Free Angel Dance (Danny Logan Mystery #1) by M. D. Grayson Page B

help, but if I do, I agree to notify you.”
    I smiled. “Thanks. Then, as to our business arrangement—”
    “Mr. Logan,” Angelo interrupted, “Let me interrupt you. My wife and I have been fortunate. We don’t worry about money anymore. We’ll pay your going rate.”
    “Thank you for that, Mr. Fiore,” I said. “But don’t you want to know what it is?” Before he could answer, I said, “You need to know that, as a four-man firm, we bill out at two thousand dollars a day, or sixty thousand dollars per month plus expenses.”
    Again, Angelo interrupted. “Mr. Logan, I apologize. I should have phrased it differently. I realize that even though my wife and I don’t have to worry about money, I’m quite aware that you, as a young businessman, are not yet in that position. Your employees certainly have their own money concerns. I don’t want you worrying about money when I would prefer you should be thinking about my daughter.” He turned to Robbie. “Roberto, please have a check drawn for $120,000 on account for Mr. Logan.” He turned to me. “Will that be satisfactory?”
    “Thank you. More than sufficient, sir.”
    “Good,” he said. “You’re hired.” He stood up and reached for my hand. “Now, please. Stop wasting time. Go find my daughter and bring her home to us.”

Chapter 4
     
    THE NEXT MORNING, Wednesday, August 17, at 8:00 a.m., Toni and I met Dwayne and Gus in the parking lot of Gina’s condo. The day was bright and sunny and already warm with just a couple of little, puffy cumulus clouds drifting in from the southwest.
    “I see they have no dress code at Logan PI,” Dwayne said, as he and Gus walked up to meet us. I think he was talking to me because I was wearing faded jeans, Nikes, and a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt that I hadn’t tucked in. Then again, he could have been talking to Toni because she was wearing black denims and her Doc Marten black shit-kicker boots that made her nearly six feet tall. She wore a pink V-necked blouse with no sleeves. Her sleeve tat on her left arm and the Celtic armband tat on her right were on full display. Each ear had three pierced earrings, including a bar that pierced the same ear twice. Plus, she had some sort of tiny diamond stud in her nose. The effect was memorable.
    “Unlike you fat cats, we don’t work on a union pay scale,” I said in our defense. “We can’t afford the fancy suits.”
    Dwayne fingered his lapels and smiled. “I assume you’re referring to me. Pretty snappy, isn’t it?” he said. Then he turned and nodded toward Gus, who was wearing another plaid sport jacket. “I gotta balance out Gus, here. He does his shopping at the bargain bin at Joseph A. Bank.”
    Gus acted offended until Toni said, “I think Gus looks quite dapper.”
    “Dapper?” Dwayne said. “Dapper? I never knew anyone who looked dapper before. I’m impressed.”
    “As well you should be,” Gus said, beaming at the compliment from Toni.
    “Anyway,” Toni added, “When we dress in plainclothes, we actually try to not look like cops.”
    Dwayne laughed. “Touché.”
    “Sweetheart,” Gus said, reaching for Toni’s hand and kissing it. “Let me say that you look absolutely lovely this fine morning. And you don’t for one second look a goddamned bit like any cop I’ve ever seen.”
    “See?” Toni replied, batting her eyelashes at him. “It worked.”
    I smiled. “This is going to be fun, guys.” I noticed Robbie driving up to let us into the condo. “Robbie’s here. How about we get to work.” I pointed to the door of Gina’s condo. “Let’s start inside first; then we can take a look at her car.”
    At the landing in front of Gina’s condo, Dwayne handed me a large envelope. “I got your paperwork in my e-mail. Thanks for that. This is a copy of the first responder report, a copy of the missing person report, a copy of my interview notes, and a copy of the CSI report. We’ve already filed with NCIC and