CW: film noir, non-consent, impregnation
--
I knew he was trouble when he stormed into my office, his eyes desperate and his coat still dripping from the storm outside. I've never been good at staying away from trouble, though.
I'd been on the verge of closing my office early. Few people come into a private eye's office just before five on a Tuesday when the rain is coming down in sheets, I thought, but there he was. I set my flask down in my top drawer and watched as he glanced back at my door, then turned to me.
"Detective Harrison?" he asked.
"That's me," I replied.
"I need your help."
I sized him up. He was taller than me, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. His hair was dark, and long enough that the rain had styled it for him. His skin was darker than mine, unblemished by scars but dotted with a bit of sculptor's clay around his hands and wrists. He looked like a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve, and I wondered where he'd put them if he didn't have any sleeves on.
"Tell me what you need," I said, meeting his amber eyes.
"My sister Gina has been kidnapped," he said, making a fist involuntarily. "Yesterday, from her apartment in the Hills."
I nodded. "Did you see it happen?"
"Her roommate did. But the police won't investigate." His eyes darkened. "The Hills is where immigrants live. They don't care."
This wasn't strictly true; some cops were on the take from crime bosses and they cared enough to get in my way sometimes. But telling him so wouldn't help.
"Alright," I said. "I'll take the case. I charge twenty a day, plus expenses."
His eyes shifted, and I knew he didn't have it before he spoke. "I can pay you for a day in advance," he said. "And...if it takes longer, I have a diamond ring I can give you. My mother left it for Gina, but if it brings her back, it's worth it."
I wondered how much the ring would get me. Probably not enough for a kidnapping case. But if I left it to the cops, Gina would stay missing. It's bad for business to care about justice sometimes, but it'd be worse if I didn't.
Besides, it had been a long time since I'd seen any action of the friendlier sort. My line of work doesn't make it easy to hold down a relationship, so it had been a while since I'd held a man other than Sam Colt with both hands. If I found his sister, who knows how grateful he might be?
"Alright," I said. "What's your name?"
"Tony."
"Well, let's get started. Take me over there and we'll have a talk with the roommate."
He nodded. I grabbed my trenchcoat and followed him out into the downpour.
--
The rain came down in buckets, sometimes heavy enough to slow my car to a crawl. I cursed under my breath, and I could tell by the way Tony set his jaw in the passenger seat that he wasn't used to women talking that way.
"I guess you're close to your sister," I said.
"She's the only family I have left. But I'm sure anyone would do the same for their sibling."
"Ask Cain about that," I said. "I've worked a few cases where brothers or sisters did each other in."
I glanced over, realizing that this wasn't a big help for his state of mind, and tried to soften the blow. "Your sister is lucky to have you."
"She doesn't have me right now," he said, softly enough that I could barely hear him over the rain. I didn't know what to say to that, so I kept quiet until we arrived.
The apartment complex where Gina lived didn't look like much, but I was pretty sure that in the sunlight it'd look like even less. The gutters were clogged, and we had to step through a curtain of rain to get into a dingy staircase lit by a single yellow light. We walked up single-file, and Tony stepped up to a door on the third floor and knocked.
After a moment, the door opened a crack. A pair of suspicious brown eyes peered out, then softened when they fell on Tony. There was a rattle as they unhooked the flimsy chain lock, then the door opened and we stepped inside.
"How are you holding up, Ariana?" Tony asked softly as the woman locked the door behind us.
"I'm alive," she said. "Are you the detective?"
I nodded and held out a hand. "Samantha Harrison."
Ariana took the hand, shaking it demurely. She was slender, with olive skin, lovely brown curls, and a sharp nose. I could tell by her frown and the lines of her eyes, though, that she was troubled by more than her roommate's disappearance.
"I hope you can be of more use than the police," she said.
"We all know the cops here aren't good for much," I said. "So tell me everything, and I'll do whatever I can to get you justice, legal or not."
She hesitated for a moment, steeling herself to bring it all back. Then she nodded and began.
--
Gina and I were walking back from our etiquette class when I first noticed that something was wrong.
I couldn't put my finger on it, at first. I felt like someone was watching me, but I didn't see anyone when I looked over my shoulder.
"You don't need to be paranoid," Gina said. "Remember, a lady is supposed to maintain a calm demeanor."
"That etiquette stuff is just for when rich people are watching," I said.
"You never know when they're watching," Gina grinned.
We were in the Hills, so I was pretty sure they weren't, but I didn't say so. I kept an eye out, and by the time we got back here I had almost convinced myself I'd been imagining it.