Veil of Lies

by Nicky Charles

  Megan, one of the servers who worked the afternoon shift, walked in. “What’s up? You two are usually gone by now.”

  She explained, and Megan began making appropriate noises about Jeff’s situation. She left the two of them talking and headed outside. What was the city coming to? Jeff’s car, her apartment, the mugging and…there went the bus.

  Her shoulders slumped as she watched it disappear around the corner. Did she want to wait for the next one or start walking? It wasn’t too hot… Hitching her purse strap on her shoulder, she set off keeping herself occupied by wondering if the new window was installed and if Armand would be waiting for her.

  Would he want to spend the night again? Perhaps she’d text Roxi and strongly suggest some family time which would then leave the apartment free for her and Armand. She grinned at the idea and began to play out various tantalizing scenarios in her mind. Since most of them involved her bed, she made a mental note to buy some new unscented laundry products if it looked like he’d be staying around for a while.

  She was almost home, having just turned down a side street, when she caught a glimpse of Armand’s familiar figure.

  “Armand, wait up!” She called out his name and quickened her pace, intent on catching up with him.

  He turned and waved, the white of his smile showing against his dark stubble. Rather than waiting for her, he began to retrace his steps.

  Her heart gave a little skip, a bubble of happiness filling her. Gosh, she’d missed this; bumping into him while walking down the street, seeing him smile, just having him there as part of her daily life.

  They were only yards apart when the sound of screeching tires and blaring horns broke into her thoughts. A car careened around the corner at a ridiculous speed, fish-tailing to the left and then the right, completely out of control. Horns blared, drivers slammed on their brakes. In shock, she watched as the car hit the garbage cans lining the other side of the street sending the containers catapulting into the air before it veered back onto the road and then…it was heading straight towards Armand!

  Every scent, sight and sound registered with acute clarity, like a movie advancing one frame at a time.

  She felt her eyes widen, tasted the acridness of fear, felt the heat of the sun reflected up at her off the pavement where she stood frozen. The roar of the engine seemed to swirl around her mixing with the screams of on-lookers and her own sharp inhalation.

  Her gaze took in the driver’s hands clenched on the steering wheel, noticed the visor was covering the person’s face.

  “Armand!” She screamed his name, watched as he turned to look behind him.

  Move. We have to move! The voice in her head prodded.

  She started to run, knowing she’d never reach him in time but still having to try. Her heart was pounding, the adrenaline coursing through her veins as her feet slapped against the ground. At any moment she expected to see some 4,000 pounds of metal slamming into him, crushing the life force from his body and leaving his mangled remains behind.

  Please! Oh please! Random bits of long forgotten prayers tumbled through her mind.

  Armand pivoted on the ball of his foot, his muscles bunching, his face contorting into a wild snarl and then the car struck him, launching him into the air.

  In horror, she saw him hit the ground, momentum sending him tumbling and turning along the sidewalk until he slammed into the wall of a building.

  She rushed to his side, dropped to her knees, her hands hovering over him. Was he dead?

  “Armand?” Her throat was so tight she could barely get the word out. Gently she touched him, feeling weak with relief when she heard him take a ragged breath.

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Are you okay?”

  “Me? I’m not the one that was just hit by a car. I—”

  She didn’t get a chance to finish speaking, a dozen voices interrupting as a crowd gathered around them.

  Armand sat up, brushing away those that reached out to help him. “A licence plate? Did anyone get the number?” He growled the words.

  “Covered in mud. Couldn’t read it,” someone answered.

  “Probably high on drugs,” another replied.

  “I’ve already called the cops.” A young woman had her cell phone out. “I have a picture of the car but the driver’s too blurry to see.” She peered at the screen and shook her head.

  Armand clambered to his feet and Lou did the same.

  “Good work, young fellow.” An elderly man patted Armand’s arm. “The way you rolled when you were hit, well, I haven’t seen anyone perform that kind of a stunt since I saw a tumbling act at the circus as a young boy.”

  “Martial arts,” Armand murmured as he surveyed the scene before turning towards her.

  Lou looked at him in surprise. “I never realized you’d taken martial arts.”

  “There are a great many things you don’t know about me.” He brushed some loose hair back from her face, his fingers trailing over her scar before sliding to her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  “You already asked me that.”

  “And you didn’t answer.”

  “I’m fine, just a bit shook up.” Her gaze swept over him, searching for signs of blood or bruising. “You’re the one we need to be concerned about.”

  “I’m fine. We need to get out of here, though.” He looked about and tightened his lips. With the crowd around them, there was no way they could slip away before the police arrived.

  She hoped they’d not be questioned too extensively. While Ryne had assured her the identity he’d created for her was rock-solid, she didn’t want to test the claim.

  A siren announced the arrival of the police and was soon followed by the attending officers taking statements, searching the area for evidence and watching the cell phone footage. Of course, they said they’d investigate but she was certain from their expression they had little hope of catching the driver.

  “The car was probably stolen. We’ll find it torched in a vacant lot or at the bottom of the river,” one officer said.

