by Hagen, Casey
The school didn’t resemble one he’d ever seen on the inside. Here, murals covered every hallway. Animals, storybook characters, fables, the colors bold and striking, drew the eye. This is what it would be like to walk into a children’s book.
Schools had come a long way from the institutional gray walls and the scent of weak antibacterial soap he’d suffered through as a kid in Minnesota.
No wonder Blair loved it here. It fostered fun, laughter, and discovery. “I’m sorry this might interfere with your job.”
Blair shrugged, her sandals clicking along the vinyl tiles. “Don’t be. I expected it. It’s not like you’re the one who put me in this position. Here or not, I needed to tell her about the threat so I could protect my kids.” She pushed open her classroom. “You sure you’re ready for this?”
“No,” he laughed. “I like kids, I just don’t know about kids in large numbers.”
Shadows moved through her eyes, and she glanced away. She blinked a couple times, and when her gaze found his, she’d chased the sadness away and smiled.
He hadn’t imagined them. Something he’d said dimmed her shine.
She patted his arm. “You’ll be fine. If you don’t mind, I’m going to set you up at my front table. I’d put you in the back, but I have a feeling if I do that, I’ll only see the backs of the children’s heads the entire day.”
“I’ll work wherever you need me to.”
“I have the WiFi password. I’ll grab it,” she said, sliding open the center drawer of her desk.
He crossed over the Formica-topped table and pulled out the hard, plastic chair, standard issue for most schools, proving that some things never changed. “Don’t worry about it. The places I need to go online will be restricted on the district internet. I’ll just set up a hotspot on my cell.”
“What will you be doing over there?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Saving the world. No big deal.” He winked and settled in, hoping she’d feel free to go about her routine.
Flitting about the room, she settled into what he assumed were her morning rituals. She separated stacks of worksheets, gathered art supplies, and corrected math sheets, smoothing a shiny sticker she’d taken out of her purse on the top of each one.
Humming, she set up each desk with freshly sharpened pencils and a lined sheet of paper with the letter D on top with examples of how to make the letter in dotted examples underneath.
The sound of kids squealing and laughter began to fill the halls. As soon as the bell rang, the kids poured in, skipping, running, rushing Blair’s desk with their smiles and questions.
She escaped into her element, any awareness of him seemingly gone as she ruffled hair, removed hats, smiled at each excited face and made them feel like they were the center of her universe.
Which they were.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of their faces. Her cheeks grew pink and rosy, her expressions and movements more animated as she continued to interact with them. Her genuine gestures revealed her genuine loving heart.
The same heart that continually reached out to him, her kindness and caring nature a healing balm on his jagged soul.
Was Dylan right? Did Blair have enough positive energy and love for life to light them both up?
“Who is he?” a boy wearing a Spiderman shirt asked as he slid into the chair at his desk.
“That,” Blair said, smiling at Evan, “is Mr. Brooks. He’s going to be observing today. He has a lot of work to do so we need to leave him be so he can do it.”
“Do you have kids?” a tiny blonde said as she swung her sandaled feet and gave him a grin complete with a missing front tooth.
“Nope. No kids.”
“Don’t you like kids?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“Then why don’t you have any?” The bold girl would not be deterred.
He glanced at Blair and winced. “A little help here.”
She leaned against her desk, her hands curled over the edge as she faced the kids. “Class, not everyone who likes kids has them. I love children, but I don’t have any at home.”
“You’re not a mommy?” A brown-haired little girl asked from the front row.
“No, I’m not a mommy. But I have all of you. You give the best hugs and snuggles, and I can’t imagine any kids who can make better pictures for me than all of you. Under your math sheets you’ll find blank sheets of paper. Why don’t you take out your crayons and make me some new art for the whiteboard? Can you do that for me?”
The kids scrambled for the sheets she spoke of and in a matter of minutes, they colored away.
“Sorry about that,” Blair said in a whisper as she crouched down next to him.
“It’s okay. I just didn’t want to say anything I’m not supposed to. I’ve got to be honest, they’re scarier than facing the enemy in war.”
She let out a soft laugh. “You did just fine.” She glanced at the kids, and twenty little faces snapped back to what they were doing on their papers. “They’re curious about you. I’ll do what I can, but if you don’t mind joining us in the reading circle in about thirty minutes, I think it might help.”
“I can do that.” He tapped his pen on his legal pad. “You’re good with them.”
“I should be. I’ve been doing this for a while,” she said.
“No. This isn’t training. It’s you. You love each of them, don’t you?”
“I do,” she said.
“And at the end of the school year…what then?” he asked.
“I trust that I’ve taught them well, and I love them enough to let them go,” she said quietly. She stood, glanced at him one last time, and headed for the class, winding her way through to see the progress the students were making.
The words slid from her lips, a promise for her kids, a warning for him. True to what she’d said the night before, she wouldn’t hold him to any of it. Not the heated kisses, hot touches, declarations of affection, and caring.
If he wanted to walk, she’d let him.
Her kindness made acid well up in the pit of his stomach.
He wasn’t going anywhere.
