Thaddeus returned to his car and drove in the direction of Avalon Avenue, where he knew Alice was expecting him. He had called her after leaving Hilda's apartment just to make sure she was there waiting for him; she'd probably cried her eyes over her friend who's now missing. When done with her, he would go in search of Kayla's mom to know what her side of the story is about. He had to move fast with this. He couldn't tell who else was aware of Kayla's disappearance. He wouldn't be surprised if Alice had called her mom and related things to her already; then again, he prayed she hadn't.

He arrived at the apartment building some minutes past three. The sun was halfway in the sky; it wouldn't be long before evening came. The place didn't look that scary now as it had the previous time he'd been here. Maybe it was because it had been dark then, and he'd been looking out in case the fellow who'd clubbed him lurked around, waiting to club him again and take off with the cat. Sounded funny, but ... you never know.

There were few college-looking folks hovering about, some entering the apartment building and others leaving. Mostly a lot of them were leaving with heavy bags slung across their shoulder, off to some holiday or whatever. He felt happy as he entered into the lobby that so far no one had seen him arrive or leave last night; hardly did anyone glance his way. Up the stairs he went till he stopped in front of the apartment door as he still remembered it, and knocked.

There was the sound of a lock turning and then the door inched open. Alice stood at the other side, holding a handkerchief in her hand; it was obvious she had been crying. She allowed Thad entrance into the apartment.

"Hello, Detective," she spoke in a meek sounding voice, like she'd been yelling all day and suddenly had come down with a sore throat. Even the formal way she spoke to him, referring to him as 'Detective', when last night they'd been like friends who'd known each other long enough.

Alice led Thad to a chair while she sat down on a sofa with her legs curled under her, hugging a pink teddy bear in her arms. She wiped tears from her face and sniffled repeatedly. Thad took off his hat and placed it on his knee; he took out the photo album from his pocket too.

"Do you think ..." a brief sniffle, "do you think anything bad might have happened to her?"

"I don't know, Alice," Thaddeus said with gentle caution, not wanting to spook her any more than she already was, the poor girl. "I was with her here last night when it happened. I'll tell you the truth, I didn't even see it happen. Someone hit me with something heavy and I passed out. When I woke up, I was the only one in here."

She nodded her head as if such was how she too had reckoned it happened. "That's a nasty bump on your head. I'm sorry."

"Thanks. Alice, do you know of anyone who might want to do such to Kayla? Anyone at all?"

She shook her head emphatically, wiped off more tears from her eyes. "No. No, I don't know of any. She's such a sweet friend, everybody likes her."

"What about past boyfriends? Was there anyone you know who was sort of violent towards her? Anyone at all who felt heartbroken and once thought of taking some type of revenge on her. Please think for me, it's important."

She kept shaking her head all the while he spoke, starting to cry again. "No, no, no ..." she blubbered, raising her hands over her face "I swear, I don't know. This whole thing is crazy. Why would anybody want to kidnap her? Why?"

Thaddeus left his chair and came and sat beside her and drew her to him. She let her teddy bear fall from her hands and rested her face against his chest, her body shaking from the bout of crying that raked her. Thad held her in his arms and tried to calm her down. He spoke into her ear, told her that everything would be just fine. Still she kept on crying. He didn't realise in time that he was caressing her arm while he was petting her to stop crying, and that she now had hers which earlier had laid against his chest now was on his shoulder and moving like a snake around his neckline. Her face was inches from his; her crying fit had suddenly ceased.

What happened next between them happened just as natural as anything else.

Alice stretched her face towards his and kissed Thad's lips. He didn't respond at first, thinking that perhaps it was he who had done the wrong bit, but again their lips met, and this time it felt real. Alice came up on the sofa, her knee nearly crushing down Thad's hat that lay on his knee as it too fell to the floor between his legs. He fell back on the sofas as Alice came upon him like a female lion about to pounce on a weak prey. Her hands grasped his jacket collar as she too fell on top of him, pressing her lower body against his. Thad's erection awoke at an instant and began nudging itself inside his pants, even though it was still recovering from the pussy it had fucked less than forty minutes ago. His hands rubbed over the nubile young woman's body and downward to feel over the curved hilltop that was the crest of her ass under her jeans. He slid his fingers underneath the waistband to get a feel of her panties. Alice was moaning feverishly while her lips remained engulfed with his.

They were gnawing at each other now. Their hands squeezed, groped and touched each other's skin even as Thad struggled to seat up on the sofa, taking Alice along. She managed to straddle him, pressing her butt down on his crotch, under which lay hidden his erect muscle. Her hands loosened his tie and top buttons while his undid those of her jeans, giving his hands enough room to slid down the backside of her jeans to feel her buttocks' flesh behind her panties. His jacket was hindering him, not to mention Alice still had her lips covered with his, not wanting to let go. She was succumbing to a pressing crave of lust, anything that might help block out the thought of her missing friend somewhere out there who might presently be going through some form of peril upon the hands on whoever had taken her.

Thad pushed up her shirt. Alice helped him, holding her shirt between her chin and neck while he freed her tits from behind the cups of her bra and caught one of them with his mouth and pulled at the same time sucked on it. Alice threw her head backward and gave out a sighing whimper. She roamed her petite waistline against him as if she were a gypsy belly-dancer, still grounded her butt against his crotch and even reached a hand behind her backside to grasp his burgeoning cock that was swollen inside his pants. Thad went from one pair of tit to the other. His hands nearly covered them—they weren't as ample as her kidnapped best friend's.

