Full Force Fatherhood

by Tyler Anne Snell

  Mark chuckled. “Fun fact—that private investigator is now his wife.”

  “Really?”

  “They were childhood sweethearts who reconnected after a long time. He now runs the freelance division of Orion, dealing with specialists and strategists who might be needed.”

  “What about his wife? Is she still a private investigator?”

  Mark nodded. “Oh, yeah, you couldn’t get her to stop if you begged. But Oliver never did. And between you and me, I think they help each other on their respective cases.”

  “Sounds like you’re in with a well-connected crowd.”

  Mark’s smile wavered.

  “I was. Orion wasn’t the only thing I distanced myself from when I quit.” His jaw hardened as he said it. His eyes stayed on the road ahead. Kelli wanted to pry—to understand the motive behind him leaving—but she felt she already knew the reason. Mark had done so much for her in the past two days that she decided not to make him open old wounds.

  Victor’s death had changed more than just her life.

  * * *

  ORION SECURITY GROUP’S main office looked more or less the same as it had all those years ago when it had first opened. A modest one-story standalone wrapped in brick and beige siding, Orion’s name was painted in large white letters above the door that, as Nikki had said, made it feel as if Orion was watching over you as you entered the business. As they walked inside, Mark eyed these letters with nostalgia.

  The lobby, like the building, was modest in size and decoration. A young Hispanic woman named Jillian sat behind a desk that broke up the space between the front door and the rest of the office. She acted as its part-time guard and had been there for almost three years. When she saw them, her already fifteen-hundred-watt smile brightened.

  “Mark!” Within the space of a heartbeat, Jillian was around her desk and hugging him. Kelli raised her eyebrow but was soon enveloped in a hug of her own. “Hello, Mrs. Crane!” Mark shared a look over the girl’s head that he hoped said, “I’ll explain later.”

  Jillian backed off.

  “Nikki told me you were coming in,” she said, still all smiles. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen either of you.” Her eyes flitted over Kelli. “I sent some flowers but I never got to tell you—in person—sorry for your loss of Victor.”

  Kelli didn’t skip a beat. “Thank you.”

  Jillian turned back to Mark, somberness gone. “I’m glad you’re back. It hasn’t been the same around here without you.”

  “Thanks, but don’t get used to this. I’m just here to talk with the boss.”

  She gave a small nod and threw her thumb over her shoulder. “She’s all yours, but I’ll warn you, she hasn’t had her coffee yet.”

  Mark let out a breath. Just what he needed. A Nikki without her heavenly coffee.

  “Who was that?” Kelli whispered. They were walking past Oliver Quinn’s old office and Jonathan’s current empty one. Mark’s, or what used to be his, was opposite. Though Orion had expanded and no longer operated solely within teams, team leads still had their own offices. Even if they weren’t around long enough to use them.

  “Right before Orion first started its expansion, Jillian showed up asking if we had an internship program,” he explained. “We didn’t, but she made a compelling case. Now she’s the part-time secretary while she takes college cybersecurity classes. She’s a nice girl—tough as nails.”

  Kelli looked over her shoulder. A smile turned up her lips. “I can see why Nikki likes her, then.”

  They made it past the open area between the break room and the workout room—what Jonathan had once likened to the grazing field where agents would spend their downtime hanging out on the couches or watching sports on the wall-mounted TV—right up to the last office in the building. It was large, with three of its walls made of glass. Nikki’s dark red hair could be seen bobbing behind the computer screen on the desk in the middle of the room.

  “Should I wait out here? Or—” Kelli motioned to the couches behind them. Instead of looking as if she was afraid of the often intimidating Nikki Waters, Kelli merely seemed to be respectful of their privacy. But if he was ever going to sell his former boss on the theory that Victor’s piece on a charity had gotten him killed, he needed the widow to back him up.

  “If you don’t mind, I think we should both tell her what’s going on.”

