by J. L. Drake
If Carter was busy, maybe I should at least speak to his chief.
The rapidly changing weather made me choose the back door as it was closer, instead of going around to the main door as I normally would.
“Arizona, right?” One of the rookies I met the other day came up behind me and dropped an armful of paper towel rolls. “You looking for Carter?”
“I believe he’s on a call, but I, ah,” I cleared my throat, “I was hoping I could talk to the chief?”
“Of course.” He punched in the code, and I held the door as he collected his paper towels.
The place was quiet, and I stood for a moment to let my eyes adjust to the low lighting.
“Let me drop these off in the kitchen, and I’ll find him for you.”
“Thanks.” I brushed the snow from my jacket and made my way down the hall. I stopped by a conference room window and looked inside as I heard the chief’s voice.
“Where was it found, exactly?” He was speaking to an officer who had a mini laptop on the table showing some photos of the crime scene. I glanced back at the rookie, but he was now held up by one of the firefighters who seemed to want him to do something. I went back to listening.
“Your lieutenant found it in the coat pocket of the victim after they cleared the fire.” A picture of some numbers flashed onto a screen in front of them. Wait. I felt ice replace the warm blood inside me. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of the screen.
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned a corner quickly, and I used the wall to steady myself while I digested what I had just seen.
YI3939MY
I spotted a landline in Carter’s office and slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind me. My hand shook at what I was about to do. Hating that her phone number was still in my head after all this time, I waited for the bitch to pick up.
“Myles Young’s office, this is Aubrey.” I closed my eyes and pushed the hate aside. I closed off my throat and tried to disguise my voice without sounding ridiculous.
“Hi, this is Nancy from Pathway.” I remembered Pathway used to call him all the time wanting him to buy their security cameras. “I was wondering if Mr. Young is in the office today?”
“No, I’m sorry, he’s away for the day. Is there something I can help you with?”
“No.” I couldn’t help my curt tone.
“Are you sure? I work very closely with Mr. Young, and I’m sure I could answer any of your questions.”
My blood boiled, and I felt my spiteful side rise to the surface. I snapped the pen I was holding.
“I’m sure you could, but I’d rather speak to him directly.”
“Okay,” I could hear her annoyance, “you can try him again tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” I hung up before she could respond.
Voices made their way in my direction, so I pushed the chair back under the desk, tossed the pen away, and hurried back out into the growing snowstorm.
“Where’s the fire, Ms. Lexington?” Otis caught my stressed face as I approached him at a fast clip.
“Just a busy day at the office,” I fibbed, and whether or not he caught the lie, he looked past it.
“Mr. Carter expressed he had a lovely evening with you the other night. Happy to hear you two are hitting it off.”
“Me too. Thanks.” I moved to hurry past him, trying my best not to be rude, and he put out his hand to stop me. “If you ever need some help, you know where to come.” He looked at me with such concern I hugged him.
“Oh, thank you, Otis. That’s very sweet. I’ll remember that.” I deeply appreciated that he was looking out for me.
In the elevator, I pulled my phone out of my purse and texted Carter.
Arizona: I know you’re busy, but when you have a free moment, please call me.
I paced my apartment and glanced at my phone at least a hundred times with no word from Carter. I knew he’d probably be busy well into the night. I guessed I just hoped he’d have a quick moment to call me. I paced some more before I picked it up and made the call.
“Hey, Ari, I’m just getting off my shift. Can I call you back?” Grady sounded like he was busy.
“Yeah, ah, okay.”
“No, never mind. What’s wrong?”
I paused and held a hand to my head. “Remember the day before yesterday when I told you I ran into Chester, Myles’s assistant, and he was acting weird?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he killed himself today.”
“What?”
“Yeah, and there’s a part of me that thinks he may have left a clue as to why.”
“You have my attention.”
I eased onto the couch and felt my stomach twist with anxiety. “Apparently, he started a fire in a room at a restaurant, and they found him there, dead. They also found a note with a series of numbers written on it. And I think I might know what those numbers mean.”
“How on Earth do you know that? Was it released to the public?”
“No. I went to talk to Carter’s chief at the fire department, and when I was there, I overheard the police talking about it.”
“Oh, Ari,” he sighed, and I knew he hated that I had overheard it rather than that it was public knowledge. “If you know something, you need to speak up.”
“I tried, but what if I’m wrong? I mean, the last thing I want to do is stir up something that isn’t true.”
“Let the police decide that.”
“But what if—”
“Ari, I’m really sorry, but I have to take this incoming call. Please just promise me you’ll pass along whatever it is you think it could be.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I hung up the phone and stared blankly at a photo, remembering a time when it had been drilled in my head exactly what those numbers meant.
Jasper, who I had hardly seen much lately, except at dinner time, poked his head out from behind the chair, stretched, and lazily meandered toward me. He jumped up on the table and stared directly at me.
“What?” I scowled at him, and he returned the look. “Why are you so moody?” I slumped into a comfy chair.
“Meoooow,” he responded in his sassy tone that meant I was supposed to understand but I didn’t.
