by PJ Fernor
“Logan! I will break the door down!”
My voice started to growl.
You’re going to scare her.
I shook my head.
I’m going to save her…
I opened my mouth to scream one more time before breaking down the door.
The lock made a pop sound and the door opened a few inches.
One of Lo’s pretty eyes stared at me.
Wide. Scared.
I sucked in a breath. “Why did you lock the door?”
“What?”
“The door was locked. You weren’t making any noise.”
Lo pulled the door open and pointed to her bed. “I was putting my clothes away. From the mess I made.”
I looked around the room.
My mind flashed images of bottles of booze. Needles on the nightstand. A gun. A knife. A young girl, Lo’s age, face down on the bed, a pill bottle next to her, almost empty. My fingers digging into her still warm skin, praying for a pulse, learning the hard way again that some prayers just aren’t meant to be answered.
“Allie, are you okay?” Lo asked.
I realized how I must have looked.
I sighed and lowered my head.
“Hey,” I said as I collected myself. “Let’s make a deal here.”
“Okay,” Lo said.
“No locking the doors,” I said. I looked into her eyes. “Just… please.”
“What about the bathroom?”
“Bathroom is fine. For number two only.”
“Gross,” Lo said.
“What?” I asked. “Everyone goes number two, Lo.”
“Gross again,” she said.
“Sorry about… do you have everything you need?”
“Yeah,” she said. “This isn’t a big deal to me. It’s kind of what I’m used to. You know?”
“Of course,” I said. “It’s your high school. Everything is familiar there. You need that.”
“Who were you talking to out in the hallway?”
“Oh,” I said. “I met Miss Kesslier.”
“Who?”
“Our neighbor. She seems like a handful. But nice. Said she’d help us.”
“Help us?” Lo asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Who knows. It’s good to know your neighbors.”
“Back at the house, the lady next door does yoga,” Lo said. “Like all the time. Outside. On her deck. In the grass. She lights this stuff that smells. Mom used to…”
Lo dropped her eyes.
It’s okay, Lo. Tell me the story. Tell me all the stories.
There was silence.
I counted three seconds in my head.
“Your mother always hated certain smells,” I said. “I’m sure she had strong words about that neighbor.”
“Yeah,” Lo said. “Uh, my ride is going to be here soon. I’ll close the door when I leave.”
Lo was asking for trust. Independence.
I nodded. “Sounds good. Have a good day today, okay?”
“You too,” Lo said. “Hope nothing crazy happens.”
“No matter what, we’ll be at the dinner table later.”
Lo smiled.
I reached for her shoulder and squeezed.
I grabbed my bag and coat and worked my way out of the apartment.
There was no way I was leaving her there alone. I just had to give the appearance that I was. Which meant I’d wait in my car until she left. Just so I knew Lo was on her way to school and safe.
I opened the heavy door to the building and stepped outside.
The sun smacked me in the face and my eyes ached.
My sunglasses were in my car.
I took big steps and stuck my hand into my bag to get my keys.
I spotted someone next to my car.
A man.
Crouched down.
I gently put my bag down on the sidewalk and crept toward him.
I reached behind me.
First day on the job and I’m already pulling a gun on someone.
Chapter Six
“Show me your hands,” I ordered. “Right now.”
The man turned and looked up at me. His face became white. I studied every feature on his face. Square chin, thin lips, slightly crooked nose, really bright blue eyes, three wrinkles on his forehead. A freckle or mole right near the left corner of his eye.
His hands were shown, near his chest. “Holy smokes, lady. You have a gun?”
“I’m a detective here in town,” I said. “Don’t make any quick moves, got it?”
“Yeah, of course,” he said. “I’m Brian. I live about a block away. I always take my morning walks through here. I have my identification in my wallet.” His right hand shook as he pointed toward his butt. “You can check. I was passing by and noticed your back tire was a little flat and the bumper had damage. Thought it was a hit and run thing. Happened last summer here. Some drunk guy came through the parking lot and hit a bunch of cars. I’m sorry. I was literally just looking…”
“Stand up,” I said.
I still had my gun drawn.
Trust wasn’t given for free.
I had been in situations like these many times.
Brian stood up, still showing me his hands. He looked ready to pass out. He was scared.
Good.
“Where do you live?” I asked.
“I told you, about a block away. Over on Lincoln. Right on the corner where the gas station is? If you cross over there and then turn down the first side street.”
I looked at my car.
The back tire looked low.
Shit.
The damage on the bumper had been there for a while. That was my fault.
I studied Brian and saw movement from the corner of my eye.
It was Janice.
My neighbor across the hall.
She stood next to her car, eyes on me, then eyes on the gun.
I quickly lowered my weapon and swallowed hard.
Brian didn’t move.
Janice did though. She hurried toward the building and went inside.
I made a mental note to apologize to her.
