Chapter Two

“Guess I’ll leave you to it,” said Maddox, reaching for the door handle.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t want to crash your party.”

“You’re invited to the party since you crashed the pre-party.”

“Shall we divide and conquer?” he asked, grinning, and making me wonder if he’d just engineered the invite by feigning disinterest. It didn’t matter; I needed the help.

“I’d suggest I take the front and you take the back but I’m sure they can’t escape that way. They must have been entering and exiting through the ceiling the whole time,” I said, struggling to think of exactly how. I couldn’t see a ladder and the figure had dropped a little way from any of the furnishings. I couldn’t see how he or she could climb back up.

Since I’d learned a few things during my time as a PI, I did the sensible thing and called Solomon before I walked into who-knows-what kind of mess.

“How’s the stakeout?” he asked.

“Paying off. I just watched someone drop through the ceiling into the salon.”

“Creative.”

“I have Maddox here but we might need backup.”

“I’m a half hour out. I can call Fletcher and Flaherty and see if they’re closer but I think you’ll be good with Maddox.” Fletcher and Flaherty were my fellow PIs and usually worked as a duo. With backgrounds in CIA and the police force, Solomon had found them perfect fits when he was setting up the agency. I’d initially found them stony and skeptical, but now I knew them to be big-hearted men who always strove to do the right thing. Unless it involved donuts, in which case they would trample over everyone they loved to get the flavor they wanted.

“I’ll try to keep her under control,” said Maddox, loudly enough for Solomon to hear. Solomon snorted a laugh and I thought I heard Delgado laughing too. Then Solomon hung up. “He doesn’t believe me,” said Maddox. “I don’t know why I said it. I didn’t believe it either.”

“He’s too far to be of immediate help. I’m going to call Jord. Burglaries are his thing.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate arresting a criminal red-handed.”

“Sis’,” said Jord, answering. “Lily enjoyed your surveillance afternoon.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Shame you didn’t catch the perp.”

“Not so fast. I have my eye on the suspect and I’d appreciate your help. Do you want an easy arrest?”

“Sure! Wait… what did they do specifically?”

“So far, burglarizing a salon on Plover Street.” I paused, watching the figure pass through the shadows towards the back of the salon where my client kept her boxes of backstock. “Can you hurry?”

“Sure. Sit tight and I’ll be there in fifteen.”

I watched as the figure returned, lifted a bag into the air, and waved their arms around. The bag drifted upwards and disappeared into the ceiling.

“How did they do that?” I asked. “It looked like it floated and disappeared.”

“And so is our perp,” said Maddox, pointing.

We watched as the figure stretched and seemed to float upwards only to disappear. “No!” I wailed as my opportunity to catch the thief seemed to vanish with them. Jord was on his way. Solomon and Delgado might be too. What was I supposed to give them? I’d promised a thief and all I had now was fresh air.

Then I stopped, forcing myself to think.

If the thief could go up, so could I.

“I don’t like that look on your face,” said Maddox.

“Yes, you do,” I countered.

“Okay, yes, I do, but it scares me too. I’ll need to speak to my therapist about that.”

“I’m going in.”

“I’m right behind you. Literally. I don’t have a bullet proof vest with me and we don’t know what we’re walking into.”

I gaped at him. “You would use me as a human shield?”

“Absolutely.”

“I don’t think anyone brings a weapon to steal shampoo.”

“I guess not. One could call it a squeaky-clean crime.”

I shook my head and sighed.

“I’m going in,” I said, reaching for the flashlight I’d stashed in the glove box.

“Is this breaking and entering?”

“No. My client gave me a spare set of keys and signed a form. It’s all totally legal,” I said, already halfway out of the car. Maddox wasted no time in jogging after me as we crossed the road, dodging a bus that trundled past.

I unlocked the door, pushing it open as quietly as I could, and entered the code on the keypad to disarm the door alarm. I reached for the lights and paused. I didn’t want to alert anyone to our presence but then… I couldn’t hear anyone. No rustling or shuffling, or breathing, nothing that would suggest someone was hiding.

No, the salon was empty.

I could feel the emptiness.

Then Maddox poked my shoulder and I felt his warmth close to me.