  Stolen? Was it too much of a coincidence that Armand was almost run down by a stolen car on the very day Jeff’s was taken? She scrunched her brow trying to think if she’d ever seen Jeff’s car. No, she didn’t think she had. And really, there was no connection between Armand and Jeff except they both knew her. And yet…before she could finish her thought, the officer was speaking again.

  He flicked a look from Armand to her. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re refusing medical attention?”

  “We’re both uninjured.” Armand gave an emphatic nod.

  “Do you need a ride home? Can I call someone for you?”

  “No, it’s just a couple of blocks to my apartment.” She pointed towards her building. “The walk will help us calm down.”

  Armand wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Thank you for your concern. We’ll be fine.”

  The officer tapped his pen on his notepad and then flipped it shut. “All right then. We’ll be in touch.”

  Thankfully, most of the crowd had dispersed. Those who remained were more interested in discussing the event among themselves which meant she and Armand were able to slip away unnoticed.

  As they walked towards her place, she studied him out of the corner of her eye, watching for a limp or a wince of pain. No one survived being hit by a car without some kind of repercussion, right?

  “Are you sure you’re okay? I know you told the police officer you were, but you must be covered in bruises.”

  “It’s all in how you roll.”

  She gave him a doubting look. “I’m still going to check you over when we get home.”

  “That could be fun.” He gave her a wink.

  She chuckled as he’d intended but quickly sobered. There was really nothing to laugh about. He could have been seriously injured, even killed. She shivered at the thought.

  Beside her, Armand was scowling. “A mugging, a break-in, now a hit and run. Big citie
s can be dangerous; this, however isn’t normal.”

  “A string of bad luck?”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “No.” She didn’t believe it at all. Something was going on, but what?

  Chapter 12

  Roxi had returned home after spending the morning with her mother. She’d planned to stay the day, only an argument had begun to brew over the pot of herbal tea they’d been drinking.

  “You know, you could become an herbalist,” her mother had suggested as she’d put away the ingredients that had gone into the soothing drink. “A lot of what humans call ‘witchcraft’ is just basic knowledge of plants and their medicinal properties.”

  “Mother, I don’t want to study plants. They’re boring.”

  “At least it would be a useful skill—much better than the type of work you’re doing now—and it would give you a legitimate position in the witching community. It’s not the same as actually having ability…”

  “Mom, I don’t care if I have a ‘legitimate position’ or not.”

  “Well, of course you care! A virus robbed you of your abilities. It’s such a shame and I feel responsible. I should have called a physician the minute you developed that fever…”

  Listening to her mother rehash the story yet again had made her want to scream. Instead, she’d declared herself to be feeling better and left. It was almost the truth; the tea had helped alleviate her cramps and now a bag of chocolate chip cookies seemed to be calling to her. She’d been heading to the kitchen when Lulu and Armand had entered the apartment and shared their recent experiences.

  She gaped at her roommate as the tale was concluded. “You have got to be kidding me!”

  “I assure you, there is no kidding involved.” Armand spoke from where he prowled back and forth in the hall. He first checked the front door, looked out all the windows and then examined the new security grate on the window only to repeat the procedure a few minutes later.

  “Then what’s going on?” Roxi cocked her head.

  Lulu rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “I’ve no idea. I’ve been thinking and thinking. Except for Armand coming to visit, nothing has changed in my life.”

  Roxi swung her gaze towards Armand. “Lulu said the car was aiming for you, not her. Maybe you’re the key. Are you involved in anything shady?”

  “No.” He gave her a hard stare. “Are you?”

  “No. At least not now.” She winked.

  “Enough!” He hit the nearby table with his hand, causing the lamp to tip precariously. “No more jokes. No more hinting at what you may or may not be up to. My Lucy’s in danger and if you’re dragging her into harm’s way with some kind of—”

  “Armand, no! Calm down.” Lulu placed a restraining hand on his arm. “I’m sure Roxi wouldn’t do anything that would harm me.”

  “Right. What she said.” She looked at Armand warily. The guy might be mellow on the outside but there was a temper hiding inside and he had the hots for Lulu. It could be a dangerous combination. “There’s nothing I’m doing that can be remotely associated with Lulu. Plus, I’ve not even been around when any of these things were happening.”

  “True.” Armand rubbed his neck and exhaled loudly. “I apologize.”

  “Accepted.” She noticed he was looking exceptionally dreamy, with his dark hair spilling about his face and his eyes all hot and intense. Damn, Lulu was lucky. But enough ogling. She turned to question her roomie. “There hasn’t been anything strange happening at the centre or the diner? Any weirdo creeping around watching you?”

  “No. The only weirdo I know of is the fake A/C guy you told me about.” Lulu sat down on the edge of the sofa.

  “Fake A/C guy?” Armand shot a look between the two women.

  Roxi explained. “He was trying to get in to measure the windows for an A/C unit we’d never ordered. He kept staring at the box of tampons on the table like he had some creepy fetish.”

  “Hey!” Lulu jumped to her feet. “Your tampons!”

  “Tampons?” She furrowed her brow then made the connection and snapped her fingers. “That’s gotta be it!”

  Both girls rushed to the bathroom and began tossing everything out from under the sink.

  “They’re definitely missing,” Roxi sat back on her heels.

