by Terra Kelly
He watched as Miles grabbed his jacket and headed toward the door. “Okay, let’s do this…Cousin,” Miles winked.
Finley just shook his head. “Cousin. Really?” He laughed as he walked behind the other man out the door.
When they arrived at the bakery everything seemed normal. Miles walked in first and then Finley followed behind, quietly surveying the area. There were customers sitting at the tables drinking their coffee and enjoying a pastry. Everyone seemed calm. Normal. Then he heard a word that triggered his senses: missing.
Miles sat down by the register and Finley plopped down on the chair opposite his partner. No one was up front, but there was a conversation happening not far from the doorway leading to the kitchen. Finley had always had good hearing, so he focused on the two voices only a few feet away.
“No, I haven’t heard from her; did they tell you anything?”
“Nothing. The front door was ajar and the pretty pink sweater she loves was on the ground outside. I’m really scared, Stacy.”
“I don’t understand. She never let on about having any issues. Actually, she seemed happy.”
“Agreed. Amy knew she could count on us for anything. God, I hope she’s okay.”
Finley waited to hear more, but they both went silent. Whispering to Miles, “We may have more than just a missing person’s case. Hell, we know Amy was the undercover agent assigned to watch Letizia. How did Giano figure it out? It all just seems off. We arrive in town and suddenly the agent goes missing. There has to be a mole inside the precinct.”
Miles nodded. “I believe you may be right on this one. We have Amy’s address, so I’ll just head over that way and maybe act like a concerned neighbor who really cared about her.” He watched as Miles stood up and headed toward the door. “Hey cuz, get me a couple of those pastries will ya? I need to run.”
Finley rolled his eyes when he noticed movement from the corner of his eye and turned to see what it was.
Letizia stood by the register looking right at him. He cleared his throat. “Good morning.” Then he checked his watch. “Or should I say afternoon, since it’s only minutes away?”
Letizia stayed quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry. Have you been here long? Can I get you a complimentary cup of coffee?” she asked in a hushed tone.
Finley stood up and cleared the few feet between them. “No. I’ve only been here for a few minutes. You okay?” He could see concern etched into every line of her face. “Anything I can help you with?”
She smiled at him and he had to keep his emotions in check. This was not the time or place to be experiencing feelings for a woman.
“No. Not unless you became a cop overnight and can find my friend?” she whispered.
Finley had to cough at that comment to prevent himself from saying anything stupid. “A cop? Me? No. What happened to your friend?”
He noticed her reach for a pen and tap it on the wood surface. “My co-worker, Amy, is missing. The cops are looking for her now.”
He couldn’t believe how easy it was to get information from her. “Do they think there’s been foul-play?” Shit, he used cop terminology. “I mean, isn’t that what they call it?” He wanted to knock his head up against a wall.
She nodded. “I believe so. Her front door was open and one of her sweaters was lying on the sidewalk in front of her door. After the cops went through the house, they seemed off; like they saw something they couldn’t unsee.”
Finley took mental notes of everything Letizia was sharing. It was obvious that Amy was in grave danger if she was still alive. “Shit. Is there anything I can do to help?” What else could he say? I’ll get my best man on it? No. He had to keep a clear head and approach this situation with caution.
Letizia just laughed. “Can you assemble the Pain Au Chocolat?”
He chuckled. “I can’t even make chocolate chip cookies. Plus, what is Pain Au Chocolat?” He couldn’t make any cookie, instead he would grab the pre-made dough in the refrigerator section of any grocery store. Thank God for pre-made. It made his life easier.
He watched as Letizia leaned into a glassed-in cabinet and reached for a golden-brown croissant looking pastry. There was chocolate peeking out the ends of the flaky crust.
“Here. This is Pain Au Chocolat. Once you try one, you'll want more. You can’t say I didn’t warn you,” she winked while handing him the treat.
He arched a brow in doubt. “Okay.” He took a bite and just moaned.
