by Tasha Black
And so it began.
“I followed you when I saw you sneak out the back door,” he explained. “I was afraid you might try to go into the chapel while there were still dangerous fumes, just so you could leave earlier.”
“But I didn’t,” she protested. “The notice said tonight and I even called.”
“I know,” he said, feeling embarrassed. “When I, um, overheard your call I decided to give you space. I turned back just… well, hoping you had turned on the lights and I could get one last glimpse of you.”
She pressed her forehead to his shoulder.
“Anyway, I saw the flames so I came back,” he finished.
“So you just ran right into a fire,” she said.
“As you might have noticed, that’s not as foolhardy for me as it sounds,” he said.
“I did notice,” she said. “Look.”
He tore his gaze away from the crown of her head and looked up.
Snow was falling on the labyrinth, dusting the tiny leaves of the boxwood hedges and dotting the flowers. It filled the sky, lacy diamonds sparkling in the moonlight.
He called his power back into himself, embarrassed that he had let it get away from him.
The snow turned back into the light drizzle that had been coming down when he’d arrived.
“I dreamed about that,” Trinity whispered.
“About what?” he asked.
“Summer snow in the labyrinth, and…” she trailed off.
“What’s going on?” Veronica’s voice carried to them from across the field.
The bark of a dog echoed her cry.
“Trinity?” Veronica called again.
“Here,” Trinity called back. “I’m right here.”
Hawkeye reluctantly put her down and they headed out of the labyrinth to meet her friends.
“I think the fire department’s already on their way,” Brooke said, watching the approaching lights on the road. “Did you guys call them?”
“No,” Trinity said.
“Weird.” Brooke shrugged.
“What happened?” Veronica asked.
“I went in,” Trinity explained. “But it smelled odd in there, I didn’t recognize it at first because I figured it was just from the bug spray, but it was kerosene. And someone was in there. He told me to run. And he dropped something.”
“He dropped something?” Veronica asked sharply. At the end of her lead, Anka sensed her excitement and wagged her tail enthusiastically.
“Yeah,” Trinity said.
“Can we get to it before the fire department douses the whole place?” Veronica asked. Anka barked once in agreement.
“Yes,” Hawkeye said. “Come with me, but quickly.”
He opened the door and let his power surge forth again.
A gust of frigid air swept through the entry to the room.
Veronica followed at his heels, with Anka dancing along at her side.
“There,” Trinity said, pointing at the can.
Anka sniffed it carefully, then took off for the internal door.
“That’s where he went,” Trinity said excitedly. “Does anyone have their key card?”
Brooke slipped hers out and used it to open the door.
Veronica and Anka took off down the hallway.
Brooke turned back.
“You two go back outside and wait for the fire department,” she told them. “Veronica and Anka and I are trained for this.”
“But—” Trinity began.
“She’s right,” Hawkeye said, taking her hand and leading her back outside. “Besides, someone has to talk to the fire department and the police.”
They turned back, taking a few seconds to locate Trinity’s dropped phone along the way. By the time they stepped outside, the fire department was already pulling up.
“Is anyone else inside?” the first firefighter yelled to them.
“Not in the chapel,” Trinity said. “But there are dorms on the other side of the building.”
A couple of firefighters went off to the other side of the building to evacuate the cadets. The others brought out the hose and their equipment and began to swarm around the chapel.
Before Trinity could take in the excitement of the scene the police pulled up and two cops jogged up to her.
“Did you call in the fire, son?” the first one asked Hawkeye.
“No, sir—” he began.
Just then Veronica, Anka and Brooke came around the corner. Brooke had a guy in front of her, one arm pinned behind his back. Anka was barking joyfully.
The man was dressed in all black, clutching a ski mask in his free hand. Definitely the intruder she’d run into inside.
“Look who we found, fleeing the scene of the crime,” Brooke said, turning the man toward them so they could get a better look.
“Rex?” asked Trinity, although as soon as she saw his face, she had no doubt it had been him.
“I-I,” Rex stammered.
“Don’t deny it,” Veronica said triumphantly. “Officer Anka has positively ID’d your kerosene can.”
“Trinity, are you okay?” Rex asked.
“I’m fine,” Trinity said. “No thanks to you.”
“You weren’t supposed to be there,” Rex fretted.
“Well, you weren’t supposed to set the building on fire,” Trinity retorted.
“Hold your questions, please, ma’am,” the first officer said. “We need to read him his rights. Then we can take it from there.”
Trinity watched as they read Rex his rights.
“I don’t need a lawyer,” Rex said when they were finished. “I’ll talk.”
“All right, son,” the officer said. “I’m Officer Lloyd and I’ll be asking you some questions. Did you set this fire?”
Rex nodded miserably.
“Captain Henderson arranged for this part of the building to be fumigated today. No one was supposed to be here.”
“So if we believe you, then that takes attempted murder off the table,” Trinity said. “But that still leaves arson? Why would you do this?”
