by Kacey Shea
I was lost in my thoughts when we arrived back in front of my apartment. It was just after nine and the day’s activities suddenly caught up with me. I let out a big yawn. Tate noticed.
“I’m sorry I kept you away all day. I’m sure you had other things to do; you must be exhausted.” I turned in my seat to face him.
“I’m a little tired, but honestly, I had a great time today. You must be beat, though; you were up teaching classes this morning before our day even started!”
“Yeah, I’ll sleep well tonight and be back at it tomorrow, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I like being a trainer and I think I’m pretty damn good at it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t get too big for your britches and leave us all to go work on some fancy reality show. You know the kind where they take a group of frumpy, middle-aged, thirsty women and transform them into better looking, thirsty, middle aged women.”
At that he scrunched his face in confusion. “Thirsty? Like they need something to drink?”
“No, like they say, act and think like a horny teenager. Like they want to drink you up like a tall glass of water after spending a week in the Sahara.”
He burst out in laughter. “Evie, you crack me up.”
Tate got out of the car and came around to open my door. He pulled me up and out of the car, and there we stood facing each other in the dark, the complex lights casting shadows across his face. I couldn’t read his expression in this low light, and when he started to lower his head closer to mine I panicked. What if Jon was watching us? Was Tate about to kiss me? Why did I want him to? I cried out a sputtered “Goodnight!” and darted around Tate, jogging back to my front door without a glance over my shoulder.
I slammed my door shut behind me, and leaned against the wooden panel, my heart still racing and hammering in my chest. I took a few breaths before stealing a glance out my window, finding Tate still standing where I left him, staring at my front door.
I couldn’t see his face from this distance, though I desperately wished to. Was he disappointed or just confused by my swift escape? Was he wishing I would come back outside? I considered opening the door again but wrung my hands together to keep from doing so. Tate watched my door for a few seconds longer before he shook his head and moved back to the driver’s side door.
Oh good grief, smooth move, Evelyn Harper. God only knows what he thought about my strange behavior now.
After his car pulled away I walked down the hallway and noticed that Jon’s door was open with the lights out. Good, I was glad he was still gone. I did not have the energy to recount the day with him. Besides, I was still twisted up inside about my own feelings. I needed to get some sleep. A good night’s rest always made my point of view look better in the morning. I anxiously hoped that would be the case as my head hit the pillow and I drifted to sleep.
WHAT A LONG FUCKING DAY. It was well past midnight and I was standing in Evie’s small kitchen, downing my post workout smoothie while reflecting on all that happened today. Breaking the news to Veronica Ortega hadn’t exactly gone as expected, but at least we wrapped that case up quickly and it was done.
The little breaking and entering stint with Kate had me all twisted up. First off, that was too close for comfort. Had we gotten caught, Evie would have been livid and it would have put the entire investigation in jeopardy. Not that we were investigating anything important. I swear, working for Stacey Mills-Sandoval made me feel only about one notch higher than a personal dating service. But hey, I shouldn’t complain. She was a great paying client, and all the hours we were booking on this case were going to pay my rent.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how Kate felt wrapped around me in the shower. She felt perfect in my arms. Our attraction towards each other in that moment rocked me to the core. I tried chalking those feelings up to the adrenaline rush of almost getting caught, but something about it felt real and honest. I shook my head for even going there. No, I could never be with someone like Kate. The way she bounced from guy to guy, the moment we shared in the shower probably meant nothing special to her. I was looking for more than just a good time, and it was clear she was not.
After dropping Kate back off at the photography studio, I stopped to get a coffee at the first place I could find. I sat inside the little hole in the wall café and decided to check our client email. We had over ten messages from Miss Mills-Sandoval asking for more updates on the case. I was happy to note that Evie had responded earlier in the morning so I wouldn’t need to.
Scrolling through, I found Blackman had gotten back to us with all the completed paperwork for his assignments. The love interest he wanted us to investigate was a neighboring shop owner. He knew next to nothing about this woman, by the way he had filled out the information form, and I wondered if the guy had even spoken more than two words to her.
That case bored me, so I continued on to the information about his daughter. He was very detailed, naming all her social media accounts as well as her daily schedule. Violet and her younger sister Elena both attended an all-girls academy not too far from the shop and the luxury apartment where Blackman and his girls resided.
Every day he saw them off when they left in the fire engine red BMW 320i Sedan he had recently gifted to Violet for her sixteenth birthday. The girls drove to school and spent their day there until four o’clock when classes ended. Blackman worked in the store most days until five or six o’clock when he would meet the girls back at the apartment for dinner. Lately, Violet was not home when Blackman returned, and when she strolled into the house sometime between eight and ten she refused to share where she had been.
I shook my head in disbelief. Had my father given me a vehicle when I turned sixteen it would have come with a long list of rules. If I had broken any of them the keys would have been taken away at once. Blackman didn’t adhere to that kind of parenting style with his girls, that much was true. Well, either way I was curious what this entitled teen was up to for so many hours a week, and I had no doubt we could figure it out.
