Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

I could smell her perfume in the car as I pulled it into the bay for an oil change. It was a light, elegant sort of scent. Probably expensive. Her car was nice, too – a new Audi with all the trimmings. I’d seen her sign in earlier. She was the kind that makes you look twice. I got out of her car once it was in the bay and looked at the paperwork with it. Normally I do the oil changes, but this time I asked Mauricio to do it; I had other plans. Her car would be in good hands.

Once I was back in the small office behind the waiting area, I snuck a few glances at her, sitting surfing on her phone. She didn’t even notice me looking, but that was fine with me. You have to be careful about that sort of thing. It was hard, though. She had curves in all the best places, and long, thick dark brown hair. Who could blame a guy? Judging by her car, she didn’t mind spending money, either. I decided to test that.

‘Excuse me,’ she looked up when she saw me next to her. ‘Just a few things about your car that I’d like to go over with you.’
‘OK,’ she put her phone down and looked at me with deep brown eyes.
‘Your brakes need to be replaced, and I noticed your fuel injector needs a flush.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, and there’s one other thing. You need coolant.’
‘How much is all of this going to cost?’
I made sure I didn’t sound happy about it. ‘Fifteen hundred twenty dollars, including the oil change.’
She thought for a minute. ‘OK,’ she nodded. ‘Go ahead and do the work.’

I handed her the form. She signed it quickly and gave it back to me. I reassured her we’d get it all done as soon as we could and turned to go back to the office. I didn’t want her to see the smirk on my face. God, that was easy. She hadn’t needed any of that stuff, but she took the bait. In fact, it went so well that I decided to take the next step.

When her car was ready, she came up to the front counter to pay. I glanced at her hands – no wedding ring. Then I looked around to be sure that nobody could hear me. Just because I’m the manager of this place doesn’t mean I don’t have to be careful. I leaned closer to her. ‘Listen,’ I murmured. ‘I never do this, and if you’re not interested, just say so. End of story. But I was wondering… would you like to get some coffee or something?’

She tilted her head a little and gave me a long once-over. Then she nodded once. ‘Coffee would be nice. My name’s Laura, but I guess you already know that.’ She waved at the paperwork lying on the counter between us.
‘I’m Cameron. But everybody calls me Cam.’
‘OK, then…Cam.’
We set up a time and she left.

The next day, Laura and I met at Cooper’s, a little coffee shop not far from where I work. We spent an hour talking and I liked everything I heard. She had a good job as a court reporter, wasn’t in a relationship (OK, I know people lie about that, but still…), and liked the beach (so do I). By the end of the hour, I knew we’d have a good time together, so I’d get some fun on top of whatever I could get from her bank account.

It worked beautifully, too. I took her out a few times (I can be charming if I want), and then we spent a nice weekend together. It was all going smoothly. Time to move in for the kill. One night when we were out to dinner, I told her my company was doing well, which was true. You always need to start with something that’s true. Then, I suggested she invest in some companies I knew about in the automotive industry. That part was trickier because you never know how they’ll react to that. Laura went for it, though. She asked for some more information, which I was happy to give her. She actually believed the paperwork I sent, too, and before long, she’d given me a few thousand to invest.

It went on that way for a couple of months. Laura ended up giving me twenty grand. Pretty good haul, I think. Then the other night, I gave her the bad news; the companies were going to go under, and she’d lost her money. It’s my usual line and it works. She took it calmly, too – much better than I thought she would. ‘I’ll be OK,’ she told me. She didn’t even accuse me of anything. All she said was, ‘Thanks anyway for the investment advice. I owe you.’

I didn’t think Laura would ever call me again, but this afternoon, she invited me to dinner at her place. She’s a pretty good cook, so the food tasted great. I’d brought a bottle of decent wine, and we enjoyed that, too. She even made tiramisu for dessert. She told me right up front that she had to work tomorrow, so I couldn’t stay over. That was alright with me. Funny thing is, she didn’t beg for her money, or threaten me or anything. She must have believed what I told her. Surprisingly stupid for a smart person. When I left, I thanked her for dinner.
‘No problem,’ she told me. ‘I told you I owe you.’

I just got home half an hour ago. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not feeling well. Right when I got home, I got sick to my stomach twice, but that hasn’t helped. I’m getting a terrible headache, too. It’s getting worse and worse. I think I’ll go to bed and try to get some sleep…