Part 1 of 3: The Blackmail Plot
The office was half empty. Boxes were still laying around, waiting to be unpacked.
Tina opened the door and a potential client entered the room. It was a surprisingly attractive woman in her late 20's who was dressed with style. Tina could tell that the woman had money, and lots of it. The potential client didn't look like someone who needed a private investigator.
"Did you have trouble finding this place?" Tina asked.
"I used my phone app," Astrid replied.
"Of course. Please, have a seat."
Tina sat down behind her desk in the small office, and Astrid sat down in the guest seat, wasting no time and getting right to business.
"I have a job offer for you. I've done some research and I've heard you're good at this sort of thing."
Tina smiled, "You'd be my first client. This is a new business of mine, as you can see. Things aren't exactly settled in around here."
"It's your detective experience I want. I've heard about your reputation from my cousin who works in the DA's office. Why did you leave your old job, anyway? You must have been making good money."
"I spent a year in the homicide division. I'll leave it at that."
"You must have seen some ugly things," Astrid said. "This city can be a very nasty place sometimes."
Tina nodded. "You're right."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Should I?"
"My father was the biggest real estate developer in the state. He passed away a few months ago."
"I'm very sorry to hear that."
"Don't be," Astrid replied, coldly raising her eyebrow. "He left most of his assets to me. I inherited a big fortune."
Tina leaned back in her chair. She realized that Astrid was trouble. She realized that Astrid was someone who cared more about social status and wealth than anything else. Those kinds of people tend to be ruthless in their own unassuming way.
"It sounds like everything is going well for you. What brings you to my little office?"
Astrid paused for a moment. "Can you promise me that none of this will ever leave this room."
"Everything you say to me will be confidential. A big part of my job is discretion."
"What are your specialties?" Astrid replied. "What are you good at?"
"I have more experience using high-tech surveillance equipment than any other private investigator in the city. I can assure you of that. I'm also experienced in shadowing people. In other words, I can get you the information you want, and I won't get caught."
"What about undercover stuff? Are you still up for that?"
Tina nodded, not liking where the conversation was headed. "If the price is right, I can go undercover. It's got to be something legal though."
"I want to hire you. I like your background and I'd rather deal with a woman."
"Understood. What's the job?" Tina asked.
Astrid took a deep breath. "I'm being blackmailed."
There was tension in the air. Tina knew the client was in trouble, but she didn't know how much. There was a hint of fear in Astrid's eyes. Tina could sense when people were scared based on her years in law enforcement.
"Do you know the person who's doing it?" Tina asked. "Or is that something you want me to uncover?"
"I know the person. Intimately."
"Then why don't you go to the police? They'll conduct a proper investigation and this person will be sent to prison."
"I wish it was that easy," Astrid said, before turning away for a moment. "Look, this guy has information on me and he's threatening to make it public. My reputation would be totally ruined."
"What kind of information are we talking about?"
"I'd rather not say."
"It's important that you tell me. All of this will remain confidential."
Astrid rolled her eyes. "I've done some escorting work. Not the trashy kind, like on a street corner. But the high-end kind. I've done it for rich clients. Don't tell me you've never had the same fantasy?"
"I can't say that I have," Tina replied, trying not to judge. "So who's the person blackmailing you? I'm assuming it's a client who discovered your big inheritance."
Astrid paused and searched for courage. "His name is Redmond. He runs a private club which caters to certain needs that powerful people have."
"Needs, such as?"
"Do you enjoy good sex, Ms. Boyde?"
"Just answer the question."
"It's a bondage club," Astrid replied. "Redmond has the most beautiful women working there. They specialize in domination, or submission, or whatever people need to get-off. Anyway, I used to go there a lot and Redmond offered me a job. It was fun until Redmond found out about my rich father."
"And your inheritance too."
Astrid nodded. "He saw my picture in the local news, that I had inherited a small fortune. He started making innuendos about how awful it would be if everyone knew my secret. I laughed at first. Then he began making threats. I stopped going to his club. That's when he sent me a package in the mail. It was a video of me having sex at someone's home. Some asshole had recorded me."
"This happens more often than you think," Tina replied. "I've dealt with a few of these cases as a vice detective. Trust me, you're better off going to the cops. Most often, the perpetrator gets arrested, and the information is never released."
"You don't understand. If I go to the police, then his thugs are going to put videos of me all over the internet."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Redmond is involved with some sketchy people," Astrid stated. "You know, drug stuff. Stolen stuff."
"Is he a big player in the crime scene?"
"As far as I know, he is."
