“Everyone up to speed on the extortion money demand in Holt’s email?”
Everyone nodded.
“At a later date, we need to have a talk about you and your access to my email account,” Holt said to Max.
Lola shuddered to think of the access Max had to any of their electronic lives if she was so inclined. She had nothing to hide, but she didn’t like the idea of someone being able to snoop around in her life anytime she wanted. If just felt weird.
“You have a very boring electronic life, H,” Max said as if that made it okay for her to have accessed her email. “The highlights were really that cookie recipe Amy sent. Tuna made them—they’re delicious—and Isabelle’s question about paint. I’ve got two follow-ups. Why did Amy think you were going to bake, and why were you two so quick to dismiss Subtle Touch and Phantom Mist for the dining room? They were a tad neutral sure, but I think the colors could really work in there. They weren’t as bold as Salty Tears or Lauren’s Surprise, but—”
“Max?”
“Yes?”
“Extortion. Proof of life videos, please.”
Lola thought this was a perfect example of the new and improved Holt 2.0. The old Holt, pre-Isabelle would have torn Max into very tiny pieces with the precision of a human shredder. Holt 2.0 looked disgruntled, not deadly.
“Fine. I’ve contacted the police and they already have an open missing persons case. Apparently, your father.” Max looked at Isabelle.
“His name is Kevin Garvey. He threatened me and my sister, and now he’s been stupid enough to get himself kidnapped, although the result is the same for us. That’s his only relationship to me,” Isabelle said. Her tone left no room for misunderstanding or argument. Holt wasn’t the only one who commanded the troops around here.
“Yes, ma’am,” Max said. “Pertinent details then. Kevin Garvey is married and his wife filed a missing persons report. They don’t seem to have any leads. They were surprised by my call. I’ve been spending a lot of time with the video we got, but so far I’ve got nothing useful to report. I’ll keep working.”
“What have we heard from Moose? He’s had plenty of time to get information from Mason,” Holt said. “Anything more about why Garvey wanted to talk to me? Was he really the one who hired Mason? Anything he can provide to prove that?”
“Moose checked in a couple of hours ago. He and Jose collected all three of the boys you left in the woods for them. As you might expect, Mason’s not feeling incredibly cooperative. We don’t have much leverage on him. We’re taking him back to jail, and he knows it.”
“I’ll call the district attorney handling his case in Detroit,” Holt said. “I don’t know that there’s anything to be done, but it’s worth a shot. I won’t compromise a case to get information from Mason, but maybe he has other information that would be useful to them. I want to know how Garvey passed the message on, how he got in touch.”
“Do we know anything about the people who sent the video?” Lola asked.
“Not yet. I’ve got a program running trying to trace the origin of the email. Whoever sent it covered their tracks pretty well.”
As if on cue, Max’s computer beeped and her face lit up. Max was evidently chasing an email through the Internets, whatever that meant. Lola pictured a dog chasing a squirrel around the cemetery near the office, but she suspected it was a bit more complicated.
“Gotcha,” Max said triumphantly. “College of LA. The email originated from the CLA servers.”
“What would someone at CLA want with Kevin Garvey, or any of us?” Isabelle asked. “He never attended college or ever had any particular interest in it as far as I know. Last I heard he was living in Arizona.”
“He worked in the maintenance department,” Max said, looking intently at her computer screen. “Guess he relocated.”
“So what do we do about the extortion threat?” Dubs asked, for once looking serious. “Since I used to be a thief and you all found me in prison, I don’t believe these guys will just take the money and go away.”
“The extortion threat is a concern, but at the moment it’s just that, a threat. They don’t have anything of ours. Maybe they’re overplaying their hand thinking Kevin Garvey means more to Isabelle and Ellen than he does, or maybe they think we’re unprepared to protect our own. I’m not sure, and I don’t like being unsure. I think we report the threat and the attempted extortion and officially let the authorities handle this.”
