Chapter 10 Tallus #2
And live together and sleep together, I wanted to add, but offered a charming Tallus smile instead. “That’s right.”
Instead of digging up the albums, Aaron balanced an ass cheek on the edge of his desk, casually crossing his arms like we had all the time in the world. The look in his eyes changed. He caught his bottom lip in his teeth. “Is it serious?”
For a heartbeat, I thought he meant Diem and me, then I realized he was talking about Elwood’s missing money.
“Yes.” I cocked my head. “Don’t the staff know what happened?”
“Not really. They’ve kept the details thin. When problems arise, the board gets cagey. That’s how you know when something’s really wrong. Plus, the police showed up last week. Everything was hush-hush, but since they spoke with a few of Elwood’s nurses, the truth came out.
“I heard there was stolen money or fraud of some kind. I figured it was a minor incident since nothing seemed to come of the police visit, but then I heard Benaiah Scarrow brought in a private investigator. Then, yesterday morning, the head staff of each department was called into a mandatory meeting to review visitor protocol. It seemed odd since most departments don’t deal with visitors.
So,” He licked his lips, “What’s the scoop, Detective? ”
“I’m not a detective, and I can’t tell you anything.”
“Confidentiality and all that. Yeah, I get it. A guy can hope. Are the police still involved?”
“So far as I know, but I really can’t go into detail.”
Aaron seemed to consider that for a moment as though trying to sort out the severity of what we were investigating, then he shook it off, and the charming smile I’d seen a few times returned.
Pushing off the desk, Aaron snagged two photo albums from beside a printer and handed them over. “I hope these help with your project. If there’s anything else I can do…”
The syrupy tone gave the offer a devious edge, but I pretended not to notice.
Aaron was a player, and I’d met a hundred guys exactly like him.
He knew Diem and I were dating. He knew we worked together, but he liked to pretend otherwise.
Whatever game he was playing wouldn’t work.
If he was fishing for information on the case or looking for a clandestine date, buttering me up wouldn’t help.
“Thank you for these.”
I tucked the albums under my arm and was about to head out in search of Diem when Aaron spoke again.
“I had an idea.”
I waited, tamping down on my irritation at the delay. He was doing this on purpose.
“For your party.” Aaron rooted around inside a catch-all box and withdrew a business card.
I accepted it and read the front. Jarik Windrider. Magician. All ages. Any events. Add wonder and excitement to your life.
“The residents love him. We’ve had him in a few times for entertainment. I thought he might be a fun addition to Hazel’s birthday celebration.”
“Great. I’ll look into it.” I wasn’t sure Diem would go for something so flashy and showy, but I thanked Aaron and said goodbye.
Halfway down the hall, with a burning sense of being watched, I glanced over my shoulder to find Aaron leaning against the doorframe of his office, observing my retreat.
He waved, a slight twiddle of his fingers, and offered a bashful smile before turning and sashaying down the hall.
He wore a dark wool coat and had a tote slung over his shoulder, so I assumed he was heading out for the night.
I really needed Diem’s jealousy to return so he could put Aaron in his place. The guy was too much.
***
I stood outside the doorway of the surveillance room, words of greeting dying on my lips as I scanned the cramped interior. “Okaaay, you win. My battle with Daddy Long Legs was nothing compared to this closet. What the actual hell? This is a surveillance room?”
Diem glanced over his shoulder from where he was hunched over, fiddling with the buttons on an old school VCR.
The machine whirred and whined. Above his head, on the top shelf of a cart, an oversized, clunky TV with a bubbled screen displayed a staticky image.
Jagged black lines cut through the snowy frame like an out-of-control EKG reading.
Barely visible behind the snow was a picture that seemed to be racing in reverse.
Diem punched a button, and the VCR fell silent. The screen turned blue. He hit another button. The machine whined and choked and sputtered and coughed and finally spat out a VHS tape.
“Hard to believe those things were hip at one time,” I said. “Heath has one in the garage. Never seen them in action.”
“What took you so long?” Diem inspected the tape before sliding it into a slipcover and setting it aside.
“Got chatting with Costa about the baby while grabbing that cable you wanted, then I got stopped by flirty Aaron, who thought he could sweet-talk me into giving away case details.”
I inched into the room and handed Diem the cable, saying hello to Echo, who lay tucked in a corner, alert and watchful.
