by Nadirah Foxx
Seconds later, Josh sat across from me. “Don’t say anything, Kerrie.”
I put down my sandwich. “You do know me, right?”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “Jared wants me back.”
“Back? I thought you said—”
“It was a brief relationship.” Josh averted his eyes. “It happened one summer.”
“When?”
Josh looked up at me. “The one you spent abroad.”
I remembered it well. Josh and I barely contacted each other, which was seriously odd for us. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” His expression darkened. “I’m not gay, Kerrie.”
I shrugged. “I don’t care. But…”
“What?”
“Did you two…like…um… Did you have sex with him?”
Josh rubbed his brow. “Yes.”
“Who was on—”
“Don’t you dare say it!” Lowering his voice, he asked, “Do you want me asking about sex with Ryan?”
I shuddered. “Hey, it doesn’t matter. I only want you to be happy. Be who you want to be. Love whoever you want.”
Josh blew air through his cheeks. “I’m still trying to figure that out. No matter who I’ve dated, it always comes down to the one person I can’t get out of my mind.”
Time to drop the subject. It was a contentious issue for us. Not something to be discussed in a coffee shop.
“You know, I think I could use a latte,” I said. “Would you like one?”
“I’ll get it for you.” Josh pushed to his feet. “Mocha?”
“Yeah. That’s fine.”
Josh stared at me. “You okay?”
I nodded.
“No argument?”
“Not today.”
When he walked over to the counter, I made up my mind about moving into the bunker. I pulled out my phone and shot Debbie a text.
KERRIE KING: I’LL MOVE INTO THE BASEMENT APARTMENT.
Within seconds, Debbie answered back.
DEBBIE SCOTT: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE ME TO DO FOR YOU?
Josh was still waiting for my drink.
KERRIE KING: IS THERE ACCESS TO THE GARAGE?
DEBBIE SCOTT: YES.
KERRIE KING: THEN I CAN HANDLE IT. BE SURE TO SEND ME THE PASSCODES.
DEBBIE SCOTT: ON THE WAY.
Right before I put my phone away, it buzzed with another message containing the codes.
“Was that important?” Josh asked as he set my cup down.
“Sort of. I found a place to stay,” I announced.
Josh’s forehead wrinkled before he plopped down across from me. “Kerrie, I told you the guest room is yours for as long you like.”
“I know, but that’s a temporary situation.” No way would I tell him he was the push I needed to get the hell out.
“When?”
“I can move in tonight.”
His face reddened, and his words turned harsh. “Where the hell are you going? A hotel? Your mom’s house?”
“No.” I maintained my calm as I explained to him about Ryan’s apartment, conveniently omitting its location. If Josh knew I’d be living in a basement, he’d try to stop me. “I’m going to move in there.”
That tidbit provoked more anger. Josh barked, “Was Ryan cheating on you?”
Bystanders glanced over at us.
“No!” I was appalled Josh would even ask. “It was something he had in case he had a late night at the office. Sometimes Ryan would get up in the middle of the night to work on projects. The apartment allowed him to take naps.”
Josh’s fury abated. “Oh. I suppose that makes sense. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
“No need. Honestly, when Debbie told me about the place, I had my own doubts. But Ryan loved me. He left me information regarding the apartment. Not something a guilty man would do.”
Josh offered me a thin smile and then asked, “Do you need some help moving?”
“Nope. I’ll just take a bag for tonight.” I wrapped my hand around the warm cup. “Changing the subject… I have to meet Tristan Edwards at the cemetery in a few minutes.”
Josh’s irritation returned. He had never liked Tristan. “Why?”
“He has some information that might prove useful.” I sipped the latte.
“What could that ass have that would be worthwhile?”
“A possible corruption trail.” I took one more sip and then stood. “Do you want to come with me? Make sure he’s on the up and up?”
“I’ll call the station from the car.” He pushed to his feet and held out his hand. “I’ll drive.”
“It’s my car,” I whined.
“You drive like a maniac.”
Reluctantly, I relinquished the keys. For some reason, having Josh with me, regardless of any burgeoning emotions, made me feel safer.
9
More Questions
Tristan was less than pleased to see me arrive with Josh for two reasons. The fact that I brought someone was a breach of the privacy Tristan had hoped to maintain. The second had more to do with the fact that it was Josh.
The two men absolutely despised one another. When we were freshman in high school, I found out Tristan had a mega crush on me. Josh was the barrier between us. Every time Tristan attempted to get me alone, Josh would be there. Eventually, Tristan gave up, but not amicably. At one point, he was ready to fight for me. By then, Ryan had entered the scene, making Tristan’s crush a thing of the past.
“Why is he here?” Tristan asked with his hands shoved into his pockets.
“To keep me company. Why else?” I didn’t see a file or even a notebook. “Did you bring what I asked for?”
“I did.” He removed a hand and revealed a silver thumb drive. When I extended my arm, Tristan held the item just out of reach. “Not so fast, Kerrie. I need something from you.”
Josh opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head. “What do you want?”
