12. Ray
TWELVE
RAY
“Alright, now that the cops are gone, why don’t you give us the full story,” Archer said.
We were all crammed into the office space together—Archer, Vince, Wade, Tammy, and me.
Since Wade lived in this building, he’d come down immediately after hearing the sirens and seeing the cop cars in the parking lot.
He’d wasted no time calling Vince and Archer and filling them in.
Vince was the last to show up, only about five minutes ago, but the others knew most of what had transpired.
“You heard me give the story to the cops,” Tammy said, clearly tired and not wanting to repeat everything.
“I don’t think there’s a damn person in this room who thinks you two were napping in this room when the burglar came in,” Vince said, his brows raised and a grin on his face.
“Actually, we were,” Tammy said, exasperated, and then threw up her hands. “Fine, we had sex in the office and then fell asleep.”
The men in the room had all been looking at each other or at the floor at her first acknowledgement, but when she mentioned where we’d had sex, they all started scanning the room, trying to figure out if they were seated in the same spot where those activities had taken place.
Wade was seated in the chair behind the desk and was now looking down at it as though it might be infected.
Vince, who had been half sitting, half leaning against the desk, now slid off and took a step to the right and leaned against the opposite wall, clearly worried the desk might be contaminated.
Tammy and I were seated on the couch, so they had nothing to worry about in that regard, but I wasn’t going to tell them that. Served them right for being intrusive. They didn’t need those details in order to solve this case.
“Walk us through exactly what happened, every detail you can think of,” Archer said. He may be a private investigator now, but his history as a cop was coming through crystal clear.
Tammy and I took turns detailing everything from the time we’d fallen asleep until when the cops had gotten there.
“And you’re sure you did not set the alarm before you fell asleep?” Vince asked.
“We weren’t planning to fall asleep, so I didn’t think to set it before,” Tammy acknowledged sheepishly. “The beeping we heard was because the back door had been left open.”
“If you pull up one of the new security cameras we installed, you’ll see the burglar enter, look at the alarm panel, and then begin to move around the kitchen before coming to the office,” I explained.
“The would-be thief paused just a few steps away from the office. My guess is he or she noticed the light was still on, or—” I paused, turning my head to look at Tammy “—maybe they heard movement as we put on a few extra layers of clothing.”
Tammy said nothing, but the pink hue that flushed her cheeks gave away her inner thoughts.
“Whoever it was turned around quickly—too quickly, because they stumbled into some things in the kitchen area before darting out the back door,” I finished.
“All black clothes, mask, gloves, and no way to see his face,” Archer added, having seen the video himself.
“Am I the only one thinking this wasn’t a coincidence that both times happened on a Sunday night, when the money in the drawer would be the highest?” Wade asked.
“No, but the coincidence may not mean what you think it means,” I said.
Archer agreed, nodding from where he stood, leaning against the doorframe.
“This neighborhood in general is quieter on Sunday nights, so it could be they think there’s less chance of being spotted.
Could also be that Sundays are the most convenient night of the week for them—they don’t work, they have a ride, kids are at someone else’s house… ”
“You think this person has kids?” Tammy asked.
“I just mean, in general, this could be the most convenient day of the week for them to pull this off, not necessarily because the money drop is higher,” Archer clarified. “We know that, but this person may or may not, so we can’t bank on that information just yet.”
“I think we need some more people here on shift at night, with no one closing by themselves until this person is caught,” Wade said to Tammy, and I agreed. “We may also want to consider doing the late-night bank drops again, this time taking Axel, Andre, or whoever’s available with you.”
“I’ll officially pull Axel off any cases he’s got, and he can just work full time at the bar for now,” Archer said.
“I can pick up some shifts like the old days too,” Wade offered. “Don’t worry, Tammy. This won’t affect the others’ hours. We’ll just shift to having one of us work with the others. Like you and Corey or Axel and Sam—something like that. But no one closes alone anymore.”
“Honestly, it’s okay,” Tammy said, nodding.
“We’re still short a bartender, so it shouldn’t affect hours too much.
