The Silence Broken: Part Three: the District Detectives, #1, page 14
Olli folded her arms nervously. She had imagined so many different ways that this moment would happen, but now that it was upon her, she wasn’t sure what she should do. “Dallas said you wanted to talk to me?” She suddenly remembered that she had blood on her hands and quickly unfolded them from her jacket, nervously searching to make sure there was no blood on the leather.
He turned and took a sip of the coffee. “Hm? Yes.” He set the mug down on the table and smirked at her. “Look at you, you’re all grown up.”
Olli blushed and shifted uneasily. “It’s been a long time. I’d hug you, but I’m all bloody.” She held up her hands in demonstration.
“That Beth woman is quite scrappy. It doesn’t surprise me,” he agreed.
Olli looked at her hands for a second and then glanced at him. “You’re wearing a dark shirt.” She rushed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe you’re here!” she squealed into his neck.
“Yes, I know. Your partner’s here, Sweetie.” He pushed her back and pointed toward the door.
Olli turned toward the door and quickly walked over to Dallas, who had a towel that was slightly damp on one side. She quickly wiped off her lower face and hands. She turned to the bigger part of the room. “Are you two introduced?” she looked between the two of them.
Dallas shook his head. “No.”
“Dallas, this is my Uncle Jake Bently. Uncle Jake, this is my partner Dallas Stowe,” Olli introduced, dropping the towel into a bin.
Jake walked forward and firmly shook Dallas’ hand. “Nice to meet you, Son. You’re a lucky man. Working with Wainwright is the biggest privilege I can think of. They’re brilliant, aren’t they?”
Dallas nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. I consider myself very lucky.”
Olli blushed and plopped into a chair by the table. She didn’t know that people thought that she and her father were brilliant, much less her Uncle Jake and Dallas. The very thought embarrassed her. She looked down at her hands like she had never seen them before.
“I think we’ve embarrassed her. Take a seat; I’m sure the two of you have a few questions to ask. Hopefully I’ll have enough answers.” Jake sat down in a chair and smirked at the still-blushing Olli.
Olli glanced away from him for a second and then sighed. “You’d better believe I have questions. But I suppose you mean about this case and how you came to be driving the truck.”
Jake nodded. “Yes, Sweetie. I can answer those questions too, but not right now.”
Olli shrugged. “Dallas?” She was starting to feel like she was running most of the conversations lately.
“Those two men followin’ us, who were they?” Dallas knew that Olli was thinking the same thing.
“A very good place to start,” Jake nodded, “the two men following you for the last couple of months was a security precaution. The last thing I needed was the two of you getting yourselves killed. These are my men.” Jake waved his hand toward the door, and the detectives looked at the guards who had just walked in. “This is Sam Zackary and Logan Xavier.”
The detectives quickly stood and shook the other men’s hands. They were going to introduce themselves, but Logan held up a hand.
“There’s really no need. We know you better than you know us at the moment,” he explained.
“Hopefully, that’s going to change.” Olli glanced back and forth between the two of them. She focused back on Jake. “Where did you meet them?”
Jake smirked. “Well, Logan is a policeman, believe it or not.”
Dallas looked at him and his eyebrows knit together. “I suppose that would make sense.”
“Sorry, I’ve had to do a lot of unsavory things over the years for Davis so he would think that we weren’t there to arrest him one day,” Logan apologized. He could understand completely why the young detective was feeling a little skeptical.
Olli turned from Logan and focused on Sam. “And you?”
Jake snorted. “He was a confidence man who was sure that he could con Davis out of a big portion of money and live to see it in his Swiss bank account.”
“A futile position, I know. But I thought that I might be able to get away with it. I had done it before to other men of his kind.” Sam shrugged off the strange looks the two detectives shot his way.
“And you convinced him to become part of the team that would apprehend the man who would have killed him? You are a genius,” Olli praised, turning back to Jake.
“Thank you. There are other questions, of course.” Jake tented his fingers just like Alan always did.
