Before the Dawn

by Gail Chianese

  “It’ll turn up. You’ve got that lady PI and Detective Daines working the case, too. Give it time and keep digging.”

  “That’s the problem. I don’t have time.” Shawn forced the food down, his appetite gone.

  “No worries, we’ll text you when the case is closed. Now go enjoy your party. Rodriguez worked hard to keep this from you.” The man wandered off leaving Shawn alone with his thoughts.

  Yeah, he didn’t want to be texted when they closed the case or when they dumped it into the cold storage folder, which is what would probably happen. Only about seventeen percent of arsonists ever got caught. This guy could end up as part of that group. He wanted—no it went deeper than that. He needed to be there when it was solved. He needed to look into the eyes of the bastard who’d taken the life of an innocent man as they hauled him away in cuffs.

  He didn’t really have time to stand around and socialize, but since Rodriguez had put in the effort, so could he.

  “Hey Shawn,” one of the guys called out. “This Sunday, Patriots vs. Seahawks. You coming in to watch your team get beaten down?”

  Everyone in the room busted out laughing. A few slapped each other’s backs as they doubled over in hysterics.

  “Gee, that sounds so tempting, but I’ve got a better offer, so I’ll pass.”

  He’d rather watch the game with Kat. Pats fan or not. Besides, his planned halftime entertainment was meant for a party of two.

  The guys went back to discussing football. Calabrese and Clark were deep in discussion, while the rest were broken up into other little groups. As Shawn made his way around the room, people stopped to congratulate him and say they were going to miss him, mostly in the way of whining about breaking in a new person.

  He cut a hefty slice off the corner of the cake and slid it onto his plate. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He glanced over his shoulder to find the party planner glaring down at him.

  “What?”

  “You plan to leave any for the rest of us?”

  “From the way I hear it, I’m the guest of honor.” He took a taste of the chocolate-vanilla concoction and moaned. “Was going to leave a bite-size piece for each of you, but now? I think I’ll take the whole thing up to my office.”

  Rodriguez smirked. “It’s good, eh?”

  “Beyond good, dude. Where did you get it from?”

  “My mom made it.”

  “Damn, you’re one lucky SOB. Thanks.”

  “No big. It gives her something to do.” Rodriguez took a slice of cake and stuck a fork in it. “Look, I know I give you a rash of shit, but I actually hate to see you go.”

  “Thanks, man. That means a lot.” Shawn held out his hand. Rodriguez took it and gave it a quick shake.

  “This don’t make us besties or anything so don’t get no funny ideas.”

  “BFFs all the way, dude,” Shawn called over his shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen and headed to his office, chuckling. The laughter died quickly as he took in the cramped working space, the picture of him, Clark, and Calabrese in New York City last summer at Yankee Stadium, along with the station house crew picture hanging on the wall. Rodriguez stood next to him, giving him bunny ears, and Kinney had his arm slung over Shawn’s shoulders. He glanced around the office. All three inspectors had skeletons dressed like firemen hanging next to their desks, courtesy of Clark’s kids. And he knew the minute Halloween passed, Calabrese would put up a miniature Christmas tree on her desk.

  Small details a family knew about each other. Small moments shared that made a family. He’d shoved them away when Debi left. Closed himself off. Or so he thought. He didn’t realize that while he’d been licking his wounds, his family had been there all along, waiting for him to come out of his cave.

  If it hadn’t been for his brothers and sisters at the station, he never would have made it this past year. He saw that now. But it was too late. He had a job waiting, an apartment he’d signed for, and his biological family waiting for him.

  Damn, he was going to miss them. Even Rodriguez.

  Chapter 11

  “Is there something wrong with the furnace in here?” Ashley looked at Kat but her gaze kept darting to the chair in front of her desk where Vinnie lounged. Lounged was the right word, as he was currently leaned back, legs stretched out in front and crossed at the ankles, his hands locked behind his head. He also hadn’t taken his eyes off their new intern.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll call the repair guy to take a look.” Kat stood and headed toward the kitchen and more coffee. It looked like a double shot kind of day ahead. The coffeepot was empty, as was the cupboard. She knew there was something she needed to do that morning, but she had been too busy with a certain fire marshal to get a full night’s sleep, thus the foggy brain syndrome she now had. She really needed caffeine . . . and carbs, especially as time was running out and the day before had led to all deadends.

