Cold Steele

I started to read the employee information folders. Samuel and Millie Ripley were husband and wife, they were both about 57 years old; they'd worked for Jason Worth for more than twenty years. Jacqueline was their niece and was 21; she'd come to live and work with them three years ago when her parents were killed in an auto accident. Ralph James was the driver or chauffeur or whatever; he'd only been with the Worth's for two years.

Something nagged at the back of my mind as I read the folders. I read and reread the information but whatever was tugging at my brain stayed hidden. Let it alone, I thought. It'll come to you.

The next thing to do was make a security inspection around the house and grounds. I walked around the interior of the house, including the second story, inspecting the windows and exterior doors. As I walked I made notations in a notebook I carried. Have to look the part, don't you know? I made my way into the kitchen where Millie and Jacqueline were making lunch and Samuel was sitting at the kitchen table reading. I walked over to Samuel.

He looked up and said, "Just checking inventories; tomorrow is shopping day."

I inspected the doors and windows in the kitchen and generally got in Millie and Jacqueline's way. The third time I had to say 'excuse me' or 'I'm sorry', Samuel smiled and suggested, "Let's go outside and have a cup of coffee Mr. Steele; at least until the girls finish preparing lunch."

We stepped outside onto a patio and sat on a very nicely carved wooden bench. "Who are you really and what are you doing here, Mr. Steele?" Samuel asked. He wasn't angry, just inquisitive.

"What makes you think I'm not a security consultant?"

"You don't have the look," Samuel replied with a smile. "You look and act like a cop. This have anything to do with the demand for money Mr. Worth got?"

"What demand for money?"

"Nobody gossips more, among themselves, than household help. Jacqueline saw the letter when she was cleaning in the sitting room." Samuel smiled and shook his head. "I didn't think the boy was smart enough to pull something like this."

"What boy?"

Samuel raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. Guess I wasn't the only one that could use that trick. "Don't play dumb Mr. Steele; it doesn't suit you. Stanley Moore sent that letter demanding a lot of money for a DVD that supposed to show Mrs. Worth and him, or Stanley would make it public." Samuel chuckled. "I don't know why Mr. Worth would pay money to keep what is common knowledge secret."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "The DVD is common knowledge?"

"Not the DVD in particular, but Mrs. Worth's, well... antics are. Everyone already knows about her lifestyle."

"Everyone?"

He nodded his head. "I've heard people talking about her at some of the parties Mr. Worth has here."

"How do they react to Mrs. Worth's...er...antics?"

"Some of the men want to be next, some wonder why Mr. Worth puts up with her." He smiled again. "And most of the women call her some not very nice names. Of course none of their opinions are voiced to Mr. or Mrs. Worth face to face."

"And do you and Millie disapprove of Mrs. Worth and her actions?"

"It's not up to us to approve or disapprove. We're simply the hired help."

"I find that hard to believe Samuel."

"Okay you got me," he said with a small grin. Millie and I worked for Mr. Worth before Miss Susan came into the picture. His first wife, Miss Rebecca, was a really nice person and we loved her. When she died, Mr. Worth was a mess for awhile and then he brought Susan home.

Samuel looked thoughtful for a few seconds and continued, "We were happy for him because he seemed to come back to life. But now? Well, we were here before she came and we'll still be here if she leaves. Our loyalty belongs to Mr. Worth. She only counts as long as Mr. Worth wants or lets her stay."

Suddenly, as I was talking to Samuel, the thing that had nagged at me when I read the employee files jumped to the forefront of my mind. RJ was the friend that visited Moore and Ralph James was the driver.

"Where would the chauffeur be right now?"

"Ralph? He's probably in his apartment over the garage, if he's not working on one of the cars."

"Thanks Samuel. You're a very astute man." I turned and walked toward the garage. I remember seeing Ralph's picture in the employee records. The picture fit the description that Mrs. Foley had given. I found Ralph James in the garage polishing a Bentley.

"Hi, I'm Matt Steele," I introduced myself to Ralph. "I'm doing a security inspection for Mr. Worth."

"Yeah, I heard you'd be around. I'm Ralph James."

"Nice car," I offered pointing at the Bentley.

"It's a Continental GT V8."

"You drive it much Ralph?"

"No, not this one. It's Mr. Worth's baby. I usually drive the Rolls when I take them someplace."

"You know Stanley Moore?" I asked watching his eyes.

