Undercover
An Anita Reaming Erotic Mystery
By Magda McKune
Chapter 1
I pulled on a light blue crotch length silk robe over my naked body and headed to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.
I glanced out the window over the kitchen sink and noticed a big red Cadillac in our driveway. The driver's side door opened and a woman with wavy black hair wearing a fox fur coat climbed out. "Laymee?" I called. "Are we expecting company?"
My partner appeared at my side wearing a matching mini robe of red silk. "Oh shit. Is it 10:00 already?"
"It's 9:38."
"It's our client. She must be early."
I glared at the girl. "Ya' think?"
"Let me go put some clothes on."
"Forget it," I snorted, hooking my hand on her arm. "She'll just understand she caught us off guard by arriving early."
"Maybe 9:30 in the morning isn't early for her," Laymee protested as I dragged her out the side door behind me.
The woman paused with her fist raised ready to knock on the door to our garage office. She looked at us, her face an expression of mild surprise. "Anita Reaming?"
I nodded and smiled. "That's me."
The woman's eyes scanned our casual wardrobes. "I hope you don't mind that I'm a tad early."
"Don't be silly." I glanced at my partner." "We were just... relaxing." I unlocked the door to the office and held it open for her. "Please, won't you come in?"
The lady stepped into our outer office. I pulled Laymee close to me. "You could have told me we had a client this morning," I whispered.
"Sorry. It must have slipped my mind."
I playfully swatted her bottom. "I'm gonna give you such a spanking later."
"Promises, promises."
I stepped past the woman and gestured to the open door of my office. "Please, won't you come in Ms. -?"
"Childers," she said, entering my office. "Sophie Childers."
Laymee and I followed. "And what can I we do for you, Ms. Childers?"
The woman stood by the padded armchair in front of my desk. "First of all," she said matter-of-factly, "You can remove your clothes for me."
I stopped. "I beg your pardon?"
"Take your robes off... both of you, if you please."
I furrowed my brow with a puzzled expression at our guest, then looked at my partner. Laymee just shrugged and opened the front of her robe wide for our client's examination. I thought it an odd request, but didn't feel uncomfortable in complying. Hell, wee bared our bodies to cheering and leering crowds almost every night. Any inhibitions regarding baring my body to strangers had vanished years ago. I opened my robe and shrugged it from my shoulders, the garment slipping down my back and arms to my wrists.
The woman looked at our naked display without expression. "Very nice," she stated quite clinically. She turned and sat in the cushioned chair in front of my desk. "Thank you."
Weird, I grimaced, pulling my robe back on. "I take it you wanted to check us out for concealed weapons?" I asked, moving behind my desk.
"Or wires?" Laymee snorted.
The corner of the woman's mouth curled up in a tiny smile. "I realize my request was a bit unorthodox, but I assure you my meaning will become clear after I explain my situation."
I sat in my desk chair and rested my forearms on the desktop. Laymee moved behind me and rested her hand on the back of my seat.
"As you may or may not know," Sophie said, "I run an establishment on the North side of town called Madam Sophie's."
"I think I heard of it," I mused. "Isn't that a -?"
"Whorehouse," Laymee interrupted.
The woman gave a nominal shrug. "For lack of a more politically correct term, yes. But mine is a very fine establishment catering to a limited clientele. Quite respectable in every way."
"I'm sure it is," Laymee grunted.
"My niece is getting married next month," Sophie continued. "My sister's daughter. Sissy asked me if her daughter could have our mother's diamond wedding ring. I was hesitant since mother had passed away years ago and the ring was the only thing I had left to remind me of her. I finally agreed, however, since it would remain in the family and her memory would live on."
"Very generous of you," I said.
"Ah, but therein lies the rub," she said. "I took it out of my safe deposit box at the bank last week. I intended to have it cleaned before delivering it to my sister later this month. She could have it sized for Rebecca's finger. That's my niece - Rebecca. Anyway, I left it in my desk at work - locked, of course. But when I checked on it two days ago, the drawer was jimmied open and the ring was gone."
"Stolen?" I asked.
"Apparently."
"You're thinking one of your clients took it?" Laymee asked.
"I don't think so. Most of them are very wealthy and influential people. I doubt any of them would stoop to burglary."
"You'd be surprised what some people are capable of," Laymee huffed, resting her arm on my chair.
"Then who do you suspect stole it?" I asked.
"One of my girls, of course. I showed the ring to them the evening I brought it from the bank. Most of my girls have been with me for years and it never occurred to me that one of them might steal something of mine. I would hate to think I was wrong about one of them."
"And you never showed it to any of your clients?"
"No."
"Could any of your girls have shown the ring to a client?"
"As I said, my desk was locked. I checked the ring the day after I put it in my desk, and once again two days ago. That was when I discovered it missing."
"What happened two days ago that made you want to check on it?"
The woman looked a little uncomfortable. "There was an incident," she hedged. "One client got a little rough with one of the girls. Hurt her pretty bad."