Unexpected Superhero (Adventures of Lewis and Clarke Book 1)

by Kitty Bucholtz

  In his office, Evan put the pages he’d copied in his briefcase, grabbed his wallet and cell phone from his desk drawer, then looked over his desk to see if he’d forgotten anything. He grabbed his coffee cup. “Can you get her situated, show her around?” he asked Pam. “Craig in IT can give her the computer and voicemail passwords.”

  He grabbed a pen and sticky note pad from his mess of a desk and shoved it at the new girl. “There’s a how-to file under F, studio, financial – write it down!” The lights seemed to suddenly come on and the girl started scribbling. This one wasn’t going to work out either, but he didn’t have time to tell Pam now. “F, studio, financial, Ruffalo – no wait, you can’t get to that copy. Look under financial, and if it’s not there, try development.”

  He started past them, glancing at his watch.

  “What’s it called?” the girl asked.

  He frowned at her over his shoulder. “What’s what called?”

  She shook her head and made a note on the pad. “Never mind, I’ll find it.”

  Evan rolled his eyes and waved his arm as he rushed out the door. “I should be back around eleven,” he called.

  He heard Pam say as he exited, “Well, Tori, that’s your new boss.”

  THE first day is always the hardest, Tori reminded herself as she drove to lunch. The first couple hours had gone well enough, but her boss was in an even worse mood – if that were possible – when he came back from his meeting. She tried to help him as best she could until she realized he wasn’t going to stop for lunch. At 1:30, she finally asked if she could go get something. Her stomach growled again as she headed toward a restaurant with a drive-through. She’d bring a lunch from home from now on.

  Her cell phone rang. She sighed and punched the button on her hands-free device.

  “Tori Lewis, uh, Clarke.” She and Joe needed to discuss whether she would change her name. They’d gotten married so quickly, she hadn’t thought about it until she started answering her phone a couple days ago.

  “It’s me. Sorry to bother you during work, I just have a few questions about the party.”

  “Hi, Mom. Go ahead, I’m driving. I can talk.” Talking to someone made the time in traffic pass quicker. Or at least it seemed to. Even though it was lunch hour in the city, the streets were currently free of snow, so traffic was moving. And with the wedding and the honeymoon behind her, the wedding reception was the last bit of fun to plan before she settled into married life.

  As Dixie proceeded to give her a mini-lecture about the hazards of talking on the phone while driving (then why was she calling?), then asked if the honeymoon had gone well (no way was she talking about that with her mother), Tori wondered if a silent traffic jam would’ve been better. She relaxed when the topic turned to the pros and cons of a dozen different foods Dixie could make for the wedding reception on Saturday.

  Because of all the Christmas plans and parties on both sides of the family, and the wedding on Christmas Eve, having a small family-and-close-friends reception when they returned seemed like a great idea. Dixie had been less than thrilled about the whirlwind romance (what an understatement), but two extra weeks for her and Joe’s mom Hannah to plan the reception mollified her somewhat. Dixie was much calmer about the unexpected if there was something she could do.

  Call waiting beeped in Tori’s ear. She glanced down at the display. “Mom, I gotta go, that’s the temp agency.”

  “Well, what about the potato salad?” Dixie asked.

  “Hannah said you guys are planning a potluck. Just bring the strawberry salad,” Tori wanted to make sure her mom made that, her total favorite, “and the ham. That’s enough.”

  Dixie started to ask whether Tori preferred ham with a pineapple glaze or cloves, but Tori cut her off. “I gotta take this call, Mom. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  She growled in consternation as she ended one call and picked up the other. Her mother could be…her mother. “Tori Lewis.”

  “I thought you were Tori Clarke now.”

  Gloria. The receptionist at Totally Temps, and one of the few people Tori had ever met whom she disliked on sight. “What’s up, Gloria?”

  “Janice wanted to know how your first day is going, but she had an emergency dental appointment so she asked me to call.” She sounded annoyed. But then Gloria always sounded annoyed.

