THADDEUS BLACK: The Devil Wears High Heels

 Thaddeus Black lounged backwards in his chair with his hands wedged behind his head and thought, “Fucking arrogant ass!” at the impetuous-looking man who sat across his desk wearing a pin-striped grey suit that looked like it had been cut from glass.  From the moment the man entered his office having shaken hands and offering him a seat to him then opening his mouth and making a remark about the filthiness of his office, Thad had summarised just about everything he could about him, neither of which sounded pleasant.  The man rambled on and on while his eyes darted about making surreptitious glances about his small office if he noticed a monster lurking about.  At one time he unfurled a handkerchief out of his pocket to shield his nose.  Thad knew the bastard couldn't wait to get done with dispatching whatever message had brought him here to deliver so he could flee from this dump.  He could almost read the man’s thoughts well

 The limousine was idly waiting to drive Thaddeus back to the city though he instructed the driver to take him someplace else instead.  His actual destination was Main City precinct situated on Maynard Avenue, the city’s head department which oversaw all felonies, crimes and misdemeanours that poured in from surrounding counties.  He would have preferred visiting the Sheriff whom Constance had talked about regarding her son’s disappearance but he surmised that his presence there might set off an alarm by cops wondering what his business there might be.  Hundreds of questions would fly once cops got wind of how much he knew about the lonely rich widow in their county and her missing son.  Since beginning his foray as a private eye, Thaddeus Black had come to realise that the second thing despised by cops beside criminals was snooping private detectives; sometimes it usually overlapped whom they tend to hate the most.  She wanted discr

 Thad laid his hat on the seat next to him, got his notebook and pen out of his jacket and opened to a fresh page.  He had his ‘strictly business’ face on to let the woman know he had more important things on his mind than wanting to gloss over her figure.  He cleared his throat before he spoke.“When we talked on the phone, you mentioned something about being related to the missing kid’s mother?”Hilda nodded.  She sucked on her cigarette and puffed out another cloud of smoke.  “I’m surprised Constance never thought to mention it to you.  Then again, I guess it’s ‘cos she never figured her boy would scuttle halfway across the city to see his Aunt.”  She lifted an ashtray from the coffee table beside her.  “You do know of her husband being deceased, right?”“Yes, I do.  You’re saying Jonathan, was here with you in this apartmen

 The envelope contained a single sheet of paper inside and the words it carried were high-cased letters and type scripted.  Thad held the note by its edge and placed it on a table in front of him to examine it better.  Whoever had done it had probably watched plenty of CSI episodes movies to know that the best ransom notes are ones simply stated with no formalities—why put in too many words and risk giving yourself away on a dime when analysed.  It could be the work of a pro or even an amateur pretending to be one, Thad surmised as he read the note once again.YOUR BOY IS SAFE AND TAKEN CARE OF.IF YOU WANT TO SEE HIM AGAIN, WAIT BY THE PHONE.—ANONYMOUSSimple and straight to the point.  The guy wasn’t into wasting any words, and yet he’d left Constance in pain waiting for his call to come through.  Thad turned the note over and saw nothing there indicative of an error on the sender’s pa

 The doorbell went off again with its irritating ringtone before he got to the door.  Thad unlocked and opened it to see a woman standing there smiling at him.  Thad at first couldn’t place her, then it took him two seconds to recall her face and where he’d met her—the white woman he’d met in Pimp Zee’s SUV.  Myra, he remembered her name was.“Good evening,” she said.  “Pimp Zee dropped me off.  He told me you might want company.”“I thought I told him I didn't want any,” he looked past her shoulder as if expecting to find his friend lurking somewhere behind; she was alone with herself.“He told me you would,” she said, then added, “I too could use some company.”  She gave him a coquettish eye that seemed to say more than her words.Thad scratched an itch in the back of his head and sheepishly thought, Damn you, Zeke. &n