by Makenzi Fisk
“Honestly, I’m struggling with all the paperwork involved in setting up this project. I should splice myself in two just to keep my head above water. I need to liaise with local groups and writing proposals was never my forte.” Allie’s headache had eased but she was so far behind that she might never catch up. And lately, she’d been no help to Erin. They were supposed to be a team. She’d promised.
“I have some extra time.”
Allie gave her a tentative smile.
“I’m really good at schmoozing officials. How do you think someone with my crappy grades made it into graduate school? I bullshit very well.”
“That you certainly do.” Allie laughed. One of Ciara’s redeeming qualities was that she never took herself too seriously.
“I’ll pay you.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Ciara winked. She hoisted the cat and Rachel draped over her neck like lingerie on a clothesline.
“Come, I’ll show you what I’m working on.”
“Okay, but I’m not using that damn computer. I’ll do it old school, on paper.”
“Fine with me.”
CHAPTER 22
Erin parked her Toyota Tacoma in the driveway of the decrepit bungalow that was home for the summer. Ciara’s pink bicycle, with its brand new front tire, leaned against the shed at the end of the driveway. Snuggled into her windbreaker, the pup perked up his ears and oriented them like satellite dishes.
“Well, Billy Bass, fun time is over.”
The dog’s ears drooped.
“We caught a small mouth bass. The name sort of makes sense.”
His ears flattened to his skull.
“You’re right. You weren’t much help.” It was the dog’s fault there was only one fish, and not two. After she’d removed the hook, he’d chased the first one back into the river. She picked the dog up and tucked him under her arm. “I can’t decide what to call you.”
She retrieved the cooler from the back of the truck and set the dog on the grass. He toddled over to the shed and lifted his leg on Ciara’s tire. Whether or not the bike was there, he peed in the same spot. He finished and wagged his tail at her.
“Feel better?” The agonizingly delicious aroma of fresh coffee greeted her as soon as she entered the house. She’d made sure to pick up some decent dark roast, and it smelled like someone had found it. She poured herself a cup, removed the bass from the cooler and headed to Allie’s office.
“I’m making dinner tonight!” Erin announced as she leapt through the doorway, fish held up by the gills.
Phone in hand, clad in Bat Girl pajamas, Ciara leaned back in Allie’s chair. Her bare ankles were crossed on the desk. She held a finger to her lips and wrinkled her nose at the fish. “Good morning, Alyssa Brody Consulting.” Accent sharpened to finely clipped points, she sounded like the Duchess of York. The cat swished her tail between Ciara’s feet and glowered at Erin.
Erin dropped the fish to her side. Alyssa Brody Consulting. Was the new business name Ciara’s idea? It had always been Allie’s Consulting before today.
“Of course, Mr. Vargas. I assure you our qualified technicians are fully aware. We will ensure the work is done to your specifications. Yes, sir. Why, thank you… Pardon me?” She twirled a lock of hair around an index finger and the corners of her mouth lifted. “I prefer vegan fare, but I regret that I have a prior lunch engagement. Perhaps another time. Have a pleasant day, Mr. Vargas.” She hung up the phone and pulled her feet from the desk. The cat sniffed the air and sat upright. Eyes bright, she jumped to the back of Ciara’s chair and took a swipe in Erin’s direction.
Erin swung the fish out of range. “Did Allie’s client just hit on you?”
“Um… yup.” Ciara’s duchess accent evaporated. “Happens all the time.”
“I hope he didn’t ask what you were wearing.”
Ciara laughed. She pointed at Erin’s prize. “That’s cat food.”
“No, this is dinner. Do you know where your boss is?”
“She had a strange morning and went for a run to clear her head.” Ciara held up a finger when the phone rang again. “Good morning, Alyssa Brody Consulting.” Her accent was as refined as before.
Erin exited when Ciara turned to write longhand on a pad of legal paper. Both dog and cat followed her to the kitchen where she noticed, for the first time, her cell phone on the table beside Allie’s bag.