“A promise.” Tristan closed the distance between us. “If you should find anything… If this leads to a problem here in Liberty City, you’ll bring me the details. Let me reveal the story. Of course, I’ll keep your name out of it.”
“Deal,” I said before Josh could stop me. Tristan placed the storage device in my hand and walked away.
“That wasn’t a smart move, Kerrie,” Josh grumbled.
“It’s fucking information! If it helps me find who murdered my husband and my child, it’s a chance I’ll gladly take.” I looked up at the ornate tombstone with both Ryan’s and RJ’s names engraved. Mom and my in-laws thought a combined marker would be best as if father and son would remain together forever. I prayed that was the case.
Josh touched my shoulder, startling me. “You’re right. Anything that helps you accomplish that is valuable. I’m sorry.”
“No, I am. It seems all I do is snap at you when you’re just trying to…” My voice cracked as the tears began. When would the pain go away? I was tired of hurting. Tired of rehashing the events of that night over and over again in my mind.
My phone buzzing in my pocket grabbed my attention. According to the caller ID, it was someone from the precinct. I sniffed and cleared my voice.
“Hello?”
“Kerrie King?” I slipped the thumb drive into my purse.
“This is she.”
“I’m with the LCPD. I thought you might like to know an arrest was just made.”
“The men who killed my husband and my son?”
“Yes, ma’am. Like I said, I thought you should know.”
“Wait!”
The woman disconnected the call.
“That was odd.”
“What was?”
“Someone from the station called. The police have arrested the men who killed Ryan and RJ.”
Josh’s tone brightened. “That’s good. We should get over there.”
As we hurried to my car, I said, “Why didn’t the detective on the case call? I would have tho
ught Captain Stratham—”
“Who called?” Josh closed the door and cranked the motor.
I put on my seat belt. “I have no idea. She only said she was with the department.”
Josh pulled away from the curb and headed east. “I know you’re probably dwelling on that little fact, but does it matter?”
“What do you mean?”
“As long as an arrest has been made, does it matter who called you?”
“No. Not really.”
But my mind wouldn’t let it go. The closer we got to the station, the more I wanted to know. The woman didn’t even bother to give me a name. How would I thank her for calling?
When we entered the station, Bart was on duty. He informed me that Captain Stratham wanted to see me. Josh refused to leave my side even to go into the office.
“I think I can do this without you,” I said.
“No way, Kerrie. You could use the support.”
“Fine.”
The captain sat behind his desk with a mountain of paperwork pushed to one side. He gave Josh a venomous gaze when we sat down. “Don’t you have some work to do, Reynolds?”
“Actually, I don’t. I’m taking the day off. You can check with HR.”
Unable to give a rebuttal, the captain turned his attention to me. “We’ve made an arrest in your case.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here.”
“How do you know? Neither I nor the detective handling it called you.”
“Funny thing. I received a call from someone. She said she was with the department.”
Captain Stratham’s forehead wrinkled. “Obviously, someone broke protocol.” He reached for a file off the stack. “I understand you’ve met with Dr. Upton.”
“You could call it that.”
He glanced at me. “You’ll need to sit down and have a session or two before you’re cleared for duty.”
It took a great deal of effort not to tell the captain what he could do with those sessions. Rather than reveal my intentions, I simply smiled. “Is there anything else?”
The man pushed the folder to one side and looked at a notepad. “You could meet with the doctor now. She left word you could come up as soon as you arrived.”
Josh and I exchanged a look before standing. “How about I call Dr. Upton when I’m available? I have errands to run. My husband’s belongings won’t pack themselves.”
Captain Stratham bobbed his head and pursed his lips. “I suppose that has to take precedent. Don’t put it off for too long. You do want to return to work, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I lied and walked out of the office.
Josh caught up with me in front of the elevators. “Where are you headed?”
“Archives. It’s the one place I can get some info without alerting the captain.”
Thankfully, my friend waited until we were in the semi-privacy of the elevator before speaking again. “Is this about the device?”
“No. I really want to look at the home invasions outside of Liberty City. I know we have the data.”
“To what end?”
“If the M.O. was the same in each robbery, then we have a serial crime situation.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning this is organized. An organized crime can be traced back to one person. Yes, whoever killed Ryan and RJ deserve to be punished, but they’re not the only ones. Taking down whoever orchestrated this shit is the real goal.”
Josh stared back at me as if I’d taken leave of my senses. Strangely, I would have agreed with him. My job as an analyst was about fact finding, but with the murder of my family, I no longer wanted to gather details. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I got to the bottom of the senseless crime. Even if that meant taking matters into my own hands.
10
No Justice
Josh and I spent hours poring over the data. Sadly, we managed to identify a pattern. Every home invasion in the Tri-City area began right before a change in city government or its police force. Coincidentally, those shifts were spurred by security breaches. When local cybersecurity firms made bids to help fix apparent flaws in the affected systems, the burglaries began. Shortly after, the mayor of the impacted city announced that the so-called protocol problems had been repaired.
“Kerrie, you do realize this mess is a lot more complicated than we expected?”
