Fate of the Fallen

by Ellery Adams

  Yesterday morning, she’d been all but certain of Sinclair’s suicide. He was found shot in the head with a gun he held in his own hand. Everything pointed to suicide. It was a sure thing. A terrible, sad thing, but a sure one. Tonight, however, her mind was a muddle of doubts and worries, and she didn’t know what to think. If Kenneth knew Sinclair as well as he claimed, Cooper couldn’t ignore his convictions regarding Sinclair’s death. Kenneth was just as sure that Sinclair’s death was murder as Cooper was that Christine hadn’t murdered him.

  Unfortunately, little doubts still tried to creep into her thoughts on that subject. Her head told her Christine was innocent. Her heart agreed. It was a devious little nagging in the deepest pit of her stomach that voiced quiet concerns.

  The fact that Cooper allowed herself room to doubt at all was more troubling than the doubt itself.

  So, as she directed the stream of water to a second batch of lilies, Cooper forced her thoughts from Christine to Christine’s coworkers, an eclectic group with a wide array of issues—from marital troubles to a penchant for gossip that bordered on pathological. None of their problems, though, made them killers. She wondered again who else might have wanted Sinclair dead, and Kenneth’s words echoed in her ears.

  Who else would have had motive?

  Unless McNamara’s officers discovered something during their interviews, Cooper knew of no other leads worth pursuing. If another suspect was hiding in the woodwork, it was McNamara’s job to find him.

  As the word job drifted through her mind, Cooper’s thoughts took a sharp turn away from the police investigation to the Make It Work! office. Bobby would undoubtedly be out Friday, too, and Cooper was sure she’d heard Josh coughing before he left work today. If he called in sick tomorrow, the workload would quickly snowball into the impossible.

  But that would only last for a day. By Monday, Bobby should be starting to feel better, so even if Josh called in sick, they’d still only be down by one. What on earth would she do if they were both sick at the same time?

  Cooper moved the hose over to the orchids, trying to calm herself. Just thinking about having both repairmen absent was inducing a stomach-churning anxiety.

  Switching trains of thought, however, proved to be less than helpful. Because the next train was headed straight for Los Angeles. She quickly de-boarded and returned to her thoughts about Christine.

  Thankfully, while Cooper was deep in the throes of worry, Columbus screeched, drawing her attention. Glad for the distraction, she turned off the water and peeked outside. Grammy stood at the hawk’s aviary, speaking to him while donning the thick leather falconer’s glove that covered her hand and forearm, up to her elbow. Cooper couldn’t make out the words, but by Columbus’s excitement, she thought it had to be something to do with hunting field mice.

  Cooper started for the aviary. “He’s pretty excited,” she said to Grammy. “He’s happy to see you.”

  Grammy waved at Columbus, and the bird responded by flapping his wings. “He’s happy to get out of his cage, that’s all.” When his door swung open, the hawk immediately hopped out onto Grammy’s gloved hand. “I thought me and the old bird might go for a walk. You’re welcome to join us, of course.”

  Cooper fell into step with Grammy as they walked into the field behind the Lee house. It was the perfect place to hunt field mice, or so Columbus seemed to think.

  “I see Mama planted new flowers,” Cooper said as they strolled.

  “The lilies?”

  “The fragrance is wonderful.”

  “Gives me a headache.” Grammy paused and lifted her arm up into the air. On cue, Columbus took off, soaring overhead and circling the field on his strong wings. “I swear I don’t know how your mama finds time to do all she does.”

  “Sometimes I don’t know how you find all the energy to care as much as you do. You always have enough love for another animal in need. And then there’s Mama . . . always enough time for a new project. I wish I knew how you two do it!”

  “You’re one to talk! Work, church, Bible study, Nathan, family, birdhouses, plants . . .”

  “I know I do a lot, but I feel like I don’t really have the energy for it sometimes.”

  Grammy put her arm around Cooper’s shoulders. “Tough day?”

  “Nathan’s sister was arrested for murder today.”

