Eat Crow (Cheap Thrills Series Book 6)

by Mary B. Moore

  Bursting out laughing, I lowered my hands so that she could put her feet on the ground and pulled out of her slowly. “I’m fairly certain most of them have stories like that. They just choose to make up pretty ones, so their kids never know.”

  The thoughtful and horrified look on her face as she considered this made me throw my head back and burst out laughing…

  That was until I realized my parents could also be one of those couples.

  “Why didn’t y’all move in with your parents?” Raoul asked as he leaned back in his chair. “The walls can’t be that thin.”

  The motel in Piersville was owned by a woman called Hyacinth, who was the oldest resident of the town and hell on wheels. In fact, that was the name of the motel.

  “Hyacinth’s place is beautiful,” DB said, reclining in his chair. This was the calm before the storm, and shooting the shit was helping all of us.

  Looking like he hadn’t slept all night—which was true, seeing as how he’d been assisting the crime techs with what we’d found yesterday—Alejandro frowned into his cup of coffee. “Why are there lumps in the coffee today?”

  “We had to use the old creamer because someone forgot to pick it up,” Raoul replied, pointing at Garrett. “I won’t say names, though.”

  “Nice,” Garrett drawled, rubbing his eyebrow with his middle finger. “Excuse me if I had bigger things to worry about this morning.”

  “Not as big as moving into a motel called Hell On Wheels,” Alejandro muttered, getting up and pouring his coffee out into the sink and settling on just having it black this time.

  “Yeah, so explain why you moved into the motel while we wait for the others,” DB said as he took a mouthful of his coffee and made a face. “Damn, I can’t get past the lumps. I want to try, but it’s just not happening.”

  Chuckling, Raoul picked up his cup. “Imagine what it’s doing to your guts.”

  Knowing they’d just keep picking away, I figured it was best just to answer now and get it over and done with. “We moved into the motel because of the babies and Doyle. My parents have their own pets, and we didn’t want the kittens to get scared. Bexley’s parents can get… hectic.”—i.e., they were freaking weird when you least expected it— “And her dad tends to do home improvement stuff when you least expect it, and we weren’t sure if something he did would be bad for them to inhale or be around. They also have a bird, and we weren’t sure if it and Prince would mix well.”

  Looking intrigued, Raoul leaned forward. “So, as you know, Rose’s parents ain’t exactly normal. What kind of hectic and home improvement shit are we talking about? Chains from the ceiling? Crosses on the walls?”

  I couldn’t hold back the shudder that came out of me at the thought. “No, that’s just wrong, man. All I’m saying is that her mom decided to take up belly dancing two weeks ago on a whim, so it isn’t unusual for her to put music on and bang these little finger symbols together.

  “Kenton does things like suddenly touch up a wall or shave down a door. Hell, last time we were at their house, he disappeared, and all we could hear was hammering from the kitchen. When we went through, he’s on his hands and knees, breaking up a floor tile to replace it because he thought it looked weird.”

  All of them went silent, but DB’s eyebrows went up like he could understand the guy doing that.

  Yeah, sure, so could I, except for one detail.

  “The floor was laid fifteen years ago. It took him that long to decide he didn’t like the tile. He removed it before he found where they’d put the leftover tiles back then—which took us over an hour, by the way. Having loud music, chipped tiles, cement, grouting, whatever he’s doing, isn’t good for the babies, Prince or Doyle. They could get hurt or ingest it.”

  Sighing, Alejandro leaned back. “Gotcha.”

  “You know,” DB mused, a small smirk on his face. “You sound like a daddy.”

  “Do not put that out into the world,” I growled, glaring at him. “It wasn’t that long ago your daughter was shitting across a floor.”

  Garrett and Tamsin had babysat for DB and his wife Tabby once, and while they did it, their daughter had proven exactly how unpredictable a baby’s stomach could be. From what I’d heard, Garrett had almost thrown up while they were dealing with it, and Tamsin had lost her favorite toothbrush in the cleanup.

