Engravings of Wraith

by Kiera Dellacroix

  She could feel the helicopter lift off as she dug in her pocket for the key and by the time she opened the elevator, Chris and the helicopter were already gone.

  “He left in a hurry,” Piper said as the elevator began to drop.

  “He was trying to beat the storm coming in,” Bailey explained. “The trip back took longer than he thought it would.”

  “Oh,” Piper said. “Will you stay with me tonight?”

  “I have to be in the office early,” Bailey said regretfully. “But as far as I know I’m yours for the rest of the week if you want.”

  “I want,” Piper said happily.

  “Is Nancy gonna be home for you?”

  “She said she would be,” Piper said as the elevator doors opened on the lobby.

  “Good.”

  “Evening Miss Cameron, Miss Tate,” Tom said.

  “Hi, Tom,” Bailey said and Piper smiled at him. “Did you get stuck with the weekend?”

  “Just today. Traded with one of the guys,” Tom said pleasantly.

  “I see,” Bailey said with a smile. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “Alright,” Tom said and went back to his magazine as Bailey opened her private door and the women vanished inside.

  They walked down the stairs and Bailey opened the trunk of the Barracuda to deposit their bags, stopping on her way around to unlock Piper’s door.

  “Why, how mannerly,” Piper teased as Bailey walked around to the driver’s side.

  “Anything for you, Esmeralda,” Bailey said sitting down behind the wheel.

  “You’re not funny,” Piper said with a little scowl as Bailey started the car. “I don’t know what possessed me to tell you.”

  “Your mother would have told me,” Bailey said backing out of the garage.

  “There’s no doubt about that,” Piper said. “She loves to embarrass me.”

  “She’s a neat lady.”

  “Yeah, she is,” Piper agreed. “As much as I sometimes hate to admit it.”

  “I liked your family, Piper,” Bailey said. “Thank you for taking me.”

  “Anytime,” Piper said happily. “They all liked you too.”

  “Really?”

  “Really,” Piper said. “They’d love to have you back and Corey thinks you walk on water.”

  “Hmmm,” Bailey grunted.

  “Everyone but you thinks you’re a neat person, Bailey.”

  “I know better,” Bailey said quietly.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Piper said annoyed.

  “Never mind,” Bailey said quickly but she heard Piper take a breath and braced herself.

  “Do you mean to tell…” Piper started loudly but stopped herself. “I’m going to forget I heard that because I don’t want to be angry at you or to fight with you.”

  “I don’t want you to be angry with me,” Bailey said softly. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too,” Piper said reaching over and taking her hand.

  They drove along in silence until she pulled up in Piper’s driveway and Bailey put the car in park and started to get out.

  “Wait,” Piper said and Bailey stopped with her hand on the door handle. “Kiss me,” she said and Bailey leaned over and met her lips. “See you tomorrow then?” she asked, breaking contact after a moment.

  “Yes,” Bailey said with a smile as she got out and retrieved Piper’s bag from the trunk and walked her to the door. “Are you sure Nancy’s here?”

  “I think so,” Piper said walking in. “Yeah, she’s around; the heat is on and I can hear the television.”

  “Alright then.”

  “I’ll miss you,” Piper said. “You sure you can’t stay?”

  Bailey nodded. “I will tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” Piper said with a smile. “Gimme a smooch and be on your way.”

  Bailey leaned down a pressed her lips softly against Piper’s. “Good night. Don’t forget to call your parents.”

  “I won’t,” Piper said with a grin. “Night,” she said and watched until Bailey got in her car and backed out of the driveway.

  VIII

  No escaping what you sow you will reap.

  —W. O’Williams

  “Good morning, Miss Cameron,” Josh said jovially as he peeked in her office door and saw her sitting at her desk.

  “Come in, Mr. Anderson,” Bailey said with a little smile.

  Josh entered and handed her a set of keys. “These are the Gremlin keys,” he said distastefully. “It’s across the street like you asked.”

  “Thank you,” she said pleasantly.

  “I want you to know that while I was driving it, some guys pulled up next to me at a light and made fun of me,” Josh said humorlessly. “It was humiliating.”

  Bailey chuckled. “I can imagine.”

  “Here,” Josh said tearing a piece of paper out of a little notepad.

  “What’s this?” she said accepting it.

  “I followed the bad guys to that address the day you left. They apparently have a day shift and a night shift. Two man teams. I trailed the night shift back to that address when they were relieved,” Josh explained. “It’s a good sized two-story building. Not a lot of activity but if I was to guess, there appears to be at least fifty people residing inside twenty four hours a day. There’s always between twenty and thirty cars in the parking lot.”

  “Well done,” Bailey said approvingly. “Any problems?”

  “None.”

  “Any progress inside?”

  “A little,” he said. “I concentrated on the areas you suggested first and I know of one for certain, two maybe. Give me to the end of the week and I’ll have more to tell you.”