“I’m going to check the stockroom,” I whispered as we took a cautious look around. Jogging across the salon, glad I’d worn soft-soled sneakers, I reached for the stockroom door and pushed it open. Using the flashlight’s beam, I scanned the several open boxes. It was impossible to tell what had been stolen and what had been legitimately used so I pulled the door closed behind me, returning to Maddox.

“There,” he said, softly, pointing to a square panel in the middle of the small waiting area.

I squinted up. The panel didn’t look any different from the others.

He pointed his phone’s flashlight to the floor. “See that?” he said. “The perp didn’t notice in the dark but they dislodged a smattering of dust. The panel isn’t quite in the frame either. It’s lifted a little in the corner. Sloppy.”

“I see,” I said. “But how did they get up there? I couldn’t even put one foot on the reception desk and launch myself up. Neither could you and you’re taller than me. But there’s a ladder in the stockroom. We could get that.”

“I’ll help.”

We crept across the salon, careful not to knock over any chairs or equipment carts, or the boxes in the stockroom, as we lifted the ladder and moved it into position under the tilted panel. Maddox withdrew his weapon, holding it ready at the ceiling. “Hand me the flashlight and I’ll go up,” he said.

“You can’t! It’s not your case.”

“I can. I have the gun. Did you bring a gun?”

“No. It would have looked out of place in the salon and I didn’t have time to go home and get mine. I figured I’d be okay since it’s a non-violent crime.”

“We don’t know who’s up there. Hand me the flashlight and I’ll go up. I’ll make sure it’s clear and then you come up, okay?”

“What about using me as a human shield?”

“As if I actually would!” Then very softly, I thought I heard him say ‘today.’

I weighed the options. As much as I wanted to argue, Maddox had a point. I had no idea what we could be getting into. Plus, hoisting myself the rest of the gap between the ladder and the ceiling while holding a gun, a flashlight, and attempting to aim, would be no small feat. The simple fact was Maddox had more experience. And the gun.

“Okay,” I agreed, handing him the flashlight.

“This is definitely more fun than watching TV with my takeout,” he whispered. “We should hang out more often.”

Since he was potentially facing danger, I decided not to point out we hadn’t planned on hanging out. Instead, he’d simply appeared but it would be churlish not to admit his backup was coming in handy.

“Hang tight,” he said before climbing the ladder quickly and quietly. Pausing at the ceiling, he rested the gun and flashlight on the ladder’s top flat shelf and tested the panel. It moved easily.

Maddox gave me a thumbs up, scooped up the gun and flashlight and carefully pushed on the panel. He slid it to one side and poked his head and hands inside, the beam from the flashlight barely visible from my position below. “Seems empty,” he whispered, his voice almost too soft to catch, then he pushed himself up and disappeared into the void. Gentle creaks echoed down to me and I waited, ready to rush the ladder if needed. Then Maddox’s face appeared in the opening and he beckoned me up. I climbed quickly and he helped me through the opening.

“Is that a winch?” I whispered, pointing to a piece of machinery no bigger than an electric cake mixer. We knelt by the side of the opening, almost enveloped in darkness.

“Yep.”

“So the perp hooks themself onto it and lowers and raises it as they please.”

Maddox nodded. “They don’t have to break a single lock.”

I frowned, remembering something. “I think there’re two people. Remember how the bag seemed to float and disappear? Someone had to operate the winch and unhook it from above.”

“Makes sense.” Maddox passed me the flashlight and I used it to look around, terrified I was going to illuminate an unknown face close to me even though I had that same feeling of aloneness as before. “Be careful. These makeshift floorboards are all loose.”

“Where are we? The apartment above?”

“I’m not sure. The floorspace is just about big enough to be a studio apartment but it’s not high enough. It doesn’t look like anyone lives here legally. No furniture or anything to suggest someone even camps here.”

I tried to stand, then bumped against something. I sank again, rubbing the top of my head where I’d knocked it against the ceiling. “I think we must be in some kind of crawl space. Or attic space? Maybe for storing things? But it looks like the salon doesn’t have access to it or doesn’t need it since there’s a small storage room below.”

“It goes further than the footprint of the salon,” Maddox said pointing. “There’s an opening in the wall over there.”