This will be good for the servers and other staff, too.
Some of the women have been nervous to go out to their cars at night, so if we’ve got extra people on hand, they can buddy up leaving at night. ”
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement before finally heading out for the night to try to catch at least a little bit of sleep.
I had been kicking myself for being so close to catching the suspect tonight but missing my opportunity because I had to take extra seconds to get dressed.
My original plans were changing by the second, but I also knew I needed to let the adrenaline crash come and go before I made any rash decisions.
In the short amount of time I’d gotten to know Tammy, I knew this wasn’t going to be a simple mission. I also knew I needed to butter her up. So, I was going to take the knowledge I’d learned in the last week and use it to my advantage.
I just hope it worked on getting her to agree to my brand-new plan.
Later that morning, I decided to call in the big guns.
After the police left, I’d gone back to my hotel, slept for a few hours, and showered. Just as I was checking out of my room, Vince texted me.
Vince: Do you have time to meet up for lunch before you head to the airport?
Me: Sure. You want to meet somewhere near the office?
Vince: No. There’s a pizza joint across from your hotel. Let’s meet there.
Me: Sounds good.
I expected that he wanted to talk about the case one last time before I made my way back to Texas, although I had seriously been considering canceling my flight and pushing it back another day or two.
What happened last night hadn’t sat well with me, and apparently it hadn’t sat well with Vince either.
To my surprise, lunch with Vince also included Frank, Wade, and Archer.
“Gentlemen,” I greeted as I sat down at a booth that was quite possibly the farthest one away from the door and around none of the other patrons.
Yeah, this didn’t sit well with them either.
“How much of a fee would you incur if you canceled your flight?” Frank asked me.
I smirked, knowing he was thinking the same thing I had thought earlier.
“It’s fully refundable up to the point I check in,” I explained. “I bought that kind specifically since I didn’t know how long you’d need me.”
“We’d like to bring you on as a contractor—paid, this time—if you’re willing to stay for a few more days,” Archer said.
“You think it’s an inside job.” I surmised, having drawn the same conclusion myself.
“After last night, it’s the only thing that makes sense,” Wade chimed in.
“Having managed the Watering Hole for two years before Tammy took over, I know the ins and outs of many things, and if I was going to break in and rob it, that’s exactly how I would have done it because I knew where everything would be—cameras, the money, the security system, everything. ”
He used his fingers to tick off the list of things he’d mentioned and then turned to Archer.
“The changes we made to the security system after the first break-in—only our staff and the pub staff knew about it,” Archer explained. “The person who broke in last night knew about the changes.”
“The only thing they didn’t know was that you and Tammy would be there after some…late-night activities,” Frank said, a small smirk on his face for the latter part of his comment.
“Do you mind if I consult with two men I trust back in Texas on this?” I asked, figuring Chase and Ghost could perhaps give me ideas.
“Go for it,” Vince replied. “Honestly, it’s why we want you to take this on. We’ve been discussing this for the last few hours and realized we’re too close to it. We need someone outside both businesses to investigate.”
“My relationship with Tammy gonna interfere with this?” I asked because I’d realized one thing this morning, and that was that I wanted to keep things going with her.
I knew it might be tough since we lived in different states, but last night—before the break-in—had been incredible. But I’d also gotten to know her over the last week, and I liked what I knew. So, if I stayed for another week or so, I’d be continuing to lean into that.
“We don’t suspect her, so it’s likely a moot point,” Archer said.
“She’s got an alibi for last night that’s solid,” Vince added, the same smirk on his face as his father’s moments ago.
“Hard might be a better choice of word than solid,” Frank joked, causing the other men in the group to either groan or roll their eyes.
I just shook my head and then looked at Archer, who seemed to be spearheading this. “What do you need from me?”
“Keep doing what you’re doing by visiting Tammy at the bar, but focus on our staff,” Archer replied.
“People like Axel?” I asked, noting his absence, even though he had a deeper connection to the bar than Vince and Archer certainly did.
