanically, instantly regretting her words. Sure, she liked cooking for Dennis, but right now she was mad at him.
Dennis raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like a lot of work.”
“Don’t you have any confidence in my cooking skills?”
“I have great confidence in your skills, of which you have many. I just don’t think they should be wasted on slaving away at the stove. Why don’t you run a background search on Libby while I sound him out?”
“Sure, I’ll see what I can find,” Janet replied coolly. Background search, my ass, she thought. If Dennis expected her to do the grunt work for him while he frolicked with Libby, he had another thing coming. It was going to be takeout for dinner.