The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) 📕

off and I write it down. He didn’t have to look it up, which suggests to me that he’s been to Dovie’s house more than once.

“Do you have a number for Dovie?”

“Yeah, I guess I can give you that.”

I try to keep my sigh of relief silent as I write down the cell number he reels off.

“You said Laurel comes up to visit Dovie. Where does she come up from?”

“DC. Somewhere near there. I’m not sure exactly, but I know she works for one of those big lobbyist firms in DC.”

“Is Laurel a lobbyist herself?”

“Junior, but, yeah, that’s what she’s working towards. Big Pharma, I think. She’s not one of the good guys, so I don’t know where she gets off thinking she’s better than the rest of us.”

This guy’s nursing quite a grudge. If his resentment was directed towards Rick instead of Laurel, I’d be talking to my prime suspect.

“When was the last time you saw Laurel?”

“Mmm, probably a little after Easter. Dovie’s birthday party. Dovie mentioned she has a boyfriend now, so she’s not coming up to see her sisters as often.”

Her sisters? “Is Laurel Dovie’s sister?”

“No. Frat sisters. She and Dovie and another girl Dovie lives with were all frat sisters.”

“Sorority sisters? They all went to college together? Do you know what school?”

“Eh, St. John’s? St. James? Something like that. They call it Saint J’s.”

I scribble frantically. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Emily come to the office door. She sweeps her eyes over me, dips a quick curtsey, and backs out, closing the door quietly behind her. Good girl.

“Did they graduate recently?” I ask.

“I dunnow. Why?”

Because I could try to track Laurel down through her school records or alumni association. But I don’t tell Tiger Tail that.

“Just trying to get a sense of her. How old would you say Laurel and Dovie are?”

“Dovie’s twenty-five. At her birthday party, she had these big balloons floating everywhere with the numbers on them. Like she couldn’t remember her own age or something. I’d guess Laurel’s around the same age.”

Thank God she’s not underage, at least. “When she comes up to see Dovie, does she drive or fly?”

“I dunnow. Fly, I think. Why does it matter?”

Because if she drives and he’s seen her car, he could describe it for me and that might be another way to track her down. But I don’t tell him that. “Have you ever seen her car?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Sorry, but I need to ask a couple of personal questions. Have you had sex with Laurel other than at the Fire Island party?”

“I, uh—” He’s silent for a moment and I’m afraid he’s working up to a lie. “Yeah. Whenever she came up to visit Dovie. I called it the R-Train Booty Call. Dovie would let me know she was coming up and I’d take the R-train out. We’d all get together.”

Sounds like Tiger Tail is really into threesomes.

“Then the thing on Fire Island happened,” he continues. “She’s been up maybe a half-dozen times since then, but no booty call. I mean, it wasn’t my fault, right? I wasn’t the one who slapped her.”

For someone who doesn’t remember Rick, he clearly remembers what happened.

“That’s unfair,” I commiserate, although I actually think Dovie and Laurel are well-rid of this d-bag. “Did you talk to either of them? About what happened at the party?”

“What, the porno guy slapping Laurel? Not really. I mean, at the time I tried to comfort her. She was crying. But Dovie was there and she told me to leave Laurel alone, so I did. I was pretty wasted myself. I don’t think we talked about it afterwards.”

No aftercare, either. No wonder this girl is pissed-off.

“Sorry to keep asking personal questions, but as far as you were concerned, was everything between you, Laurel, and Rick consensual?”

“Consensual? What, like, did she ask for it?”

“Yes. I understand things got a little rough even before the slapping. Did it seem consensual to you?”

“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, she wanted the threesome with the porno guy to start with. Before that it’d been Dovie, her, and me. I wouldn’t ever have suggested it. It was fucking hot, don’t get me wrong, but who wants that kind of competition, you know? I didn’t even get the right end.”

Classy. “Okay, so it was her idea and she went into the room with you and Rick voluntarily?”

“Voluntarily?”

I need to stop using the big words with Tiger Tail, clearly.

“Of her own free will. She wasn’t dragged or pulled into the room?”

“I don’t think so, but if she was, it was ’cause we were playing around. We were kissing and maybe I pulled her after me, or maybe the porno guy did. I don’t really remember, but she wasn’t dragged or anything.”

That’s not as clear-cut as I’d like, but better than her being dragged in by a belt around her neck.

“The party itself, was it any special kind of party?” I ask.

“Fourth of July, yeah.”

I’m glad he can’t see my expression. “I mean, was it a swingers party or anything like that?”

“Oh, no. I mean, not that I was told. Laurel was the one who got the invite. Her company uses Pedro’s for something. I’m not really sure what. Anyway, she knows him. That’s how we ended up there. Otherwise we’d just have gone to Gantry Plaza, had a picnic, and watched the fireworks. Probably should’ve.”

Since it broke up the R-Train ménage, I’m not surprised he has some regrets.

“Uh-huh. Did you hook up with anyone else at the party? I understand it got a little wild.”

“I didn’t. I crashed out on a couch. I think Dovie might have. She seemed pretty happy when we left, anyway.”

“How did Laurel seem when you left?”

“Okay. Maybe a little quiet but she wasn’t crying or anything.”

Mmm, such a sensitive guy.

“Going back to what happened in the room, did Laurel ever say no or ask you or Rick to stop?”

“No. I mean, I don’t see how she could have. She had my dick