  This job might not kill her, but it was killing her diet.

  “Hey, Ashley, got a huge favor to ask.”

  “Elsie’s or the bakery?” Ashley was pushing away from her desk before Kat could even exit the back room.

  “Elsie’s if they have cinnamon chip muffins, please and thank you. I swear I wouldn’t ask, but I’m waiting for Dr. Harris to call back. She’s the one who was allegedly treating the receptionist’s kid for free. I need to verify that story and I have a few other questions for her.”

  “Hey, you’re the boss. You want to pay me to play errand girl, that’s fine by me. Either way, the rate’s the same.” Ashley gave one last look in Vinnie’s direction, shook her head, and left.

  “I’m telling you, Kat. She can see me or sense me or something. Did you see how many times she looked my way this morning?” Vinnie dug into the side pockets of his cargo shorts as if searching for something.

  “If she could see you, she might have been wondering why in the heck you’re wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt in October. In Connecticut. It’s forty degrees out today.”

  “News flash, kiddo. Ghosts can’t feel the temperature. Cold. Hot. It’s all the same to me. Besides, this shirt is comfortable.”

  “And hideous.” Vinnie routinely showed up in odd outfits that didn’t seem to fit him or the decade. “Are you still trying to find yourself?”

  “Marilyn and I had a date to watch the sunrise down by the water. It’s beach attire.”

  “Ah, got it. Speaking of, I’m heading back to Babs’s apartment today. Either she was out yesterday or ignored me. Maybe you could come along and pave the way?”

  “Sure, I ain’t got nothing else on my agenda.”

  “Except trying to freak out our new employee. What’s the deal, Vin? Are you afraid we’re trying to replace you?”

  “Babe, there is no other like me.”

  Kat snorted. “That’s so true, thank goodness.”

  Vinnie sat forward, rubbing his face. “There’s something very familiar about her. Something very off too, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “She’s from New York City. Could she be someone from your past?”

  “Too young. She’s younger than you and Lexie, which meant she wasn’t even born before I died. There’s something she’s hiding and I plan to figure out what it is.”

  Before Kat could reply, the door opened and Ashley walked back in.

  “Company.” She glanced over her should before handing Kat a to-go cup that smelled amazing and woke all her senses, along with a plain brown bag that reeked of sugar, spice, and sin.

  “Marshal Randall, I didn’t expect to see you this morning.” For a moment she was lost in his eyes, remembering how they’d started the day. How she’d hope to end the day. But it was more than the bedtime activities that made her smile. Just seeing Shawn made her happy, and that alone should scare her more than anything.

  “Yeah, ‘cuz you saw him what? An hour ago?” Vinnie muttered.

  Kat bit down on her lip to keep from replying to the spirt.
/>   “Do you have some free time right now?” Shawn glanced at Ashley then back to her.

  Two hours ago, he’d been laughing and relaxed, taking up most of her bed. Now, he had stress lines so deep, they could have belonged to a one-hundred-and-eight-year-old man who’d seen too much for one lifetime.

  “Sure.” She grabbed her purse and they headed for the door, telling Ashley to call if anything came up. Out on the street, Kat turned to Shawn. “Did you get a new lead?”

  “Daines called me this morning. Sara Wallis is still missing. She didn’t come home all weekend. Guess that’s nothing new, but she didn’t show up for class yesterday or today, which, despite everything else, she never misses.”

  They reached his truck and Kat stared at the passenger in the back of the extended cab. “What are you doing?” she blurted.

  Shawn held up his hands and stepped back. “Being a gentleman. Opening your door. Did you want to drive?”

  “Sorry, that came out wrong.” She hopped in the truck and while Shawn was rounding the back, whispered to Vinnie, “What are you doing?”