  We were talking projectile diarrhea on the floor, and that was something we didn’t need in our lives right now (or ever).

  “Hey,” Garrett barked, “you weren’t there. You have no idea the nightmares I have after that. It was like something out of a horror movie, like pea soup from the ass that never stopped.”

  “Wow,” Mark drawled from the door. “And I thought my family was weird. I’m so glad we turned up when we did.” His words didn’t match the sarcastic tone of his voice, FYI. But he wasn’t wrong when he said his family was weird.

  All of us watched as he, Carter, and Alex came into the room, automatically going over to where the coffee was waiting for them.

  “Are we warning them about the creamer?” Raoul whispered out of the corner of his mouth, getting a headshake from DB.

  Once they were all seated, DB launched straight in.

  “Surprise, we sent Naomi out to a call at the retirement home after another situation broke out between two of the occupants. She managed to settle it down and get them all discussing a television show within ten minutes.”

  Carter whistled. “Well, damn. I still have the shirt they ruined when I went there. How did she do it?”

  The retirement home in town regularly had disputes between the occupants. It was like a reality show, but one that none of us wanted to witness. Those old people were brutal, and we’d all experienced the pain of those calls, both mentally and physically.

  “Why did you send her?” Raoul asked, watching with a smile on his face as Alex took a sip of his coffee and then scowled into the cup.

  “It wasn’t an actual call out, more of a check-in. I asked her to do a review of the place, and while she was there, a fight broke out. She just waded in and settled it, so they’ve requested her as a contact in the department.”

  “If she gets called to a dispute there, I’m going with her,” Carter said, looking pissed off. “She can’t go on an official capacity because she’s not an officer, but I’ll go as her back up.”

  “Agreed,” DB nodded. “Now, onto yesterday. The techs uncovered a body in the basement of the cordoned-off property that Alejandro and Logan looked at yesterday. I’m not sure if y’all are aware of what they came across, but the body was buried under dirt, and they were planning to pour the concrete on top of it. Unfortunately, the mixer broke, and a burst pipe up the hill moved water into the space, making the dirt liquid.”

  “It was mud,” Alejandro clipped. “And they hadn’t leveled it off properly, so a lot of it moved down to the lower part of it, meaning his arm was uncovered and up in the air.”

  Pretty much.

  “And has the body been identified yet?” Garrett asked. “You guys said it was Jordy’s friend, Ashesh Morash, but it could still be Cullan Watts.”

  There were a lot of differences between the two men, so I was able to answer this. “Cullan Watts has ginger hair, pale white skin, is roughly five feet and six inches tall and weighs about one-twenty. Ashesh has dark brown hair, is six feet tall, and weighs about two-eighty. Trust us when we say—it’s more likely to have been Ashesh or someone else who was part of their group.”

  “It was Ashesh,” DB confirmed, looking at a piece of paper. “Fingerprints match, but they’re going to run DNA just to confirm, and his mom’s coming from Alabama to identify him. A preliminary autopsy shows ligature marks around his neck, but nothing else has been reported so far. We also have an update on Jordy’s autopsy—the shot to his chest happened hours after he died, so that’s what we think was the shot to get residue on Cinder’s hand.”

  None of this was a surprise to any of us, but it still didn’t give us
many answers.

  Shuddering at the mouthful of coffee he’d just taken, Mark put the cup down and pulled a face. “Any idea where he was killed?” he choked out, covering his mouth with his hand afterward. “Jesus, that’s disgusting.”

  “No, we don’t know where he was killed yet. Cinder’s breathing by herself, but she’s not in the clear yet. Her brain activity is looking okay and normal, though, so we just have to stay positive. Her detail is being passed over to Palmerstown P.D., who’ve offered their assistance with her and the investigation. This frees us up to have a look around for the place Jordy was killed and to figure out what’s going on with the Kirkwoods and their involvement with this.”