His paw went up, and I pointed at him. “Don’t you dare.”
And just like always, he waited a beat, until he knew he had my full attention, then casually swatted my water glass, sending it to the floor.
“You know what?” I hissed, jumping to my feet to retrieve a tea towel. “Just because of that, I’m getting a dog.”
He glared at me while I bent and dried the hardwood floor. His loud purring above me totally pissed me off, and I muttered a string of my best cuss words to let him know I meant what I’d said.
The towel made a scraping sound, and I pulled it toward me to check it out. “Oh, please, don’t tell me a rock just scratched my hardwood floor. I swear to God, Jasper, I will drop you off at the pound and laugh all the way home.” My wedding and engagement rings were nestled into the tea towel. How one Earth did I forget about those? I remembered I had shimmied them off on one of the nights during my pity party, but I thought I had put them away.
Easing back onto the couch, I fiddled with the bands that held a decade of my life around them.
“My father can’t know we are separated.” Myles’s voice was suddenly in my head. I headed into my office and pulled out an envelope then quickly scribbled Ken’s home address on it and popped the bands inside with a note that read. Your son is a liar. It was harsh and cold, but it was nothing compared to what his son had done to me.
“All right.” I grabbed a dry coat out of the closet then tugged on some winter boots and a warm hat. I checked my phone to see if Carter had written anything back. It was now approaching two in the after
noon, but nothing. I could imagine his day was now flipped upside down with the death of Chester and with the police at the fire station.
Tossing a finger at Jasper, I headed back out into the storm.
The police station was busy. Christmas lights hung around the reception desk, and a tiny tree with a tree skirt that read Merry Christmas, from our families to yours brightened up the entrance.
“Can I help you?” a woman asked in a nasally voice.
“I have some information on a case, and—” She suddenly held up a finger and answered her phone.
I stood and waited for a few moments while she jotted down something. As she listened to whoever it was on the other end of the phone, she tossed me a clipboard and made a motion for me to fill it out.
With a sigh, I took a seat and started to fill out the report. A lot of it didn’t apply, but I did my best to answer what I could. By page four, I just wrote along the side of the form explaining my theory. I handed it back to the woman, who tossed it on a huge file and handed me a card.
“Take this, call if they don’t follow up with you in fourteen days.”
“Two weeks?” I questioned, but she once again held up a hand to take another call. “Thanks,” I snickered and headed back outside. I knew from Grady and other friends of friends that she was cranky, and I certainly agreed. She was hardly a good representative for the police. The first face you met should be at least helpful if not friendly. She needed to find a new job.
Fishing around in my purse, I encountered my wedding rings again, and they got me thinking. I knew it wasn’t smart, but I would be the last person anyone would suspect, as no one at the company knew the truth.
Quickly, I called my brother and left a message when it went straight to voicemail.
“Nix, I think I may have figured out something big. I tried to report it at the police station but didn’t get very far. I know it’s reckless, but I’m going after the truth. I think Chester may have tried to tell me something important before he killed himself. I’m not even sure he did kill himself.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Sorry this is so cryptic. There’s just a lot that has happened in the last two days. Call Grady. He’ll know what I’m talking about. If I’m right, Nix, maybe my freedom will come sooner rather than later.”
I slipped on the rings and pulled my gloves over them. I hated the weight of them, but if I was going to do this, I needed to play the part.
Chapter Sixteen
Arizona
Normally, I’d hail a cab or an Uber, but with the stormy weather, I knew the city would soon come to a screaming halt.
It took me forty-five minutes to get to Young Inc., just enough time to get myself together. With a deep breath, I pulled open the big double doors and walked in with my head held high, removing my gloves as I walked, exactly the way I used to enter the building years ago when I worked here. In order for me to blend in, I needed to look like I still belonged there. I spotted my first target and slapped on a smooth smile.
“Peppers.” I held out my arms and greeted my favorite security officer.
“Mrs. Young?” He rounded his post and gave me one of his famous hugs. “So nice to see you. What brings you in here today?”
“Myles is out on a job and forgot some of his files.” I was hoping Peppers hadn’t seen the news but was fairly certain he hadn’t, as Ken Young would never allow TVs for the staff. “He couldn’t get a hold of Jason, so he sent me. Do you mind if I run up and grab them really quickly?”
“Of course not.” He looked over my head and nodded at the elevators. “The elevators are pretty slow today.”
“No problem. Thanks, Peppers!”
I kept my head down, knowing the camera angles as I waited. It wouldn’t take much to figure out it was me, but I didn’t need to be obvious either. My heart beat to the floor numbers that flicked in front of me. The ding of the twenty-fourth floor made me jump, and with a shaky step, I made my way down the hallway and past Aubrey’s closed door. I glared at her super-pricey winter boots that she always kept outside her office door to dry. I remembered a day I met Myles for lunch, and she showed up at the same restaurant in a tiny little dress that hugged her curveless body. Myles couldn’t keep his eyes off her legs and even whistled as she walked by, claiming he was only kidding when he saw my expression. All the signs were there, but I was too blind to see them.
