Mission

by Camilla Chafer

  "They think they're being discreet but I don't buy it. That's what you wanted to know, right? About why someone might hurt Sophie? Your client is a depraved creep."

  "I wanted to ask you about an argument someone overheard you having with Sophie about money."

  "I don't recall that."

  "I know you're in a lot of debt."

  Zach stopped. "How do you know that?"

  "It doesn't matter. But I know it's true."

  "Yeah, sure, I am. Who isn't? Sophie offered to help me out before she had the accident. She felt bad for having so much when I have to work my butt off for the rich kids who want to play in the woods for kicks. They have no idea what survival is all about," he scoffed. "They wouldn't last a minute on a real deployment."

  "If that's true about Sophie helping you, why did you take out credit cards in her name?" It was a punt but a good one. Lily got it right. Zach froze and his jaw stiffened. Then he dropped to his knees, fiddling with the ropes by my ankles.

  "What are you accusing me of?" he asked, his voice audibly colder.

  "I'm just asking..."

  "PI for the insurance? Hmmm. Austen's got you trying to set me up, doesn't he?" he said, stepping towards me, his face furious. "You know what I think of that?" He placed a hand on my chest. "I think you can tell Austen that he's never going to take Sophie away from me. Never!" Then he pushed me.

  I fell backwards, my hands wildly clasping the air but there was nothing to grab hold of and the railing slipped out of my reach. Zach unclipped the security rope and I dropped headfirst towards the ground. I did the only thing I could do: I screamed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "How long has she been like this?" Solomon's voice reached me from far away.

  "An hour. All she does is babble incoherently. I can't make sense of it." Lily patted my head. "She didn't even respond when I offered her pizza. Is she broken?"

  "I was flying," I muttered as I stared at the glossy expanse of nothingness. "Flying. Whee!"

  "Flying?"

  "She fell off a bungee-jumping platform," explained Lily.

  "What the hell was she doing bungee-jumping?" asked Solomon.

  "Interviewing a suspect."

  "While bungee-jumping?"

  "Flyyyyiiiinnng," I sighed, the word skimming the air as I physically did only an hour before.

  "By the time I realized what was happening, Lexi was upside down, bouncing in the air, up and down, up and down, secured by her ankles, and screaming like a banshee."

  I lifted my head. "Am I dead?"

  "No, honey, you're at home," said Lily.

  I lay my head on the kitchen counter again, relishing the cold surface. If I were dead, it wouldn't feel this cold, surely? Wasn't heaven perpetual summertime? Warm and glowy, a haze of golden sunshine amid blue skies and pretty flowers. Shouldn't someone be playing a harp?

  "I think she's in shock," said Solomon.

  "My head nearly smooshed like a watermelon," I mumbled against the counter top. "Smoosh."

  "What does that mean?" asked Solomon.

  "I think she thought she would land on her head."

  "Over and over," I sighed. "Smooooosh."

  "She went up and down a lot. Maybe I should get her something to drink," said Lily. "Lexi, sweetie, would you like a martini? A negroni? A cosmopolitan?"

  "Yes," I mumbled.

  "Water," said Solomon.

  A glass of water appeared a few inches from my eyes.

  "You have to pick it up, not stick your tongue out at it," said Solomon. "You're licking the counter."

  "Is she going to be okay?" asked Lily. "Will she be like this forever? Once she took a whole week to recover after we did body shots but this feels so different."

  "I'm okay," I said. "I didn't pee my pants."

  "Well done," said Lily.

  Solomon maneuvered me upright and held the glass to my lips. I drank small sips and breathed deeply. "I'm okay," I said again.

  "We know," said Solomon.

  "I was reminding myself, but I really am okay." I held out my arms, rotated my wrists and wriggled my fingers. Then I stuck out each leg and repeated the checks with my ankles and feet until I was sure nothing was strained, sprained or broken. I stood up and raised my arms to the sky. "I'm invincible!" I yelled.

  "I think she's better," said Solomon. "What the hell happened?"