  “Going along. I can be your lookout in case you run into any more gang members. And I can get into places you can’t.”

  “True,” she mumbled.

  “What?” Shawn asked as he climbed in.

  “What I was trying to ask before is what is your plan? Do you have a clue as to where she is or where to look?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea. I’m kind of thinking that if she sees my truck, she’ll come out of hiding. She reached out to me once before. I thought we’d start by driving around her neighborhood. Work our way out from there down toward the water. There’re lots of abandoned buildings, but I’m hoping that’s not where she’s been all weekend.”

  “Me, too. Maybe she’s with a friend. Do we know who her best friend is?”

  “According to Daines, a girl by the name of Bella. She lives about five houses down from Sara.”

  “If I were in trouble, that’s where I’d go. To a friend.” Searching for missing teens didn’t fall under the purview of the fire marshal. She also knew from their morning conversation that Shawn had a full schedule today, one that didn’t include him playing private eye.

  “First place the gang would look too,” Vinnie said.

  Kat acknowledged Vinnie’s comment with a slight nod. “I’m guessing Daines already checked Bella’s house.”

  “Yep. Claims she hasn’t seen her in days.”

  “Could be telling the truth. Sara wouldn’t want to put her friend in danger. Then again, she could be lying through her teeth. I would if it were me and Lexie.”

  “Yeah, I would too if my best friend in high school, Jeff, or my cousin Sutter were in trouble and needed me. I’d do anything for them.”

  “So, we’re in agreement? We start with Bella?”

  “Yep.”

  “Tell me about Jeff. Does he ride bulls too?”

  “Nah, he’s the sane one. We were on the cross country and swim teams together. Liked the same music.”

  “I’m guessing by the ring tone on your phone and our earlier discussion—Judas Priest?”

  “Hell yeah. I’ll convert you one of these days. Anyway, we did youth group at the church together. Where there was one of us, there was usually the other.”

  “Except for the bulls. Sounds like you two were the perfect teens.”

  He inhaled deeply, choking on his breath. He pounded on his chest as he drove. “Hardly. We got into our share of trouble together growing up. The usual teen stuff. Mostly drinking, staying out too late, going to parties.”

  “Where is he now? Washington State?” She could picture her laid-back fire inspector as a teen. Soulful eyes. Those high-cut cheekbones. Jeans that hugged his butt, not the sloppy, saggy things a lot of guys wore now. Cowboy boots. Standing with a red plastic cup full of cheap beer around a bonfire, listening to loud rock and flirting with all the girls.

  “He’s in Chicago. Works in finance. Married, got a couple of kids. I think he said he was taking his wife to the ballet or opera this weekend.”

  “That’s a long way from Priest.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  They were cruising down Sara’s street by then, going Mock One (for a turtle). A few curtains fluttered as the residents peered out, but all was quiet. For the hell of it, Shawn got out and knocked on Bella’s door.

  “Vinnie—” But the ghost was gone and back before she could ask a question.

  “No one’s home. Checked the closets. No one’s hiding. No basement, and the only thing hiding in the crawl space is a family of rats. I’ll go pop in at the Wallises’ to make sure she didn’t go home.”

  “Thanks, Vin—”

  He was gone again.

  Shawn climbed back in the truck. With a frustrated shake of his head, he started the engine and pulled away. They slowly made their way up and down the block. Vinnie popped into the back seat.

  “Not there. The mom’s still asleep, but it looks like the kid might have grabbed a few things and run. I only counted two toothbrushes and there was no sign of a backpack in her room. No cell phone and . . .”

  She hated when he did that, let his thoughts fade off when she couldn’t prod him into answering without looking like a loon. Instead, she pulled the visor down to make it appear she was checking for a stray eyelash in the mirror. She caught Vinnie’s gaze and shot him a wide-eyed stare that threatened all sorts of horrible things if he didn’t continue. Considering he was already dead, it wasn’t much of a threat.

  Vinnie shrugged. “It’s probably nothing. Looked like one of her stuffed animals was missing. There was a line of them on her bed, with a space in the middle, like she’d grabbed her favorite.”

