Mission

by Camilla Chafer

  "What do you know about clauses for any babies they might have?"

  "I have no idea. It never came up." I glanced at Austen again. "Maybe Zach just couldn't bear seeing his sister so happy."

  Garrett followed my gaze. I felt terrible at delivering a bombshell on top of his already terrible day, despite the small glint of hope that Sophie would awaken soon. "If Sophie died childless, Austen would inherit anything she owned as her husband. Who inherits that if Austen dies, also without children?" he asked. "He was attacked too, remember."

  "Zach would get something, I guess, as Sophie's next of kin? He even asked Austen about it. Austen has a sister but even if they split it two ways, that's got to be a helluva lot of money."

  "I'm going to get some extra uniforms up here to watch over him and recommend he hire a private security firm or extend his fee to include Solomon's team. He needs professionals, not his construction foreman."

  "Do you really think his life is in that much danger? I figured he was hit so the assailant could get to Sophie."

  "Yeah," said Garrett, "I do. And I'm putting out a BOLO on Zach Gallo while I verify if he was the one behind today's attack. Jeez. What a mess this is."

  "There's still something not right about it, but I can't put my finger on it," I said, stepping back to lean against the wall. "I wish I could."

  "You've given me the motive for the assault and I think there's a good argument for attempted murder. Once I confirm Zach's presence, this will be wrapped up."

  "Not for Austen. Whatever happens with Sophie, this will stay with him for the rest of his life."

  "You got past being engaged to an asshole," said Garrett.

  "Only after I made some terrible choices first," I reminded him, hoping he wouldn't ask me for a list of every misadventure. It was a very long and largely embarrassing list, and those were just the bits I remembered. "Plus, it helped that I didn't actually marry him."

  "I'm not sure whom I hated more: your ex-fiancé, Daniel's ex-wife, or Serena's ex-husband."

  "Tough one," I agreed. "Although we all knocked it out of the park when it came to our current spouses."

  "Agreed," said Garrett. "And neither Solomon nor Delgado scare me, no matter what they think."

  I arched my brows even though I tried to keep the skepticism from showing on my face. "Sure."

  "I'll keep you updated," said Garrett. "I need to interview Mr. Ortega and check into the hospital cameras and see if this Zach guy turns up. I can't tell you how happy I am to add this to my caseload."

  "I heard the Mackleton case isn't going so well."

  "I hate to say it but all of our leads hit dead ends. No one saw or heard anything. Even the bullet didn't offer any clues. Unless I catch a break, his file may well land on the unsolved list."

  As Garrett left, Alice returned. She changed out of her scrubs into jeans and a light sweater and carried a small backpack over her shoulder. "I have to go," she said. "I might just be on time to pick up the kids from their class today if I hurry."

  "Can I get a ride with you?"

  "You didn't drive here?"

  "No. I still don't have a car and Solomon gave me a ride. He would have come in but he got an urgent call."

  "Sure, you can ride with me. I can drop you off wherever afterwards. Ben and Rachel will be excited to see you again."

  "Cool." I grinned. I adored my niece and nephew, especially as they were nowhere near as devious as Garrett's younger son and their cousin, Sam. Not that I adored Sam any less, but sometimes, it was nice not to fear having a heart attack every thirty minutes. After checking in on Manny and finding him resting, assuring him once again that neither Austen nor Sophie were hurt, we left him with Garrett and headed to Alice’s car. On the way to the kids' art class, I told Alice that I delivered bad news to Austen and expected he was glad to see the back of me.

  "He wanted someone, you, to tell him the truth. He already had his suspicions. You know that."

  "It doesn't make it any less sucky."

  "So what are you going to do now?"

  "Check in on him and find out if he wants extra security. If not, I guess I'll prepare his bill in case he says he's heard enough." I sighed. Something still niggled at me.

  "What is it?" asked Alice.

  I shook my head. "I don't know. I guess I keep thinking about what a brilliant actress Sophie is to go from being a wild drug addict to someone so sweet and well-liked. From a dive bar to an eloquent expert on art. Two entirely different people."