I spent the next few hours using the coffee shop’s free wi-fi to scroll through the social media photos and profiles of Violet and her classmates. When my stomach growled loudly for food I decided to give up my search there. So far the only things I had learned were who still needed a prom date to the upcoming dance and that someone named Jess was looking for the loser who stole her iPod during biology class. Maybe I should leave the cyber stalking to Evie; I hadn’t found anything useful yet.
I drove back home to make lunch and gather my spy gear. There was one thing I could do well, and that was find out where the hell Violet was spending all her time after school.
I thought back to what I learned about Reynolds yesterday. The puzzle pieces didn’t fit after searching most of his home this morning. It was apparent he did not share a room with the woman I saw him with, which meant their relationship was different than I assumed. I ran through countless explanations, and decided to let it be for now. I was sure Evie would find out everything we needed on Tate after spending time with him today.
I spent most of the afternoon following the Blackman girls. Thanks to their dad’s thorough descriptions and their sweet ride, I was able to easily spot their car in the school’s lot, even at a distance. Both girls came out of the school a few minutes after the final bell and I followed them to their apartment building. The youngest, Elena, got out of the car with a pout and marched her way inside the home without a backwards glance. Violet waited until her sister was safely inside before peeling out of the parking lot.
I followed her for an hour. She stopped at a Starbucks, ordered a giant chocolate mess of a drink that somehow passed for coffee, and then was back on the road. We were heading east into an area of town that didn’t hold many homes, mostly industrial buildings and businesses. She pulled into one of these industrial building lots and parked. I noted a few of the fronts had their business names advertised; along this side of the large tinted glass building there was a yog
a studio, furniture outlet, custom lighting warehouse, and dance studio.
Violet stepped out of her vehicle, peeled her uniform blouse off, and threw it, leaving her in a long plaid skirt and white tank top. She grabbed her backpack from the back seat, hiking it over one shoulder, and surveyed the busy parking lot. Seeming satisfied, she crossed the pavement and walked into Dance Connection.
I held my post, watching the front door for the next five hours as people of all ages trickled in and out for classes. At a quarter till ten Violet exited the front doors, walking alone to her car and dressed in the same outfit as before. I followed her as she drove home to her dad’s apartment.
I was tired from sitting in my damn truck all day and frustrated that all I learned about Violet was that she liked to dance, so I decided to hit the gym on my way home. I actually liked the set up and atmosphere of Lift Me Up and they were open until midnight, so I stopped in for a quick lifting session. I happened to run into another dude about my age, Jerry Smith, in the weight area as well.
We had spotted each other a few times this past week and he was a good guy. At six two, with red hair and short beard, the man’s fair complexion was freckled all over. He was an absolute beast in the gym and had a great physique to show for it, but I appreciated his humble nature most.
A lot of guys walked around this place like they were God’s gift to humanity and spent more time taking selfies than actually lifting. Jerry was not like that and I could see us becoming friends. In talking I learned he was new to the area and had moved here to open his own dental practice. So far business was going well for him and being from the east coast he loved the sunny Arizona days. He was probably about my age and I was impressed at all he had accomplished in such a short time.
Jerry was finishing up his workout when I arrived, so after talking a few minutes I was left to myself. With headphones on, I turned my focus to the heavy iron weights and pushed myself to failure with each set of repetitions. There was something therapeutic about the sounds the weights made, metal clanking against metal between sets. This was my happy place, and I felt better at being able to finish my day by getting a lift in.
So, here I sat in Evie’s kitchen, tired as fuck and quite frankly feeling a little lonely. I wished that Evie was still up and we could talk about the day. As much as I liked having the freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted with my days, it was times like this that I missed the military life. No matter what time of day, there was always a brother to shoot the shit with or someone around willing to go to the gym or get a run in. Honestly, civilian life was more isolated than I expected it to be. I had a few great friends like Evie, but other than that I felt alone most times. I was doing my best to stay busy; that was the only way I would be able to deal with all the changes in my life.
I finished off my drink and cleaned up the kitchen before hitting the shower. I prayed sleep would come quickly tonight. As I lay my head down I thanked the universe for the blessings of another day here on Earth and remembered my brothers who no longer held that luxury. Their faces and memories ran through my mind, a nightly ritual I had taken to after losing my first comrade in arms. Sometime later, I finally drifted to sleep.
I must have been more tired than usual because I slept well past my internal wake up time of six o’clock. I was surprised to see my cell phone read just after eight as I rolled out of bed and ran my hands over my face. QT was banging around in the kitchen and smiled to myself. I should get out there before she attempted something horrible. She was the sweetest person I knew, but she couldn’t cook worth shit. I didn’t know many people who could screw up scrambled eggs the way that woman could.
I threw on a pair of worn jeans and a T-shirt. When I walked into the kitchen I was relieved to see she had settled for a bowl of cold cereal. I was still grinning when she looked up, shoveled a big bite into her mouth and croaked out a “What?” I chuckled and poured myself a cup of coffee.