His email beeped. Glancing down at his screen, he clicked on the new email from Dylan.
Dylan: They got a read on that print. Matches one Willy Chaplain. Just one problem, according to records, he died twenty years ago.
Evan: Faked his own death?
Dylan: Looks like. Which leaves us with: who is he now? We’re pulling together everything we can collect on him. We’ll be in touch.
Evan: Thanks.
Evan went back to where he left off with the financial statements of those closest to the chief. He brought up Rand Folsom’s accounts, surprised to see just a basic checking and meager savings.
He had electrical people who worked under him so wouldn’t he have a business account?
And his wife died? Had she left behind life insurance and if so, where did it go?
He shot an email to Tex, hoping to get a longer history of Rand’s financials and some clarification.
Evan searched everything he could about Rand online, hopping into databases that were designed to scour the internet and formulate reports from sites where Rand used his email address or his IP address had popped up.
Three pages of info came back immediately full of web addresses from the National Rifle Association, US History re-enactments, and doomsday prepping.
The last could explain the lack of bank accounts. Maybe he paid his guys under the table and stashed his cash in his house.
But if he was such an extreme guy, wouldn’t Blair have mentioned it? Or did she not know him that well?
It seemed like every corner they turned only bred more questions.
Someone had tipped the hourglass, and time was running out.
Chapter 9
“It’s making my eyes cross looking at it,” Blair said as she stared at the map of arsons, a bowl of Pho in her hand.
“Tell me about it,”
Evan muttered as he jammed a frustrated hand through his hair.
As if the eight hours at the school hadn’t sucked him dry, now they circled through the facts over and over, none of it becoming any more clear.
It seemed like his team had managed to rule suspects out, narrowing their scope. All the firemen in the chief’s department checked out.
They were slowly tying up the loose ends, and all he’d managed to do was read, email, get takeout, and twiddle his thumbs.
Oh, and he’d sat in the circle at story time, the blonde girl competing for his lap with her best friend while Keegan, the little boy he remembered from the day he’d first shown up, made him promise to be there the next day to meet his guinea pig, Boots.
Blair smiled over her shoulder, the energy radiating from her, her curls shifting and bouncing with the motion as she turned her head. She must have bargained with the devil to have anything left after an entire day with kids so energetic at times that it seemed like they were hopped up with pixie sticks. “You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you,” she said before scooping a bite of noodles into her mouth.
He sighed. “At least someone does.”
The door rattled with a hard knock from the other side, making Blair jump and her bowl slosh over onto her hand. “Crap,” she said, shaking her hand off as she laid the bowl down on her napkin.
“I’ll get it,” Evan said as he headed for the door. He stole a glance out the peephole, his hand already on the butt of his weapon.
The guy outside the door danced back and forth from one foot to the other as he fidgeted.
Evan recognized his face from the barbecue, but he didn’t remember ever being introduced.
He opened the door, stood back, and plastered a welcoming smile on his face even as his senses went on high alert. “Can I help you?” he asked, pretending to not know who stood on the other side of the threshold.
Rand’s startled brown eyes met Evan’s. “Uh, yes, I’m looking for Blair,” he said, leaning in and glancing around.
“I’m here,” Blair called, wiping her hands on a towel. She blew out a breath, making an errant curl dance away from her eyes. “Hey, Rand. How are you? Come on in.”
Rand slid his cap from his head and nodded. “I’m good. Glad to see you’re doing okay. Your dad mentioned you might be in a bit of trouble.”
“He’s just being cautious. It’s probably nothing,” she said, waving a dismissive hand in the air.
“Good to hear. And how’s that electrical working out for you? Everything okay? Do you need me to take a look at anything?”
Blair shot Evan a look that said, “See what I mean?”
“I think I’m all set for now. Are you hungry? We ordered plenty. Or maybe you’d like a drink?”
Rand grinned, the smile on his face a bit too big for Evan’s liking. Not that the guy had done anything wrong, but the more Evan sat on his ass with nothing to pursue, the more suspicious he became. That was boredom for you.
Not that spending time with Blair was boring, but he hovered in this strange space between needing to work, to find answers so she’d be safe, and being tied to her side, making him helpless to hunt evidence the way he’d been trained.
All those times he’d smirked and laughed at Slyder, Dylan, and Cole as they paced and seethed came rushing back. He’d said it would never happen to him, he’d never get tied down, definitely not to the subject of a case.
Yet, here he was, his sore balls in a vice that just kept squeezing tighter and tighter.
When this shit was over, beers were on him for the next year. It’s the least he could do.
“Sure. A drink would be great. As long as I’m not interrupting anything,” Rand said with a glance toward Evan.
“God, where on earth are my manners? Evan, this is Rand Folsom, a long-time family friend. Rand, this is my…”
“Boyfriend. Evan Brooks. Good to meet you,” Evan said, reaching out a hand to the man with a hearty laugh, keeping a close eye on Rand’s every move to gauge his reaction. “How quickly the newness wears off. Am I right?”
“Very true, son. Very true. I think I might have seen you at the barbecue a while back,” Rand agreed.
