by Jason Letts
Chapter 7
“Nathan, can I talk to you in my office?”
Few things in life are more terrifying than a request like that, and it instantly ruined what had otherwise been a good day. Nathan turned to his boss, Vince, who was always begging for a reason to fly off in a crazed tirade, and it took all the willpower Nathan had to keep himself calm.
Nodding and brushing off his gloves against his work pants, Nathan followed Vince out of the factory. It didn’t take much thought to figure out what this must be about. There’d been strange men floating around the facility lately, snooping around the fixtures and making checks on clipboards. This was going to be about the accident, and they were setting their sights on Cammie.
The only question was how much they thought they knew.
They entered the office trailer, passed the receptionist, and headed for a conference room in the back. Nathan could see a figure through the glazed glass window, but he had no idea who it was. He was starting to sweat, struggling to formulate satisfying answers for the questions he knew were coming. He’d had to save his sister from a lot of things in his life, and he wouldn’t let himself fail her now.
It turned out Nathan’s other boss, Barb, was waiting in the conference room for them. Thankful it wasn’t some kind of detective, Nathan thought to himself that he’d never been so glad to see her. She had her usual sexy business suit on, her hair wrapped tight around her head, and her eyes directly on Nathan.
“So much for getting to meet with you alone,” he said to Barb, flashing a cheesy grin, but she didn’t break from her grim expression in the slightest. Nathan knew how badly she wanted him, and he allowed himself to do some flirting only when he desperately needed her support, but this time it seemed she wouldn’t let herself get swept away.
“Do you know why we called you in here?” she asked, almost growling, as Vince came around to her side of the table and sat in one of the folding chairs.
“You’re giving me a raise?” he joked. Vince laughed, but it only made Nathan feel more uncomfortable.
“We’re concerned there’s been some foul play with the accident. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Vince’s deep, gravelly voice made Nathan squirm in his seat. He’d been nice enough the way he said it, but there was no mistake the pressure to Vince’s question hidden right under the surface.
“What are you saying, that I was involved in the accident? I was almost killed! Don’t you think if I had anything to do with this I would have made sure to get far away?”
“Hey, take it easy!” Vince said, but what was meant to be soothing came out scolding. “No one’s accusing you of anything. We just noticed a strange degree of anticipation related to the accident and we’re looking into it.”
Barb grimaced and looked over at Vince. Redirecting her gaze to Nathan, she leaned forward and set her elbows against the fake-wooden table.
“Can you tell us why your sister knew about the accident prior to its occurrence?”
“That’s ridiculous,” Nathan scoffed. “How could she know the accident was going to happen?”
Barb raised her eyebrow and adjusted her collar. Nathan could tell she knew he was blowing smoke and planned to call him on it. He kicked himself for playing dumb before she even opened her mouth.
“That’s a good question,” she shrugged, patronizing him. “Maybe it was all of the phone messages she left our superiors warning us this was going to happen. Do you want us to play you the recordings? Or it could’ve been all the times she came here to survey the batching plant herself, so many times that we had to ban her from the premises. It also could’ve been the accusations she made against your fellow employees, some of whom have since been fired for negligence. Is any of this ringing any bells?”
Nathan felt like he was about three inches tall in that moment. When Barb laid out all the evidence like that, the countless ways his sister had tried to prevent the accident by getting the cement company to do something about it, it was hard to refute that she did know it was going to happen before it did, which was the truth after all.
But knowing something is going to happen is very different from making it happen, and that’s what Nathan had trouble articulating to Barb and Vince, who would be very skeptical of anything he said to them. How could someone foresee the accident unless they had a hand in causing it? Nathan couldn’t say, and so he said the only thing that seemed like it wouldn’t make things worse.
“I don’t know.”
Barb concealed a wince, and that was somehow reassuring to Nathan. He hadn’t given them the answer they wanted. Maybe they didn’t really have anything and would just give up as long as he kept his mouth shut.
“We have tape recordings of your sister around the batching plant. There are court documents outlining why she needed to be restrained,” Vince reminded Nathan. “Now tell us why she was here and why she was seen on the premises on the day of the accident.”
“I don’t know,” Nathan answered, confident he was taking the safe road. If they wanted to get any information out of him, they’d have to do it when a lawyer was around and he’d been better prepared.
Barb smacked her lips seductively, getting Nathan’s attention.
“We’re just trying to figure out what happened,” she leveled with him. “We don’t want anybody to get in trouble or face charges, but if she knew something was going on that would lead to the accident, that’s important information we could use to make our workplace safer. Don’t you want to help us do that?”
Nathan hesitated, trying to interpret her new tact. Obviously the problem that caused the accident was the crane operator, Manny, who had been drinking on the job. It would’ve been easy for Nathan to say he’d had his suspicions about Manny and that lead to Cammie trying to get involved, but he was suddenly afraid they were trying to link Manny and Cammie together. It was all too confusing, and Nathan had no idea where it would lead.
“Of course I want to make the plant safer,” he answered. “But Cammie didn’t have any knowledge of anything prior to the accident.”
