Headhunter

Epilogue

Peter looked around his room. Something had woke him up. Was it his phone? Was it someone moving in the darkness? Was it last night's blonde? Then he heard it again. His door was being knocked on. He needed to move somewhere where nobody knew who he was. Where nobody knew where he lived.

He slipped out of bed and looked for his clothes. They were all over the place from the night before. At least the girl he had taken home was gone. She was not much of a looker, but at least she was good enough to get the hint.

He was pretty famous now. He had solved a case and his name was all over the paper for a few days for saving Detective Lowery's life. It was much easier to pick up women as a successful detective than it was by being whatever profession he had lied about being.

He made his way to the door and looked out to see who it was. He was not surprised. He was getting used to her early morning visits. But it looked like this time she did not have breakfast.

He opened the door and stared at a neatly dressed Alice Edwards. She was wearing blue slacks and a flowered buttoned up shirt. The flowers were red and gray. She held out a magazine with the word Newsweek at the top.

"My story is in it!"

"Which story?"

"The story of how Brian Perry was brought to justice. I gave them a detail account of how he was tracked down and how he was tricked into coming back. There's no mention of you guys being there. I just told them he was easy to get in the plane and once in the air he had no clue what was happening. And it talks about his trial and hopefully his death sentence. It's really fascinating stuff. And it is thanks to you for letting me come along."

"Very nice. You earned the right to come along. Besides it was good seeing you in a bikini."

"Read it."

"It is too early to read. I haven't had my coffee yet."

"You don't drink coffee."

"I could have started."

"Just read the thing."

He took it and flipped to the page and read the headline, The Capture of Brian Perry. It went on to explain in detail how he plotted and committed his crimes, how he escaped, but it didn't say how the two scrappy detectives tracked him down. It made no mention of how they actually got him to stay on the plane, just that he was lured there with by young woman (Alice did not take credit for being that woman) and then how they flew him back before he knew what was going on.

"Kind of lied there at the end," Peter said.

"Well, I took some journalistic liberties. I did not want you guys to get in trouble. You might want to go back to the Federated States of Micronesia."

"Your name looks good in the byline. Catherine Edwards star reporter."

"I am thinking of going pro," she said and patted him on the arm.

"Why don't you go by Alice when you write these things?"

"I think Catherine sounds better."

"You could go by all three. Alice Catherine Edwards."

"Doesn't that sound kind of, I don't know, what's the word, snooty?"

"Snooty is not the word. Smart maybe. Rich. Not snooty. You could go by your initials. Wait a minute."

"No."

"Your initials are A-C-E."

"Yes, I heard it my whole life."

"Your initials spell ace. You're an ace reporter."

"Now you see why I don't go by Alice Edwards, some smartass would find out my middle name is Catherine and start to call me ace."

"I like it. I think I will start to call you that."

"Then I will call you Pete."

"Fine," he said with a smile, even though he hated Pete.

"Fine, Pete it is."

He laughed and sat down. He thought about everything and was happy he had some friends to share his victories with. He was also happy that Sal was going to help him become better at being a detective. He really was going to enjoy it.

"You know," he said. "I could never have figured out the case without you and your stupid story about you being arrested."

"Thanks. I am just glad you kept your word after I helped."

"You know something Ace?"

"What?"

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"You did not just go there."

"Yes I did, and you ruined it."

"Get used to it Pete."

"Whatever you say Ace!"

BE SURE TO JOIN PETE AND ACE IN BOOK TWO "INVESTOR"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S66GSTP