“Yeah, I didn’t get a chance to meet you then,” Evan said as he studied Rand’s eyes, his mannerisms, and any hesitations.
“Well, if you don’t mind my saying, seemed as though you weren’t in the mood,” Rand recalled, casting a glance at Blair.
Blair’s mouth tightened. “What can I get you? Soda, water, coffee?” she asked, changing the subject.
They’d fought that day. He never did admit to seeing the monogrammed towels on her laptop, but he’d funneled all that fear of a connection with her into his argument for why he deserved to know it was a family event beforehand and how by not telling him, she’d tricked him.
He’d been tricked once. He’d never fall for it again.
And now, after two days with her, the way she pulled him in, while making it perfectly clear that she would let him go if that’s what he wanted, he felt like an ass for losing his shit over a towel.
“A glass of water would be just fine. I can’t stay long. Your dad got called out tonight while we were at The Den. He’d planned to stop by tonight so I agreed to check in on you.”
“Oh. Okay. He usually texts me. I guess he had to hurry,” she said, tucking a curl behind her ear.
Blair ducked into the kitchen, and Rand nodded at the map. “Whatcha got there?”
“I’m working on a case for a buddy of mine. Right now it’s a whole bunch of nothing,” Evan said, sliding his hands in his pockets and staring at the map with Rand. He forced his shoulders to relax and keep it casual as though they were old friends, standing in the backyard, contemplating a home improvement project.
“Here you go,” Blair said, handing him the glass.
“Excellent. Thank you.” He took a couple deep gulps before setting the glass on a coaster resting on the coffee table.
“You ever look for shapes in the clouds. Looks a bit like that if you ask me,” Rand said with a nod toward the map.
“I’m just the details guy. Someone else will figure out that mess,” Evan said.
Blair cocked her head at him, her inquisitive eyes narrowing, but thankfully said nothing.
“Well, I shouldn’t hold you kids up any longer. Looks like you have work to do, and I know this beauty goes to bed early,” Rand said, giving Blair a quick side hug.
“Thanks for stopping by,” Blair said as she opened the door for him.
“Always glad to check on my buddy’s little girl,” he said, nudging her chin. “Got to make sure she’s staying out of trouble.”
She laughed, but Evan had to fight not to cringe at the forced sound of it.
The minute the door clicked shut, he peeked out the peephole. Rand stood there, his jaw clenched, and his eyebrows snapped low in a glare.
Evan slid the deadbolt.
“What’s the—”
He held his finger over his lips, silencing her right away.
Rand took out his phone, thumbed through it, put it to his ear, and walked away.
Evan slid out his own. “He makes you uncomfortable.”
“Not so much uncomfortable as…”
“Uncomfortable?” he asked and waited for her to argue with him. When she didn’t, he clicked the button and called Cole.
“Hey, man, how you doing in prison? Not so fun, is it? Well, unless you’ve found a way—”
“Rand Folsom just stopped by here and something’s up. I can’t put my finger on it,” Evan said, cutting Cole’s smartassery off.
“I see him now getting in his truck.”
“You’re here?” Evan said, heading for the window.
“Yeah, just dropped by to let you know that Josie’s dad freed up a couple more officers.”
“Good. I need one to keep an eye on the exterior of the condo.” If Rand was up to something, it would be awfully ballsy of him to do it now
while he was here, but when people are desperate, all hell breaks loose.
“Done. Anything else?”
Evan rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’ve got Rand’s prints. I need you to run them.”
“The minute Rand is off the property I can come—”
“No. I’ll take out the garbage. The glass says USC on the side; it’ll be in a takeout bag from Pho Phat.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
“That’s it for now,” Evan said, blowing out a breath as his chest tightened.
“Hold tight, man. We’ve got your back. You’ve got hers. It won’t be long now. I can feel it.”
That’s what Evan was both hankering for and afraid of.
“What’s going on?” Blair asked from behind him.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t have a good feeling about him. I hope I’m wrong. But in the meantime, we’re going to be cautious.”
Evan’s cell pinged with a text.
“Rand just left. I have to run the glass out, but I’ll be right back. Deadbolt the door while I’m out.”
Blair paced back and forth in the small living area, her arms gesturing as she spoke. “Is all of this really necessary? Rand is a bit overeager, but he’s never done anything to make me think—”
“Blair!” he barked, and she tensed right up. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. I’m sorry.” This, this right here was just what he was afraid of. The minute he sniffed out a possible suspect, every failure of the past reared its ugly head, and he snapped at the people around him.
It was only the beginning of the darkness in him that was to come, and just that flash of who he was to the core had hurt her judging by her hard swallow and the way she flinched.
He needed to try to fix it, but first he had a job to do. “Look, stay right here and I’ll be right back.” He grabbed the glass by the edge and popped it in the takeout bag. Ducking out the door, he waited for the deadbolt to slide home and for a second, wondered if she’d let him back in.
Jogging down the front steps, he walked over to the black cans along the side of her end unit. Three flashes of light, as though from a small Maglite, came from the woods, signaling that Cole waited. A common signal they used since it could be dismissed by everyday people as nothing more than headlights flashing through the trees.