  "Do you think Zach orchestrated the whole thing? Or were both of them in on it?"

  "I don't know. Zach sounds like a nasty piece of work, and that's from the people who know him as well as my own experience. He’s a bully and has money problems." I shuddered at the memory of him planting his palm on my chest and pushing me off the bungee platform. What if he hadn't secured the bungee rope? He could have easily killed me. Clearly, his intention was to scare me into not coming around again, or maybe all the witnesses saved me; he'd have a hard time convincing so many it was an accident. Unless I had backup, I definitely wouldn't question him again. It was too risky. But now I thought about it, the only people who didn't seem to have a bad word about him were his Sky Outdoors colleagues. Maybe I didn’t talk to them long enough. "But," I conceded, "Sophie might have wanted out."

  "Do you think?"

  "Austen told me about the pregnancy."

  "Oh."

  "Why didn't you say?"

  "I couldn't! It's private medical information. I could get fired. Plus, I hinted that Austen could tell you about her bloodwork." Alice flipped the blinker and waited to make the turn before saying, "Do you think Sophie really wanted to stop the ruse?"

  "Assuming it's Austen's baby, yes. I can't imagine her wanting a baby with someone she planned to rip off and leave. They would be stuck together for life even if they divorced."

  "Maybe she planned on ditching the baby too? She could sell it for a bigger payday."

  My jaw dropped. "That's terrible!"

  "It happens."

  I thought about it for a few awful minutes. Sophie knew she wasn't entitled to a penny in a divorce. Could a baby secure the money she and Zach thought they could get from Austen? Probably. I had no doubt Austen would never let his child disappear... but would Sophie really sell her own baby? Plotting to seduce a man for his money was one thing; could she be that heartless? "I don't know about this," I said. "I have to assume it's possible, but what if Sophie wanted to stay with Austen and get away from Zach? She had a better chance at everything in life: a husband who loves her, a baby, a family. No worries about money again. That has to be why Zach attacked her. He couldn't control her anymore and if she woke up, she could identify him as her attacker."

  "Anyone would resent losing a payday like that."

  "But would he be mad enough to kill his own sister?" I watched the series of neat, little houses as we drove past. Families were returning home from work and a couple of kids were rollerskating on the sidewalk, wobbly and uncertain. A man handed money to a teenage boy cutting the lawn, and I wondered if they were father and son with their matching shocks of red hair. "Sophie signed a pre-nup so she knew she would get nothing," I mused.

  "That's weird for someone who appears avaricious."

  "Isn't it? She knew she wouldn't get anything if they divorced."

  "So? Maybe that's why she got pregnant."

  "Yes, maybe, but maybe Zach thought she’d get something in a divorce. What if she double-crossed him?" I shook my head, realizing the cycle was repeating. "I'm back to the motive again. What if Sophie really didn't plan to leave Austen at all? She might have had no incentive and what if she fell in love with him for real? Maybe she didn't care so much about his money as she cared about them becoming a family."

  "That's what you said before. Isn't that a good thing?"

  "Yes, except for the deceitful premise that started it."

  "We're here," said Alice, pulling over. "Do you want
to come in or wait in the car?"

  "I'll come with you," I replied.

  We walked towards the tall-fenced yard that surrounded a small, squat building. Alice typed a code into the gate and we walked through before she secured it behind us. "Isn't it crazy that they need this kind of security on kids' facilities?" she asked.

  "Not just crazy," I said, "repulsive."

  "I like that word better. Kids should be safe. Everyone should be safe. Kids should be able to roam wherever they like though, without fear."

  "If only we lived in that perfect world."

  "I'm so angry that someone hurt one of the patients on my watch," said Alice. "What happened to hospitals being safe spaces?"

  "I wish I could answer that."

  "Hey, guys!" Alice's mouth split into a wide smile as she stepped into the classroom. I followed her in, spotting Ben and Rachel as they jumped from their tables and raced over, wrapping her in a big hug. Then they saw me and ditched her.

  "Mom!" yelled Ben. "It's Aunt Lexi!"