“You like?” she inquired.
He stomped his foot. “I love. How is it possible I never knew about this dessert?” He took another bite, knowing that had to be a mistake because he couldn’t get enough.
She smiled. “You don’t find it made correctly at most bakeries. Plus, you never see it labeled correctly. When I did my internship at a French bakery, they taught me how to make the dough. That’s a secret, though.”
He shook his head with a grin. “Seriously, these should be illegal. The dough is amazing and so flaky.” He had to get back on track and focus—after just one more bite.
They were both laughing when the bell above the front door chimed, announcing a new customer. Finley looked over and almost choked. It was fucking Dego. Finley had his hair still shaggy and unkempt and his beard was becoming unruly, so the second in command hopefully wouldn’t recognize him. Dego looked his way and Finley instinctively nodded, then he focused back at Letizia. “Okay, I need to stop and focus. Thank you for sharing with me though. Remember, if you need anything I’m only a stone’s throw away.”
Letizia smiled. “Thank you for that, it means a lot.”
He watched as she looked toward Dego and Finely noticed something off. Her demeanor changed from lighthearted to pissed in a nano second. What the hell? Did she know him? How was that possible? He went back to the table he had occupied minutes ago and sat there trying to not look like he was eavesdropping on their conversation.
He heard Letizia say, “Mr. Chanceston.” Her voice sounded clipped.
Then Mr. Chanceston softly laughed. “Letizia. So nice to see you again.”
Fin turned his head slightly to check the look on Letizia’s face and noticed she was red. Holy shit, she was fuming. He smirked as she took in a breath and let it out slowly. “What can I get you, sir?” He could tell by her actions she would rather be in the back baking then talking to this guy. What the hell was going on? Fin needed to find out where this Mr. Chanceston worked. Maybe that would answer all his questions.
He stood up and turned toward Letizia, raising his arm in a wave and nodding, “See you around. Don’t forget what I said, okay?”
She gave a half smile and nodded. “See you around, Derek.”
As the door closed behind him, he hurried to his car. Miles had walked to each place today which meant the car was all his. Since his computer was at home that was his destination. He needed to figure out if this Chanceston name was listed anywhere. After that he had to contact Cooper regarding all the updates.
The moment he pulled into his driveway he sighed. The kid, Cristiano, was sitting on the bottom step of his porch. Knowing he had to keep things calm and normal, he put that smile on and stepped out of his car. “Hey Cris, how’s it going?” As he walked closer to the porch steps, he noticed the expression on Cristiano’s face: tired and sad, maybe? Sitting down beside him. He patted the boy’s shoulder. “Everything okay, buddy?”
Cristiano nodded. “Yeah. My mom and sister went to my school today.”
Finley scowled. “Parent-teacher conference or something? Or did you get in trouble?” he teased.
Cristiano rolled his eyes. “I don’t get in trouble. My teacher is being mean to me, so they went to talk to the principal about it. I’m nervous he will only get worse now.”
Finley scowled, “What teacher? Not the gym teacher, right? I would hate for you to have to do sprints or unneeded pushups.”
Cristiano just shook his head. “No. It’s Mr. Chanceston, my history teacher.”
>
Finley’s heart fell at the mention of Mr. Chanceston’s name. Holy hell, the asshole had set his sights on the kid. Oh fuck. He stood up and smiled down at Cristiano. “Hang on; I need to go grab something.” He walked into his house and pulled out his cellphone. He typed a coded message to Cooper, just in case it was intercepted. The phones were untraceable, but he had to be safe.
The band Bleak plays tonight at the angel’s den.
Now they had to just wait for the teams’ arrival, the guys would be arriving at different times and from different airlines. The precinct here in St. Cloud would be notified any minute by Cooper. The message would start a whole slew of things that would help the shit storm about to take place in this small town. Sighing, he walked back outside to sit next to the kid. Finley realized at that moment he was not only here to protect Letizia, he needed to protect her family…or rather, what was left of it.