Olli studied Sam for a moment and then her eyes narrowed. “You. You were the one who bumped into me at the bank. Those fingerprints on the handrail belonged to the two of you, didn’t they? That was sneaky,” she accused him. Her tone too light to be completely serious.
Sam grinned. “I thought you might recognize me.”
“And you,” Olli pointed an accusatory finger at Logan, “That was you across from WDA when we came out the morning the bank got robbed.”
Logan held up his hands and shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure that you weren’t followed.”
Olli nodded good-naturedly. “You followed us, didn’t you?”
“Naturally,” Logan agreed. “And might I add that your little show was quite amusing.”
Olli pulled her upper lip back and pulled a face at him; Dallas cleared his throat and shook his head.
“I also was watching when you were looking for clues in the black sedan that you borrowed to get out of The District. You two are very thorough.”
Olli looked at Dallas.
“We were lookin’ for answers,” Dallas explained, looking a little pleased.
“Those two men who followed us from Mayor Anderson’s office.” Olli looked back and forth between the two of them. She knew that it really wasn’t a question, but she figured that they would catch what she was talking about.
Logan folded his hands onto the table. “We were the ones firing from above. We killed both of them before you were completely down the next alley.”
“It was also us chased after you when you came out of Ace’s headquarters. As soon as Monte picked the two of you up, we doubled back and lead those thugs in circles until they gave up,” Sam picked up as soon as Logan finished.
“You shot at us,” Dallas accused.
“With blanks.” Sam shrugged.
“You shot at us,” Olli blinked slowly. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what he had said, it was just she wanted him to catch the meaning that she and Dallas took away from it.
“We are very sorry about that, but we had to keep up appearances. You know very well that it would have been detrimental if we didn’t shoot at you,” Logan pointed out.
Olli knew he was right and so did Dallas, so they nodded along with the point.
“Did you follow us more?” Olli inquired.
Logan nodded. “We were in that black Buick. Don’t worry, we managed to jump clear before it hit the steps,” he assured, a twinkle in his eye.
“Were those blanks too?” Dallas raised his eyebrows.
Sam nodded. “Any time we shot around you, except when those two thugs followed you from the bank to the alley after the meeting with Mayor Anderson. Then we had actual rounds.”
“Why did you beat up Dallas?” Olli looked pointedly at Jake.
Jake sighed. He had anticipated the question. He also knew that it would be directed in his direction. “Sweetie, we had to do many things that I wish that we didn’t have to. Davis wanted to use him as a leak on you.”
Olli blinked but wasn’t satisfied with the answer. “Well, why did you have to do it?”
Logan cleared his throat. “Because, in all actuality, he had sent a different thug out to talk to Dallas, who I took care of; I went quite easy on him.” He looked incredibly embarrassed.
Olli looked at him. “He was already beat up!” heat snapped from her voice.
Logan nodded. There wasn’t anything coming to mind to say.
“You couldn’t have left him alone and just said that you beat him up?” Olli tilted her head back toward Jake.
“Sweetie, don’t be so hard on Logan. He didn’t want to do it,” Jake soothed. The Wainwrights were the kind of people who made partners worth dying for, and she was demonstrating it now. Jake had expected her to be angry, and he hoped that he could settle her down.
“Uncle Jake, he beat up my partner and told him to think about it or he’d be back,” Olli blinked, the unimpressed tone in her voice hard to miss.
“Olli, it’s fine. He had to do it. We’ll just call it a casualty of the case,” Dallas intercepted, slipping his arm around the back of the chair she was sitting in. When she looked at him, he smirked.
Olli started to open her mouth to protest but shrugged when he shook his head slightly. She turned back to her Uncle Jake. “So, how did Davis react when he found out that Dallas wasn’t going to be a leak for him?” She asked, glancing at Logan out of the corner of her eye. She was sure that he would have received the brunt of the blaming.
