Madeline Prescott

CASE: PI-M-6581 The telephone came screaming through the dead of night, dragging me out of a whiskey-soaked slumber behind my desk. An empty bottle of White Horse lay on the floor, and my head felt like a freight train had made a wrong turn through it. On the other end was the aunt of one Madeline Prescott. Seems her parents had vanished from their own home sometime last night. No broken locks, no signs of a struggle, not so much as a whisper of foul play. Just two missing socialites and a whole lot of unanswered questions. Little Maddie, however, was beginning to look like the loose thread in an otherwise expensive suit. The Prescotts were a respected name around town, the kind of family that spent every last dime keeping up appearances while their bank accounts quietly bled dry. And the girl wasn't making things any easier. First, she claimed she'd been sneaking around with her boyfriend that night. Now she's singing a different tune, saying she simply went out for a walk. Funny how a story changes when the questions get uncomfortable. Maybe she's just a frightened young dame caught in a mess too big for her. Or maybe she's holding a few cards she hasn't laid on the table. Either way, something stinks, and it ain't the whiskey. The jury's still out on Madeline Prescott, but I've got a hunch this case is going to be one hell of a ride.