  "I don't think Zach Gallo likes me butting into his life. He pushed me off! He's insane!" I squeaked, pulling a face as I remembered the moment he planted his palm in the center of my chest and shoved me backwards.

  "What?" screamed Lily. "I thought you fell!"

  "Don't question him again without me being present," said Solomon. "He tries any crazy stunt like that again and he'll get a bird’s sense of what flying really feels like."

  "Not a problem," I agreed, "and I would like to see that. At least we got something today. I have a bunch of evidence to sift through." I patted my pockets, searching for my phone. Then my stomach turned. "I lost my phone."

  Lily passed it to me. "You left it in the car before taking your Supergirl lesson."

  "For a moment, I was worried I left it at the recreation facility. I thought I'd have to go back to get it," I told them, my heart palpitating. I opened the phone, called up my photos and scrolled through them, zooming in on the credit card statements. I missed it when I first looked but now I could see the dates the cards were opened and they were all after Sophie's marriage. "I think Austen will be interested to see that Zach opened credit cards in Sophie's name. That's fraud." I passed the phone into Solomon's outstretched hand. He scrolled and zoomed, his face impassive.

  "You're sure she had no part in this?" he asked.

  I took the phone back and zoomed on the statement dates. "Yeah. These statements were after she married Austen and I don't see her buying this kind of stuff."

  "That doesn't mean she didn't open the accounts and forget to update her address."

  "So why open them in her birth name and not her married name?" I wondered.

  "Maybe she has credit issues?"

  "I didn't flag any, but her name isn't exactly rare..." I trailed off. Had I missed something? If so, what?

  "Anyone would have credit issues with balances like this," said Lily. "Everything is maxed out and it doesn't look like the latest bills have been paid. You said Austen was rich, right? Sophie could afford to pay these. He might not even notice."

  "Not if she were hiding them from her husband. Maybe she doesn't want him to know she has a shopping addiction or that she planned to give money to Zach. It could be that he pressured her," I said but I knew it wasn't true. It just didn't feel right. With the exception of his small apartment, Zach appeared to be living beyond his means and I suspected he was using his sister's name to get the credit he needed for that. "I'll show them to Austen anyway and see what he has to say. I'm sure they're Zach's though. He pushed me off the platform right after I confronted him."

  "Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" suggested Solomon. "You and Lily can chill here. Or go do something safer."

  "I like that you specified 'safer'," I said, cracking a smile.

  A small smile lifted the edges of Solomon's lips. "It seemed prudent," he said. "I have to go. This bank case is taking up a lot of manpower. Although we found and discounted the bank's fired employee, we're no closer to tracking down Thomas Mackleton's associates or identifying the item that was stolen. I'll call and check in on you later. I can make dinner if you don't feel up to it. Please take it easy, Lexi," he implored.

  "Hey, you didn't even update me on the case! Was the list of the remaining property from the vault I left in the office helpful? What else is going on?" I asked.

  "I saw the list, thanks. There isn’t much to tell. We're still chasing our tails on Mackleton. He's kind of a loner. Hasn't had a fixed address in years. His last known residence was a bust. According to the neighbors of the family home, the family moved out years ago and haven't be
en seen since. There was a dad with addiction issues who died a couple of years back. No sign of the mom and an older half-sister, who left home at nineteen, was never to be seen again."

  "Sounds like a difficult upbringing."

  "Yeah, seems that way. The neighbor said the dad caused a lot of trouble and the kids didn't have much direction or encouragement to stay in school. Easy to see why Mackleton strayed into crime with influences like that."

  "Any lead on the mom or the sister?"

  "None so far. We're looking at known associates from his rap sheet but most are in jail, some are dead, and several unaccounted for, which could mean anything."

  "How old was he?"

  "Twenty-six."

  "Imagine having a life of crime so bad that your friends are dead by that age," I said and Lily nodded her agreement.

