Caliber Detective Agency - Box Set - Case Files 1-6 Read Online Free

relieve himself, Jake pulled a well-worn picture from his coin purse and stared at it, a picture of Eva Heimlich.
    “I’ll be in Dallas tomorrow girl,” Jake whispered. “And I sure hope to heaven that you haven’t gotten yourself hitched.”
    ***
    N ew York City, Present Day
    The old man walked down the hall from his apartment and entered the outer office of the Caliber Detective Agency, seated at a reception desk was Kelli Ross.
    Kelli looked up from her laptop and smiled.
    “Good morning Mr. Caliber.”
    The old man just stared at her.
    “Is something wrong sir?”
    “No doll, it’s just that no one has sat at that desk since Velma moved downstairs years ago; I guess it’s gonna take me a while to get used to you sitting there.”
    Kelli stood. “I don’t have to use her desk; I could work just as well from the sofa over there.”
    The old man patted her on the arm.
    “Use the desk, hell, Velma always said you were a good kid, she’d probably be happy to see you sitting there.”
    “I miss her too, Mr. Caliber.”
    “Is my grandson in?”
    “Yes sir,”
    “Thanks kid, I’ll see you later,”
    The old man walked into the office and greeted Jake, and then grinned when he saw the coffee sitting on his desk. After settling in, he took the top off the paper cup and took a long sip.
    “Ahh, that’s good,”
    “I almost got you a decaf like the doctor ordered, but I figured you’d shoot me if I did.”
    “You’re right, besides, this is the fifth doctor that’s told me to cut back on coffee, booze and cigars; I outlived the other four.”
    “And you’ll outlive this one too,”
    “I plan to, so, tell me, where’s our new Velma?”
    “She called, something about getting a flat on the FDR drive, she’ll be here soon.”
    The old man stared over his cup at him.
    “What’s on your mind granddad?”
    “What do we do here Jakey?”
    “We’re detectives, we detect,”
    “And have you detected anything lately?”
    Jake grinned.
    “As a matter of fact I have, I detected a coincidence.”
    “Such as?”
    “Such as the fact that our new Velma showed up here on the very day that my mother came back,”
    Now it was the old man’s turn to grin.
    “You don’t miss much, do you kid?”
    “I had a good teacher.”
    Jake’s phone rang and he took it out and looked at it.
    “It’s the Sam Sloan Detective Agency in Vegas, returning my call.”
    The old man toasted him with his coffee cup.
    “That’s my boy,”
    ***
    V elma Channing cursed in frustration as she waited for the tow truck to appear. The rented car she leaned back upon had not one, but two flat tires.
    Velma wore black jeans and black boots with a green knit top that revealed just a hint of cleavage. Her blonde hair floated about in a soft breeze, and her beautiful face bore just a touch of make-up.
    A car pulled off the road and parked behind hers, another rental judging by the sticker on the front bumper. The man that emerged from the vehicle was tall, and slim, with stylishly cut dark brown hair and a clean-shaven face. He was wearing a three-piece business suit and Velma found her heart beating faster as she looked him over.
    He was handsome, and something about his blue eyes and the way he held himself seemed familiar, but before she could recall why, the man walked over and smiled at her.
    “Do you need help? I couldn’t change a tire to save my life, but I can call for a tow, or offer you a ride.”
    “I’ve a tow truck coming, but thanks anyway,” Velma said.
    “No problem.” The man said, and then he just stood there smiling at her, he was so good-looking that Velma couldn’t help but smile back.
    A squeal of brakes sounded, announcing the arrival of the tow truck as the driver skidded to a halt in front of Velma’s rental.
    “Well, it looks like your white knight has arrived, so I’ll be on my way.”
    “Thank you anyway,” Velma said. “For stopping to help,”
    The man sent her a wink and then walked back toward