“What? Do I have something stuck on my face?”
“Nah, your face just makes me happy. How did things go with Tate yesterday?”
I moved around the kitchen, pulling out eggs, spinach, turkey sausage, and a skillet. We talked while I made breakfast.
“It went really well, actually. I found out the woman you saw him with was his sister and the boys are his nephews. They all live together.”
“That’s good work, QT. I fell to the wrong conclusion, so I’m glad you were able to sort things out.”
“So . . .” Evie paused, catching my full attention before she continued. She looked concerned and hesitated a few seconds. “So, what exactly does that mean for me now? Do I keep a friendship going with Tate for the case? I guess I’m having a hard time not getting personally invested. Tate is becoming a good friend, and I’ve done nothing but deceive him.”
I should have known this would be difficult for QT. She was the worst liar I knew; it just wasn’t in her nature to deceive people. She must really have a hard time with this case. I shouldn’t have put her in a position to get so close. I grabbed my food and joined her at the kitchen counter.
“I’m sorry. I should have never asked you to do something you don’t want to for the sake of a case.”
“No, its fine, and I want to pull my weight with each case we take on. I guess I’m just new at this so it will take some getting used to.”
I adopted a serious tone. “Don’t worry, you’re doing great. Besides, we can’t both be awesome like I am.” She laughed.
“I don’t know. I think I’m pretty fucking awesome.”
“Yeah, okay, you can be awesome too.”
“So what should I do about Tate?”
I thought about her question before answering. “Well, I guess we need to decide if we’ve covered every angle. Do we have his dating history? Are we even sure he’s straight?”
Evie laughed at that. “I’m pretty sure he’s straight.”
“Why? Did he hit on you or something? Did he try to kiss you? Make a move?” I had trouble keeping the anger out of my tone. Evie just looked perplexed.
“No. No, he didn’t. I thought maybe he would, but the more I think about it, I’m sure I misread the signals. I mean, he’s been the perfect gentleman. When we first hung out I asked and he said he wasn’t into guys, but now that you mention it I’m questioning my initial assessment.”
“Okay, good. I’m sorry, QT, but any single guy who claims to be straight and doesn’t hit on you? I don’t know; I’d question their sexuality.” She blushed at my comment and I continued. “Why don’t you keep your friendship with him going a little longer to see if you can’t learn more? That is, if you’re okay with that.”
She nodded and I stood to clean the kitchen while I filled her in on yesterday’s events.
“So, I was hoping we could work together today on the Blackman case. I don’t really know where to start with his love interest, and all I found out about his daughter was that she’s learning to dance.”
Evie left to get her laptop and returned to the kitchen counter. “Let’s see what magic I can work. I was reading through the case files yesterday morning and I can’t help but be curious about Harold Blackman. You said he was a weirdo, but he just seems like a concerned parent to me.” She pulled up the social media accounts I looked through, and talked while she searched.
“Oh, he is a concerned parent, but you haven’t met the guy yet. He is a strange one, trust me. And how weird is it that he’s got a thing for the store owner next door and has us investigate her before they’ve even dated? By the way, he filled out the form already. It doesn’t seem that he knows much of anything about her.”
Evie’s lips curved up in a smile. “Aww, I think it’s sweet that he’s crushing on the owner next door. What a great story, to be able to tell people you fell in love working next door to each other.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Evie had always been the romantic. As cynical as she had become towards men, she still loved a happy ending. Hell, her
favorite movie growing up was Lady and the Tramp. “I don’t know, call me old fashioned, but if a man likes a woman he should talk to her, get to know her, and then ask her out. I mean, the man is almost fifty years old, for Christ’s sake.”
“Hey, hey, you were the one who told me not to judge our clients. Besides, it seems he got burned pretty badly by his ex-wife, so it’s rational he would be a little gun shy.”
“I can see your point there. So, how do you think we should go about his love interest investigation?”
Evie scrunched her forehead in thought. Her face brightened with excitement before answering. “How about this? Let’s talk to the shop owner. We can get more information—her last name for instance—and go in asking about Harold Blackman and his girls. We go in as investigators, looking into Harold’s ability as a good parent. Heck, we can even say his ex-wife hired us. Hopefully, we get a good feel for her thoughts about Harold. Maybe we’ll even get a lead on Violet, who knows? What do you think?”
“I think you surprise me with your level of scheming, QT. I think it’s fucking brilliant. Let’s head out now and then we’ll have time to tail Violet again after school. Can we take your car? I doubt she’s that perceptive, but my truck kinda stands out. I’d hate to get made by a teenager.”
“Yeah, that works. Just let me brush my teeth and grab my bag.”
I had a good feeling about today. I needed QT by my side; she brought the enthusiasm and spirit I was missing yesterday. I hit the head, grabbed our spy ware bag, and added a few more protein bars. Evie tossed me her keys and we took off with renewed energy.