The Sierra Files Box Set: Books 1-3: Plus a bonus Christmas novella!

by Christy Barritt

  His shoulders visibly relaxed. “I’m sure I can leave some money and a note for him.”

  I forced a frown, sure it looked fake, but I pressed on regardless. “I’d really like to talk to him face-to-face, if at all possible.”

  He looked up at a new group of people who’d just entered. He’d probably rather be helping them than wasting time with me. I couldn’t let that happen.

  “Well, who was your guide?” he asked, his gaze still flickering behind me.

  “Patrick . . . Something.”

  The man’s smile disappeared. “Patrick, you said? How long ago was this tour exactly?”

  “During the summer. July maybe. Why?”

  The man nodded slowly, flashing a bright smile to a particularly cute blonde who walked past and looked his way. “Patrick is back at college and not working for us anymore.”

  I frowned again. “Oh, that’s too bad. I was hoping he was still here. I was thinking about bringing my company here on another tour, but only if he led it.”

  The man shifted, and I had a feeling he was going to abandon me any time now in favor of the leggy blonde. “Unfortunately, he’s not going to be able to do that. We were hoping he could continue with us part-time. He even said he would try to help out until we closed for the season. But he changed his mind last week. I guess his school workload was too much. But I’m sure we can plug you in with someone else. Someone who will be just as good.”

  I leaned closer. “I know that has to be a loss for you guys. He was so good.”

  He shrugged. “Funny that you said that. You’re actually the second person who’s come here looking for him this week.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Am I?”

  “Yeah, these other guys came in a few days ago. Kind of rough looking. They said they wanted Patrick to give them a tour also, but I didn’t believe a word they said. They looked like they were up to no good.”

  Maybe I was finally on to something! “That’s . . . crazy. You’d never seen them before?”

  The man shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

  “Well, let me just be honest for a moment.” I leaned even closer, as if sharing a secret. “I actually want to buy one of Patrick’s photos. I thought they were beautiful. I wasn’t sure if he was allowed to talk about selling them while he was on duty here, so I didn’t want to get him in trouble.”

  Realization lit the man’s face. He seemed to fall for my excuse. “I get it now. Yeah, he does take some really good photos. I get that.”

  “You know how I can get in touch with him?”

  “Well, obviously I can’t give you his home address. That would be weird. But I can tell you that he volunteers with that homeless shelter in downtown Norfolk once a week. Maybe you can catch him there.”

  It wasn’t much to go on, but at least it was something.

  I turned to leave but paused. “One more thing. Are you sure it was his college schedule that made him quit? He just seemed to enjoy his job so much.”

  The man shrugged. “No, it was kind of weird. One day he was happy as a clam and said his schedule here looked great. The next day, he appeared kind of shaken. He said he couldn’t do this anymore. I asked why, but he didn’t say anything. I wondered if he was in some kind of trouble.”

  Some kind of trouble. That sounded about right. “Thanks for your help.”

  “No problem. I hope you find him.”

  “Me too,” I whispered. “Me too.”

  Since I had no means of tracking down the rough looking men who’d stopped by trying to find Patrick, that left me with the homeless shelter. It was a long shot, but I decided to try anyway.

  A theory had begun to form in my mind. Patrick was hiding from something. What were people who disappear trying to avoid, though? An ex-girlfriend? Maybe. Bill collectors? It was a possibility. The Mafia? It happened in the movies.

  I pulled up to the homeless shelter located in downtown Norfolk in an old building that—if I remembered correctly—had been a luxury hotel in its early life. Today, this area of town had become less highbrow and more ghetto.

  I walked through the front door, Reef strapped across my chest. The place had a peculiar smell—then again, I was always sensitive to scents. I smelled bacon, vanilla-scented air freshener, and dirty clothes, and I’d only made it as far as the administrative area.

  A college-aged girl sat at the front desk and smiled at me. “Can I help you?”

  “I have a question about one of your volunteers. Is there someone who oversees them whom I can speak with?”

  She smiled again. “One moment.”

  A few minutes later, a woman I guessed to be in her early fifties, emerged from a back hallway. She had mousy, brown hair cut in a short style that may have made her appear older than she was. Her dowdy, brown suit didn’t help the look, but it did fit her tiny voice and almost timid actions.

  She introduced herself as Karen, the volunteer coordinator.

  I explained to her that I was looking for Patrick.

  “As a matter of fact, Patrick has been here this week. He’s been working the night shift for us,” Karen told me.

  She’d just told me that Patrick had been volunteering this week. Wasn’t that interesting? “I’d really like to talk to him. Do you know if he’ll be back tonight?”

  She nodded as we stood in the entryway of the building near the administrative offices. “I believe so. He’s been very dedicated.”

  Something about the way she said it raised a few red flags. “Is it unusual for him to be dedicated?”

  She shrugged, wringing her hands together as if nervous. “Well, I don’t know if I would say that. He just said he had more time this week than usual. He’s taking fewer classes this semester, which has opened up his schedule more. Is there any reason you’re asking?”

  I smoothed my shirt, hoping I didn’t look as rumpled as Karen did. At least Reef was with me, so I’d looked like a harried mom instead of a frazzled twenty-something with no good excuse.