  Standing up, Alex hit a button on the laptop that was sitting on a table in the corner, attached to a projector.

  “My turn. I’ve compared the specs given in the magazine of Dirk Kirkwood’s house to the original plans. We also have updates that were filed, like the extension he had added twenty years ago. I’m not going to draw it out because we don’t have time, but here are the plans from the magazine placed over the original plans.”

  Pictures of the three levels of the house appeared on the wall.

  “The original plans are in black, the new layout is in red,” he explained, moving around the table to stand next to the image. “If we discount the extension from it and focus on the original three floors of the property, you can see that on the second floor, the study’s smaller than the original measurements. There’s also an anomaly in this room here, which is marked as bedroom number four.”

  There were definitely significant differences between the measurements if this was all correct. One area stood out to me, though. At the bottom of both plans was a note about the basement having a habitable layout.

  “There’s something on both plans about the basement. What’s that about?”

  “Oh, you can use it for more than storage because of a damp course and things like that. Sometimes people chose to cut corners back then so that it was cheaper, and a damp course was one of those. It led to problems with foundations, rotting boards, subsidence, and big structural issues. The person who filed these made sure to point out they hadn’t cut corners and that the basement would be suitable for habitation by someone, to increase the value and, I guess, the notoriety of the property at the time.”

  I couldn’t ever have done a job like that. There were too many issues and avenues that needed to be dealt with to make sure houses were safe.

  I wonder if Bex’s family had done that when their house was built? I’d never been into the basement, maybe I should check it out?

  I was about to ask another question when the door burst open, and Naomi came running in.

  “Call from the school. Someone’s shooting at it.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Bexley

  When I’d first heard the shots, I initially thought someone was banging a door or one of the lockers. Then the alarm started to shriek, and it went from a confusing situation to one of the most terrifying ones of my life.

  We got trained for instances like this, but never once did I ever think it would happen until the alarm started. The kids had all recognized the particular tone we had for the situation, we’d only just shown them this morning for Christ’s sake, and the fear on all of their faces was gut-wrenching.

  “Don’t panic,” I said quickly, holding my hand up. “We’re going to do this the way they told us to. Close the curtains in case they’re outside, and if some of you are feeling strong, help me move the filing cabinet and everything else we can in front of the door.”

  Running over, I locked it and moved right over to the cabinet to push it in front of it.

  “Here, I’ll help,” Lamar, one of the best students I’d ever taught, offered as he nudged me out of the way. “Once we get it in place, we need to tip it on its side because it has wheels, and that’ll make it harder to move if they get through the door. I think the big bookcase there is on wheels, too, so if we do the same with that, it should be enough weight to stop anyone coming in.”

  Smiling gratefully at him, I stood back as he and some of the other kids moved it over and laid it on its side.

  Once everything was in place, I turned the lights off and waved the kids over to the far corner of the room.

  Every three minutes, an automatic update was texted through to teachers' phones, so I’d put mine on silent so that it didn’t draw attention to our room.

  The next update came through just as one of the girls asked what was going on.

  Piersville HS Emergency: Shots believed to be off-campus. Police en route. Remain in response groups.

  Okay, that was good news, but I was also worried about Logan.

  Almost like thinking about him made him appear, my phone buzzed, and his name came up with a text.

  Logan: We can’t talk, but we can text. We know what’s going on and are dealing with it. Stay wherever you’re safest, and don’t come out until we confirm it’s all clear. I love you.

  Me: I’m doing okay, all of the kids are safe. We’ve barricaded the door with furniture, and I’ve got them in the safest area away from the door and windows. Please stay safe, but also make sure they don’t hurt anyone.

  It felt like hours, but it was only minutes when my phone buzzed again.

  “Are we okay?” one of the girls whimpered through her gentle sobbing, breaking my heart.

