A Bad Day for Sunshine--A Novel

by Darynda Jones

  He lifted a shoulder. “Only a little. He deserved worse, but he’s shitting himself now, I guarantee it.”

  “He’s scared of you?”

  He lowered his head. “Everyone’s scared of me. They’re only my friends because they think it keeps them safe. It’s not like I go around beating the crap out of people every day.”

  She ran her fingertips along the scabs on his knuckles. “I’m not scared of you.”

  Without looking at her, he said, “You will never have to be.”

  Before she could say anything else, like a marriage proposal, her mom stormed out of the office and into the hall. “No way,” she said, livid.

  The principal followed her. “What am I supposed to do, Sunshine?”

  She took one look at Auri and Cruz and got that look on her face. The one that said someone was about to be very unhappy.

  “Fine, Jacobs. Go ahead and bow down to the elite in this town. To the pricks and the ass-kissers.”

  “And the superintendent. You know, my boss?”

  They were drawing a crowd. Students stopped and either laughed behind cupped hands or gaped. Either way, it was a good show.

  “I get it, but if nothing is going to happen to those privileged little fucks—”

  Auri gasped. Her mom just didn’t do that. Not in public, anyway.

  Her mom looked past him toward the secretary, a.k.a. Lynelle’s mother, before she continued, “Then nothing will happen to Cruz.”

  “Now, Sunny—”

  Cruz’s dad and the interpreter came out. The interpreter looked flustered just trying to keep up with the conversation.

  “Don’t even,” she warned Principal Jacobs.

  Auri had never, in all of her fourteen-going-on-fifteen years of existence, seen her mom that mad. She gaped at her wide-eyed while Cruz looked on approvingly.

  “Nothing happens to these kids.” She pointed to both Cruz and Auri. She turned to Cruz’s dad. “Mr. De los Santos, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

  He took her hand and nodded a thank-you.

  She turned to Cruz. “And you…” She bent down and kissed his cheek. “You are a rock star.”

  “Come on, Sunny,” the principal said. “Don’t encourage him.”

  “And you…” She knelt down in front of Auri and took her hand. “You give ’em hell, bug bite. And remember, it’s okay to stab a bitch in the face with a pencil.”

  She heard a unified gasp.

  “Sometimes you have to use what’s in your environment.”

  “Um, Sunny,” Jacobs said. “I’m not sure—”

  “If you have no other choice, resort to hair pulling. It isn’t pretty, but it’s effective.”

  Auri’s mouth thinned into a huge smile. “WWLSD?”

  “WWLSD.”

  Her mom stood then and strode out of the building like she owned it. And in a way, she did. Auri prayed she would have an ounce of her strength, her flair, when she graduated high school. Her mother set the world on fire. She wanted to at least light a candle in it.

  * * *

  “Quincy, don’t laugh. You didn’t see me. It was like Sunshine had left the building and something evil had taken over her body. I went crazy. In front of the entire student body. Or, well, a fraction of it, anyway.”

  “Let’s just pray there’s not a new viral video in a few hours.”

  “Oh, holy crap.” She sat down at her desk.

  Price came in, looking more disheveled than usual. “Hey, Sheriff.”

  “You okay, Price?”

  “Yeah, I’m good. Dogs got out. I chased them all night.”

  “Oh no. I’m sorry.” He had a nasty scrape along his temple. “Is that how you got that?”

  He touched his temple, including what looked like a small cut, but there were no visible signs of injury surrounding it. “Probably. Freaking bushes attacked me.”

  Sun laughed. Price had only been on the force for about six months and came highly recommended by Detroit PD. He had probably been in line for detective, but he told Sun during their get-to-know-each-other lunch he just wanted to see that yellow bright orb in the sky more often. To feel the warmth on his face instead of the ice-cold wind that blew in from the Great Lakes.

  She could understand that. Even with the snow, the sun shone almost every day of the year in New Mexico. The fact that he’d chosen Del Sol made her wonder about his gut instincts, but his former lieutenant swore by him.

  “I just wanted to congratulate you.” He shook his head, impressed. “Stellar work last night, guys.”

  “Thanks. Anything on the man who brought us all together today?”

  He offered a grim smile. “Sorry, Sheriff. Nothing is panning out. But we’re still looking into a couple of the tips from the hotline.”

  “I was going to go through those last night but didn’t get around to it. Nothing with the surveillance footage from the Quick-Mart?”

  Sun found it sad that their only lead at that moment was a receipt from the Quick-Mart for an energy drink. A receipt that someone apparently lifted out of a trash can to plant at the scene of Sybil’s abduction.

  This guy was nothing if not thorough.

  “No, ma’am. He must’ve waited until they dumped the trash and then stole the receipt out of the bin behind the store. No witnesses to that, either.”

  “Of course not. Keep looking.”

  “Will do. If you need me to take a turn on guard duty—”

  “I think we’re covered. Agent Fields is getting some state officers to take a shift, too.”

  “Good. Well, just let me know.”

  Zee walked into her office then, her face the definition of concern. “Hey, boss.”

  “What’s up? How’d you sleep?”

  “A little better now that we’ve found her, but he’s still out there.”

