her, heels digging into the bench’s seat. She leaned back against the wooden slats and pulled a cigarette from the package in her pocket. Lighting it, she drew in a fierce puff and exhaled slowly.
These were the worst scenarios for assignments, the ones where she had to play the nice girl the entire time – sweet, adored by all. It wasn’t that she couldn’t pull it off; she’d done it many times. But it bored her to tears, compared to the thrill of, say, posing as a prostitute or a drug dealer for the police department. Granted, she only got those assignments as bargains to get out of scuffles with the law. Still, those were her favorites, guaranteed to weave a little excitement into the job.
This current assignment was about as boring as they came. Take the setting, for a start: a bed and breakfast in a little cutesy town. There wasn’t even a bar that stayed open past midnight. This seemed like a waste of a business opportunity to Susie. In a town this drab, what else was there to do at night? The bars might as well stay open just to give people a place to go. Hell, they could probably make some extra bucks out of the back room, taking bets or selling drugs. Too bad there wasn’t such a place in Cranberry Cove. She could turn someone in for dealing and pick up some good stuff herself. At least that would up the excitement level of this trip.
Then there was the innkeeper herself. Molly hardly resembled some of the crooks she’d known over the years. Not that she cared. Tracking her down had been enough. She’d just have to keep up the goody two shoes newlywed cover until she could be sure Molly was the right girl. And until she found the money.
Which brought her to the main annoyance with this case: Dan Patterson. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the Patterson Detective Agency. It was a reputable company, well backed financially by old family money. They always paid promptly. The cases they took on were solid, despite being boring. The only one drawback to working for them was being forced to team up with Dan Patterson.
Since Dan, the head honcho, had such a ridiculous, schoolboy crush on her, he tagged along on her assignments anytime he could. She knew he set these jobs up as excuses to force her to spend time with him. She avoided them whenever possible, but this time she’d decided to grin and bear it. The opportunity was too perfect. It served her personal agenda, provided Dan didn’t catch on, which was unlikely, dimwit that he was.
Working around Molly was going to be a challenge. It would take a lot of snooping to figure out where the money from the bank robbery was hidden. Cranberry Cottage Bed and Breakfast was a decent sized establishment, compared to many small inns with only two or three rooms. The money could be in one of the guest rooms or the laundry room or the kitchen. Or the attic. There must be an attic.
Or it could be in the Cottage Suite, right under their noses. That was a possibility. At least searching there would be easy enough.
She tried to brush away the thought of Dan. The way he hovered over her and had fun playing newlyweds was creepy. She’d managed to keep him off her so far, but she’d have to start getting clever about it. His hands were wandering closer each day. During their first pseudo-married night she’d spent too much time slapping him away. In the suite, he was easy to handle. But at the inn, in front of other people, it was more challenging. As much as she would have liked to haul off and slug him at the breakfast table – just to get the day started on a clear foot, if nothing else – she couldn’t. Staying in character was as important, if not more important, than physical disguises. If Molly didn’t buy their cover, they’d be in trouble. Susie would be in trouble.
Susie stood, dropped the cigarette and stamped it out. She watched the grey ash blot against the cement walkway. Another butt extinguished, one of many she’d ground into
These were the worst scenarios for assignments, the ones where she had to play the nice girl the entire time – sweet, adored by all. It wasn’t that she couldn’t pull it off; she’d done it many times. But it bored her to tears, compared to the thrill of, say, posing as a prostitute or a drug dealer for the police department. Granted, she only got those assignments as bargains to get out of scuffles with the law. Still, those were her favorites, guaranteed to weave a little excitement into the job.
This current assignment was about as boring as they came. Take the setting, for a start: a bed and breakfast in a little cutesy town. There wasn’t even a bar that stayed open past midnight. This seemed like a waste of a business opportunity to Susie. In a town this drab, what else was there to do at night? The bars might as well stay open just to give people a place to go. Hell, they could probably make some extra bucks out of the back room, taking bets or selling drugs. Too bad there wasn’t such a place in Cranberry Cove. She could turn someone in for dealing and pick up some good stuff herself. At least that would up the excitement level of this trip.
Then there was the innkeeper herself. Molly hardly resembled some of the crooks she’d known over the years. Not that she cared. Tracking her down had been enough. She’d just have to keep up the goody two shoes newlywed cover until she could be sure Molly was the right girl. And until she found the money.
Which brought her to the main annoyance with this case: Dan Patterson. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the Patterson Detective Agency. It was a reputable company, well backed financially by old family money. They always paid promptly. The cases they took on were solid, despite being boring. The only one drawback to working for them was being forced to team up with Dan Patterson.
Since Dan, the head honcho, had such a ridiculous, schoolboy crush on her, he tagged along on her assignments anytime he could. She knew he set these jobs up as excuses to force her to spend time with him. She avoided them whenever possible, but this time she’d decided to grin and bear it. The opportunity was too perfect. It served her personal agenda, provided Dan didn’t catch on, which was unlikely, dimwit that he was.
Working around Molly was going to be a challenge. It would take a lot of snooping to figure out where the money from the bank robbery was hidden. Cranberry Cottage Bed and Breakfast was a decent sized establishment, compared to many small inns with only two or three rooms. The money could be in one of the guest rooms or the laundry room or the kitchen. Or the attic. There must be an attic.
Or it could be in the Cottage Suite, right under their noses. That was a possibility. At least searching there would be easy enough.
She tried to brush away the thought of Dan. The way he hovered over her and had fun playing newlyweds was creepy. She’d managed to keep him off her so far, but she’d have to start getting clever about it. His hands were wandering closer each day. During their first pseudo-married night she’d spent too much time slapping him away. In the suite, he was easy to handle. But at the inn, in front of other people, it was more challenging. As much as she would have liked to haul off and slug him at the breakfast table – just to get the day started on a clear foot, if nothing else – she couldn’t. Staying in character was as important, if not more important, than physical disguises. If Molly didn’t buy their cover, they’d be in trouble. Susie would be in trouble.
Susie stood, dropped the cigarette and stamped it out. She watched the grey ash blot against the cement walkway. Another butt extinguished, one of many she’d ground into
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