Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
It was late in the afternoon when Tess pulled into the driveway of Dan Malone’s beach house and parked next to Brian’s truck. “Oh, this is so cute!”
Beside her, Andy scowled, not even looking up from his cell phone. “Yeah, cute. It better have Wi-fi.”
“Agent Malone said it has everything we need, including Wi-fi. Now stop with the attitude and be nice to him. He didn’t have to do this, and if he hadn’t, we would have to share a tiny motel room that might not even have Wi-fi.
” It was doubtful, since there was internet access practically everywhere nowadays, but she’d wanted to drive her point home.
“Whatever.”
Shaking her head, Tess opened her door and climbed out. While she loved Andy with all her heart, she couldn’t wait until he left his brooding teenage years behind him. She wondered if she’d been that bad at his age, when their parents were still alive.
Brian met her at the front of the car and held out two key chains, handing them both to Tess. “Here you go—one set for each of you. The bigger key opens both the front and back doors. The other one is for the storage room. Feel free to use anything in there.”
Like most houses along the shoreline, this one had been built on stilts to help prevent flooding during storm surges and hurricanes.
The storage unit was under the north side of the house and probably held tools, beach chairs, and other items. Below the south side of the house was an unoccupied parking spot.
With a sullen Andy reluctantly trailing behind, Tess followed Brian toward the back of the house to the patio, which was protected from the water by dunes.
A path between two of them led to a private stretch of shoreline.
An outside shower stood beside the patio, so no one needed to traipse sand and salt into the house.
The house was in the perfect location. Apparently, the beach was only open to local homeowners and their guests, who had to show a pass to authorities upon request. A public beach was set about a quarter of a mile down the road.
A fire pit sat in the middle of the patio, encircled by outdoor furniture, and Tess wondered if Dan Malone would mind if she used it a few times. Although it was the first week in June, the evenings were still cool enough to enjoy a fire.
Brian started up a staircase leading to the back porch and glanced over his shoulder at her.
“Pretty much everyone uses this entrance. I can’t remember the last time I went in or out the front door.
Watch the banister here, though. I noticed it was loose yesterday.
I’m working every day this week, so you’ll just have to be careful until next Saturday, when I can come by and fix it. ”
“Okay.”
While she and Andy waited, Brian used his own key to unlock the door.
He then held it open and let them walk ahead of him into a large living/dining room combination.
It was nicely decorated with comfortable-looking furniture.
Photos of the Malone family lined the length of a fireplace mantel.
A large-screen TV hung above them, and Andy immediately went over to check out the titles of some video games sitting on the shelf of a nearby bookcase.
“You can use the Xbox if you want—there’s a wide variety of games. Oh, and the Wi-fi password is on a card in the drawer over there.” Brian gestured to an end table next to the couch. He didn’t seem offended when the teenager failed to acknowledge him, but instead, he turned back to Tess.
“The main bedroom is down the hall to the left and has its own bath. Andy can use the bedroom right across from that and the hall bathroom. The sheets were just washed, and there are plenty of clean towels. The laundry room is at the end of the hall. Upstairs is mostly unfinished and is used for storage.”
He pointed to his left. “You can eat in the kitchen or use the dining table out here, or the one on the deck. My sister-in-law froze some of the leftover food from Dan’s birthday party for you—lasagna, chicken marsala, and other stuff.
Hot dogs and hamburgers are in the fridge too.
Whatever else is in there, just help yourself. ”
His expression told her not to object, so she didn’t. “Your sister-in-law didn’t have to do that, but please thank her for me. And I thank you and your uncle again—for all of this. It means a lot to me... and to Andy, even if he won’t admit it to you.”
The corners of Brian’s mouth ticked upward.
“No worries—my brothers and I were teenage boys once too. I’m sure I was just like him back then.
” He snorted. “Hell, I was probably worse. I’m not sure if you know this, but my folks died in a plane crash when I was sixteen, so I get what you’ve both gone through. ”
“Oh, my God. No, I didn’t know that.” She paused, then asked, “It sucks, doesn’t it?” It wasn’t a rhetorical question, not to someone who’d also experienced the grief of losing both parents at the same time.