He pulled her up and she took his hand wanting to lead him towards the hallway and from there to the bedroom, but Thad stopped her in time. He didn't want to return there again, didn't want to relive the last image he'd had of her friend. Besides, he'd come here to interview her friend, not fuck her. But he'd blocked that off his mind—right now, he'd much rather fuck the nubile slut than think of doing anything else. He led her towards one of the window facing the side of the apartment which looked out to the street and the entrance into the compound. The curtains partly covered the window except for the mild breeze stirring them. Thaddeus made her lean forward against it. His hands worked to free his belt buckle, followed by the top button then zipper of his fly while Alice finished undoing the remaining buttons of her jeans and shoved it along with her panties down her thighs; the centre parting of her pussy slit faced him and she wiggled her buttocks as if urging him to hurry up and come fuck it. Thaddeus freed his turgid willy and stroked it as he fell to his knees and buried his face between her ass cheeks. Alice stiffened, her body pushed forward at first upon contact from his tongue. She recovered quickly and pushed her ass back at him. Thad's hands spread her ass cheeks apart like an open bread, the glory of her teenage pussy glared at him like the inside of an oyster shell; his nostrils inhaled the sweet, musing smell that was her cunt. Alice reached a hand underneath to part her pussy's wet vagina for him. Thad didn't need further invitation. His tongue probed her orifice, side to side, up and down, his lower lips sucked on her. Alice leaned her head halfway out her window, letting the sun's glare fall on her hair, though her eyes remained closed to the tingling sensation she was receiving from behind; her answering moans made it known that he was doing an excellent job. Thad licked her pussy deep with his tongue, still holding her ass cheeks apart even as her buttocks and legs shook from the slurping action he gave her.

Thaddeus licked her cum juice which had now coated his lips and stood up, holding his meat in his hand and held her still as he aimed the swollen knob between the centre parting of her ass cheeks; the sight of her tanned ass with the strange curlicue tattoo stamped over her waistline was lovely and breath-taking. He held his breath as his cock encountered some tight resistance as it pushed further between the fleshy lips of her cunt. Alice felt herself stiffen once again and she too exhaled a whistling type of sigh as more and more of him went inside her. Thad stopped halfway then withdrew, then gave his cock one more gentle thrust. He went like this for a couple more times, each time his cock slipped in easily into her cunt till it was practically touching the walls of her cervix. Alice tightened her grip on the window sill as she too helped out pushing her ass back and forth against him. His shaft was now coated with streak of her cum. A couple more thrusts later and Alice was squealing from the pain of his cock impaling her. her features were squeezed in grotesque grimace as she bite on her lips not to be forceful with her cries which seemed to escape her tight-bound lips like the whistling cry coming from a kettle's spout that's been heated with water. She felt like she was on fire, every part of her burned with lust and shameless longing.

"Ohhh ... Awhhhh ... God! Ohhh my God!"

She hoped that no one leaving the building could hear her, and also that no one could see her. Everything seemed double before her eyes. She wanted to scream aloud but every time she tried, what issued from her lips came as a croak. This was the second time between yesterday and this evening she was getting well fucked. When Pimp Zee had taken her in his bed last night, she thought she'd died and gone to heaven. This too was another trip around the Pearly Gates for her.

Thaddeus had let his jacket slip from his arms and lay on the floor behind him while his pants and jockey briefs was down his ankle. He grabbed her waistline and was now slamming her cunt harder with each grunt. He needed to finish this young slut quick—God, how he now loved young pussy. Her cries filled the room, he cared less if that was the sound of her cumming or if it was his cock size inflicting further damage upon her.

He looked up at the roof; everything was starting to spin before him. He was burning up ... he felt the moment of explosion a mere ticking seconds away ... his eyes looked out the window and sighted on the trio of police cars pulling into the driveway of the apartment compound.

Oh shit, the police!

Damn!

Thad pulled his cock out of her pussy and at the last minute, stream of semen poured out of his knobbed head staining the backside of her legs. Alice hadn't expected that to happen. She looked over her shoulder at him, a dazed yet questioning look on her face as she was struggling with her flushed breathing.

"Wha—what happened?" she gasped.

"Go into your room now and get dressed," Thad growled at her at the same time grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the window, hopping the cops hadn't sighted her yet. "The cops are here!"

************

Everything happened in a blink—in Hollywood parlance, it was as if they were caught in the Matrix, with the way things sort of happened fast for them yet at the same time very slow. Alice, caught in disbelief, glanced out the window even as Thad was pulling her away from it and she uttered a gasp when she saw two of the city's finest pull to a halt in the front of the building; onlookers stopped and gazed at them as the alighted from their cars. Only then did she bend down and yanked up her panties and jeans and shuffled towards the hallway and disappeared into the bedroom. Thaddeus held his prick in his hand, still oozing out cum and gradually going flaccid. He took pulled up his briefs and pants and nearly would have caught his prick between the razor mouth of his zipper had he not been looking.

He thought he could picture the officers trundling up the stairs—his sixth sense told him he knew what apartment they were heading. He wore back his jacket and straightened his tie even as he flopped down on the sofa. He pocketed back the photo album; he would have to leave that for another time.

The minute seemed to drag on as he scanned his eyes about, hopping he wasn't forgetting anything, then came a knock on the door. Alice came out of the hallway looking like her former self, except her face was wet like she'd stopped to splash water over it. She wasn't looking like the horny slut he'd been fucking three minutes ago. She approached the front door and opened it. Thaddeus remained where he was like he was invincible.

A Detective stood there before her with two police officers in uniform behind him, neither one was smiling.

