Hard Choices, pt. 3

Turns out, 1520 Cohoe Ct. is nothing more than a small, cleared lot of land, on which sits a single-wide trailer. An old one, by the looks of it.

I got out of my car slowly, a bit warily, not really sure what to expect. Was this even a good idea? I wasn't so sure anymore.

Going up to the front door, I knocked.

For a moment there was no answer, but then I heard a shuffling.

"Just a minute!" A voice called, sounding slightly slurred, as if he'd just been sleeping.

He's still sleeping at 11:30? I frown.

More shuffling.

Then the door opened.

I'm not really sure what I had expected, but this certainly wasn't it.

He was wearing old blue jeans that looked like they could walk themselves by this point, and a button-down plaid that was only half buttoned, and the buttons that were buttoned were done a little offset. Just one button out of line, but it was enough to make the OCD in me cringe.

His hair was tousled, and his five-o-clock shadow looked like it had seen a few five-o-clocks.

"Yes?" He half mumbled half spoke while leaning his forearm up against the doorjamb, gazing at me, looking slightly puzzled, but mostly annoyed. I assumed him to be somewhere in his mid-thirties.

"Um..." I cleared my throat. "You're Dan Rodrigo?"

He sniffed.

"Depends who's asking."

I cleared my throat again.

"So, I'll take that as a yes, then. I'm Joshua Brooke's little sister, Maddison Brooke."

Now it was his turn to clear his throat.

"Oh, uh, do come in." He stood up straight and moved out of her way.

"Thank you." I said as I gingerly made my past him and inside the dwelling. If it could even be called that.

It obviously doubled as his office, and there were files and whatnot strewn over every surface. It was overwhelming.

"Please, sit." He said, gesturing to the only chair on which there was nothing.

I hesitated for a moment, and then decided to do as invited.

He stood across from me, and leaned his back against the wall, facing me.

"So, what can I do for ya? Why does Joshie's little sister need a private eye?" It amazed me how quickly he went from being a just woken up wreck, to being in total business mode.

I made me do a double take. I noticed that, despite his disheveled appearance, he was still... put together, in a way, as if he knew how to dress well, but he was just more comfortable being dressed this way in his own home. As I took another look at my surroundings, I realized that, despite the clutter, it was still... clean. I wasn't sneezing, so he was obviously somehow keeping the dust at bay.

Pleasantly surprised by this conundrum, I began to speak.

"I need a private investigator to help me put a thief in jail, but I need to it anonymously."

His eyebrows lifted a little, and he measured me with his gaze.

"I'm listening." He crossed his arms.

"You see, my best friend fancies herself in love with a certain Randall Bowing, and the wedding is set for a week from today. The problem is, Randall Bowing already has a wife. He's going pretend to marry Sheri, my friend, so that he can get his hands on her three million dollar inheritance, and once he does, he plans on leaving her high and dry."

"And he's told you this?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes. And that's why I need to stop this wedding."

He frowned.

"Why don't you simply tell her what you just told me? You said she's your friend."

I sighed.

"Because he's threatened my career if I do. And he actually does have the influence to follow through with such a threat."

He chuckled.

"So that's where I come in then? It's only your word against his at the moment, so you want me to give you a little thing called proof?"

"Well, yes."

He stared at me for a moment, wheels clearly turning in his head. After a little bit, he appeared to have come to a decision.

"Ok. I'll do it."

"R-r-really?" I stammered, honestly surprised.

"Of course. Anything for Joshie's baby sis." He grinned. "He talks about you all the time, you know? He adores you."

"Really?" I said again, hating that I was repeating myself.

"Really." His grin flattened a bit, and he seemed to be in another world for a moment. Then, snapping back to the present like a rubberband, he clapped his hands together and leaned forward a bit.

"So, what are we doing first?"

***

I opened my front door, dropped my keys on the counter, and immediately sank into my couch, exhausted. The day was catching up to me.

