Chapter Text
It wasn't every day a dame walked through my door, looking like she'd as much kiss me as kill me. Much less a gal in a pristine, expertly- cut white dress that hugged her figure so well it was enough to get her arrested, if she weren't so obviously rich. The elegant pumps, pearl necklace accenting her décolletage, and ruby red lips - I'd say she's a woman to die for.
But she ain't one I'd kill for. Those two were back home, sleeping off the latest case, and I was due to join them. Curse my upstanding nature for getting me into work today.
"Detective Amber." She had a voice like frozen glass, fragile yet cutting. "I wasn't sure I had the correct address."
I leaned back in my chair, propping my feet up on the sturdy old desk in front of me. Like a lot of things we owned it looked like hell, but it was reliable.
"Ms. Chase," I drawled, enjoying the flash of surprise on her face while it lasted. "The society pages really don't do you justice."
Victoria Chase, sometimes called the Queen of Arcadia, the ice queen, or the bitch queen. No matter what, everyone from the top of town to the gutter recognized her as royalty. You could be drunk in a ditch and still stand to attention when she rode by.
"You just come from home?" I asked. I stood up and poured us a drink from the bottle I kept under the desk. "No ice, I'm afraid," I said as I handed it over.
She slugged it back like a champ, warm or not. Not easy to do with our taste in Scotch. "How do you know that?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
I shrugged. "No driver, no press, no husband," I replied. She flinched at the last word. Interesting. I filed it away. "No offense, but where you go, people notice."
Victoria scoffed. Her eyes traveled around the ramshackle office. She didn't try to conceal her disdain, but she also couldn't hide the way her gaze kept landing on my chest. I grinned and stretched, straining up against the shirt and vest.
She swallowed heavily. "I need a discrete investigation," she said. "I heard that was you."
"From who?"
"Dana Ward."
Ah. Nasty bit of business, that. But it had ended well, with her would-be suitor sent packing, and the baby in a good home. "Discretion costs extra," I said. "Can't advertise on a hush case."
Victoria waved her hand. Immaculate hands, but her ring finger was bruised. The engagement diamond, though huge, didn't look comfortable to wear. "Fine, fine. I have your word?"
"Soon as the check clears."
She produced our retainer, plus the hush surcharge. I pocketed it. "What can I do ya for?" I asked with my best leer. I learned it from Chloe, a true lech.
"Someone stole my pearls," Victoria said. When I stared at her necklace, she rolled her eyes. "My GOOD pearls. I received them from my… fiance, a few nights ago. He's insistent I wear them to the wedding, and there is a difference between the two, to people who can tell." She gestured at her chest. "I need them back. Quietly."
An interesting case. Those were even rarer than haughty society chicks who wanted you to know how not intimidated they were, even as they shrank before you. At least in my life.
The bit about the fiance was especially intriguing. Obvious the pearls didn't match, huh, yet she still wore the decoy necklace, implying it wasn't obvious to him. Meant she was worried about someone else.
"Let's start at the start," I said, picking up my notebook and pencil. "When and where'd you notice them gone?"