“Yeah, it does. Thankfully, Uncle Dan—my dad’s brother—stepped in and kept us out of foster care. I’m glad you were able to do that for Andy, too, but it must’ve been rough on you—giving up your freedom to raise him.”
Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly.
She glanced over her shoulder to see her brother still engrossed in several stacks of video game boxes, then lowered her voice so he wouldn’t overhear.
“Yeah, it’s been hard—some days more than others—but there was no way I could let Andy go into the system.
I postponed med school and took the job at the M.E.
’s office, but once he’s in college, I’d like to become a doctor. I want to apply to Whitmore.”
Whitmore School of Medicine in Elizabeth City was only about a twenty-minute drive from the house, so she could commute. She could also do her residency at Elizabeth City Memorial Hospital. If she went anywhere else, she might have to sell the house, which was the last thing she wanted.
“That’s good. I think you’ll make a fine doctor. Do you know what field you want to go into?”
She smiled. “If you’d asked me that five years ago, I would have said neurology, but now, I want to go into forensic pathology. I’ve found working with the dead can help the living too. Dr. Hansen has become a great inspiration to me, and I’d like to become an M.E.”
“Awesome. From what I’ve seen, you’ll be a good one. Working for Hansen will probably give you a step up in school too. You’ll have experience that many other students won’t have in the beginning.
“Are you going to stand there all day, BS-ing or what?”
Before Tess could admonish her brother for being rude again, Brian answered, “No, actually, we’re not. Neither are you. While your sister takes a look around, you and I will bring in all the suitcases and boxes from my truck. Let’s go.”
He stepped back and indicated for Andy to precede him out onto the deck.
Rolling his eyes, the teenager stormed out the door as if working with the agent was the last thing he wanted to do.
Brian winked at Tess. “Don’t worry. I can handle his surliness.
Been there, done that, have the T-shirt to prove it, although I was the one with the attitude back then.
Anyway, take a look around, and let me know if you need anything. ”
He turned to go, but Tess put her hand on his arm, stopping him. “Thank you, Brian. For everything.”
“No thanks necessary.” His voice was lower and more sensual than it’d been just a moment ago, and Tess felt it deep within her core. “It was my pleasure.”
They eyed each other for a moment, and she could swear the air around them crackled with electricity.
Whether Brian noticed it or not, she didn’t know, because either way, he broke the spell by stepping toward the door.
“I'd better go help your brother before he complains he has to do it all by himself.”
When he disappeared outside, Tess let go of the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Handsome, kind, understanding, compassionate, generous, has a good job, and just downright sexy. Unfortunately, Tess, old girl, this is not the time in your life for a relationship. Maybe in a few years, if he’s still single... ”
Not finishing the mumbled sentence, Tess spun around slowly, getting a feel for the room, and then headed for the kitchen. “Okay. Let’s see what we can have for dinner later.”
Andy flopped down on the queen-size bed in the spare bedroom while frowning at the crib and other baby stuff that were in there, apparently for Malone’s niece.
Just what Andy needed. Not for the first time, his life had been turned upside down in the blink of an eye.
At least this incident hadn’t resulted in anyone being killed.
His mind flashed to the last night he spent with his parents. It’d just been the three of them for dinner—Tess had been attending an evening class at school—and they had his mom’s homemade pizza.
Damn, he missed her cooking. Tess wasn’t bad at it, but his mom had been a culinary expert in the kitchen.
In fact, she’d been thinking about writing a cookbook right before her death.
Owning a restaurant or catering business had never been on her radar because of all the time she would’ve been away from her family, but self-publishing a cookbook was something she could’ve done easily.
She’d only worked part-time at the local elementary school as the office secretary.
It’d been the perfect job when her children were little because she had the same days off as they did and drove them to and from school.
The only thing Andy hadn’t liked about it back then was if he did anything wrong, his mother found out almost immediately—not that it had happened often in elementary school.
High school, though, was a different matter altogether.