Myles’s office was locked, but I had the spare key. Using my phone as a flashlight, I hurried over to his filing cabinet and found it locked too.
Dammit!
Think, think, think. Where would Myles hide his keys? He was such a simpleminded man, so they shouldn’t be that difficult to find. Leaning forward, I felt around the back of the cabinet, inching my fingers along the cool steel. It only took me a moment to feel the small key ring.
I almost laughed out loud. He was so predictable.
Opening the cabinet, I fingered through the files, repeating the last four numbers in my head. I knew the numbers like the back of my hand. I knew it had to be here.
“Thirty-five, thirty-six,” I whispered and kept going, “thirty-seven, thirty-eight,” and I froze when I came to the end. Wait. I closed the drawer and pulled open the next one. “Forty-one, forty-two.” Come on, Myles. And just like that, I saw the numbers wedged in between. “There you are.” I pulled the file free, tossed it on the desk, and skimmed it. “The Final Four Restaurant,” I whispered, and a chill raced up my spine. “So, this was a Young, Inc. job.” I quickly whirled around and dug through the top drawer again, pulling the last four files that came before this job.
Fiddling with my phone, I opened my camera and started to snap photos of the paperwork.
“Come on, come on.” My hands shook, and the picture came out blurry. “Dammit.” I took a deep breath and tried it again. One by one, I flipped the sheets of paper. Once I was finished with one file, I started on the next. It was time consuming, but it was better than removing the files themselves and walking out with the evidence in my hand.
The fan above me suddenly kicked on, and Myles’s cologne swirled around in the air. My stomach twisted, and my head instantly hurt. Funny how his smell made me want to vomit and break out in a cold sweat. I focused on how strong I’d become and how I had come out on top by finding someone who genuinely cared for me.
A phone rang from somewhere outside the office, and I opened my purse and dropped my phone inside. I wasn’t sure if any of this mattered, but there was a part of me that knew Chester had been trying to tell me something, and I didn’t want his effort to warn me be for nothing. I glanced around in case something stuck out, a possible clue, but instead I spotted a bottle of blue Powerade on a bookshelf and got an idea and couldn’t help my evil chuckle.
I poked my head out of the office and slowly made my way down the hall, then I leaned over and poured the blue dyed juice into her white fur-lined boots. I knew it was childish, but it felt good to stoop to her level just this once. As I made my way toward the elevators, I tossed the bottle in the trash and quickly turned as Aubrey walked down the hall toward me.
I bent forward over my phone with my hair as a shield as she approached. I kept my back to her, turning slightly as I clicked the down arrow button. I waited impatiently for the elevator to retrieve me. Once inside, I let out a long breath and closed my eyes. I wasn’t meant to be shady or sneaky, but I couldn’t deny there was a level of rush that shot through me. Maybe it was fun because I knew that whatever came to Myles or Aubrey was because of their own life choices.
When the doors opened, I heard a familiar voice, and my stomach dropped.
Oh, shit.
Blood drained to my feet as I mustered up everything I had inside of me and turned on my best smile.
“Arizona?” Ken did a double take when he saw me in the lobby of his company. “I didn’t know you were here. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I got a call from Chester yesterday.” I couldn’t believe the lie I was producing. “He said he was stuck at some conference and couldn’t get hold of Myles, so he asked me to see if I could find a file he had forgotten.”
His bottom lip came up to cover his top lip and flash of pink dusted his cheeks, as his anger toward his useless son was never far from the surface.
“Have you not seen the news?”
“No, why?” I tried not to let my sadness show.
“Not important.” He waved his comment off, deciding not to bring it up. “So,” he eyed my grip on my purse, “did you get the file?”
“No, the office is locked. Myles took back my key years ago.”
“Peppers has the master. He can take you up.” Ken glanced down at his mail, and I took the moment to make an uninterested face at Peppers, who eyed me.
“Honestly, I should get going. Chester can get it from Aubrey later.”
He studied me for a moment before his eyes narrowed. “Is everything all right between you and Myles?”
I cleared my throat and tried to even out my breathing. “Myles is difficult, as you know.” I squared my shoulders, treading carefully. “We will be,” I assured him, finding it hard to lie to the one man who could take Myles down with one phone call. On the other hand, he could do the same to me if he knew what I had in my purse.
His phone rang, and he was instantly thrown back into work mode.
“Let Peppers call you a cab. Don’t be going out there in that storm.”
I waved and watched him step into his private elevator.
“Cab?” Peppers held up the phone.
“No, thanks.” I shook my head but stopped as he waved me over to stand near his desk. With a careful step, I joined him. He backed up his live video footage and looked up at me as I watched Aubrey walk toward her office, still on her phone. I watched with a straight face as she removed her shoe and stuck her foot into the juicy boot. She jumped, screamed, and sloshed her hot coffee down the front of her silky white blouse. She roared like an angry lion and stomped down the hall toward the restroom. A string of very unladylike curses followed.