Vince ran his hand over his goatee and scratched his pudgy cheek. Nathan folded his arms, making it clear he wasn’t about to budge.
“The reports say there was a young woman who ran into the plant just before the accident, and you two were seen together embracing after you made it out. We’re having trouble identifying who this young woman even is. Would you care to shine a light on that for us?”
“I…” Nathan began, feeling the urge to tell them about his beautiful girlfriend, but he paused and kept it in. “I have no idea except for that she saved me and I’ll never be able to pay her back enough for it.”
Barb and Vince stared at him, searching for something on his face. It was clear they were disappointed, but it looked like they were stumped about how to move forward. As long as he didn’t tell them anything incriminating, Nathan was sure they’d be safe.
“Go ahead and get out of here and get back to work,” Vince growled, leaning back in his chair. Nathan didn’t waste a moment before he got up and went for the door. Just as he was about to pull it open and exit, the sound of Barb’s lush voice called him back.
“This isn’t over, Nathan. We’re going to find out the truth.”
*
Trying to shake off the encounter he’d had earlier in the day, Nathan was watching a movie in the living room that evening when Eve and Cammie came down the stairs and passed him for the door. His sister’s surprisingly fashionable clothing caught his attention, and then the makeup on her face made his jaw drop. He had never in his life seen her looking like this before.
“Whoa, where’s everybody going?” he asked, his voice curious but not without a sense of judgment.
“Just out for a little bit,” Cammie mumbled, purposefully facing away from her brother. “I’ll be back later.”
“It’s a Thursday night. Should you really be going anywhere when you’ve got scho
ol tomorrow?” Nathan objected, stopping them in their tracks.
“And it’s seven o’clock. I think I’ll be ok for a few hours,” Cammie argued, finally turning around. A flurry of blinking overcame Nathan as he surveyed his sister’s appearance. He pulled his inquiring eyes over to Eve, who had a devilish smile on her pink lips.
“Cammie has her first date tonight,” Eve explained, rubbing the outside of her arms. Alarm shone through Cammie’s eyes as she blushed and Nathan broached a huge grin.
“Oh, is that so? Who’s the lucky guy?” he wondered, beginning to feign emotion. “My baby sister’s growing up. I never thought I’d see the day…”
“Stop!” Cammie ordered, oozing embarrassment. “It’s really not a big deal. We’re just having pizza.”
Nathan was going to continue his speech, but Eve quickly cut in, whispering to Cammie.
“Why don’t you wait outside? I’ll be there in a minute.”
Grateful for the opportunity to escape more patronizing, Cammie peeled away to grab her coat and charge through the door. That left Nathan and Eve sizing each other up from just a few feet apart.
“You’re not jealous, are you?” Eve teased, slyly peering at him from the corner of her eyes. She drifted closer, reaching out to Nathan and setting a few fingers near his collar.
“What would I have to be jealous of?” he asked, slipping a finger in one of the belt loops on her jeans to nudge her hips closer to his.
“I don’t know. Maybe you wished you were about to go on an incomprehensibly exciting date too,” she pondered.
“I’ve got work on the morning,” he reminded her, sighing, but Eve wasn’t deterred in the slightest.
She leaned closer and let her lips drag along his jaw line until she nestled under and kissed his neck. As soon as Nathan started to close his eyes to enjoy it, she had started for the door herself.
“Why don’t you blow it off?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes seductively. “You don’t have that much time left. Do you want to spend it slaving away at work or do you want to have an unforgettable night with me?”
“That’s a weird thing to say,” Nathan grimaced.
“Sometimes the truth is weird,” Eve said, turning from him for the door.
When she met Cammie outside, the two shared the brightest of smiles. It might’ve also been the cold, but Cammie couldn’t seem to stand still. Her eyes beamed in rapt attention, and she kept playing with her fingers inside her gloves.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about anything in my entire life!” she gushed.
Eve reached out to tame an errant strand of hair.
“That’s good, but you can’t let him know that. You’ve got to know what you want and be in control of getting it. Are you ready? Close your eyes and hold your breath.”
All it took was a touch to transport them where they needed to be. Eve brushed her hands as they surveyed their new surroundings. Garrett seemed to live in a modest one-story home on Emery Avenue wedged between a low-income housing park and a strip mall that had a pizza restaurant. There was a subway stop nearby, so it wouldn’t be hard for Cammie to get home, but being here in the dark didn’t exactly inspire feelings of safety.
“I thought we had it rough,” Cammie noted.
“He can still be your prince. Good luck!” Eve smirked, vanishing the next time Cammie blinked. Except for by the strip mall, there didn’t seem to be any people around, but Cammie still didn’t hesitate. She took a deep breath and started for the door, barely touching the first step before she could hear the sound of unlocking ahead of her.
Gasping, she waited to see who would come through the door, and she restrained herself from giggling when Garrett appeared. He flashed her a cute smile, and Cammie nearly swooned. Letting her eyes drift over the tight white t-shirt visible underneath his unzipped black jacket, she managed to pull herself together and act like it wasn’t tickling her insides.
