Kristi left the stove and felt Sunni’s forehead with her hand.
“No fever. Are you okay?”
“I think I have a case of the SAD. Well, and being totally overwhelmed with Christmas preparations. Dusty isn’t really talking to us. I have this intuition that something bad is going to happen, but I feel helpless to stop it. A few marshmallows don’t seem as big a deal in the grand scheme of things.”
“Whoa! That is a problem. We need to get you out of the dumps, and I have just the thing. We’ll get the kids settled with their hot chocolate and I’ll get my work computer out.” Kristi turned back to the stove just in time to add milk and turn the burner down to medium.
“Will you get the cookies from the cookie jar and put them on some napkins for me?” Kristi asked, stirring the mix to keep it from boiling.
They worked in silence for a few minutes, then carried the cups and cookies to the table.
“Children, hot chocolate and cookies.” The words weren’t out of her mouth before the herd of running feet came into the room.
Sunni started cleaning up the kitchen, but Kristi stopped her.
“Leave it. We have some detecting to do.” She led the way into the living room and took out her laptop, setting it up on the coffee table.
“What are we looking for on there?” Sunni knew many people were comfortable with modern technology, but computers confused her.
“You know how I work with Olive at the real estate agency? I have access to our programs and know the site that allows us to look up property taxes so we can find out some information about Zach’s house.” Kristi turned it on and started typing to locate the information they were looking for.
“You can really find out all of that from the internet?” Sunni asked disbelievingly.
“Oh, yes. This is the age of technology. It’s a great tool, but can be used against you if you’re not careful.” Kristi grinned. “We plan to use the tools for evil today and let this great source do the leg work for us.”
“If you say so. How will we know we’ve found the right person?”
“The tax appraisal office has each address listed with the amount of taxes that it’s appraised for. So, if you know the address of the property, then you find out who the owner is and how long they’ve had that piece of property.”
“They just put that information out on the internet?” Sunni couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice.
“Excuse me?”
Both Kristi and Sunni turned to see who was being so polite, only to find four little faces standing there.
“Yes?” Kristi responded.
“We put our mugs in the sink and threw the trash away. Can we be excused?” Chloe spoke for the group.
“May you be excused?” Sunni automatically corrected. “Yes, you may.”
The four disappeared without a word.
“Should we be worried at how polite they’re being?” Sunni was amazed at the actions of her children.
“No. I don’t think they can harm anything. We can go check in on them in a few minutes.” Kristi turned her attention back to the answers hiding on the website.
“Look, when I put in the address that we watched yesterday, it says it’s owned by a Zachary Avery. He took it over about five years ago from a Hilda Avery. A few years before that, it was listed to a William Avery.” Kristi pointed to each item as she found more information.
“That is so sad.” Sunni sniffled, about to cry when there was a knock on the door and someone entered.
“Hellooo,” Carolina called out as she entered. “Oh good, you’re both here.” She pulled off her coat, mittens, and scarf. “I went to the post office this morning with coffee and found some important stuff about our suspect.”
“How was last night?” Sunni wrinkled her nose at Carolina’s entrance, but really wanted to know what had happened.
“It was really quiet. I didn’t see anything that would help in one way or another. Although, one of the neighbors did stop me this morning to check and make sure what I was doing in the neighborhood.” Carolina told them the truth, not mentioning that she slept through any excitement that might have happened.
“I don’t think we should do any more surveillance there because they have a pretty good neighborhood watch. I think Zach will get suspicious and will move his illegal activities elsewhere.”
Carolina didn’t stop for anyone to protest, but plunged on ahead with her story.
“So when I got done, I headed to the coffee shop and got my old friend a drink. You know, if you bring someone a surprise, they’re generally more willing to talk naturally, and you get a lot more information from them if they don’t think you’re interrogating them.” She flopped into the cozy chair by the door at the end of the coffee table. “Anyway, I told him I was thinking of buying the house two doors down from the suspects. He offered lots of intel on the property and neighborhood.
“Zach bought the house from his grandmother so that she would have a retirement fund and not have to worry about money. He lives there, but in the basement so that his grandmother has her own space, and he can still keep an eye on her.
“The neighborhood is mostly older and retired couples, but is slowly getting a younger crowd as the older generation dies off or moves into assisted living. The crime rate is low in that area. Now I can’t say the same thing a few streets over, but they’ve done a great job keeping crime out.”
Carolina finished and took a deep breath, waiting for both the women to congratulate her on a job well done.
“Did you happen to find out how he makes money?” Sunni zeroed in on the item that Carolina hadn’t mentioned.
“I can answer that. While she was talking, I looked him up on the search engine. He seems to have made a video game that took off and is doing fairly well. He could be laundering drug money through his game company. It would make sense.” Kristi moved the mouse, looking for more information.
“Why would he sell drugs if he has money? I mean, I know people sell drugs to make money, but once you have money, what would be the point?” Sunni’s naivety came to the surface again.