Jake shrugged. “I managed to conveniently blame it on one of his other thugs. Then, while he was still seething, I suggested that he just send in Beth. After all, he knew that he could trust her. It only took a couple of minutes worth of pointing out the benefits of sending Beth in before he agreed with me completely.”
Olli shrugged and nodded. That sounded so completely and absurdly simple, but sometimes simple was best. She glanced at Sam and Logan and smiled. “Thank you. For everything you did for us. I appreciate it now.”
“Hopefully, one day we can make it up to you,” Dallas agreed, his accent ringing with gratitude.
Logan smiled and nodded in thanks. “We would do it again in an instant. I’ve never seen a woman hit so hard,” he smirked at Olli. “Who taught you to fight, girl?”
Olli pursed her lips and blushed, not knowing exactly what to say about that. Jake flew in to the rescue.
“She’s a Wainwright,” he shrugged, “sometimes you just have to chalk it off to the fact that it’s in her blood.”
“An ex-moonshiner,” Olli explained bashfully, her cheeks still red.
“You’re still hanging around with him?” Jake didn’t look surprised.
Sam shook his head. “You’ll have to forgive Logan. He’s quite impressed with you.” He stopped and eyed Olli, who was watching him intently. “You’re wondering how many cons I’ve pulled off successfully, aren’t you?”
Olli’s eyebrows rose and she blinked once. “Don’t flatter yourself.” She turned from the aghast Sam to the smirking Jake. “What about the money from the robbery? Some of those people don’t have enough money to get food,” Olli’s voice carried a concerned note.
“All the money will be returned tomorrow once Davis and Beth are behind bars. I have it all. Davis is going to be transported to Eminences, he’ll be tried for the crimes he committed. Once he’s out of Big Town’s city limits, the money will be returned to the accounts as they were before the robbery,” Jake explained.
Olli sighed and nodded in relief. She was worrying about the less-fortunate citizens of Big Town. The Great Depression was in full swing. Even though Big Town was fortunate enough that most people still had jobs, the city had felt the creeping effects of the economy’s collapse. “Good. I’m glad.”
“If he’s bein’ tried in Eminences for his crimes, is there a possibility that he might have a lawyer who could get him off?” Dallas asked, worry tainting his accent.
Jake shook his head. “I’ve been busy collecting hard evidence that will put him away no matter how many lawyers he has at his disposal. It’s safe to say that there is no way he’s going to be getting out and coming after either one of you.”
Olli glanced at Dallas and then turned back to Jake. “Why didn’t you tell my dad that you were leaving?”
Jake sighed. “It was a split second decision that I had to make that night. And if I had told your father, he would have wanted to come along, and he needed to stay and take care of you. He did a very good job. He must be so proud of you. You look just like your mother.” Jake smiled and shook his head.
Olli’s eyes dropped to the table for a moment and she nodded after a moment of staring at the veneer that was right under her nose. She looked up and smiled. “Thank you.”
There was a slightly uncomfortable silence for a moment or two before Olli looked at Jake once again. “I’m glad that you’re back. You are staying, right?”
Jake nodded. “I wouldn’t miss you solving another case.”
After a couple more minutes of small talk, Jake informed both detectives that they were going to be needed at the trial. He told them to go back to their office to write the required reports and when they were expected to be at the courthouse.
A bright yellow hack pulled from the outside lane of the two lane road and rolled to a stop amidst a chorus of honking horns and aghast stares from pedestrian traffic.
The front door of the hack opened, seemingly before it came to a stop, and a dark brown, deeply polished shoe set onto the sidewalk. The man swung out of the hack and unfolded himself to his full height. He pushed the fedora in his right hand onto his head and tipped it sharply over his left eye. He adjusted his suit coat with a half shrug and slight flap of the body. He buttoned it with one hand and reached for the handle of the rear door of the hack with his right. His left quickly skirted the door and took the buttermilk leather glove and handed the girl out of the backseat.
