Number's Up

by Annabelle Hunter

  He studied me for a minute, before leaning back, his eyes still watching my face intently.

  “Tony Harris was charged three days ago. As will Dan Ellson. Soon.”

  It was official. We had aided in a crime. Well, the company had. Henry had. Two crimes, since I recognized Dan Ellson as another of Henry’s clients, although not one as big as Tony or the Harris corporate accounts. My head dropped into my hands as I dealt with the reality. Even though I knew it was coming, hearing it hurt. No. It didn’t hurt anymore. Because it couldn’t. I had nothing left to feel.

  Wait. “Do you think Tony or Dan killed Henry because they thought he turned them in?” That made sense. I relaxed. This would be straightforward. Nic would find the murderer, either Tony or Dan and I could move—

  “No. Henry’s accounts were frozen as well. He was facing criminal charges too.”

  “Why wasn’t I told?” I asked quietly. I was too numb to be angry. I was too numb to be anything.

  “We wanted to know what you knew. I didn’t know you submitted the tip until last night.” He sighed. “Although, I should’ve guessed quicker. You were always a piece that didn’t fit into the story.” He looked away for a second before looking back at me, more pity in his eyes. “I don’t know why Henry didn’t tell you.”

  “Why would anyone kill Henry?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted, leaning back in his chair. “But we will find out.”

  I nodded, unsure what I was supposed to say to that.

  “What do you need to help?” Maybe he could give me a plan.

  “Access to your records.”

  I nodded absently. Yeah, I should have seen that coming. “No.” My voice was firm, but calm, a first in my history of dealing with Nic. Usually I lost my control over my good sense.

  He looked up in question. “No?”

  “Client protection. You still need a warrant.” Although, for the first time, I really did wish I could do it. For Henry. Then again, it might make everything worse. I didn’t know if I could take another client being dirty. No, there was no way any of my clients were dirty. Then again, there had been a time I would’ve said that about Henry’s, too.

  His lips pressed together, but he didn’t say anything. The twitch in his lips made me think that he might be impressed by my defiance and hiding it. I definitely sensed approval even though that made no sense. I was refusing to make his life easier.

  “Anything else?” I asked, tired and still unsure of what to do next. I was out of helpful information. I had to think.

  “Not right now. We’ll be in touch.”

  “Right.” My mind drifted away from the interview.

  Step One: contact my clients. Tell them… I didn’t know what to tell them.

  “Do you want one of the officers to drive you home?” Nic’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

  “No. I’m fine.” I stood, pulling myself up to my full height plus the two inches from my heels. “I’m fine,” I repeated. I could do this. I had my heels.

  He sat there assessing me for a second before nodding. His hand drifted toward me for a second before dropping back to his side as he turned away.

  “Bye, Cyclops,” I told his back as I walked out.

  “Hey. I thought we decided I was Wolverine. Cyclops is too whiny,” he called out from behind me.

  “Yep.” I walked out before he could say anything else. John was in the hall coordinating people. “You need anything?” I asked him. Shouldn’t he have been in the interview with us?

  “No. I’ll get it from Nic later.” He smiled. “You two seemed… chummy.”

  “No. You already got your chief-in-waiting. Go bother Lark,” I said, throwing her under the bus with a look that should tell him not to mess with me. I was not Lark. I would not put up with them messing with me like they did her.

  He smiled.

  I needed to give Lark more sympathy. Something was up, and I had a feeling I was involved this time. That was not a good smile.

  “You know… the resort is hiring.” He paused dramatically.

  I stared, not buying whatever he was selling. “So?”

  “And they need a security expert. Someone who can handle high status clientele and security issues.”

  Oh. My. God.

  “No,” I hissed. “You do not just start kidnapping any man who comes to town. No. Nic goes back to wherever he came from.”

  “Why am I going back? And here I was starting to think we were getting along.”

  I spun around.

  “Will you stop doing that?” This was the second time he had walked into a conversation. My nerves couldn’t handle it.

  “I must say, I’m intrigued by this kidnapping idea. Is it just you or is the whole town in on it?”

