Free Perpetual Motion by Jeff Fulmer Page A

his own jumbo jet could most likely afford
his services. More out of curiosity, he ran a search, only to find
very little on his client. One article associated Alfred Mancuso
with an asset management company headquartered in London called the
Pyramid Group.
    It was noted that the man sat on the board of
several conglomerates, as well as philanthropic foundations.
Concluding that Mancuso was an upstanding citizen who could pay a
seven figure finder’s fee, he moved on with the more challenging
work of actually earning it.
    The trouble was, if Michael was randomly
bouncing around the Western United States, it would be virtually
impossible to find him, unless he made a mistake or got in touch
with someone from his past. That meant he needed to find friends,
family, and that fiancé he mentioned. Mancuso had also mentioned
two employees who had worked for Michael.
    Somewhere, someone knew this guy. He just had
to find them and get them to talk to him, fast.

CHAPTER
19
     
     
    It was routine to run background checks on
any missing person, and Cynical subscribed to a few services that
would fill out Michael Dexter’s past, going back to the moment a
doctor welcomed him into the world with a slap on his butt.
Starting with a more complete credit report than the one he’d run
in St. John’s; he then added a personal and criminal background
check for good measure.
    These reports could take a day or two to get
back, so Cynical paid the premium to expedite them. Most of the
time, it was filled with stuff you already knew or wasn’t relevant
to the subject’s current whereabouts. Occasionally, however, if you
looked close enough, there was a loose strand you could pull.
    Since becoming a PI, Cynical had learned to
be self-reliant, and yet, there were some places he just couldn’t
go on his own. Having managed to salvage a few friends on the
force, Cynical punched in an old number. With so much on the line,
if there was ever a time to cash in a favor, he figured this was
it.
    It took a couple of rings before it was
answered by a firm, female voice. “Trudent.”
    “Cynthia, it’s me.”
    Cynthia Trudent had come up through the ranks
of the LAPD behind him and was now a detective first class. Being a
smart, attractive black woman in the department hadn’t hurt her.
Still, someone had to recognize her abilities. When Cynical was her
superior, he had pushed more responsibility her way, all the while
grooming her for future promotions. She owed part of her success to
him and they both knew it.
    Somewhere along the way, their relationship
had blurred into an ambiguous mixture of mutual admiration and
possible attraction. He genuinely liked her; his instincts told him
she felt the same way. They probably would have acted on their
feelings if he hadn’t been married. And, by the time his marriage
was unraveling, she was engaged. Timing was everything and theirs
seemed destined to be off.
    “What do you need?” she asked, knowing he was
calling in another favor.
    “I have got to find someone. I was wondering
if you could set up an automated check on speeding tickets, ATM
visits; anything at all.”
    “I’m really busy Cynical,” she said, her
voice sounding stressed. “I drew a double murder last night.”
    “I’ll make it worth your while,” he said. “I
always do.”
    Cynical was a believer in greasing the wheel.
He didn’t like giving out cash to friends; that felt too much like
a bribe. But, anything else was fair game: good seats to concerts
and big games, gift certificates to fancy restaurants, and airline
tickets to someplace tropical. Cynthia was a sucker for spa
treatments and Lakers games.
    “What’s the name?” she sighed. After jotting
down the pertinent information, she said, “I’ll get back to you if
anything comes up.”
    “This is a priority,” he said, sounding like
he was still her boss and knowing she would resent it. Softening
his tone, he quickly added, “There’s a lot riding on this