  Kelli lowered her voice, even though Jillian and Nikki were the only other people they’d seen in the entire building.

  “Do you think it’s a good idea to tell someone else? We’ve already told Jonathan.”

  Mark had thought it over during the car ride.

  “Keeping Nikki in the dark would be much harder to do since we’re using Jonathan for help. She’d give us more trouble than we need right now. Plus, she can be one hell of an ally.”

  “All right,” Kelli concluded. “I trust you.”

  Guilt exploded within his chest. Those three little words stabbed at his heart. Probing the spot that reminded him Victor Crane had also trusted him. He adjusted his smile—sure that it had sagged—and knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” his former boss called.

  Mark took a deep breath, and together they went inside.

  * * *

  NIKKI’S HAIR WAS longer than when Kelli had first met her years ago, but she still had kind eyes, only hardening when needed. She came around the desk with her hand outstretched.

  “Nice to see you again, Kelli,” she said. Her grip was gentle yet firm. Nikki waved them to the seats opposite her.

  “I’m glad you’ve come by,” she started, bypassing any small talk. “To say I’m curious why you two are hanging out is an understatement.”

  Mark shifted in his seat. Kelli wondered if he was worried about whether Nikki would believe their story or just about her reaction to it. The woman who had gone from secretary to founder and boss of a successful—and moral—security group had to be tough.

  How tough, Kelli was about to find out.

  Mark straightened his back and dove right in. He rehashed his belief that Darwin hadn’t set the fire and explained why they thought the mugging, the break-in and Dennis Crawford were all somehow connected.

  “That’s why I wanted to ask to have a check done on him,” Mark said. “He knows something that could help us figure out what’s going on.”

  Nikki threaded her fingers together over the desktop. “You have no evidence whatsoever that ties Dennis to the fire. You have a theory, one that’s loose, and built and propelled by grief.” She shared a look between them before stopping on Kelli. “I am truly sorry for your loss, and can’t imagine what you have had to go through. I’m also sorry that the past few days have been less than great.”

  She turned back to Mark. “You spent a solid year looking for your man in black. During that year you quit your job, quit your friends and came up with what? Nothing but a box filled with files that lead you to nowhere but self-isolation. I’m sorry, but I won’t help you go back to that world, if only for the basic reason that you no longer work at Orion and will not receive its benefits.” In one fluid movement, Nikki stood and moved to the office door. She held it open. “There is such a thing as coincidences and bad luck and timing, and I think that’s all it is.”

  Kelli didn’t need look at Mark to know that the conversation was through. They would not be getting Nikki’s help. They would not be granted a reprieve. She followed the man out with only a nod to Nikki as they passed.

  Jillian didn’t stop them as they left through the lobby, and Mark didn’t even say goodbye. Kelli couldn’t tell if he was mad, disappointed or embarrassed. Whatever he was feeling, he was definitely silent as they drove away.

  It was a silence that Kelli couldn’t take for long.

  “So, Nikki mentioned you
had a box of files on the fire that killed Victor?”

  Mark took in a long breath before letting it go out in a whoosh.

  “Yes. Everything I collected in the year after.” He lowered his voice as if he was being scolded for a mistake. “I was looking for something—anything—that could help me—” he paused “—understand.” Kelli knew the look of guilt he was trying to hide. It was one she was starting to feel when looking at Mark. Not because he couldn’t save Victor, but because of what she realized she was starting to feel for the ex-bodyguard. Instead of trying to sort her thoughts out on the future, she tried to focus on the present.

  “I’d like to see that box, if you don’t mind.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Let’s figure out why Darwin McGregor lied.”

  * * *

  MARK DISAPPEARED INTO his bedroom for a few minutes. He wouldn’t tell her where the box of files was, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was well hidden.

  Kelli took the time to check in on Lynn and Grace. Both were watching cartoons in their pajamas. One reason why Lynn made such a great babysitter was that she was a grown-up child herself. Sometimes Grace had to let her know when she was done playing.