“I’m very sorry,” Brian said to me. “I can give you my identification. Anything you want. I understand how this looks. You can ask anyone. I always walk through here. If you wrap around both set of buildings it gets you close to an extra quarter mile. I track it on my phone.” He turned his hips and stuck out his left leg. “My phone is in my pocket.”
“Stop,” I said. “Put your hands down. Just stop.”
Brian lowered his hands.
I shook my head. “Go home.”
“You should get air in that tire though,” Brian said.
“I’ll do that.”
“And don’t worry, I won’t say anything about this.”
I curled my lip. “Maybe next time don’t try sneaking around cars, okay? I’m from the city. You’re lucky I…”
What? What’s he lucky for? That I didn’t shoot him? Seriously, Allie?
Brian backed away and reached for his phone. He looked at the screen. “Well, today’s heart rate will be interesting for sure.”
He walked away and my eyes followed him.
This wasn’t the city. This was a town. The entire feel was different and it was supposed to be different. Not everyone walking around had bad intentions. Not everyone had to be labeled as a suspect. And not everyone and everything linked itself back to that case.
There’s another missing girl! Why don’t you look?
I caught my breath and reached for my bag.
The building door opened again and Lo came trotting out. She took a few steps, her pretty hair dancing behind her, but she froze in place when she saw me.
I smiled.
She looked scared.
I was still holding my gun.
It was a part of me.
I knew every inch of my gun. I could fire it, reload it, and clean it in my sleep. Seeing a gun did nothing to bother me. Unless, o
f course, someone was pointing a gun at me. But to have my gun, hold it, it was security for me. Comfort. Just part of the job and part of the life I lived. The life I had and lived before becoming responsible for Lo.
And there I stood, on the sidewalk of the apartment building, holding my gun because I pulled it on a man who was on his morning walk.
I hurried to put the gun away.
“Lo,” I said.
“My ride is here,” she said in a monotone voice.
She ran.
Ran.
I watched as she hurried up to a small, red car. When she opened the door, music blared. Lo got into the car and it drove off.
“Put your seatbelt on,” I whispered.
I sighed and went back to the building.
As I stood outside Janice’s door, I waited for her to open it after knocking.
When she did, I tried to put the biggest smile on my face.
She gasped when she saw me.
“I’m so sorry about that,” I said. “I’m Allie Down. I’m a detective. I just moved here. With my niece. We live across the hall. Which I’m sure you already know. And I know you have a daughter. Janelle. She’s beautiful. She looks just like you. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. And now I’m standing here rambling like a fool instead of saying what I came to say…”
“I just dropped Janelle off at school,” Janice said. “I have about five minutes to myself before I go to work.”
“And I’m wasting your time,” I said. “I saw someone in between two vehicles and… I’m very sorry for what just happened. But the detective in me… he said he goes for a morning walk…”
“Every morning,” Janice said.
“Right.”
“His name is Brian,” Janice said. “I think he works at an auto body shop. I really don’t have time in the morning to chat. With anyone.”
“Including a detective who’s a bit paranoid from her time in the city,” I said.
Janice offered a weak smile.
I stepped back and showed my hands in defeat.
Janice shut the door.
What a way to start the day, huh?
Chapter Seven
I promised myself I wouldn’t compare Sandemor to the city.
But that was impossible.
In the city we called it the lair because of the building’s size and shape. It was a very old building, so old that it didn’t even have central air throughout the entire place. Some offices were cool and others boiled in the summer heat. Each floor had its own smell. Each light had its own buzz. And the paperwork was endless.
The building in Sandemor…
It was a two story brick building. It almost looked like a big house or maybe even a small school. More of an administrative look than somewhere to do serious police work.
I wasn’t here to pass judgment.
I was here to work.
To do whatever was needed in town. If that meant writing parking tickets or pulling over soccer moms rolling through stop signs in their minivans, then so be it. This was all about Lo. She needed her normalcy back. Or at least as much as she could get.
I entered the building and a woman in a black suit stood in front of the main desk, arms crossed, staring right at me. She was taller than me, and not just because of the heels she wore. Her face was narrow and all her features were dark. Dark hair, rich tanned skin, perfectly manicured nails, but no rings on her fingers.
“Allie Down,” she said.
“Who’s asking?” I asked.
“Nobody. I’m telling.” She stepped toward me. “Laura Carano.”
“Chief of Police,” I said.
“Correct,” she said. “I had to come out and meet you myself. I’ve been reviewing your cases and everything else I could find.”
“Are you meeting me here to send me right back out the door?” I asked with a smile.
Laura smiled back. “Hardly. It’s not all that often we get someone like you wanting to work here.”
“How often?”
“Never.”
“I’m a pioneer then.”
“Detective in the big city coming to a small town,” Laura said.
