The Truth of Yesterday

by Josh Aterovis

  “Wow,” Noah said when I was done.

  “Yeah,” Val agreed, “I think you win the hard knock life award.”

  “Hands down,” Tony seconded, and Peter and Everett nodded.

  “I didn't know it was a competition,” I said, wondering what they'd say if they knew the rest of the details.

  “You're right, it's not,” Noah said.

  “Hey, it's getting late and I still have work to do,” Peter said.

  “Me too,” Everett sighed. “I was just putting it off as long as possible.”

  “Procrastinator,” Val said as everyone stood up and started gathering whatever things they had brought.

  “You know it. So, Killian, we'll see next week?” Everett asked.

  “I think so,” I said. “As long as nothing else comes up at work.”

  “Where do you work?” Noah asked.

  “Uh, well, actually I'm a private investigator,” I said hesitantly. This time I had to laugh at the way everyone froze in place and turned to look at me in shock.

  “For real?” Tony said.

  “Yeah, for real.”

  “Whoa. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?” Everett said.

  “Well, we hope to see you next week, Mr. Detective-boy,” Val said.

  Everyone quickly went off in different directions, leaving me alone once again with Noah.

  “Walk you to your car?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “If you want.”

  “I do.”

  We walked out of the building and to my car while making small talk. Once we were at my car, Noah seemed to have something he wanted to say.

  “Spit it out,” I said.

  “Huh?”

  “Whatever it is you want to say.”

  “Oh. Am I that obvious?”

  “Yup.”

  He took a deep breath. “So, uh, how seriously are you dating this guy? Do you see other people?”

  “No, we're seeing each other exclusively,” I said gently. I felt bad shooting him down, but he seemed to expect my response.

  “And I can tell you're not the type to fool around, so let me just say that if anything ever happens and you break up with him, give me a call, ok? In the meantime, friends?” He held out his hand.

  I smiled. “Friends,” I said taking his hand and shaking it.

  He held on a little longer than necessary, then slowly backed away a few steps before turning and jogging away. I watched him go before climbing into my car. If I wasn't with Micah I'd be all over you like white on rice, I thought as I drove away. And it was very good for Micah that I wasn't the type to fool around, because I was actually finding myself sore tempted with Noah.

  Chapter 5

  When I got home, the first thing I noticed as I pulled into the driveway was that Micah's car was still there. Had he ever left? When I'd left he'd been heading for the bathroom and he'd told me to go ahead, he'd let himself out. If he'd been here the whole time I'd been gone, a peek at my watch told me it had been almost three hours, what did that mean? I jumped out of my car with a nervous flutter in my stomach, took the three steps up to the porch level with one leap, and let myself in.

  I found Micah in the living room with Steve. They looked up when I appeared in the door and smiled. Good, at least they didn't seem surprised or uncomfortable to find me standing there, like I imagined they would have if they'd been talking about me.

  “We were just talking about you,” Steve said.

  Oh. “Is that good or bad?” I asked carefully.

  “Mostly good,” Micah said with a grin and a wink.

  I went the rest of the way into the room and Micah patted a spot next to him on the sofa. I settled into the spot and looked from him to Steve.

  “Were you here the whole time?” I asked Micah.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I stuck my head in to say bye to Steve and we just got talking; you know what they say about time flying when you're having fun.”

  “So, what all did you talk about?”

  “You want him to recap three hours of conversation?” Steve asked in a teasing voice.

  I shrugged. I had a feeling everything wasn't be said.

  “Well, the readers digest version is that I've decided to go with you to DC,” Micah said.

  I felt my eyes light up. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Oh my gosh! That's great! Oh, thank you so much! I'd better go call Novak! And then I need to pack.”

  “Whoa, slow down,” Micah laughed. “When are we leaving? I still need to make arrangements with work and all.”

  “Is tomorrow too soon?” I asked, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't.

  “I think I can swing it,” Micah said. “What time?”

  “Late morning would be ok.”

  “Go call Novak then,” he said and I practically flew from the room.

  I found out from Novak that he'd had such faith in my abilities to convince Micah to go along that he'd already booked us adjoining rooms in the same hotel as Mr. Knox. Micah and I firmed up our plans and he left to go home and get ready as I headed upstairs to pack. I was extremely excited. Not only was I getting ready to follow my first case on my own into the city, but this would also be Micah and my first weekend away together. I had a feeling it would be a weekend to remember.

  * * *

  “Wow,” I said as we stepped into the lobby of the hotel where Novak had secured reservations in my name. It was times like this when I realized that, at heart, I was little more than a country bumpkin. I'd never been in a hotel like this. The floors were highly polished white marble. Huge, white columns rose from the floor to meet a high vaulted ceiling from which enormous crystal chandeliers were suspended. The lower part of the walls were paneled with a rich, dark wood that I thought might be mahogany and the upper parts were hung with expensive looking art that I was willing to bet was the real deal. The furniture arranged around the lobby on thick oriental rugs all looked to be authentic antiques, or if not, then high quality reproductions.