“Do we think he did it? No,” Vince answered. “But as my cousin so duly noted, it’s best not to rule anyone out just yet.”
Archer had been a cop before joining his cousin Vince and the rest of the gang for this private security business, which was where I suspected his proneness to crossing all his T’s and dotting all his I’s came from. I was already planning to do it, but good to know we were on the same page.
“Same goes for the other employees who will now be making more frequent appearances at the bar,” Wade added. “Delia and Diego will start working full shifts for you, and Andre and I will chip in a little, too. Do what you need to do to all of us.”
I nodded. This sounded good, but I would definitely need to bring in reinforcements on this.
“We’ll cover your extra nights at the hotel, so just send us the bill for it,” Archer added.
I appreciated that, but I had another idea in mind for where I’d like to spend my nights. I just needed to check with the fiery woman who owned the place first.
Back at my hotel, I pulled out my phone, dialed the number, and listened as Chase picked up on the second ring.
“Hey man. What time’s your flight get back tonight? You wanna grab a beer and fill me in?”
“I’m actually staying longer,” I told him, and his pause at my news meant he understood the significance of that statement.
“Somethin’ else happened.” It wasn’t a question, but a realization, and I confirmed as much. “Hold on. Ghost is here. Let me grab him, and you can fill us both in.”
Once the two of them were back on the other end of the phone, I gave them all the details of what had happened last night, as well as at lunch today.
“What’s your gut saying about suspects?” Chase asked.
I had a long list, never wanting to remove any suspect prematurely, but I also had some favorites.
“Corey and Sam are still at the top of my list,” I replied. “Corey was the closer the night of the first burglary, but there’s also just something off about him. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s there.”
“Always trust your gut,” Chase said, and I knew that.
“I know, but Sam has student loans—a lot of them—and has been picking up as many shifts as possible to help cover that. However, he’s been sick lately and not working as much.”
“Was he really sick, or did he come into money and doesn’t need the shifts?” Ghost asked, clearly noting the same thing I had.
“Don’t know, and short of a doctor’s note, I don’t have a way to prove otherwise,” I told them.
They both grunted in response.
“But there are also a few other people I’ve noticed who may have some money issues that I need to look into some more,” I added, needing them to know there were also other options on the table.
“Hypothetically,” Ghost said, pausing, “could a customer at the pub accidentally or intentionally witness the new security code?”
What he asked was something I’d thought about too, especially when it came to Donald. I wasn’t ruling that asshole out just yet.
“I’m not sure,” I told him honestly. “There are security panels near the front and back doors. From everything I’ve seen, no one uses the front door panel, only the back. The back one is just off the kitchen and not accessible to customers.”
“So not likely,” Ghost replied.
“How long you staying?” Chase asked.
“Another week, most likely,” I told him.
“I’ll come out and join you,” Chase said, shocking me. “Sadie’s got a girls’ trip she’s leaving for tomorrow anyway. Send me your hotel info, and I’ll stay at the same place.”
I hesitated, not wanting to give too much away, but he’d find out when he got here anyway. “I might not be staying there anymore. I’ve gotta talk it over with Tammy still, but I may be staying with her.”
There were about ten seconds of silence on the phone before Ghost busted out laughing.
I may not have been able to see it, but I could hear Chase’s smile through his voice. “Alright, then. Maybe I’ll stay with Frank and Susan instead.”
After going over a few more ideas with the guys, Chase told me he’d text me his itinerary, but his goal was to fly out tomorrow so he could just go to the airport at the same time as his wife.
Tammy was off today, so my plan was to go over to her place and take a chance on her extending an invitation to stay at her place.
I had texted Axel to ask where his fiancée’s bakery was, only for him to tell me that she was closed on Mondays. The good news, however, was that she had a few items on hand at her place because she had a retirement order that no one had ever picked up.
I’d told him they were for Tammy, but I’m sure he assumed they were because of what had happened last night, not because I was planning to use them to butter her up to let me stay with her.
Desserts in hand, I made my way to see Tammy. Hopefully, this would give me a slight edge in trying to convince her of my new game plan.