Organized Grime

by Christy Barritt

  “There have been a lot of changes over the past year, huh? You became a Christian, your dad is coming to church, and you’re almost a graduate. Good things are happening.”

  I frowned. “Yes, good things.”

  “Then why are you frowning?”

  I pressed myself into the couch, my muscles tensing. “I’m having a hard time with my dad, thinking he’s a better person. It was easier when I thought he was scum.”

  “That’s where forgiveness comes in, Gabby.”

  Forgiveness. That word seemed to echo in my head a lot lately. “I know. I’m working on it. It’s easier said than done, however.”

  “It will come. Just give yourself time. Remember, though, that when you don’t forgive someone, you let them have power over you and ultimately just hurt yourself.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. I just have some work to do, still.”

  Riley’s gaze stayed on me until a grin stretched across his face. He pointed to the open newspaper on the table. “You going to see the stage adaption of High School Musical?”

  I grabbed the paper to obscure the huge red circle I’d drawn over the ad so I wouldn’t forget about the upcoming performance, and pulled my head back in disgust. “High School Musical? What kind of self-respecting adult watches High School Musical?”

  Riley raised his brow.

  “What?”

  He shook his head, still grinning. “Nothing.”

  Why did I have the sneaking suspicion that he knew more than I wanted him to? “Spill it, Rilster.”

  His brow lifted higher, along with the corner of his mouth. “Rilster? I like that. Maybe I’ll keep you guessing so I can hear what comes out of your mouth next.”

  “I do know how to kill people and clean up afterward so that no one will guess what happened.” I waved a finger at him to emphasize my point.

  He chuckled and held his hands in the air. “Okay, okay. I admit it. I can hear you singing the songs from High School Musical all the way in my apartment. ‘We’re All In This Together.’” He did a little musical-like dance move and sang in falsetto.

  I scowled and swatted his shoulder.

  “What?” he asked in mock innocence.

  “You weren’t supposed to hear me.” I repressed my laugh, secretly grateful for the subject change.

  “It’s not my fault that your voice sounds amplified, even without a microphone.” He stood and started singing, “You Are the Music in Me,” grinning each step of the way.

  I’d had enough. I tackled him. Yep. Tackled him all the way to the ground.

  His eyes widened as he hit the floor, but he quickly composed himself. His startling blue eyes met mine and sparkled like alluring ocean water on a hot day. “That’s one mean move you’ve got there, Ms. St. Claire.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to block out our close proximity lest I do something crazy and proclaim my love for him or something. But the musky scent of his aftershave threatened to pull me under. I had to get a grip or I might drown in the moment. I cleared my throat. “I’ve got more where that came from.”

  He laughed. “Do you?”

  In one motion, he flipped me over so I was the one being pinned. “I have a few moves of my own. I did play football for one lousy year in high school, you know.”

  “No, I didn’t know.” I could hardly think about our conversation, though. All I could think about was how close Riley was to me, how I could feel his heartbeat against me, how I could see the startling blue of his eyes.

  His smile slipped and he rolled off of me and onto his side. “Gabby, there is something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

  Another secret fiancée? Not again. I braced myself. Before I could offer a sharp retort, his lips covered mine and pure electricity zipped up my spine.

  I’d dreamed about this day for a long time, but never thought it would actually happen. And the kiss was even more wonderful in reality than it was in my dreams—tender yet passionate, sweet yet urgent.

  He pulled back and my lips still tingled—gloriously tingled.

  I cleared my throat and rubbed my hand over my mouth. “That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?”

  His grin stayed in place, and he leaned closer. “I thought actions might speak louder than words.”

  “In this case, I’d agree.” I propped myself up on an elbow. “But nonetheless, words are still needed. What exactly was that about?”

  He sat up and his smile disappeared a moment, replaced with a serious expression. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Gabby. Ever since the first time we met, you’ve grabbed at my heart. I just never thought the time was right—until now.”

  “It’s because I keep on almost getting killed, isn’t it? You’ve realized you don’t have that much time because it’s me?” There I went again… I just couldn’t let a serious moment be, could I? When in doubt, make a joke. I mentally scolded myself.

  He laughed and gently tugged one of my hairs behind my ear. “No… I mean, the almost-getting-killed only reinforces what I feel for you, I suppose. But I’ve just seen you grow so much lately. I’ve seen how much you really do care about people, how you’ve risen above the hand you’ve been dealt and become stronger because of it.”

  My heart nearly stopped beating as his words flowed over me. I tried to find something to say—the right thing to say—but Riley kept going, so I let him.

  “I knew for sure that I had feelings for you when you planned that funeral for the man who had no family.”

  I remembered the service we had for the man—a man whose house I’d been hired to clean. He’d been dead for several days before anyone missed him. That was life as a modern-day hermit, I supposed. But, with no family, I didn’t want him to simply disappear from the earth without so much as a goodbye, so we’d held a wake for him. It had felt good to do something for someone else, even if that person was dead. Everyone deserved a funeral. Everyone. “That was nearly six months ago.”

  He nodded. “I know. I didn’t think you were ready for a relationship then.”