“Yeah. It’s an organized clusterfuck. Anyone suspected in the crimes are minor players in the grand scheme.”
“What do you propose we do?”
Great question without an easy answer. “Let’s get out of here for starters. We can finish up at Sentinel.”
Josh gave me a curious look.
We’d already said too much in the open. If someone was listening in, we might be looking at a dangerous road ahead. I’d explain it to him later.
The ride to the office was utterly silent. Like I said, it was unlike Josh and me to have lingering disagreements. We always found a way to make amends. As much as I didn’t need to live under his roof, I still needed him in my life.
By the time he pulled into the parking garage for Sentinel, the tension between us was close to snapping. Instead of taking him upstairs, we rode the elevator to the basement level. According to Debbie, there was space to store Ryan’s Navigator and my car. Besides the parking, there was also a room that would hold most of my belongings from the house. At least, whatever I didn’t sell.
We stopped in front of a set of dark double-glass doors.
“What is this, Kerrie?”
“You’ll see.”
I checked my phone for Debbie’s text message and then inputted the passcode. Noise like tumblers disengaging sounded followed by a soft whoosh as one door popped open.
We walked down a dark corridor before stepping into the tech lab. The overhead lights flickered on. “This is where Ryan spent a lot of his time.”
“What the hell?” Josh began walking through the room filled with monitors, computers, and other pieces of technology. Random questions spilled from his mouth. “Why? What did he do with this stuff? Is it legal?”
I held up my palm. “I’m sure it’s legal. Sentinel worked on a lot of proprietary software. Ryan set this up so he could keep it private.”
Josh stopped in front of a seventy-two-inch screen hanging from the ceiling. To the right of it was what appeared to be a piece of plexiglass. But when he held up his hand, the surface lit up.
“Damn. A virtual computer station.” My friend looked at me. “You know this is like straight out of the movies, right?”
“Yeah.” I walked up to him. “We’re going to put this equipment to use and discover what’s really going on with the smash and grabs.”
Josh lifted an eyebrow as his gaze darkened. “Kerrie, you said you’d explain everything. Now seems to be a good time.”
“Follow me.” I led him out of the lab and past the offices and storage space. At the end of the hall, I inputted my passcode. The door unlocked, and the overhead lights came on.
I watched as my best friend’s jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. “Is this… This is where you’re going to live, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” I sat on the couch and patted the cushion. “No judgments.”
“Kerrie, it’s a fucking basement! You can’t live here!”
“Calm down, Josh. It’ll be fine. During the daytime, I’ll be upstairs. I simply require somewhere to lay my head and a place to shower.”
It amazed me how my basic needs had changed in such a short time. Never before would I have opted for such a crude existence. Hell, I wasn’t even the type of girl who went camping. Losing Ryan and RJ had changed me. Whether it was for the good or for the bad remained to be seen.
Josh plopped down on the sofa and stared at me. “What did I do wrong, Kerrie?”
“You didn’t do anything,” I lied. “It wasn’t like I could live in your apartment forever.”
He dragged a hand through his hair and turned his eyes to the floor. “I do
n’t like it.”
“Think of it this way. Without me under foot, maybe you can pursue a relationship with Jared.”
“This isn’t about him.” Josh’s eyes met mine. There was so much pain within them I shuddered. “This is about me. Once again, you’re running instead of facing the truth.”
My cheeks heated. We had too much history between us. Unfortunately, my friend chose that moment to call me out on it. Years ago, when Ryan and I were dating, I made a huge mistake. It was the reason for a lot of the animosity between my husband and his nemesis.
I went on a horrendous date with Adam Fairchild. It happened after Ryan and I had an argument. For all intents and purposes, I assumed we had split up. So when Adam pestered me about meeting him for a drink, I went.
I wore a black dress. It was cut low in the front and the back—too provocative for a casual meet and greet. Adam met me at Peacemaker’s Bar and Grill over on 14th Street. We were in the Business District. I didn’t think anything would happen.
“Hey, beautiful!”
The overeager greeting came from the king of slime, Adam Fairchild. He shot me a crooked grin and then ran a hand over his perfectly coiffed hair. Honestly, I thought the guy used more hair product than I did.
I forced a smile. “Hi, Adam.”
Peacemaker’s wasn’t my type of establishment. It was too dark for starters, and I wasn’t a big fan of the food. To be on the safe side, I told Josh where I was going and who I was with.
“Shall we have a seat?” Adam said. “A friend of mine is the owner. He saved us a table.” My date extended his hand. “Shall we?”
Reluctantly, I followed the man through the crowded bar. I noticed Josh sat at the bar nursing a beer.
Honestly, the date wasn’t bad as long as I looked beyond Adam’s blatant ogling. I felt like a piece of meat in a butcher-shop display case. Trouble didn’t start until I walked out the front door.
Adam grabbed my upper arm and swung me around. “I didn’t say the date was over.”
I blew air through my cheeks and glanced down at his hand. “I have to get up early. Take your hand off me.”
“Don’t you think you owe me a little something?”