“Gamers are well-known for using drugs to help keep them awake. A lot of them take uppers to keep them going for days, then take a few sleeping pills to help them sleep when their group is cycled off or between tournaments,” Kristi informed them.
“How do you know so much?”
“I was a gamer before I had the girls. I didn’t do hard drugs, but on occasion, I’d smoke a little something to help me relax. I have a system that’s a little outdated now, but I don’t get to play very often,” Kristi admitted sheepishly.
“You’ve never mentioned it before.” Sunni felt hurt that she would keep something like this hidden from her.
“I know how you feel about violence, and these games are first person shooter games. I was trying not to bother your morals.”
Carolina had remained quiet because she was still feeling the night spent in her truck. She jerked awake, realizing that she had dozed off.
“Ladies, I’m going to head home. I need to get some rest after my surveillance duties last night. If you uncover anything else, let me know, would you?” She stood and started bundling up. It’s supposed to freeze tonight so I doubt even the criminals will be out,” Carolina suggested as she swept through the door and out into the cold afternoon.
“Oh, my, it’s really gotten dark out there. I guess the kids and I should head home so we can make it before the streets get really bad.” Sunni lifted her tired body off the couch.
“I know that she was the one up all night, but I’m exhausted. Being a mother takes a lot out of you, doesn’t it?” Kristi agreed as she closed the laptop.
“Why didn’t anyone tell us about this? Where was my warning label?” Sunni joked.
“Motherhood side effects: exhaustion, never being alone, eating cold food, and possibly wearing clothing that doesn’t match in public.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Kr
isti agreed, walking toward the girls’ room.
“We should get together this weekend and see what we’ve uncovered,” Sunni suggested. “Why don’t you and the girls come over Saturday afternoon and stay for dinner?”
“Done. I’ll bring a side dish and a dessert.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Sunni protested.
“Yes, I do, and the girls love to bake cookies so it will give them an excuse to do it.”
“Time to go, kids. Faith and Chloe are going to come over on Saturday to visit.” Sunni offered the information as an incentive to get them out easier.
“Okay. Bye, Faith. Bye, Chloe.” Flynn picked up the few toys that were out and squeezed through the two moms standing in the doorway to go and put his coat on.
Puzzled, Kristi and Sunni looked at each other. Lily followed her brother’s example and they were out the door in record time.
Sunni chalked their strange behavior up to the change in weather and dismissed it from her mind. Relieved when they pulled up to the house, she never saw the vehicle that followed her from Kristi’s home to her house.
------------------
The tables were being turned on the mommy detectives, and they were now being surveilled themselves.
Chapter 11
Saturday dawned and for once, Marie was up and looking forward to the day ahead. She had a morning planned with an amazing guy, then an afternoon date at the theater.
Unsure which date was going to be the most interesting, she prepared for both with a little makeup, a nice shirt, and a pair of comfortable blue jeans.
She chose the sneakers for now, but she could always change later when she got to the theater in case she was running late.
The drive to the center for recovering veterans wasn’t long, and Marie couldn’t help the excitement she felt as it got closer to when she could see Alex again.
Her phone beeped as she drove into the complex, looking for the correct section with the visitor parking. She found an empty spot and took advantage of its closeness to the front of the lot.
As she placed the car in park and picked up the phone, her face lit up with a smile when she saw the name displayed on her phone.
Prince Charming.
PC: Where are you at? I’ll walk over to find you.
PC: Are you lost?
Marie: No, I was driving. I’m in the C lot.
PC: Be right there.
Marie didn’t have long to wait until a tall man with an amazing smile was standing in front of her.
“Hello, there.” Alex grinned.
“Hey, yourself.” Marie smiled back nervously.
He leaned in and Marie thought he was about to kiss her, but instead, he took her hand in his and started toward building C. When they entered the corridor, Alex stopped to sign her in.
“They need to see your ID and make a copy.”
Disengaging his hand from hers, she reached into her back pocket for her wallet. Alex had explained the process for her to come in as volunteer for the day.
“Sorry. My mind had wandered.” Marie handed her license to the clerk at the desk.
“Thank you. It’ll only take a minute.” The man behind the desk motioned toward the few chairs that worked as the waiting area.
Marie didn’t know if they were supposed to sit down or just wait, but Alex remained standing so she followed his example.
The man returned rather quickly. “Sign in here.” He handed her back her ID and a badge that said visitor.
Before the ink was on the paper, he motioned toward the glass doors and they buzzed.
“This way, my lady.” Alex gestured toward the hall and they made their way to the relaxation room.
Marie pulled on Alex’s arm. “What am I supposed to say to them?”
He kissed her forehead. “Be yourself. All they want is someone to listen to them, or just be there so they don’t feel alone.”
Marie took a deep breath, trying to psych herself up. “All right. Let’s do this.”
