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A MAN WAS STANDING at a large window looking out. He turned to face me and smiled. "Ms. O'Sullivan," he said. It was more a statement than a question. He was athletic looking, with blue eyes, and a healthy tan that gave him an outdoorsy look. He extended his hand as he walked toward me.
"Douglas Shaw," he said.
"Pleased to meet you," I said.
He stood a little too close to me as we shook hands. He didn't exactly tower over me, but like his chauffeur, he was a bit taller than my six feet. I didn't step back. He didn't intimidate me, but even if he had, I would've stood my ground.
"I understand you're from New Zealand," Shaw said. "Wasn't expecting that. How did you come to be a PI in Los Angeles?"
"Long story," I said. "Love to tell you about it, another time. First, it wasn't necessary to have me threatened with a gun to get me here. If you wanted to move up our appointment, you could have phoned me. I do not respond well to threats."
He laughed as if I'd said something clever. "Well, aren't you the feisty one," Shaw said. "And, quite attractive too, if you don't mind me saying."
The way he said it let me know he didn't care whether I minded him saying it. He gave off the vibe of a man who was accustomed to saying whatever he wanted, not caring whether he gave offense to others or not.
"Won't you have a seat?" Shaw said, motioning me to a leather couch. While I was sitting, he walked over and sat down in a matching leather chair across from the couch. "Let's get to the reason you're here, he said.
I smiled trying to look encouraging.
"My daughter is missing," he said.
I nodded. "Has your daughter ever gone missing before?" I said.
Shaw frowned and nodded his head. "Yes, she has," Shaw said. "She has a habit of leaving and not coming home for several days without any word. Young girls you know. She is headstrong and stubborn."
"Where has she gone in the past," I said.
"Who knows," Shaw said. "She has never deigned to explain her past absences. She had always shown up back here when her money had run out."
"When did your daughter disappear?" I said.
"A week ago, this past Monday," Shaw said.
"Ten days ago?" I said.
"Yes," Shaw said. "I suppose it seems we waited a long while before looking into having her found, but we weren't worried at first. Like I said, she has been gone for days before without a word."
"How old is she?" I said.
"Allison, my daughter, is 24," Shaw said. He rose from the chair and walked to the desk. He returned with a framed photograph. "This is Allison," he said, holding the photograph out to me.
"She's an adult then," I said. "What am I meant to do if I find her? I can't very well drag her back here kicking and screaming if she doesn't want to return."
Shaw started to reply, but the door opened interrupting him. A woman walked in. She was the kind of woman I found annoying. Her hair was too blonde, her breasts enhanced by plastic surgery were too large and too perfect. Her tanned legs were too shapely. She could have passed for thirty, my age. But, the crows feet at the outer corners of her eyes betrayed that she was older than forty. She walked over and sat down on the opposite end of the couch with one perfect leg crossed over the other.
Shaw introduced us. She was the wife, Kathleen Shaw. Kathleen leaned over and offered her hand. Her handshake was firm but feminine. She smiled and said she was happy to meet me.
"Ms. O'Sullivan seems like the kind of person we need," Douglas Shaw said.
Kathleen glanced at me and smiled. "It would have surprised me if you didn't think so," she said.
"Her employer, Ben Malone, recommends her without reservation," Shaw said. "You remember Ben, dear. He has done work for me in Los Angeles many times in the past."
"Do you believe you can find Allison, Ms. O'Sullivan?" Kathleen said.
"It's quite likely," I said.
"Because?"
"Because I'm quite good at what I do," I said.
Kathleen gave me a patronizing smile. "Are you married?"
"I'm not," I said. I didn't see any reason to explain to Shaw's wife that I was a widow.
"Boyfriend," Kathleen said.
"Not that it's germane to the reason I'm here, but I'm not on with anyone at the moment," I said.
"God, don't tell me you're a lesbian," Kathleen said. "Of course given that you're in a rather odd profession for a woman, I'm not sure why that would surprise me."
I felt the heat rising in my cheeks and paused a moment to choke back the rising anger. "Not that my sexual orientation is any of your concern, but no, I'm not," I said. My tone was a bit harsher than I intended.
"Don't forget that we are evaluating you for possible employment," Kathleen said. "You should be mindful of your manners."
"As far as remembering to mind one's manners, I could say the same to you," I said.
"That's rather insolent," Kathleen said.
"I'm only getting started, Mrs. Shaw," I said. "I can be a good bit more offensive than this if you wish to continue pushing my buttons."
Douglas Shaw laughed. "Wow, feisty, Ms. O'Sullivan."
He turned to Kathleen. "Kathleen why don't you go take a swim or read a book or something," Shaw said.
"I'm sorry, Douglas," Kathleen said. "But, she won't do. Hire someone else."
Douglas Shaw's friendly, happy-go-lucky demeanor changed like someone had flipped a switch. "Shut up, Kathleen, and I mean it."
"What?" Kathleen said.
