Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“Well, dear,” Nonna began, the cautious tone of someone about to tell me something I wouldn’t like, “he’s very shy and usually likes to go through us only.”
I pressed my thumb to my temple and closed my eyes. “Nonna, I really could use somebody.”
She hummed low in her throat before finally sighing. “All right, but you must keep this under your hat.”
“You have my promise,” I said. “My absolute vow.” I even raised my hand, though she couldn’t see it.
Her chuckle was soft. “All righty then. It’s Pauley.”
My head shot up, pain stabbing right behind my eyes. “Wait—what?”
“Oh, you didn’t know?” Nonna asked, her surprise sounding genuine and not the least bit apologetic.
This couldn’t be happening. “No, I didn’t know.” My voice had jumped an octave. “Nonna.”
“Dear, calm down,” she said in the same voice she’d once used when I’d crashed her Buick into a trash can. “You know how brilliant Pauley is.”
“Well, sure,” I said slowly. “But he’s into science and math. Robotics. He’s not a detective.”
“He’s also a whiz with computers,” Nonna said with enthusiasm that made me want to bang my head against the desk. “He’s kept it quiet, but he and I had a nice talk at the family barbecue not too long ago. We have him on retainer now.”
I couldn’t breathe. “You have him on retainer,” I repeated, flat.
“Come on now. We don’t ask Pauley to do anything illegal, usually.”
“Usually?” I muttered. The overhead light flickered, and I stared at it as if it might confirm I’d fallen into a parallel universe.
Nonna ignored my skepticism entirely. “He’s careful. And very good.”
I rubbed both hands over my face. “All right, Nonna. Thank you for the information.”
“Wait, wait,” she said quickly “Dear, what do you have? You must have something on either the dynamite case or your Nana’s situation.”
I couldn’t tell her about the leprechaun suit until I’d told Nana, my client. “Not yet,” I lied. “I’ll have something soon.”
“All righty. Tootle-loo.”
The line went dead, and I sat there listening to the rain for a few seconds. My reflection looked tired in the window glass, hair a mess, mascara smudged faintly under my eyes.
Time to get answers.
I stood, straightened my jacket, and walked down the hall. When I reached Pauley’s office, I knocked twice.
“You may come in,” he called, his tone clipped but polite.
I pushed open the door. Pauley sat behind his desk, the monitor casting pale light over his face. He looked up briefly, then down again, fingers still moving on the keyboard. “Hello, Anna. What would you like?”
“I’d like to know how long you’ve been working for Nonna Albertini and her detective agency.”
That stopped him. His hands froze mid-keystroke.
He turned slowly in his chair, shoulders hunching a little. Today he wore a green-and-white striped shirt tucked into tan pants, the lines perfectly pressed. His brown hair stuck up in back.
“Two months and one day,” he said after a beat. His voice stayed calm, though his foot began to tap. “They need simple searches sometimes. I do social media checks, community notes, legal databases. I help. I make money. It’s a good job. I like the job.” His eyes flicked up, then away. “I like Nonna and Thelma and Georgiana. They like me. They give me brownies.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting the beginning of another headache. “All right,” I said slowly, trying to keep my voice neutral. “Let’s start there. Pauley, please tell me you don’t hack into systems you’re not supposed to.”
He hesitated just long enough for me to notice, then said, “I do not.”
My gaze narrowed. “Pauley.”
“I do not,” he repeated, more firmly. “Not anymore.”
“Not anymore?”
His cheeks flushed faintly pink. “I meant not ever in a professional capacity,” he corrected quickly.
“Right.” I wasn’t buying it, but I let it slide for the moment. Nonna wasn’t his grandmother, but she was mine, and he was my cousin, so that made them family, too. “If you do anything that looks illegal, it could hurt your future employment chances. You do want to go away to a big college, don’t you?” He was only sixteen but already took classes at our local community college.
He swallowed. “Of course. I’ll be careful.”
“Good.” I took a breath and let it out slowly. “I could use your assistance. I need you to do the deepest background checks you can on Gloria Walton, Brooke Walton, Brad Backleboff, Cormac Coretti, and Zippy O’Bellini. I know you’ve looked up a couple of them, but go deeper.”
Pauley turned back to his desk, already opening a document.
“I don’t want you to hack anything,” I said, stepping closer. “No shortcuts. All aboveboard. Use every legal tool you’ve got—public records, social media, legal filings. If you find anyone I should talk to, type up a list. Full names, phone numbers, addresses if you can find them.”