“And there,” I said, pointing to the other side. “I bet it goes the whole way across all the businesses in this strip. Hey, I overheard the waitress in the café a few doors down saying things were going missing there too. Do you think there could be access to all the businesses?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Maddox took off in a bear crawl to the nearest hole in the wall, squeezing through, only the small beam from his phone’s flashlight illuminating the way. I followed him, scanning the room with the big flashlight.

Goods lined the walls. Products from the salon were stacked haphazardly. Shampoos, conditioners, mousses, hairsprays and more. Beyond that was a stack of cans and jars. I crawled closer, picking up a jar to check the label, recognizing it as the fancy Italian deli next to the salon. Artichokes in oil, sundried tomatoes, capers, olives, packets of lemon risotto and several panettones. There were enough luxury foodstuffs to stuff several hampers.

“There has to be hundreds of dollars of goods here from the deli,” I whispered after I squeezed into the next room and found Maddox crouched nearby.

“Same here.” Maddox held up a leather dog leash and a laser cut collar, illuminated by his cellphone light.

“There’s a luxury pet store at the end of the block,” I said softly.

“I count twenty collars and leashes like this. The tag says a hundred and twenty dollars! There’re also pet beds, bowls, and all sorts of things.”

“They must have found a way into all the shops below,” I said decisively.

“What else is in this strip? We’ve got items from the salon, deli and pet store.”

“There’s also a manicurist, a shoe shop, a high-end liquor store, and a dental surgery.”

“I don’t see any nail products or shoes but there’re a couple of crates of wine in the next space.”

“What could they steal from a dental surgery?” I wondered. “I don’t see them breaking in for a self-service hygienic cleaning.”

There was a long pause, then Maddox said, “Drugs.”

“This just got a lot more serious.”

“Shhh.” Maddox’s cellphone went dark. I slid the off switch for the flashlight, plunging us into darkness.

I stopped, stilled, and listened, trying to find what had alerted Maddox. After an impossibly long time in the dark, I heard it. Scuffling and an “Oof!” with a small electronic whir. Whoever it was seemed to be climbing out of another store and returning to their secret storage place.

“We should go back and wait for Jord,” I whispered. “I don’t think we should alert them that we’ve found their stash.”

“I agree. Let’s head back the way we came. Go first. I’ll be right behind you.”

I was already moving, feeling my way in the dark with my hands for the hole between spaces before Maddox said anything. I squeezed through the hole and just as I was wriggling my hips through, a hand on my butt gave me a push. I popped through, like a stuck cork emerging from a bottle neck and landed on my palms, wincing but biting my lip so I didn’t make any noise.

“Sorry,” said Maddox, squeezing past me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the corner furthest from our entry. “They’re coming. There’s no time to climb down,” he said, popping the panel back into place before re-joining me in the corner. “Crouch down and stay quiet. Hopefully, they won’t come this far.”

Soft whispers carried through the crawl space as we crouched, the words still indistinguishable, but I was sure I could make out two voices. Male and female.

“This is cozy,” whispered Maddox. “Just like the old days.” His arm pressed against mine, so I elbowed him lightly, gratified to hear a small huff of surprise.

I didn’t need reminding of the day I’d stumbled upon a terrible crime and then promptly had to hide from murderous goons. At least this pair of thieves seemed to be into luxury crime. Hopefully, that meant they didn’t want to get their hands too dirty.

The voices were coming closer, the footsteps, although still soft, also became clearer. “We have enough,” I heard one say. The woman, her voice young. “We can sell all of this and have enough.”

“I’ve got a deal set up,” said another. The man this time, although I couldn’t be absolutely sure. The voice was too soft, and too far away.

In my pocket, my phone vibrated but I didn’t dare pull it out. The bright screen would shine like a beacon in the dark. Seconds later, another vibration. Maddox’s phone. I hoped that meant help was close by.

I also hoped the two people in the crawl space would turn back and go the other way, giving us enough time to shimmy through the hatch into the salon below.

But instead, the voices seemed to be coming closer.

“We’re going to get caught!” The woman again, louder now.

“No, we won’t. They’re all too dumb anyway. Plus, don’t you want the money, babe? We can buy a van and go anywhere. We’ll be free spirits. We can go wherever the wind takes us.” The man’s voice was distinct.

“I don’t know that I want to live in a van.”

“It was our dream.”

“It’s your dream.”