“There you are!” She hadn’t been able to find it this morning and had finally left without it. She eyed the cat and checked her call log. Underneath a list of missed calls was one she didn’t recognize. Caller ID was blocked. Probably Z-man. He often called too early or too late. She might give him a watch for a wedding present.
She wrapped the fish in foil and reached for the fridge door. Her phone rang and the display read Caller ID Blocked. She plopped the fish on the counter. “Hey Z.”
“Officer Ericsson?”
“Barb? Uh… Mrs. Schmidt? Why are you whispering?” The cat and dog were playing noisily behind her and she pressed the phone to her ear.
“I did what you told me and I wanted to tell you that I made it.”
“You made it?” Erin repeated. The woman sounded nuttier than the last time they’d spoken.
“I did exactly as you said. I ran as fast as I could, got in my car and drove out of town. I won’t say where, but I’m safe.”
Erin pressed her lips together. “You did what I told you? When?”
“When? Why, I’ve been driving ever since. I’ve only just arrived.”
“No, I meant, when—”
“Thank you for saving my life.”
Allie must have taken Barb’s call. Is that what Ciara meant about Allie having a strange morning? What in the world had happened while she was fishing? “You called about Lily?”
“I knew it was her in that strange truck. When she came in the house, I hid in my closet and called you right away. I knew what she was up to and I was right. There was a gas can by the door when I ran out.”
“Gas! Did you call the police?” The hair stood up on Erin’s forearms. Between a persistent background buzz on the connection and the noisy pets, she could barely hear. She thumbed the call volume to maximum.
“I told you. They didn’t do a darn thing the first time I called. I’m not calling again. I’m just happy to be alive.”
“I’m relieved that you’re okay. Is your husband with you?”
“He finally believes me. He’s coming and we’re both moving far away.”
“Is Lily still staying at the motel?” Erin needed to find that kid.
“Albert said he hasn’t seen her in days. He checked out and left her things with the desk.”
She wouldn’t care enough to go back for it. With no home base, how would Erin find the girl now? “Does Lily have any friends?
Barb snorted. “She’s a monster. Who would be her friend?” She was quiet for a moment. “Albert once mentioned that he dropped her off at the housing complex by the mall. You know, the one with all those cheap gray townhouses. She might be staying there.”
Erin didn’t know, but maybe Ciara would. She’d probably ridden her bike all over the city. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Good luck. You’ll need a lot of good luck.”
“Can you ask your husband if he mentioned a friend’s na—?” The call disconnected and Erin stared at the screen until it went black. A name would have been helpful. What the hell had happened last night?
She walked to the office to ask Ciara but the phone was ringing again. No wonder Allie had asked her friend for help. Erin’s questions would have to wait.
The fish should go in the fridge before it started to smell. Back in the kitchen, she gaped at the counter. Save for the shiny new coffee maker, it was bare. She opened the fridge. Nope, she hadn’t subconsciously put the bass in there. The noisy pets. Rachel. The puppy, always underfoot, was also notably absent. Erin clenched her jaw. If that evil cat was capable of stea
ling her phone, a mere fish would have been child’s play.
She dropped to her haunches and looked under the table. No. She checked the windowsill behind the curtain. How would the dog get up there anyway? He wasn’t Spiderman. He was just a pup. A pup with an invisibility cloak. Erin checked both bedrooms, and then went back to the office.
With a look of utter amusement on her face, Ciara pushed her chair out and allowed Erin to check underneath the desk. She still held the phone’s receiver to her ear with one hand and took meticulous notes with the other. Color-coded file folders now fanned in front of Ciara, each precisely equidistant from the other.
If she was so damn organized, why was her house a wreck? Erin couldn’t figure some people out. And there was no cat in here. She stomped out.
She’d fixed the back door so Rachel couldn’t have escaped unless she’d learned to open knobs. She wouldn’t put it past her, but what about the dog? He hadn’t seemed devious.
Coffee. She needed more coffee. She made a fresh pot and poured herself another cup. Her cell phone rang. Caller ID was blocked.