  Lynn thankfully didn’t ask too many questions. Kelli let the woman keep thinking she was dealing with the break-in and house issues for the day. Which wasn’t too far from the truth. Finding out who wanted the journal was intrinsically tied to the break-in.

  “Sorry,” Mark said, breaking the silence. “I was a little too nondescript when labeling this. Not to mention I think I might have tried to hide it from myself.” He put a box on the coffee table and took the seat next to her on the couch.

  “I see what you meant about being nondescript,” she commented. The box was devoid of any telling signs of what might be inside. It was an utterly ordinary brown with the top taped down. He pulled a pocketknife from his jeans but set it on the table.

  “Are you sure you want to see all of this?” he asked, keeping his gaze on the box. “To say this isn’t filled with bad memories would be a lie.”

  For one long moment, Kelli considered his words. She had been excited at the idea that Mark had files that could lead them to who was behind Victor’s death and attempting to steal his journal. Yet it wasn’t until that moment that she realized the past was neatly packed up a few inches from her. Was she ready to face tangible proof of the past instead of the memories that still haunted her at any mention or sight of smoke?

  “No, I need to do this,” she decided. “If not to find justice for Victor, then to ensure Grace’s safety.”

  “Then, here we go.”

  Chapter Ten

  “So give me your summary on all of this.” Kelli waved her hand over the papers and pictures on the coffee table. They had spent the past half hour in silence, each combing through what Mark had collected. Most notable were the copies of the police report on Darwin McGregor, the rough sketch Mark had drawn of the man he claimed was responsible, and Orion’s origin file on Victor and Kelli. She’d only glanced at that last one, pushing it to the side to look at later.

  Mark ran his hand across the stubble on his chin and put down the pictures in his hand. They were of Victor’s family cabin the day after the fire. She’d already glanced at those, too, but decided to keep her distance. On her darkest days, she could sometimes close her eyes and see the flames devouring the structure during the dead of night.

  “On the surface it’s simple,” he started. “A dumb kid who likes starting fires sets fire to a cabin. In the process he blows up the propane tank. Which sets off a chain reaction that eventually destroys the entire place...and a man is killed because of it.” He didn’t pause, and Kelli was grateful for it. “He confesses in court that he intended to set the fire and—bonus—it’s not his first one, so he’s tried as an adult and sent to prison. Then everyone forgets about it. Well, you know what I mean.”

  He put his hand on the paper closest to him—the sketch of the man. “But I saw a man in black, bigger than the boy, spreading the fire. A man no one else thought existed.” His eyes rounded a fraction. “A man I now realize bears a striking resemblance to the man who broke into your house last night.” Kelli tried to interrupt, but Mark continued. “He set the fire, intending to have no survivors, and then disappeared. Darwin wasn’t caught until the next morning, miles away from the cabin. Do you remember how he acted in court?”

  Kelli didn’t have to think hard. “Crude.”

  Mark nodded. “He certainly wasn’t trying to sell that he was sorry for what he’d done. Even with his grandmother looking on the entire time.”

  Kelli remembered the young man’s lack of empathy as he recounted setting the fires, later answering without pause that it wasn’t the first time. He hadn’t shown an ounce of regret despite claiming that he knew exactly what his actions had cost Kelli and her unborn child.

  She cleared her throat. “I remember hearing her cry,” she said. The sound of the older woman crying had created a background noise that had competed with Kelli’s own sobs. Before Grace had been born, she hadn’t always been rock solid. Then again, no one had expected her to be.

  “She raised Darwin,” Mark said. “I think he was the only family she had. I looked her up out of curiosity a few months after the trial. She’s holed up in some lakeside retirement home.”

  That caught Kelli’s attention.

  “Lakeside retirement home?” she asked, pulling out her phone. “Do you know the name of it, by chance?”