I couldn’t blame her. Ontario wasn’t prone to earthquakes, but I suspected it wouldn’t take more than a large truck rumbling down the street to cause an avalanche that might bury her alive.
Diem inspected the cable as I inspected the overfilled shelves and other debris strewn about.
I wanted to comment on the mess, on the size of the room, on the sheer amount of dated equipment, but I figured after having worked in the eye of the storm all day, Diem wouldn’t be in the mood for redundant observations.
“How was your day?” he mumbled as he plugged the colorful ends of the cable into the ports at the back of the VCR. He fit a different part into a laptop and checked a few other cables with a frown cutting deep grooves in his forehead.
“Busy. Had to pull a bunch of files for sex crimes, organize a mess of returned files, and verify a ton of documentation for the next website update. I returned phone calls, wrote several emails, argued with a lady seeking information about an open case, and stole a muffin from a conference room on the fourth floor while I was picking up a box of crap from Detective Jenkins. It turned out the muffin was a disgusting concoction made at a health food place, and it was so dry that the first bite caught in my lungs. I thought I was going to choke and die right there in the missing persons unit.”
“You lived?”
“Barely. I can still feel crumbs in my lungs. Also, rumor has it that the muffin belonged to Quaid Valor, and he is actively hunting down the muffin thief. It’s only a matter of time before someone sells me out.
I caused a scene. Even if everyone stays quiet, Quaid’s a good detective.
He will find me. It’s only a matter of time.
I don’t know why he would kill for a cardboard muffin, but I’m a wanted man. ”
I kept yammering until the edge of a grin tickled the corners of Diem’s lips. Mission accomplished. Diem vanished behind the TV the moment the smile appeared, and I knew my boyfriend enough to understand he was trying to hide his amusement.
“What are you doing?” I studied a stack of unmarked VHS tapes piled beside the VCR.
“Fucking Ruby won’t let me take anything home, so I’m making copies of what I need.”
“Ah. Good idea. Does she know you’re making copies?”
“Hell no. Fuck her.”
“What a bitch,” I added in solidarity, propping my hands on my hips. “So, who’s Ruby?”
“Director.”
“Of course. Stupid Ruby. Did you find anything?”
A string of nonsensical sounds left my boyfriend’s mouth as he rounded the TV again. None of them answered my question, but that was Diem. He wanted a specific cable for a reason. If he was copying videos, then logically, he must have discovered something notable.
Finished setting up, Diem collapsed on a rickety chair in front of the TV. It creaked under his weight, but he didn’t seem concerned.
“Come here.” Diem hit me with a half-lidded gaze, a deeply rooted exhaustion radiating off him like heat waves.
I wasn’t sure how much more here I could be, since I was already inside the cramped surveillance closet, but when I shuffled a few feet closer, Diem snagged my wrist and tugged me onto his lap.
The chair groaned in protest at the added weight. “Is this a good idea? I feel like we’re going to crash.”
“It’s fine.” Diem nuzzled his nose against my neck as he secured his arms around my waist. “I missed you.” His lips tickled the sensitive spot below my ear before kissing lightly.
Cuddling again. Willingly. I tipped my head to the side, letting him have access and sighing contentedly at the attention. “Rough day?”
“Mm.” Another kiss.
“How was your lunch date… and meeting?”
Diem didn’t answer for a long time, and I wouldn’t have been shocked if he changed the subject. We didn’t make a habit of discussing his addictions. A chat about AA was not in the cards. Besides, the faint smoky scent of cigarettes clinging to his clothes and skin told a tale of stress.
“It was… hard. I’m not supposed to talk about the meeting.”
“I get it. What happens at AA stays at AA.”
“Mm.” He squeezed me tighter and rested his forehead on my shoulder.
I’m proud of you for going, I wanted to say, but the topic was touchy, and Diem was a jittery rabbit when thrown into the spotlight.
He might flee at the first sign of danger if I wasn’t careful.
I wanted to support him, but sometimes that meant shutting my mouth and enduring unexpected snuggles and affection. Oh, the travesty. Poor me.
After a time, Diem hooked his chin over my shoulder and tapped the albums still clutched in my arms. “What are these?”
“Photo albums. They belong to Nana.”
Without a word, Diem relieved me of one and opened it, peering over my shoulder at the faded black and white pictures safely protected behind a thin sheet of plastic.