by T R Kohler
Only, what he decided to do instead was much, much worse.
Chapter Twenty-One
The bread was every bit as bland and tasteless as Ember thought it would be, though to its credit, it didn’t burn on the way down. If anything, it might have even sated some of the previous agony.
The thought of surviving on it for the next millennia was not something Ember wanted to think on at the moment, but for the time being that was okay.
One thing at a time.
The spot Kaia had chosen to wait out the twenty minutes was a place called Balboa Park. Just east of downtown, it was a vast and sprawling expanse that served as the geographic centerpiece for the city, a poor man’s Central Park.
From where they were parked, Ember could see a menagerie of spires and museums rising up, tons of people filing by, many with strollers or young children bounding along in glee. Staring out the window, she watched them go past in an unending line, nothing but stained faces and broad smiles. Some laughed and raced ahead while others held fast to a parent’s hand, everybody enjoying the warm sun.
A sheen of moisture rose to Ember’s face as she watched them all go by. No doubt this was just another layer in her own personal version of Hell, the parking spot one more thing to remind her where she was, what she had given up.
Watching the parade march by for as long as she could, she forced her attention back inside the car, focusing on the faceplate of her phone, wishing nothing more than for it to spring to life.
Which, to her unending shock, it did.
The display on the caller ID was a string of digits beginning with a 619 area code. Recognizing it as the same sequence she had punched in almost a half-hour earlier, she grabbed the phone up.
Pressing it to her face, she almost responded with, “Squires,” before pulling up short and saying, “Yeah?”
“Yeah?” the man Ember had already decided to call Ralph in her mind replied. “You call me wanting a favor, and the best you can manage when I call you back is yeah?”
Lowering her chin into her chest, Ember forced a breath of air out through her nose. Heat flushed her cheeks as she glanced over to Kaia, not surprised to see a smirk formed on her lips.
The rules she had been given earlier were very clear about her not complaining and her doing whatever was handed down to her. As best she could tell, though, that did not include coworkers, people like this prick that were technically her equal.
No matter how long they had been on the job.
“Oh, Great and Powerful Telephone Operator,” Ember replied, making no effort to mask the animosity she felt. “Were you able to make any headway on the numbers we gave you?”
Despite irony and sarcasm dripping from every word, it seemed to slip right past Ralph. Instead choosing to glom onto the words themselves, he muttered, “That’s more like it. And the answer is yes, though I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
Choosing not to respond just yet, Ember lifted her left shoulder, pinning the phone to her ear. Flattening the same piece of paper atop her thigh, she took up a pen and said, “Go ahead.”
The sound of paper shuffling could be heard on the other end of the line, followed by a hearty throat clearing loud enough to cause Ember to wince. When finally Ralph was ready to speak, he said, “First two were both international. One to Beijing, another to Auckland. Both antique dealers, whatever the Hell that means.”
Scribbling down notations beside the first two numbers, Ember said nothing. She wasn’t sure what the rules were on sharing case information, not that she particularly wanted to get into things with Ralph anyway.
In her experience, trying to offer clarifying details often resulted in nothing more than a whole lot of additional questions.
“Okay,” Ember said, prompting him to continue.
“Number three,” Ralph recited as if reading off a list, “is for a local shipping company called Two Guys and a Truck. They’re located down near Liberty Station if you want to check them out.”
Adding the data to the list, Ember put two question marks beside it. Going to shake down a shipping company was thin, and not the best use of their time, but at the moment, other viable alternatives were proving in short supply.
Soon, her only choice would be to start flipping over rocks and hoping something came out from under them.
“Next to last on the list,” Ralph read off, “was for a personal cell phone. Looks like a burner, not tied to any particular carrier.”
Looking up from the list, Ember reached across and grabbed the phone with her right hand. Shifting it to her other shoulder, she refused to allow herself to react visibly in any way, despite the lights flashing in her mind.
Most people today were tied to their cell phone. They used it for everything from going online to ordering dinner.
Nobody carried a burner unless they either couldn’t afford a real plan – which seemed unlikely that a man like Tam would be reaching out to them – or they didn’t want to be known.
Ember’s money was on the latter.
“Do you have a location?” Ember asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Ralph replied, his voice growing distant as he consulted his notes. Without waiting, he rattled off the address for a place in Del Mar, the town one Ember had heard of but couldn’t identify on a map if she had to.
That was what Kaia was there for.
“Great,” Ember said, finishing taking down the rest of the information. “And the fifth one?”
“Some Thai joint on Broadway,” Ralph replied. “Total waste of time for you, but I might check it out later.”
The comment only confirming Ember’s original suppositions, she thanked him and signed off the line. Dropping the phone into her lap, she looked up to see more young ones filing past, this time the steady entourage barely registering with her.
Instead, her mind was on the next step in the investigation, linking together what she knew with what she still needed to find out.
“Anything promising?” Kaia asked.