  Grammy’s jaw dropped. “Your fiancé’s sister? Murder?”

  Cooper nodded.

  “Did she do it?”

  “Of course not!” Cooper fired back, glad to find that her natural instinct was still to defend her future sister-in-law. “Christine wouldn’t hurt anyone. My Bible study group is trying to help out, but I’m afraid of what happens if we can’t.”

  Grammy was silent for a moment. “You’ll get her out.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “You’ve got your daddy’s compassion, your mama’s energy, and your Grammy’s stubbornness in your genes. If anyone can help the girl, it’s you, granddaughter.”

  Cooper smiled. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

  Columbus suddenly dropped out of flight, diving toward the ground. At the last moment, he spread his wings and swooped over the field, snatching a mouse from among the grass.

  “Well done!” Grammy shouted to him. He screeched a response.

  “Grammy, I swear that hawk understands you.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve met a lot of animals I think are smarter than plenty of people I know . . . present company excluded, of course.”

  Cooper laughed. “Thanks.”

  “No granddaughter of mine is gonna be outsmarted by a bird.”

  “Speaking of animals, I heard about someone volunteering at the animal shelter, and it got me to thinking. Since you have such a way with animals, you might enjoy that sort of thing. You ought to look into it.”

  “Oh, ought I?” Grammy shook her head. “I’ve got plenty to keep me busy, thank you. And you know the problem with volunteering? You have to be around people who may or may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer. I might like spending time with the animals, but I’m not so sure about the people. No, sir, I don’t think I should chance it.”

  “People might surprise you, Grammy.”

  Grammy uttered a quiet “Humph,” and continued to watch the hawk. For a few minutes, Cooper wasn’t thinking about Christine and Sinclair. She wasn’t thinking about work and sick employees. She was simply admiring the hawk as he glided effortlessly to a fence post and devoured his catch. He spread his wings once again and flew into the air, screeching with delight as the wind picked up. Riding the breeze higher and higher, he circled the field, until he spied another unsuspecting animal. In an instant, he bent his wings, diving toward the ground, only to swoop up at the last second. This time his claws were empty.

  “Looks like that mouse got the better of him,” Grammy commented with a cackle. “All right, Columbus, we haven’t got all evening. Do you want another snack, or do you want to get back to your house?”

  As if in response, the hawk screeched again, flapped his wings, and flew toward her. Grammy held out her gloved arm for him, and the hawk landed on her wrist. Slowly, they all headed back toward the aviary.

  With the distraction gone and silence in its place, Cooper’s thoughts began to run away with her again, and the stress turned her stomach over on its side. Christine. Sinclair. Nathan. Work. Murder investigation. Sick employees. Lost clients. Los Angeles. There was too much going on, too much to think about.

  Grammy watched her for a moment. “This thing with Nathan’s sister has really got you down, hasn’t it?”

  Cooper nodded. “That and a lot of things. If I could have only one problem at a time, I think I’d be okay. It’s when everything hits at once that I have difficulties.”

  “Ah.” Grammy shut Columbus in his cage and removed the glove. “You know what I’ve found is a wonderful way to work through anxiety?”

  Cooper took a deep breath. “Pra
yer?”

  “Sure, sure. But I was thinking of something else.”

  “Petting your cat?”

  “Again, that’s helpful, but . . .” Grammy put her arm around Cooper and led her toward the house. “Whenever I’m stressed, I steal a few of your mama’s fresh-baked cookies and take them to my room with a glass of milk. It always makes me feel better.”

  “Grammy, I see you doing that all the time.”

  “And do I seem stressed to you?”

  Cooper grinned. “You have a point.”

  “Furthermore, I do believe I saw your mama putting cookies into the oven before I came out. Care to come with me and see if they’re done?”

  • • •

  When Cooper arrived at work Friday morning, the parking lot seemed especially empty. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it looked like there were fewer and fewer cars there every day, and being such a small company, they hadn’t started out with very many cars.

