fourteen

Every New Yorker knows that when you don’t need a cab, twenty available ones will pass your way. It’s when you desperately need one that they suddenly become scarce. However, when you desperately need one and you are traveling with a 120-pound Bullmastiff, you might as well be standing in the middle of the street covered in blood and holding a knife. Fortunately, Nigel managed to flag one down and convince him that Skippy was an excellent tipper before he could take off. Unfortunately, by the time we got to Dan’s weekend apartment, the police had already arrived and secured the scene.

I looked for Harper amid the crowd of curious bystanders, police, and paramedics, but didn’t see her. However, I did see someone else I knew: my ex-partner Marcy Garcia.

“Marcy!” I called out as I made my way over to the petite brunette. At the sound of my voice, she spun around. Seeing me, she smiled and made her way over, her smile growing wider when she saw Nigel and Skippy.

“Nic!” she said, giving me a quick hug, “what are you doing here? I didn’t even know you were in town.”

I waited until Marcy had said hello to Nigel and Skippy before explaining our presence. “A friend of mine’s play opened on Broadway last night,” I explained. “So Nigel and I …”

Marcy’s eyes narrowed as soon as she heard me say Broadway. “Stop right there,” she said holding up her hand. “You being here wouldn’t have anything to do with the reason I’m here, now would it?”

I gave a small smile. “Well, that all depends. Any chance you’re not here because of a deceased theater critic?”

Marcy blew out an annoyed breath. “Dammit, Nic. How do you know Dan Trados?”

“I went to school with his wife, Harper,” I explained. “She’s the one who called me, actually. We were supposed to meet for brunch this morning. Speaking of which, any idea where she is? I’d like to talk to her.”

Marcy nodded. “She’s talking with my partner now. And speaking of him, he’s a good guy, but he’s strictly by the book.”

“So? I was strictly by the book,” I said.

Marcy made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a scoff. “Um, A, you never were by the book,” she said. “B, you’re no longer on the force, and C, you never were by the book.”

“You already said that,” I pointed out.

Marcy nodded. “I’m aware of that. Some things bear repeating.”

“I just want to talk to her, Marcy. She’s an old friend, and she called me.”

Marcy closed her eyes and sighed. “Fine. As long as all you do is talk to her. I don’t want a repeat of what happened with Nigel’s family last year.”

Last year, Nigel’s Aunt Olive had asked for my help with a missing person case. Actually, she didn’t ask for my help; she demanded it. Aunt Olive is not a woman who leaves anything to chance. The missing person was her son-in-law, Leo. Unfortunately, Leo was one of those men who are better off left missing. Against my better judgment, I agreed to find him. That little adventure resulted in the discovery of three murders and a firm desire to avoid Martini family gatherings for a while.

“Hey!” Nigel now said with feigned indignation. “They’re Nic’s family now, too, even if only by marriage.”

I stared at him in mock horror and shook my head. “No. No, they’re not. You take that back right now.”

Marcy breathed out her nose. “I don’t care whose family they are. I just don’t want a repeat of last year.”

“But we did solve the case,” I pointed out.

“Yes, but the Captain still sat me down for a very long chat about professional boundaries. I’d really rather not have to go through that again. I don’t think I need to remind you about how painful his chats can be.”

I nodded grimly. “No, I still remember those chats quite well. I promise that the Captain won’t have any reason to be upset.”

“Yeah, well, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ll believe it when I see it,” Marcy said. With a pointed glance at Skippy, she asked, “He won’t contaminate my crime scene will he?”

“Who?” I asked.

“Skippy,” Marcy clarified.

I shook my head. “Oh, no. Don’t worry. He’s been trained to keep his paws to himself.”

Marcy nodded. “Good.”

I lowered my voice. “I was worried for a minute you were talking about Nigel.”

Hearing this, Nigel playfully smacked my rear end. I turned back to Marcy. “See what I mean?” I said.