The Man Who Hated Clouds (Ben Ames Case Files) by Gayleen Froese

Author:Gayleen Froese [Froese, Gayleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2024-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter EIGHT

“DUNGEONS AND Dragons,” Jess said as we got into the car.

“You say those words like someone who never played D&D,” I said. “And I don’t think I believe that.”

“I never did,” Jess said. “Not D&D. When I was in that boarding school in England, one of the guys ran a horror game, and I thought he was intellectually fascinating, so I joined up.”

“What did you find the most intellectually fascinating about him?” I asked. “Did he have a sophisticated ass?”

“I’m shocked by what you’re insinuating. We were fifteen. And his ass was a genius.”

“But nothing compared to Nightwing’s.”

“That standard is impossibly high. Where are we going next?”

“I’m torn,” I said. “I want to talk to both of the other D&D players, and I wouldn’t mind talking to Charlie’s agent, if I knew who that was. I’m also interested in this UFO cult.”

“I have an idea.”

“About which of those things?”

“All of them? You’re running around trying to get to people before Detective Broz tells them not to talk to you or drags them down to the station or something. Yes?”

“Correct.”

“But you need time to do research. Which I could do, but I’m also taking notes for you in these interviews, and I know you don’t think you need that—”

“I didn’t say that. It seems helpful. I haven’t had anyone to do it before.”

“So we need a third person.”

“You’re suggesting we call TaskRabbit?” I asked. “Look up junior private investigators on Kijiji?”

“I’m suggesting Izzy.”

I hadn’t started the car yet since I hadn’t had a destination in mind. His words sat in the furnace-temperature silence.

“Izzy,” I said finally.

“Yes, and please turn on the goddamned AC if nothing else.”

“She’s not a detective,” I said as I turned the key.

“She was helpful the last time, and you know she needs money, and she already sort of knows about the case. She won’t be obnoxious to any of the famous people. She won’t sell anything to a gossip site. You could do worse.”

“Okay. All right.”

I found the address for Capes Off Whyte and checked the route. Simple enough without getting directions. I handed my phone to Jess.

“Put her on speaker while I drive to that comic book place. We’ll see what she says.”

She answered on the second ring with a bored-sounding, “Yello.”

That didn’t mean she was bored, because I thought she might use the same tone to tell me her hair was on fire, but her answering so quickly did suggest that she might be at loose ends.

“Izzy. It’s your not-real dads.”

“Hey, not-real dads. Can I borrow the car tonight?”

“No, but you can make some fast money if you’re interested.”

“It’s a good thing you’re gay,” she said. “Otherwise that would be a super creepy thing for you to say to a girl my age.”

“I’m on a case right now, and it’s not the mystery of why you’re unemployed. I’m investigating Charlie Gudzyak’s murder.”

“Yeah, that’s what the internet says. I don’t get it.”

“What don’t you get?”

“Denny asked me about hiring you on, like, Saturday night. And the socials say he knew this Charlie guy, so obviously it’s the same case.

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