Free Misery Bay: A Mystery by Chris Angus

news.”
    “What? Those babies? We don’t hire no one ’cept young women over twenty-one.”
    “You won’t mind then if I take these address books of yours and just make sure of that.”
    He watched her anger rise, but she controlled herself. She’d been in the business a long time and was used to a roust by the police.
    “There’s nothing in there but friends of mine, and none of it would be permissible in court without a warrant.”
    “Maybe,” he replied. “You want to take that chance?”
    She waddled across the room and sat in a fancy gilded chair. She said nothing and just stared at him, waiting.
    “I’m not interested in you, Big Margaret.”
    Her eyes grew large as she realized he knew her name—her phone name. Her Madame name.
    “I said it before … whattaya want?”
    “I don’t see any Chinese names in your book.”
    “Don’t have any Chinese. Our girls all come from Europe, Russia mostly. They’re working to support their families back home.”
    “Where would I go for a Chinese girl?”
    She looked away.
    “All right.” He began to gather up the books. “I’ll be sure to have these returned to you if there’s no illegalities, as you said.”
    “Madame Liu,” she said quickly.
    “Where is she?”
    “I don’t keep track of every one of my competitors. And if she finds out you got her name from me, I’ll deny it.”
    “What’s she call her agency?”
    “Madame Liu’s Lulus.”
    “Cute.” He stood up. “I’ll be back if you’re lying to me or if I decide you called Madame Liu to warn her about me. Understood?”
    She nodded, relief washing over her that he didn’t intend to take the books.
    He left without another word, taking a deep breath once clear of the building. How people could make a living this way always seemed incredible to him. Big Margaret operated solely through her telephone. The girls were lodged somewhere else. Madame Liu, he felt certain, would be closer to her young girls in order to have better control over them. Before he went for her, however, he needed some backup.

10
    S ARAH DROVE SLOWLY PAST ROLAND’S house. She was returning from shopping in the city. It was a rare, hot summer afternoon, the sun high in a crystal sky, the ocean sparkling with reflected light. She’d been enjoying the day until she got here. The Cribby household—mother and son Roland—always left her with the creepy sense that she’d suddenly been transported to a third-world country. Over the years, she and her husband had been friendly to Roland and his mother, but it was an effort that paid few dividends.
    She pulled into Ingrid and Grace’s driveway just past Roland’s and got out of the car. At once the sound of Roland’s refrigerator cooler assaulted her. It was hot and the compressor was working overtime and overloud. Evidently, Garrett hadn’t had time to deal with this particular problem.
    Ingrid came out the door and waved. She and her husband Leo were in their fifties. Along with Grace, a much younger thirty, the three had pooled their resources to purchase their elegant home in what was supposed to be a peaceful fishing cove.
    “Hi Sarah. Welcome to paradise!” she said, yelling to be heard over the generator. Ingrid was silver-haired. She wore a bikini and sported an all-over leathery tan that she had probably started working on in high school. She was a freelance writer and illustrator. Her husband still taught art courses at Acadia part-time, and Grace was a self-employed artist.
    “I wanted to tell you,” Sarah said, “that our new RCMP officer, Garrett Barkhouse, told me he would get Roland to stop with the motor.”
    Ingrid’s face lit up. “Do you really think he will?”
    Sarah looked out at the bay. “I’ve only known him a few days, but yes, I really do.”
    “Well hallelujah! Let’s have a drink to that.” She turned and led the way into the house.
    Although the home was beautiful, with a spectacular living room, a circular wall of windows