  “Tell her it’s going fine, thanks.” Tori frowned as she stopped at a red light. Not because of Gloria’s tone, but because something didn’t seem right. She looked over at Ed & Eddie’s across the street. Was she supposed to pick up something there for the reception? Drop off a forgotten Christmas card? Something.

  “Hey, Gloria?”

  Tori heard her groan into the phone. “Yes?”

  “Did I have an interview with Ed Carlisle to do accounting work?” Maybe she’d made an appointment and not put it in her calendar program. Something about the store was picking at the back of her brain. And not just because she frequented the place so often. Though sitting here at the light staring at it reminded her that they made a killer pastrami sandwich in the deli area. If only they had a drive-through.

  After a pause, Gloria said, “No, not through our agency.”

  “Uh, okay, thanks.” Tori hung up. She jumped when the car behind her honked. The light was green. Tori drove slowly as she passed the convenience store. Why did she think she was forgetting something? It wasn’t a big enough place that she would have ordered anything there for the party. She didn’t know what else it could be.

  Her phone rang and Tori jumped again. She wanted to answer it, “Grand Central Station,” but went with the more professional, “Tori Clarke” instead.

  “I’m sorry, I’m looking for Tori Lewis,” said a woman’s voice. “Do I have the right number?”

  Tori brought her attention back to the road and the phone. “Yes, this is Tori Lewis.” She really needed to answer her phone one way or the other before she developed a split personality.

  “Ms. Lewis, this is Detective Casey Knox with the Double Bay Police Department. Do you have a moment?”

  “Uh, sure. What can I do for you?” Tori’s heart raced a little. Why would the police be calling her?

  “Can we meet someplace to talk? It won’t take very long.”

  What is it about school principals and police officers that make people so nervous? Tori fought to stay calm. Nothing to be nervous about. She’d never even had a speeding ticket. And she paid that parking ticket last year the day after she got it.

  “Where are you now?” Casey prompted.

  Tori spoke without thinking. “McConnell and Crocker, near Memorial Park.” Should she have told the police where she was? Why did they want to talk to her? She felt a little queasy. She really, really didn’t want to talk to Casey Knox or anyone else from the police. Theoretically, police were the good guys. She knew that. But Tori’s feelings about them had soured during her teen years when Lexie had been in so much trouble.

  “We’re nearby. We’ll meet you at the park then,” Casey said.

  Tori gave in to her good girl, do-the-right-thing impulses and gave the police the requested details of her vehicle model, then hung up and sighed. She turned into the park at the next light and tried to ignore her growling stomach a little longer. She pulled into a parking spot and let her head sag against the headrest. Nothing to worry about. A few questions.

  But about what? Her stomach flipped again. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with the flu.

  She reached into her purse for M&Ms. Nothing. “Ah,” she mumbled. That must be why Ed & Eddie’s was on her mind. She’d meant to stop and get some more. She watched chickadees play in a nearby tree. Today’s weather was gorgeous for early January, the sun making diamonds on the snow. Tori felt her spirits lift in spite of herself.

  Five minutes later, a gray Ford sedan pulled up next to her with a man and a woman inside. The woman rolled down her window and smiled and waved. Must be the police. Or a friendly and well-dressed ax mu
rderer. Not sure which might be worse.

  Tori rolled down her window as well.

  “Tori Lewis? I’m Casey Knox,” the woman said in a friendly way.

  She didn’t seem like a Law & Order kind of cop. Tori felt her guard drop a little.

  “Would you like to talk in our car, or would you prefer to walk?”

  Tori tensed at the thought of getting into a police car, unmarked or not. “Walk,” she said. “Please.”

  She got out and shook hands with Detective Knox, who immediately insisted Tori call her by her first name. Casey was cheerful, pretty, and immediately likable. She wore a dark gray hooded wool coat with a creamy wool scarf around her neck. Her long, dark hair spilled over her coat and down her shoulders. Tori would love hair that long, but her curls were hard enough to manage at shoulder length.

