Chapter 10 Tallus
Tallus
The workday was nearly over when I got a text response from Diem. I’d waited all day to hear if he survived his lunch and AA meeting. My endless texts had gone unanswered. Knowing my boyfriend needed more time than most to process things, his silence didn’t surprise me.
At the chime of a text notification, I scrambled to unlock my device, abandoning the sixty-year-old homicide case I’d dug out of a moldy box that afternoon. My day had been absurdly busy, considering I was usually bored during shifts.
A detective in sex crimes had emailed an extensive list of files he required for a case.
The date range covered forty years. Some of the retired cases were older than me.
It meant tramping around the dirtiest, darkest part of the crypts to locate them among boxes I had yet to log into our system.
It was during the excursion that I’d found the interesting homicide case.
I had to battle cobwebs and insect carcasses to retrieve it, but so far it had been worthwhile.
I pulled up Diem’s text, anxious to hear about his day, but of course, Diem was King of Diversion when he didn’t want to talk about something, so I wasn’t surprised that he ignored the multitude of concerning texts about his meeting with Aslan and initiated a new conversation.
Can you see if Ruiz has a VHS to digital converter? RCA to USB. If not, can you stop at an electronics store when you’re done with work and buy one?
I stared at the message for a beat, trying to decipher what it meant. Diem was a minimalist when it came to texting and conversation in general. I often required a prybar or intuitive thinking to figure out the whys and what-the-fucks of his questions when he failed to elaborate.
So far as I understood, Diem had gone to Evergreen that morning to view surveillance. VHS? As in those blocky tapes like Heath kept in a box in the garage? Was he serious? That was still a thing?
I shot off a response. I’m not even going to pretend to understand what those letters mean, but I can see if Costa is still around.
It earned me a, Meet me at Evergreen.
No further texts came through. Typical Diem. I debated sending a sassy, You’re welcome, or You owe me, but decided against it. He was likely stressed after his first AA meeting and hanging out with Aslan and would fail to read the teasing tone.
I tucked my phone away instead and returned to the ancient case.
When my shift ended at five thirty, I wandered to the gloomy basement of the headquarters building. If possible, the IT department was creepier than the crypt of a back room where I reigned, King of Mold, Ruler of Deceased Files of Times Gone By.
Transitioning the records department into the digital age of the 2020s had proven to be one of those instances where I bit off more than I could chew.
Stupid fucking initiative. I’d been at it for two years, uploading files to the new computer program when I had free time, but I’d barely made a dent in the backlog.
My cousin, Lord of the Dragon’s Den, Decipherer of Code, was still hard at work when I knocked on his open door.
Costa glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, squirt.” Turning back to his work, he added, “What’s up?”
I glowered at the back of his head. “Squirt? That’s new. I don’t like it.”
“Note to self. Use it more.”
“Jerk.”
“Did you need something?”
“Yes. That is exactly what I need. Something.”
When I didn’t elaborate, he glanced over his shoulder. “What are you talking about?”
“I need… a thing. Dammit. Hang on.”
As I dug my phone out to reference Diem’s text, my cousin chuckled. “A thing? A red thing, a blue thing, or a one, two, three thing? A tall thing, a short thing, or a fiddle-dee-fart thing?”
“Ha, ha, Dr. Seuss. You’re not funny.” I read from the phone screen. “I need a VHS to digital converter thing.”
“Ah, one of those. RCA to USB?”
“Um, yes? That’s what it says.”
“For Diem?”
“Clearly not for me.”
“Give me a second.”
Costa continued tapping on a keyboard. A grid of text filled the monitor.
A stack of brown files sat at his elbow, the top one open.
He referenced it more than once and kept typing.
My cousin was a computer nerd in disguise.
His tattoos, muscular build, and attitude fooled most people, but under the facade, he was wicked smart.
Scary smart. Even Diem was loathed to admit Costa was a borderline genius.
“No baby yet?” I asked when the typing continued.
“Nope.” Fingers flying, the rapid click of keys filled in the brief pause in his sentence. “They’ll induce her on Monday morning if she doesn’t go before then. Tia will be two weeks overdue on Sunday. Crazy, huh.”
“How’s she feeling?”
“Fucking miserable. She’s been sick most of this pregnancy. She went early for both the girls, and they were tiny. According to the doc, this one’s going to be a chonker, and the longer he cooks, the bigger he gets.”
