by Dylan Keefer
Both father and daughter nodded. “Becca, text or call my number as soon as you know the address.”
She promised that she would. They all stood up, and Ailani saw that Joe was favoring his left side a little. “You okay?” Joe looked back as Ailani pointed to his side. He laughed.
“Work accident. I’m a vet, and I had a wrestling match with a big dog today. I think I just pulled something.”
Ailani walked them out and watched them exit the building.
***
The gym was packed. Raine was used to a regular gym where there were treadmills and weight machines, and that horrible spin class teacher who never seemed to think that she was doing enough even though Raine was practically on the verge of passing out every time. Eric tagged along behind her. She figured that it would be nice to have a male figure with her when they asked questions. She wasn't that intimidating of a figure. Neither was Eric really. He was actually the type she needed to take when she got information from girls. She was just glad that he didn't act like a pretty boy.
“You looking to train?”
The hulk-like man that walked up to them had a towel draped over his shoulder. His left arm was covered in tattoos. His left leg followed in suite. There was a scar under his right eye that looked like he might have lost that fight. Raine couldn't imagine the person who would want to tangle with him.
“I don't think I would survive in this sport,” Raine said. She extended her hand. “I'm Dr. Raine Michelson. I work with the Hawaii Police Department. This is my partner for the day, Eric. Do you have a moment to answer some questions about James Borland?”
The man smirked. “The Boar? What do you want with that animal?”
“He's dead,” Raine said matter-of-factly. The man frowned and shook his head. When his eyes glanced to Eric who nodded a confirmation, his eyes widened.
“You're not joking, are you? Boar was just in here last night.”
“Notice anything different about him?” Raine said.
“Nah. There's nothing ever different about him. He was working off some stress from the week. Having an asshole for a wife will do that for you. Come on,” he motioned for them to follow him. “Got some seats over here. Hey, fellas! Boar's dead! These are cops!”
Raine heard reactions all around the gym. One guy jogged over from around the corner of the main ring.
“You said Boar's dead?”
“The nickname,” Raine asked. “Is that because his name is Borland?”
“Partly. It's also because that's how he fights.” He squatted down in a runner's stance with his forearms on his knees. He faked lunged at Eric who jumped a little. “He was a little guy, but he was quick.”
“So, he fought here,” Raine said.
“Well, whenever we have bouts. He fights for the gym. Undefeated,” the second guy said. “My name is David. I was his trainer. This is Pick-up.”
“Pick-up?” Eric raised an eyebrow. The tattooed fighter puffed his chest out.
“You want me to show you why they call me that?”
“Nope,” Eric stepped back. “I'm pretty sure I could figure it out.”
“His wife said that he was only out two nights a week, and one of those nights we know he is busy.” Raine caught a glance between the two men.
“His ball and chain is clueless to anything but her job. James brought the kid with him to the gym with a babysitter. Babysitter watched him while James trained. She even came to fights with him so the kid could be watched.”
“Why not leave the babysitter at home?” Eric thought out loud.
“I guess just in case the wife came home and caught some random girl with her kid,” Pick-up said.
“How late was he here last night?” Raine asked.
“About ten o'clock. He usually stays later, but he said he couldn't be out too late,” David said. “Nothing unusual. Had a kid stop by the gym; one of his students. They had a big argument. Kid stayed for a bit after Borland left. Wanted to work out.”
“Boy or girl?” Raine asked.
“Boy. He's been around before. His name is Jake.”
“And the babysitter—did you ever catch her name?”
Pick-up snapped his fingers trying to remember. “Um. It began with an 'M'. Mya. Mya was her name.”
Raine nodded. Jake and Mya. They were on her radar. “And I'm sure that Boar had some guys he pissed off. Anyone who would want to hurt him?”
“He never pissed off anybody,” David said. “The guy was a saint pretty much. Everybody loved him.”
“If someone killed him,” Pick-up said, “It would have to be for a really big reason.”
“Thanks,” Raine said. “I may have more questions later. I'll reach out here if I do.”
They nodded. Eric whispered to Raine as they walked away. “A big reason. Like running a secret underground fight club for underage students; some of them being girls who he might be messing around with?”
“Yeah,” Raine said. “Someone found out about that; someone who decided Borland's sainthood should be revoked.”
***
They could hear the water off in the distance. The night sky watched over them like a big blanket in the sky. Micah had his eyes closed, and honestly, was near sleep as the others talked and joked. They had made it to the campsite that Heather had mapped out and set up their tents and fire. She was a pro at this. Micah had only been true camping once in his lifetime as a boy. He had loved it, but life hadn't presented opportunities like that again. Being in the military came close at times, but not like this. The world had disappeared for a while, and all seemed right.
“We're going to go back to the campsite,” Brock said. He and his friends got up. Heather smiled.
“Okay, we'll be along soon. I'll try not to wake you when I get into the tent, Raven.” The way that Heather addressed her brother's girlfriend almost made Micah laugh. It was a passive aggressive threat that said 'you had better not be in my brother's tent when I get back if you value your life'.
When they had left, Heather groaned. “Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?”