  Casey introduced her partner, Detective Arturo “Call me Art” Paredes, and Tori shook his hand as well. She stared for a second as he smiled at her, their handshake lasting a moment longer. He was, well, gorgeous for lack of a better word. Tori smiled back, unable to help herself. There was something about Latino men. He had dark hair, deep brown eyes, and olive skin that contrasted nicely with his white button-down shirt and tan trousers visible under his open tan overcoat. He looked like a man who knocked women off their feet with a whisper.

  Exactly the kind of man who’d always spelled trouble for Lewis women. And pretty boy here looked like he could spell it in several languages. Good thing she was safely married now.

  Tori pulled her hand and her eyes away – did she see Casey smirk at Art? – and started to walk down the path. Even in the winter, the city kept the outer paths clear for joggers and walkers. Tori wanted to walk now, walk and think, but Casey gestured to a nearby bench.

  “Why don’t we sit?”

  Art leaned casually against a tree next to the bench as the women sat down. His coat stayed open despite the crisp air.

  Tori looked around the park, then back at Art, who looked like he was standing guard. “Is there a problem?”

  Reassurance poured off him like sunshine. “I just want to make sure our conversation is private.”

  Tori nodded but looked questioningly at Casey. “Then why aren’t we down at your office?” Tori didn’t want to go to the police station, but it seemed like a better place for a private conversation than a public park.

  “Well,” Casey said, “we thought this would be less intimidating after all you’ve been through.”

  All she’d been through? What had she been through? Tori frowned. She got married, she went on her honeymoon, she went back to work–

  –got robbed–

  What? She didn’t get–

  Strange images danced through her mind. Ed & Eddie’s. A kid with a gun. A fight. A man on a stretcher. Blood on her boots.

  She’d had a horrible nightmare last night.

  “I had to wash blood off my boots.” The words burst out without thought or warning. Stop it! She did not. “No, wait.” She pressed one hand against her eyes. “It was a nightmare. I dreamed it.”

  Why had she said that? She told Joe it was paint. In the dream or real life?

  Tori’s hand fell away as she stared at Casey.

  Casey shook her head sympathetically. “I’m sorry.”

  Tori swallowed, trying to keep the sick feeling in her stomach from coming up. Maybe she was dreaming now, still asleep, having nightmares about–

  “Do you know a superhero named Spook?” Casey asked.

  Tori blinked. Definitely still dreaming. Did she know a superhero? Hardly. She shook her head a little. “No. Why?”

  “He was at the robbery yesterday.” Casey waited, as if this were important news.

  When she didn’t go on, Tori said, “Okay.”

  “He was the man who was shot.” Art spoke up from his tree. He smiled at Tori as if encouraging her to relax and tell them all she knew about Spook.

  Which was absolutely nothing.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, shaking her head at Art. This conversation sounded uncomfortably like her nightmare.

  The two detectives shared a look, frowning at each other and shifting like they were uncomfortable. What the heck was going on?

  “Tori, can you tell us your version of what happened yesterday?” Casey asked.

  Tori’s confused gaze bounced back and forth between the officers. “I ran some errands, went to a job interview, and went home and made dinner for my husband.” She shrugged. “Will you please tell me what’s going on?”

  Casey folded her hands, looking very serious. “We want to know about the robbery.”

  The images in Tori’s brain were coming together now. It wasn’t a pretty picture. Then – flick! – like a light switch coming on, the memory was back in its entirety. Tori remembered the whole thing. Stomping the snow off her boots, the gunman, the M&Ms – oh, geez, she may never see M&Ms the same way again. She closed her eyes when she remembered her fear that the kid would hurt the baby, the gun going off, the police rushing in.

  “Oh my gosh…” she moaned, covering her face with her hands and letting her elbows catch her weight on her knees. “It really happened.”

  She was in Ed & Eddie’s when it was robbed! That’s not the kind of thing a person forgets. Maybe it’s some kind of post-traumatic stress thing? Is this what happens? You just block out the whole thing? Holy cow.

  “Are you okay?” Casey touched her shoulder.

  Breathe, just breathe deeply and you’ll be okay. Don’t throw up on the nice police officers.