“Barb. Did Albert remember something?”
“Barb? Nope, not the last time I checked.”
“Z-man.”
“Hey girl, I have news!” Zimmerman sounded excited.
A woman’s muffled voice scolded him in the background.
“Mom. Seriously?” He must have his hand over the microphone.
Erin stifled a laugh. Zimmerman should have moved out of his mom’s house a decade ago. Falling for Gina was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
“I’ve finally got news about Lily for you,” he announced.
Erin perked up. Rachel and her stolen fish could wait.
“I got a call from my buddy, you know the one who’s married to—”
“I remember.” Now his mom would think she was being rude for cutting him off, but he really needed to spit it out.
“A Winnipeg police officer was injured while trying to stop a vehicle theft. There were two suspects in the stolen truck, two girls, one blonde and one with red hair. Get this, the red-head called the blonde Lily.”
“Lily.” Erin’s heart hammered in her ears. She’d injured a policeman. Holy crap!
“My buddy’s husband was working that shift. He remembered we were trying to locate a girl named Lily. He called me an hour ago.”
“Did they arrest her?”
“They found the truck wrapped around a telephone pole. The kids were gone.”
Lily must have wrecked the truck after she’d left Barb’s house. Barb hadn’t mentioned another girl. Had Lily been on her own by then? She’d had a busy night.
Erin filled him in on the details of her initially confusing phone call from Mrs. Schmidt, and the fact that she’d as yet been unable to hear the rest of the story from Allie.
“You need to talk to your wife, Erin.” Zimmerman urged.
“She’s not my wife—”
“Might as well be,” he said dismissively. “Maybe she can use her woo woo mojo to find Lily, and that other kid too. Those two are out of control.”
Besides Allie’s foster parents, Zimmerman and Gina were the only other people who knew about Allie’s gift. Unfortunately it didn’t work that way. She couldn’t just program in the coordinates and follow the directions to her destination. Sometimes she sensed things, sometimes she didn’t. Since she’d lost Fiona, she couldn’t focus her intuition very well at all. She didn’t have the words to explain all that to him. “I’ll ask her.”
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Gina is going to have a boy. She told the ultrasound tech that she didn’t want to know, but the assistant spilled the beans.”
A boy. Allie had been talking about a baby boy in her sleep. Was this the child?
“She’s due three weeks after the wedding. You gotta be here!”
She could hear the smile in his voice and she smiled back. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”
“I gotta go. Mom needs me to take her to aqua therapy class.”
“Say hi to Gina and your ma for me.”
“Right.” The call disconnected.
There was a muted shuffle in the bottom cabinet. The cat. Erin slid her phone onto the counter and flung open the bottom door. “Gotcha! You evil thief…” Alone in the middle of the cupboard, the puppy blinked. There was no cat. And no fish. Well, no fish any more. Shredded bits of aluminum foil and a trail of fish bones led to the hole in the wall behind the cabinets.
She held dog in front of her face. “Fess up, Clyde. Where’s Bonnie?” He wagged his tail and blinked shiny brown eyes. She instantly forgave him. “Aw, I know it wasn’t your idea. That cat’s a seasoned criminal. You didn’t have a chance.” She smooched him on the end of his black nose.
Ciara sauntered into the room, now changed into camouflage skirt and form-fitting pink T-shirt. “You and Allie are perfect for each other.” She filled her paisley-patterned water bottle at the sink and pulled on her boots.
Erin felt her ears grow hot. Puppies and babies always made her silly. She couldn’t help it. “Have you heard of a mall with a crappy gray housing complex nearby?”
“You must be talking about Beverly Hills.”
“You’re pulling my leg.” Erin couldn’t tell if Ciara was kidding.
“That’s what they call it. I don’t know its real name because the sign’s covered with graffiti. It’s about a block from the Triple X strip mall by the airport.”
“Can you be more specific? An address maybe?”