Ember responded without so much as a glance over. “Del Mar.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The drive from Balboa Park to Del Mar was just over half an hour, most of it spent dodging through the start of afternoon traffic in a manner that suggested Kaia was intent on killing them both again. And at least a dozen other cars on the road as well.
Moving north on the I-5, Ember let her eyes glaze and her mind work through what she knew. Not once did she glance over to Kaia, letting the young girl bob and weave through traffic to her heart’s content.
Twice along the way they were even serenaded with a chorus of honking, though whether that was through male interest or perturbed drivers, Ember couldn’t be certain.
Nor did she want to look over and appear as if she condoned what was happening, even if there was a zero percent chance anybody would recognize the avatar she was saddled with.
Thus far in the morning, information was preciously thin. She’d been handed a case file which was barely a sheet of paper, little more than a name and picture, and told to go find the man. Since then, visits to his home and office had turned her leg into a chew toy and yielded very little in actual workable data.
If this jaunt to Del Mar turned up empty, she would have nothing.
And she couldn’t imagine her employer being too pleased about it.
“What street are we looking for?” Kaia asked, pulling Ember from her thoughts.
Glancing down to the sheet in her lap, she replied, “Bayonne. 1359 Bayonne Avenue.”
Grunting softly in response, Kaia worked them off the freeway. Racing past an enormous spread that included a stadium race track and enough grass space to host the state fair, they turned north along the coast, settling into what Ember imagined was one of hundreds of similar beach towns lining the California coast.
On the right sat a series of taco stands and assorted eateries, a number of people sitting outside on stools. Adorned only in bathing suits, their skin
was bronzed dark, their hands filled with fruity drinks.
Occupying the few spaces in between were small rental shops hawking surfboards and various aquatic equipment, the occasional real estate shop thrown in to break up the monotony.
To the left was nothing but the Pacific, water stretched into infinity, white sand and the occasional palm tree the only things standing between it and Ember.
“Different,” Ember whispered.
“Huh?” Kaia asked, looking over from behind the wheel.
“Looks different down here,” Ember said. Not realizing she had said the first word out loud, she felt a bit of flush come to her skin. “Than in Seattle, I mean.”
Expecting a smart retort to come flying her way, she braced herself as Kaia glanced out the window before returning her attention to the road. “How so?”
Flicking her focus from the water to Kaia, Ember wasn’t sure if it was a setup, a trap to glean a bit more information that could be used against her. Pausing, she considered it for a moment, before deciding they already knew everything she hated.
It wasn’t like this could make things worse.
“The water up there is really dark,” Ember said. “Like, you can just look at it and tell it’s cold.”
“Huh,” Kaia said, adding nothing more.
“And it’s dirtier,” Ember added. “A lot dirtier.”
Flipping the turn signal up, Kaia eased into the right lane. Barely slowing, she turned inland, leaving the ocean behind them.
“You ought to see Hawaii sometime then. Water is so damn clear you can see to the bottom no matter where you are.”
Falling silent, Ember focused on the houses to either side. Beach bungalows, they looked like little more than gardener sheds, brightly colored and raised up on stilts. Occupying tiny lots, they would be scorned as eyesores where she used to live.
Here, they probably went for a half-million or more each.
“We always talked about it,” Ember said softly, “never made it over.”
Slowing again, Kaia made a left onto Bayonne. Keeping the speed even, she nudged the car forward, both women staring at house numbers as they went.
“Lot of people talk about things they’re going to do,” Kaia said. “Surprising how few actually get around to it.”
Or, in Ember’s case, never would.
Choosing to let the conversation die, Ember put her attention on the houses filing past. Extending a finger over the threshold of the window, she said, “1355...1357...There it is.”
The instant the home came into view, Kaia smashed the brakes. Jerking them to a stop, Ember slapped both palms against the dash, barely catching herself before the momentum sent her face-first into the hard plastic.
Remaining braced for a moment, she turned her head to the side, letting Kaia see the angst on her face. “Nice.”
“Thank you,” the young woman replied, a smile forming as she killed the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition. “Driving is one of my special skills.”
Lifting her sunglasses from her nose, she set them in place atop her head. “Shall we?”
Allowing herself one extra second, Ember pressed her fingers into the dash. She forced them down long enough to see the tips flash white beneath her nails before pushing herself back against the seat. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she climbed over the door beside her, intent on getting out before her temper got the better of her.
For no less than the tenth time, she found herself wondering if Kaia’s actions were meant to goad her, or if the woman really was that daft.
Most likely, a combination of the two.
“Sure.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The house was not an exact replica of those from the drive in, though it wasn’t far off. Built on a concrete pad, it was constructed of wood painted pale yellow, white trim outlining the windows, doors, and corners. A single story tall, it had a pitched metal roof that shone bright under the afternoon sun, a porch with white supports lining the front.
