Enjoy this free excerpt from Chasing the Tiger

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Chapter 1

 

 

It all began as a simple act of kindness.

     My name is Roy Flynn. I am a private eye. I had just been called to my neighbor’s house.

     “It’s gone. And I want you to find it,” Joey Fonzo said.

     What was gone? I stared into his enormous two-car garage with a third bay built for a recreational vehicle.

     There was a black Benz and a camper. But there was only an oil slick where another car had been.

     “Fancy car?” I asked.

     Joey shook his prematurely balding head. “That’s the strange thing. It was my beater. The crook could have taken the Mercedes Benz or Winnebago, but no, it was the 2008 Dodge Charger.”

     “Go figure,” I said.

     “That’s why I called you.”

     I looked dubiously at the stubby young family man standing before me. I was sure with some hunting I could find the car. But was it worth my while searching for his beater?

     “Joey, I’m not sure I’m the right person for this job,” I said, trying to be nice about it.

     As a private investigator, I normally took on higher profile work, like delivering summons, finding bail bond jumpers, oppo research on political candidates, and marital investigations for divorce cases. The projects that involved rewards, PAC money, or at least alimony.

     “How much was the car worth?” I asked.

     “I’m not worried about the car,” he said, growing impatient. “Automobile insurance can cover that. What I need you to find is what was inside.”

     “Okay,” I said, slowly drawing in my breath. “What was inside?”

     “My wife!”