  “We’ll get him, sis,” Quincy said. “Then you won’t have to look so haggard all the time.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Whatcha got there?” Sun asked, looking at the file in her hand.

  “A report. Jack called from the OMI about the DB from yesterday.”

  “Great. What does she have for us?”

  “Well, they cleaned the ID bracelet with acetate and looked at it under a microscope to get the name off it.”

  “Finally, some good news. And?”

  “It’s just, you know, with everything going on, I thought maybe we could put this aside until we have more time and manpower to focus on it.”

  “Or we could do both. I’ve heard some law enforcement agencies do that.”

  “We could. But I think we should wait on the DNA analysis to get back and then—”

  “Zee, I have a child abduction case to solve.”

  “I know, it’s just—”

  “Zee…”

  “It’s your guy.”

  She blinked. “I don’t have a guy.”

  “But if you did.”

  Every muscle in her body went still. “If I did?”

  “The name on the bracelet is Levi.”

  Quincy straightened in his chair and took the folder out of her hands. “Are you shitting me?”

  “Levi?” Sun sat stunned.

  “Okay,” Quincy said, holding his hands in the time-out position, “this doesn’t have to mean what it looks like on the surface.”

  “That Levi killed his uncle?”

  “Think about it. It had to be self-defense, right?”

  “That he had something to do with my abduction?”

  “Sunny, we can’t possibly make that kind of assumption at this point.”

  She forced her resolve to the forefront. “Bring him in.”

  “Absolutely, for the possible homicide. But to assume he had anything to do with your abduction, I don’t know, Sunny.”

  “Quincy,” she said between gritted teeth.

  “No, Sunny. Take a step back and look at this. Why? What reason would he have?”

  “That doesn’t matter.
We don’t look at motive until afterward. First, we follow where the evidence leads us.”

  He nodded in agreement, but added. “Okay, let’s check his DNA before we ask for the electric chair, though. Yes?”

  Tears burned the backs of her eyes. “Fine. Just get him in here.”

  She walked to the restroom and leaned against the cool door. Three days on the job and she’d had at least two panic attacks and had behaved stunningly unprofessionally in front of a group of kids.

  She thought back, trying to figure out how many panic attacks she’d had before moving back to Del Sol.

  Oh yeah. None.

  She could not do this. It was the town. The crazy, erratic, messed-up town that she’d loved so much growing up. And she could keep telling herself that until the stars burned out. It still wouldn’t be true.

  It was him. Her emotions went haywire anytime he was near, like he emitted some kind of electromagnetic field that kept her and her alone off balance.

  And now this? Would he … could he do something that heinous?

  This was not going to work. She’d known it since she’d first stepped foot into the station. This whole thing, her being the sheriff, them moving back. None of it was going to work.

  Auri would be devastated, but she could not live here. Not anymore. Maybe the old saying was right. There was simply no going home. And the town deserved a sheriff that didn’t have a panic attack every five minutes or throw hissy fits in front of children.

  At least the mayor would have plenty of ammunition when it came time to have her position rescinded.

  Sun would have to figure out how to tell everyone eventually, but for now, she had to solve this case. It was right there in front of her. The pieces of the puzzle were there; she just had to link them together. She was missing something. Some oddly shaped piece that would make the whole picture make sense.

  She forced herself to calm down. To breathe slowly. To take control.

  If Levi was innocent, he had nothing to worry about.

  If not, well, he was about to have a very bad day.

  * * *

  “I think I’m in love with your mom.”

  Auri gaped at Cruz, pretending to be appalled. Then she gave up. “It wouldn’t be the first time my boyfriend fell in love with my mom. Nor the second. Sadly.”

  “So, I’m your boyfriend?”

  She sucked in a sharp breath and turned to him. “What? No. I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s okay. But if the position opens up, I’d like to put in my application.”

  Her mouth imitated a goldfish for a few seconds before she caught herself. She unfolded from the chair and started for first period. “Okay, well, what are your qualifications?”

  Cruz said goodbye to his dad as the principal explained how the school would not be suspending his son due to extenuating factors. “I’m good at hitting things with rocks. And I can write with a pencil and a pen, but not at the same time.”

  She winced. “That’s kind of a deal breaker.”

  “And—”

  Auri was enjoying the conversation so much, she didn’t realize he’d stopped both talking and walking. She turned back to him, then pivoted around to see what he was looking at. The hall was lined with students three kids deep on either side, all gazes locked in her general direction.

  Her eyes rounded, and she looked behind her. No one. They were definitely looking at her.

  For a moment, she’d forgotten where she was. Del Sol High. Land of the Vicious and the Depraved.

  Humiliation burned through her as Cruz gestured for her to go first through the throngs of students. Was she about to be tarred and feathered? Because she’d heard that sucked.

  As they passed, however, the kids offered her their hands or patted her back or flat out introduced themselves.

  “I’m Jeff,” one kid said, shaking her hand.

  “I’m Auri.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, we know.”

  Another girl held out her hand. “I’m Heather.”

  And another. “I’m the other Heather. The cool one.”

  Then someone patted her back and said, “Welcome to Del Sol High, Auri.”

