by Shelly Knox
Pretending to stare over the boring story assignment the editor handed her as she arrived, she glanced up, noticed Todd still on the telephone and suspected he had a hot lead. She leaned a little closer to his area to listen in as she continued to stroke Tazzie under her chin.
Todd said, “Honey, you have to relax. The adoption will go through—I paid a lot of money to a private service. We will have the baby by the weekend. Get the nursery ready.”
Todd’s piercing brown eyes stared at Piper. Embarrassed that he had caught her eavesdropping, she went back to reading her email.
“Morgan.” Norton Wyndon, the news editor, called out over the noise of the newsroom’s clatter and clicking keyboards.
Startled by Wyndon’s booming voice calling her name, Piper’s head popped above the cubicle barrier. She yelled, “Here.”
“My office.”
Norton didn’t say much on most occasions, but when he did speak, his employees jumped. Piper had learned that much about her new boss in the six months since she’d landed the job. She hit the computer keys that locked the computer and dashed to his office, bumping Todd’s notes along the way and knocking them to the floor.
Glancing back, she said, “Sorry, Todd. Sorry.”
If Wyndon wasn’t waiting for her, she would have stopped to help. She hoped Todd realized that. His head of brown hair bobbed as he picked up his documents. Tazzie didn’t lose pace with Piper’s sprint.
She continued her quick dash to Wyndon’s office by the cream-colored file cabinets that lined the walls along the open-spaced room. Several rows of cubicles for the writing staff filled the center space. The computer and printer equipment sat next to the wall beside the filing system and closest to the Ireland twins. The windows allowed a great view of Austin. The staff had a great view; however, from the outside, the blacked-out windows prevented anyone from looking inside. Piper liked that and wished her home windows were the same.
Trying not to step on Tazzie’s toes, Piper misjudged the distance and ran into Wyndon’s doorframe.
“Walk much, Morgan?” Wyndon peered over a newspaper at her.
She stepped inside and tried to smile; however, her uneasiness turned the smile into a partial frown. Tazzie sat next to her and gave a little whine as she nudged Piper’s hand.
She tried to concentrate on his furnishings, to keep her mind occupied. Wyndon had a wooden desk—she guessed oak—with ornate carvings along the edges and on the legs. She didn’t know the story behind it, yet, but sensed it had to have one. Even though there was no smoking in the building, Wyndon had a pipe in his mouth most of the day. If anyone called him on it, he would say it wasn’t lit. But in only six months, Piper knew Wyndon smoked in his office—the scent gave him away. Today, it was apples and walnuts. She loved the smell of a good pipe. The scent alone calmed her a bit.
“An Austin woman, knocked-up and single, has gone missing. Her name is Angela Daniels and I want you to cover the story. We’re going to follow this to the end—no matter what. She grew up in Austin and only recently moved to Plano with her mother.” He continued to stare at her over the newsprint, his tired, blue-gray eyes narrowed, and his salt-and-peppered brows furrowed.
She cringed inwardly at his phrasing. “What happened?” Tazzie’s cold nose pushed at Piper’s elbow. She didn’t need her service dog’s reminder to know her anxiety was one Enterprise stop from sending her heartbeat to warp speed. The mere idea of following a missing person story in another city terrified her to the point that it immobilized her, as if someone had injected her with a paralyzing agent.
“You do know what your job description is, don’t you?” He folded the paper and set it aside on the desk. “I believe it’s your job to find out what happened.”
Stunned that Norton Wyndon would even think about sending her on a case so soon, Piper could only stand in front of him, too dumbfounded to speak. They hadn’t had one conversation about her starting to go out on assignment.
“I don’t get it.” Her legs trembled. Tazzie tugged on her pants.
“What don’t you get? I give story assignments.” Wyndon leaned forward in his dark wood and burgundy leather executive chair. He took the pipe out of his mouth and used it to punctuate each word. “And you do the work.”