  “Alright,” Bailey said. “Have you given any thought of what you would like me to do for you?”

  “I have,” Josh said. “I’d like to remain Mr. Anderson and if it isn’t a problem I’d like to arrange to have some of the money set aside to take care of my wife. The old Josh can just disappear.”

  “I’ll see to it,” Bailey said agreeably. “Is there anything else? I need to make a phone call.”

  “One more thing,” Josh said reluctantly.

  “Yes?” Bailey said patiently.

  “I overheard several rumors this morning pertaining to you and Piper Tate,” he said carefully.

  “I see,” Bailey said with narrowing eyes. “Go on.”

  “The word is that you’re having a relationship with her.”

  “Is that it?”

  “Yes.”

  “What seems to be the general opinion?”

  “From what I gather most don’t care, some think it’s great,” Josh said. “But there are some that think Piper got her job because of the relationship.”

  “I see,” Bailey said. “Keep an ear open.”

  “Is it true?” Josh asked curiously.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s great,” Josh said sincerely being secretly glad that she was human after all.

  “I’m glad you approve, Mr. Anderson,” she said dryly.

  “Oh, I heard some of the other talk,” he said with a smile.

  “And?”

  “And I was wondering if I could call you Princess too?” he asked with a chuckle.

  Bailey narrowed her eyes and lifted an arm to point to the door.

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Josh said with a grin as he rose from his chair and ambled out of her office.

  She waited until he was gone before she locked her desk and left the office. She headed for the elevators and when she got upstairs she went right for her computers, punching in a number and watching the monitor until it was picked up.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Thumper said. “Did everything go alright with your trip?”

  “Yes,” she said pleasantly. “The pilot was excellent.”

  “Glad to hear it,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “Take down this address, please.”

  “Hold a second,” he said and he could hear him fum
bling around. “Go ahead,” he said and she gave him the address.

  “What do I do with this?”

  “I need the most recent blueprints for the building at that address and if it has undergone any very recent renovations. If it has, I need to know.”

  “Alright,” he said. “Three days at least.”

  “That’s fine,” she said. “You need to keep any inquiries discreet.”

  “Trouble?”

  “The building is occupied by government spooks. The highly classified kind,” Bailey said. “You don’t want them to catch your scent. Understand?”

  “Clearly,” Thumper said. “Change that three days to the end of the week. Possibly early next week.”

  “That’s fine,” Bailey said. “As soon as is safely possible.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not at the moment, contact me as soon as you have what I need.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks, Thumper,” she said and hung up.

  She shook a cigarette out of the pack but changed her mind at the last second and put it on the desk. She got up and padded out to the kitchen to find Martin browsing through the refrigerator.

  “Good morning,” Bailey said as she approached.

  “Hi there,” Martin said jovially. “I didn’t catch you when you got in yesterday. How did it go?”

  “Very well,” Bailey said amiably. “Hand me a Pepsi, please.”

  He handed her a can and she took it to the kitchen table and sat down. “I take it they liked you?” he asked grabbing one for himself and joining her at the table.

  “I think so, they were very nice,” she said conversationally. “Piper says they did.”

  “Piper your girlfriend?” Martin asked and she nodded. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he said sincerely.

  “I did,” Bailey said with a smile. “Did you get along alright while I was gone?”

  “Yeah,” Martin said. “I’m going to have to take a night job when this is over so I can keep up with my stupid soap operas.”

  “That reminds me,” Bailey said reaching in her pocket. “Here,” she said handing him the keys to his Gremlin.

  “Thank you,” he said taking the keys. “Soap operas reminded you of my car?” he asked confusedly.

  “No,” Bailey said. “Stupid did.”

  Martin laughed. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Alright.”

  “When you came to get me at the hotel room,” he started. “You seemed to know exactly where everyone was. How did you do that?”

  “Would you believe me if I said it was magic?” she asked with a smile.

  “Probably,” he said honestly. “Was it?”

  “Thermal Infrared,” she admitted casually. “I had a visor in my bag.”

  “Oh.”

  ———

  “Debra?” Piper said into the speakerphone.

  “Yes?”

  “Could you come in here for a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  Piper waited behind her desk as Debra entered the room and seated herself in one of the chairs in front of her.

  “What’s the new gossip?”

  “Excuse me?” Debra said confusedly.

  “Every time I’ve left my office today, I get the eerie feeling that I’m being talked about,” Piper said. “Forgive me if I’m being silly, but if I’m the topic of discussion someone would’ve made sure my assistant would hear it.”

  “You’re not being silly,” Debra said. “Word is that you and Miss Cameron are a couple.”

  “I see,” Piper said with a frown. “If it were true would it present a problem with you personally?”

  “Of course not,” Debra said dismissively. “Is it true?”

  “Yes,” Piper said bluntly. “But that’s something that I would appreciate secrecy on.”

  “It won’t leave this room,” Debra said sincerely.

  “Thank you,” Piper said. “I’m not sure how she’ll handle this. She’s a very private person.”

