The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag 00 - Skeletons in the Closet

car sat at the back of the lot, and I parked next to it. Neil pulled in a few spaces down.
    Neil caught up with me and asked, “Do you know what her schedule is like for the day?”
    “No, but I don’t have to meet Coop until three, so we can work around it. You’re going to be nice to her, right?”
    “I’m always nice. And in case I haven’t mentioned it, I really hate this plan of yours.”
    “Only about fifty times on the ride back from the penitentiary.”
    “Thelma and Louise ride again.” Neil shook his head.
    “You know as well as I do that men respond better to beautiful women’s inquires. Sylvia is perfect for this. Besides, she may say no, and then we’ll have to go to plan B.”
    “That’s me and my intimidating brute force, right?”
    I nodded, and we entered the gym. Once again, my being vertically challenged was annoying, since I couldn’t spot anyone’s face through the crush of bodies at the Mecca of healthy living. “Do you see her anywhere?”
    “Yeah. She’s in with the receptionist. Let’s talk to her there.”
    As it turned out, Sylvia didn’t have a class until eleven and was more than willing to help.
    “I owe you, Maggie. I should never have left you that night.”
    I shot Neil a look before he could agree and compound her guilt. “I wanted you to go, Sylvia. And you did the right thing. Now, no more about that. Do you have a change of clothes? Something sexy maybe?”
    “You happen to be in luck. Eric and I have a cocktail party to attend tonight, and I brought my outfit with me.”
    Luck was all right, I thought, while Neil and I waited in the parking lot for Sylvia to change. I was definitely ready for some good luck to traipse across my path. Sylvia emerged from the side of the building in a black trench coat and headed towards our car. Her hair and makeup might be enough. We decided to travel together, even though Neil would stay in the car. At least I hoped he would. I really didn’t want to implement plan B.
    I coached Sylvia along the way and brought her up to date on as many necessary facts as I could remember.
    “My God! And I thought I had a rough week. Eric’s dad broke his hip the day before Thanksgiving, and we ended up having dinner at like 11:30 at night.”
    “We’re here, ladies.” Neil parked across the street from a run-down brick house. “I’m going to drop the two of you here. Maggie, keep your cell phone on. If I don’t hear from you in ten minutes, I’m coming in.”
    I gave him a quick kiss and followed Sylvia across the street.
    “Are you sure we’re at the right place?” she asked me out of the corner of her mouth.
    The building looked ready for a wrecking ball, with a crumbling brick façade and cracked windows. Graffiti decorated the steps and concrete foundation, a splash of life on a decaying backdrop. It seemed a bit lopsided, and I cocked my head like a dog as I took it in. I guess the PI business wasn’t exactly thriving. I knocked on the red front door that someone had made a half-assed attempt to repaint.
    “Positive,” I hissed back. “Douglass Kline gave me the address, and I double-checked it in the book.”
    Footsteps sounded, and I stepped back, falling into the role of Sylvia’s maid, like we’d rehearsed.
    “Yeah?” The door opened to reveal a bulgy-eyed man in a rumpled brown suit, the top of his head pink and shiny except for the frizzy black hair around his enormous ears. I had about two inches on him, which left him eye to chest level with Sylvia, a fact that he didn’t seem too upset about.
    “I’m looking for Len Greer,” Sylvia crooned as if oblivious to his ogling.
    “That’s me. What can I do for you, doll-face?”
    Oh no, he didn’t just call her that. Especially since he had yet to look at her face. The Frank Sinatra wannabe was descended from an entirely different rat pack.
    “I need your help,” Sylvia said, adding an extra breathy intonation to her voice.
    Greer finally tore his gaze from her breasts. “Why don’t you come on in, little lady?” He waddled in reverse, and Sylvia glided past him. I followed and ran smack into the door he’d shut in my face.
    “Oh, uh, sorry, I didn’t see you there.” His apology would have seemed sincere if he’d actually looked at me instead of Sylvia, who’d taken off her coat to reveal an extremely short black dress.
    I gave him a wan smile that hid my clenched teeth. He didn’t notice. My plan was working better than I’d dared to