Sometimes They Come Back: Eric Hunter Detective

By Gerald Goble

Eric Hunter a modern private detective lives in a trailer in a trailer park and handles small cases that keep him busy and provides a small income. The owner of the park Grace Baker acts as his girl Friday directing his clients to him. Eric is sent on a hunt for a missing husband, an investigation of candidates for a job, and an investigation of bidders for a contract, all while looking for a missing dog for a small boy holding is piggy bank, and for some of his customers there may be romance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gerald Goble
• Release date: Mar 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370547326

Gerald Goble

Gerald Goble has PhD in Theoretical Physics and has been a research scientist, teacher, federal employee, businessman, manager, and martial arts instructor. He is author of several scientific publications, U.S. Army Publications on Ammunition and Explosives, non fiction books "The Way of Two as One“, "The Bear Slayer – Women’s Self-Defense“; the fiction books, the Bunko Club Murder series, and the Jack Wellington UN Attaché Series, Westerns “Jacob’s Coat”, "Strays" and "Warrior Woman" and Science Fiction, "The Majestic Committee."

Book preview

Sometimes They Come Back

an

Eric Hunter Detective

By

Gerald Goble

Sometimes They Come Back

an

Eric Hunter Detective

By

Gerald Goble

Sometimes They Come Back

an

Eric Hunter Detective

By

Gerald Goble

ISBN: 9781370547326

Copyright © 2017 Gerald Goble

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including, photocopying, recording, taping by or by an information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author with the exception of brief quotations. This is a work of fiction.

For Joan my friend my love

Thanks For Editing Help To

Edgardo Guerrero

Thanks to Melissa for providing a fresh and

interesting plot thread.

Chapter 1

Eric Hunter was sitting at his kitchen table staring blankly across the room holding his coffee with his mouth half open. The phone rang, and Eric closed his eyes and made a face. He picked up the phone and said, Er Hunter ... Detective ... Agency.

The voice on the phone said, Eric this is Sheila at, Empire Employment Agency.

Eric said, Sorry Sheila. I had a late night. What have you got?

Sheila said, We’ve got a couple of applications Frank would like you to verify. Both are for banking jobs.

Eric said, I guess something about them has Frank hinky. Frank usually has a good nose for the ones that have problems. Ah I shouldn’t have put it that way. I just got out of bed.

Sheila giggled, It’s OK, Frank’s not listening in. When can you come over?

Eric said, Let me finish this coffee, take a shower and grab a piece of toast or something. How about an hour and half, say at Ten O’clock.

Sheila giggled again and said, I could run over and help.

Eric said, Frank would get the whiff of that for sure. I’ll see you at eleven. He hung up the phone.

As eleven that morning Eric entered the offices of Empire Employment Agency. Eric was wearing a blue suit jacket, white shirt, gray slacks and no tie. Eric at almost six feet was muscular but not so much that his jacket pulled to cover his frame. His hair was black with no gray and cut so it looked neat in most environments. Today he went directly to the Records and Research Office. Inside the outer office were a desk, filing cabinets, chairs and small tables around the walls. There were magazines on the small tables clearly to keep people waiting busy. There was a door to the left of the desk with the name Frank Moore.

When Eric entered Sheila stood up behind the desk and extended her hand saying, Eric. It’s good to see you again. Sheila between five and six feet tall, but with high-heeled shoes appeared tall. She works at keeping herself from becoming over weight. She typically wore skirt and blouse combinations that are comfortable to work in as a secretary. Today’s blouse had a square cut allowing a little cleavage to show, but not enough to give her a tawdry look.

There was a table that was a combination workspace as well as containing a small refrigerator and coffee maker to the left of the desk

Eric shook her hand and said, You’re looking good as always.

Sheila smiled and turned to the small wooden box on the desk pushed a button and said, Frank your eleven is here.

The door opened and Frank came out saying, Eric I’m glad you could come over. Let me show you what I’ve got. He extended his hand, and the two men shook hands turning extending his left hand to lead Eric in his office. Frank was over six feet with a slim build, blonde hair in a crew cut, a tanned complexion, a thin face with a nose that is slightly large, but the structure of his face makes the nose appear prominent.

