Caliber Detective Agency - Box Set - Case Files 1-6 by Donald Wells Page A

nice Italian dinner in the company of a beautiful woman; I knew I was right to take this job.”
    “Just remember that it’s only a pretend date and that she’s a client.”
    “As tempting as she is, don’t worry. This is my first case, I’m not about to screw up.”
    “Good, and oh, one more thing, Smith had drinks with someone, and it wasn’t pleasant. I’m sending you a picture of them together; see if Mira knows who the man is?”
    “All right, anything else?”
    “No, but remember, leave in ten minutes, and keep your eyes open,”
    “Right, see you later,”
    Mira returned with the coffee, and a question.
    “Was that about Reuben?”
    “Yes, he’s almost here. We’ll give it a few minutes and then go down to my car, also, there’s a picture I want you to look at.”
    Chris brought the picture of Reuben Smith and the unknown man up on his phone and handed it to Mira.
    “That’s Reuben and Gary, Gary Rollins; Gary is Reuben’s best friend.”
    “Best friends? I was told that they were arguing?”
    “Oh, it was probably just a tiff over some sports thing; they sometimes root for different teams.”
    “How do you two get along?”
    “Okay I guess, but of course I’m persona non grata now that Reuben and I are broken up.”
    “That’s too bad,”
    “It’s his loss. Who were you talking to before, your brother?”
    “Actually, it was Velma,”
    “The blonde? Are you and she...?”
    “No,”
    “Is she dating your brother? Is that why they’re together while you’re up here?”
    “No... they’re not dating,”
    Mira grinned.
    “You don’t sound too sure about that, or happy about it, if it’s true.”
    Chris leaned back in his chair with a furrowed brow and Mira headed back into the kitchen.
    “Let me make sure the coffee pot is turned off and then we’ll go.”
    “Right,” Chris said, as he became lost in thought.
    A few moments later, he heard a sound behind him, and as he turned his head to look, the world went black.
    ***
    R ueben Smith came to a screeching halt in front of Mira’s building, before jumping out of his car and running toward the entrance.
    Jake came to a sliding stop behind Smith’s car and then he and Velma followed Smith into the building’s lobby. There were two elevators and one was on the rise. It had just passed the second floor and was still going; Mira’s apartment was on the sixth floor. Velma and Jake got into the other car and Jake started mashing the number six button impatiently; after what seemed an eternity, the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent.
    “He’s not answering his phone.” Velma said, after dialing Chris’s number.
    “Keep trying,” Jake said.
    Finally, they reached the sixth floor and as they exited the elevator car, they both stared at the display above the other elevator; it read number five.
    “Someone on the fifth floor must have wanted the elevator.” Jake said.
    Velma was checking apartment numbers and found Mira’s just two doors down.
    “Let’s get inside before he sees us.” She said, next, she raised her hand to knock.
    The three shots coincided with her knocking, three shots coming from inside the apartment.
    A second later, they both held guns and Jake nodded at Velma.
    “Cover me!” He said, as he stepped back to the opposite wall, before flinging himself at the door.
    The door flew open with a loud CRACK! and Jake landed on the floor, gun at the ready. Velma walked in behind him, sideways, while swinging her gun arm back and forth in an arc, ready to defend them; it was she who spotted Chris.
    “Chris!”
    He was lying facedown on the floor, the back of his head, bloody. Velma laid two fingers against the side of his neck and smiled.
    “He’s alive, a nice strong heartbeat,” She rolled him over gently and his eyes flickered open.
    “Ahh, what happened?” He moaned.
    A sound came then, the sound of crying, and Jake whispered for Velma to stay with Chris while he investigated.
    He found her on