It was almost quitting time when his phone rang for the umpteenth time. He was working late, having been given a new case. That made three active files he was having to juggle, which meant his days would become longer until at least one of them got resolved.
The phone wouldn’t let up. He seriously considered letting it ring until it transferred back to the switchboard, where the operator would take a message, but intuition told him he probably should answer it. Pulling away from the typewriter where he’d been working on his report, Rich picked up the receiver.
“Detective Florian.”
“Detective? This is Aloysius Miner.” The man’s fear was evident, even over the wires.
Rich sat up straighter. “Yes, sir. What’s up?”
“Rose hasn’t come back from shopping yet.”
Out of habit, he checked his w
