The Truth of Yesterday (50 page)

     “And you want me to fill them with work? Killian, you're becoming a workaholic. Go get some fresh air. Walk through the zoo, roller blade through the park, do something outside that doesn't require you to think. For goodness sake, take a break.”

     “I'm not becoming a workaholic,” I protested.

     “Did it even occur to you to relax when you realized you didn't have anything that needed to be done?”

     “That's beside the point.”

     “No, that's exactly the point. You're working too hard. Go enjoy yourself for a few hours. That's an order.”

     I snapped up straight and sketched a mock salute.
“Yes, sir, Novak, sir.”

     He gave me a dirty look. “Get the hell out of here. Go have some fun, if you haven't forgotten how.”

     I gave him a dirty look back and slipped out of his doorway. “I know how to have fun,” I grumbled under my breath. I grabbed my keys off the corner of my desk and ran down to my car.

I decided to go to the zoo. In the middle of town, there's a large park that runs along the
Wicomico
River
, part of the park is a charming little zoo. It's won awards as one of the best small zoos in the country. I'd always enjoyed walking through it, but I hadn't been there at all this year. I wandered around looking at jaguars, bears, monkeys, and alligators for a while, doing my best not to think about anything work related. I was a little disturbed to realize that didn't leave me much to think about. Things were good with Micah, better than they'd ever been in fact. I was doing all I could about
Amalie
until she decided to show up again, and besides, I'd rather not think about that unless I had to. That was more stressful that work any way you measured it. School was just plain boring. I couldn't think of another thing to think about. Had my life been reduced to dead people, work, school, and Micah?

     
I need a hobby
, I thought and then laughed out loud. A little girl nearby, gave me a wary look and sidled up closer to her mother.
When would I find time to do a hobby?

     I ended up at the playground at one end of the zoo. It was practically deserted this time of day except for a young woman watching her two children play on the slide. I made my way to the swings and sat down on one. I watched the kids play, totally immersed in their fun. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be that carefree. I was still watching them when I felt a presence behind me. Before I could turn around, I felt hands in the small of my back. I yelped as someone gave me a push. I spun around in the swing, letting go of the chains as I did, and in the process lost my balance. Strong arms caught me before I could hit the ground and I looked up into Micah face. His expression was warring between amusement and concern.

     “Are you trying to kill me?” I asked accusingly.

     Amusement won out and Micah laughed. “Sorry. I wanted to surprise you, not send you to the hospital.”

     I laughed to as I managed to get my feet under me and stood up. “You almost succeeded in doing both. How did you find me?”

     “I went by the office to see you and Novak said he'd sent you out to relax and that I might find you here. I thought it was worth a shot. Sit down and I'll push you.”

     I sat back down obediently and he gave me a gentle push. “Why were you looking for me?” I asked.

     “I just wanted to see you. Do I have to have a reason?”

     I smiled. “I guess not. What's going on with your story?”

     “Ugh. What's not going on? I think I opened Pandora's Box. There's hate, greed, cruelty, deception-you name it. And it looks like we've only scratched the surface.”

     “What do you mean?”

     “It means it looks like there's a lot more to this than we first thought; that it goes far beyond just the local county commissioners.”

     
“How far beyond?”

     “We don't know that yet, but we've definitely uncovered something big.”

     “You know, I don't even understand what's going on with all this, really. I haven't taken the time to read everything.”

     “It's a lot to explain and I don't even understand it all,” Micah sighed. “It all has to do with the environmental protection laws. It looks like the commissioners and other people in positions of authority were being paid off to allow building in places where there shouldn't have been any development. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I don't really feel like talking about it now, I need a break. That's why I came to see you. I don't know how much time I'm going to have for the next few days, or longer, and I wanted to see you while I actually had a little free time. I don't want to spend what little time we have talking about work.”

     “Fair enough,” I said, thinking about what Novak had said about me being a workaholic. “Let's walk through the park.”

     “That sounds nice.”

     I hopped off the swing and we walked through the park along the river. There weren't too many people around so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We paused on the little arch bridge over one of the branches and kissed a little.

     “I'm sorry I won't be around much for a while,” he said resting his forehead against mine.

     “Me too,” I said softly, “but there's nothing you can do about it. This is your job and it's important to you.”

     “Thanks for understanding.”

He pressed his lips against mine again and I melted into his arms. It didn't take long before I began to get aroused. Micah noticed immediately.

“Have you ever had sex in a public place?” he asked me playfully.

     “No,” I giggled, “and I don't intend to start now.”

     “You have no sense of adventure,” he teased.