"Ms. Alice Galdstone?" asked the Detective authoritatively.

"Yes?" Alice mumbled.

"The name's Detective Inspector Eric Snyder," he reached into his brown jacket and took out his badge and showed it to her before hiding it back. "We're here regarding your missing roommate. May we come in, please?"

"Yes ... sure." Alice let them inside and quickly closed the door behind them.

The Detective was about to speak when he noticed someone seated on the sofa in front of him. Recognition swept across his face as he approached from the side and saw Thaddeus seated there smiling back at him. Snyder's features grew into a scowl that made prominent his facial outline.

"Hey there Inspector Low Brow," said Thaddeus getting up to face the Detective Inspector and his men, neither of which seemed happy to meet him there. Thaddeus made no attempt at extending his hand for a handshake—Snyder would rather throw him out the window than deign to share any masculine formality with him. "Glad to see you and the boys got here just in time."

Snyder fought to stem the bitterness from creeping to his voice but couldn't. "The hell are you doing here, snoop?" he growled. "Don't you have any garbage bins to look into than sniffing your nose into police business?"

"You know I very much would, Detective. Except the business went south to the Teamsters years ago. Besides, who says I'm here sniffing into police business when I'm just as humble before the law as always I've been." He said this with a grin that only seemed to knuckle the Inspector's jaw line with a cold fury. His eyes blazed at Thad with all the fire and brimstone the Devil could conjure.

To take the spite away from his face, Snyder turned to Alice, "Ma'am, did you invite this man to your home?" he said it as if Thad was a burglar who'd been caught trespassing, and wanted the desire of watching his boys lock a pair of cuffs on him and bundle him downstairs into their car. From the way they too glared at him, Thaddeus reckoned they were itching to carry out that order.

Alice's eyes went back and forth between both of them and nodded her head somewhat uncertainly. "Yes, sir," she said to the Inspector, though her voice sounded shaky. "He's a friend of mine. I asked him to drop by a half hour ago."

Silence fell in the room. Snyder looked back at Thad, not thoroughly convinced. "Are you sure about that, ma'am?"

Thad decided then to come into the conversation. "You heard her already, Snyder. What more do you want, a signed affidavit?"

Snyder glared at him as if the mere dark look in his eyes would make Thaddeus vanish from his sight. He turned to his two back-up officers. "Would you please escort the young lady downstairs to wait in my car, I'll be with you shortly."

Alice's eyes alighted with fear as one of the officers meant to take her arm. "Why? What do you want with me?"

"I'm simply here to ask you a few questions regarding your missing roommate, Ms. Gladstone," he said with warmly. "Nothing harmful or incriminating. Just a mere type of formality, that's all. The officers here will keep you company till I arrive."

The men took her arm and turned and marched her towards the door. She looked at Thaddeus one last time, wanting to say something but unable to, before the door opened and she was lead outside. Thaddeus knew the Inspector wanted to have a quiet moment with him alone and didn't want Alice hearing any of their exchange. He prepared his mind for what was about to come.

The door closed behind them. Snyder's dark glare returned to his eyes as he turned to face him, placing his arms akimbo, revealing his gun in its shoulder harness like he was Clint Eastwood here to shoot some bad guys. In this case, Thad thought, there was only one bad guy in the room, and it was him.

"The fuck are you doing here, Thaddeus?" he asked him coldly and with spite.

"I already told you that, Detective. Alice is a friend of mine. She gave me a call less than an hour ago and told me about her friend missing. I came by here to comfort her, and that was when you showed up. Perfect timing, I might add."

Snyder shook his head, his eyes still bore search beams at Thad. "That's bullshit, and you know it. You're no friend to that girl anymore that my name ain't Teddy Roosevelt."

"That's what you say. Why don't you ask her and see what she'll tell you."

"Oh, I will. I most definitely will. Let me pretend to believe you for a minute about her calling you here and wiping her eyes on your jacket. What else has she mentioned to you?"

Thad played defensive. "That's my business, Detective Inspector."

"I'm making it my business, private dick," Snyder snapped at him.

"Oh yeah? Well, you wouldn't like it—the pay's lousy."

Snyder took his arms off his waistline and inched closer to him, his jaw muscles moving like he was ready to do something. Thaddeus stood his ground, not moved at all by the man's brooding feature. He and the Inspector went way back and he knew it was his simple way of making known that he was the hard case in the room.

"Don't stand there playing with me, private dick," he spat the last word at Thad. "I can have your ass hauled off to the station right now if I so want to. You forget there's lots of guys down at the station still pissed with that Loftus case you cracked a few weeks ago. And I happen to be one of them too, motherfucker."

Thaddeus made like he was shocked by the Inspector's words. "My, my, I never knew you could swear like a two-Dollar whore, Low Brow. Where did you learn the trick?"

Snyder was about saying something when there came a knock on the door. He whirled around instantly to see the bespectacled blonde-haired young man sticking his head inside the apartment, his foot halfway inside. He seemed like a nervous fellow with the way he adjusted his glasses to his face while he ogled Thaddeus and the Detective Inspector.

"Oh ... hello there," he raised his hand at them as if wanting to wave but not getting a response, he lowered his hand. "Emm ... excuse me, is Kayla around?"

"No, she isn't right now," answered Snyder. "Come on in, son."

The young man stepped into the room and looked at them nervously. He wore a plaid short sleeved shirt and faded jeans, both of which covered a lanky frame but did little to add any distinction to his book-wormish outlook.
"I'm Carl," he said as he came forward and shook hands with Snyder and Thaddeus.