  “Uh, something about an apple? I can’t remember, but I know it’s just outside Wilmington, North Carolina. Darwin was a local there.” Kelli pulled up the search browser on her phone. “Why?”

  She put up a finger to tell him to wait. Her heartbeat started to speed up. Close to a clue? Reaching? She didn’t know which was more accurate. But when she found what she was looking for she made a noise that was caught between an aha and a gasp.

  “Appleton Retreat,” she said, handing her phone over. The website for the retirement home was pulled up. Its gallery of photos were on a slideshow on the homepage.

  “Okay...what am I looking at, exactly?”

  “Darwin didn’t hire a lawyer. One was appointed to him, right? Do you remember why?” She knew the answer but wanted to verify what she thought she knew.

  “They couldn’t afford one. Something about her medical bills before the fire.”

  Kelli motioned to the phone.

  “And now, less than two years later, she’s living in a retirement home for the wealthy?”

  Mark quieted as he looked through the pictures.

  “Darwin and she lived in an apartment together before the fire. I remember him being asked about his residence while on stand.” She held back a shudder. She didn’t like recalling so many details about the trial. Yet here she was trying to remember all of the pieces. “If she was in debt with medical bills and Darwin was truly her only living relative...”

  “Then how did she get the money for Appleton Retreat?” Mark finished.

  She snapped her fingers. “Maybe that’s why you saw a different man spreading the fire, and why Darwin didn’t argue with what was going on.”

  Mark raised his brow before he voiced it.

  “Because Darwin McGregor was paid to take the fall,” he said.

  Kelli nodded so adamantly that her hair swished back and forth along her cheeks.

  “How much do you want to bet that her medical bills disappeared, too? How can we even find that out?” Kelli’s thoughts were going faster than her reason. She certainly didn’t want to give the woman a call and ask. First, that would sound alarm bells for whoever was behind this newly formed yet becoming-more-real theory. Second, Mark and Kelli definitely were the last people who should be the ones to talk to her. Even if her grandson hadn’t
actually committed the crime, he was definitely paying for it. Just thinking about talking to the woman started a soft loop of her sobs from the courtroom playing in the background of her memory.

  Mark rubbed at his facial stubble again, falling into deep thought. He was picking his words carefully when he finally spoke.

  “I may have a friend who can help us answer those questions. Though...I don’t know how legal it will be.”

  Caught off guard, Kelli chuckled.

  “Let me guess, another bodyguard friend?” she asked, already picturing the imaginary man sitting behind one of the desks she had seen in Orion earlier.

  “Close, but no cigar.” He handed her back her phone and pulled his out.

  “So, no Orion agent?”

  “No. His wife.”

  * * *

  “ACUITY INVESTIGATIONS. Darling Quinn here.”

  Mark cleared his throat as a voice he hadn’t heard in half a year floated through the earpiece.

  “Hey, Darling, it’s Mark. Mark Tranton.”

  There was a noticeable pause on the other end.

  “I’m not going to pretend I’m not surprised right now,” she replied. Her tone was light and, if he wasn’t mistaken, he could hear a smile in her voice. Mark relaxed his shoulders a fraction. Oliver Quinn’s wife had always been a vocal woman—even before they’d married the year before—never shying away from her opinion. If she had wanted to scold him for his lack of communication with Oliver, Darling wouldn’t have held off to be polite. Instead, the light tone turned concerned quickly. “Is everything all right? Is something wrong with Nikki?”

  “No, no! Everything—and everyone—is fine,” he assured her. “I just have a favor to ask. I know I probably don’t deserve one, but if you could at least hear me out, that would mean a lot.”

  There was less hesitation in her reply this time. Instead of concern or cheer, Mark could hear the woman slip into work mode. Darling Quinn was a private investigator and a damn good one.

  “Shoot.”

  “We’re looking into an old case,” he started. Kelli’s eyes were wide with anticipation. “We think someone might have been paid off to take the fall for a fire. But...well, we don’t have proof. Just the theory.”