"Not really, just that he took care of the pool before he was fired. Why?"

"Part of the security check. You haven't seen him since he was let go then?"

"No, like I said, we weren't friends or anything."

"You know why he was fired? Mr. Worth didn't tell me; just that he'd had to let Moore go."

Ralph hesitated, looked around to make sure we were alone and replied, "Stan got caught banging Mrs. Worth, from what I hear. Her husband caught them or found out about it and sent the boy packin." Ralph snorted and continued, "Mr. Worth not only fired Stanley, but he put the word out to all his rich friends that he'd had to fire him.

The sleaze ball chuckled. "I think he told them that Stanley stole something; anyway Stan can't get a job from the wealthy now and the regular people can't pay enough to support his acting gigs. Worth also sent a couple of goons over to Stanley's place to teach the boy a lesson. Stanley got away or wasn't there from what I hear."

"For a guy that's not Moore's friend, you sure know a lot about what went on after he got fired," I remarked.

"Gossip, just gossip. The house staff is the biggest hotbed of gossip in the world," Ralph said. "But I keep my ears open and my mouth shut. I also keep my pants on where Mrs. Worth is concerned. She's as hot as any woman I've ever seen, but I like this job and don't plan on ending up like Stanley."

"She ever come on to you?"

"No, but I've seen her looking, you know." Ralph preened a bit. "Why is a security consultant so interested in what's going on?"

"Disgruntled or ex-employees are a security risk," I answered. I gave Ralph what I hoped was a disarming smile and added, "I'm just trying to gauge what a danger Stanley Moore might be. Thanks for your help. You're doing a nice job on the Bentley."

As I walked away I knew that Ralph was lying about his relationship with Stanley Moore. In spite of his saying the house was awash with gossip, how would he know about the men Worth supposedly sent over to the boy's apartment? I went to find Samuel again; if anyone knew anything, he'd be the one.

"Hey Samuel, can I talk to you again?" I asked as I entered the kitchen. He gave me a little grin, nodded, and followed me outside. "You know anything about Mr. Worth sending men over to Stanley's?

"Did Mr. Worth do that?" He asked. "It's the first I've heard of it." Samuel thought for a moment. "If Mr. Worth did, it was to get that DVD you mentioned and maybe rough the boy up a bit. You know, for having the gall to try and blackmail Mr. Worth."

"Thanks Samuel. Is Mr. Worth back yet?"

Samuel nodded and I went looking for my employer. I found him in the sitting room, drinking another glass of whiskey. He nodded when I walked in and held up his glass offering me a drink. I shook my head and joined him at his desk.

"I got another letter this afternoon," he said handing me another printed page. It said that Worth would be contacted on Saturday morning and told where to bring the money; the printed signature was again Stanley Moore.

"Did you send two goons over to Moore's apartment?" The look I gave him made it plain what I thought about it.

"I did, but not to attack him," Worth answered. "I thought they might be able to get the DVD."

"Pretty dumb Mr. Worth. Stanley booked and with him any chance at getting the DVD without paying for it." I shook my head. "Not the smartest move on your part."

"What now Mr. Steele?" Worth seemed to deflate in his chair; as if he'd lost all confidence that he'd be able to get out of this bad situation.

"I'll keep looking for him. Hopefully I can find him before the week is out." I had serious doubts that Stanley was the blackmailer. From what I'd learned about the boy, I didn't think he was smart enough to come up with this DVD scheme. I didn't share my suspicions with Worth. "I'll see you this evening," I said and went home to see if I did in fact have a clean pair of jeans.

Jason and Susan Worth were surprised and a little pleased that I cleaned up so well. I was wearing a light brown cashmere sports jacket over a white on white brother to the blue Christian Dior that Worth had worn that morning; my tie was loose around my neck and was a very dark brown knit.

My slacks were a dark brown and had a crease so sharp you could have cut paper with it. I still wore cowboy boots, so sue me I like boots, but these were dress boots; good for dancing but not working.

"My, my, aren't you splendorous?" Susan said as she greeted me. She carried a very large glass containing what looked like a martini drowning an olive.

"Good evening Mrs. Worth; Mr. Worth." He'd just joined us at the entry to the large ballroom. That's not the first of the evening for Susan, I thought.