Costa clucked his tongue. I imagined he felt bad for his wife having to endure the labor of his yet unborn son. If I knew anything about my cousin, it was how much he loved her.
“I suspect my boy knows he’s coming into this world to two older sisters who intend to maul him to death, and he’s staying where it’s safe.”
“Smart kid. Still going with Matias?”
“Matias Alejandro.” A swell of pride entered Costa’s voice as the name rolled off his tongue.
Costa loved his daughters to the end of the earth, but he had wanted a son for years. For a long time, he and Tia couldn’t seem to get pregnant. From what I understood, they were about to give up trying when it finally happened. Discovering the baby was a boy was the icing on the cake.
My cousin finished whatever he was doing and spun, rolling his chair to a filing cabinet in the corner. He yanked the bottom drawer open on squeaky tracks and rooted inside. It was not filled with files, like one might expect, but all kinds of computer gadgets and cords.
In seconds, he withdrew a carefully wound set of black cables, checked the ends, grumbled something, and put them back. When he found what he was looking for, he handed it off.
I examined it like I knew what I was looking at. “Do I need to sign it out or anything?”
“Nah, most of these cables are mine, but I’d appreciate it if you’d return it when you’re done. They used to be a dime a dozen, but the older the equipment gets, the harder it is to replace. They fucking gouge you, even secondhand.”
We chatted for another minute. Costa talked about Tia and his daughters, about a small gathering he wanted to have once the baby was born, and would Diem and I like to attend? I assured him I would be there, but made no promises when it came to my boyfriend.
I explained the bare essence of the case Diem and I had picked up at the nursing home.
“Christ, those grandparent schemes are getting worse every day.”
“The guy who hired us claims the police haven’t been helpful. Is that normal?”
“Sadly. They have a task force working on stuff like that, but there are hundreds reported every month across the country. Some are minor. A couple of thousand bucks. Others make you cringe. It’s disgusting.
Either way, our people have a system, but they coordinate with so many other cities since it’s a nationwide issue that they’re swamped.
I won’t defend the brass, but I’m not surprised the guy felt they brushed him aside.
They are working on it, but it won’t be at a pace he’s happy with. ”
“Not sure we’ll find anything, but Diem was willing to look into it.”
“Good luck to him.”
“Us. I’m part of the equation too.”
My cousin smirked and spun back to his text-ridden screen. “Take care, sidekick.”
“Jerkface. Keep me posted on baby Ruiz.”
“Will do.”
***
At Evergreen, I signed in and inquired where I might find Diem, relaying that he had been working in the surveillance room all day. I earned a curious side eye from the receptionist before she pointed to a hallway instead of asking whatever was on her mind.
As I wandered in the right direction, attention on my phone and the text conversation I’d been having with Memphis, a man called my name.
I spun, glancing back down the desolate hallway from where I’d come and found Aaron Daily hustling after me, his dress shoes clipping on the laminate floor.
He looked spectacular as always. If I didn’t think he would get the wrong idea, I would ask the man where he shopped because his was a style I could get on board with.
Aaron glided to a stop beside me and adjusted his tie. “Tallus. I’m so glad I caught you. How are you?”
“Good.” I thumbed over my shoulder. “Just looking for Diem.”
Aaron ignored the statement and continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “I located some of Hazel Krause’s photo albums. Might have told a white lie, but I convinced her son to collect what he could from home.”
“You asked Leroy?”
Aaron touched my arm, rubbing once. “Relax. I didn’t tell him why I needed them.
He claimed they were buried in a closet at home.
He brought a few the following day during a visit.
Hazel gave me permission to pass them along.
I explained why you needed them, but I’m not sure she’ll remember.
They’re in my office.” He motioned over his shoulder.
“Do you want to grab them? I was about to pack up for the day.”
“Oh, um, sure.” Dislodging from his grasp, I checked the time on my phone. I had about thirty seconds before Diem sent out a search party, but I had asked for these photographs, so I couldn’t exactly tell Aaron no. Especially since he’d gone out of his way to get them.
Aaron’s office wasn’t far, so I followed him down the hall.
“I heard rumors that Hazel’s grandson was hired to investigate some missing money.” Aaron ushered me inside his office.
“His name’s Diem, and yes, it’s why I’m here.”
“I know his name.” Aaron sized me up and down. “You work together, right?”