She was in an emerald green dress suit, and a white fox stole wrapped itself over her left shoulder and draped down to almost her right elbow. Around her neck was a collar of pearls that splashed down between the lapels of her jacket, and big pearls dripped from her ears. A trendy green hat was perched on her head and dipped toward her right eye.
“Try not to get pulled over between here and a parking spot,” Olli smirked over the back seat, and half-waved at Monte who looked at her in the mirror and grinned.
“Oh, yes, ma’am.” He winked at her and, without looking back at the oncoming traffic, pulled out into the lane and drove away. Horns screamed at him and one lady who looked back covered her mouth in shock.
Dallas barely was able to pull his hand off the handle before the door snapped shut with its own weight as the hack pulled away. He balled his fist for a second then swatted after the hack in near exasperation. “He doesn’t want the doors slammed, and yet he does that. How is it any different?” he asked, still looking after the hack.
Olli shrugged and shook her head slightly. “I’ve known the man since I was twelve. I promise he made just as little sense then as he does now.”
“Small comfort,” Dallas muttered, looking at her the first time since they got out of the hack. He had to mentally remind himself to take a breath. She was absolutely stunning. The green of the suit made her eyes even greener than usual. It was like a pair of emerald coals were looking back at him.
Olli looked him over one more time in appreciation. His suit fit him perfectly, and looked expensive. Expensive enough that the watch that was in his pocket looked like it was right where it was supposed to be. His tie was a little looser than it should have been. Without really thinking, Olli reached up and tightened to where it was supposed to be and made sure it was completely straight. She smiled at him and quickly folded her hands in front of her.
Dallas was startled that she had done it. He was planning on tightening and straightening the tie himself in a moment. A grin flashed across his face. He turned toward Eminences' imposing courthouse and tugged the brim of his fedora down a little. “Ready for this?” he asked, looking at Olli as he offered his arm.
Olli slipped her left hand through the crook in his arm and shook her head, her little green hat sliding down toward her right eye more. “No. I hate this part of my job. Men like Davis are the hardest to convict. They have so many strings to pull. Trials like this can drag on for weeks. And while I’m tied up in a stuffy room with men who are trying to prove that since I’m a woman I clearly have no idea what I’m talking about, Ace could move across The Line, and there would be no one there to stop it.” Olli stared down a girl about her age who was eyeing Dallas boldly.
Dallas glanced at her with his right eyebrow up. “Well, we’ll just have to hope that Harrison can hold the reins while we’re gone. And now I’m here, which means it won’t be just you tryin’ to prove that Davis needs to be put away.”
Olli frowned at him and pushed her hat up a little before it completely fell off. “Yeah well...”
“Miss Olivia, he is a good cop. I don’t know what you have against the man.” Dallas pulled her in front of him for a moment to avoid a knot of businessmen who were walking toward the street, completely unaware of their surroundings.
“Miss Olivia?” Olli asked looking up at him, her chin pulled back toward her neck, a teasing note in her voice. “I thought we were past that?”
Dallas shrugged slightly and looked at her for a little longer than he should have. “Old habits die hard.”
Olli grinned at him. “But you haven’t called me that in months.”
“I think it’s safe to say that in the last few months you haven’t ever had on something as lovely as that. You really look beautiful, Olli,” Dallas pointed out, without really thinking about what he said until he caught her blush out of the corner of his eye.
Olli glanced at her shoes and smiled. “Thanks, Dallas.”
They trotted up the broad steps in perfect time with each other. Just as they reached the top step, a black sedan pulled up to the curb they had left.
Reporters and their faithful cameramen seemed to appear out of nowhere. All were yelling as loud as they could, trying to be the easiest heard while blinding flashes went off as the occupant stepped out of the back seat.
He was in his best blue, double breasted suit. Olli had seen that suit many times over the years. He usually wore it around the holidays. He looked around himself and appeared very overwhelmed by the amount of flashbulbs going off and questions being hollered at him from every direction.