If I'd thought Susan was a distraction in my office or early today, tonight she'd stop traffic at rush hour. The deep green, low cut, flowing dress she wore went perfectly with her hair color. Her hair was swept up in some kind of style that left her sexy neck and shoulders bare. Satan, get thee behind me, I said to myself; not for the first time.

"Let me introduce you around Mr. Steele," Susan offered.

Mr. Worth stepped in and took my arm. "I'll see to Mr. Steele darling. Why don't you see to the other guests?"

"You're no fun Jason." Patting me on the arm, Susan said, "I'll see you later Mr. Steele."

Apparently Susan's anger at me from earlier that day had been replaced by what she considered a challenge. I nodded at her and let Worth steer me toward the bar. He held up two fingers to the bartender and shortly we both had a generous glass of Gentleman Jack. Samuel was right; it's good to be king.

"That tall, blond fellow over by the fireplace is Danby Summers," Worth told me.

Danby had the look of the idle rich. He was tanned, athletic looking, and I guess women would think he was handsome. He reminded me of some of the men I'd seen when I spent summers in Texas with my Granddad; he held their type in contempt. Granddad described them as "Big Hat, no cattle". Danby would have fit right in, I thought.

"He doesn't have the stomach for blackmail Mr. Worth. It's not him and he's not a threat to your marriage."

"How can you be sure Mr. Steele? You haven't ever met or talked to him."

"I've seen his type before. His biggest concern is the next party or the next playmate that won't cause him a lot of trouble." I took a long drink of the whiskey. "As for Susan, I mean Mrs. Worth; I think she's just pulling your chain about good ole Danby." Pointing to where Susan stood talking to two other women, I added, "She hasn't been around him or even looked at him."

"He's been here several times during the last two weeks, sometimes while I was at the office," Worth explained. "And every time I am around them she, well I guess the term is flirts with him. You know, makes all kinds of double meaning phrases and gives him seductive looks."

"Mr. Worth, your wife could give seductive looks brushing her teeth. Like I said, she's pulling your chain."

"Why would she do that?"

"Look, I'm not a marriage counselor or anything, it's just my opinion."

"So you don't think Susan had or is having an affair with Danby Summers?"

"Nope."

"What about Stanley Moore?"

"Oh, I think she and ole Stan did hook up."

"Why would she do that? I mean so blatantly." Worth seemed to be really upset.

This wasn't the same guy that came into my office and acted like the world was his oyster. Makes me wonder if he was more than half in love with the woman, I thought; in spite of her actions.

"I've had no training in the warm and fuzzy stuff but I have met a lot of people in my line of work. Maybe she thinks you're not paying enough attention to her; that you're spending too much time at the office. Maybe she's mad because you forgot her birthday or your anniversary. Or maybe she is just a bitch. You're asking the wrong person Mr. Worth. I suggest you ask your wife."

Susan picked that moment to come over and latch onto my arm. "Come Mr. Steele, let me introduce you around."

"I'm not here to socialize Mrs. Worth; I'm working."

"But if you don't want everyone to know what and who you are, you should act like just another guest. Don't you think?" Susan looked at me with a challenge. Her eyes silently told me that if I didn't, she'd tell everyone why I was actually at the cocktail party.

"Go ahead Mr. Steele," Worth offered. "Susan's right, I don't want everyone to know I've hired a detective to protect our reputation."

"Lead on Mrs. Worth," I said and put down my empty glass.

So began a round of introductions to people I had no interest in and would probably never see again. There was a cornucopia of Brads, and Chads and of course Danby; not a John or Bob or Jim in the bunch. There was a plethora of Tiffanys and Heathers and Daphnes; not a Mary or Sally or Jane in that group. Quite a collection of phony intellectuals, trust fund babies, and wannabes, I thought.

After making the circuit of the room I escaped and headed back to my favorite person in the room, the bartender. I got a Gentleman Jack and turned. Standing in front of me was a girl, no a woman, that would give Susan Worth a run for her money in the looks department.

"I see you survived the ordeal of introductions," she said with a humorous smile.

"Seriously wounded, but I made it," I replied. "Hi, I'm Matt Steele." This was one woman I wanted to know better and I'd made no promises about keeping away from her.

"More introductions?" She asked, the smile growing. "I'm Abigail Stewart." She extended her hand and we shook as I looked her over.

Abigail was about 5 feet 8, with an athletic body slightly slimmer than Susan Worth; there was no doubt that she was all women. Her hair was strawberry blonde and cut in a pixie style that made her green eyes and full lips stand out. Abigail had a smattering of freckles across her nose.

