Roll for Initiative, page 9
part #1 of Bailey Knight Mystery Series
“No gun, but gloves?”
“You never know, Ace.”
I peek into the bag as he holds it open. Everything’s as it was—lip balm, a favorite lipstick, a small notebook, several receipts, and my wallet. Slowly, he pulls out my wallet and looks around some more. “I think it’s OK.”
He opens my wallet and holds it out for me to inspect. “I’m going to take this in, have a team check it out.”
“Dust it for prints?” I try to smile, a part of me hoping that the jerk who stole my purse left trace evidence everywhere.
“You never know if they left something behind.”
“Everything’s here. All cards—” But my eye catches something that wasn’t there before—a black business card, the corners peeking out from behind my debit card. “There’s something there.”
Callum pulls the card out, the white text a stark contrast against the black background. “It’s an address.” He reads it, and turns it over, showing me the white handwritten note: “Ask for Alfred.”
“Is this about the game in Tampa?”
“We need to bring this to the captain.”
“Definitely.”
“Sleep at your mom’s tonight,” he says, “you and Kelly both.”
“No argument here.”
“And maybe stay there until this case is over.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
“And I should stay, too.”
“Callum—”
“I keep a go-bag in the trunk. Get Kelly up and ready, and call your mom.”
“Why don’t—” I stop, worried that he might not like the idea.
“Why don’t what?”
Just say it. “Why don’t you stay here tonight, and we go to Mom’s tomorrow? They’re both already asleep and waking them up because of this is only going to worry them.”
He rests his hands on his hips, seeing the logic.
“You already have your go-bag,” I say, gesturing vaguely in the direction of his car. “Just stay here, and I’ll tell Kelly and Mom about our arrangement tomorrow.”
“All right. I have to go to the crime scene, but I’ll be back after that.”
“We’ll be safe. I won’t be asleep. No way.”
“Lock the door and wait for me. I’ll call you when I come back.”
I unlock the door and step inside. “I’ll see you soon, Cal.”
He leans forward and kisses my forehead. “See you soon.”
As promised, Callum calls when he’s in the parking lot. I meet him at the door and step aside to let him in.
“The couch is pretty comfortable,” I say. “I’ve spent many an afternoon there.”
“Be sure to remember that if you ever decide to go on Airbnb.”
While he was at the crime scene, I power-cleaned the bathroom and piled a stack of clean sheets and a towel on the couch. “I gave you one of my pillows.”
“I don’t want to cut you short.”
“I have six, Cal. It’s fine.”
“Six pillows? Why?”
“I read in bed. They prop me up.”
“In that case, thank you.”
“Let me give the bathroom one more pass, and you can take a shower.”
Callum shrugs out of his suit jacket and hangs it on the back of one of the dining room chairs. “Thanks.”
The bathroom is in excellent shape, and I even spot a spare toothbrush and travel toothpaste in the vanity cabinet, both of them still wrapped. I set them by the sink, just in case his go-bag is lacking. Thinking about his suit jacket, I go to my bedroom and pull down three hangers for his clothes.
Callum is sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone, his tie loosened and collar unbuttoned. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. “The deputy parked outside didn’t see anything strange all night. Whoever left the purse probably looked normal. Just another tenant.”
“It’s not like the deputy can stop and ask every person what they’re doing here. That’s a great way to get any phone calls at the precinct.”
“I’m sure the complex’s security footage has something I can use.”
I gesture toward the bathroom. “All set. I hope your go-bag has the kind of soap you like. Unless you don’t mind smelling like cucumber melon.”
He chuckles, standing up. “It’ll be fine. The guys at work will get a kick out of it.” He slips off his shoes and puts them by the couch. I hand him the hangers. “Oh, I only need one.”
“One hanger?”
“Yep.” He proceeds to untuck and unbutton his dress shirt, revealing the white tank top beneath. “Technically, I hang the pants on it first.” He taps the bottom of the hanger. “Then the shirt, then the jacket.”
“Well, that’s a process I wouldn’t have thought of. At least, not right away.”
“It’s helpful if you travel a lot.” He pulls off the shirt and puts it on the hanger. The edge of a tattoo peeks out from beneath the tank top, stretching across his back toward his right shoulder.
I raise an eyebrow. “How come I didn’t know you have a tattoo?”
“It’s privileged information.” He grins, turning around to show me. “I got it senior year of college. There was a group of us, the Crows. Named after a professor we had.”
“He must’ve meant a lot to you.”
“He was great. Laid out so many aspects of crime and psychology. He connected all of us to different professionals in the field. But he passed away before the term ended. We stuck together, the three of us. Staying up late, sometimes studying, mostly causing trouble. They got me through, after my mom died.”
He pulls off the tank top, muscles flexing beneath the ink that spans across his right shoulder blade. Three crows, all in solid black ink, take flight, and inside the third crow is text that looks like a typewriter, spelling out a single word: “truth.” Callum’s skin makes up each letter, the tattoo artist shaping the ink around it.
“Truth,” I say out, and I reach up to touch the word. “Why ‘truth’?”