He didn’t mean to get into trouble—it just happened. One couldn’t get through their teen years without screwing up every now and then, right?
When it came to his classes, some interested him far more than others.
Math and computer science were great. Even chemistry, economics, and history weren’t bad.
But English, Spanish, and physical education bored him to tears.
He’d rather spend that time in the computer lab or hanging out with members of the technology club, talking about the latest gadgets and programs. But he knew how important it was for him to get good grades in all his subjects.
Tess put her own education on hold for him, and he didn’t want to let her down by not scoring at least a few scholarships.
Andy knew more about computers than his sister realized.
In junior high, he learned how to hack into other systems and now challenged himself by hacking into different ones.
Once he was in, he didn’t do anything illegal, like steal information or appropriate funds, as some hackers did.
He just looked around a bit before covering his tracks as he backed out.
It was for fun—that was all—to challenge himself and other members of the tech club to hack into systems that supposedly had the best firewalls and other security measures.
He knew one or two other club members did illegal stuff when they got into systems, but Andy’s conscience had always stopped him from doing anything that could get him arrested.
His sister didn’t need him getting into deep trouble like that—she had enough to deal with—and he could kiss any scholarship goodbye if he ended up with a record, juvenile or not.
While Tess had never come out and said anything in front of him, Andy knew she’d given up a lot to finish raising him after their parents died.
In addition to sidelining her higher education to get a job in order to be granted guardianship of him, she rarely went out with her friends anymore, and Andy had no clue when she’d last gone on a date.
He hoped now that he’d be going into his senior year of school, she could get out more. She deserved to have some fun.
He thought about Agent Malone. Andy hadn’t missed how the lawman had eyed Tess when he’d thought no one was watching.
The guy had the hots for her, and Andy wasn’t happy about it one bit.
Yeah, he wanted his sister to find someone nice, who treated her right, but not a cop, and definitely not one who’d hauled Andy into the police station like a common criminal.
A knock resounded on the closed bedroom door, and he lifted his gaze from his cell phone, where he’d been scrolling through his social media accounts. “Yeah?”
“It’s Brian. Can I come in for a minute?”
Andy narrowed his eyes. The guy had left half an hour ago.
What the hell does he want?
Getting to his feet, he strode across the room and opened the door. Malone was standing there with a long folding table and a desk chair on wheels. “Thought you could use this to set up your computer and stuff, so you don’t have to take up the dining room table.”
He glanced around. “Where are you going to put it? There’s no room.”
“Well, we can move the crib into the bigger bedroom and rearrange a few things to make the table fit.” He shrugged. “If you want. I just thought you’d be more comfortable setting up your computer in here.”
Andy paused for a moment, then opened the door wider. He still didn’t like the guy, but he was right. Having his computer in the bedroom would be much better than having it in the dining area. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about his sister catching him hacking into anything. “Sure. Thanks.”
Ten minutes later, the crib and a few other things were gone, and Andy’s entire computer system was now in his borrowed bedroom. Brian had helped carry everything in, then left Andy to finish plugging it all in and setting it up the way he wanted to.
“That was nice of Agent Malone, don’t you think?” Tess asked from the doorway a little while later.
“I guess.” He typed the Wi-fi password he’d been given on his computer’s keyboard.
“Well, to thank him, I’ve invited him to have dinner with us. His sister-in-law left some food in the fridge, instead of freezing it all, so we’ll eat in about fifteen minutes, okay?”
“I’m not hungry,” he lied. Actually, he was starving—being a growing teenage boy and all—but he didn’t want to eat with the guy. “I’ll reheat it later.”
When Tess didn’t answer him, he glanced at her over his shoulder. “What?”
Her pinched expression told him she didn’t believe he wasn’t hungry. “Nothing. I’ll bring your dinner in here so you can eat while studying for your finals.”
He shrugged as he turned back toward the monitor. “Whatever... thanks.”
A few seconds passed before he heard his sister leave. With a few clicks of his mouse, he was in a hacking chat room and looking for a new challenge. It didn’t take long to find one. Settling into the chair, Andy got ready to do his thing.