Karen MacInerney - Margie Peterson 01 - Mother's Day Out Read Online Free Page B

throat.  “I accidentally left something outside the motel room, though, and I was wondering if you could ask Mrs. Pence to see if she can find it for me.  Her husband picked it up.”
    “You left something outside of the room?”
    “Yeah.”  I lowered my voice.  “A McDonald’s fry phone.”
    “Jesus H. Christ.  A McDonald’s fry phone? Like one of those Happy Meal toys? You want me to tell Mrs. Pence that her husband is cheating on her, and then ask her if she can find a McDonald’s fry phone my investigator accidentally left behind?”
    “I know, I know… It was an accident.  But it’s my daughter’s favorite toy.”
    “A fry phone.  Whatever happened to teddy bears? Jesus.  How the hell did you lose…no.  I won’t ask.  I don’t want to know.”  I could hear the intake of breath as she took a drag from a cigarette.  “You need to write a report.  Should be a breeze for you, what with all your big reporting jobs for the nursery school newsletter.”
    I opened my mouth to issue a snappy retort.  Unfortunately, all that came out was, “How soon do you need it?”
    “Can you get it done today?”
    Today? I listened for sounds of trouble from the living room.  Except for the soothing voice of Lady’s mistress, the house was peaceful.  “I think so.”
    “Good,” she said, “And since you pulled off the first one, I got another job for you.”
    “Wait a minute.  I’ve got the kids this afternoon…”
      “It’s a rush, so we’re going to have to be proactive on it.  You know what a honey pot is?”
    “A honey pot?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Is it some kind of special equipment?”
    She snorted.  “Special equipment? No, sweetheart.  You’re the honey pot.”
    “ I’m the honey pot?”  That didn’t sound good.  “How do I do that?”
    She sucked on the cigarette again before answering.  “A trip to Dillard’s foundations department would be a start.  Maybe even Frederick’s of Hollywood.”
    “You mean…”
    “Infidelity case.  I need someone to be the bait.  Once you’ve got him hooked, we call in the photographer, and he gets a shot we can show wifey.  I usually use a professional, but Rosita is out of circulation for a few months, and Angie’s busy.  But if you don’t think you can hack it…” She trailed off.
     “You mean you want me to go to a bar and hit on someone?”
    “Yup.”
    “But I’m married.”
    “I didn’t say you had to sleep with him.  Just make him want to sleep with you. ”
    I digested this for a moment.  Make someone want to sleep with me? Lately, the only people interested in sharing my bed were two small children with less-than-discriminating taste. 
    “That’s all well and good,” I said, “but what am I going to do with my kids?”
    “Look,” Peaches said.  “If you don’t think you can do it, I’ll just find someone else.”
    “No, no.  Why don’t I do it tomorrow? Blake can cover for me.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the bar circuit, though.  I don’t know if I have anything to wear.”
    “Control-top hose, for starters.  You got any push-up bras?”
    I groaned.  “How soon does this need to happen?”
    “Like I said, it’s a rush job.  Lady’s anxious.  She said he usually goes out on Tuesday nights, so I figure if you follow him from work, you can get it taken care of tonight.”
    “Tonight? But my husband’s not home till late.”
    She sighed. “I guess I might be able to get Angie…”
    I thought about the kids in the other room.  My friend Becky had already offered to have them over some night this week, and it would probably take their minds off the fact that their Daddy wasn’t home. Assuming the offer still stood, what did I have to lose? “All right. I’ll do it.”
    “Good.  He works at the Bank One building, downtown.” I jotted down the details and hung up the phone, wondering how I was going to transform my pudgy thirty-five-year-old self into a vixen by