I waved my hand around my head. “Oh, should I have hid all my red flags before meeting you?”
That got Laura to laugh. “Walk with me.”
I nodded.
Laura led the way through the station.
My eyes moved rapidly, taking it all in.
It was the same as any other police station, just this place’s version of it.
I spotted a table with coffee and snacks.
“Mind if I get some coffee?” I asked.
Laura paused. “Don’t drink that.”
“No good?”
She didn’t answer me.
We went up a set of steps to the second floor of the building.
Which was the top floor.
I laughed to myself.
Laura stopped at the frosted glass door that had her name on it.
“What’s so funny, Allie Down?”
“Just different here,” I said.
Laura opened the office door and ushered me inside.
She had her own corner table with what I assumed was the good coffee.
“Help yourself,” she said. “Then have a seat.”
I decided to skip the coffee this time and get right down to the conversation waiting to happen.
“No coffee?” Laura asked.
“I’m more intrigued by you,” I said.
“I’m rather boring, Allie Down. But you… you’re fascinating.”
“I look better on paper than in real life,” I said.
Laura folded her hands. “What brings you here?”
“You know that already,” I said.
Laura nodded. “You came highly recommended.”
“That’s good.”
“But you’re not going to tell me why.”
“You want me to say it in my own words.”
“It’s a conversation,” Laura said.
She was fierce. Bold. A woman who had to fight for everything she had in her life. And she made sure every day to remind herself of that and remind the world of that.
“I loved my job in the city,” I said. “My sister was killed in a car accident. A hit and run. I’m sure that’s still an open investigation right here in town.”
“And that’s a problem for you?”
“No,” I said. “My niece became mine. And having her in the city wasn’t going to work out. So I moved back here. Back home.”
“You know, I could probably share some stories about you and your sister,” Laura said. “I made a name for myself busting up some of those famous parties in the woods.”
“Thankfully I was able to outrun you then, huh?”
Laura laughed again. “On a serious note, I am sorry about your sister. And we are working to find out the truth.”
“That’s not why I’m here,” I said. “I love what I do. I love my niece more. She deserves a chance to get back to normal. Or whatever normal is for her now.”
“Well, I knew you were going to say that, Allie Down. And we’re thrilled to have you here. You can take all the time you need to get settled. Ask questions if you want… but you seem to be the type to figure it out on your own.”
“Is this where you explain to me your personal rules?” I asked.
“No. You know right from wrong. That’s that. I can’t promise it’ll be as busy as the city, but you’ll always have something to do.”
“That’s all I could ever ask for, Chief.”
“Laura,” she said.
“Excuse me?”
“That rank and respect stuff I don’t need. I earn what I earned by action. Not a name. Not a title. To you, I’m Laura. Understand?”
The office door opened before I could answer.
Laura stood up.
“How about you knock, Garrison?” Laura called out.
I turned in my chair and let out a Ha! at t
he sight of Garrison.
Garrison freaking Miller.
I shook my head.
“Sorry, Chief,” Garrison said. “I just had to see it for myself. Little Allie Down. Coming back home. You haven’t grown an inch since high school, huh?”
I pointed to his stomach. “I see you’ve grown more than an inch, huh?”
“Small town living, babe,” Garrison said. He smacked his stomach and grinned. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Looking for a change in my life,” I said.
“Garrison, get out of here,” Laura said.
Garrison walked to the table and got some of the good coffee.
“Last time I saw you…”
“Save it,” I said. “Let’s not go down memory lane.”
“Why not? Because you were the sweet and sassy cheerleader who turned into this tough chick?”
I stood up.
I calculated what would happen if I beat the hell out of Garrison on my first day.
“You never left, huh?” I asked.
“No need. I got busted so many times, I know all the tricks.”
“So you’re a rat now?”
“It pays the bills,” Garrison said. “No drinking parties on my watch.”
“You must be so proud of yourself,” I said.
“You got your coffee, Garrison,” Laura said. “Now go serve and protect.”
“Wait a second,” Garrison said. “She shows up and is a detective? I’ve been gunning for that for years.”
“Solve a case and we’ll talk,” Laura said.
“This is bull,” Garrison said. “Women supporting women… over men…”
“Do you need a tissue?” I asked.
“Good luck around here,” Garrison said. “I’ll take you out to dinner one of these nights. We can catch up.”
He winked at me.
“I’m far too busy for you,” I said. “Can’t believe you still use that cheap pickup line.”
“What?” Garrison asked.
“The one where you just talk to a woman… you tell her what’s going to happen. Try again when you’re better looking, Garrison.”
“Tell you what,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll let you work the biggest case we’ve got right now. After all, you’re from the city, right?”
“Garrison…,” Laura said.
“It’s okay,” Garrison said.
He handed me a piece of paper.
When I unfolded it, there was a picture of a cat.