“Nothing is off the table,” Officer Lloyd said firmly. “And I’ll handle the questions from here on in. Do I make myself clear?”
“Sorry, sir,” Trinity said.
Hawkeye put an arm around her so he could help her remember not to chime in.
“Well, did you set the fire?” the officer asked.
“Yes,” Rex said.
“Why did you do that?”
Rex squirmed a little.
“Listen, you seem pretty remorseful,” Lloyd said. “And you don’t seem like the type to plan out something like this without a good reason, or without help…”
“It’s Captain Henderson,” Rex said. “He wanted me to destroy the files.”
Hawkeye preemptively squeezed Trinity’s shoulders so she wouldn’t forget her promise to keep quiet.
This was certainly a shock. Captain Henderson was the head of the whole academy. He was a very dignified man. Why would he want to destroy a bunch of old files? Hawkeye and Trinity planned to shred them as soon as they were finished with them anyway.
“And why is that?” the officer asked, as if reading Hawkeye’s thoughts.
“I don’t know,” Rex said. “But it’s the last three years of financials that he’s after. There must have been a mistake in them or something.”
“I see,” Officer Lloyd said, making a note. “And was the fire the first time you attempted to destroy the files?”
“Oh,” Trinity whispered.
“No,” Rex admitted. “I tried two other times. I tried to make it look like a break in.”
That’s why there was no glass on the floor. Rex had broken the window from the inside, to make it look like someone had gained illegal entry that way. Hawkeye chided himself for not noticing that earlier. It was a classic mystery movie mistake. The Scooby gang would have definitely picked up on it right away.
It also explained why Veronica and Anka hadn�
�t been able to pick up a trail outside the window. There wasn’t one.
And, of course, Anka hadn’t been able to track the scent of an unfamiliar person inside the records room, since Rex worked at the academy.
“And were you able to retrieve anything you were looking for?” the officer asked.
“No,” Rex said admitted. “I wasn’t able to find it, so Henderson said I had to burn it all down. He said that if I didn’t destroy those files, I would lose my job. I’ve got two little sisters I take care of since my mom died last year. And now I’m going to jail…”
Rex put his head in his hands and began to weep softly.
“He told me to run when he realized I was there,” Trinity pointed out.
“We’ll keep that in mind,” Officer Lloyd said tersely. “Do you have any proof that Henderson asked you to do this?”
“Sure, on my phone,” Rex said, slipping it out of his pocket and handing it over.
Another officer ran around from the back of the building.
“The whole academy has been evacuated and the other academy building in front as well, but I’ve got two big frantic guys looking for their girlfriends out there,” he panted.
“That’s us,” Veronica said.
Officer Lloyd looked up from Rex’s phone. “Sounds like Captain Henderson is planning to meet you after the fire. It that correct?”
“Yes, sir,” Rex nodded.
“Can I trust you not to run if I let you go out there?”
“Of course,” Rex said.
“Maybe if you can help us take him down the judge will look more kindly on your case,” Lloyd suggested.
“What do I do?” Rex asked.
“I wish we had time to set up a wire,” Lloyd said.
“Let me see your phone,” Trinity said to Rex.
Hawkeye watched as she began jabbing fiercely at the screen.
“What’s your cell number?” she asked Officer Lloyd.
He gave it to her.
She continued to tap away at Rex’s phone screen.
At last she handed it over.
Officer Lloyd’s phone began to ring.
“Pick that up,” she said. “Keep listening to it, so you’ll know when you have what you need.”
“That’s also recording,” she told Rex. “It’ll go for up to six hours recording on your end and making the outgoing call.”
“Don’t I have to turn it on?” Rex asked nervously.
“Nope,” she replied. “Just had to install an app I designed. I set it so that the screen is asleep but the recording and the call keep going. This isn’t exactly the intended purpose, but it should work fine. Just stay close to Henderson.”
Hawkeye felt a surge of pride as he was reminded of the real work Trinity did with her computer. But it didn’t last long, once he realized it was exactly the reason she didn’t want to be with him.
“Hey thanks,” Officer Lloyd said.
“Don’t mention it,” she replied. “Seriously.”
Officer Lloyd leaned in to Rex and began talking softly to him.
“Come on, let’s go see Lobo and Conan,” Veronica said.
Anka leapt into action and the four of them headed around the building behind her.
“That was a neat trick,” Hawkeye told Trinity.
“Um, not as neat as yours,” she replied.
“About that…” He trailed off, unsure what to say.
“I thought it was really cool,” Trinity said with feeling.
“Cool as ice, huh?” he teased her.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling up at him.
When they reached the crowd out front, Lobo and Conan dashed across the field to Veronica and Brooke and the two couples embraced.
“That’s nice,” Trinity said quietly.
Hawkeye longed to embrace her as well. He felt that something between them was changing, as if her own ice was thawing. But he didn’t want to rush her.
Just then, Henderson came storming across the field.
“Is everyone out?” he shouted in his most commanding voice.
“Yes, sir,” Rex panted as he rounded the corner of the building.