After a lengthy conversation of how to go about this investigation, we had decided on doing a few stakeouts first. He would do the first one tonight, and Randall's house, and then we would do one together tomorrow, at his work.

I wasn't really sure what exactly that would accomplish, since he likely didn't bring his escapades home, or to work with him, but Dan was the professional, after all, and he said stakeouts were the way to go.

Josh had been right when he said Dan would do it for free. I was grateful.

I still couldn't get over how hilarious it was every time Dan called him Joshie. I don't think I'd ever heard anyone call him that.

Shaking my head with a small smile, I decided to take a quick shower, and go straight to bed, even though it was only 1pm.

***

I. Slept. The. Whole. Night. Through. It was amazing. I had gotten ready quickly this morning so I could meet Dan at a coffee shop by 6. As I pulled into the parking lot, I looked for him, and when I found him, I was shocked by what I saw.

He was leaning against the passenger side of a classic Buick LeSabre. He was wearing gray jeans, with a black, freshly ironed, long-sleeved button-down, and he had a dark gray fedora to top it all off.

As I walked up to him, I noticed that he'd shaved too. And brushed his hair. He looked... good.

"You scrub up well." I said with a slight laugh.

"You don't look half bad yourself. Almost like you've had a full night's sleep." He teased back.

"Oddly enough, I did."

He grinned.

"Hop in." He opened the door and waited for me to do as instructed. I did. He closed it and circled around to the driver's side.

I guess chivalry isn't dead after all.

When we got to the Bowing Investment Agency, he parked in front of a home on the other side of the street.

Smart. Makes it look like we live here.

I laughed at myself for the thought. Of course he knew where to park... This is how he makes his bread and butter.

"So, we watch and wait?" I asked.

"Pretty much."

"Did you find out anything interesting last night?" I forgot to ask earlier.

"Unfortunately, no. It doesn't seem he takes anything home with him. He's a different man there."

I picked up a deeper meaning behind his words, but decided to let it go.

After all, I barely knew the man. But it didn't feel that way. Maybe it was because he was my brother's friend, or maybe he just had that effect on everybody.

We soon settled into a comfortable silence.

After about an hour or two, I spoke.

"Why are you doing this? I mean, I know you said it was because I was Josh's sister, but... I can't help but think there's more to it."

He was silent so long, I wondered if I had even spoken the words aloud. Or perhaps he was ignoring me.

"I guess I have a confession to make then." He replied slowly, as if considering each word before it came out.

"You're right. I do have another reason. I know of Randall Bowing." He said the name as if it tasted sour on his tongue. I knew the feeling.

He continued.

"I had a little sister once too. She was a spitfire. Maria was her name. She too, fell into the 'Bowing trap', as I call it. She didn't have any kind of inheritance that interested him, like your friend does, she was just beautiful.

"She'd worked as his secretary for a few months before he started becoming more... intimate with her."

His expression soured.

"He seduced her. Told her he was in love with her, that he'd leave his wife. She was smitten. Eventually, she got pregnant, and when push came to shove, and she expected him to cash in on his promises, he fired her and acted like she didn't exist. Told her he wanted nothing to do with her... or her child." He bowed his head and sighed. "She carried the baby to term, only for him to stillborn. That was the last straw. Her grief and depression overwhelmed her, and she killed herself."

I gasped. So that was why this seemed so personal.

"I was so angry, I was ready to kill the man. But he had done nothing illegal, so there was nothing I could do without doing wrong myself. When you showed up at my door yesterday with this opportunity... It felt like another chance."

He looked at me, silent.

I turned in my seat so I could face him better.

"It is another chance. Together, we can put that monster where he belongs."

He smiled.

"And we will stop at nothing?"

"Nothing." I said. And at that moment, we agreed, that no matter what, we would succeed in this.

A movement caught my eye.

I looked, and saw Randall coming out of the building and heading for his car. Why was he leaving at nine in the morning?

Once glance at Dan told me he saw it too, and he started the car, put it in gear, and got ready to follow.

"Here we go." He said.