by Harley Stone
I eyed the adjacent table. A woman sat alone, her attention on her phone.
“Hi.”
She looked up and flashed me a smile, setting down her phone. “Hi.”
“Do you mind if I sit here?”
The woman shook her head. “Not at all.”
“Hound!” Mila threw me an apologetic smile as she stood. “I’m so sorry. Toby, this is my friend, Hound.”
“Hi, uh, Hound?” Toby eyed me suspiciously. “Did I hear Mila right? Your name is Hound?”
Stepping between the two tables so we could lower our voices, I replied, “Yes.” Then, because I didn’t want him to think I was some thug who’d named myself after an animal known for sleeping around, I added, “It’s a nickname I picked up in the Navy.”
The suspicion in his eyes was replaced with respect. “Thank you for your service.”
I wasn’t looking for his thanks, and that wasn’t why I’d shared my backstory with him, but I nodded.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hijack Amelia. I didn’t realize you two were together. Please forgive me.”
His tone was very matter of fact, not at all snarky or insulting, and he made a good point. I wore off-brand khakis and a button-up I’d picked up at Walmart, while Mila sported designer jeans and a trendy purple shirt, looking like an incognito model or actress. Her sandals alone probably cost more than my entire outfit. Nobody in their right mind would think we were together.
“It’s fine, man,” I replied. “Good to meet you.” I would have shaken his hand, but mine were both full.
Seeming to realize that, he moved toward the chair I’d been eyeing before stopping and looking around the restaurant. “There’s a bigger table over in the corner. Let’s move to that one so we won’t be so crowded.”
The guy seemed nice, and I didn’t want him to go to the trouble of moving his shit when I could plant myself at the adjacent table. But before I could object, he sprung into motion, sliding his laptop into a black shoulder bag. Then he marched over to the larger table, once again pausing to pull Mila’s chair out for her.
Now those two, I could see together.
While she was born to stand out and he was quite possibly the most average person I’d ever laid eyes on, he at least looked like he could afford to take her out for a steak and a bottle of wine.
I bet he’s not a recovering addict with a record, either.
“How are you, Toby? Where’ve you been all this time?” Mila asked as she sat.
I scooted past her and took the chair by the window, watching both Toby and the door in case there was trouble. He was nice enough, but he’d have to earn my trust. After Morse dug into his personal life.
“When we left the compound, Mom moved us to San Francisco with my grandparents.”
So, he was from the religious cult, too? I eyed him, wondering if he had what it took to stone a woman to death. He didn’t seem like the type, but few psychopaths did.
“Wow. Frisco. Bet that was a culture shock,” Mila replied.
“Yes! Nobody really understood what it was like, but I knew you would. All the people were a little… overwhelming, but it was nice to finally get to know everyone Mom had told me about. Aunts, uncles, friends. Overnight, I went from being an only child with one living parent to having so many people around I had to hide to get a moment to myself. I missed you, though. I wrote, but never received a reply.” His tone wasn’t accusatory, but there was a hint of pain behind his claim.
“You wrote?” Mila asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
“Yeah. At least twice a week. Just like I promised.”
“I swear I never received anything.”
He shrugged her off with a smile. “That’s okay. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
“No, I’m really upset I didn’t receive your letters. It was a difficult transition for me, too, and I could have used the correspondence from a friend. I definitely would have written back. I missed you and wondered about you all the time. I don’t know why anyone would keep your letters from me.”
“Actually, it makes perfect sense now that I think about it. We know the reverend isn’t big on outside influences, and I’m sure he and the elders were just protecting you. There are some crazy people out there, you know?”
His insinuation that Mila couldn’t protect herself didn’t sit well with me, but since she was on the run from a murderer, I couldn’t argue.
Flashing him what looked like a conspiratorial smile, she didn’t seem bothered by his comment in the least. “Oh, trust me, I know.”
“Wait until I tell Mom I saw you. She’s gonna flip,” Toby said, changing the subject.