  Now that was interesting. “Does Sara have any other family? Grandparents? Aunts, uncles, cousins? Maybe someone who lives near enough that she could get to their place, but not close enough that the gang members would know about them. Maybe even someone her parents are estranged from?” she asked Shawn.

  “I don’t know, but that’s a good question. I’ll text Daines and have him look into it.” He pulled over long enough to send the text and then headed toward the waterfront. “Tell me something about your teens, something you’ve never told anyone else. Some super-secret thing about Katarina Jones.”

  She laughed. “There is nothing super-secret about me. Didn’t I explain to you how small towns work?”

  “Come on. There has to be something. I’m betting you and Lexie had your share of adventures growing up. Tell me one of them. Or were you, even back then, busting up crime rings?”

  “He’s got your number, Kat,” Vinnie piped in.

  Her ghostly guardian may have been around since day one, but he didn’t know everything. Thank goodness. There were times where she and Lex had banned him from going with them over the years.

  “There was this one Christmas. I can’t remember exactly if it was history club or what group organized the trip but it was coed. New York City. We were so excited. Sophomores in high school. No parents. Boyfriends included.”

  “Your bad-girl stage?”

  “Something like that. Lexie was dating Rafe, now Mr. Lexie Smith, and I was dating this guy, Braydon. He was sweet, funny, sarcastic, cynical, and we could talk for hours at a time. We’d move from one topic to the next with the fluidity of water. There was like this weird, psychic connection. Probably sounds silly to you.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Anyway, it’s like I’d know when he was going to call. Or he’d know when I needed to talk. We were just on the same wavelength, but things weren’t great at home for him. Typical teenage boy stuff. Mom, stepdad, power struggles,” Kat said.

  “I know that tale all too well.”

  “But on this trip, we got to leave all that behind. We had chaperones, but they had forty kids to watch and we were sly. Or so we thought.”

  “Get busted sneaking away?”

  “No, not quite. The first nig
ht we were staying at some community center. Learning to rough it. Girls in one classroom, boys in another. You get it. But they had this amazing, gorgeous Christmas tree tucked away in a little nook. That night, the four of us planned to sneak out of our rooms and meet at the tree. We weren’t going to do anything too bad. We had a little Everclear to share. Planned going to watch at the pretty lights on the tree. Maybe make out. Innocent kid stuff.”

  “Sounds pretty tame to me,” Shawn said.

  “Yeah, well the head teacher was pretty savvy and placed himself in front of the guys’ door. They couldn’t get out of the room. Lex and I enjoyed the tree and the next day none of the chaperones questioned why the four of us were all sharing the same bottle of 7UP.”

  Vinnie snorted in the back seat. “Amateurs.”

  Shawn laughed. “Sly. Sounds fun.”

  “It was fun. We got to see A Christmas Carol while we were in the city. Off-Broadway production. Somehow seeing it with Braydon made it even more special. It’s still a favorite of mine.”

  “Whatever happened to Braydon? Let me guess, you and Lexie are private investigators. Rafe’s a police officer. I’m guessing Braydon’s a prosecuting attorney now.”

  Tears burned at the back of Kat’s eyes as she forced the laugh out. “No, he didn’t follow the cliché. He got a job outside of San Francisco shortly after graduation.”

  “Nice area. Great career potential. Do you guys stay in touch?”

  “For a while. He was happy. Found the love of his love. Lived life to the fullest.” Tears slipped down her cheeks.

  “Lived? As in past tense?”

  “Yeah. Motorcycle accident.” She wiped the tears away. “Let’s search here.”

  She needed to stop. Stop sharing bits and pieces of her life with this guy who was going to leave in less than two weeks. Sharing would get her in too deep. It’s what people did who liked each other and hoped for a deeper relationship. It’s not what they did when they were having a fling. Keep it light and fun, Kat.

  Two hours later, they were both hot, sweaty, and covered in dust and cobwebs. Unfortunately, there had been no sign of Sara Wallis.