  And I probably wasn’t. I was too confused about too many things—including God. Plus, Parker and I had just broken up, and Chad had pranced into my life.

  “I thought you might slap me if I kissed you.”

  “Slap you? Why would I do that?”

  “I just never know what to expect from you. Just one more thing to love about you.”

  I leaned into him. His arm went around my waist and we sat there a moment. It felt like pure bliss. I inhaled his scent, something I’d done before today, but I’d felt guilty about—like it wasn’t my liberty to take. But now, I felt like I could sit here and absorb everything wonderful thing about him with no guilt. Riley was my … what was he? I didn’t want to read more into this than I should.

  “What does this mean for us, Riley?”

  “I want to give our relationship a chance, Gabby. I think we’re going to work well together, but I want to date you—and only you. I want to see where this relationship leads.”

  “So you’re my boyfriend?” I smiled.

  A grin cracked over his face. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  I stood and began singing, “Start of Something New,” being as overly dramatic and cheesy as possible. Riley stood and wrapped his arms around me, effectively cutting me off with a kiss.

  And, for once in my life, I didn’t argue.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Since I didn’t have the chance to stalk—I mean, pay a visit to—Mark Daniels yesterday, doing so was the first thing on my agenda for Tuesday morning.

  I dressed respectably in some khakis and a sweater and held my head up high as I strode into the office of Solar Sun Development. I evenly and properly requested to the receptionist that I speak with Mark Daniels. Four minutes and thirty-one seconds later, I was ushered into his office. It almost seemed suspiciously easy.

  Mark Daniels wasn’t who I expected. He was well-groomed, in his mid-thirties, and had a millio
n-dollar smile. He had a full head of dark hair and even, kind features that had probably landed him a lot of attention from the ladies.

  “Welcome,” he said when I stepped into his office. “Please, have a seat.” He pointed to the plush leather—or was it pleather?—chair across from his desk. Then he laced his fingers together on his desk and stared at me. “What can I do for you, Ms. St. Claire?”

  I’d briefly thought about making up a reason to be there. But instead I decided to dive in with the truth and see where that got me.

  “Do you know Sierra Nakamura?”

  He blinked, but otherwise remained composed. “Who?”

  “Sierra Nakamura.”

  “The name doesn’t sound familiar. Why do you ask?”

  “I know about your colleague who died this past weekend in the supposed home invasion.”

  “Terrible tragedy. Home invasions are just a terrible reality, one I’d rather not think about. Were you a friend?”

  I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know him. But I do know that you requested some of his books, and I want to know why.”

  He blinked again and, just for a fraction of a second, his cheek twitched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I know the FBI has already talked to you about it.”

  Finally, he sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You obviously know more than you’re letting on.” He tilted his head, his eyes suddenly looking weary. “Look, I had suspicions that my employee was into some business that he had no business being in. That’s why I requested those books. I wanted to get to the bottom of things. He’s not around anymore, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t have a mess to clean up.”

  “Were you aware of the bomb-making manual stuck between the pages of the book?”

  “No, not until the FBI informed me it was there.”

  “Any idea what your employee was up to?”

  He shook his head. “No, he was passionate about his work to protect the environment, but he wasn’t extreme. I don’t know why he was reading that material.”

  Reminded me of Sierra.

  “And you’re telling me the truth when you say that you don’t know Sierra?”

  “I’ve never heard of her.”

  “Have you been able to uncover any answers?”

  He leaned toward me. “Who are you? Why are you asking me these questions?”

  “I’m a crime scene cleaner.”

  “And you’re authorized to investigate whatever this is that you’re investigating?”

  “My best friend is being implicated and I’m determined to prove her innocence. I’m trying to connect some dots.”

  He stared at me a moment before offering a curt nod. “I can appreciate that. But I’m not sure how much I can help you. I’m just as interested in getting some answers as you are.”

  I slid my business card across the desk toward him. “If you discover any of those elusive answers, will you let me know?”

  “I will. Would you do the same for me?”

  I hesitated. I only shared information if it would benefit the investigation. Would sharing anything with Mark help me? Being on his side might earn me more information, whereas refusing might keep me locked out. I nodded. “Absolutely.”

  I said goodbye and felt like dragging my feet as I left the building and climbed into my van, frustrated by another dead end. As I glanced at the front door, I saw someone else entered the building.

  Lydia Harrison. Maybe this wasn’t a dead end after all.

  My internal alarms began wailing. That couldn’t be a coincidence. What did Lydia Harrison and Mark Daniels know about each other? I bit the inside of my lip, mulling the thought over. I didn’t know. Not yet. But I would.

  I sunk down in my seat and waited for Lydia Harrison to emerge.

  ***

  Forty minutes later, Lydia exited the building. She wiped at her eyes, and I wondered if she’d been crying. About what? Wasn’t her divorce almost finalized? Was she dating Mark Daniels already? This woman was a major link to these crimes. I just didn’t know why.