Shaw stood up and stepped over to stand in front of his wife. "I said shut up," he said, "close your mouth and stop talking," Shaw grabbed his wife roughly by the upper arm. "Now get up and go find something to do to occupy yourself. I'll handle this."
It seemed for a moment that Shaw was about to slap his wife. That would have put me in a rather awkward position. It would have forced me to defend an unpleasant woman that I couldn't even stand. But, the situation resolved itself. She rose without noticeable effort from the couch and left the room without another word.
Douglas Shaw looked at me and smiled in a conspiratorial manner. "It was nothing personal Ms. O'Sullivan," he said, "she's a bitch to everyone."
Shaw walked over to a desk and picked up a manila envelope. He returned and sat back down in the chair. "As I was saying before the interruption, we weren't worried at first when Allison didn't come home," he said. "But things have changed."
"Changed how?" I said.
Shaw handed me the envelope. "This arrived at my office in Honolulu two days ago," Shaw said.
Someone had already opened the envelope. I lifted the flap and withdrew the single sheet of paper that was inside. I read the words printed on it.
We have your daughter Allison. If you want her back alive, it will cost you $750,000. You have three days to raise the cash. We will be in contact with instructions on where to deliver the money. No cops. We will be watching. If we see any cops, Allison is dead.
I returned the document to the envelope and handed it back to Shaw. "Sorry, I'm out," I said. "I can't help you with this. I could lose my license. I could lose my license for not making a phone call right now since you have told me someone abducted you daughter. You need to call the police."
"No cops," Shaw said. "You read the note. I have the money. I'm going to pay them. I need your help."
"You must know that paying the ransom is no guarantee that they will release Allison unharmed," I said. "Assuming that she is still alive at the moment, she is an adult. Kidnappers aren't keen on leaving an adult victim alive who can identify them."
"Still, I'm going to pay the ransom," Shaw said. "If I involve the police, or I don't pay these people, it seems certain they will kill Allison. If I pay them, at least there is a chance they will release her."
"Not to be cruel," I said, "But, there isn't much chance the people who took Allison will release her at all," I said.
"They might," Shaw said. "Unless they are new to the islands, they must know who I am, who they are dealing with. If they do, they should know that if they harm my daughter, I will have them hunted down and killed. And that is exactly what I'll do."
"Have you heard from them since the note?" I said.
"No," Shaw said. "But, today is the third day since the letter came. I expect them to contact me this evening or in the morning with the instructions for where I'm to deliver the money."
"What is it you expected me to do when you called Malone?" I said.
"I want you to deliver the money," Shaw said.
"You must have an employee who could do that," I said. "I can't imagine why you would pay someone to come here from the mainland to do it. You should get nothing more than simple instructions to make a drop somewhere."
"Sure, I have a lot of employees," Shaw said, "but none I trust with $750,000, not with my daughter's life on the line. But, I trust Malone, and because he sent you, I know I can trust you. I want you to deliver the money."
"If I agree to help you, you have to allow me to do things my way," I said.
"I need to know what I'll be agreeing to first," Shaw said.
"Like I said, there is little chance the people who took your daughter have any intention of releasing her," I said. "If Allison is still alive, paying the ransom and doing nothing more is only going to sign her death warrant. We have to arrange a means of following the money to where Allison is being held so we can get her back. That's her only chance."
"How are you going to do that?" Shaw said. "Follow the money, I mean."
"What's the motive for kidnapping someone and holding them for ransom?" I said.
"Greed, I suppose," Shaw said.
"Exactly," I said. "And we can use the greed of the kidnappers against them."
"How?" Shaw said.
"I haven't quite worked that out yet," I said, "but I'll suss it out. No worries, I'm quite reliable."
"Okay, it's a deal," Shaw said. "We will do it your way. Tell me what I can do to help."
"First, I want you to put together $1 million, not the $750,000 that the kidnappers have demanded," I said. "Then I want you to have the money arranged into four shrink-wrapped packages of $250,000 each."
"They only demanded $750,000," Shaw said. "Why do you want me to give them more than they asked for?"
"That's how we are going to use their greed against them," I said. "You're going to have to trust me for now. Once I've organized a plan, I'll tell you all the details."
"All right," Shaw said. "I'll do as you have asked. I'll get the million and package it the way you described."
"Awesome," I said. "And, call me as soon as you're contacted with instructions for where to deliver the money. I'm hopeful they will give us some advance notice. I'd like to have time to do a reconnaissance of the drop site in advance of making the actual drop."
"Anything else?" Shaw said.
"No, nothing to do but wait now," I said. "The next move is up to the kidnappers."
"Then I suppose you would like to return to Honolulu to your hotel," Shaw said.
"Yes, I would," I said. "It's been a long day, and the flight over is starting to take its toll."
"Very well," Shaw said. "I'll have Ken, the guy who picked you up at the airport, drive you back to Honolulu."
"Sweet, thank you," I said.