"Inspector Snyder, police department," said Snyder. He didn't bother introducing Thaddeus. "What's your relationship with Kayla Norris?"

Carl rubbed a hand over his other arm, taking his eyes around the room than meeting the Detective's fierce gaze. "Nothing really, sir. We were supposed to meet at the library in the U earlier today. I've been there the past few hours. I tried her phone number but got no response, I thought I'd come by and check on her, that's all. Do you know where she is?"

Thaddeus decided to use that as his excuse to take his leave. "Well, I'd best be kicking my heels and be off, Low Brow," he tapped Snyder's arm and turned away before the Inspector fixed him with a baleful stare he'd gotten quite used to seeing from him and never ceasing to find it amusing. "I'm in the book if you need to find me," he said as he walked past Carl and headed towards the door.

"You'd better stick your ass around, Thaddeus," said Snyder. "I'm not done with talking to you yet. And stop calling me Low Brow."

"Yeah, sure thing, Low Brow," he sniggered as he stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Down the stairs he went till he stepped out the building's doorway and back out into the hot afternoon sun. The two police vehicles were parked behind Inspector Snyder's nondescript vehicle and the two officers who'd escorted Alice were at the moment leaning against one of the vehicle shooting the breeze with each other. Alice sat quiet and alone with herself in the backseat of the car. She looked at Thaddeus expectantly as he approached; the two cops stopped talking as he came by.

"I'll only be a minute, fellas. Hold the beer," Thad said to them as he came to the window and leaned in to speak with Alice. "I'll give you a call later so we can talk some more. But if you need to get at me before hand, call my friend of last night and he'll tell you how to get at me, okay?"

She nodded and said okay. Thad said goodbye to her then walked to his vehicle, got in and reversed out of the driveway with the two cops watching him as he drove off.

***

He drove back home. He had some more cleaning up to do, he remembered, but most important, he was hungry. No use working on an empty stomach, what with the fucking he'd been doing since he stopped by to see Hilda. He wondered how well Snyder might be sweating Alice right now. The least questions would be about her missing friend but rather her connection with him, he knew that. The bastard just wouldn't let things go; still harbouring a quarrel with him where there ought not to be any.

His phone started ringing. He had one hand on the wheel while the other reached into his pocket for his cell phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Thad," it was Hilda. Thaddeus recognised the sound of her voice, though she sounded kind of frightened. "Thad, you'd best be careful," she said.

Thaddeus eased out of the traffic and pulled his car into the parking space of a supermarket along the road. The glare and heat of the sun fell on his face from his window and he had to turn towards the passenger seat with the phone pressed against his right ear to avoid it.

"Hilda, what's wrong?"

"It's Blondie," she said. Her voice came fast and shaky with excitement. "Blondie's gone crazy. He attacked me ... after you left. He's coming after you, Thad. I'm scared ..."

"I know you are, and I promise this will all be over soon. Hilda, tell me where are you right now?"

She told him she was at her place.

"Here's what I want you to do. Pack yourself a bag and leave that place right now. Lock the door and don't tell anyone where you're going. I want you to check into a motel, anyone you can find, I don't care if it's a Holiday Inn. I'll give you a call later then I can come and get you. Repeat what I just told you."

"Pack a bag, lock the door and leave my apartment and check into a motel, yes, I got it. I'm so sorry about all this."

"Nothing to be sorry about. I'll take care of Blondie once I see him. For now, I want you out of there. Get to someplace safe, I'll give you a call later once everything's settled."

"Okay, I'll do just that. But please, be careful. He's dangerous."

"Don't you worry, I'll be careful. You just disappear for now. I'll talk to you later."

They said their goodbyes then he hung up. He checked his shoulder holster as if to make sure his .45 was still there, lying snug in its pouch, waiting for him to draw out and use. He checked the holster that was tied around his left ankle, the same one where he kept his hand pistol. It too was as he'd kept it, always tightly pressed against his bone. He closed back his coat then got out of his car and went into the supermarket, all the while turning around to scan the passing vehicles and people that went past him in case any of them seemed dangerously familiar. He bought some sausage rolls, butter, and several other edibles before continuing home. All the time his eyes kept their vigil scanning the road and vehicles that passed him. He was in a danger zone, time to look and think sharp.

He arrived at his place six minutes later. Everywhere was quiet—it didn't look as if he'd had any strange visitors since he left. Hopefully Erica wouldn't be around to rush downstairs to visit. The woman's pussy just couldn't seem to get any rest when it came to fucking him. The thought of her brought Artie to his mind. He was going to have to pay him a visit one of these days, at least settle the fire with him.

He stood there by the doorway as he unlocked the front door, listening to know if any stranger was inside. Not hearing any, he closed the door behind him and pushed the dead-bolt before heading in the direction of the kitchen and dropping the items he'd bought on the table. He was just getting out of his jacket when something furry scurried between his legs, giving him a startled fright. He looked down and there was Elsa, meowing at him and rubbing her thick tail against his ankle. Thaddeus had just about forgotten about her.

He picked her up in his arms and dropped her on the table and went about putting away the edible he'd bought inside the fridge. Done with that, he picked up a small plate bowl which he'd turned into Elsa's food bowl. He poured some milk into it and kept it on the floor for her to sip from while he got himself a Coke from the fridge, popped the tab and drank some of it before loosening his shirt and setting about making something to eat.

Minutes later Thad was done eating his meal. He was in the bedroom taking off his clothes about to go hit the shower when his doorbell rang. He grumbled upon hearing it, wondering who it could be this time. His only prayer, as he went to see who it was, was that it wouldn't be Erica. Then again, she was never the type who used his doorbell whenever she wanted to drop by.