“No. I mean—”
“Do you want the assignment or not? Do you want to stay employed?” He placed the pipe in his mouth and leaned back in his chair again. “We’ve coddled you for six months. I can’t afford to coddle you any longer.” Wyndon puffed several times on the pipe, feeding the dying embers. Smoke circled above the pipe. “Look, Piper. We all are very sorry for what happened to you. But I’ve laid off six reporters in the six months you’ve been here—holding out hope you will be able to go into the field again. You’re that good. I can’t wait any longer. Either you become a reporter and leave the safety of this building, or you’re fired.”
Piper needed this job. She understood the day would come when Norton forced her hand; she only wished she’d had a little more time. Six months was nothing. “When…when do I leave?” Tazzie continued to pull on her pant leg. She was close to a full-blown panic attack. Her heart pounded hard—her hands trembled like hanging laundry during a hurricane—and her legs shook enough that she wished she’d stayed seated. She would breathe later. Right now, she had to convince Wyndon she could handle the story, or she might never work again.
He stood and rested his hands flat against the dark mahogany desk. “I want you in Plano, ASAP. Get home, pack a bag, and get your ass on the road. I’ll email the address and directions to you. Remember, pack enough to be there several days. We’re following this to the end.”
“Plano?” Her voice gave way to a slight telltale quiver.
Wyndon glared at her through a squinty gaze. The lines in his forehead deepened as he said, “It’s about fifty miles north of Dallas, young lady. Do you think you can find it?”
“Yes, sir.” Piper stood a little straighter and worked at concealing her worry.
“I can’t spare a photographer right now. Take your own photos. Don’t forget to grab camera gear.”
Oh, God, that meant she had to drive. Damn! She should have listened to Keri. “Thank you, Mr. Wyndon.”
“Go!” He pointed his pipe toward his door.
“Yes, sir. I’m leaving.” Piper spun around.
“Morgan.” He hesitated, then added in a quiet voice, “Be careful.”
Piper turned to face him. “Yes, sir. I will.” She worked at a smile but guessed it more likely resembled a woman giving birth, happy her baby was on the way, but in agony over the full-on labor.
“You’re still here?”
Piper turned on her heel, closed the door and headed for her desk. “Angela Daniels. That name sounds familiar.” A metal drawer slammed shut. She looked toward the sound of the noise. Tami Sue struggled with a large stack of folders as she walked away from the row of filing cabinets. Piper pinched the bridge of her nose and questioned what she would do now. “Crap.” She only had one option; she had to call her sister.
She grabbed her cell phone and headed for a quieter area of the room. She breathed in slow and deep, held the breath and then exhaled. She repeated the exercise a few times, trying to calm herself and act normal for once. She petted Tazzie; that and Tazzie’s kisses on her hand helped calm her racing heart and butterfly-filled stomach. She could talk again. And that’s when she punched in her sister’s telephone number.
“Hey, Keri Bear,” Piper said. “How are you and my niece-to-be doing?”
“We’re fine. What do you need? You never call me in the middle of a workday.” Keri’s voice was deep and sounded suspicious.
“I can just call to say hi.” Piper’s voice raised an octave.
“No, you can’t. Getting you to call is like pulling—whatever. Just tell me what you want.” Keri added in her perfect Southern drawl, “The pitch of your voice gave you away; you need something from me.”
“I n
eed a ride to Plano. I know you said you had a busy morning. But, if you want, you can stay with me. The paper is picking up the hotel since it’s over a two-hour drive.”
“You still don’t have a valid license?” Keri’s voice echoed over the phone line.
Piper pulled the receiver from her ear while Keri yelled, then replaced it to reply, “I can’t help it that Texas has all of these weird laws that you have to bring forty-nine thousand proofs of identification and a utility bill sent to you before they will give you a driver’s license—even if you still have a valid license from another state! It’s an arcane law!”
“Uh, Texas is a border state,” Keri said in a quiet voice.
“Look, it’s not my fault. I’m still missing the utility bill. But I’ll have it in two weeks.” Piper had worked herself into such a frenzied state that Tazzie nudged her arm to remind her to breathe. “And my birth certificate. They should both arrive by the end of the month.”
“It’s not like I didn’t try to warn you. Where do you need to go?”
