Page 36 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
“Sorry!” Sam told them. “I knocked, and there was no answer, so I tried the door. It was open.” His eyes narrowed at Carly. “I’m sure I told you to start locking the door, Carly.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Sam,” Carly said, taking out another mug for her uncle. “I need a latch so the door locks when it swings closed.”
“I can see you and Reef getting locked out if you did that,” Daniella added.
“I can have a spare key, and you could leave one with your neighbor,” Sam suggested, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I think putting a latch on the door is a great idea. It will also add another layer of security.”
“Great!” Carly said as she finished making coffee for the three of them. “Just what I wanted to live like I’m in a prison.”
“It will be like living in New York again.” Daniella took a mug of coffee and shuddered at the thought. Her voice dropped, and her eyes shadowed. “I never want to live in a bustling city again.”
“I don’t blame you, sweetheart,” Sam said, taking a mug of coffee from Carly and following Daniella to the living room.
Carly took a few moments to calm her shattered nerves. Her heart was still racing from the fright Uncle Sam had given her, sneaking up on them like that. When she picked up the mug of coffee, her hand shook, and Carly realized just how tense and on edge she was.
As she walked into the living room, Sam sank into his favorite armchair while Daniella regained her place on the sofa. Carly sat beside Daniella and decided to get to the point, eager to know what her uncle had found out about the PI.
“Uncle Sam?” Carly asked tentatively. “What did you find out about or from the PI?”
Sam sighed heavily, taking a sip of coffee before answering. “It’s not good news, Carly. The private investigators aren’t talking and refuse to disclose who hired them or why.”
“That’s not good news at all!” Daniella spluttered, her eyes wide with concern. “Do you know what PI firm they work for?”
“Not yet.” Sam shook his head. “But what I can tell you is that they’re not fools and are highly trained, which worries me.”
“Why?” Carly and Daniella asked in unison.
“Don’t PIs have to be trained?” Daniella asked, looking at her uncle. “I thought a lot of PIs were ex-cops.”
“No. But there are a few ex-cop PIs.” Sam nodded. “All you have to do is complete a PI program, have a clean record, and background check to get a license to operate legally.”
“Do you know who the men are?” Carly asked. “If they have PI licenses, then surely the police can figure out what PI firm they work for and get the firm to give up its client.”
“It’s not that simple, love,” Sam told her. “PIs are not going to just roll over on their clients or staff. That would tarnish their reputation.” He took another sip of coffee. “But we do have their names, and we found out they work for the same investigations firm.”
“Have you tried to contact the firm to get information?” Carly asked.
“Again, it’s not that simple as I doubt anyone at the investigations firm is going to give out information on the company’s owners,” Sam shocked them by saying. “The PIs following Carly and Ethan are joint owners of it.”
“Great!” Carly sighed. “Back to square one. I bet it’s some dingy two-bit PI firm in a bad Boston neighborhood.”
“You watch way too many PI shows.” Daniella shook her head in disgust at her cousin.
“That’s the thing.” Sam’s brows knit more tightly together. “It’s not a two-bit dingy investigation company. It’s actually quite large anddoes a lot of business for New York and Hollywood stars.” He stroked his chin contemplatively. “It makes me wonder why the owners are doing the leg work and not one of their PIs.”
“What is the name of the company?” Carly asked curiously.
“Star PI,” Sam told her.
“Huh!” Daniella snorted. “I guess who they mostly do business for is all in the name.”
“If we’re not going to get anything out of the owners, I doubt anyone at the firm will talk.” Carly bit her lip. “Maybe we could do a sneaky undercover operation and sneak into the offices to access the firm’s files on me and Ethan.”
“Hold your horses there, Nancy Drew.” Sam laughed. “There will be no B and E’s, especially not at a highly surveilled investigations firm.”
“Gone are the days of a dingy PI office with scratched wooden floors, dim lighting, and a creaky office door.” Daniella sighed.
“Good grief!” Carly gaped at her cousin. “I think you watch too many PI movies.”