"How come I've never heard of him or this club?" Tina asked.
"The police don't know everything."
"What exactly do you want from me?"
"Find evidence that could put Redmond in prison for a long time. I could use it as leverage, you know, so he can't blackmail me anymore."
Tina shook her head in disbelief. "So you plan on blackmailing the person who's blackmailing you? That's a terrible idea."
"It's the only option I have. I've already made payments to Redmond. I won't tell you how much, but it's a lot. I thought it would make him go away, but he always wants more."
"You're playing with fire, Astrid. This is a very dangerous game. These are obviously bad people. You should go to the police and take your chances. I won't help you with this."
"Trust me," Astrid replied confidently. "You don't know Redmond. The guy is a slime ball, not a murderer. If I threaten him with jail, he'll fold, easy."
"It's rarely that simple. You're dealing with something dangerous here."
"This is the job offer," Astrid said defiantly. "Either take it, or I'll go somewhere else."
"I'm trying to help you. I've dealt with these types of situations before."
"You obviously need the money," Astrid replied staunchly. "If this gets done, I'll pay you $25,000 in cash, and it stays between us. If not, good luck keeping your shitty little business open."
Tina leaned forward, "Astrid, get the fuck out."
The young socialite had a venomous look on her face. Anger was boiling. She was like a spoiled child who had never heard the word 'no' before. She slammed the door when she stormed out of the office.
Part 2 of 3: The BDSM Investigation
Weeks passed. Tina's business slowly picked up. Most cases involved cheating wives or husbands. It wasn't the morally fulfilling work she was doing for the police department, but it paid the bills. Barely.
Tina noticed an unmarked package sitting in front of her office in the early morning. It was a large envelope. She picked it up and took it inside her office, then she opened it and dumped everything onto her desk.
There were surveillance photos of a man. There was also a check with her name on it, signed by Astrid. The check was for the amount of $25,000. There was also a handwritten letter by Astrid.
Tina read the note:
These pictures were taken by another private investigator I hired. He quit the job when he found out who Redmond was. I think you have more balls than every male P.I. in this city combined.
I'm giving you $25,000 right now and another $25,000 when the job is done.
Give me a call,
Astrid
The letter was tossed onto the table and Tina leaned back in her chair to think. The job was beyond stupid, but the money was unbelievable. Astrid was like most rich spoiled brats.
The job was going to be done no matter what, and Astrid would just keep looking for someone who would do it.
Tina recalled the online research she had done on Astrid weeks earlier. Astrid's story checked out: She was a wealthy socialite who inherited nearly a hundred million dollars from her father. Who better to blackmail than a wealthy socialite with a family name to protect?
The private detective looked at the pictures on the table. The pictures were taken with a long-lens camera. Redmond was a large man, husky, strong build. He appeared to be in his early 40's and wore a cheap suit. He had sleazy and shady written all over him.
It wasn't a hard decision anymore. The money was too good. Tina was confident in her skills. If there was dirt, she could find it. Looking at the pictures of Redmond in front of his club, she knew she could find incriminating evidence against him easily.
Tina picked up her phone and called Astrid's number which was on the bottom of the letter. The call was brief and a formal appointment was made.
***
Downtown. Tina visited Astrid's large spacious office. It had a spectacular view overlooking the city. The two women looked at the view as they stood next to each other.
"I can set up my surveillance tomorrow," Tina said. "He won't see me. Then I'll run a check of all the people he's associated with. I still have contacts in the police department. If there's anything illegal, I'll find it."
Astrid turned to the P.I. and smiled. "I knew I went to the right person."
"I still don't like this. It's not too late to back out."
"I need something hard to threaten him with," Astrid said. "Does this whole thing make you nervous?"
Tina looked at the socialite. "Honestly, yes. I don't know how dangerous these people are."
"Redmond is a sleaze. He's not violent. Don't worry about him."
"What about his associates?"
"Look, I'm paying you a lot of money," Astrid firmly replied. "I expect you to do what I ask."
Tina held back a sharp response after Astrid's condescending tone. The former detective wasn't used to having some rich socialite bemoan her.
"The job will get done."
"That's what I want to hear," Astrid nodded.
"Is there anything else I should know about? Anything that could help with this investigation?"
"You're good with undercover work, right?"
"I'm experienced with it, yes."
"Most of his shady dealings are done in the backrooms of his bondage club. There are plenty of his associates wandering around looking to get laid."
Tina brushed it off. "I prefer to stay outside with my camera."
"The guys that Redmond hangs out with usually park in the garage. So you probably won't see most of them."