  I… He… I had nothing. I just stared at him with my mouth hanging open.

  “I’m out. Done. Finished. Played out. Washed up—"

  “How long can she go like this?” Nic asked John, who shrugged, watching me with amusement.

  “—wiped out, drained, exhausted.”

  “She’s one of those people that got a perfect score on the vocab part of the SATs, didn’t she?” Nic commented, as he shook his head.

  “Looks that way,” John replied, smiling at my frustration.

  “Oh.” I turned and stomped away, only to stop and spin around, walking over to Nic and getting in his face. “I warned you. When everything’s out of control and you wonder how you ended up where you did, look back at this moment and realize I told you.” With that, I turned and left, my heels echoing down the hall. Storming out in heels was the best. They gave you a click that vibrated throughout the hall, announcing my anger to everyone. That was the sign of great shoes.

  They let everyone know when not to mess with me.

  Chapter 5

  I was out of a job.

  Well, that wasn’t quite correct. I was going to give up my business. Consciously. On purpose. No maybe. No just in case. It was done.

  I needed to sit down.

  Finding a pale tan leather couch in the corner of the lobby, I collapsed into it, trying to figure out where to go from here.

  I need a plan. Yes. A plan. What do I do now?

  Step One: I needed to do what I should have done two months ago. Shut down the business. Tell my clients what was happening and see if they wanted to stay with me alone. Find someone to take the remaining few clients of Henry’s and any others that had concerns. It was going to hurt, but that was the correct thing to do. Right? Or should I wait until the investigation was over? Maybe that wouldn’t be Step One. Putting a pin in that.

  Step Two: I took a deep breath… tell Charlotte and Frank what happened. I would have to remote into Henry’s computer to get their contact information. Or would the cops do that, too? I didn’t know. I should’ve asked John before I left.

  Step Three…

  “Hello.”

  I looked up at the child in front of me. He looked to be about the same age as Lark’s daughter, maybe seven or eight at the oldest. His blond hair needed a haircut as it drifted into his eyes, which were blue as they peeked through and a slight smile on his face.

  “Hello. Where’s your parents?” I asked, putting aside my bad planning.

  “My daddy is a bad man,” he told me, his voice solemn and quiet.

  “My daddy is a bad man, too.” Now my surrogate father was as well. I may not have escaped the damage my father did as well as I thought. “What did your daddy do?” I patted the empty space on the couch next to me.

  “He hit my mommy. But my uncle made him go away.”

  What do you say to that? And why would he share this with me? A total stranger?

  “Your uncle sounds like a good guy,” I offered.

  “He is, but we hate his job.” His little head bobbed up and down, like I imagined he had seen the adult do when they said it. Little mockingbirds.

  “We?” I asked.

  “My mom and my grandparents.”

/>   “Okay.” I had no idea where this was going.

  “We’re coming here to see if we like it.”

  “Barrow Bay?” I was shocked. Very few people moved here under the age of 65. ‘Sleepy little town’ was an understatement.

  “Yep. Grandma says that it has attractive people.”

  Well, they might be disappointed once they got here, if that's what they were looking for.

  “Attractive people?” I asked, hoping maybe he had heard wrong.

  “He means attractive prospects,” a voice interrupted. I looked up at a tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes that matched the little boy next to me, albeit more frazzled and panicked. “I’m so sorry. I thought he was right next to me and then he was gone.”

  “No worries. We were just talking.” I smiled up at her, letting her know it wasn’t a big deal. I had lost Hailey, Lark’s daughter, enough times, even for just a few seconds, to know what she felt like right now. Kids were fast.

  “Her daddy is bad like mine,” he told her.

  I blushed and looked away. Funny how it had been comfortable to tell a little child, but telling an adult was embarrassing. “He wasn’t that bad. Just… Well, I—”

  “It’s okay. I understand,” she answered quickly. “I’m Julia.”

  “Jen.”

  “I’m Logan,” Logan interrupted. “Wanna see my car collection?”

  “He collects toy cars with his uncle,” Julia clarified.