“And unofficially?” Lola asked. She could tell Holt was formulating a plan and was fairly confident she knew what it was. If she was right, she had to convince Holt she was the right one for the job.
“I’m not a fan of people thinking they hold leverage over me. And I really hate not having enough information to know what the fuck is going on. I want to know who these people are and how to get them out of our lives.”
“Sounds like you’re going to Los Angeles,” Isabelle said. She didn’t look or sound happy. She wrapped her arms around Holt’s neck in what looked like an unconscious gesture of comfort seeking.
Holt wrapped her arms around Isabelle’s waist and pulled her closer. “No, sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere. I want information, but I need to know you and George and Ellen’s brood are safe. My place is by your side. What good is paying a whole crew if I can’t send them across the country whenever I feel like it?”
“Maybe I sound like an imbecile,” Dubs said, “but how is trotting off to LA going to help us?”
“We can look for Kevin Garvey ourselves, for one,” Holt said.
“Can’t work a kidnapping from across the country,” Lola said. “Not easily. And it’s easier to be a pain in the ass with the local cops in person. Although I’m sure you would have no problems either way.”
“And LA is where Garvey lives. It’s where his life is. This guy wanted to talk to me, and now someone supposedly snatched him and they want to talk to me. The people who know why are out there. Max can do amazing things with a laptop, but sometimes you need boots and eyes on the ground,” Holt said.
This was what Lola had been waiting for. For months now, she’d been looking for an opportunity to get her life back on firm footing, and this job felt like the way to do it. She was tired of feeling unmoored. In LA, by herself, with only work to worry about, she’d finally have that chance. And without Holt to bail her out if she screwed up, she would have no choice but to come through.
“I’m volunteering,” Lola said. “I’ll find Garvey and your pen pals.”
“No,” Holt said. “Moose will be back in a day, two at the most. I’ll send him when he gets back.”
Lola’s stomach churned. Her heart sank. Holt doesn’t trust me on this. She doesn’t trust me when it’s Isabelle on the line. She had to prove her wrong.
“That’s forty-eight hours of wasted time, H. I can be there six hours from whatever flight Max can find for me. I’ll stand in the cargo hold if it means finding who’s threatening Isabelle and Ellen faster. Moose will be tired when he gets back, especially if he’s been fighting off Jose for a week. I’m fresh. I won’t fail you. Or Isabelle.”
Holt looked surprised. She started to speak, but Isabelle put her hand on her shoulder and stopped her. Isabelle whispered something in her ear that Lola couldn’t make out. Holt nodded, kissed Isabelle on the cheek, and finally made eye contact with Lola.
“My choice of Moose wasn’t a reflection of my thoughts about you. It wasn’t about you failing me. I don’t think you ever have. Get on a plane as soon as you can. Moose will join you in California, but only as backup in case you need it. There are some cold leads on other cases he can follow up on the West Coast while you’re searching. I’d prefer if you had someone relatively close in case you need him.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, H,” Lola said.
“Moose was going to get one too,” Holt said. “I was going to send Dubs.” Dubs’s eyes lit up, and Holt held up her hand to stop her. “You weren’t going to be allowed in
side a car the entire time you were there.”
“You’re no fun, boss.”
“Lola,” Holt said, looking at her seriously, “this is ghost surveillance only. You find Garvey if you can. See what you can find out about our extortionists, but don’t compromise yourself. Moose will be close, but don’t put yourself at risk. The states aren’t spaced like they are on the East Coast. California is huge. I have no idea how many Rhode Islands will fit in it, but you will essentially be without a parachute for long stretches of time. I’m sending him with you because it makes me feel better to have him in the same state, but I don’t know how close he’ll actually be, and he’ll be working his own cases while you work yours. You know how nervous that makes me. Keep a low profile and be safe.”
“I always am,” Lola said. That wasn’t true, especially lately, but Holt didn’t need to know that. She turned to Max who hadn’t looked up from her computer since Holt gave the go-ahead for Lola to head west. “So, when do I leave, kid?”