He wrapped a towel around his waistline before going to see who it was. He checked through the peep-hole, saw that it wasn't Erica, but it didn't take the worries off from him but rather elevated it more. He unlocked the dead-bolt and opened the door for his unexpected guest. She stood there looking at him, fidgeting, not knowing what to do or say. Thad made it easy for her by smiling.

"Hi there. No need standing like that, come on in," he opened the door wider.

Sylvia Norris thanked him and smiled back as she stepped into his abode away from the sun's heat.

Thaddeus hadn't gotten rid of his damaged stereo set and this caught Sylvia's eyes as she stepped into his living room. She turned to him after he'd locked back the door and pointed at the hole in his TV screen.

"I had some uninvited visitors last night," he mentioned. "Not the type who like to clean up when they're done bashing a brother's pad to bits. Sit down, please."

She did so, still she seemed nervous to him as he sat beside her.

"You're looking good and fine today," he commented as he ran his eyes over her.

Indeed she was looking cute and fine in her tight pair of jeans and sky-blue blouse. It all added colour to her auburn hair which she kept pushing backward, as if wanting him to get a better look at her flushed face. Now that he had time to think about it, Thaddeus regretted sleeping with her daughter. Here was a fine-looking woman he sure would love to spend any God-given fun evening with, regardless if she was married or not. Sometimes he preferred them being married, that way neither would come to him with any of that emotional bullshit that dames often suffered whenever they'd been hit with the right size of black dick. Her hubby was probably busy collecting coins and stocks to bother about touching her anymore, such was how it was with most white wives. Always it was what drove them searching elsewhere for satisfaction where they can get it. Though it's not often he came across a mom and daughter duo; such things you read about only in erotic stories, like those countless ones that involved incest he sometimes read online on that Literotica site.

A minute passed between them. Thad asked if he could get her something to drink, but she shook her head. She kept fiddling with the pair of bangles on her wrists, keeping her eyes away from his. Her mind was heavy with thought and she sighed before she spoke.

"You know why I'm here, Thad," she said, then half turned to look at him directly. Thaddeus didn't notice any anger in her eyes and he felt grateful for that. One Snyder was enough for one day.

He nodded. "Yes, I know why. I was with her last night, but someone came out of nowhere, knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, she was gone."

"I called Zee some time ago, and that was the same thing he told me you said."

"It's really what happened. I wouldn't lie about such. God knows I've been wondering whoever it might have been. I was going to see about giving you a call but went over to her apartment she shared with Alice, but the cops arrived and put a damp on things."

Sylvia looked at him with worried surprise on her face. "The police? How ... my God, who must have called them?"

Thaddeus shrugged. "My first thought was that it was you, but now it seems you weren't the one that made the call."

She shook her head. "No, no, I didn't. Alice was the one who called to tell me about it this morning. I was just as shocked hearing such." She brought her hand to her face, sniffling tears. "My God, Kayla, what have you gotten yourself into now?" she turned to look at Thad. "Tell me, who do you think would want to kidnap my daughter?"

"I'm the last person who would know of such things, Sylvia. Maybe it's something your daughter did, or maybe it's got nothing to do with her actually—who knows. Right now it's a personal endeavour for me, being that I was there when she got missing. It won't take the cops long before they arrive at that conclusion, especially when they find out that I hadn't been contracted to take up the assignment. I'm in an even precarious situation right now."

Sylvia opened her purse and took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes with them, careful not to ruin her makeup. "I've been doing some reading about you. That Loftus woman's missing child, it was you that solved the case, wasn't it?"

Thad shrugged once more. "I don't take all credit for it, matter of fact, if I'd known the trouble it would bring between me and city cops, I probably wouldn't have taken the job. It wasn't the sort of stuff I was known to handle before then."

"What sort of trouble do you mean between you and the police? I always thought they'd be happy you solved it."

"That's never the way it is with cops, Sylvia. They despise private investigators almost as much as they hate scumbag rapists and paedophiles, and they especially hate it when someone steals the limelight from them. I'll be running a risk with finding your daughter since they're already on the job right now."

"I would like to retain you on it," she said. "I'd like you to find my daughter before they do. What's your calling rate?"

"You shouldn't do that, Sylvia," he cautioned. "If there's anyone regarding this matter I should be speaking with, it's your husband."

She shook her head, looking into her handbag and taking out a check book along with a ballpoint pen. "How much is your fee?"

Thaddeus gave her a number, plus expenses. Sylvia scribbled on the check slip then tore it out and gave it to him. "Would that be in right order?"

Thaddeus looked at the figure she had written down. It was a few numbers higher than what he had quoted for her. "Yes, that's within perfect range."

At that moment in strolled Elsa to their midst. Sylvia looked at the cat as she slinked over towards Thad.

"That's Kayla's cat," she remarked.

"Yeah, I'm sort of taking care of her till when this whole thing's done with. I saw no choice leaving her alone to herself."

Sylvia reached for Elsa and picked her up and ran her hands over her furry skin; Elsa purred. This brought some happiness to her eyes. "This was Kayla's birthday gift last year," she said. "She loves this cat more than anything else I can think of."

Thad left her and went to get the photo album he had lifted from Kayla's table. He returned with it and presented it to her. "I got this at her place before I left last night. Is there anyone in her album here you think might have had some type of grudge against her?"