“I told you, Plano.” Keri never listened to her. “I thought enjoying a couple of days up there together would be good for us. We can get a room at a hotel with a pool—can you get in a hot tub?”
Keri ignored Piper. “What story are you covering?”
Piper didn’t mistake the suspicious tone in Keri’s voice. “I’ll tell you on the way. We need to go.” Piper hoped the urgency in her tone would put Keri off topic.
“No. Tell me what the story is about that you have to go all the way to Plano to cover it!”
“Keri, quit acting like you’re my mother. You don’t assign my stories.”
“It’s a criminal story. Otherwise, you would have just told me. Piper, isn’t it a little soon?”
Piper sighed. She understood Keri had her best interest at heart. But, at some point, didn’t Piper have to live her own life and write the type of stories she was really passionate about? “It’s just a missing person case.”
Tazzie nudged Piper’s arm again.
“I should make you take Uber and then explain why your transportation expense was so high.”
A long sigh whistled through the phone speaker. The way she acted, you would think the eldest title applied to Keri, but she was four years younger than Piper. She’d always been bossy but since the…incident…Keri took on the overprotective mom role.
“I’ll take you. I’ll need ninety minutes to get ready.”
Piper’s grip relaxed on the phone. Her white knuckles turned red and then back to her light-tan skin tone. “Thank you, Keri Bear. I promise I will compensate you for your time. Pick me up at my house. I have to pack, too. And make it forty-five minutes. Thanks!” Piper disconnected the call before Keri could disagree. Then she powered up the Uber app for a ride home.
Chapter 4
Piper had talked Keri into driving her but at a cost. At least they were on their way in just over an hour. Her sister floored the sky-blue Camry as she raced to get her sister to Plano. Although relieved that her sister agreed to drive, she didn’t appreciate the lecture. Keri was good at castigation. Piper was sure she majored in it at the University of Texas.
Gripping the leather loop above the passenger window with one hand, she pulled her seatbelt tighter with the other. The landscape blurred past as her sister sped down the interstate. Fuzzy colors of green trees and brown grasses rushed by. Keri sped north on 35 like a NASCAR driver—and not a good one. She drove like Speed Racer on crack. Piper’s feet tapped on the car mat, her knees bobbing as if a favorite song played on the radio.
“Keri, please, slow down. I’m going to vomit if you don’t.” Tazzie whined from the back seat where Piper had seat-belted her.
“Sis, I’m the one who’s pregnant, not you. So, chill.”
“Hey, that doesn’t mean I won’t hurl.” Piper gripped the handle tighter, her knuckles protesting in response, as Keri swerved in and out of traffic like a maniac. The continuous road repair to create extra lanes on Interstate 35 was ridiculous. She turned to ensure that Tazzie’s seat belt had not loosened. She didn’t want her sliding all over the backseat. It held fine; however, poor Tazzie panted furiously amid her whining. From experience, Piper understood this meant Keri’s driving made Tazzie anxious, too. Excessive panting and whining in a dog were signs of anxiety, along with barking, chewing the skin, and shaking. Piper understood her dog well and noticed the anxious signs that she exhibited.
Blurred visions of a fancy set of commercial buildings zoomed past in her peripheral vision. “Seriously, Keri, if you don’t slow down and quit weaving, I’m walking to Plano.” Piper covered her mouth then bit her finger to keep from screaming.
Keri glided the car around a sharp curve, pulled in front of a double tractor-trailer truck, and then swerved back to the right lane. “I just thought my driving would take your mind off the other thing.”
Piper’s heart palpitations began as she stared at her sister. “What other thing?”
“See. It worked.” Keri slowed the car down just in time. Around the next bend, a cop car had pulled off to the side of the interstate and waited for his prey. She clicked her French manicured nails on the gray, leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Piper shook her head. “You must have a guardian angel watching over you. Your luck amazes me.”
“Did you practice what you will say to him?” Keri glanced into the side mirrors before changing lanes again.