"Do I pass?" She asked.

"Huh?" I cleverly responded. I'm a silver tongued devil when I put my mind to it.

"You're staring, so I wonder if I passed your inspection."

"Don't be coy Miss Stewart. I think you know you'd pass any inspection by anybody with a pulse," I said with a grin.

"A girl can never be too sure you know. Please call me Abby. I've never seen you here before. Who are you besides Matt Steele?"

"I'm just a business associate of Mr. Worth's."

"That's a shame."

"A shame that I do business with Mr. Worth?"

"No, that you couldn't think of a better cover than a business associate." At the shocked look on my face, she almost giggled and said in a softer voice, "I know that you're a private investigator and I know you're looking into a blackmail scheme against Jason."

"Busted." I said. "How'd you know? I tried to cover my tracks."

"You can't keep secrets from the household staff. They've got better Intel than the CIA." She laughed again. "Besides, Jacqueline and I are friends. I met her at school."

My face must have dropped a little or Abby saw the disappointment in my eyes; I never did have a good poker face where women were concerned.

"Why that look?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Busted again," I answered with a sigh. "If you must know I was hoping to get to know you better, maybe catch a movie or got to dinner or something, but if you went to school with Jacqueline, well...." I hesitated, trying to think of a way to say what I was thinking and not make myself look like an idiot.

"Well what?"

"Jacqueline is 21, so you must be about the same age. As beautiful as you are, you're much too young for me or maybe it's I'm too old for you."

"Thank you kind sir." Again I must have shown my puzzlement. "I said I met Jacky at school, I never said anything about being in her class. I teach at Forest Park Community College; English Lit. Jacky was in a couple of my classes and we became friends."

"At the chance of being indelicate or gauche, just how old are you Abby?"

"A lady never likes to tell her age." She grinned and added, "But this time I'll make an exception. I'll be 32 next month."

The smile covered my face. Well, if I can get her interested at least I won't be robbing the cradle, I thought. "As soon as I get my foot out of my mouth, would you like to join me for a drink out on the patio?"

"I'd love to Mr. Steele. I've never seen someone extricating a foot from their mouth; it might be interesting."

We found a wrought iron bench, sat down, and began to get to know each other. I learned Abby had grown up in a small town in southeastern Missouri; it was about sixty miles from the small town where I'd spent most of my summer vacations when my family moved to St. Louis the year I turned 15. I learned that she loved the outdoors with fishing, canoeing, and camping among her favorites.

After almost an hour, I asked the question I should have asked at the beginning of our talk. "Do you belong to someone? Does someone belong to you?" Abby smiled and chuckled. "I mean, are you in a relationship or married or anything?"

"Married? Not anymore." Abby touched my arm. "I've been happily divorced for two years."

"That's good," I said. Now it was her that had a shocked look. "It means I can ask you to dinner."

Shaking her head, but smiling Abby asked, "When?"

"When I finish the job for Mr. Worth, I'll call you." I leaned closer to Abby and quickly kissed her. "That's a deposit; full payment to come later."

"There will be a penalty if payment becomes past due," she said as she stood. "We'd better get back inside before Jason sends out a search party."

"He pays that much attention to you?" I asked. Please don't tell me you're running with Worth like Susan does her men, I thought. My good ole poker face must have given me away again.

"Jason is a relative, sort of; he's my godfather. My father and he were best friends in college and did a lot of business together after they started their careers. Daddy was best man at Uncle Jason's wedding to his first wife. My father passed away last year but if he'd been here he might have stopped Uncle Jason's marriage to Susan. I tried to but ...."

"Yeah, the heart wants what the heart wants and logic or good sense don't come into it," I said as we started back into the house.

"My, how profound Matt. You have the heart of a poet."

Abby was smiling, I didn't know if she was making fun of me or not. "No, I just read that someplace; seems to fit in Jason's case."

When we stepped through the French doors into the house, Jason came hurriedly over to us. "I'm not paying you to seduce my goddaughter Mr. Steele. I'll thank you to attend to business."

"Uncle Jason, stop it," Abby responded. "I don't need anyone protecting me. And no one's ever been able to seduce me into doing something I didn't want to do."

Good thing she spoke up, I thought. I was about to tell Worth to go to hell and take his cheating wife with him.