  “I’ve been trying to get in touch with him, and one of his friends told me I should check here,” I continued. “I thought it was worth a shot. It’s not an emergency, but he’s not answering his cell phone. I have to admit that I’m kind of getting worried.”

  The woman looked over my shoulder, and a flash of concern etched across her face. I followed her gaze and spotted three guys entering through the front door. Each wore a black leather jacket and had a scraggly beard. Before they even said a word, I realized they looked like trouble.

  Trouble . . .?

  Could these be the men the guy at the kayak store had mentioned? It was a theory worth visiting.

  “Can I help you?” the woman called, stepping toward them.

  “We’re looking for a place to stay tonight,” one of them said. He was the roughest looking of the bunch, with a salt-and-pepper beard that came all the way down to his belly. His skin was wrinkled, he had a gold tooth, and he wore a bandana over his hair.

  “I’m sorry. We don’t have any beds open right now.”

  He lowered his gaze. “But I’m desperate.” His words fell flat and sounded anything but sincere.

  “This shelter is only for the homeless, sir.” The woman wrung her hands nervously. I felt bad for her. These guys were bullies, and this woman seemed exceedingly kind and soft-spoken.

  “Who says we’re not homeless?” the man said. The word “Viking King” was stitched into the front of his jacket. Another guy shifted, and I noticed the word “Viking” on his jacket as well.

  “We have a pulse on the homeless community in this area. I’ve never seen you.”

  He practically growled. “Well, obviously, you haven’t met everyone.”

  I stepped forward, sensing Karen’s nervousness. “Sir, I believe she made herself clear. You’re not welcome here.”

  The man definitely growled this time, and he leered toward me. “I don’t believe we involved you in this conversation.”

  “I wasn’
t waiting for an invitation.” My outspokenness had gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion.

  The man’s face turned even redder. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

  “I think I do.”

  The man looked at Karen then turned his gaze back to me. The other woman’s presence here right now may have been the only thing that allowed me to remain in one piece. Well, Karen and Reef.

  “You better hope you never run into me again. Do you hear?”

  “Oh, I hear you.” I couldn’t resist the quip. If there was one thing my tiger mom had taught me, it was not to back down to anyone. The skill had served me well in my career and through multiple animal rights campaigns. I just hoped it didn’t backfire on me now.

  Finally, the men left the way they came. Karen turned toward me when they were gone. “I’m so glad you were here, but I apologize you had to experience that.”

  I shrugged, like it happened every day. “It’s okay. I don’t like bullies.”

  She offered a grateful smile. “Come back again tonight if you’re trying to catch Patrick. He said he’d be here at seven.”

  If he showed up at seven, he might, unfortunately, have other people waiting for him also. That was why I needed to find Patrick first.

  Chapter Eleven

  Reef and I headed to the office so I could work on getting caught up for a while. Usually, Saturdays were quiet days there, and I hoped today would be the same.

  As soon as I walked in, I knew my hopes were dashed. I spotted three people gathered around a desk. An air of excitement surrounded them as they sifted through papers and shot off snippets of conversation. They’d brought their cats—we had an open-door policy for that. They all seemed content to spend the day here.

  Chloe hurried toward me. “Did you see it?”

  “See what?” I braced myself, feeling like I was missing something big.

  “This!” She held up the newspaper. On the second page was an article about the euthanasia of Chalice, written on behalf of Animal Protective Services.

  I swallowed hard and fought back irritation. Had I signed off on this? I couldn’t remember.

  I quickly scanned it. It was pretty much a scathing editorial written to Animal Control about the fact they were considering euthanizing a nonaggressive animal who’d followed its instincts.

  “I also started a campaign on social media for ‘Animal Lives Matter.’ It’s spreading like wildfire.” Chloe’s eyes were blazing with that very wildfire. She felt passionate about this.

  The image of Tag’s lifeless body flashed through my mind.

  It wasn’t Chalice’s fault.

  I tried to tell myself that. And, at heart, I believed it. But did I think she should be sold to the next person who wanted a snake like that?

  No. That snake didn’t belong in someone’s home. Most people weren’t experienced enough to know how to handle her.

  On one hand, there was the importance of saving an animal’s life. That was vital. But, at times, we also had to think about public safety. I didn’t want to see animals or humans being mistreated.

  “Well? What do you think?” Chloe waited for my response.

  “It looks like you’ve made a splash.” I looked at the newspaper article again and hesitated. “Did I approve this?”

  Chloe narrowed her eyes. “You signed off on it. Would you like to see your signature on the paperwork?”

  I shook my head. “No, I believe you.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m just not sure this is the campaign we should try to make the biggest waves with, not when there are so many other worthy causes out there.”

  Her bottom lip dropped open. “Every animal’s life matters. Don’t you agree? It doesn’t matter if they’re sweet and cuddly or slithery and slimy or tiny and considered a nuisance.”

  “I don’t disagree.” Reef started to stir, and he wasn’t happy. A peculiar—yet familiar—smell filled the air. He’d soiled his diaper, I realized.

  “Then why are you hesitant?”