“Is she here?” Mila asked. “She was always so sweet to me.”
“That’s because she loved having you around. She used to call you the daughter she never had. She’s back home in Frisco. I’m only here for a few months on business.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a developer for a customer relationship management software company called TriLink.”
Committing his company name to memory since Morse would want to investigate it, I took a sip of my coffee.
Mila’s eyes widened with surprise. “A software developer? Wow. I didn’t see that one coming.” She seemed more animated around him. Purer. Younger. Less sarcastic. “It’s crazy that you went into technology when we were raised without computers. What made you decide to go that route?”
His cheeks colored as he looked down, fiddling with the strap of his laptop bag. “Moving across the country, away from my best friend, was the catalyst. Despite the sudden influx of family, life got lonely without you. My grandparents had a computer and they paid for some online classes to keep me from moping during my free time. I don’t think anyone expected me to pick it up as quickly as I did. Gramps used to go off on these tangents about computers being the future. I think I did it partly out of loneliness, and partly to make him happy. He died last year.” Toby looked away.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m glad you got to know him, though. He sounds like a good man.”
“You would have liked him. And he would have adored you.”
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “So… software? What’s your favorite thing about it?”
“I like identifying problems and offering solutions. It’s rewarding. And the pay isn’t bad, either.” He smirked. “But enough about me. Let’s talk about you. I went back to the compound after high school, and was shocked to find that you were gone. Why’d you leave? Where’d you go?”
“There wasn’t much at the compound for me, so I ran away to go to college.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“Yeah. I got my master’s in education, and I teach third graders now.”
He chuckled. “Of course, you do. That’s fitting. Praise the Lord, that’s so wonderful! I always thought you’d make a good teacher, but figured you’d be teaching in the compound. I expected to move back, we’d be back together, and it would be just like old times.”
Two friends were reconnecting, and I’d never felt more like a third wheel in my life. Not even when Dave was doing everything in his power to make me feel unwanted in my childhood home. Shifting in my seat, I wondered if I should move and give them a little privacy. It was clear to see Toby was interested, and he was a much better fit for her than I was. Still, being around them stung. It made me feel insignificant and foolish for even looking at Mila the way I had been.
“You look amazing, Amelia. Even more beautiful than I remember.”
I could still keep an eye on them if I stood by the door, and I wouldn’t have to hear this.
“Thank you. You look great, too. I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well. And as great as it was to see you, we should get back. I don’t want Levi’s coffee to get cold. You remember my cousin, Levi, don’t you?”
Toby’s eyes widened. “Of course! He’s here, too? I’d love to see him again. Maybe we can all get together for lunch so
on.” Smiling at me, he added, “Hound, you should join us, too.”
I’d rather run a fucking mile than sit through lunch while they made doe eyes at each other, but I gave him the best smile I could manage. “Sure, man.”
“I’ll have to check Levi’s schedule.” Mila pulled out her phone. “Let me get your number.” She punched in the digits he rattled off before standing. “I’ll message you as soon as I know Levi’s availability.”
Toby bolted to his feet, smile firmly intact. “Sounds great. Please give Levi my best.” He gave her another hug before offering me a hand. “It was nice to meet you, Hound.”
“You, too.” We shook again before I picked up the coffees and followed Mila outside.
I had a million questions for her, but suddenly felt like I didn’t have the right to ask any of them.
“You okay?” she asked as we hit the curb, waiting for our light.
No. “Toby seems nice.”
Leaning back on her heels, she snorted. “I don’t buy it. Not for one fucking second.”
Before I could ask what she meant, our walk light lit up. Practically buzzing with energy, she marched out onto the crosswalk. I struggled to keep up until she slowed down and matched my strides.
“Don’t buy what?” I asked.
“Any of it. What are the chances of him running into me like that? He had to know I was there.”
“You didn’t seem suspicious.”
“Good. Hopefully that’ll throw him off.”