“You’re booked on a flight tonight. You’ll land in LA around one a.m. I got you a long-term sublet apartment close to CLA. It’s furnished so you don’t need to worry about bringing anything with you. And you’re the newest hire in the CLA maintenance department, custodial staff. Hope you’re good with a mop. And graveyard shift.”
“That was…efficient,” Lola said. Max could make her computer do things Lola didn’t think possible. Email was still a little magical to her. “Did you get me transportation?”
“I’ve got a Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 with your name on it waiting at the airport.”
“They’re trying to market that bike to hipsters, Max,” Lola said. She was horrified.
“So put on your skinny jeans and ironic T-shirt and suck it up. That bike handles well in cities. It’s also reasonably affordable. You are a custodian, after all. Now get out of here and pack. You have a flight to catch. Didn’t you hear Holt?” Max tried to shoo her away.
“Anything else before I go, H?” Lola asked, not willing to be dismissed by Max.
“Be careful. Keep your comms with you and check in with the Wonder Twins daily. If you need me, call day or night. Moose is your immediate backup, but if you’re in trouble, I’m your first call, got it?”
Lola smiled. Holt had always been overly protective of those she loved, but especially of her. “Got it.”
She felt a thrill that had been absent lately. She was finally getting an opportunity to set things right, to get back on course. It didn’t hurt that the job was so far from everything she knew. Right now, a little distance was welcome. Maybe it would help her get her head on straight before she came back after this got sorted out and settled back onto the team under Holt. God, I hope so.
Chapter Five
“Okay, buddy, you’re going to go easy on me, right? Mama’s in the other room, but I really don’t want to have to call in backup.” Holt looked down at her son before scooping him up and flying him over to the changing table in his room.
George squealed with delight as he soared over his toy-strewn floor and landed on his back on the changer. As soon as his back hit the soft fabric, however, he was a man in motion. Arms, legs, and torso shifted in equal and opposite directions, and it was all Holt could do to keep him on the table, much less get the diaper changed.
“I thought we agreed you were going to go easy on me,” she said. Although Isabelle made this look easy, and she could call for her help and they would be done in a third of the time, she wasn’t willing to give up and take the coward’s way out. Just because George seemed to reserve his strength, willfulness, and excess urine for her, didn’t mean she couldn’t handle it, most of the time. Isabelle hasn’t ever been peed on. Holt needed to change her clothes regularly. It had become their thing. She didn’t remember her godson, Superman, ever being this single-mindedly wiggly, although the peeing they shared. Boys.
She handed George his favorite book, and the distraction was enough to get the diaper off and a new one in place. She was sweating by the time his feet hit the floor, and he took off for the kitchen where he could hear Mama singing along to something on the radio. Despite it being completely meaningless to his chance of lifetime success, Holt was proud that he had been an early walker. He was just over a year old now and was close to running, where many of his age matched peers were still cruising along furniture, waiting to take their first wobbly steps.
Holt followed George, inordinately pleased he was leading her to Isabelle. She’d thought her life was complete before she’d splash-landed in Isabelle’s pool and circumstances had forced them to face down one of Isabelle’s deranged clients together. But Isabelle, and now George, had shown her what true fulfillment was. If only people would stop threatening those she loved.
“Holt, sweetie, I thought we agreed, only Carol Danvers lives here. Captain Marvel stays at the office.”
Holt realized she must have the look that Isabelle called her “work face.”
“I was just thinking about how much I love you and George.”
“That look wasn’t the one you have when you tell me you love me,” Isabelle said. “I trust you with my life. You’ll keep us safe. What were you really thinking about?”
Holt leaned against the counter, and Isabelle slipped into her arms and kissed her. Isabelle felt so good, and as Holt always did when Isabelle was close, she felt the tension she was carrying melt away.
“It should probably bother me that you can read my mind,” Holt said. “But I kind of like it.”
