It was already mid-summer and the heat had grown thicker, making it humid and sultry down in Key West. Dressed in thin summer clothes, Olivia and Wayne were now in their office, just finishing lunch. They’d spent the morning going over their last case, congratulating each other and taking inventory of what had happened. After lunch they planned to look at what came next. No doubt about it, they’d done wonderfully in the short time since they’d opened their private investigation firm. And it was amazing working together.
The heat was getting to Olivia, though, and she ran her hands through her long hair.
“Too hot,” she breathed, taking another glass of water and drinking it quickly.
Wayne got up and pulled the cord of the overhead fan, to oblige. Unfortunately, it just whirred the warm air around. Olivia couldn’t help but smile. Not only was Wayne smart and handsome, but he made her smile again and again. He always took the simplest possible way to solve whatever faced them.
“The fan is nice, but how about some central air conditioning?” Olivia quipped as she felt drops of perspiration drip down her forehead.
Wayne’s eyes sparkled. “The fan is healthier for us,” he replied. “What’s wrong with heat when summer comes? I, for one, love it.”
“And I, for one, am getting sleepy,” Olivia remarked, feeling herself wilting. “And we still have a long afternoon to go.” They had said that their afternoon would be devoted to getting their next case. So far, they’d easily received a great deal of publicity; many people had called for help. The problem was they could only take one case at a time. Usually there was only a brief window open after one case ended before they could take on the next.
“No worries,” Wayne always remarked, “our cases are out there waiting for us. We just have to let people know that we’re free when the time comes.”
Olivia enjoyed Wayne’s boundless optimism. So far it had worked, too. Cases had come to them naturally. But still, at that moment, when the phone rang, Olivia couldn’t have possibly imagined that in the blink of an eye, their afternoon work would be done. And, before they knew it, they’d be on their way to Key Biscayne.
Not expecting anything in particular, Olivia let the phone ring a few times before she leaned over and picked it up.
“Olivia Wells? Is this Olivia Wells?” A taut young woman’s voice was on the other end.
“Yes, it is,” replied Olivia, alerted.
“You’re the Olivia Wells of Wells and Darrington Private Investigations?” The troubled young woman needed to be sure.
“I am,” Olivia spoke slowly, as she flipped on the speakerphone so Wayne could hear the call as well.
“This is Penny Townsend,” the young woman breathed. “I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened in Key Biscayne yesterday?”
Olivia vaguely remembered a report of a murder on the news. But Wayne nodded emphatically, indicating that he knew all about it.
“Please fill me in,” Olivia replied.
“My father—my father—” The young woman’s voice cracked as she suddenly broke down sobbing.
“I’m so sorry.” Olivia zeroed in strongly.
“Someone’s killed my father and we need help,” the young woman continued in a raspy tone. “My mother’s going crazy, she’s totally out of control. The police are on it, but it’s not enough. To them it’s only routine business. To us it’s our whole life.”
Wayne shook his head as he listened. “You’ve got a fine police force down there,” he said loudly. But of course the woman on the phone could barely hear him.
“There’s no way this should have happened,” she went on. “My father was a good man, he had no enemies, believe me. We need you. My brother and I will not leave any stone unturned until we find the monster who did it. It was a horrible killing. My father suffered a lot.”
“Awful,” Olivia breathed as Wayne took a few steps closer, listening carefully to every word that was said.
“Thank God, I heard about you and your partner on the news during your last case,” Penny continued. “Everyone down in the Keys heard about it and says you’re absolutely tops.”
“Thank you,” Olivia responded.
“And I like the idea of having a woman detective down here with us, too. It’ll be good for my mother. She’s become unmoored.”
“Does your mother want us down there on the case as well?” Olivia asked quickly.
“My mother doesn’t know what she wants at this moment. You can’t ask her a thing. I’m taking over for now, along with my brother Lance. Lance agrees with me about hiring you and that’s enough. Are you free? Can you both come down immediately?”
Olivia took a long breath and glanced at Wayne, who strongly nodded yes.
“Fortunately, we are free right now,” Olivia slowly replied.
“Thank you, thank you,” Penny exclaimed. “You have no idea how much this means to me. Do you want me to book the flight down here for you? My brother will make the hotel arrangements.”
“We can book the flight,” said Olivia quietly.
“Charge it to my card.” Penny’s voice got louder. “Charge everything to my card, including whatever fees you have. I’ll text you the number. But get here fast, please. My father’s gone, he’s dead. And who knows what’s coming next? We’re all alone. There’s no one left to take care of us now.”