  “What are you doing?” Armand stood in the doorway looking at them as if they’d lost their mind.

  “The person who broke in yesterday took Roxi’s box of tampons. It’s the only thing missing.” Lulu withdrew her head from the cabinet.

  “Lucy is mugged. I’m almost run down. Your tampons are stolen.” Armand shook his head. “There’s no obvious connection between the events.”

  “He’s right.” Lulu’s shoulders slumped.

  “They weren’t even a name brand tampon,” Roxi commented. “There was nothing special about them except…” She looked at Lulu and together they said the same thing. “The memory thingy!”

  “A memory thingy?” Armand made a face. “Are you talking in some kind of secret code?”

  “No, it’s this thing.” Lulu got to her feet and pulled the item from her pocket.

  “Ah,” he visibly relaxed. “You mean a USB drive.”

  “Yeah, a whatever you call it.” Roxi gave her hand a negligent wave. “I found it in the box of tampons I borrowed from Lulu last night. I thought it was hers.”

  “But it wasn’t,” Lulu continued the explanation. “We had no idea how it ended up in the box unless it was dropped in there by mistake at the factory.”

  “That’s highly unlikely,” Armand dismissed the idea. “Modern factories weigh their products to ensure the proper amount is in each package. The extra weight would set the sensors off.”

  “Then how did it get in there?” Roxi planted her hands on her hips, not pleased her favourite theory had been debunked so easily.

  Lulu led the way out of the bathroom and back to the living room. “It could have been at the drop-in centre. I wasn’t watching the bag. Maybe Neil had it in his hand, set it on the counter and it got knocked into the shopping bag. Or someone could have dropped it in at the grocery store.”

  Armand rubbed his chin. “Perhaps it was someone walking by you on the street. It could have been in their hand and it accidentally slipped into you your bag.”

  “Or,” Lulu contributed another scenario. “It could have happened at the diner. I had the box of tampons in the closet for a few days. It was open. Anyone could have dropped it in there.”

  “And whoever put it there likely didn’t expect you to take the box home when you did.” Armand concluded.

  “No,” Lulu negated her own idea. “I already asked at work and they didn’t recognize it.”

  “Don’t forget about the mugger,” Roxi added. “What if he was being followed and just pretended to mug you so he could drop it in your bag? You know, lose the evidence so if he was caught, it wasn’t on him.”

  “But where does the hit-and-run fit in?” Armand folded his arms. “Until this moment I didn’t even know this USB existed. Why would the driver target me?”

  “Maybe it really was just a random incident? A drunk driver, perhaps?” Roxi gave a shrug.

  He shook his head. “Possible but not probable.”

  “Well whoever owns this memory stick, I bet they’ve been trying to get it back and somehow all these events are tied to it. We just haven’t seen the connection yet.” Lulu tapped her finger to her lips. “The night of the mugging, I thought I heard someone outside the apartment, but later Jimmy said he’d been checking the halls. I decided it must have been him. Maybe it wasn’t.”

  “Maybe Jimmy scared the guy off.” Roxi rubbed her hands together and grinned. “You know, this is just like one of those whodunnit movies.”

  “Oh, and I saw a black limo in the neighbourhood that night.” Lulu glanced towards the window. “I wonder if that could be a clue, too.”

  “Nah, that’s Jimmy’s bookie.” Roxi shook her head. When the
others looked at her questioningly, she shrugged. “Hey, I know things.”

  “They’re all possible theories. May I see the USB drive?” Armand held out his hand and Lulu gave it to him. He turned it over, looking for any identifying marks. “What’s so valuable about this?”

  “There’s only one way to find out!” Roxi ran to get her laptop and soon the stick was plugged in.

  The excitement of the moment faded quickly when it became apparent it was encrypted.

  “I can probably find someone who can crack this.” Roxi leaned back in her chair and began to mentally go over her list of contacts.

  “But can they be trusted? We don’t know what’s on it. What if it’s sensitive government information?” Lulu pointed out.

  “I know someone who might be able to help. He’s impeccably honest. I just need to make a call.” Armand excused himself from the room.

  As the door shut behind him, Roxi seized the opportunity for a thorough inquisition about an equally important matter. “So, what’s going on with you two?” She propped her chin in her hand and studied her roommate.

  “Me and Armand?” Lulu shrugged. “We’re old friends.”

  “Friends with benefits?” She arched a brow.

  “Well, sort of. Not before, but…I guess we are now.” Lulu didn’t look very happy at the idea.

  “And…?”

  “And what?”

  “Is he going to move in here or are you going to go back with him to wherever it was you used to live? Or maybe you’re going to try a long-distance relationship? Or is this just a week-long thing?” She presented all the possible scenarios she could think of.

  “He’s only been here a few days. It’s just a visit, I guess.”

  “But you wish it was more.”

  “Maybe.” She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Years ago, it was what I wanted but I’ve started a new life here. And he’ll be heading home again in a few days, I’m sure. He hates the city.”

  “So you don’t want to go back with him.”

  “No. Or at least part of me does, but if I return, it’s a step backwards.” She walked over to the window and stared outside. “I’d be giving up everything I’ve worked for.”