9. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Doug
S ure enough, John called me into his office the next morning. I closed my laptop, topped off my coffee in the lobby while saying hello to Meg, and then knocked on John’s door. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself I hadn’t done anything wrong, and anything John said to me would be out of love for Beth and Chase.
“Come in.”
“Morning John.” I raised my mug in a salute. “You wanted to see me?”
“I do, close the door.” He leaned back and pointed at the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”
This isn’t how he acts when he hands out assignments . I sat on the edge of the chair, adjusting myself so I wasn’t so far forward I looked nervous, and not so relaxed that I looked disrespectful. For the first time since starting at SSI, I felt nervous.
I forced myself to sit still while I waited for him to break the uncomfortable silence.
“It’s come to my attention you’re taking Beth on a date.” John grinned.
A good sign.
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ve learned my lesson, so I won’t ask you not to.” He laughed and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk. “With my luck, I’d ask you to keep your distance and the two of you would run off and elope.”
He didn’t have to remind me that Jack and Jamie had both dated clients—women who were once off-limits but were now family.
Well, Meg was, and Emily would be as soon as Jamie got up the nerve to propose. He and Emily had only been dating a few months, but were so obviously in love it was almost painful to watch.
Taking a risk, I answered with a touch of humor. “I don’t know, sir, Beth’s not a client.”
“Technically, neither was Meg.” He grinned before turning serious again. “Beth’s a good woman, and Mary and I consider her family. She deserves nothing but the best.” He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. “All I’m asking is you treat her with the respect she deserves, and if things don’t work out, be honest with her.” I wiped my palms on my pants as John’s stare bore into me. “And be careful with Chase, that little boy wants a dad so desperately I can almost taste it.”
“Yes, sir.” I’d heard how hard it could be to navigate a new relationship when a young child was involved, both from friends who were single parents and the people who’d dated them. The child was a part of the relationship, but you couldn’t risk leaving them feeling deserted if things didn’t work out.
The general rule of thumb, according to my friends, was to not involve the child right away. Some wouldn’t even introduce their kids until things got serious. One friend, back home in Chicago, wouldn’t introduce a man to her daughter until they’d been on at least twelve dates.
I’ll have to be careful with Chase . We already knew each other, so not introducing us wasn’t an option. I made a mental note to talk to Beth about how to handle if, should he start asking questions. I wanted to honor her wishes, and not overstep my bounds.
“Good.” He picked up a manila folder. “I have a new assignment for you. It’s a one-day security job, escorting a witness to and from the courthouse. It’s a closed testimony, so only the judge, witness, and attorneys will be in the room. You’ll have to wait outside for however long it takes.”
“Yes, sir.” I grabbed the file. “Anything special I should be aware of?”
“It’s a high-profile case, so expect crowds and the press. Take the sedan with the tinted windows. And Sharpe, wear your vest.” I nodded as I stood up, eager to get back to my office so I could read the file.
“Expecting trouble, sir?” The sedan didn’t just have tinted windows, it was also bullet proof.
“Always. Stay sharp, Sharpe.” Then he snickered at his running joke.
Out of respect I held back the impulse to roll my eyes and faked a laugh as I said, “Good one.” It was funny the first time but had gotten old.
How do you tell a man his dad joke is getting old ? There was only one answer if that man was your boss: you didn’t.
The file had the basics about the client, a woman in her mid-twenties who was the key witness in an abduction case. From her office window, she’d witnessed two men grab a young girl on the street. She’d snapped a bunch of pictures and called 9-1-1. Most of the photos were blurry but they were good enough for the cops to read the plate and put out a BOLO (be on the lookout).
Because of her quick thinking, they’d found the van and arrested two guys. Unfortunately, the girl was gone, and they claimed they never had her. The forensic evidence from the van proved otherwise. It was enough to keep them in jail until their trial, despite their pleas of innocence.
No one believed they were the masterminds behind the crime, but they refused to speak or turn on the person who’d hired them.
Shortly after their arrest, someone called 9-1-1 to report seeing the girl from the Amber Alert outside a gas station. The local police located her and brought her home. She was physically unharmed, but terrified.
Because she didn’t know who took her, and didn’t recognize the two guys who took her when shown their pictures, the case rested heavily on our client’s testimony.
She’d done the right thing by going to the police, but she’d received a letter threatening her life if she testified. Whoever had paid to have the girl abducted was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he was never identified.
I hope they catch the bastard, I thought as I emailed the client. I introduced myself and asked if I could call, so we could discuss logistics.
Whoever was behind the crime was the type of person who wouldn’t think twice about hiring a hitman to carry out his threat. It wouldn’t be hard for a professional to take her out from a distance before she had a chance to testify.
I called the head of security at the courthouse and asked for permission to use the back entrance. The press, and hopefully anyone looking to stop her from testifying, would be at the front of the building, while we used a service door in the back.
Around six, a knock on my door frame brought me back to the present. “Hey Jack, what’s up?”
“Just dropping off the keys to the sedan, she’s gassed up and ready.” He walked over and dropped them on my desk.
“Thanks man.”
“You okay? You look… disorganized.” His eyes scanned my desk.
It was cluttered with the spread-out case files covered in post-it notes. “Yeah, just doing some research.”
“Well, I suggest you call it a day, you’re the muscle on this mission, not the brains.” Jack laughed at his own joke. Like father, like son.
“I just want to know what might be coming my way. The guy behind this sounds like the type to call in a cleaner.”
He nodded. “I’ve got a meeting in the morning, but it shouldn’t last long. Call me if you want backup.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.” One of the many things I loved about working at SSI was the people. I could always count on anyone here to have my back, and I’d always have theirs.
I packed up my notes and shut down my laptop. I’d done all I could do from here and I needed to get some rest.
