"We're looking for Liana Lacuna," Skulduggery said.
Gumshoe put his hands in his pockets. "Uh-huh. Yeah, I should've figured. Why are you after Liana?"
"Because you kidnapped her."
Gumshoe frowned, and scratched at the stubble on his cheek. "I did?"
"Apparently."
"Huh. That's news to me. I mean, I guess it could have happened. I'm always forgetting stuff, like where I put my keys, whether I paid this bill or that bill, that kinda thing... But I don't know if I've ever forgotten kidnapping someone. You'd think that'd be something that'd stick in your head, you know?"
"So you're saying you didn't kidnap her?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"But you do know her?"
"Yeah, I know her. She came to me a few weeks ago, looking for help. Then she disappeared. I tracked her here. Same as you, I expect."
"What did she need help with?"
"A rare and powerful artefact was stolen from her, she said, and she was looking to get it back. She had a feeling it might be going up for auction right here."
"What's the item?" Valkyrie asked.
"Doesn't matter," Gumshoe said. "It was a lie. All of it. My black-market contacts had no idea what I was talking about, so I did a little digging, and found out that the artefact is safely tucked away in a private collection somewhere in Europe - where it's been for the last fifty years."
"So what did Liana get out of all this?"
"I really don't know. As you can see by her choice of accommodation, she barely has two nickels to rub together, so why she wasted her money coming to Florida and hiring me, I can't begin to guess."
"She paid you?" Skulduggery asked.
"Half up front," said Gumshoe. "I'm not overly optimistic that I'll ever see the rest."
Skulduggery tilted his head. "Did you keep Miss Lacuna updated on your progress?"
"She insisted on it."
"Did you tell her the names of your contacts?"
"Clients don't need to know those things."
"Could she have found out? Maybe glanced at your notes?"
Gumshoe frowned. "I guess she could have, at that."
Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie. "Have you figured it out yet?"
"What?"
"Have you figured out what Liana was up to?"
"Oh," said Valkyrie. "No, sorry. I stopped listening. I was thinking about Big Thunder Mountain. You carry on though. You two look like you're having fun."
"She used me," Gumshoe said slowly.
Valkyrie smiled. "Who used you?"
"Liana," he growled. "She used me to get the names of people who'd be in a position to hold an auction for a rare and powerful artefact."