  I tried not to breathe through my nose and to keep my expression neutral. But certainly everyone else could smell the vile scent coming from us. “I think this issue is complex.”

  She crossed her arms. “Well, what do you want me to do?”

  I let out a sigh, realizing I was dealing with an earlier version of myself. I would have reacted this exact same way a few months ago. But I felt like I was undergoing some kind of mental crisis right now.

  “It’s because Mandee is involved, isn’t it?” Chloe gave me a sharp look. I knew she wasn’t meaning any disrespect. It was just that her passion had bubbled to the surface. “I heard it through the grapevine.”

  “It’s because the animal killed someone.”

  “But—”

  “I know.” I needed to nip the argument in the bud. “But that snake is a danger to anyone who doesn’t know how to handle her.”

  The fire in her eyes was now directed at me. “I thought better of you.”

  “Chloe, this doesn’t mean that I don’t love animals and want to look out for their wellbeing. I’m just saying this is complicated and shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

  She held up the newspaper. “Well, now everyone in this area knows our stance on the issue.”

  “I understand.” I was well aware of that. But I didn’t have time to get into all the intricate details at the moment. Reef was squirming, he smelled terrible, and I needed to change his diaper before it leaked through the fabric carrier and onto my shirt.

  Gross.

  “I don’t think you do. This was only part one. The second part of my editorial will run tomorrow. People continue to share the memes I made for social media. We’re having a protest outside of Animal Control on Monday.”

  I blinked. “You really went all out, didn’t you?”

  “Did you expect anything less?”

  “No, of course not.” Reef’s cries became more agitated. “I don’t know what to say. I’m going to have to think this through.”

  “Well, we don’t have much time, so I hope you’ll make this top priority.” She scrunched her nose. “And please, for the sake of every living and breathing being, change that diaper.”

  I stayed at the office three more hours before closing up for the day. I’d begun trying to delegate a lot of the big campaigns we had. It had started when I took my maternity leave, and there was no reason it couldn’t carry over into the future. Though I needed to approve many of the tactics before they went live, that was a lot less tedious than trying to plan everything myself.

  However, in doing so, things like today’s situation were going to pop up. It was impossible to have control over each detail of each campaign. I needed to put people in charge whom I could trust, and then I needed to release them to do the job they’d been hired to accomplish.

  I was going to have to learn boundaries, which was hard for me since for most of my adult life I’d poured every part of my being into fighting for the rights of animals. Then Chad and I married, and that changed my priorities. Now Reef was here, and I didn’t want to miss a single moment with him.

  Right now, Reef and I were hanging out in the apartment and I was trying to get caught up on some household stuff like laundry. My mom had called. She called once a month and talked for twenty minutes each time. That was just the kind of mom she was.

  She had come to visit Reef once when he was only a month old. I was shocked that she’d come for a visit, period. It had been her one and only time coming down here.

  She’d ended our conversation by offering to give Chad and me some money for a down payment so we could move into a more respectable area of town. Status was very important to my mother and father. They hated to see me live in this eclectic area where everything wasn’t spic-and-span perfect. And now that they had a grandbaby, they really only wanted the best for their offspring.

  As if she ever would have accepted money from her mother when she was my age
. No way. My mom had worked sixty-plus hours a week when I was a child, and I’d gone through a slew of full-time nannies in the process.

  If there was one thing I’d learned about my childhood, it was that I didn’t want to replicate it for Reef. Sure, my mom had probably only been doing what she thought was best for me. But I’d been miserable. My animals had been the only things to comfort me, which is probably why I wanted to comfort them and return the favor now.

  I’d just gotten off the phone with her when someone knocked at my door. My first thought was about the scary-looking motorcycles dudes I’d seen earlier. But they had no idea who I was or where I lived.

  That didn’t ease my nerves when I went to the door, though.

  Thankfully, it was just Riley. He was tall and lean and had crystal-blue eyes. About a year ago, a criminal had shot him in the head, and none of us were sure he’d ever recover. He had, and he was back to his old self.

  At the moment, he looked nothing like an attorney. He wore dark, fitted jeans and a long-sleeve baseball T-shirt.

  “I heard you wanted to talk. I was wrapping up a big trial and didn’t have a chance to call you back. My apologies.” He popped a peanut into his mouth as he stood in the doorway. “Sorry—this is my lunch today.”

  I nodded and let him inside. “Yeah, thanks for stopping by. I’d offer you something to eat, but I have nothing.”

  “I’m good. I’m doing a high-protein diet right now anyway as part of my training.”

  “Mixed martial arts, right?”

  He nodded. “Right. I’m entered in a tournament next month, so I’ve got to get focused with my training.”

  I closed the door and went back to the couch where I was folding clothes. I’d figured out they wouldn’t magically fold themselves. At least I could talk to Riley and get some housework done. Multitasking was going to be my best friend for the next couple of weeks. Actually, for the rest of my life.

  Riley paused by Reef, who lay in a little bouncy seat. He talked to him a few minutes and gently tickled his belly. Reef had always loved Riley. My blood relatives may not be close, but I was so glad for Gabby and Riley to fill in as aunt and uncle for my baby.