Letizia wanted to yell but instead just kept breathing in and out, working hard to calm her ever growing anger. The man was such a weasel. Mr.Chanceston, or better yet, Mr.Asshole, had walked into the principal’s office during the meeting earlier and her mom about went ballistic on him as he sauntered into the room. The principle had been nervous around the guy which seemed weird to Letizia. Now, here she was in her own fucking bakery feeling uncomfortable.
“What can I get for you?” she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.
The asshole had a smirk on his face. “I hear those palmiers are to die for. I want to try one.”
She nodded. “How many would you like?” She had noticed how he’d emphasized ‘die’ and it made her feel unease.
He laughed softly. “What are you trying to do, fatten me up? Only one dear, I need to keep my boyish figure.” She was trying very hard to ignore him. Reaching in to grab the palmier, he gasped “Wait. You have cannoli’s? Like true Italian cannoli’s?”
She leaned away from the cabinet. “Is there any other kind of cannoli?”
Mr. Chanceston laughed. “Good point. I think I’ll take one of those too and that’s it.”
Zia carefully placed the cannoli beside the palmier in a little to-go box. “Would you like a drink? You can get a small coffee for free with your purchase of a pastry.”
He nodded his head. “Free coffee? You must be losing out on a good profit by giving products away.”
Zia was taken aback by his statement. “Excuse me? Who do you think you are?” she shook her head in annoyance.
The teacher just laughed. “Oh, don’t mind me, I tend to talk before thinking.”
She sighed. “So, you think you can tell me how to run my business? You feel I don’t know what I’m doing? Is that correct?” Letizia didn’t mean to sound angry, but the guy seemed to love pissing people off.
He put his hands up in surrender. “No, no, Hell I don’t even own a business. It just always seems odd to me when people give products away for free. That’s all.”
Letizia closed her eyes trying to channel the last bit of calm in her body. “Listen Mr. Chanceston, I appreciate your input, but my business has been running smoothly for several years now. I’m not sure why you are here when we made it clear earlier to stay away from my brother, mom, and myself.” After the meeting earlier at the school, she didn’t care if she ever saw him again.
He leaned in to speak for her ears only. “Your mom? You sure that’s your mom?”
Letizia sucked in a breath. “What? Who are you to even ask a question like that?” She felt scared at his words. He said them with such certainty, like they were true, and he had to just convince her.
Mr. Chanceston moved in closer, and added in an eerie tone, “Where were you born, Letizia?” She stood there speechless. Of course, she knew she was born in Canada, but how did he know about her past? He leaned back and straightened to his normal height, then stated in a cheerful voice, “These look amazing. I can’t wait to dive into the cannoli, I bet your mom taught you how to make them, huh?”
Zia just scowled. “Um, yes, she did.” What was going on? The man was harassing her brother, and now he was here in her bakery harassing her and asking obscure questions. How would he know about her past? She had never seen the man before today…or had she?
Mr. Chanceston laughed softly. “It was nice seeing you again, Letizia. You have a great place here, but I would think about the whole giving your products away for free. Have a good day.”
Zia just stood there watching as he stepped toward the door. It could not close fast enough behind him. Letting out the breath she was holding, she reached for her cell phone. “Ali? We need to talk,” she announced, keeping it short. then she closed her phone and headed to the back to find Stacy. “Hey, we need to close early. I have to go, I’m sorry.”
She noticed Stacy looked concerned. “Will you be okay?”
Zia nodded. “Yeah, of course, it’s just been a crazy long day.” Then she added with a smile, “I need to head home and talk to my mom, it’s urgent.” Leaning in, she gave Stacy a kiss on the cheek. “I will see you tomorrow bright and early, okay?” Then she headed to the front while her mind was racing. Why did the new teacher ask her about her past? Say her name in a creepy tone? And why the hell did he ask if Alessandra was really her mom? She felt startled as she drove home. The man had a voice that sounded familiar, but she was sure she had never seen him before or had ever met him. No, that was not possible. She would remember a slime-ball like Mr. Chanceston.