  "Aunt Lexi's here! Woohoo!" yelled Rachel.

  "Thanks, you two," said Alice, but she wasn't mad.

  "Look what I drew," said Rachel, showing me a bunch of random shapes on a big sheet of paper.

  "That's nice?" I guessed.

  "It’s called contemporary art."

  "I see that now. I like all the colors."

  "Mine's all about using blue," said Ben, passing me his drawing. "I got to use all the blues and make thin and thick stripes. We're looking at lots of famous painters' art."

  "That's a cool idea. I like all the stripes and how you drew some straight and some all wobbly."

  "You can have it if you want?"

  "I'd love to have it."

  "Mine too," said Rachel as she smacked hers into my hands.

  "Thanks!"

  "Go wash up now and take off your aprons and grab your jackets. We need to drop Lexi off before we go home."

  "I'm so happy you're here," said Rachel, opening her arms for a big hug and approaching me with paint-spattered fingers. I stepped back in alarm, making frantic "shoo" movements as she advanced.

  "Not with those paint fingers," said Alice, stepping into her daughter's path and grabbing her by the shoulders. She turned her around and set her in motion towards the sinks. "Use lots of soap," she urged Rachel as she gave her a helping push in the right direction.

  "Parenting must feel like a constant battle between cleanliness and avoiding sticky handprints," I observed.

  "Yeah. I largely gave up when I had Rachel."

  "Paints..." I muttered, frowning. The same strange thought still bothered me. "Paints."

  "Don't worry. You don't have to keep their paintings."

  I waved her comments away. "No, it's not that... It's... huh!" I reached for my phone and called up my emails. The one I was looking for was one of the last to arrive. I opened it and waited for the attachments to download, wondering if I were the one who was crazy, and not the world. No, there it was, paint on the fingertips. I dismissed it before but now I zoomed in and I could see it clearly.

  I made a mistake. A very big mistake.

  "Hey, I know you." A woman stopped next to me, smiling cautiously.

  "Hi?" I said, frowning. She looked familiar to me too but I couldn't place her.

  "From the bank," she explained. "We were standing next to each other in the line at the bank and then we dropped to the floor together. You helped keep my son calm. I looked for you afterwards to say thank you but there were so many people around."

  "I remember you. How is your son? He was super brave."

  "Thank you, and he continues to be so. We've arranged for him to go to therapy, just in case, but Jake seems fine, with no adverse effects, which is amazing really. Oh, there he is!" She paused to wave. "Do your kids come here too?"

  "I don't have any kids. I'm with my sister-in-law, Alice, picking up her kids, Ben and Rachel."

  "I know Alice, but only in passing," she said as Jake jogged over to her. "How was art class?" she asked. "Did you draw another cool painting for the wall?"

  "Just this," he said, handing over his sheet. "I gotta clean up my stuff." He turned and scampered away.

  "Huh," said the woman, looking at the sheet with raised eyebrows.

  "They're replicating contemporary artists," I explained.

  "I'm sure the rest of them are. Jake keeps drawing this picture over and over. I don't know why."

  I leaned in and looked at the drawing out of simple curiosity. Endless infinity symbols filled the page, in all different sizes and colors.

  "I thought it was something he saw at home," she said, "or maybe something at school but it's so repetitive. That's just kids, I guess. They see something they like and repeat it over and over. I hope he hasn't wasted the teacher's time."

  "I've seen that before," I said, staring at the paper.

  "Oh? So it is art?" She brightened.

  "Not necessarily, I've just seen it somewhere," I said and she shrugged. Jake ran over to her with his backpack and she zipped it closed when it flapped open.

  "You're the lady from the bank," he said, looking up at me. "You helped the man that got shot."

  "That's right," I said.

  "Is he okay?"

  "I believe he's going to be fine."

  "Cool."

  "Jake hasn't really spoken about it yet," the mom said in a low voice. "We haven't pushed him."

  "Your mom showed me your drawing," I said. "I like all the colors and the symbol is cool. Did you know it means infinity?"

  "What's that?"

  "Infinity means 'forever and ever'."