“So you ready?” she panned.
“How’d you find out where I live?” the fifteen-year-old boy asked, raising an eyebrow as he descended to meet her, but Cammie kept her cool.
“It’s not like it’s a state secret,” she shrugged, turning and starting toward the strip mall without him. He hustled to catch up, burying his hands in his jacket pockets. Cammie kept her eyes forward even though Garrett noticeably glanced at her several times. They waited at a crosswalk for the light to change, not saying much. It was so cold they could just barely see their breath when they exhaled.
They spent the rest of the walk in silence, each of them checking every few moments to see if the other was about to say something. Garrett may have been feeling a few nerves too, because his teeth were jittering, but it was hard to know for sure because of the cold.
They followed a couple of college students into the warm pizza restaurant and then waited their turn before ordering a couple of slices. When it came time to pay, they both reached for their wallets, but Garrett grumbled when he opened his. It only contained one bill, though Cammie wasn’t sure of its value.
“I need this to cover lunch tomorrow. Since you asked me out and all, do you think you could get this?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in an adorable puppy dog sort of way.
“That’s fine,” she agreed, paying for their food, though she rolled her eyes at the ceiling as she followed him to a table.
Settling in across from each other, they took off their jackets revealing clothes that couldn’t have been any tighter. The restaurant was warm though, and the delicious smell of pizza was practically intoxicating.
They took a few bites and Cammie pursed her lips when it seemed like Garrett wouldn’t say anything.
“Isn’t it strange how we’ve never talked before,” he observed, looking thoughtful about it. Cammie nodded immediately, happy to pick up on anything worth talking about.
“Absolutely,” she agreed. “I’ve always known who you are and everything, but we’ve just never been involved in the same stuff.”
“Yeah,” Garrett said, not exactly making it clear which part of what she said he approved of. Cammie took another bite and cast her eyes around, searching for something else to say. It was amazing how both of them seemed to be having a good time despite how awkward everything was.
Garrett leaned in over his half-eaten slice of pizza. His bangs floated over his hazel eyes, and Cammie paid him very close attention.
“You know, there’s something I’ve always wanted to tell you,” he began, trailing off and glancing sheepishly at the people sitting around them. Cammie stifled a grin, though she curled her toes under the table.
“And what’s that?” she asked, trying not to sound too interested about it. Garrett held his tongue for a moment and gazed directly upon her.
“You never looked like a Cammie to me,” he said. “There’s something kind of childish about it, don’t you think? Cam, at least, would be better. Do you mind if I call you that?”
This time Cammie couldn’t help but smile. She nodded haltingly and then brushed some hair away from her eyes.
“You can call me Cam,” she consented. Garrett grinned too and leaned back in his seat.
“So how is it living around here?” she asked.
“It’s ok, but that’s not what I want to talk about,” he said, making her blink. “Were you really shoplifting yesterday, or were you just playing mind games?”
A bit surprised, Cammie closed her eyes and shrugged.
“I didn’t pay for any of these clothes,” she responded.
“That’s so cool,” Garrett glowed, absorbed in her every syllable. “I’ve always wanted to but never had the guts.”
“You should…you should,” Cammie stuttered, her eyebrows low and some kind of battle seemingly raging within her. “You shouldn’t because it’s a really bad habit.”
Now that some of the fun had been taken out of his musings, Garrett appeared a bit deflated.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he paused. �
�But I still didn’t know you did that kind of stuff. You never wear clothes like these to school and you always hang out with the science club.”
“Duh,” Cammie scoffed at him and shook her head. She slowly leaned in and began to whisper. “That’s how I trick people at school into thinking I’m really smart. Other people dress like this and do those things and everyone watches them like a hawk, but they would never, ever suspect me.”
A wicked grin crossed Garrett’s lips. He snickered, taking a bite of the remaining crust.
“You are smart,” he said, his mouth open a bit as he chewed. “Maybe I should try something like that.”
“I don’t see why you don’t,” she nodded. “People are always going to suspect those who look suspicious, but most of the time everyone else can get away with anything they want. Did you know that most of the people who shoplift from grocery stores are pregnant women? No one believes they would ever do that.”
“That’s amazing!” Garrett gawked, resting his chin on his fist. “If only I were a pregnant woman.”
They both laughed and the conversation seemed to flow easier at that point just as long as Cammie was able to come up with things to say about criminal behavior. But their pizza was already gone and Cammie found herself continuously glancing at the clock. It was a school night after all. They pulled their coats back on, dropped their paper plates in the trash, and headed out into the cold night.
“This was fun, but I should probably get going back. We’ve got school tomorrow,” she lamented.
“No!” Garrett objected, practically begging her. “It’s not even that late now. Come on, Cam. We’ve got plenty of time to hang out.”
Standing outside of the restaurant, Cammie appeared as though she were about to cave in. She obviously didn’t want the night to end so soon, and for all the time her eyes spent on him it would probably be like plucking them out to leave. As she considered it, Garrett pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and started to light one up.