Sylvia held the cat aside and flipped through the collection of photos in the album booklet, nearly all of them featured Kayla striking various dramatic poises, either alone or with one or two friends. Several she took with Elsa snuggled in her arms while both of them stared straight at the camera. Sylvia got halfway tired and closed the album back and gave it back to him and shook her head. "Sorry. Some of the faces there I recognise 'cause she's brought them over to the house. Others I don't. Her friend Alice would be a better one to know. Kayla seldom does anything without involving her, I guess."

"Yeah, seems so. I was going to ask her, but the cops beat me to it," he said, dropping the album book on the coffee table behind him.

A minute passed with neither of them saying anything. Thad watched her play with the cat before letting her go. She dabbed at her eyes once more before turning to him once again. "My offer still stands, Thaddeus. Will you take my daughter's case or not?"

"I'll be honest with you, Sylvia. I don't know if I should. This case has got me partly roped in it, and I don't feel comfortable about that. I'd advise you leave it to the police to find her and get to the bottom of whatever she's mixed up in."

"I'm afraid of what the cops might find; I'd sleep well if I know you're on it. Besides, you were there with her. Surely you would have as much a know-how towards finding her than the police would. Surely you will find her before they do."

"Maybe, and maybe not," replied Thad, folding the check slip in his hand, holding it out for her. "I can't guarantee you anything. I don't know what I'm dealing with here, Sylvia. This could be something bigger than me, and the cops would be the only ones capable of getting her safe and without harm. I'm merely a fish in a sea. You sure you won't take this back?"

She shook her head emphatically. "You're not going to talk me out this, Thad. I require your utmost service on this."

Thad shook his head in weariness and made to get up but she reached her hand to his thigh. Her hand grasped the towel he had on and accidentally the towel came unwrapped on his waistline and fell from him to his feet. Thad wasn't expecting such to happen and neither too was she. Sylvia's eyes happened to fall on Thad's cock and the sight of it knocked the breath out of her lips. Thad seemed surprised by the gasping sound that escaped her lips and it wasn't until he looked down at his member and he realised how erect he was that he understood her reaction. Oh well, too late to put you away, ol' boy, he thought. He picked up his fallen towel and threw it over his shoulder nonchalantly. He looked to her like some African hunter about to venture into the forest to catch himself some wild game.

"I'm sorry ... I'm sorry about that," she gasped, never taking her eyes from his erect prick. It stood tall and upright, curved towards his navel, looking like a hunting spear. How come she'd let him go last night when she would have been the one taking that cock first and not her slut daughter, Kayla.

"Nothing to be sorry about," he said. "My bad."

"Is there anything I can do aside from a written check that might make you change your mind?" her voice sounded sort of dreamy while her eyes remained mesmerised by the sight of his prick. "Anything at all?"

It didn't take Thad more than a second to come up with an answer.

"Stand up," he said to her. His voice was curt. Sylvia dropped her handbag and stood up dutifully, straightened her blouse while she did.

"Come with me," he said, and led her in the direction of his bedroom. When inside, he told her to take off her clothes and get up on the bed.

Sylvia's hands undid the buttons of her blouse. Her eyes remained on the sight of his cock while she did it. Her breathing was getting heavy and her fingers shook as they worked towards stripping herself of her blouse and then undoing the clasp of her bra. Her thick pair of tits stumbled off from the bra cups as she pulled it off. She had a loose skin and her abdomen was expanding with fat, though aside from that she was still a desirable creature. Thad indicated at her jeans. Her eyes still on his prick, Sylvia's hands went to work and two minutes later she threw her jeans aside, followed by her panties; she had twin lightening tattoo on her waistline, both aiming down at her crotch.

Thad came to her and his hand went to the back of her head and pulled her face roughly to meet his. Sylvia had a moment to wonder what he was about doing to her before her lips connected with his. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth till it rubbed against her palate. Sylvia felt her legs become weak and she had to hold onto him for fear of crumbling to the floor from this wanton manner of lust that suddenly was upon her, feeding on her walls of desire. Her fingers raked the skin of his shoulders and she shut her eyes and moaned in her throat as she too slipped her tongue into his mouth. Their tongues collided and danced and flicked against each other while their bodies mashed as one. Sylvia felt his cock pressing against her abdomen; she took it in her hand and pre-cum dribbled on her fingers as she began stroking it.

Thad disconnected the kiss abruptly, turned her around and slapped her butt. The slap sent shockwaves travelling up her spin and she murmured a sigh from it. Thad gave her ass cheeks another slap, loving the way they bounced from the contact. That's one thing he loved with fucking older married women: their thick, bountiful asses that never ceased to respond to a man's touch, especially when slapped. He grabbed her hair and pushed her to the bed.

"Don't be standing there, bitch!" he snarled at her, "get that fine white ass on the bed, quick!" he snapped.

Sylvia could feel her heart racing. So much excitement coursing through her, she hadn't been this excited and this afraid in a long while. As she got up on the bed, positioning herself on all fours, wiggling her butt cheeks at Thaddeus, her mind pictured what he was going to do to her next. She reached a hand down between her legs to rub against her pussy opening; she wasn't surprised to see that she was wet already and dripping with it.

Thaddeus jumped on the bed and stood poised behind her like a warrior about to take his booty. He slapped her hand off her pussy.