Eric entered the office with Frank behind closing the door. The office had large windows behind it with a cabinet under the window with picture, books, a golf trophy and a computer printer. In front of the window was a desk with a computer monitor, keyboard on a slide out shelf, an in/out box combination, a green blotter work surface, a group of pencils and pens in a cup like holder, and a cup of coffee in a mug with the company logo.

Frank said, I suppose Sheila told you I have a couple of applicants I would like you to look into. He directed Eric to a chair in front of the desk with a small table next to it. When Frank talked, he had a tendency to slightly drop his chin and close his eyes slightly. As he finished what he had to say he raised his chin slightly then dropped it again at the end of what he had to say. His eyes would also open more at the end of what he had to say giving the appearance of him saying, And that’s the way it is, without him saying it.

As Eric took a seat, Sheila appeared long enough to put a cup of black coffee next to him before she left and closed the door.

Frank handed Eric two sets of papers each stabled together that were copies of job applications. Eric sat the second set of papers and picked up the cup for a sip of coffee as he looked over the first application. After skimming the application he said, Mr. Kevin Mantle here has references that look good. He had to move to allow his wife to take care of his mother-in-law. He has a degree in Finance, with good grades except for the science courses. What is it that’s got your back up?

Frank did that little dip of his head then said, "It’s nothing on the application or the backup information he provided. We talked about his relationship with the Sonora Bank customers, and he said all of the things he was supposed to say, but there was a look in his eyes like he was hiding something. As you can see he’s applying for the Loan Manager position. It’s an up front, on paper kind of position. Under-the-table things can get the bank in trouble. It may be nothing, but look around.

Eric put the set of papers back on the table and looked through the second set of papers and had a third sip of coffee. He asked, This applicant is a female. What are you looking for a compliant woman like Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, a go getter like Geena Davis in Cut Throat Island, or robotic like Jeri Ryan of Seven of Nine as Borg in Star Trek?

Frank sat there for a moment with his mouth open, then said, Eric that’s why I call you in. You always get to the nitty gritty. I can probably deal with any of your pattern women, but my customers probably want Scarlet O’Hara when she’s sitting in their office and when they send her to a customer want her to be either Geena Davis or Seven of Nine depending upon the customer, and never, never be Linda Lovelace.

Eric said, Ms. Patricia Geist here also has references that look good. The unit she was working in is down sizing. She has a degree in Financial Management, with good grades. And the question here is the same as before, what concerns you?

Frank said, When I interviewed her, and I asked while she was at Gray and Shaw Financial, if she had any of her clients pursue any outside of business meetings or had such a meeting apparently happen by accident, she answered no that she tried to avoid such meetings, and avoided places where that might occur. He paused then said, But there was a look in her eye that reminded me of my Ex before the divorce.

Eric smiled and said, Well, give me a while to look into them, and I’ll get back to you. It shouldn’t take more than two weeks.

Back at his trailer his stomach growled, and he rubbed it then went to the refrigerator and began making himself a sandwich. He heard the gate to the trailer park squeak, and he looked out. Gracy was on the back porch to her house and a blonde woman of thirty something was walking toward his trailer. He made two quick bites and finished the sandwich as she covered the distance. He opened the door and the woman asked, Are you Eric Hunter the Detective?

Eric said, Yes, er excuse me I just finishing lunch. Come on in, Miss? He wiped his mouth with a napkin as he directed her in with his hand.

She looked down at her left hand, and the handle of her purse had covered the ring on her finger. She shifted the purse to her right hand as she stepped into the trailer. She smiled and said, Mrs. Barbara Rojo. As I understand from Mrs. Williams you find missing people and other things.

She settled into a chair at the kitchen table, and Eric got her two printed three by five cards and a small note pad. Eric said, In her case, it was her son’s dog, but I don’t do that kind of search often. Fill in the information on the two cards and make any notes or descriptions on the pad. Now who is missing?

Mrs. Rojo said, My husband Carlos. He hasn’t shown up at work. He works at Hawking Insurance Company, and they didn’t send him out on any jobs. He hasn’t called and there is no answer on his cell phone. He doesn’t have any family in this area. He has been a faithful husband. There isn’t any girl friend. His work didn’t send him anywhere. He doesn’t have any interests that he would drop everything and go away for. He likes football, but he isn’t crazy about it. She paused and looked up at him then said, Everything between us is good.

Eric stood there for a long moment and then asked, "Carlos is Hispanic does he have