Henderson walked into the field, his arm around Rex’s shoulder.
Hawkeye wondered if Rex would be able to record Henderson saying the proper thing. He hoped so. It made him furious to think that someone they knew - two people they knew - would break into a building or set a fire.
Suddenly two officers came running out.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Henderson said in his loud, clear voice.
“You’re under arrest, sir,” Lloyd told him.
Lloyd began reading him his rights, as the other officer pointed Rex to Trinity.
Rex jogged over.
“They just want you to reset my phone and verify the recording,” he said. “I still have to go with them.”
“I’m sure you’ll be okay,” Trinity said. “Just tell the truth.”
“Thanks for giving me a chance to help,” Rex said, his cheeks red. “I’m really sorry I scared you.”
“Is there someone to take care of your sisters tonight?” Trinity asked.
“They’re sleeping over at a neighbor’s house already,” he said miserably. “I’m sure the police will help me figure out what to do from here.”
He jogged away again and handed his phone to the officer.
They all watched as he meekly offered up his hands to be cuffed.
Hawkeye looked at Trinity, who wore a worried expression.
“He’ll be okay,” Brooke said. “But he does need to be scared a little. What he did was not okay.”
“I wonder what was in those files,” Veronica mused, eyeing the wet mess the firefighters had made of the place. “I guess we’ll never know.”
“Funny thing is, the most recent records were the first things I scanned,” Trinity said, shaking her head. “And they’re backed up in the cloud. Those files were never in danger at all, not in any of the break-ins.”
“You were working backwards?” Brooke asked Trinity.
“We were working backwards,” Trinity confirmed, grabbing Hawkeye’s hand and giving it a squeeze.
“Nice,” Brooke said. “But how did Henderson not know?”
“We haven’t uploaded any of the files yet for admin use,” Trinity explained. “I wanted to make sure the database operation was fast enough when it was fully loaded before we let anyone get in there and screw it up.”
“Then I guess we’ll find out what he was trying to hide after all,” Brooke said with a smile.
“Who wants to go to the all-night diner?” Lobo asked.
“Emergencies make him hungry,” Veronica teased. “But it does sound good. Guys?”
“We’re in,” Conan agreed immediately.
Brooke laughed.
“Trinity?” Hawkeye asked.
She looked up at him for a moment with luminous eyes.
“You guys have fun,” she said without breaking eye contact. “Hawkeye and I are going home to talk.”
“Okay, guys,” Veronica said. “We’ll see you later.”
The four walked off across the field.
“She is going to be his mate,” Conan said happily.
Brooke elbowed him hard in the ribs.
“Ouch, you elbowed me.”
Trinity chuckled.
“Are you going to be my mate?” Hawkeye asked before he could stop himself.
“Do you want me to be?” she asked.
“Of course,” he told her.
She nodded.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he cried and swept her up in his arms.
“Put me down,” she muttered as he carried her across the field.
The cadets began cheering.
Though Hawkeye didn’t think they could have heard his quiet conversation with Trinity, they could clearly sense that something romantic had just occurred.
“Sorry, but I’m never putting you down again,” Hawkeye said, and kissed the top of her head.
She buried her face in his chest and he could tell she was pleased as well as embarrassed.
“So what changed your mind about me?” he asked, needing to distract himself from the exquisite feel of her in his arms until they got home.
“I thought you were too impulsive,” she said. “You rushed right into everything without thinking. I mean, my god, you tried to confront a burglar.”
“So did you,” he pointed out.
“Anyway,” she said. “I’ve realized that you’re actually pretty level-headed. As a matter of fact, the only times you’ve acted impulsively were the times when you thought I might be in danger.”
Her voice got quiet at the end of her statement and he realized it must be important. He waited, hoping she would say more.
“I spent my whole life taking care of my little brothers,” she said. “I know it sounds selfish, but I didn’t want to take care of someone else.”
“It’s not selfish,” he said honestly. “I like that you know what you want. And you don’t have to take care of anyone else from now on. I will take care of you.”
“We’ll take care of each other,” Trinity told him.
“Okay, but please don’t walk into any more fires,” he said. “I don’t know if I can stand to see you in danger again.”
“That’s a deal,” she told him fervently.
22
Trinity
Trinity began to feel shy the moment Hawkeye put her down to open the front door.
The old academy was quiet, but it was a cozy sort of quiet tonight. The rain was falling lightly outside now, a gentle patter on the copper roof.
“Are you hungry?” Hawkeye asked her.
He was offering her an out, a way to avoid going up those stairs and into his arms.
And she was grateful.
But she was ready. Her nerves weren’t going to stop her.
She shook her head.
“Shall we go upstairs?” he offered.
“Yes,” she told him.
He swept her off her feet again before she could register what was happening.
The result was that she giggled with surprise all the way up the stairs.
“Don’t laugh at me, Earth woman,” Hawkeye murmured into her hair.
But the curve of his cheek against her head told her he was smiling.