He turns his head, keeping his back to me. “I’d already started at the academy then, with only a few classes left to finish before I got my degree. I knew that I wanted to be a detective. I knew that I wanted to help people. The others picked words that fit them—one was ‘belief,’ the other was ‘hope.’ Whether by faith or sheer will, we wanted to show our outlook, something positive that we wanted to leave in our wake.”
“I like it.” I lower my hand, clasping both behind my back.
He turns, a slight flush on his cheeks to match my own. “I should get cleaned up.”
“I’ll get the couch ready for you.” My voice is quiet as I try not to let my eyes wander over his bare chest.
“Thanks, Bailey.” He kisses my cheek and picks up his bag, going to the bathroom.
I close my eyes and take a breath, the heat in my face still burning. Wow, he’s good looking.
And he likes me.
I hum to myself, taking my time with the bed clothes as I remember a song that played in the car. A song that Callum chose specially for me.
The shower comes to life, and I spread the sheet over the couch cushions, smoothing it before I tuck the fabric in.
“Pillow.” I snap my fingers and go to my room. The humming graduates to actual singing as I pull out one of my favorites and set it on one end of the couch.
I hope he can sleep all right. He’s already going to be uncomfortable because of everything going on. The least I can do is give him a decent pillow.
Shaking out the blanket, I stretch it across as hands come around my waist from behind, then a head rests on my shoulder. His hair is wet, and water drips on me as he kisses my temple.
“Oh, you smell really good,” I say, and he chuckles. I turn, still in his arms. He’s still shirtless, having changed into pajama bottoms. A picture of domestic bliss, if ever I could imagine one. But I give him a side-eye look, exaggerating my suspicion. “Wait a second. This whole stay-at-your-mom’s-place-and-I’ll-stay-there-too...you knew I would ask you to stay over tonight, didn’t you?”
“Well…”
I punch his shoulder and imitate his voice: “I keep a go-bag in the trunk. Callum Scott Baldwin!”
He shakes his head like a dog, spraying me with water. “Oh, no, my girlfriend figured it out.”
“Girlfriend, huh?” But I’m smiling. “This is all happening pretty fast, isn’t it?”
“I suppose that depends on how you look at it. We’ve known each other for so long, and I’ve been thinking about this since I came back home. For me, it’s taken us a long time to get here. But if this is too fast, then I’ll slow down. Without a doubt.”
I comb through his wet hair with both hands. “Your logic is sound. And I have to admit that girlfriend has a nice ring to it.”
“Yeah? I think it suits you.”
“I’m inclined to agree.”
“But we’ll take it easy.” His eyes scan my face, his expression serene. “I want to savor every moment.”
I’ve all but given up on trying to sustain normal breathing patterns as my fluttering heart nearly cycles out of control. “Let’s savor every moment of sleep that we can get, and we’ll face tomorrow with fresh eyes.”
Another kiss. “Goodnight, Bailey. And thanks for the toothbrush. I didn’t have one.”
“Wow, already fulfilling the girlfriend role with poise and precision.”
“I never had any doubt.”
17
I text Kelly before bed, letting her know that Callum is asleep in the living room, but I don’t tell her why.
Which is why she decides to sit on me before my alarm.
I grunt and groan, rolling away from her. “What was that for?”
“Why is Callum here?” Even still groggy, her eyes are alight. “Did you guys get back so late that he shouldn’t have driven home? Details, details!”
“It’s actually not what you think.”
“Yeah, right.”
And I explain finding my purse on the door handle. “We’re going to Mom’s until this gets sorted.”
“And we should convince our landlord to let us get a couple of dogs.”
“Or just have them increase their security, since someone came into our complex and made it to our apartment without our knowledge.” I shiver. “How often has that happened before now?”
“Oh, my God, Bailey, don’t say that. I don’t want to have to move into your mom’s house permanently.”
“Honestly, she wouldn’t hate the idea. She mentioned selling the place once, just in passing. It’s a big house, especially empty since Anna left for Europe.”
“Way to tug on my heart strings.”
I get out of bed, grateful for Kelly helping to smooth my messy bedhead. I do more comprehensive work in the bathroom after I wash my face and brush my teeth. Short hair is great, don’t get me wrong, but the surprises you can wake up to can be pretty interesting.
Callum is already up, brewing a third cup of coffee from our Keurig.
“Mornin’.” He’s already dressed, too.
“How are you this functional this early?” Kelly asks.
“I’m a morning person.” He passes her a steaming cup. “Sorry to be here first thing. Did Bailey tell you why?”
Kelly nods, delicately sipping the hot brew. “No worries. I’m really glad you stayed. Any idea on who the creep is?”
“I’m going to talk to your complex’s security team to get my hands on their video footage. Hopefully, they caught something.”
Kelly bumps my shoulder, smirking. “It’s nice to have a boyfriend who’s a detective, isn’t it, Bailey?”
“Yep.” I grin at him. “It’s pretty great.”
“I’m out.” He rinses his now empty cup in the sink. “I’m going to stop by the apartment offices before going in to work.”
