About once a month, Darcy would hit the nightclubs, getting paid to show up simply because the paparazzi would photograph her coming and going, report on anything she did, who she danced with, what she wore and anyone she spoke with. It was the perfect advertising for the nightclubs, who got their names in the tabloids and glossy magazines, and with Darcy’s stamp of approval, their success was practically guaranteed. Any club Darcy showed up at became an instant success, and the current talk of the town, with other celebrities following wherever she appeared.
The fact that Darcy only showed up occasionally in public only increased her mystique, the papers frantically trying to anticipate where she might be and what she did while she was out of circulation. The rumors were rampant that she’d slept with many, many men. The truth was the complete opposite, but Darcy didn’t care what the tabloids said, as long as the night clubs continued to pay her to show up and she could fund her animal rescue hospital.
Claire’s concern came with Darcy’s increasing celebrity status and the way the paparazzi were following her so obsessively. Men were also considering her a challenge, which was increasing her costs because she now had to hire additional body guards when she went out. It was all a game, but Claire worried that something bad would happen to Darcy, perhaps that one of her fans would take things too far, or that her attitude towards men would continue to deteriorate. It was a difficult tightrope Darcy walked, one that could cause serious harm if she were to fail in some way.
Vowing to discuss her concerns with Darcy the next time they met for lunch, Claire’s fingers whipped through the data, sorting and filing much of it for later, but trying to zero in on anything that could give her a clue that Gary might be doing something for someone at this particular company. She knew he was a private investigator who had worked for Titus Securities, but mostly under cover.
After a half hour, she realized that the information she’d recovered today was useless. There wasn’t a single indication that Gary had ever worked for Titus Securities, but that might be simply because she hadn’t gone deep enough or that this round of data didn’t include the clues necessary to determine his assignments and where he might be now, if he was simply working and not lying in a ditch somewhere, hurt and unable to get help.
Sighing with frustration, she plopped her head in her hand, closing her brown eyes before the tears of frustration started. Claire knew in her heart that something was wrong. Gary had been so sweet and attentive, always bringing her coffee at work, meeting her for lunch and bringing her flowers before almost every date, leaving her each evening with a gentle kiss and no pressure. He was the ultimate boyfriend, she remembered as she dialed up Darcy’s number. She couldn’t leave a man like that to some horrible fate. No, any man who wanted to just be with her on a date, who didn’t make a move for something she wasn’t willing to give, was definitely worth the effort to help when he was in trouble.
Except for that one little thing, she thought. The one fly in the ointment of their perfect relationship. He just didn’t turn her on like she wanted. There was no fire when they touched, no sparks after, or during, any kiss. It was nice and pleasant, but Claire wanted passion. She wanted excitement and danger.
Sighing, she thought that perhaps she just couldn’t have that kind of experience with a man. She was starting to suspect that she’d simply have to find that through her work life. She’d dated so many men over the years and not a single one tempted her even a little bit. Gary was kind and considerate though, which covered a lot more ground than the other men of her past. Most of them were obnoxious and few had lasted more than a couple of weeks because she simply wasn’t willing to put up with their pressure to take their relationship to the next level. None of them tempted her to go down that path.
Maybe that’s why she was so interested in Gary. He represented all the things she wanted to do with her life. He was kind, considerate, fun, had a very exciting career based on the cases he’d told her about on their dinner dates, and he had to disappear every once in a while for what she thought had been exciting, secret agent types of missions. Meanwhile, she was stuck in a computer job that had her tied to a desk reviewing other peoples’ code.
Claire waited while Darcy’s phone rang, wondering if maybe an aerobics class or perhaps a pottery class could fill the void she was feeling now.
“Nothing,” she said as soon as Darcy answered the phone. “Not even a social security number that would indicate he had worked for Titus in the past.”
Darcy sighed with relief. “Are you going to accept that Gary lied to you now?”
Claire sat up straighter at her desk, surprised that Darcy had jumped to that conclusion after such a short investigation. “He didn’t lie to me. I just haven’t found the information that can help him.”
“You’re being sweet and loyal, Claire. But perhaps a bit obtuse as well because you’re lonely and bored, a dangerous combination with someone as brilliant as you are I’m realizing. If there’s no indication that the man worked for Titus Securities, then maybe he didn’t work for that company and lied about the fact that he was even employed.”
Claire instantly rejected that idea. “No. In my gut, I know something is wrong. He wasn’t the kind of person who would simply leave like this. He’s in trouble. I can feel it.”
Darcy groaned softly but the sound came through the phone lines. “Claire, you’re about as stubborn as they come, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely not. I prefer to think of it as tenacious,” she said with a mischievous smile.
“Potato, patahto,” Darcy chimed. “You’re out of your mind and one of these days you’re going to get yourself into a heap of trouble. The police should be looking into this guy’s disappearance. Not you. You’re not equipped to deal with all the intricacies of this kind of situation, despite your unquestioned brilliance at software programming.”
“I went to the police. They shrugged it off like Gary had just found another girlfriend. They wouldn’t believe me when I explained that I knew something was wrong.”
Darcy heard the tone in Claire’s voice and knew there was more to the story than what Claire was saying. “And? What happened next?”
Claire sighed. “He hit on me. Asked me out to dinner and said he’d be happy to take Gary’s place.”