“I think this is good for them,” he said. “If anything, it shows that you care. Sometimes that's enough.”
“I hope so.” She laid back in the grass and stared up at the sky. Micah listened again to the sound of the nature around them. It reminded him of the walk that he and Raine had taken the other night. They had both gotten off work and decided that it was too nice of a night to stay inside. Raine had tucked her arm under his as her hand slid into his.
“Does it feel weird to be in a good place?” She asked.
Micah smiled. “You mean, in a healthy place without someone trying to ruin your life?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I always wondered what that was supposed to look like.” She lay her head on his shoulder. “I like it.”
“I like it, too.”
“I think I'm going to write my next book about the whole Eli Samuels experience,” she continued. “I think it will help people to look into the mind of someone who looked at love in such a twisted way. There are so many out there that feel abandoned and hurt by someone they love or an experience that they don't know how to process it. Maybe my story can help.”
“Dr. Raine Michelson takes over Dr. Phil, huh?” Micah joked. She pinched him. After a moment, he asked, “How are you processing us?”
“I'm enjoying that there is an us, at the moment,” she said. “That's something that I look forward to everyday. As far as the future hold, I think that I don't want to predict that. My job is to figure things out and see into the mind of the people I'm investigating. I don't want to do that with us.”
Micah opened his eyes as Heather laughed next to him. “What's so funny?”
“You?” She said. “You were snoring.”
Micah sat up slowly. “I fell asleep? Really?”
She stood up and brushed herself off. “Yeah, we should get back to camp. I'm still not convinced that girl got the message, and yo
u might have to restrain me.”
“And I thought that I was here to help your brother,” Micah grunted as he stood up. “I'm just here as an accessory to you murdering this girl.”
“Surprise,” Heather said.
They began to walk through the wooded area back to the camp. They had only gone a quarter of a mile away from the site to stargaze. As they approached, Micah felt the same sense that he had when they were hiking. Something inside of him told him they were not alone. He grabbed Heather's arm and put his fingers to his lips. They stopped moving; a questioning look in her eyes. Then she heard it. Footsteps. They were soft, but not disguised. They were definitely human. He looked at Heather and knew what she was thinking. Could it be one or all the teens trying to scare them? He doubted it. Micah mentally kicked himself for not having his gun on him. Someone was following them and getting closer.
“Run,” Micah mouthed the words. Heather nodded, and the two of them took off. It was hard in the dark of the night, but they managed to keep to the little wooded path. As they ran into the camp, he and Heather stopped suddenly. The sight that greeted them was horrifying. The bodies of Brock's two guy friends lay on the ground; still with gunshot wounds in each of their backs. Brock was on his knees in front of his girlfriend who stood next to a man with a gun pointed at Brock's head. There were two other guys with him. They all turned to look at the two who just joined the party. Neither Heather nor Micah had time to react before Micah heard the hammer cock of a gun. He looked at Heather who had a scared look on her face, and then behind her at the gun barrel pointed in her back.
Chapter Three
“Brock,” Heather said through gritted teeth, “what’s going on?” She and Micah were pushed over to where he was and pushed to the ground. Micah winced as he sat up straight. Raven stood next to the guy with the gun, and she stood pretty close from what Micah saw. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.
“This is the guy Brock used to sell drugs for,” he said. “Raven led them up here. She didn’t come for Brock, she came to make sure these guys knew where to go.”
“He’s the cop I told you about?” Raven said to the guy. The gun dropped, and the guy took a step towards Micah.
“Smart guy,” he said. “My name is Cooper. I have no problems telling you this because I obviously can’t let you live. I may let the sister live, but that depends on Brock here. Brock, you want to tell them why?”
Heather turned to her brother. “Brock! What did you do?”
He looked down at the ground but didn’t say anything. Cooper laughed. “Never saw someone who he was afraid to disappoint. Brock, tell her what you did, or I will hurt your sister.”
“I stole his drugs,” Brock mumbled. Heather groaned.
“And it was a lot of drugs,” Cooper said. “A lot of drugs that is costing me a lot of money. So, I need them back, or I need the money back.”
“And the two boys you just killed?” Micah asked.
“Two times that I asked Brock where my drugs are, and he didn’t answer.” Cooper pointed the gun at Heather. “I’m asking a third time.”
Whoever this Cooper guy was, he meant business. Micah had no doubt that he would hurt Heather in order to get his drugs back. Brock was frozen. His eyes glanced at his two friends laying in the dirt, and there was nothing but fear that showed in his eyes.
“I can’t get you the drugs, but I can get you the money,” Micah said. “How much?”
Cooper looked at him. “An even ten grand. That includes interest.” He lowered the gun a little. “And how is a cop gonna get that much money to me?”
Micah was trying to think. He had a gun in the tent in his bag. Getting to that gun would be nearly impossible without threatening more lives. Maybe he could get them to bring the gun to him.
“I have a bag in the tent. My phone is in there. There’s a number to my partner. If I request him to get the money, he can get it to me within twenty-four hours. I can have it wired wherever you need it.”
Cooper walked over to Micah and leaned down in his face. “You bullshitting me? You look like you could talk pretty easy, cop.”