"That's for me to handle now," he said to her as he lowered himself and buried the head of his cock into her pussy's entrance.
Her eyes pressed shut, the drumming in her heart rolled on like something on an assembly line, Sylvia pressed her face down on the bed and muttered a groaning response to the invading prick. She stuck her ass upwards and Thad grasped her waistline and watched as his cock pumped its way with a slow, steady rhythm in and out of her. He exhaled deeply with each thrust he gave to her. His arm muscles stood out as if he were lifting weights. Sylvia had a bull's eye curlicue type of tattoo on her waistline spreading down to her ass cheeks; the design showcased her bum as Thaddeus drove more and more of his cock between the centre of her ass cheeks. She brought both hands up and helped spread her ass cheeks for him. In no time he was increasing his rhythm and pounding her cunt like he really wanted to.

"Ahhh ... Ohhh ... Fuck me, you're killing me! Oh God, you're killing me!"

Sylvia screamed more and more as Thaddeus's means of fucking became fast-paced and frantic. He stood on a crouch above her now, his hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her face up from the bed while his pelvis didn't lose their rhythm or slow down their pace at all. The groans coming from the bed sounded like it was going to break apart very soon and spill them both to the floor. Thad really wouldn't have cared if it did. All he knew was fucking this mature pussy that was before him.

"It should have been your pussy last night," Thad grunted the words into her ear. "I should have ... fucked your pussy instead!"

Sylvia, who now was pushing her ass back at his dick, moaning from each effort of his cock slamming down at her, replied, in the midst of her delirious excitement: "Uhhh ... you're fucking it now! Fuck it!"

She could hear his cock squishing inside her pussy each time it drove deep inside her. She was sensing a strong feeling inside her. It was building like a rampaging wild fire, one that threatened to consume her as long as she remained where she was. Such a feeling she swore she'd never felt it before. Or if she had, its been so long she doubt she could recall what if felt like the first time. But now here it was coming before her eyes. Her cries went in tandem with the throb of his cock filling her cunt, consuming every space there was. Thaddeus leaned forward over her and balanced his weight with one hand on the bed while the other grasped and squeezed her breast. At one moment he thrust every inch of his cock deep inside her and kept it there like that. Sylvia cried from the punishment, her feet beat a Morse code on the bed.

"Tell me why you don't want me to see your husband?" he asked the question amidst grunts. His inched his cock a few inches out of her then pushed it back inside once more and left it there.

"He's a son-of-a-bitch!" Sylvia blurted. "I wished I'd ... UHHGGHH ... I'd never gotten married to him!"

Thaddeus took his hand off from squeezing her tit downward between her legs to massage her clitoris. He was still driving his cock inside her at the same time nibbling on her ear lobe. That rampaging fire she'd been feeling deep inside her gut was suddenly going hotter to searing heights. Sylvia felt every muscle in her body tense up and then flex together as if she was been squeezed in a vice-like grip. A roar came from within her as she experienced a tremendous wave of orgasmic delight. Her body shook from the crown of her hair down to her feet as she collapsed face forward on the bed. Thaddeus was by now biting the flesh on her neckline as he too fell on top of her, still he continued driving his cock in and out of her. He sat up and pushed her legs apart and thrust his prick between her cunt's lips. Sylvia lay there taking her punishment, her body still reeling with shock from the climax she'd just had.

When the moment came for Thad to climax, he whipped his cock out of her and jerked each spurt over her buttocks, loving the trajectory they made as they splattered over her ass cheeks and waistline. When he was done, he fell to the bed beside her, gasping from the energy he'd just let loose.

Silence befell the room except for their breathing.

Suddenly his phone began to ring. Thad looked at where he had left it at the bed's headboard before he'd gone to take a shower. He reached across and picked it up. He didn't recognise the strange number calling but he wasn't all that surprised when he heard Constance's voice at the other end of the line.

"Hello daring," he said into the phone after she'd made known who was calling.

"How're you doing, babe. I'm missing you deeply over here."

"Yeah, I can tell from the sound of your voice. Are you having yourself a good time over there?"

"Paris is a drag," she complained. "Johnny's the one who's having all the fun. I took him to a water park this morning and when we left, he said he didn't want to return home anymore. Can you believe that?"

Thad laughed, his hand grasped Sylvia's ass and squeezed it while he listened to Constance talk about the time she's having across the world from him. It was good to see she was smiling now unlike back then when they were worried about her son and it felt like she was going to break down any minute. He could picture her right now lying on her bed half naked, pressing her tits while wishing he was there beside her. How he wished he was too. He would have been there fucking that hot body of hers rather than being stuck in this job of his. He definitely needed to think about travelling abroad one of these days.

"Thad, did you hear what I just said?"

His mind bounced back to the present. "Uh ... no, no, sorry, I was thinking of something else. What did you say, babe?"

"I said that I'm coming back home tomorrow," she declared.

DAMN! WHAT THE F—

Thad shot up from the bed and sat forward, clutching the phone to his ear. Sylvia watched him but didn't say anything.

"Did you just say you're coming back here tomorrow? Was that what you said?"

She practically screamed with happiness through the phone. "Yes, darling. I'm coming back tomorrow. I can't wait to have you in my arms again."

"Emm ... what about Johnny? Shouldn't you be with him over there?"

"I've hired an au-pair to look after him. I probably won't stay long, just long enough to spend some hours with you and maybe sweet-talk you to coming back here with me."

Shit! Thad thought quickly, running strategies and quick-thinking plans in his mind. Now wasn't one of those times he wanted her around, especially not with Blondie out there searching for him. How the fuck was he going to talk her out of it?

"Constance, I don't think now's a better time," he said the words carefully, not wanting her to get the wrong impression of what he meant, but not really knowing how else to put the words through. "I've got some type of work I'm handling down here, and ... well, I wouldn't want you to get in the middle of it."

Now she was concerned. "What type of work? What are you talking about, Thad?"