“We’ll be moving to Mom’s this afternoon,” I say. “You can come over for supper, if you’d like.”
“Sounds good.” And with a quick kiss, he walks out the door.
“Bailey Michelle, you absolute queen.”
“All right, all right. I have to get ready for work.”
“Make sure you use full-coverage foundation to hide all the red on your cheeks.”
“KELLY.”
She’s cackling as she retreats to her room.
Martin O’Neal is back at school, days before we expected him. “I just didn’t want to be home anymore,” he says to a teacher who asked him why. “I missed my friends.”
The students are understanding, some of them offering their condolences outright while others treat him normally. There’s a dark cloud over him all day, but being around his peers seems to lift his spirits.
As soon as the final bell rings, my students are out of their seats and funneling out the door. I can’t blame them, although I’m not looking forward to packing several bags. Not that I mind sleeping at Mom’s, but I shouldn’t have to leave my own home because of some nut job. It’s this kind of powerlessness that makes me angry. If it hadn’t been for Callum last night, I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted. Fear, anger, rash decisions…I’d rather not think about it.
“Hey, Bailey?” Link’s head pokes through my open doorway. “You got a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
He comes in and locks the door behind him.
“Uh-oh,” I say. “What’s wrong?”
He looks a little pale, and he keeps fidgeting with his hands. Yikes. Something is really wrong. “I, um—I heard about what happened. That you got mugged.”
“Yeah, it sucks. But I’m OK. The weirdo returned the purse at my apartment, though, which is really creepy.”
“Oh, my God, really?”
“Yeah. I’m staying at Mom’s tonight.”
When he combs his fingers through his hair, I can see that his hand his shaking. “Bailey—” He swallows, having a hard time getting the words out. “Who did you talk to at that meeting?”
I cock my head to one side. “You know about that?”
“It’s important. Who did you talk to?”
“Alex Fisher.”
He clenches his jaw. “Damn it.”
“What is it, Link? You’re freaking me out, here.”
“Just—don’t do anything he says. If he told you about something, just forget about it, OK?”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“He’s a dangerous guy, Bailey. Like, Sopranos level bad.”
Ice cold water is running through my veins. “You mean like organized crime?”
“I mean like the cops can’t touch him, or the people he works for. He’s called the Fixer.”
The Fixer? Is this even real life, right now? “How do you know all this, Link? What’s your connection with Alex Fisher?”
But I know the answer before he even gets the words out: “Don’t go to the game, Bailey. I don’t care how tempting it might be. You’re not going to find any answers there. Don’t go.”
“How long have you been going?”
He swallows. “Only about three months. But I’m in some trouble.”
“With Alex Fisher?”
“No, with—”
Three knocks come to my door. I see our vice principal smiling through the window, waving.
“Promise me, Bailey. Don’t go.”
I don’t say anything as I go to the door and let Aaron in. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Everything OK?” He looks from me to Link. “Looks like a pretty serious discussion.”
“Going over our strategy for games this week,” I lie. Link locked the door for a reason, and I’m not about to rat him out. If Aaron finds out that Link’s in trouble with the mob, would Link get fired? Best not to risk it. “I was telling him about some things I have planned for my Dragon Master players.”
“I’m sure they’ll enjoy whatever you have planned.” He crosses his arms, his expression turning serious. “How was Martin today?”
“Fine,” I say. “I think being around his friends really helped.”
“Nothing unusual or worrying?”
I shake my head. “I think he’s going to be OK. And he has people who are there for him.”
“Good, good.” He looks at us with a small smile. “I appreciate it. Both of you.” Then he turns to leave.
Once the door closes, Link stands between me and the door, his voice barely above a whisper. “Bailey. I didn’t even know about this game until I said something off-hand once, and then Aaron invited me to sit in on a poker game.”
“Aaron?” I point at the closed door. “Are you serious?”
“He’s involved. And that guy—the Fixer. They do everything together.”
“Are you telling me that someone connected to the mob is our vice principal?”
“Don’t go anywhere near that game, Bailey.”
“We have to tell the police.” My blood is red hot now, a tempest in my gut. “Oh, my God, Martin—”
“You can’t let on that you know.”
My phone buzzes from my desk. I turn for it, but Link grabs my arms. “Bailey, you have to swear you won’t go near this. It’s bad enough that Aaron is sniffing around you because of Martin. After you got mugged, I was terrified that something else would happen to you, to Kelly…”
“We’re both staying at my mom’s. Just take a breath, Link. We have to take this to the police.”
He shakes his head. “No—no cops, Bailey.”
“Link—”
But he’s already out of my classroom.
My phone stops buzzing as I reach it too late, missing a call from Callum. I touch the screen to call him back.
“Sorry if I caught you at a bad time,” he says.
“Callum,” I whisper. “Where are you right now?”
“The precinct. What is it?”
“I can’t tell you over the phone. I’m coming over.”
“OK. I’ll tell the front desk to send you back.”
I hang up and hurry out of the building, careful to appear nonchalant in the hallway in case anyone’s watching on the security cameras, just in case someone is peering through the windows in the doors.
Good God, what has my life become?