  "It's been the luck of our birth, the presence of our minds, and the influences in our lives that we were spared a life like his. We should be aware of how privileged we are in that respect," said Solomon. "And even then, it does come down to individual choices."

  "It puts getting pushed off a bungee platform into better perspective," said Lily who was listening intently.

  I shook my head. The memory of feeling like I was in imminent danger of death was still too real, too fresh. "It really doesn't," I said with a shake of my head. "Did my catalogue of the vault's items help any?"

  Solomon shook his head. "It was interesting to see what the boxes contained but there wasn't anything that suggested a particular missing item. We're still in the dark from that angle. Did you notice anything unusual that you didn't include in your report?"

  "No, sorry. The only thing I didn't write down was that mess of broken boxes."

  "Charlie Sampson didn't have anything to add?"

  "No. He was polite and helpful but he didn't have any sudden revelations or desperate moments of confession. Maybe we should do a background check on him as a precaution?"

  "We should have done that already," said Solomon, tapping his palm to his forehead. "I can't believe I overlooked it. Can I leave it with you? Perhaps your task for the rest of today?"

  Despite his calm demeanor, I could see the worry in his eyes. He wouldn't order me to do something, but during the work day he was the boss. "Sure," I agreed.

  "I spoke to my contact about witness protection and Sophie's name didn't come up. You can strike that from your list," he said.

  "Thank you." I wasn't sure how to process the information yet but it was definitely helpful to have it.

  "Now I know you're okay, I'm going to head out," said Solomon. He leaned in and kissed me and Lily pretended to take a snap with an imaginary camera while cooing. "It's not cool when she does that," he whispered on my lips.

  "I know. She's weird," I replied softly.

  "But adorable," said Lily, leaning in slightly too close.

  "Never give her a key to the house," said Solomon, pulling back and running a hand over my hair in a way that was both sweet and incredibly comforting.

  "I know how to pick locks," chirped Lily.

  "She can," I agreed. "Although for the purposes of any future conversations with law enforcement, I have never actually seen her pick a lock."

  "I have no idea what's going on here," said Solomon, wagging a finger from me to Lily, "but I am definitely leaving. Stay at home, do some research. Stay away from Zach Gallo and Sky Outdoors. If he gives you any hassle, threaten a lawsuit to his employers after what he did."

  Lily and I waved when Solomon left and I checked out his rear, which made me feel a lot better. Then I sighed and got up and took a walk around the kitchen. "I think I feel fine," I said. "My legs feel normal again."

  "You thought you peed yourself."

  "That's a reasonable thought to have while crashing to my death headfirst."

  "I'm glad you didn't."

  "Would you still have given me a ride home?"

  "Sure, but in the trunk or tied to the roof. Like a deer."

  I thought about that. "I'm glad I didn't pee myself either."

  "Or smoosh your head. Are we going to search for this guy, Charlie, next? Where's your laptop?" asked Lily.

  "You know Solomon only suggested that as a nice, safe, activity designed to keep me out of trouble? I doubt he overlooked it."

  "Consider me shocked."

  "I need to talk to Austen again. Things just aren't adding up. Why would Zach push me off a platform? It's an extreme reaction for simple questions about his sister! Plus, he had a helluva lot to say about Austen."

  "I can take you wherever you need to go. Let's nail that creep!"

  "I love your enthusiasm." I grinned. "Let's go."

  After calling Austen and confirming he was at the hospital, I checked for the card from Sophie's colleagues, which was still in my purse and Lily drove us there. Although I was sure Solomon probably wanted me to do a cursory check on Charlie, I was equally sure it could wait. When we got there, I was surprised to find Manny Ortega seated on a chair outside the room, one leg folded across the other and a newspaper spread across his lap. He looked up when we approached.

  "Lexi, nice to see you," he said, folding his newspaper and standing.

  "Nice to see you too, Manny. Austen is expecting me."

  "He told me. The nurse said we had to wait outside while she made some checks so Austen went out to get coffee." He indicated inside the room where I could see the nurse standing at the heart monitor by Sophie's bed, taking notes. "He'll be back in a few minutes. And you are?"