  Tori felt Art’s hand lifting her face – man, he smelled good – and she opened her eyes, tried to focus on him squatting in front of her. Her jumbled brain registered that Art was considerably shorter than Joe. And really, Joe was better looking.

  Art lifted one of Tori’s eyes open a bit more as he stared at her with concern. “Why don’t you put your head down for a minute?” he suggested as he gently pushed her head between her knees. Normally, Tori didn’t like to appear weak or sick, especially in front of strangers, but right this minute putting her head between her knees seemed like a very good idea.

  Casey patted her back as they silently waited for her to regain her wits. Very kind of them, actually. But as the blood flowed back into Tori’s head, she wasn’t pleased with the memories that followed. Eddie had a gash on his head. Another man had gotten shot and then was mean to her. Tori thought she might’ve walked through his blood on the way out. Her stomach clenched. Good thing she hadn’t gotten her lunch yet.

  “Is he okay?” she asked. She lifted herself up to rest on her elbows again. Art still squatted in front of her, so she asked him, “That guy who was shot, is he okay?”

  Art nodded and leaned back on his heels, giving Tori some space. “His name is Spook. He’s a superhero. He tried to keep the kid from firing his gun, but this time he got shot. It happens. He’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

  Tori nodded and looked down at her hands. She’d left her gloves in the car; her hands were freezing. She clasped them between her knees. Taking a deep breath, she sat up straighter, hunching her shoulders against the sudden cold. She wanted Joe. She wanted Joe to come take her home and assure her there was no such thing as superheroes. She wanted Joe to tell her she wasn’t a freak.

  Tori looked at Casey, unaccountably embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I guess I blocked it out.”

  Casey smiled and patted her arm. “It happens.”

  “So did he tell you…” Tori wasn’t sure what she could have done to make the guy so mad he’d sic the police on her. “That I did something? Got in his way or…? I don’t know what I could have done. He’d already been shot by the time I got involved.”

  “No, it wasn’t your fault he got shot,” Casey assured her. “He said…” She hesitated. Tori wondered what she wasn’t saying.

  “He said you saved the day,” Art interjected.

  Tori frowned. That didn’t mesh with what she would assume abo
ut superheroes – if she believed in them. Didn’t they either swoop in and save the day (she thought of Halloween night and felt a little thrill) or, according to her mother, they were fakers who blamed their failures on someone else. And isn’t that what this guy had done?

  Tori knew her mother had a bad experience with someone who’d claimed to be a superhero once, but Dixie refused to talk about it. Tori had no idea what had happened or when. But superheroes were taboo conversation at home so she knew little to nothing about them.

  Now that she thought about it, though, why was her mother so adamant in her views of superheroes? Maybe she was hiding something. Tori wished she were alone with a computer so she could do a Google search and find out what exactly had been written about superheroes in Double Bay.

  “You’re telling me,” she said to Art, “that a superhero named Spook tried to stop an armed robbery, got shot, and told you I saved the day?” She laughed at the end. “Yeah, right.” That definitely didn’t make any sense.

  Art and Casey exchanged another glance. It was beginning to wig Tori out the way they kept looking at each other like they had some kind of unspoken communication. What if they weren’t really police?

  “Can I see your badges?” she asked, feeling her fight or flight instincts kick in. She’d never checked their ID. What if they were…what? Honestly, what could they be? Alien hunters named Mulder and Scully?

  Art straightened and pulled out his badge. Casey held up hers. Tori looked at them and nodded, trying to relax. They sure looked like police badges. As if she’d know a real badge from a fake one anyway.

  “We’re with the Superhero Liaison Unit,” Art said, moving back against the tree. His manner returned to “policeman at work” and Tori felt a little shiver of unease. “We work with superheroes who help us solve crimes, catch criminals, go undercover, that sort of thing. It’s new,” he added at her skeptical look.

  Superheroes. Cops who work with superheroes. Tori wondered if she should put her head down again. Maybe she shouldn’t have stopped taking her meds. She’d never felt better, but life had gotten a lot weirder since she’d gone cold turkey.