Hot on the Heels by Astoria Wright

Author:Astoria Wright [Wright, Astoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781949453188
Publisher: Novelwright Press, LLC
Published: 2019-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Leave a Penny

I met Ace in a bar on West Main Street. It was not my ideal location. I never liked bars. They had less of the sophistication of breweries and fancy restaurants. This one on Main Street was a rustic, log cabin-type design for which I didn’t care.

I changed at home before coming. A tan pantsuit with red heels might attract less attention than a dress if we were going undercover. But also, the weather had been taking a turn throughout the day. By now, with the sun falling, it was chilly.

I set my purse down on the counter and waved my hand as the bartender looked at me, telling him that I was fine without a drink for now. Ace had a drink in front of him, to which I grimaced. If I’d known Ace East was a drinker, I might not have hired him.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be drinking?” I asked.

He looked at me disinterestedly. “We’re in a bar, it looks less suspicious for me to have something. I asked the bartender to fill it only a quarter of the way, so it looks like I’ve been at it. You should have one, too.”

“Why?”

“Because Marc Winterby is a regular. He didn’t show up to work today. I figure he’ll show up here soon.”

Ace called a waiter over. I ordered a hot toddy mocktail. If I was going to pretend to drink, I wasn’t going to do it with alcohol in the middle of the day. Besides, I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

“What about his home?” I asked.

“His roommates said I’d be more likely to find him here.”

“Did you think they might be protecting him?”

“From an old friend in town for the weekend?”

Ace smirked. He’d lied, which I’m not sure counted as an ethical violation for an investigator.

“OK, so we’re waiting for him to show up?”

“Not just waiting. My informant at the mall just called me back with a tidbit of information that you might find troubling.”

Fear tingled at my throat. “What’s that?”

“Your friend Ava’s business was in the red. Seems she couldn’t make it in the new environment. The mall was less than a year away from shutting her down.”

I sank in my chair. This only confirmed my suspicions that Ava had been backed into a corner. It was no wonder if she had resorted to stealing.

Ace continued, “Before you get too upset, GlamShoe Maven was facing similar numbers. It looks like they were going to nix one, and the Mavens’ business was performing a little better. I’m sorry—but I think the police have a motive if Ava found out about Penny stealing her designs.”

“It sounds like you agree with them,” I said.

I was changing my mind about telling him that Ava might have been stealing, too. It would only make her look guiltier in his eyes. He took a small sip of his drink.

“He’s here,” Ace glanced at the door and turned back to face the bar.

I caught a glimpse of a man in a brown shirt, olive bomber jacket, and dark jeans.

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