  Slowly making her way from her truck to the door, she tried to figure out which vehicles were missing. Mr. Farmer’s sedan was gone, of course. So was Angela’s little white Bug. There was still an empty space where Bobby’s Jeep usually sat.

  Was there one more?

  Cooper matched cars to employees. Ben was here. Emilio was here. Brandi wasn’t, but she often arrived after Cooper. There should be one more: Josh’s hatchback.

  She scoured the lot in case it was hidden behind a vehicle from one of the neighboring businesses. Then she looked both ways down the street. Josh’s vehicle was nowhere to be seen.

  “Maybe he’ll get here after me, like yesterday,” she said to herself. Mr. Farmer was never a stickler for punctuality when it came to starting the workday, so Cooper wasn’t either. If Josh was a little late it didn’t really matter. That had to be it. He was just late again.

  Emilio was already at the front desk, sipping on an energy drink and eating a breakfast burrito. A morning person, he was all smiles when Cooper walked in.

  “’Morning, boss,” he said. “Have a good night?”

  “Not particularly. How are things here? Anything exciting happen so far?”

  Emilio downed another drink of his beverage. “It’s not exciting, but that Mr. Holland from Westerly Car Rentals called.”

  “Are they having problems again?” she asked, making a beeline for the coffeemaker. “What is it this time?”

  “He didn’t say. Just told me the machine was busted, and they don’t have another one.”

  Cooper put a pod in the brewer and started it up. It hissed with steam as it filled her mug. “Did you ask him if he’d be interested in a lease?”

  “Yep. He said they’ll lease a machine if they absolutely have to, but they really want you to send somebody to take a look. I looked in his client file. They get that thing fixed all the time. If it’s a lemon, you’d think they’d just get a new machine.”

  “Mr. Holland doesn’t like to spend money on new equipment,” Cooper explained as she dumped sugar in her coffee. She needed something sweet this morning. “And the copier isn’t a lemon.”

  “But it’s always breaking.”

  “That’s because they abuse it. They run it constantly, never clean it, and use the cheapest paper and toner. Holland’s son-in-law works there and likes to kick the copier when he’s in a hurry and it isn’t working fast enough. And Holland’s wife—another employee—spills coffee on it regularly.”

  Emilio grimaced. “Geez. If I were that machine, I’d quit, too.”

  Cooper took a drink to test the coffee. It was hot, and just this side of too sweet. Perfect. “I’ll do what I can to fit him into the schedule today.” She started for her office. “Would you let him know that and please encourage him to take the lease?”

  “You got it.”

  Cooper could hear him on the phone as she entered her office and set her mug on her desk. The voice-mail button on her work phone was flashing, telling her she had a new message. As she turned on her computer, she pressed the button, and the message began to play.

  “Hey, there. This is Josh,” the voice mail began. The greeting was followed by a coughing fit that lasted nearly a full minute. When it finally subsided, the message continued, “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I think I caught whatever Bobby has.” His voice was hoarse and pained. “I can barely get out of bed. I can’t keep anything down. I really hope this doesn’t leave you in a rough spot, but . . . I can’t come in today.” He coughed again and groaned. Cooper winced at the rough, raw sound of it. “I can’t talk anymore. It hurts too much. Again . . . really sorry.”

  While Cooper felt very badly for Josh, who sounded completely and utterly miserable, she was more focused on the schedule. With one repairman gone, today was bound to be hectic. With both of them out sick . . . there was no word to describe it.

  This was the other shoe. It had simply been waiting to drop.

  She pushed the voice-mail button again and let Josh’s message play through a second time to make sure she’d heard it correctly. With every one of Josh’s coughs, Cooper’s anxiety grew. It would take more than Mama’s fresh-baked cookies to fix this problem. The repair docket was completely full, the inventory needed to be done, paperwork had to be filed, she had no employees, and she still had to attend to not only her managerial duties but also to her responsibilities as interim boss.

  And, of course, she was supposed to go talk to Kenneth about his alibi.