  “We’re glad to have you.”

  “Is this like a Del Sol thing?” she whispered to Cruz, who was receiving his fair share of high fives.

  He whispered back, “No, this is like an Auri Vicram thing.”

  “I’m Sarah.”

  “I’m Caleb. We have geometry together.”

  On and on. Student after student. Until she had to keep her mouth pressed together to keep her chin from trembling.

  “I’m Sammy.”

  “I’m David. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

  “Hi, I’m Carla, and you and your mom are kind of amazing.”

  Auri took her hand and laughed softly through a sob. Some faces looked familiar. Most didn’t. But all of them, each and every one, now held a special place in her heart. She totally took back the vicious-and-depraved thing.

  She hid her face when they came to their classroom. The hall went silent, then in one uproarious cacophony, they erupted with applause and cheers.

  Auri tried and failed to smile, as she asked Cruz, “Why are they doing this?”

  “Because it needed to be done.”

  She managed the barest hint of a smile before realizing the halls had fallen completely silent. Row by row, the students turned and faced the walls, and Auri was completely lost until she saw Lynelle and Liam walking toward the classroom.

  The students turned their backs as she walked past. Every. Single. Student.

  Auri took in a sharp breath, watching Lynelle as she turned up her nose and walked like a model at fashion week. Liam lagged behind her. At least he had the decency to look ashamed.

  Lynelle strode past them and into the room. Liam followed suit, and the students stayed in their positions even after the tardy bell rang. Teachers had to come out of their classrooms to usher them inside.

  Auri turned to Cruz, her top applicant and career hopeful, and she hugged him.

  He hesitated, then hugged her back. His long arms wrapped around her and pulled her tight, and he buried his face in her hair. They hugged until someone, a teacher perhaps, cleared her throat.

  Auri pulled away and hurried into the classroom. The kids were standing. They greeted her, too, each one introducing himself or herself and welcoming her to DSH. Besides Team Lynelle, that is.

  She sat at her seat just as the room fell completely silent. That was when she got a good look at Liam. He sported several bruises and a swollen eye.

  Lynelle had raised her hackles, her defenses on DEFCON 1, when she glared at everyone and turned in her seat. “Please. Like I care what you hacks think.”

  The teacher began taking roll when slowly the students started turning their desks. The legs scraped along the floor, the sound making as much of a point as the action. By the time all the chairs had been moved, not a single student faced Lynelle or Liam. They’d all turned their backs on them.

  Lynelle stood and ran from the room as Liam sank down in his chair.

  Auri sat dumbfounded. And confused. And grateful.

  God, she loved this town.

  * * *

  “Now, Ravinder, just hear me out.”

  Levi Ravinder tore into the sheriff’s station with a bone to pick. Or a bone to break. Either way, he was testy.

  The way Sun saw it, he could just be mad. He was her number one at the moment for a homicide—and possibly more—and he could not deny the evidence that put him there.

  Admittedly, the bracelet was thin. No DA in the world could get a conviction on such circumstantial evidence, but it was a starting point.

  Even after this, however, her feelings toward him hadn’t changed. She could read people to an almost eerie degree. Well, everyone but her own daughter. But Levi threw her off balance. Her sixth sense was what had kept her alive and moving up the proverbial ladder in Santa Fe. It w
as legendary and had never let her down.

  Until now.

  She was beginning to wonder if she’d lost it in the move.

  Quincy led him back, and Levi went straight for her office. Quincy followed to stand between him and Sun should he need to intervene.

  Levi stopped short in front of her. “You think I’m a murderer now?”

  She glared at Quincy.

  He showed his palms. “I said nothing.”

  “He didn’t have to.” The fury on Levi’s face was only part of the picture. She sensed something else. Pain, perhaps. Homicidal tendencies? It was hard to tell. “You think I’m an idiot? You find my uncle’s body and now you want my DNA?” He stepped closer. “Fuck you. Get a warrant. And don’t ever drag my ass in here again unless you talk to my lawyer first.”

  “We found evidence that places you at the scene when he was killed.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “And we found a secondary source of blood on his clothes.”

  “So it must be mine.”

  “Prove me wrong. Give me a sample, and we’ll have this cleared up in a matter of days.”

  “Like I said, get a fucking warrant.”

  “People only say things like that when they’re guilty.”

  He almost came unglued. He stepped even closer, and Quincy stepped even closer, and the whole situation got up close and personal real quick.

  “You know, if you’d finished what you started yesterday, you wouldn’t need my DNA. You’d already have it.”

  “What’d you start yesterday?” Quincy asked.

  “We were going to rule you out, but if you don’t want that…”

  “How many times can I say fuck you before you get the picture?”

  “Levi, he was holding your ID bracelet. The leather one you used to wear.”

  He scoffed. “Holy shit, that’s what you have? A bracelet my uncle took from me after my name had been worn off because he liked it and that bastard stole anything and everything he could from me? That’s your evidence?”

  She smiled. “Don’t forget about the blood.”

  He smiled back. “You know what? Let’s do this. My DNA is your DNA.”

  “Really?” When he only stared down at her, she grabbed the swab kit, took it out of the box, and lifted it to his mouth.