“Meg and Emily are having a girl’s night with Ma and Beth on Friday, so the guys hanging out at our place, video games, pizza, beer. You in?”
“Yeah, thanks.” The Friday night gaming sessions were relatively new, and a great way for us to bond. It was also better than gaming alone. He mentioned Beth, but not our date .
D oes he know yet? If he didn’t, it was only a matter of time. If Meg didn’t hear about it from Beth she’d definitely hear about it from Mary. I sighed as I realized I wouldn’t have an ounce of privacy if I started dating Beth.
There were worse problems to have.
#
The next morning, I escorted the client in, unseen, through a service entrance in the back, waited outside the door while she gave her testimony, then escorted her back out the way we’d come in.
A few clever reporters had migrated to the back, and got in her face.
“Get back!” I yelled as I stepped between them. I used my left hand to guide her as I moved, so I wouldn’t lose her.
The reporter shouted something about the public having the right to know as she tried to push her way around me, microphone held high.
I should have called Jack . I couldn’t scan the area for threats while keeping the reporters at bay.
To protect her privacy, I took my jacket off and used it to cover her head. I strong-armed my way through rowdy crowd, forcing them to keep their distance while shouting, “No comment.”
Once we were back in the car, I checked on her. She was pale and shaking from fear, but otherwise okay. I didn’t like leaving her alone when I dropped her off, but my job was to get her to the courthouse, then home again. I was done for the day.
Hopefully, she was no longer in danger now that she’d testified. I wondered if the little girl was safe, but didn’t know enough about the circumstances to hazard a guess. I hope so .
Just because the unknown suspect had threatened her didn’t mean he had the ability to go through with it.
After seeing my client safely in her apartment, I went back to the office to return the sedan and file my report.
The rest of the week was less exciting, I served a few papers, flirted a little with Beth on my self-appointed coffee runs, and covered an overnight security shift on Thursday for Eric, one of our part time security guys so he could cover a shift at his PD.
No one, other than John, had said anything to me about my date with Beth. Though judging from their glances, and on more than one occasion Meg’s wide-eyed, ear-to-ear all-knowing smile, I figured they all knew. Why hasn’t she said anything? I could only guess the amount of effort it was taking her to keep quiet.
I decided to let the cat out of the bag Friday morning.
“Hey Meg, got a sec?”
“Of course, what do you need?” she answered, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“I’m sure you’ve heard I’m taking Beth out on a lunch date.” Her smile split her face in half as she nodded a little too vigorously. “I’d like to bring her flowers. Do you know her favorite flowers or colors?”
“She loves orchids, but that’s not a good first date flower. I know she likes daisies and sunflowers. Want me to order some?”
I had a feeling this was a test. “Nah, I got it. Thanks.”
Her smile told me I’d passed. Meg was more than a receptionist—she was the heart of SSI. She kept us all organized, and made our clients feel comfortable and at ease. Not an easy task considering people didn’t come to see us unless they needed help or protection. She even kept our coffee fresh, and the water and snack counter stocked, though it wasn’t part of her job.
“Good boy,” she said with a smirk.
“How long have you known?” I asked. “And have you told Jack?” I shouldn’t have felt nervous, but I did. Meg’s opinion of me mattered. I hadn’t known her long, but I had mad respect for her. She was one of those people who’d gone through hell and come out stronger for it. The abuse she’d suffered didn’t break her, and now she used her experience to help others.
She blushed before answering, “I talked to Beth and Mary on Tuesday, but Beth made me promise not to say anything. And yes, I told Jack, but I made him promise not to say anything.”
I laughed, surprised she’d been able to keep quiet for so long. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Meg had the expression she always got when she was dying to say something but holding back. “Go on, say it,” I said with a smile.
“I’m happy for you guys,” she paused and looked back at Jack’s door, “can I tell Jack it’s okay to talk about it now?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m sure everyone knows by now, so no point trying to pretend otherwise.” I found that despite having a few nerves about the whole situation, I didn’t actually mind everyone knowing; not that it would matter if I did .
Meg clapped her hands together, and said, “This is so exciting." He fingers flew over the keyboard. My suspicion, that she was messaging Jack, was confirmed a few seconds later when Jack walked out of his office. AJ was half a second behind.
“What’s up?” Jack asked as he walked to her desk.
“It’s not a secret anymore.” Meg didn’t try to hide her excitement. I shouldn’t complain. They could be against us dating.
“Congrats man,” Jack shook my hand as he asked, “Where are you taking her for lunch?” At the same time AJ said, “Congrats, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
From what I knew about AJ, that was a very short list. Though I had a feeling he was mostly all talk. He had a lot more respect for women than he let on. Someone must have fucked him over . I didn’t have a chance to answer their questions because Jamie came out of his office and joined our huddle. He didn’t have time to ask what was going on before Meg told him about my date. He smiled at Meg and shook his head before shaking my hand.
“You knew, huh?” I asked.
“Yeah, sorry man, it’s impossible to keep something like that a secret around here.” He looked at Meg.
She quickly defended herself. “Hey, your mom told your dad. It’s not all on me.”
“It’s no big deal. Thanks for letting me be the one to bring it up.” I looked at Jack. “Has she been driving you crazy all week?”
“You have no idea,” Jack said with feigned exasperation.
“Hey, I’m right here.” Meg punched him in the arm.
“Anyway, I’m happy for you two.” Jamie said before asking, “You still coming over tonight?”
“Yeah, anything I should bring, besides beer?”
“Your gaming controller,” Jack answered. He and Meg were still living with Jamie, but only until the renovations were done on their house. Since Jamie wasn’t in a hurry to get rid of them, they were taking their time and saving money by doing as much of the work as they could on their own. With our help, of course.