“You can’t miss it. It’s the one with triple X on almost every business listed. Triple X liquor, Triple X videos, Triple X… you get the idea.” Ciara shook her head. “Are you sure you need to go there?”
“I need to find someone.”
“I guess you can take care of yourself.” She looked Erin up and down. “Good luck.”
“Thanks, Ciara.”
“Can you tell my boss that I had to go to the university? I’ll be back later and play secretary again.” She opened the door.
A flash of overhead activity rained shreds of foil down on Erin and the cat streaked down from the top cabinet. She flew out the open door, fish tail clutched in her sharp teeth.
“That’s my bass.” Erin growled. “I hope she chokes on a bone.”
“Good kitty.” Ciara’s evil grin glittered like the cat’s. “Sorry about your fish, superhero. I’ll bring home a vegetarian pizza.”
“Put bacon on it,” Erin quipped.
Ciara mounted her hipster bike and waved the pinkie on a multi-ringed hand. The scales of a Japanese koi tattoo glittered down her calf as she pedaled. She had to admit, Ciara was like an edgy supermodel, but she wasn’t as bad as Erin had feared. And she was funny.
From the back step, Erin supervised the dog when he urinated on his favorite spot. By the time Allie came running up the driveway, she still hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the cat, or of her bass. There was a pair of crows arguing over something behind the fence. Maybe the cat had eaten her fill and the birds were taking care of the rest. She didn’t have the heart to look. Let the scavengers have it.
Allie collapsed onto the step beside her, sweat streaming down her brow. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Erin checked her watch. She’d been home for over an hour and Allie had gone out before that. How far had she needed to run to calm herself? She reached out for Allie’s hand and entwined their fingers.
“I talked to Barb.” Erin was the first to speak.
“Is she okay?”
“She thinks Lily tried to kill her.” Erin looked at her pointedly. “She thinks I saved her life.”
Allie nodded.
“You answered my phone.”
“I had to. My head was going to explode.”
“I’m glad you did. Barb said there was a gas can at the door when she ran out.”
“And oil. There was oil.”
A shiver traveled up Erin’s spine. She could just imagine th
e images Allie had been forced to see. It was not like she had a choice. They assaulted her.
“Lily forgot something. I told Barb to run when Lily left.”
“You saw all that?”
Allie’s nostrils flared. “Not exactly, but I just knew.”
“She’s safe, thanks to you.” The dog returned from his exploration and hopped onto Erin’s lap. She stroked his ears.
Allie’s eyes widened, and she dropped Erin’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” Erin reached for her but Allie pulled back.
“The dog. He’s on your lap. He has too much energy.”
“What are you talking about? Has Clyde done something?”
“Clyde? Is that what you’re calling him today?”
“Wrong-Way Bonnie is on the lam. She tried to pin the fish caper on poor little Clyde.” Erin held the dog up and waggled his paws.
“I know he amuses you, but please keep him away.”
“Tell me what’s going on.” Erin put the dog on her lap.
“That dog is a fireball. He’s too intense. I’m afraid I’ll burn to ash.”
“I thought this was about Fiona.”
“It was… at first. I miss Fiona every day.” The corner of Allie’s mouth turned down. “Then I touched him and it was as if I’d been struck by lightning. Light and color and sound became so intense…”
Erin looked at Clyde. He was a furry little chihuahua with big ears, beady eyes and a wet nose. He was energetic, yes, but powerful? The puppy tried to wiggle free of her arms to go to Allie and she clamped down. “Sensory overload?”
Allie’s eyes flicked to hers.
Erin smiled. Bingo. Too much energy all at once.
Allie nodded uncertainly. She backed away. “I need to change and get ready for my video conference.”
Erin shrugged. Later. She would try out her idea later.
With Allie holed up in her office for the day, Erin spent her time on the phone trying to wheedle information from the local police about Barb’s call last night. She was transferred from the Information Processing Unit to the desk sergeant and back. It was useless. Erin didn’t even have the street address. They couldn’t send anyone to a break and enter with no complainant and no address.