  “That’s so cool, but I need to get going. I have to…” My throat closed. I didn’t know what to tell a kid. Definitely not that I needed to tell my partner’s ex-wife that he had been murdered that morning. “…work.”

  “You look sad. Does your work make you sad?” Logan asked, patting my hand.

  It was so cute I almost burst into tears, the ones I’d been holding back with all my strength.

  “No. I love my work. It’s…” All I do. My life. The reason I didn’t have a boyfriend. The reason I stress-shopped. Funny how none of those reasons were positive. “…it’s fun.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I play with numbers all day.”

  “That doesn’t sound fun.”

  Truth. It really didn’t. But it was. There was a time that I couldn’t wait to wake up and get to my computer.

  “It is. I love it.” Or, at least, I used to. When did I stop loving it?

  “You sure?”

  I laughed at the question. It was sad, but still a laugh. “What do you do?”

  “I’m too young to have a job. I go to school.”

  “Do you like school?”

  “I like my friends.”

  “But some parts of school aren’t fun, right?”

  “I guess.”

  “Work’s like that. No matter how much you love your job, there will be parts of it you won’t like.”

  He narrowed his eyes while he thought about that. “Okay. I guess so.”

  “Jen. Julia. I’m so glad the two of you have met.” Dorothy Watts, the owner of the resort and one of the town’s gossip queens, rushed over. Dorothy was in her early eighties, with hair that was too pure white for her to not have been someone who grayed early. She was also so graceful and stately that I was always a little jealous of her charisma. All a person had to do was look at her and they would be charmed by her welcoming smile. “Jen, darling. How are you?”

  “I’m…” Numb? Lost? Without a plan? “Fine.”

  She reached in close and pulled me into a hug. “Do you need anything? Anything at all?”

  “Not to be me.” Not that it was a reasonable request.

  “Well, maybe I could distract you? To be honest, I could use your help.” She scanned my face. “If you’re up to it?”

  “What can I do for you?” I could get behind a distraction. My head was not a place I wanted to be in. The town’s crazy plans sounded so much better. Mischief and hijinks were better than tears and depression. Denial worked for me.

  “Can you show Julia around the town tomorrow?” Dorothy looked around at the people in the lobby before stepping closer. “I need it done quietly, though,” she whispered.

  “Avoid Lindsey. Got it.”

  “Who’s Lindsey?” Julia asked.

  “And Lark,” Dorothy added.

  “And Lark?” Wait. What was happening? This just got way more interesting. I had to give it to Dorothy. I asked for a distraction, and boy, did she deliver.

  “Who’s Lark?” Julia asked.

  “No one, dear. No one.” Dorothy patted Julia on the shoulder. “I want to make your vacation as fabulous as possible.”

  “Oh, no. You shouldn’t do any more than you already are. Giving us a discount on the rooms is enough.” Julia put her hand on Dorothy’s in a polite denial.

  “Nonsense. You need to get out. See the nightlife. Meet new people. See everything Barrow Bay has to offer.”

  Last I checked Barrow Bay didn’t have a nightlife to offer, so I was a little confused on what she was requesting. “Dorothy—”

  “Please, Jen. For me?” Dorothy blinked rapidly.

  Did I see a tear forming? Alice had told them all my weakness. She had outed me. I knew this would happen. Sigh.

  “Sure. Why not?” I could use it to delay my grief for a while. Plus, how long would it take? We had two blocks of Main Street. And the resort, which they had already seen. Maybe we could do lunch and it might take two hours. “How about I pick you guys up at eleven tomorrow?”

  “You sure?” Julia asked, pulling Logan to her. “You seem to be going through something.”

  “Yes. Sure. It’ll be fun. We can meet here at eleven,” I told her. “See you then.” I waved as they left the lobby, Logan already chatting about something and Julia listening.

  “What’s your schedule like tomorrow?” Dorothy asked, looking guilty.

