I had misgivings (a feeling of doubt) about accepting this case from the beginning. I’m not much of a sports fan, so I wasn’t sure I was the right detective to go looking for a missing pitcher. But an old friend of mine was working PR for the team, and she knew I would keep the case a secret. The team didn’t want anyone to find out its star pitcher was missing three days before the playoffs began. I promised Tess that I would keep my investigation covert (secret). It was going to make it more difficult to question people, but I’d manage.
My first call was to the pitcher’s wife. She quickly assented (to agree) to an interview in a bar near the stadium. I had a presentiment that the interview wasn’t going to go smoothly. By the time I arrived, she looked to be drowning her sorrows in her fifth or sixth martini. I asked about her husband’s activities the day he went missing.
She started rambling about their marital problems and how he wasn’t any good to her. When she got to the point, I found out that they’d had a huge fight that morning about an affair he’d been having with the team owner’s daughter. He stormed out of the house, and she hadn’t seen him since.
I decided to circumvent (to go around) the usual routes to meeting Lola McCurvy, the owner’s daughter, by staking out her favoring beauty salon. I don’t like to deal with a lot of personal assistants and such when I need to talk to someone. Miss McCurvy seemed quite incredulous (doubtful) that I would want to speak with her about Thompson.
“Why talk to me? My relationship with George was a transitory (not lasting, temporary) affair. It only lasted for a couple of months. I dumped him over three weeks ago,” she purred.
“What were you doing Monday between 10 am and 8 pm?” I asked.
“If you are asking if I have an alibi (an excusecor explanation), I’m afraid it isn’t a great one. I wasn’t feeling well that day, so I stayed home in bed. My maid came in a couple of times to bring me a cup of tea and a snack.
You can check with her.”
“Oh, I will.”
I’m usually an optimist (a person who looks on the bright side), which is rare for a PI, but I was beginning to doubt whether I’d find Thompson before the playoffs began, and if I did, whether he’d be alive. I was going to have to take decisive (definite, clear) steps to track him down. I needed to interview his teammates one by one starting with the first baseman Hernandez. It was widely known that he and Thompson had a strong aversion to each other. It was going to be a long day.
