"Face it, Carlos, you are still hung up on her," Kim said, laughing as she sat at her desk.

"I am not," Carlos called down from the loft in the office of Thunder Investigations.

"Carlos, you have been moping around for weeks now. Call her," Kim prompted.

"I can’t."

"Why not?"

"Because she broke up with me, remember?"

"I’ll bet she’s changed her mind. Don’t you think so, Trent?" Trent was sitting on the stairs to the loft.

"Leave me out of this," he said, shaking his head. As he got up to go into the back office, the door opened. Sarah Baker walked in and was greeted with silence.

"Hi everyone," she said with a smile. "Am I interrupting anything?" She wondered if they had been talking about her.

Carlos spoke first. "No, just Kim antagonizing me again. What’s up?"

"Ummm," Sarah hesitated. "I need a favour from you two. Are you busy?"

As Carlos and Trent looked at Kim, Trent told her, "We’re never too busy for you, Sarah. Why?"

"I think someone has broken into the animal sanctuary. It doesn’t look like they’ve taken anything so I know the police won’t get involved. Can you guys just come and take a look around for me?"

"How do you know there was a break-in if nothing was taken?" Trent asked.

"Little things. Stuff was moved, in the wrong places, that sort of thing. There are only three people who go in there and I know I’m the only one who has been there all week. It’s just frustrating. Will you look around for me?"

"Sure," Carlos said. "How about tomorrow morning? We can meet you out there."

"That would be great." Sarah looked at Carlos without really meeting his eyes. "Are you guys going to be at Uppercuts tonight?"

"Yeah, Sam’s meeting us there after work," Trent told her.

"Good," Sarah said. "There is someone I want you to meet. He’s really great."

"Sure," Carlos said, trying to fake a smile.

"You will be on your best behaviour, won’t you, Carlos?" Again, Sarah didn’t really look at him.

"Aren’t I always?"

"Thanks. I know you’ll like him." Sarah was almost beaming. "And thanks for tomorrow. I’ll see you tonight." Sarah turned and waved as she headed out the door.

"Did you know about this, Trent?" Carlos asked.

"I had no idea she was seeing anyone. Sam never mentioned it."

Kim turned and looked at Carlos. "Are you okay with this, Carlos?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Sure. Why wouldn’t I be? Just because I get to meet the new boyfriend," he said sarcastically as he turned and went to sit alone in the loft.

"Hi guys!" Sarah smiled as she approached the table where Trent and Carlos sat, watching the football game. A dark-haired man of average height was with her, cautiously looking about the bar. "Vince Reid, I’d like you to meet Trent Malloy and Carlos Sandoval. Guys, this is Vince." Trent and Carlos took turns shaking hands with the man.

"Charming little hell-hole you have here, gentlemen," he said as he played with his Rolex watch. With his expensive suit and Gucci shoes, he was definitely out of place in Butch’s bar.

"Have you talked to Sam, Trent?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. She just called while I was upstairs in the office. She went home to change and she’s on her way."

Sarah noticed the football game for the first time. "Who’s winning?"

"Dolphins," Carlos offered, as he took a swallow of beer.

"Sam will be happy." Sarah was referring to the fact that Sam was a Dolphins fan; something she couldn’t give up even after coming to Dallas.

"Sarah, you don’t really like football, do you?" Vince’s tone of voice showed his disgust. "It is the ultimate jughead sport. A bunch of Neanderthals running around after a ball."

"Funny, I never thought of Jimmy Trivette as a Neanderthal," Carlos whispered to Trent. Trent just snickered.

"Actually, Sam used to make me watch it when we were kids. That and hockey." As Vince rolled his eyes at the thought of hockey, Sarah got up from the table. "I have to go to the ladies room. Do you want anything, Vince, if I stop at the bar on the way back?"

"No thanks. I’ll get something after the show. Something I know isn’t watered down." Trent and Carlos exchanged glances as Sarah left. They sat in silence until Vince finally spoke. "So what do you guys do that you have an office here?"

"We’re private investigators," Trent told him. Vince laughed out loud.

"Really? You guys are just like Starsky and Hutch!"

"Starsky and Hutch were cops," Carlos corrected.

Vince ignored him. "So what do you guys do as ‘private dicks’? Peek in windows, find lost cats?" Vince’s tone was beyond condescending. "Business must be good if your office is here.’ He either didn’t notice or didn’t care that neither Trent nor Carlos was laughing.

"Actually, we could tell you what we’re working on but then we’d have to kill you," Carlos told him with a straight face. Trent smiled.

Vince looked at Carlos hesitantly, then decided he must be kidding. "Ha ha. You’re funny." Vince looked around nervously as the guys turned their attention back to the game. Finally he asked, "How do you two know Sarah?" Carlos looked at him and was about to say something when Trent spoke up.

"We’re friends with her sister, Samantha."

"Oh yeah, the massage therapist. Can’t wait to meet her. Has she given you guys the ‘all-over’ massage, yet," he asked, winking. Trent turned to look at him, the anger slowly building. Carlos sat back, waiting for the fireworks to start. Fortunately for Vince, Sarah arrived back at the table at that moment.

"So, Carlos, ask me where we are going tonight,’ she said as she put the glass of ginger ale on the table.

"Where are you going, Sarah?"

"To see a show. Ask me which one."

Carlos didn’t feel like playing but he went along anyway. "Which one, Sarah?"

"CATS!" She and Trent both started laughing. "For some reason, I’ve never seen it," she said, her tongue planted in her cheek.

"No!" Carlos put his hand to his head in mock pain.

"A little too cultured for you, Starsky?" Vince asked.

"Just my own private hell," Carlos told him.

"Yeah, well I wouldn’t expect someone like you to appreciate great music like that." As Trent put a hand on Carlos’ shoulder to stop him from going after Vince, Vince got up from the table. "C’mon Sarah, we have to go."

"But Sam will be here in a few minutes."

Well, if she has your concept of time, she won’t be here for another hour." He looked at his watch. "Besides, I don’t like leaving my Mercedes out in the parking lot in a place like this."

"Something tells me they would go after the ‘Vette before they would take the Mercedes," Carlos said.

Vince glared at him. "A corvette? Hardly. Now let’s go Sarah." Vince started towards the door.

"I’ll see you guys later. Tell Sam I’ll call her tomorrow. Bye." With that Sarah hurried after Vince. Trent and Carlos sat dumbfounded. Finally, Carlos spoke.

"She can’t be serious, can she? That guy is a complete idiot." Trent just shook his head.

"After that, I need another beer. Want one?" he asked Carlos

"Yeah." As Trent got up and went to the bar, Sam entered Uppercuts. She waved to Trent as she went and sat with Carlos.

"Sarah isn’t here yet?" she asked.

"Been and gone," Carlos told her.

"Really? I was looking forward to meeting the new guy tonight." Sam tone showed her disappointment.

"Didn’t miss much," Carlos was staring intently at the football game.

"Is that your honest opinion or is there some bias in there, Carlos?"

"You can ask Trent. He’ll back me up on this."

"Trent will back you up on what?" Trent asked as he put three bottles on the table.

"My opinion of Vince."

"Obnoxious, condescending…" Trent started.

"Arrogant, conceited," Carlos finished.

"Really?" Sam was incredulous. "Sarah usually has better taste than that."

"I always thought so," Carlos threw in.

Part 2

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