Alex held the door and Marie went through, only to find a group of men and a few women all hanging out in a common room.
Marie felt the term ‘hanging out’ was a bit broad since there were only two sets of people actually talking to each other.
One young man was sitting facing the wall, away from everyone.
Marie left the safety of Alex’s side and made her way over to the lone soldier.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Marie asked softly.
When the young man didn’t respond, she pulled up a chair. He was staring blankly at the wall, but his eyes were glazed over in such a way that Marie knew he wasn’t actually seeing anything because he was blind.
“Hi, I’m Marie. What’s your name?” He had a sticker that said hello, but there wasn’t a name written in the blank space.
When he didn’t answer her, she started talking about anything she could think of, and found herself talking about her lost guy, John.
“I knew a young man like you a long time ago. He went off all gung ho, ready to do something for his country, but the reality was much different than he had imagined.” Marie couldn’t help but feel a bit of sadness at all the things this young man wouldn’t be able to see in the future.
“How did he die?” It was the only thing the young man had said since she sat down.
“They told me he was missing for a few years. His squadron was fighting and the enemy attacked, hitting them where it hurt the most because someone had given their position to the enemy. They assumed he was captured, but recently, they uncovered a shallow grave with his dog-tags so they moved him to KIA,” Marie explained to him with sadness.
“I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have taken them so long to tell you what happened to your guy.” The young man spoke in a bland monotone.
“That’s so sweet of you. It is what it is, though, but I’m glad that you made it back home,” she said with sincerity.
“You’re the first person who hasn’t asked what happened to me.”
“It’s really your story, and I would hate having everyone ask what happened or other personal questions. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Are you an angel? Because I don’t think they make people like you anymore.”
“Nope, not an angel. Just a retiree. My name is Marie, and I’m at your service.” She blushed at his compliment.
“Would you mind taking me outside?”
Marie looked over to find Alex talking to another man across the room.
“This is my first time here, and I’m not sure where to go. Do I have to ask permission?”
He gave a snicker. “No, they tell us we’re not prisoners, but living in total darkness, it seems that way. If you don’t mind, wheel me over toward the doors and turn right. There should be an exit at the end of the hallway, leading to a courtyard where they let us smoke.”
“Okay. Anything I need to know before I push this thing?” Marie asked as she took the brake off the wheels.
He shook his head no, so Marie didn’t say anything as they made their way out, but she was relieved to see that the door didn’t lock behind them.
The weather was slightly chilly, even to Marie, but the sun made it seem much better, so she hoped the young man wouldn’t be cold.
The young man pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “You can take me toward the left, about a hundred feet, and there should be a smoking area.”
When she stopped, the young man lifted a trembling hand to place the cigarette in-between his lips.
Instead of offering to help light it, she let him struggle with it and watched as he precisely measured the distance and flicked open the lighter.
As he took a few puffs, he threw out a question to see where she was at. “So why didn’t you rush to help me from catching my face on fire?”
“I figured if you wanted help, you would ask for it. Otherwise, isn’t it better to let you do what you feel comfortable with?”
“Are they paying you s
omething to try and get me to do stuff on my own?” Sarcasm laced every word he spoke to her.
“Nope. Again, it’s my first day, and a guy asked me if I wanted to help. I didn’t come for the right reasons. I came to impress a guy and found out that I’m a very selfish person,” Marie confessed.
“Hmm, that’s really interesting because you’re the first person who’s been truly genuine.”
“I’ve felt really lost lately, and I guess I needed to find someone to listen that wouldn’t judge me. When you didn’t respond, I thought it would be a great way to get something of it out. I’m sorry I used you.”
“Wow, lady. I think you might really need to get laid. It might take some of that guilt your feeling away.”
When the young man crushed the cigarette into the palm of his hand, Marie tried not to make any sounds that might sound like disapproval.
Marie placed her hands on the back of his chair and silently wheeled him inside.
As they passed through the doors, he spoke again. “Hey, Marie. I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. You’ve been really nice, and I tend to take my anger out on everyone these days.”
She patted his shoulder. “I understand. I’m not mad.”
She pushed him inside and waited for Alex to finish his conversation. She nodded that she was ready to go when Alex glanced her way.
As she stood, the young man caught her hand, stopping her from leaving. “Will you come back and talk to me again?”
“Only on one condition. You have to tell me your name.”
The young man held out his hand. “Nate. Nate Gomez.”
“Well, Nate, it was a pleasure to meet you. I’ll have to ask my escort if I can come back in the next few weeks.” Marie grinned as she looped her arm through Alex’s.
“I’ll bring her back as soon as I can, Nate. Thanks for keeping her safe her first time in,” Alex spoke respectfully to the young man.
“Yes, sir. It’ll give me something to look forward to.”
They made their way back outside to the parking lot after signing out and turning in their badges.
The Mommy Detectives and the Bingo Hall Mystery Page 10