Crowding in tight on either side of the sidewalk were a host of fan palm trees providing shade to most of the front. A single concrete drive went straight from the road to a freestanding garage out back, a Jeep with the windows zipped out sitting before it.
Standing at the foot of the front walk, Ember took everything in. Drawing up skills first attained years before, honed in the time since, she pushed Kaia and their previous conversation from her mind.
In their stead, she felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. Heard the sound of a lawn sprinkler two doors down pushing out a steady flow of water. Smelled the scent of somebody nearby getting an early jump on dinner, searing something on the grill.
“Count to ten, then walk up to the front and knock,” Ember said without taking her gaze from the front of the home.
“Why?” Kaia asked beside her. “I have the keys if you think you’re going to ditch me and bounce with the car.”
Again, Ember didn’t bother looking over. Letting out a slow sigh, she lowered her eyelids for a moment, her core tightening and releasing in short order.
Having to haggle for every inch was starting to wear thin in a hurry.
“He’s going to run,” Ember said.
“Bullshit,” Kaia said, blond hair flashing as she whipped her head toward Ember. “You don’t even know if anybody’s inside, let alone if it’s a he. Damned sure don’t know he’s going to run.”
Once more, Ember ran her gaze over the front of the house. “If it is and he does, you let me have more than bread for dinner.”
She could still feel Kaia’s gaze on her skin, a flash of white appearing in her periphery as the young girl smiled. “I like your confidence, but it doesn’t work that way. The rules aren’t mine, remember?
“Besides, I never told you to have bread for lunch. That’s just all you wanted.”
Not once in her life had Ember ever wanted bread for lunch. The hours she spent on the treadmill were done in a direct battle with carbohydrates, the glycogen they produced at odds with her profession and the look she’d tried so hard to maintain for her ex-husband.
Though neither had done her a great deal of good in the end.
Taking a step forward, Ember headed toward the driveway. She didn’t expect that Kaia would rise so easily to the bait, but it was worth a shot.
The moment now past, it was time to move on.
“Ten seconds,” she repeated over a shoulder.
Increasing her stride, Ember walked straight past the house. Keeping her gaze aimed at the ground, she glanced over every couple of steps, new details emerging as she went.
Every window closed tight, the blinds pulled. The lack of an air conditioner rattling, despite the heat. No noticeable smell or sound coming from inside.
All the signs were there. Either the owners were gone, or somebody was hiding.
Given that Ralph had just traced the phone and found it to be there and the windows were zipped out of the Jeep, there could be only one other possible explanation.
And Ember preferred not to think about that at the moment.
Keeping her pace even, Ember walked straight back to the Jeep and peered inside. No keys. Nothing more than an empty soda can in the middle console and some fast food wrappers in the passenger foot well. All fairly recent.
A good sign for avoiding the third possibility.
Aware of the clock continuing to wind down, Ember turned back to the house. Raising her pace to a jog, she positioned herself just to the side of the back door, her body turned so she was hidden from view, a shoulder tight against the side of the house.
There, she waited, hearing just the faintest knock sound out in the distance. Holding her breath, she listened as a second chorus broke out.
Years of arriving to speak with people that didn’t want to bother with her had taught Ember that almost always, a house would let her know when somebody was inside. It would creak. It would sigh.
It would do something to alert her.
This one was no different.
The shifts were subtle, easily missed by someone that wasn’t trained to hear them, but to Ember they were blindingly obvious. Two quick sounds in order, she picked up movement inside, tracking as it headed her way.
Turning away from her post, she positioned herself directly in front of the door, waiting as the sounds grew ever closer.
The door was a standard kitchen affair, an inner wooden model paired with an outer door constructed of metal and glass. Just ten seconds after Kaia first knocked, the interior one swung open to reveal an early thirty-something man with dark hair. His attention turned toward the front, he didn’t even look back to see Ember as he pushed open the second door, headed for the Jeep.
Waiting just long enough to let it swing open a couple of inches, Ember launched her body forward at the door. Catching the metal frame of it with the meat of her shoulder, she drove it straight back into him, the metal smacking flush against his temple.
Only nominally larger than she was, he took the blow full across the face, crumpling beneath the weight of it. Dropping hard to the kitchen floor, he lay in stunned silence, blinking up at her, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The man’s name was Will Carlow. No more than a year or two over thirty, his thick dark hair was styled into the newest hipster rage, the sides shaved close with the top long and combed back and across. A thick line had been razored along his part, accentuating it at an angle away from his forehead.
Narrow shouldered, he was dressed in cargo shorts and a Marvel comics T-shirt, brand-new sneakers on his feet.
With the exception of his haircut, it made Ember think of the middle school students who used to loiter on the corners by her precinct.
Seated on the couch in the living room of the home, he appeared to still be in a bit of a daze, his movements slow and stilted. Standing in front of him were Ember and Kaia, both with their arms crossed, the three of them forming an isosceles triangle.