“Whatever, babe. Go add this to the other stuff.”

“What is this?”

“From the dentist’s surgery. They have crappy locks on the drugs cabinet,” said the male with a laugh, his voice so clear I was certain they could only be yards away, just the other side of the hole.

“You stole drugs?”

“Yeah.”

“Why? Why would you do that?”

“I took a look a couple of nights ago. I Googled the names on the bottles. That shit is worth good money!”

“You said we’d only take a few things to mess with them. Not drugs!”

“Well, I’m not going to get anything for a box of surgical gloves, am I?”

A grunt and a sigh. “It’s not fun anymore.”

No answer.

“I want to go home.” Softly now, defeated. “We only said we’d do it to mess with Liv for screwing with us. It’s not funny anymore.”

“Yeah, but look at everything we nabbed. I’ve got buyers for everything and with the drugs, we’ll be rich. None of them have even noticed anything’s missing. Stuck up idiots. They don’t need the money. We do.”

“I don’t want any part in the drugs. That’s not what I wanted to do, Landon. I don’t like it.”

“Shut up your whining already. I’m going to get stuff from the pet store and then we can be done tonight. I saw Liv get a delivery yesterday.”

My phone buzzed again, quickly followed by Maddox’s.

“I’m not…”

“Shush…”

“What…” Both voices came at once.

“Did you hear that?”

Silence slipped around us and I slid my hand over my pocket where the phone was, hoping to dampen any more noise. It was only the quiet in the small space that made the vibration’s buzz audible. I felt Maddox do the same, then his other hand closed around mine, a small comfort amidst the tension. Then he sniffed my hair.

I pulled my heels a little closer, ready to pitch myself forwards as soon as the thieves retreated.

The voice remained far too close. “I don’t hear anything,” said the woman.

A soft thump sounded a short distance away and I struggled to be sure where in the dark. Possibly in the next room.

“Sorry, I knocked that over. There’s so much stuff in here.”

“Be more careful and watch where you put your feet,” snapped the one she’d called Landon.

“I am!” A rustle and I felt the presence of another being in the room. One of them had squeezed into the small room where we hid.

“We’ll move it all tomorrow. Just a few more things tonight to fill the orders I got and we’re done.”

A huff and a sigh. “Fine. I’m coming through.”

Another soft thump and something rolled against my arm. I bit my lip so I didn’t cry out but when the thing didn’t move, I forced myself to feel with my fingers. A canister. Not a mouse. I held in the sigh of relief.

“I think I knocked something over again,” she said.

“You’re clumsier than an elephant.”

“That’s rude!”

“Not my fault. Here, help me with this.”

A bigger thump this time followed by several more. “What are you doing?” asked the man angrily. A light flashed on, illuminating the ceiling hatch and a stack of products now tumbling between the rafters where the makeshift floor panels didn’t quite meet. “Grab them.”

“I can’t see.”

“I’m using the flipping light! Are you blind?”

“I’m not… off!” A hand landed on my sneaker, stilled and squeezed. “Where did you get sneakers from?”

My hand closed around the canister, feeling for the nozzle.

“What kind of question is that? You know where I got them from.”

“No, I mean…” A scramble, then a light flashed in my eyes. I squeezed them shut, suddenly blinded. “Oh, my god!” screamed the girl. “There’re people! There’s…” The grip loosened on my foot.

Maddox and I launched forwards, but I wasn’t sure if we were aiming for the hatch or the people. We all seemed to be caught up together, the flashlight shining all over until it blinked out into darkness.

All attempts at quiet were lost. A man shouted and I heard an “Oof!” and a loud thud. I grabbed an ankle, clad in leggings. Definitely a woman’s leg. She kicked and flailed and a can bounced off my forehead. Then, more products were falling and a bottle hit me in the chest. I scrambled for something, found a canister, pressed the nozzle and fired. The woman squealed and fell against me. She kicked and clawed at the ground, dislodging the hatch. I wrestled, trying to turn her away from the hatch, uncertain if I could drop through even if I got clear access. I couldn’t leave Maddox behind to the mercy of the thieves!

The woman grabbed my arms, we grappled, and then I tripped, losing my footing. We hit the floor, crumpling between the rafters.

A terrible crack sounded below us.

Then we were falling.