  “One things for sure,” Micah said looking around, “This guy you're following has expensive tastes.”

  “At least he doesn't mind spending the company money,” I pointed out. I hefted my suitcase and started across the expanse of marble towards the desk.

  “Hello,” I said to the young woman behind the desk. “I believe two rooms are reserved under the name Kendall.”

  She flashed me a smile and typed on her computer for a minute, then looked up. “Killian Kendall?” she asked. I nodded. She looked at the screen again and then back to me. “Did you say two rooms?”

  “I thought so,” I said a little uncertainly. I thought that's what Novak had told me, but I wasn't positive.

  “We only have you down for one room, sir,” she said.

  “Oh…I…” That was unexpected. “Is there an adjoining room available?” I asked, hating the desperate tone that had creeped into my voice. I was glad Micah was wondering around looking at the artwork and not paying attention to my check-in process.

  She hit a few more keys on her keyboard and shook her head. “I'm sorry. There's a large conference going on here in our conference hall and all our rooms are pretty much booked up. I hope it won't be a problem.”

  I took a deep breath. I wanted to argue but at the same time, I didn't want to make a scene. More than anything, I wanted to get out of the lobby before Mr. Knox wandered in. Traffic had been heavier than we'd anticipated on the Beltway and we were running later than I had planned.

  Briefly, I wondered if the conference might not be why Knox was staying here in the first place. If so, that would make my job easier. He'd be less likely to leave the hotel all that much. My mind shifted back to the situation at hand and I felt my stomach clench. “No, it won't be a problem,” I said through gritted teeth.

  She smiled apologetically and clicked away on her keyboard. A few seconds later, a form came rolling out of the printer. “Just sign right here and I'll get your key for you,
” she said.

  I signed the papers and she handed over the keycard and my receipt. It was all being billed to Novak's company credit card and would in turn be billed to Mrs. Knox. If she was wrong about her husband's philandering, she would be looking a large bill for nothing. Then again, maybe it would be worth the peace of mind.

  “I'm sorry for the inconvenience,” the woman behind the counter said again, her attention already turning to the wealthy looking couple that was walking up behind me. Somehow, I doubted her sincerity.

  I grabbed my suitcase and went to get Micah. When he saw my expression he frowned, but I shook my head.

  “What's wrong?” he asked as soon as the elevator doors had slid shut.

  “We're sharing a room,” I told him. I was so tense now that I wasn't even noticing my lavish surroundings.

  Micah looked at me silently for a second. “That's not the end of the world, you know,” he said lightly.

  “I just…I wasn't ready for that.”

  “Ready? What do you mean ready?”

  “I just mean I wasn't prepared. I thought we had two rooms…” My voice trailed off.

  “Killian, I'm not going to jump you as soon as the door closes. Give me a little credit here. I think I can control myself that much.”

  I blushed but didn't say anything.

  “Maybe there're two beds,” he said.

  There weren't.

  “It's not that bad,” he tried. I looked dubiously at the lone double bed in the center of the small but beautiful room. “Look, if it would make you feel better I'll get another room.”

  “They're all booked up,” I said stiffly. I was still standing just inside the doorway clutching my suitcase in front of me like a shield.

  “Then what do you want? You want me to go find another hotel? I can't go home, we drove up here together.”

  “I don't know what I want,” I said.

  “Do you ever?” His question, and its unspoken implications, stung like a slap in the face. “I didn't mean that,” he said quickly, “It's just, you're the one that wanted me along so badly.”

  I sighed. “I do want you along. I'm sorry; I'm being a jerk. It just caught me by surprise.”

  “Maybe we can get a roll-away bed.”

  “And put it where? No, we don't need a roll-away bed. I'm being stupid. We can share the bed.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I'm sure.”

  “I promise I'll stay on my side,” he said with a teasing leer. “Unless you invite me over to your side, anyway.” He waggled his eyebrows at me and I managed a weak smile in return, but it was enough. The worst of the tension was gone, although my stomach was still knotted up in a tight little ball.

  “I'd better get back down to the lobby so I can keep an eye out for Mr. Knox,” I said. Micah and I had already discussed how this would work. We both knew that this was a business trip, at least for me, and that meant I had to do my job. I was going to watch for Knox to check in and keep an eye on him after that. If he started to leave the hotel, then Micah stepped in as my guide. It wasn't a perfect plan, if Micah took too long to reach the lobby when I called up for him we could lose Knox, but it was the best we could come up with since we were afraid two of us lurking around the lobby would be more suspicious than just me.