"I'm saying I'd rather you stay there in Paris and don't come back, and least not yet, till I tell you when."

"I don't like the words you're using, Thad? What sort of trouble are you in?"

"Nothing serious, babe. Just got some police headache that's kicking back at me, that's all. I wouldn't want you here seeing me in the midst of things."

She was silent for a couple of seconds, then, "What sort of trouble are you having, darling? Tell me what it is."

Thad was getting irritated with her questions. There she was halfway across the world over in Europe throwing questions at him like she was the police or something ... like they were married already. He was on the brink of exploding into the phone, telling her to mind her business and her son's and not to bother about coming back home to him for now. Except he couldn't bring himself to admit to such. It wasn't her fault for being worried about him. Aside from his Aunt Agnes, he couldn't recall the last time any other woman ever felt worried for him.

"Babe, please, just listen to me—"

Except she wasn't anymore; her mind was made up. "Thad, I have to go now, okay. But I'll be there tomorrow evening. Take care, darling."

She gave him a kiss then the line went dead. Thad held his phone before his face as if speculating she would call in the next second or two to rescind her journey back here. He waited for almost a minute and when no such call came through, fell back on the bed with his phone on his chest, and sighed tiredly. He could have uttered a curse, but even that wasn't going to solve anything. Sylvia rested her head on her elbow and looked at him.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"A misunderstanding," he said. "Something small I hope isn't going to turn out big before the day's over." He turned on his side to face her, balancing his head too on his elbow. He traced a finger down the centre outline of her tits; she shivered from the touch, smiled like he was tickling her.

"If I'm going to take this case of yours, there's some things I need to know about. Mostly concerning you and Kayla. Hope you're not going to give me a hard time with that?"

She shook her head. "Roger, my husband, was the one that brought me into this lifestyle. He thought it was a way of improving our lifestyle, especially since the kids—Kayla and her brother, Josh—were both grown-ups now and both of them in college. We were sort of bored and I guess I too wanted something—anything—that would get us feeling for each other once again. We enrolled into some swingers' convention and one thing led to another, we got to sampling black men, or rather, I did, and I started loving it so suddenly. Things changed after I hooked up with Pimp Zee. He sort of got me rolling, but by then Roger was getting cold feet. He didn't want me involved with blacks anymore and I told him that wasn't going to happen. He's never been happy with me since then, and he got even madder when he found out Kayla too had been dating blacks in college. He practically flipped over the first time she brought a black friend home with her."

"How about your boy, Josh? What's his stand in all of this, or doesn't he know?"

"Josh knows, and there's something more Roger knows less about Josh—he's up in Stanford and he's got a Latino girlfriend."

"Your man got beef with Latinos too?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does. He used to be a puppy dog, but now he's got so much on his mind, we seldom sleep together anymore. But that's something we've been doing since we started swinging and I was getting my rocks off cuckolding him." She giggled at the memory of this. Her hand rubbed the growth of hair on Thad's chest as she recalled the past for him. "We had us some good times back then. I'd never been so sexually satisfied when with black men. They opened me up and now I guess I'm just so addicted to anyone of them I'm with. That includes you."

"I'm honoured. Tell me about Kayla. How did she get to be involved in it?"

"One time Zee was fucking me at home, I didn't know she'd returned home and was standing out the door watching us. She was still there by the doorway rubbing her clit when Zee came in me. I confronted her about it, but the slut said she was going to tell her Dad where we'd been fucking—in the bedroom. I never knew then she knew everything about what Roger and I had been doing prior to that time, and she told me Josh knew too. How that came about, I'll never know. Except somehow Roger and I weren't been careful as we thought we were. When later I told him about it, he made it like I was the one who told them. Anyway, Kayla wanted in on it, or else she said she was going to blab to the neighbours. That was how I got to introduce her to Zee."

"Aside from that, you can't think of any other reason of why she might have been kidnapped, or by whom?"

"No," she shook her head. "Kayla's such a good girl. A little stubborn and rambunctious, yes, but she'd never do anything bad to harm anyone or give anyone cause to hate her. Not unless they're after that cat's collar of hers."

Thad furrowed his brow at this. "What you mean the cat's collar?"

"I mean Elsa. She's got a diamond-studded collar Roger gave Kayla when he brought the cat home to her. She usually keeps it in some pouch bag or something when she's not being playful with Elsa. Can't really say where. When I saw the cat, I was surprised she wasn't wearing it."

"Oh Shit!" Thad exclaimed at the same time jumped out the bed and ran out of the room. Sylvia, frightened, sat up and yelled at him what the matter was. Thaddeus wasn't gone for long. He went into the kitchen searching through the basket when he dumped his clothes meant for laundry. He found the clothes he'd worn yesterday that he'd set to chuck in the washing machine later on, glad that he hadn't done so yet. It took him a few seconds to unearth from his jeans' pocket the velvet pouch bag of last night and returned with it to the bedroom to show it to Sylvia. Her eyes lit up when she held the punch bag in her hands.

"Where did you—"

"In a trap box under your daughter's bed," he said. "Whoever had taken her last night knew about it because they'd searched inside and found it empty just like I did. Can you think of any place she might have hidden such?"

Sylvia shook her head. "Unless at home."

"This is all the more reason why I need to speak with your husband, Sylvia. Whoever's taken her is probably after that diamond stud. I wouldn't know for real, but it's a start."

"Well, a good thing it's Sunday. Roger doesn't usually have much place to go to on such days."

"Then we'd better hurry off then before he does," Thad comes off the bed and helps her down.