  Reaching over, I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “We’re good, honey. The Police are dealing with it, and it’s all going to be over soon.”

  “My— My boyfriend’s in Miss Waite’s room this period. Is he okay?” she croaked.

  Ignoring the text from Logan for a moment, I sent one to Tamsin to double check. “I’ve just texted her, so I’ll be able to give you that answer in a second. I’m almost certain they are, though. She’s damn smart, isn’t she?”

  “You both are,” she replied. “We all think you and Miss Waite are the shit— Sorry, we think y’all are great. You talk to us like we’re humans and our opinions count, and you teach us stuff no one thinks about.”

  I wasn’t sure if that last one was a compliment per se, but I’d take it.

  “Thanks, honey.” Then my phone buzzed with a message from Tamsin, and I relaxed slightly. “Okay, she says they’re all great, and the boys are playing poker.”

  There was a gross sniff which made me regret eating a cinnamon roll on my way in, but then she giggled. “That’s just like Drew.”

  Scrolling down, I opened Logan’s message.

  “I just need to check on my boyfriend now. If he’s playing poker, I’ll kick his butt,” I told them, smiling when I heard quiet chuckles.

  Logan: We’re behind the school. There are shells on the ground, but no one’s here. Stay where you are until we know more.

  Was that advice really necessary? Of course I was going to stay where I was until they found the asshole.

  Sending a message to tell him that I stayed alert in case the person was in the school.

  The next update came through from the school system.

  Piersville HS Emergency: Remain in classrooms until further notice. Parents have been informed and told to stay away from the property. Zero casualties reported so far.

  “Jesus,” I breathed, getting the kids' attention. “So far, they haven’t found anyone who’s been injured. That’s great news.”

  “Is your boyfriend helping out with it?” Lamar asked, his maturity shining through as he watched over the others.

  “Yeah, so we know we’re in the best hands.”

  “My mom says that y’all’s relationship is like a real life romance book,” Ashlienne, one of the girls, said. “Everyone knew y’all would get together when you were kids, so they’re happy you finally got your asses into gear.”

  I would not laugh, I would not laugh.

  I laughed, but I still managed to say, “Don’t say ass.”

  “Are you getting married?” someone else asked, a
nd I realized they were doing it to distract themselves and everyone else from our situation from hell.

  “Maybe one day,” I shrugged.

  “Has he asked you yet?”

  I was relieved the room was dark when I blushed, remembering this morning. “Uh, no, he hasn’t asked.”

  “Will you say yes?” one of the girls whisper hissed.

  “I’ve never been someone who wanted to get married, but I guess if he does it on the right day, I’ll say yes. I can’t make it too easy for him, can I?”

  For the next hour, we discussed things like my relationship and the kittens while I kept an eye on the updates coming in.

  I was so killer at multi-tasking that I even managed to play a game of I spy with Tamsin while we were in different rooms. Crazy but true, and it helped to keep me calm and level-headed.

  Then we got the message we’d all been waiting for.

  Piersville HS Emergency: Police have cleared the school, and parents have been updated. Students are being released immediately. Police will be in attendance to ensure the safety of all people on campus. An update will be given to all staff once we have one.

  It took a hell of a lot more strength to lift the filing cabinet and bookcase back up again, but we finally managed it and cautiously made our way to where DB, Raoul, Alex, and Logan were standing at the front doors.

  “Good afternoon, we’re your friendly escorts this afternoon,” DB greeted, smiling widely at them.

  Hopefully, the students didn’t notice how pissed off he was, but for me, it was evident in the clenching of his jaw and the hardness in his eyes.

  “Now, your parents are going to meet you, and you’re to get into the vehicle quickly. We’ll walk you down and make sure everything’s okay, but the sooner we get y’all home to recover from today, the better.”

  Amazingly, it all went smoothly. I was shocked that none of the parents stopped to demand answers, but maybe the updates they’d received told them they had to be quick.