Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 185785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
It’s been a few hours and he hasn’t replied to her. I booked a very specific room for him; one I could tap into for a security feed. After he got that text, he read over his employment contract and then he cussed up a storm before counting the cash in his wallet and storming out of the room. He’s realized he’s fucked up. Fucked up badly. And the stack of bills in his fist won’t likely help him make that money up at the tables.
And Violet Rose Gates?
I have more information on her, too.
The day after he left when I sent her flowers, she passed a test. She was a good girl, not taking the bait.
She sent me a text message Friday morning with a photo of her flowers.
She did not, however, send me the selfie I requested.
“Hi Killian. This is Violet Gates. I’m not much for selfies but wanted to thank you very much for the flowers. It was a lovely gesture. As you can see, they are beautiful. I’m very appreciative and I am smiling. Many thanks.
I’d expect most women who got flowers from me in a situation like hers would be all over making the most of the attention I was giving. I don’t know if Ray’s told her anything about me, but she knows I’ve got money by the car I drive, knows enough to know her loser boyfriend is working for me. And with her loser boyfriend being out of town, that selfie could’ve come in sexy or could’ve come in friendly, but instead, she opted out of sending me one because she probably thought it was inappropriate that I sent her flowers and corny poetry but didn’t want to encourage it, even though there was chemistry between us. And this said something to me about the kind of girl she was.
I knew by the way this girl looked at me in her apartment and in my car that there was chemistry. I also didn’t know by her actions if she only appeared to be stuck with a loser or if she, too, was a loser. Signs were pointing to her being the stuck one, though for three years? That doesn’t add up for me.
Why is she stuck? Does he have something on her? Why is she with him if she doesn’t want to be? She’s a catch and doesn’t need to worry about being alone if she doesn’t want to be.
I trust my gut - always - and it’s been telling me she needs help, but won’t likely ask for it.
Talking over sending him to Atlantic City, I asked if he had a local only plan. He did, so I told him to leave it behind and that I’d have a company phone waiting for him when he arrives. I sent him with enough cash for a cab to the hotel that we booked for him from the airport in Atlantic City. The phone thing was fortuitous; it gave me access to his calling records.
I noted he has not called her even once. There were zero incoming calls to that number from the Portland area while he was gone, meaning she didn’t call him, and he sent her only one text, on Tuesday. She replied and that was it. Signs point to this girl being ready to be done with him. And what about him not even contacting her? I’m thinking he’s giving her space, maybe, after a rough patch? It could also be that he doesn’t give two fucks about her and is just living it up. His regular phone pinged as still being in Portland the day after he left, so he had no other phone to call her with.
I ran a basic background check on her, and it came up squeaky clean. She’s from a good family and other than her finances and credit being in the shitter, there isn’t much else. No criminal record.
I’d called her job for a reference check on Friday afternoon and her boss was concerned that Violet was thinking of leaving. I fibbed and told her I was about to headhunt Violet, but that she hadn’t applied for a job. I tried to act like I might want to headhunt the boss, too, and she wasn’t interested. Loved her job. Violet was good at her job and they didn’t want to see her go.
So, Violet Gates is a bit of a mystery.
I messaged my buddy Dario for a private-eye recommendation a while back for a different matter and that hooked me up with Zack Jacobs Investigations. I use his services to follow Violet for the week and let me know as much as they can find out.
Zack’s employee Wes says Violet worked and went home Friday. She carried up a bunch of empty boxes after a suited guy at her office helped her load them in her car and tried to chat her up for a good while. She gave him a polite brush-off, then once home she did not leave her building even once all weekend. Wes said signs pointed to no one visiting her. At least not from outside the building.