  As she started her Lexus and pulled away from the parking lot, I did the same. I hadn’t been schooled in the exact science of tailing someone, but I’d done a pretty good job at learning on my own. Don’t stay too close or be too aggressive. Change lanes when possible, but don’t let yourself get too far away. If in doubt, ditch the tail and try again later—and when I say doubt, I really mean danger, as in, if someone starts shooting at you or the like. Yeah, I’d been around the block a few times.

  Lydia eased onto the interstate and, of course, I did the same. Traffic was moderate so it wasn’t hard to remain a respectable and unsuspecting distance behind her. She traveled west from Virginia Beach toward Chesapeake. Finally, she pulled off at an exit and into a … Waffle City? The greasy spoon hardly seemed like the haunt for a wealthy woman like Lydia.

  She glanced around when she exited the car, as if she felt my eyes on her. But she never looked my way. I sunk down in my seat again, praying she wouldn’t see me. She seemed satisfied that no one suspicious was around and hurried inside the restaurant. The front of the place was all windows, which afforded me a great view of her meeting… with Broken Arrow.

  What was going on? And how was Lydia involved in all of this? After today, I was sure she was involved in this mess somehow. I just had to figure out how. And was it a coincidence that she’d fixated on “winning” Riley at that Bachelor Auction? I didn’t believe in coincidences. But what did she want with Riley? Was she the same one who’d sent me cryptic notes? Was she trying to pull Riley and me into this whole mystery?

  My cell phone began playing the Pink Panther theme song. I pulled it out and answered. Parker. I frowned.

  He skipped any formalities. “Heard anymore from Sierra?”

  “No, I haven’t. You?” I kept my eyes glued on the restaurant as we spoke.

  “I can’t share any details of the investigation. Apparently, you’re trying to figure those out on your own.”

  I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, feeling like I’d had this conversation a million times before. “And you’re surprised?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “What gave me away this time?”

  “Mark Daniels told me you’d been by.”

  So much for sharing any information with that man. I watched as Lydia leaned across the table at Broken Arrow. She slid something toward him. What was it? Broken Arrow looked around before grabbing the paper and slipping it inside his jacket. A bribe maybe? Information? I wanted to see that paper.

  “Gabby, are you still there?”

  I shook my head, coming out of my stupor. “I’m here.”

  “If you find out any information, you need to share it with me, Gabby. Understand? This is serious.”

  Yeah, I’d been told that a million times already—not that I needed to be told. “Got it.”

  He paused. “Gabby, there’s been some other things that have happened.”

  “Let me guess—you can’t tell me what, though. You’re just teasing me.”

  “Actually, some of it will be on the news tonight, so I feel comfortable in giving you a heads up.”

  I tensed in surprise at the unexpected news. “Okay, shoot.”

  “James Harrison had a heart attack this morning. It doesn’t look like he’s going to make it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I sat up straight, my eyes temporarily leaving Lydia and Broken Arrow. “Heart attack? Heart attack how?”

  “The normal way, Gabby. I don’t know.”

  My back loosened some at the anti-climatic news. “Was it really the normal way?”

  “We can only assume at this point. I will say that the man has had a lot of stress on him lately. Stress can do crazy things to a body.”

  I would draw my own conclusions. “Has this whole town gone crazy?”

  “We think there’s more than one person involved here. We know they’re dangerous.
”

  I ran my hand along the edge of my steering wheel, trying to follow my thoughts as easily. “You mean, like a gang?”

  “Not necessarily. I just really want you to be careful, though.”

  “Got it.” I hung up, mulling over his words when my phone began playing that familiar tune. What had Parker forgotten now? “I’m going to start charging you for my time.”

  “Gabby?”

  I straightened again, my heart rate quickening. “Sierra? Where are you? What’s going on?”

  “Don’t trust anyone, Gabby.” The phone cackled.

  I gripped the phone harder than I intended, so hard that my knuckles actually ached. “Anyone? What do you mean by that? Sierra, I need some answers.”

  She tried to say something, but I couldn’t make it out.

  “Where are you, Sierra? I can help.”

  “No.” Garbled words followed.

  “But—”

  “I have to go. I can’t risk my call being traced. Be careful, Gabby. This isn’t a game. There are people out there willing to kill in order to keep their secrets.”

  Before I could say anything else, the line went dead. What was that about? Where was Sierra? How was she involved in this?

  Before I could ponder it very long, both Lydia and Broken Arrow stood. They exchanged a handshake before exiting Waffle City. I watched as Broken Arrow walked to his truck, and Lydia to her Lexus. Who to follow, who to follow?

  I went with my gut and pulled out after the truck. I stayed behind Broken Arrow on the highway for several miles. Where was this man going? Did he sense I was following him? I didn’t think so.

  Until he turned off the highway onto a two lane road. Here, it would be hard to hide. Did he know that? Did he know I was following him and choose this road on purpose?

  I gripped the wheel, hoping I’d made the right decision by following Broken Arrow.

  Finally, he turned off the country lane and back onto a four-lane road. A few minutes later, he pulled into a city park. He parked his truck and hurried through the woods toward the lake beyond that. The patch of trees blocked my view. Who was he meeting? What was going on? The answers felt close.