Letizia pushed the front door open and sprinted inside on the hunt for her mother. “Mom?”
She heard a soft reply. “Yes, darling?” She was in the basement probably doing laundry.
She made her way down the steps almost missing the last one. Feeling out of breath, she paused to take in a few extra gulps of air. Her mom was looking at her. “Hey. Um. Got a sec?”
Ali just held up the basket of laundry. “Anything to get me out of doing laundry and I’m in.”
Letizia looked around and then found the step ladder resting against a shelf. She grabbed the ladder and sat down. “Okay, will you be honest with me? I need you to be, mom.”
Ali turned her head to the side in confusion. “What are you talking about, Zia?”
“Mr. Chanceston, he came into the bakery just now. He was saying weird things to me, things that made no sense.” Zia had her hands clasped and fidgeted with her fingers. “He asked me if you were really my mother and then he asked me where I was born. Why would he do that? I don’t know him…at least I don’t think I do.” Secretly she wanted to add that his voice sounded familiar too but didn’t want to reveal that little piece of information just yet. She looked down at her feet and just sat there, waiting.
Alessandra knelt down in front of her. “Letizia, darling, didn’t you see how crazy he was earlier at the school? The man must love stoking up a fire and then just enjoy watching it burn. Why would he go to your bakery after we made it clear we were unhappy with him? The man is crazy, he has to be.” Ali grabbed Zia’s hands. “Honey, you’re my daughter, I’ve shown you the birth certificate. You know you were born in Toronto, Canada when my late husband and I were on vacation.” Alessandra lifted her chin. “Hey, I promise, he has to be off his meds or something, sweetie.” Then she stood up and walked back to the laundry. “Which really solidifies our decision today.”
Letizia looked up. “Which decision?” She was confused.
Ali laughed. “Removing Cris from his class as soon as possible. I don’t want that man near either of you.”
Letizia noticed Alessandra shaking as she added the clothes to the washer. Why was her mom shaking? There had to be more to this insane man, but she had no clue how to get any real answers. Then she thought about her neighbor, Derek. She needed someone to talk to right now. She stood up and smiled. “You’re right, mom, I must be feeling stressed. The whole Amy thing has me shaken. I’m sorry.” Then she crossed the few steps between them and gave her mom the tightest hug. “I love you.”
Ali smiled. “I l
ove you, too. Now scoot, I need to finish this laundry.”
Letizia headed up the stairs on her way to her room, but instead decided to pay her neighbor a visit.
Nine
Finley was sitting on the couch looking over the files for the case on his computer when Miles walked through the front door, glancing at Finley. “Man, that neighborhood is protective of each other. I asked a few neighbors standing around her place if they noticed anything, but of course it was a unanimous “No,” from everyone. Then the cops showed up and were maybe in the house for all of ten minutes, then I watched them heading back out with a few evidence bags full of clothes and other items.”
Finley leaned up and sat his computer on the coffee table. “Interesting. Someone had to see something.” He had been reading the recently released file that shared the information about the agent.
Some key things he noticed: Amy Levine, a female in her thirties has gone missing. Letizia Magrino, a friend of the victims reported the incident at 10:22 a.m. When officers arrived the front door was ajar and a piece of clothing was on the sidewalk in front of the house. Inside the home the officers reported they found blood stains in several areas throughout the place. The bed was a mess with sheets strewn about and blood everywhere in the room. There is no sign of the victim and no evidence to lead to her whereabouts. The case is open and currently being investigated. Also, if you have any evidence to lead to the arrest of the person responsible for this crime, please contact the local St. Cloud police department.
Finley looked at Miles. “Well, if I would’ve known this file was available already, you could’ve maybe avoided that trip.” He pointed to his computer screen and gave his friend a half-smile.