  Cooper caught herself just before she slipped into a panic and forced herself to breathe. Panic wouldn’t solve any of her problems. Falling to pieces wouldn’t make the day run smoothly.

  “Lord,” she said quietly, “I need some peace. I need help. Please, please help me through this.”

  She drew in a deep breath, stood, and stretched her arms and neck, as if preparing for a boxing match. Then, as calmly as she could manage, she went out to Emilio’s desk.

  “What’s up?” Emilio asked, grinning. “I’m all ears.”

  “I have a problem.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Josh called in sick.”

  For a moment, his smile remained in place. But as reality set in, his face fell by degrees until he was wearing a concerned frown. Even Emilio—with his quips and flippant attitude—understood a dire situation when it stared him in the face. “So you have no repairmen?” he finally asked. “What do we do?”

  “First of all, we stay calm.” She used her best in charge voice and stood tall, trying to convey an air of confidence and control. At the moment, she felt apprehensive and powerless, but Emilio didn’t need to know that. “Second,” she continued, “we need to make a plan. Pull up the repair schedules for today. I’ll take a look and see what we can put off until tomorrow.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “Could you call Ben out here, too?”

  Emilio sucked in a deep breath and shouted, “Hey, Ben! Cooper needs to talk to you!”

  Cooper winced at the volume, covering her ears. “I meant would you call him on the phone.”

  “This was faster.”

  A few seconds later, Ben emerged from his office. “Geez, Emilio, ever heard of a telephone? It’s that gray thing on your desk keeping your energy drink from getting lonely.”

  “All right, all right.” Emilio put his hands up in surrender. “I’ll use the phone next time.”

  “Why did you call?”

  “I asked him to,” Cooper said. “Although I thought he’d use the phone, too . . . Anyway, we have a problem.” Cooper explained the situation to Ben, repeating Josh’s message and detailing the list of things that needed to be done. He listened patiently, and when Cooper was done, he very simply asked, “What can I do?”

  His calm manner was contagious. Cooper felt herself relaxing. “I was wondering how you’d feel about a nostalgic trip with me to the good old days of machine repair . . .”

  Ben thought about it for a moment and then grinned.
“I think I can help you out for part of the day, at least.”

  Cooper was tempted to hug him, but refrained. Instead, she gave him a strong pat on the shoulder. “Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.”

  “I wonder if I can remember all my old tricks.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

  As Cooper changed into a uniform, she felt less excitement and nostalgia than dread and disquiet. Tool kit in hand, Cooper brewed another cup of coffee and headed out the door.

  Emilio shouted after her, “Good luck!”

  As Cooper started her truck, she thought about the “good old days” of repair work, back when she’d just started dating Nathan, before she’d become a manager, before Hannah was born. At the time, life had seemed complicated, but looking back, it had really been so simple. She had work. She had love. Nothing else mattered.

  Now, life was complicated.

  As she watched the street signs pass by, she continued to reminisce. The dread and disquiet faded a bit as the nostalgia crept back in. Maybe it was just rose-colored glasses staining her memories, but she longed for those simpler days. Her biggest concern had been whether or not she’d be able to remember all the makes and models of the machines she repaired. Angela had her eye on Mr. Farmer, but he hadn’t worked up the courage to reciprocate yet. Make It Work! had only four employees, and all day long Cooper met interesting people and heard their stories while she did her work. Every day with Nathan meant learning something new about him. No one she loved was in danger of going to prison.

  She sighed, thinking about the simplicity of yesteryear. Yes, it had its pluses, but there were good things to be said about life now, too. With complication came excitement, and with change came opportunity.

  Maybe that’s what she needed to remember when she thought about Nathan’s news. Just because California would be different didn’t mean it would be bad. And yes, she’d miss Richmond and everyone there, but moving would offer the prospect of meeting new friends and making new memories.

  But as she passed the exit for her and Ashley’s favorite Japanese restaurant, her new attitude failed her. Life wouldn’t be the same anywhere else. Sure, there would be opportunity and excitement, but did she really want those things? Or would she rather keep what she already had?