“Me too,” Isabelle said. She turned her attention to George, not leaving Holt’s arms. “Just a little quieter please, buddy.” He’d been punctuating each of their sweet sentiments with a loud, jarring whap of his wooden spoon against a metal mixing bowl. He was sitting on the floor in the kitchen surrounded by measuring spoons and cups, two mixing bowls, three wooden spoons, and a whisk.
“Looks like I’m off the hook for making dinner tonight,” Holt said. “What’s on the menu, bud?” Reluctantly, Holt let Isabelle go and knelt down to collect a runaway whisk and return it to him.
“Oh, that reminds me. Amy and Superman are joining us tonight. Tuna’s been escorting Ellen and the kids around all day, so I figured we should invite him to stay too.”
Holt laughed at the day Tuna was probably having. “Is Ellen pretending she’s a celebrity in town with her security detail and dragging him to every store in the state?”
“Probably,” Isabelle said. She was laughing now too. “She’s taking this well. It’s a good thing she married the most patient and understanding man alive. Having her fawn and drool over you is one thing, but Tuna is a walking Greek god and very much single.”
“She doesn’t fawn all over me,” Holt said.
Isabelle shot her a look that told her not to argue anymore.
“Amy’s also mad at you. Fair warning.”
“What could I have possibly done since I saw her last?” Holt couldn’t think of anything worthy of her ire. Not anything that was worth Amy going to Isabelle and not calling and yelling directly at her.
“I guess Superman won’t stop demanding a brother. She blames you.”
Holt couldn’t help the smile and full heart when she thought of her godson. She’d been there the day he had been placed with Amy as a foster child and stood next to her in court when he legally became Amy’s son. He was only a couple of years older than George, and the two boys loved each other. She wanted them to be close, and watching their relationship grow was one of the great joys in her life.
“He has George. He’s over there with them so much, he’s practically like a brother. I don’t know what we’d do without Amy helping us out so much.”
“That’s what I told her. She said he was very clear. He wants an ‘all the time, overnight brother,’ not a ‘sometimes brother like George.’ Amy said she’s adding this to your list of things to handle. Out of curiosity, what are the others?”
Holt counted them down on her fingers. “Th
e sex talk, why he can’t play football, buying a jock strap, tattoos, and now, apparently, baby brothers.”
“That’s a good list,” Isabelle said. “You can cover both boys, although I don’t know if we should rule out baby brothers in the future.”
“Really?” Holt liked the sound of that. They’d never talked about it, but she could see having a whole army of kids with Isabelle. “Are Max and Dubs coming to family dinner tonight too?”
Holt started meal prep since George wasn’t likely to be any real help. She pulled what she needed from the fridge and juggled olive oil, spices, and the other ingredients on her way to the stove.
“Probably, but you know how easily they get distracted. With each other, with work, computers, cars. I’ll remind Max,” Isabelle said. She saved an onion from rolling off the counter and gave Holt’s ass an affectionate pat as she moved across the kitchen to get a cutting board from the drying rack.
“They’re good kids. It’s going to feel weird not having Moose, Jose, or Lola here though. I hope I made the right decision sending her across the country on her own.” George pulled on her pant leg and lifted his arms, grunting. She scooped him up and showed him what she was doing, pointing out the types of food and cooking utensils.
“She needed to go. I don’t know why, but something’s going on with her. She hasn’t been the same since Tiffany. I don’t know if the trip is a good thing, but I think forcing her to stay would have been worse.”
Holt agreed. She’d noticed Lola’s strange behavior too, including her overeagerness in the field and taking every case she could get her hands on. It was like she was just learning the ropes again, or trying to prove something. She’d also been less present with the group, disengaged. Holt hadn’t been able to get her to talk. They’d been friends for years, but for the first time since Lola’s brother died, Lola had clammed up. Holt thought about George, Lola’s late brother and her son’s namesake. He had been one of her best friends, and her own grief still felt like an unhealed wound that could reopen at any time. She could only imagine what it was like for Lola.
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