  “Give it a few days,” Debra said. “It’ll die down.”

  “Perhaps,” Piper said uncertainly. “Are the current polls in my favor?”

  “Heavily,” Debra said with a smile.

  “That’s good to know,” Piper said with a little grin.

  “Don’t let it bother you, Piper,” Debra said sympathetically.

  “Easier said than done,” Piper said. “But I’ll do my best. Have you had lunch yet?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to go?” Piper asked with a smile. “My treat.”

  “Sure, let me get my coat,” Debra said getting up.

  “Okay,” Piper said rising from her chair.

  ———

  “Cameron.”

  “Hey there,” Piper said

  “Hey.”

  “You still coming over tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Goody,” Piper said happily. “Wanna just ride with me?”

  “Okay.”

  “If you make a stop with me, I’ll buy you dinner.”

  “Where?” Bailey asked warily.

  “The mall,” Piper said. “I need to get makeup and I need another pair of shoes.”

  “Shoes?” Bailey groaned.

  “I promise to make it quick,” Piper said with a chuckle.

  “Okay,” Bailey said with a sigh.

  “Gee, you act like I’m taking you to a firing squad,” Piper said amused.

  “At least a firing squad would be quick and relatively painless.”

  “Hush,” Piper laughed. “Do you want me to come find you or do you want to swing by the office around five?”

  “Why don’t you give me a call when you’re ready and you can pick me up out front.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Piper said. “I’ll see you in a little while then.”

  “Okay.”

  “Bye, sweetie.”

  Piper hung up the phone thoughtfully and returned her attention to the computer in front of her until Debra’s voice came over the speakerphone.

  “Piper?”

  “Yes?” Piper said without looking away from the monitor.

  “I’m going home for the day,” Debra said. “Is there anything you need before I go?”

  Piper looked at the time with a little frown. “Gosh, I didn’t know how late it had gotten,” she said. “No thanks, Debra. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Have a good evening.”

  “You too,” Piper said pleasantly in parting and she returned to the computer for a few minutes before she logged off and stood up to collect her things.

  She made it to the elevator encountering only a few people, one of which smiled brightly at her. She had a little grin on her own face as she waited, a grin that rapidly vanished when Julio appeared with the arriving elevator.

  “Nice catch, Piper,” he said smugly and lapped his tongue at her as he passed.

  She opted to ignore him and got into the elevator alone, scowling worriedly as she descended. She sighed a little as she emerged into the lobby, imagining Bailey’s reaction to the current news, for she was far more sensitive than she let on and had more than her fair share of insecurities to deal with as it was. With a quick shake of her head, she put on a smile and dialed Bailey’s number on her cell phone.

  “Hey, you out front?” Bailey asked in answering.

  “Will be in a sec,” Piper said with a grin.

  “On my way,” Bailey said happily.

  “Okay, see ya in a minute,” Piper said smiling at the excitement in Bailey’s voice as she got into the Corvette.

  “Okay,” Bailey said.

  ———

  “There’s the girlfriend,” Zack said looking through his binoculars at the little black Corvette that had just emerged from the parking garage.

  “Is she alone?” Russell asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Should we follow her?”

  “No, she’s stopping out front,” Z
ack said watching the Corvette with interest. “I bet she picks up Cameron.”

  “Okay,” Russell said picking up his own binoculars.

  “Yeah, here she comes,” Zack said as he watched her come down the steps and get into the car.

  “Call it in,” Russell said as he pulled out and began to follow the Corvette. “They really got someone standing by to hit her?”

  “Yeah,” Zack said. “If she steps into a suitable location,” he added as he dialed his cell phone.

  “Think he’ll pull it off?” Russell asked curiously when Zack hung up.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I think it’s just a chess move,” Zack speculated.

  Russell considered that silently for a moment. “It would suck to be the guy going for her.”

  “Yeah it would,” Zack agreed.

  They followed the Corvette in silence until it pulled into a mall parking lot.

  “Looks like they’re going shopping,” Zack said picking up the phone. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”

  Part Six

  I

  She has a volatile nature,

  Moves in a dangerous way.

  —B. Andrews

  Bailey stood dutifully by one of the several makeup counters inside Dillard’s as Piper browsed and chatted with one of the girls behind the counter. She was tempted to sigh when she saw Piper heading back towards her but was suddenly sidetracked by something that caught her eye. After what seemed like twenty minutes, but was in reality around two, she finally had what she wanted and approached her with a smile.

  “Sorry,” Piper said, amused at the look on Bailey’s face. “I got carried away.”

  “Uh huh,” Bailey said as Piper took her hand.

  “Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Piper said playfully. “I promise to make the shoes quick.”

  Bailey sighed and Piper chuckled at her as she led her out into the mall.

  “You hungry?” Piper asked.

  “A little.”

  “What are you in the mood for?”

  “Whatever you want,” Bailey said noncommittally.

  “What do you want?”