  I turned to face Dorothy, my eyes narrow and my arms crossed. “You want something more than me giving a tour?” My tone clearly suggested I wasn’t happy. I was already doing a favor, I had things to do, alcohol to buy, tears to shed. I didn’t know how much more denial was healthy.

  “Yes.” She glanced around and then pulled me further into the corner. “We need you for Operation Captain America.”

  “No.”

  “But you don’t even—”

  “My—” I couldn’t say it. I took a deep breath and tried again. “No.” Okay, less than stellar but it got the point across.

  “Do you want to sit at home tomorrow?” Dorothy asked, her eyes soft. “You don’t like to mourn. You threw yourself into work when your mother died. That isn’t an option this time.” She pulled me to her and quickly hugged me before moving back so she could look me in the eye. “Let me give you something else to work on.”

  Damn. She was good. I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I realized she was right. I didn’t have anything to do but obsess about my feelings and how Henry’s death would affect the business, and I really didn’t want to do that.

  “Why do I have a feeling Lark is involved?”

  “Because you're smart.”

  “Why are we messing around in a relationship that’s working just fine?” Granted, they were going slow, but still moving.

  “Because Brecken needs a push. And Lark needs a shove.”

  “And?” Because that wasn’t all of it.

  “And—” She dragged out the word. “His parents agree he needs a new job.”

  “His parents agreed?” This officially had gotten out of control. Wildly and fabulously out of control. I took my issues back. I loved it. It would definitely be better than sitting at home crying.

  “Yes. That’s why they're here. With his sister.” Dorothy gave me a big, fat smile.

  And her son. Wow. I had seriously underestimated these ladies’ commitment to matchmaking. And this town.

  “Julia is Brecken’s sister.” I watched as Dorothy nodded. “And you don’t want Lark to know.” Another nod. “They are trying to decide if they wan
t to move here.” Look at that. Three for three. “This is going to be bad.” But the laughter caused by the town plans was starting to overtake my grief.

  “It will all work out. Just you wait.” Dorothy smiled, clearly happy I had caved to her demands. I wouldn’t have, but Lark looked so happy when she was around Brecken. Younger. Playful. My life was in shambles. Might as well make her life better. Maybe she could do the same when I started charging her for her taxes to make money for groceries.

  “What do you want?” I asked, throwing myself into their plans completely.

  “We need Lark away from her house tomorrow afternoon. Around two, if possible.”

  “And she won’t be at work because…”

  “Tomorrow’s shots day.” One day twice a year, all of the horses in Lark’s barn got their vaccinations and the day off. She would be done by noon. And knowing Lark, she would be home, watching some show she couldn’t watch when her daughter was around and inhaling junk food. Talk about bad timing.

  “Fine.” Ooo. I had an idea. “But it will be on your dime.”

  Dorothy’s eyebrows crept up before she smiled. “High Tea?” We’d gone to the Tea House enough for her to guess. We had bonded years ago over our love of tea, and she was one of the few people in town that understood what it was like to deal with businesspeople at the level I did. Over the years, we had grown close.

  I smiled. Well, it was more like a happy grimace, but it was the best I had at the moment. Maybe I could buy some shoes tonight, too. Tea and shoes. My comforts. Wait! No shoes. No more shoes until I had a source of income.

  “I’ll make the reservation.” Dorothy winked at my capitulation.

  Well, I wouldn’t get much work done tomorrow, but at least I wouldn’t be at home focused on Henry’s death. Plus, I deserved a day to… Oh god. Dorothy had called it. I didn’t know how to grieve. I knew how to throw myself into work. But my work would just remind me of my loss. Plus, what was I going to do? Tell people he was dead? All day?

  Or maybe it was time I threw myself into something different? Or a giant brown-haired someone?

  Okay. That was a bad thought. Bad, bad, dirty, trouble-creating thought. No Nic, brain. No.

  “Grandmother.” A handsome man, maybe a little over six foot, came over to us, a slight frown on his face; his stride showed that he was clearly agitated. He had expensive shoes, probably real leather, that matched the suit that fitted him like it was made for his body alone. This was a man who knew good shoes and good clothing. Too bad he was frowning.