I was so confused. “Do you think your childhood friend wants to kill you?” Judging by the way Toby had acted, his plans for Mila included things like a ring and a cradle. I was pretty sure murder was the last thing on his mind.
“Hound, you’re such a good, honest guy.”
She made it sound like an insult, so I didn’t respond. We walked the rest of the way in silence as I tried to figure out what had just transpired.
When Mila burst through the door to Morse’s office, he was on the phone. She put her hands on her hips and stared him down until he promised to call the person he was talking to back and hung up.
“That was a client,” Morse said. “So, I hope this is important.”
“Hound and I just ran into Toby at the coffee shop.”
Morse’s jaw dropped. “Tobias? The Mayer kid?”
“Yeah. Working on his laptop in the coffee shop across the street from your club. He just happens to be in Seattle, hanging out across the street from where I’m staying. How fucking convenient is that?”
“Tobias Mayer?” Morse asked again.
“Yes!” Mila threw her hands in the air. “Said he’s working for a company named TriLink, and, get this, he’s a software engineer.”
“And you’re sure it was Tobias Mayer?” Levi was clearly having trouble keeping up.
“Ohmigod, yes! Levi, he’s weird. Like, bizarre weird. Exactly the same as I remember him, weird. Said he and his mom moved to San Francisco, but I swear, he hasn’t changed a bit. Bubbly, happy, nice, not a cynical bone in his body. He even dropped a ‘praise the Lord’ on me. How could living in Frisco not change him at all? That’s impossible, right?”
“So… he’s still nice?”
“Yes! Worse. He’s… perfect. Perfectly mannered, perfectly well spoken, a perfect gentleman. It’s like we were still in the compound where the elders could hear us. I always thought he was just pretending—like me—but I think he’s really that good.
“And that’s a problem?”
“It’s weird. He said he went back to the compound to find me. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before he left. Why would anyone go back to the compound?”
“For you. I told you that boy had a crush on you. Sounds like he hasn’t grown out of it.”
Shocked, I stared at Mila. During her conversation with Toby, I would have sworn she was all in. She seemed almost as happy to see him as he was to see her. Listening to her rip him apart was surreal. It was almost like watching two different people. She had to be the best actress I’d ever met.
Maybe even better than my mom.
I stared at Mila, flabbergasted, wishing I could unthink that thought.
“I got his phone number, and I’ll text it over to you. He wants to have lunch with us soon.” Mila marched straight to her temporary desk and sat, opening her laptop. “What are the chances? I haven’t seen or heard from Toby in years, and he suddenly pops up? It’s gotta be connected to Polly and Rishi’s deaths. He took the Bible classes with us and knows the verses. He wanted to go back to the compound, Levi. Back. To live there. With me,” she repeated. “There has to be something wrong with him.”
Still looking confused, Levi met my gaze. “Do you have anything to add?”
I set Levi’s coffee down on his desk. “About five-ten, a hundred and seventy pounds, short brown hair, brown eyes, medium build. No visible scars, no distinguishable markings, dressed to fit in with the upper-class Seattle tech crowd. Respectful. He pulled out her chair and stood when she did. Didn’t try to keep her there. Didn’t guilt her into staying longer than she could. Looked me in the eyes when he shook my hand.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Why does it sound like you’re endorsing him?” Mila asked, her voice thick with outrage.
I shrugged. “He seems like a nice guy.”
“So did Jeffrey Dahmer.”
Levi frowned at Mila. “You really think Toby is capable of murder?”
“I don’t know, but you have to admit it’s weird I ran into him here.”
“Not really. Most software designers end up in Seattle sooner or later. It’s a small world, Meals. You two were inseparable for years. Did you ever see him do anything alarming like pluck the wings off butterflies or burn ants with a magnifying glass?”
She frowned at Levi. “No. Of course not. I wouldn’t have hung out with him if he was like that.”
“But now you think he’s a murderer.”