  "Oh. Did you see it too?"

  "See what?"

  "The drawing on the bank robber's arm?"

  "What do you mean, honey?" asked the mom.

  Jake took his painting and pointed to one of the symbols. "I've been trying to get it to look right," he said. "That's what I saw on the bank robber's arm."

  "No, honey. All the bank robbers wore long sleeves and pants."

  "Not this one. She fell when she was running and that was when I saw it."

  "She?" I asked.

  "The bank robber. Duh," he said and I began smiling at how blasé he was.

  "My bad," I said. "And you saw this symbol on her arm?"

  "Yeah. Right there," he said, tapping my wrist. "What is forever and ever?"

  "The drawing, you can keep drawing it without ever lifting your pencil from the paper. Forever."

  "I'm gonna try that."

  "Can I take a photo of this with my cellphone?" I asked.

  He grinned. "Sure!"

  "Why?" asked his mom. "Jake, honey, go get your jacket."

  "Okay," he said before scooting away.

  "What's going on?" she asked as Alice gave us a puzzled look while she helped Rachel with her jacket.

  "My brother is the detective handling the bank robbery case and I know he would want to see this. Your son might have just identified one of the robbers."

  "But they have guns!" His mother clapped a hand across her mouth. "Is Jake in any danger? Are we in any danger?"

  "No, I don't think so, but I'd like to send this to my brother and I think you should go directly to the police station and let my brother speak to Jake. He saw something that could be crucial to their investigation."

  "I had no idea!"

  "That's not your fault." I reached into my pocket for the small wallet I carried and pulled out one of Jord's courtesy cards. After writing my name on the back with a brief message, I handed it to her. "Take this and ask for Detective Jord Graves," I instructed her.

  "It's that important?"

  "Yes."

  She studied the card as she took a deep breath. "Okay, we'll go now. And thank you," she added. "We're going to run a small errand," she told Jake as they both headed to the doors.

  "What was all that about?" asked Alice as we started to follow them, Ben and Rachel running ahead.

  "That kid m
ight be able to help solve a big crime," I said.

  "You got all that from speaking to him for thirty seconds?"

  "I got that from his artwork."

  "I hate to think what you'd get from my kids' art. Please don't tell me they've solved crimes too. I just want to go home, make dinner, and drop into bed." Alice's shoulders fell. "Wait at the gate!" she called out as Ben and Rachel ran ahead.

  "All I see are two awesome drawings that are going to hang on my kitchen wall," I said.

  "I'm sure Solomon will love that esthetic."

  "I'm sure he will too," I said, as we walked through the gate and joined the kids at the car. We all climbed in, buckled, and while Alice drove, I sent a text to Jord along with the photo of Jake's painting and a short explanation. I advised him they were on their way to the police station now, and privately hoped that was the case. As soon as I hit send, my phone rang. Maddox.

  "I've been trying to call you for hours," he said. "Where have you been?"

  "There was an incident at the hospital and then I got caught up with family stuff."

  "Where are you now?"

  "In the car with Alice."

  "Can you come to my office?"

  "It might take me a while, but sure. What's up? Why the urgency?"

  "It's about the cash you gave me. It set off all kinds of alarms at the FBI. Can you come in right now? It's serious. Big time serious."

  "I got your point when you said 'alarms’."

  "Can you bring the rest of the cash?"

  "I don't have it with me."

  "Can you get it? Actually, just tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up. We need that cash immediately."

  "What's going on?"

  "I ran a few serial numbers from the bank notes and they matched those of a bank robbery in Milwaukee. It happened almost three years ago but was never solved. My bosses are breathing down my neck, asking how I got hold of some of the missing cash, especially since none of the bills look used or tampered with and they're still in the bank's wrapper."

  My heart skipped a beat. "Milwaukee?"

  "Yeah. Not exactly next door. Where are you? I'll come now to pick you up."

  "Alice, stop the car!"

  The car screeched to a stop and the kids squealed, then applauded and demanded she do it again. "I have to go," I told her. "Maddox, I'm sending you my location. Come and get me now. I think I know everything!"