Free Pink Balloons and Other Deadly Things (Mystery Series - Book One) by Nancy Tesler

appointment.”
    I heard the click and waited for the next message. It was Vickie, asking if she could set up another appointment; would I please get back to her. Just before the tape cut off, I was certain I heard her father’s voice, certain I heard him shouting “goddamned tramp.” I resolved to call Vickie back as soon as I’d spoken to Meg.
    The minute I heard Meg’s voice, my suspicions about her and Rich vanished. “Meg?”
    “Carrie, hi. How're you doing?”
    “Meg, I’m going to need a—-a criminal lawyer. You know anyone who knows one?”
    A pause. “They haven’t charged you, have they?”
    Was there an unspoken yet in that pause?
    “No, but Brodsky was asking me more questions. And he keeps advising me to get one. I’m scared. I think I should at least get some advice.”
    “Lemme make some calls. I’ll get back to you.”
    “Okay.” I felt like a child, dumping my mess into a competent adult’s hands. “Meg?”
    “Yeah?”
    “I’m glad you’re back.” I could feel her warmth through the phone.
    “Keep the faith, Kid.”

CHAPTER SIX
Tuesday, May 25
    THE NEXT AFTERNOON Brodsky showed up at my office again. He was standing in front of my door when I came out of the elevator. I’d just returned from lunch at Meg's. She’d given me a pep talk and the names of two lawyers she’d obtained from a friend, and I was feeling better. Until I saw him. His shoulders were hunched inside his loose brown jacket, and there was a fine white line around his mouth that didn't look as though a smile could get past it.
    “We seem to have a missing person on our hands,” he said, skipping the preliminaries.
    “Excuse me?”
    He moved aside as I inserted the key into the lock. “Any idea where your husband is?”
    “At his house or his office, I presume.”
    “When did you last see him?”
    Did he know what had transpired between us? “Yesterday.”
    Brodsky's face was impassive. I couldn’t read his expression.
    I cleared my throat. “I thought you’re not a missing person unless you’ve been missing for at least a couple of days.”
    “Under ordinary circumstances that would be true.”
    Was I being accused of kidnapping now? “Maybe he had a rendezvous,” I muttered with an edge to my voice. “Not even snow, nor sleet, nor the murder of his intended will keep our Richard from his appointed bed.”
    He was scowling as he held the door open for me. “This isn’t a joke.”
    “I wasn’t joking.”
    He followed me into my office and sat in my client chair. “Mind if I sit?”
    I wondered why he bothered to ask. I shrugged. “What makes you think Rich is missing?”
    He stretched out his long legs and loosened his tie. “He was supposed to be at the precinct this morning. He never showed. When we checked, it looked as though he hadn’t been home. His car’s still in the lot.”
    That was strange. I began to feel uneasy.
    “No one seems to know where he is.”
    I stayed on my feet. It was a power thing. “Ask Dot Shea. She makes sure he checks in with her twenty times a day.”
    “She didn’t show up for work today either. And she doesn’t answer her phone.”
    I couldn’t see Rich involved with Dot, but I said it anyway. “Well, there’s your answer. Check the motels.”
    “Timing’s lousy.”
    “We’re talking about a man who left his family on Christmas Eve. He flunked Timing a year and a half ago.”
    “Want to tell me about your meeting?”
    ` I hesitated. “I wanted him to talk to the kids. All this is very frightening to them. So I went to the office, and...”
    “And?” he prompted.
    I could tell he knew about the fight. Gus must’ve given him an earful. “We had a...disagreement.”
    Something faintly related to a smile pushed its way past the white line. “I hear it was the War of the Roses.”
    “I went there because I thought he might come up with something useful. Things got out of control.”
    “Playing detective?”
    He was amused in that damned