  "Lily Shuler-Graves," said Lily, sticking out her hand but offering no further explanation. Manny nodded like it was all he needed and shook.

  "We saw Zach earlier," I told him. "He pushed me off a ledge."

  Manny blinked. "He did what?"

  I explained what happened, adding how another assistant scrambled to catch me, lowering me to the ground and unclipping me while Zach's group stood speechless, staring in shock. "When I was on the ground, he loomed over me and announced to everyone that I slipped and said he tried to grab me. He didn't of course. He pushed me. Hard. Then after making me look like a klutz, he walked away."

  "That man is a menace," said Manny. "You should report this to Austen. He won't be pleased."

  "I will. I've heard about Zach's temper from a few people now. Anger seems to be a regular thing for him."

  "I don't know about regular but it's part of his personality. Maybe that's the same thing. I know my crew and I don't like him. We avoid him whenever we can."

  "Austen said he comes around the house a lot."

  "He does, but usually only if Sophie is there."

  "We were told they argued more than once," I said, thinking back to Zach's neighbor's claims.

  "Maybe. I don't know. I wear ear plugs because the tools we use can get pretty loud." Manny glanced away, but not before I noticed him gulp. He heard something, I was sure of it.

  "If Zach was shouting it would be impossible not to hear, even if a person was trying not to," I said, wondering if Manny were eavesdropping or simply stumbled into overhearing a conversation not meant for his ears.

  Manny adjusted the collar of his plaid shirt, loosening it at the neck as a faint red blush rose on his skin. "Maybe I heard him once. A few weeks ago. He told Sophie it would all be over soon," he said.

  "Was he talking about the construction work?" asked Lily.

  Manny shook his head. "No, something else. Sophie said she was tired of all the lies and needed more time. Zach said it would be just the two of them before the door shut and I didn't hear anymore. I don't even know what they were talking about."

  "Did you tell Austen any of this?"

  "I didn't really think about it again until last night when I was going to bed and I started wondering how Sophie was doing. Then I remembered and it just seemed strange. It's been troubling me," he admitted.

  "How come you're here today?" I asked.

  "Austen said you mentioned hiring someone to sit with
Sophie but he wanted someone he trusted beside her when he wasn't here. I agreed to be her body guard. I think it's the only way Austen can get some rest."

  "That's kind of you."

  "Austen might be my employer, but he's my friend too. Sophie, also. I will help with whatever they need."

  "I can see that. So I hope you don't mind me asking you, what is your impression of their marriage?"

  Manny frowned, like the question was perplexing and pointless. "It is strong. They love each other very much. Both of them just wanted the other one to be happy."

  "How do you know that?" asked Lily.

  "Austen bought the house for their family. Sophie just wanted to make it the best home possible for Austen. She considered him in every decision she made. And whenever he came home, her face she just lit up. At first she was shy, but these last few weeks? She was so happy. Ah," he said, glancing over my shoulder. "Here is Austen now."

  "One more thing,” I said. “Does anyone on your work crew have any money issues?"

  "No. Austen pays my firm well and I pay my employees fairly."

  Austen came to a stop in front of our trio and glanced from me to Lily and then to his wife's hospital room. "What's going on?" he asked, handing a coffee to Manny.

  "The nurse asked me to step out while she made her checks," said Manny, "but I've been watching through the door. All is fine."

  At that moment, the door opened and the nurse stuck her head out, beckoning Austen inside. "Excuse me," he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him. I watched for a moment as the pair spoke.

  "Have you met Austen's secretary?" I asked.

  Manny frowned. "Yes, but I think she has a fancy title like 'executive assistant' which means the same thing. She’s been to the house before. Why?"

  "What's your impression of her?"

  "She works hard, I think. She’s been working with Austen a long time. I think he trusts her. She’s not just a secretary in the typing sense," he said, mimicking typing, "I think she makes decisions on his behalf. Austen relies on her for much more than answering phones and making his coffee."