“I care about these two,” Micah said nodding towards Brock and Heather. “If getting you the money saves their lives, then I’ll do it. You gotta honor your deal and not hurt them.”
“I never made that deal, cop.”
“Then I guess you don’t get your money.”
The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Cooper smiled. “Raven, go get the bag.” Micah didn’t let his gaze drop as Raven climbed into the tent and dragged a bag out of it. She brought in between Cooper and Micah. Cooper pointed the gun at Micah’s head.
“You got a gun in there, cop?” Micah considered lying, but he knew that Cooper was the type of guy to check.
“I’m a cop. Of course, I do.”
Cooper smiled and grabbed the bag. He moved it behind him and dumped out the contents. The gun, which had been on the bottom of the bag, fell out along with the phone.
Micah didn’t waste any time. He mustered up all the energy that he had and dove for Cooper’s gun. He aimed at one of Cooper’s guys holding a gun and fired. The bullet found the guy's chest. Micah kicked his foot out and knocked Cooper over.
“Run!” He yelled the Heather and Brock. They both got up and took off with Micah following. He turned backed for a second and fired the gun. Cooper had recovered and returned fire on the runaways. Micah dodged trees and kept moving through the woods. He could see Heather and Brock in front of him. Wait! Micah only saw Brock. He ran upon Heather face down on the ground. Red blood flowed from her leg.
“Heather!” Brock yelled.
“Keep running! I’ve got her!” Micah yelled. Cooper was not going to stop. They couldn’t either. He leaned over and grabbed her. Heather struggled to stand up.
“I’m okay,” she grunted. “I can run.”
“Get on my back,” Micah said. “You’ll lose more blood if you run.”
“We’ll lose more time if I don’t,” Heather said. She started to run, but Micah wasn’t going to let her stubbornness get in the way. He grabbed her and handed her the gun.
“You shoot. I’ll run.” She surrendered and jumped on his back with a small cry of pain. Okay. I need you to ignore how tired you are, legs. Run.
***
Sounds of a movie playing in the living room welcomed Eric as he walked through the front door. Malanie and Dani both looked up as he walked in with his face full with a smile.
“Look at the big, fancy detective. Solve the murder yet?” Dani asked.
“It’s a crazy case,” Eric sat down I between the girls on the couch amidst their protest. “I’m beat. My brain hurts, too.”
“That’s good,” Malanie laughed. “That means you have one. We worry sometimes.”
“Raine is so cool,” Eric said. “Like she thinks, and she makes you think when you’re with her. She doesn’t get frazzled either. She’s…”
“Amazing. Awesome. Valiant,” Dani mocked pretending to swoon. “She is the only hope for the planet!”
Eric glared at her. Malanie laughed. “So, are you going to work the case with her tomorrow?”
“I want to help a little,” he said. “But—I also came here to spend time with you.”
Malanie felt her heart beat a little bit faster. Had he emphasized spending time with her and Dani or just her? Dani yawned, and to Malanie, it seemed fake.
“I’m going to go to sleep. We’ll finish the movie tomorrow,” she said standing up and stretching.
“Are you sure?” Malanie pointed to the screen. “We have fifteen minutes left.”
“Gotta get my sleep,” Dani said. She placed her hand on Eric’s shoulder. “I need rest to be amazing, awesome, valia…”
Eric reached out and tickled her until she stopped and made her escape out of the room. He sighed. “That was a fake yawn, wasn’t it?”
“Totally.” She pulled her legs up onto the
couch. For a few seconds, they sat there. All day, she had enjoyed spending time with Dani. Her roommate and she had become extremely close and having her visiting for a week before Christmas was great. The shock from this morning had gone after they arrived home and were able to get showers. The rest of the day had been spent shopping, food, movies, and just hanging out. But Malanie knew she would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she missed Eric, and not as in a friend.
“I like you.” Malanie turned to him. He was already staring at her. His lips were still open allowing the last of that phrase to escape his lips.
“You do?” She smiled. She couldn’t help it. Eric smiled in response to hers.
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever met that can make me feel this nervous and excited. You’re special, Malanie. You’re beautiful and kind, and good.”
Malanie reached out and put her hand across his mouth. “You’re going to make me cry.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had come a long way since her dad died and her mom was arrested. She had a lot of people in her life now that worked hard to give her the support she needed. Eric was a good guy. She knew this. She liked him—a lot.
She felt Eric grab her hand and hold it in his. She shuddered as she kept her eyes closed. “I’m going to kiss you, Malanie.”
She swallowed and nodded slowly. His free hand moved her hair back and reached behind her neck. She felt him move close to her, and his lips were on hers. She let out a moan, and then gasped at the fact that she moaned. He pulled her hair and kissed down her neck. Her eyes grew wide. She wasn’t expecting him to be so forward. He stopped and pulled back.
“What!” She gasped. She didn’t realize that she was breathing heavy. “Why did you stop?”
“I thought I might be moving too fast,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about this all day, and…”
“You’ve been thinking about me? And kissing me?” He nodded. She grabbed his arm and pulled him close.