“Shouldn’t you be all gung-ho on this? We finally have a lead—someone for you investigate—and you’re giving me shit about it.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m suspicious as fuck and fully intend to dig so far into his business I’ll make a cavity search seem non-invasive. I’m just wondering why you’re so ready to sharpen the pitchforks and go after him. He was your best friend, Meals.”
“And look how much I’ve changed! If I can become a…” she glanced at me, “school teacher, he can be a murderer.”
Mila was keeping something from me. I’d heard it before when she was worrying about God punishing her, but that glance, that slip… she’d confirmed it. Morse immediately dropped his gaze to his screen and Mila began typing away like a hypochondriac who’d discovered WebMD for the very first time.
I hated secrets almost as much as I hated lies.
She was so damn fake at the coffee shop.
What do I really know about her?
Not much. Just the little bites of truth she decided to feed me. As much as I was drawn to her, I couldn’t trust her. Not after I’d seen how easy it was for her to lie. To be someone she wasn’t.
Deeply disappointed, I headed back to my desk and got to work.
13
Mila
“TOBIAS MAYER APPEARS to be everything he says he is, Meals,” Levi said, leaning back in his chair to stretch his arms and shoulders out.
It was late Friday afternoon, following one long ass week. I, too, was feeling the effects of too many hours spent in front of a screen. Pushing my laptop forward, I rested my head on my desk like I encouraged my students to do when they finished an assignment early. I hadn’t finished shit, though. Hell, there wasn’t even a finish line in sight.
Two weeks had gone by since I’d arrived in Seattle, I’d communicated with Detective Monte multiple times, and I still had no answers. Especially if Toby was no longer a suspect.
“What do you mean he’s everything he appears to be?” I asked. I’d been staring at my borrowed lapt
op all day. My eyes were blurry, I had a raging headache, my stomach felt unsettled from too much coffee and not enough food, and I wasn’t in the mood to solve one of Levi’s little riddles.
“His mom and grandparents are in Frisco. Well, his grandpa died last year, so now it’s just his mom and grandma. When he’s not at work or hanging out with the fam, he’s volunteering at the Golden Oaks Senior Center. He’s listed on TriLink’s website as a software designer, and the company does have an office in Seattle. When I called and requested him, they transferred me to his desk. I hung up before he answered. Side note, his customer reviews are glowing, as in so fuckin’ stellar they almost blinded me. I had to stop reading. People call him a real joy to work with and rave about how he always gets the job done on time. You were right, he hasn’t changed much from when he was a kid. Maybe we should nominate him for sainthood?”
“It’s weird, right?” I asked.
Levi shrugged. “Maybe he’s just a good person.”
Ugh. Levi was back on this again. “Maybe. But since he clearly knows his way around a computer, he could be hiding some skeletons.”
“You know what’s really weird? The way you want him to be guilty. Meals, he was your best friend.”
“Was. Past tense. A long time ago. People change.”
Levi was watching me like my brains were dripping from my nose. “It’s not his fault his mom moved him away.”
“I’m aware.”
“But you seem mad at him about it.”
“No.” I shook my head. “That’s not it at all.”
“Then what the fuck is going on with you? Why do you want your childhood friend to be guilty of murder?”
Guilt ate at me, but I pushed it away. “I just want to find the killer so I can go home and get back to my life.”
Levi frowned. “Well, you’re gonna have to find another patsy, because Tobias looks squeaky clean. His bank account and tax returns match up. I haven’t tried to access his flight records, but he’s represented his company at both national and international trade shows. His passport is clean. No arrests, no restraining orders, no lawsuits. Not even a fuckin’ parking ticket. Hell, he’s even got good credit. Probably a benefit of forgoing college and learning what he needed at a technical trade school. Maybe you should stop vilifying him and take the guy up on his lunch offer. He’s always been into you, and he’s loaded and stable. He’d be the perfect man for your third-grade teacher image.”