The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag 00 - Swept Under the Rug

Sylvia returned at first light and we sat down to map out our business plan. Penny and Marty were still in bed and the house was blessedly quiet.
    “I can’t wait for spring.” I told Sylvia over my second cup of coffee. “I want to walk outside and not be bundled up like a pig in a blanket.”
    “That’s only natural.” Sylvia didn’t look up from her blackberry. She’d already filled half a page on her memo pad with names of her friends and clients who might hire our service to rid their homes of dirt and chaos. “Spring symbolizes rebirth and brings a lighter kind of energy along with the new possibilities.”
    “Yeah, I could deal with a few of those.” I stirred my coffee and watched her work. Having always admired Sylvia’s glass-is-half-full attitude, I kept my misgivings about the new business to myself. Personally, I wouldn’t hire us, a Hag with a rap sheet and a Barbie Zen master, but hey, what did I know?
    My cell phone pealed the standard ring for an unfamiliar number. I dug through my bag, wishing the technology gurus would stop making such dinky devises. My compact was bigger than my phone for heaven’s sake and I tended to fat-finger the numbers on this munchkin model.
    “I’ve got you now,” I said as I flipped the top open “Laundry Hag cleaning services, Maggie speaking.”
    “Is this Maggie Phillips?” The unfamiliar female voice sounded watery, even over the tinny connection.
    “Yes, who’s speaking please?” The call had come up private name and number. Not at all unusual in the age of rampant phone solicitation.
    “This is Sierra, Mr. Valentino’s executive assistant. I don’t know if you remember me…?”
    “Of course, what can I do for you?” I picture the outrageously well groomed bombshell who guarded Valentino’s inner sanctum.
    “I, um, I found something. Something of Mr. Valentino’s. I think he might have killed his wife.”
    “Not possible,” I said, even though her words peeked my interest. “Valentino’s still in the hospital and he’s being monitored by the FBI. No way could he have caused Candie’s death.”
    “Yes, but I found this file locked in his desk. He hired a private investigator to follow her. In the report, the PI claims she was cheating on him, with another woman. I’ve worked for Mr. Valentino for a long time; he would never stand for that.”
    No he wouldn’t. “But the timing…” I mused aloud. Sylvia was watching me, her eyebrows furrowed as she listened to my end of the conversation.
    “I think he might have hired someone. You know, before the fire? I don’t know what to do.”
    “Contact the police ask for Detective Capri. She’ll put you in touch with the FBI.”
    “I know it’s horrible of me to ask, but do you think you could come over and stay with me while they’re here? I read about you in the newspaper and I know you know how to handle this sort of situation.”
    The wince escaped despite my best efforts. Holding up under police interrogation was not something I wanted people to remember about me. She made a decent point though. Valentino had set me up, cast suspicion on my good name and made my life hell. Didn’t I have a vested interest in seeing the evidence of his perfidy?
    “Where are you? Where’s the file?”
    “I’m at the office and I left the file on his desk. I didn’t know what else to do.”
    She sounded so distressed, I made up my mind. “I’ll be there shortly. Call the police now; they’ll probably be right behind me.”
    “Thank you,” Sierra sniffed.
    “What’s up?” Sylvia stood, stretching her back.
    “I’ll update you on the way.” I snatched up my bad, uncooked my car keys from the ring, donned my jacket.
    The drive to Safari took less than ten minutes and I filled Sylvia in on what Sierra had unearthed.
    “So now you think Candie was innocent of staging the abduction? Valentino was behind it all?
    I made a left into the parking garage. “No, I think he played her, just like he did me. She stepped out, went back to her girls behaving badly phase, tried to undermine him by sneaking crucial information to Richard Head. He retaliated by hiring some thug to kidnap her, to show her who was in charge.”
    “What about the fire? I doubt that was part of his plan.”
    “Right, I think whoever took Candie got pissed off with Valentino, tried to teach him a lesson. Candie’s death was part of it.”
    “But who?” Despite the heat pumping from the vent Sylvia shivered.