“If Jaxson is the other thing, seriously, don’t go there.” Piper stared out the passenger window and caught a sign advertising the fast-food restaurants at the next exit. “Keri? Can we please stop for lunch before we get to Plano? I’m starving.” To prove it, her stomach growled. “I’d really like to grab something to eat before the long afternoon.”
“Are you trying to avoid my topic?”
“I don’t know for sure that he took the Texas Ranger’s job. The last information I had, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation offered him a position in Atlanta, GA.”
“He’s a Texan through and through. You know him.” Keri rubbed her baby bump.
“No, I don’t.” She refused to look into Keri’s face. She stared out the window, watching the brick buildings and dreary scenery zip by as Keri picked up speed again. Piper wasn’t sure they ever had an intimate relationship. If they did, how could he leave her when she needed him? How could he go and never contact her again? How could he have believed her when she told him to leave and never come back? As the tears stung her eyes, the vehicle came upon a green sign that listed the miles left to Plano as ten.
“I guess we’re not stopping for lunch.” Piper watched the exit speed by on her right. “So how are you and Jack doing? Are you both excited about the baby? Just six more weeks, right?” Piper nonchalantly swiped at the tears on her cheeks.
“Yeah, he’s stoked. Speaking of this case, are you sure you’re ready?”
“Who was speaking of this case? And yes, I’m ready. I’ve been ready.” Tazzie reached through the opening between the seats and nudged Piper’s arm, giving away her lie. By habit, Piper took a couple of deep breaths.
Keri shook her head. “You’re not fooling me. Hell, you’re not even fooling Tazzie. I’m the one who took care of you for eighteen months. I’m the one you woke up in the middle of the night with your blood-curdling screams. I’m the one who put you back together.”
“Okay, Keri, that’s enough. Let me give you a saint’s award and we’ll call it even.” As soon as she said it, Piper wished a magic wand would rewind the words so she never said them. Too late. As much as Piper appreciated Keri letting her stay with her after… Piper shook her head in disgust.
Keri just couldn’t let it go. She threw her caregiving stint in Piper’s face every time Piper did something Keri didn’t approve of her doing. And Keri hadn’t practiced any caregiver skills. She pretty much ignored Piper the whole time for a charity called the Invisible, which assisted in the fight against human trafficking. She helped
raise money for the nonprofit to meet its mission.
Keri turned her head toward the driver’s window and fell silent.
Once in a while, Piper would see Keri’s shoulders rise, and then fall. Keri, ever the put-upon sister. Still, she had dropped everything to take Piper to Plano.
“I’m a bitch. I’m sorry.” Piper waited a beat and then continued. “I’m anxious. That’s why I lashed out. This is my first big case since—”
Keri exited the highway and glanced at the GPS so she could stay the course. In the end, there were a few highway and road changes to make it near the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. The screen showed that it would take only minutes from their location to arrive.
Piper had learned before she left that Angela worked at the Hills of Prestonwood Country Club, across from the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, which Angela walked in daily. She only lived a short distance away from the preserve and country club in a condo she rented. There was little doubt something happened in the preserve while she took her walk.
Without acknowledging Piper, Keri continued the drive until she pulled up to a curb. Then, Keri said, “This is as close as I can get you.” She avoided eye contact with her sister.
Cookie-cutter condos dotted the area just past the yellow barrier with the repeating phrase, in black lettering, Crime Scene. Most of the brick two-story buildings towered over the area, but a few one-story homes dotted the neighborhood as well. The lawns were well-manicured, although there were a few that needed mowing. The professional landscaping added splashes of color all throughout the complex. Red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple flowers dotted the beds. Dozens of neighbors stood in front of the barricade.
Taking a tissue, Piper dabbed a tear from Keri’s cheek. “I’m very sorry. You know how much I appreciate you being my biggest supporter. I wouldn’t have been able to return to work if it wasn’t for you,” she lied. She smoothed Keri’s yellow sleeve.
“I’m fine. It’s just hormones. I’m tired, too. I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll find us a place to crash. I’m going to curl up and watch a good movie and maybe take a nap. Text me when you want me to rescue you.” Keri rubbed her swollen belly again.