  I grabbed a book out of my suitcase and rode the elevator back down the ground floor. After ascertaining that Knox hadn't checked in yet, much to my relief, I picked a chair in the lobby that afforded me a clear view of the main door and the front desk while keeping me mostly out of sight behind a large potted plant. I settled in and pretended to read. It was about an hour before Knox entered, towing a luggage cart laden with two small bags behind him. He made directly for the desk. His check-in apparently went much smoother than mine did, because he had the keycard and was heading for the elevators in no time. I made myself wait where I was until the door closed behind him, then went over and pretended to push the up button. While I “waited” for the elevator to arrive, I watched to see which floor Knox's elevator stopped on, the floor above Micah and me as it turned out. As soon as I knew where to go, I pushed the button for real. Almost immediately, the other door opened and I stepped into it. I hit the button for the floor Knox has stopped on and rode up. The elevator moved agonizingly slowly. I was almost frantic by the time the doors opened just in time to see him carrying his second bag into his room. I hesitated for a second, but he never even looked up; he simply shut the door leaving the cart in the hall for the hotel staff to retrieve. I made note of his room number and then cased the hallway looking for a place where I could unobtrusively keep an eye on his room.

  I was in luck. About halfway down the hallway, in the opposite direction from the elevators, was a small alcove with two chairs, a small table, and a lamp. It wasn't ideal, but it would do. Chances were fairly good that if Knox came out of his room, he'd head for the elevators and not towards me. As long as none of the other folks on the floor noticed my hanging around and reported me to security, I'd be ok. I settled into one of the chairs and checked my watch. It was a little after four.

  Stakeouts have to be one of the most boring things I have ever done. They are definitely the worst part about being a private detective. You can literally spend hour upon hour doing nothing but staring at a door. I had a book with me, one of Mercedes Lackey's most recent, but there was always the danger with me that I'd get so into the story that I'd miss the moment when Knox finally made his move. As a result, I could only give the book half my attention, which was very unsatisfying for someone who likes to read as much as I do.

  It was just before six when the door to Knox's room swung open and he stepped out. He'd changed out of his traveling clothes and into a business-like suit. He pulled the door shut and strode off down the hall towards the elevators without so much as a glance in my direction. I remained where I was until the elevator doors closed. I watched the numbers above the door light up in descending order until they settled on the Lobby Floor. I knew I didn't have time to wait for the elevator so I ran for the stairs. The last thing I wanted to do was lose him this early. I took them two at a time and was panting by the time I reached the bottom. Time to hit the gym, I thought ruefully as my chest heaved. I was way out of shape.

  I took a deep, calming breath and hoped I had composed myself somewhat as I entered the lobby. I scanned the room as casually as I could and felt my stomach drop. Oh, shit! Knox was nowhere in sight. I crossed the room as quickly as I could without running and stepped outside. I looked both ways; still no sign of him. Shit, shit, shit!

  Then I remembered the conference. Maybe he was here for the conference being held in the building itself. Didn't weekend conferences often start on Friday evening?

  I quickly let myself back into the hotel and caught a bellboy by the sleeve.

  “Excuse me. Can you tell me where the conference rooms are?” I asked the boy. He looked like he was probably around my age but had the misfortune to bear a more than slight simian resemblance. With his uniform, he looked rather like an organ grinder's monkey. I half expected him to jump up and down and point while demanding a quarter. Instead, he gave me a polite smile and gave me directions to the conference hall.

  I thanked him and moved off down the hall he'd indicated at a swift clip, not quite a jog but not far from it. I rounded the last corner and came to screeching halt. To my vast relief, Knox was standing not too far from me talking to another man in a business suit. Thankfully, his back was to me and I was able to quickly take in the hallway before slipping back around the corner.

  It was going to be harder to keep an eye on him here. There was no convenient alcove set up and people would be coming and going. I didn't want to be too obvious by loitering in the halls. Speaking of being obvious, I realized that I probably looked fairly shifty standing at the edge of the corner with my back pressed against the wall. I forced my body into a more casual stance, as if I were waiting there for someone to come along. What was I goi
ng to do about Knox? I looked down the hall behind me; there was no one in sight so I risked a peek around the corner. I watched while Knox and the man he was talking to seemed to finish up their conversation and they both moved towards one of the conference hall doors.

  “Can I help you?” a voice asked from behind me causing me to leap at least a foot into the air. I spun around in midair to find someone from the hotel staff looking at me the way one might look at a pile of offending doggie doo that had somehow managed to situate itself under your foot. The man facing me was a little above average height with stiffly gelled dark hair and somewhat beady eyes that glared down his long, thin nose at me.

  “Um, yes,” I said while I thought furiously, “Is this the, uh, place where the, er, conference is being held?” Weak, but it would have to do.