     “I just have no desire to get arrested. You're supposed to write the news, not make it.”

     He laughed. “I miss making love to you.”

     “It's only been a couple days.”

     “That's too long. I love you, Killian.”

     “I love you too.”

     We stood for a while just holding each other until a dog walker came down the path at a brisk stroll. We pulled apart but she just smiled at us as she passed us with her spaniel.

     “I'd better get back to work,” Micah said with a sigh.

     I checked my watch. “Me too,” I grimaced.

     He gave me a quick kiss and we walked hand in hand back through the park and zoo to the parking lot where we had both left our cars. One final kiss and we drove off in our separate vehicles. I felt much better for my break from the grind. The fact that Micah had come looking for me certainly didn't hurt either. It made me feel as if I truly mattered to him, which is something I guess I already knew, but there's nothing like having it shown to you in such a tactile way.

     When I got back to the office, Novak was gone and the door was locked. I let myself in and found a note on my desk.

     “Hope you relaxed with your free time. I'll be gone for a few days. Be
back
Friday.
Novak.”

     I frowned as I read over it. Why hadn't he at least mentioned that he wouldn't be here when I got back? Had he known or was it a last minute thing? Maybe he had just been trying to avoid the inevitable questions that would have arisen if he'd told me he was going somewhere. Like, where was he going? What was he doing? Did it involve his mystery case? Maybe he was just trying to get rid of me in the first place and that was why he'd suggested I go to the zoo.

     I grumbled to myself and tossed the note into the trashcan. My questions would go unanswered for now, and knowing Novak, I might never get any satisfaction.

     I stood for a moment trying to decide whether to tackle Craig and Danielle first or call the rest of Paul's former clients. I decided to go for the local kids. I could talk to them in person and I didn't feel like spending a lot of time on the phone. First, though, I had to call and make sure they were at home.

     I called Craig first. He was home and, while a little nervous, agreeable to my dropping by right away. Danielle was equally available, so I told her I'd be by in an hour or so, after I finished with Craig.

     After locking the office back up, I drove to the address Craig had given me. His house was in a nondescript middle-class neighborhood of the type where all the houses look like carbon copies of one another. The only variance was color and occasionally some wild and crazy person had added an overhang at the front door or a small front porch. The houses were all well-kept with neat lawns, but the area was strangely depressing. The only bright spots came from the pumpkins almost every house had in their front yards. A few families had gone all out with ghosts and witches everywhere and pad cotton strung on tree branches, supposedly to look like cobwebs.

     I pulled into Craig's driveway and before I could even get out of the car, the front door, adorned with a jointed cardboard skeleton, was opened by a thin boy who peered out at me with an anxious expression.

     I gave him what I hoped was a non-threatening smile and a little wave. “Are you Craig?” I asked as I approached the door.

     He nodded. “Are you Killian?”

     “Yeah, thanks for agreeing to talk to me.” I stopped at the steps and wondered if I was going to have to talk to him through the screen door or if he would invite me in. While I waited for him to decide what to do about me, I studied Jake's former friend and, according to Kane at least, admirer. He was an attractive boy, about five foot ten or eleven with a slim build and a narrow waist. His flawless skin was a little too dark to be Caucasian, but I couldn't quite decide on his race. His eyes were large and dark behind his glasses, his hair slightly curly and light brown. He wore a form-fitting blue shirt and wide-legged cargo khakis. He would have been very attractive with a little more confidence. As it was, he had a way of pulling into himself as if he was afraid of the world outside.

     He eyed me for a minute then seemed to decide I was safe. He pushed open the screen door and motioned for me to come in.

     “We can talk in here,” he said. “My parents aren't home.” His voice was soft with a slight lisp on his sibilants.

     He led me into the living room, which was decorated tastefully in earth tones. A family portrait hung over the couch, answering my question as to his race. His father was white and his mother was African-American. A much younger Craig sat on his mother's lap in the picture, smiling widely for the photographer.

     I turned back to him and watched him fold himself into the couch, tucking his long legs under him and watching me with uncertainty. I understood what Kane had been saying about him now; there was something decidedly feminine about this boy. I took a seat in a chair facing the couch.

     “I really appreciate you talking to me,” I said again. He nodded an acknowledgement and I hoped I wasn't going to have to drag every word out of him. “I know you don't know me or anything...”

     “Actually, I know who you are,” he interrupted, catching me by surprise. “Everybody in school knows who you are. You're kind of like a legend around here.”

     “Me?” I squeaked in a very un-
legendlike
manner.

     
“Yeah.
I mean everyone knows you caught that murderer a few years ago and killed him yourself. I wasn't even in high school yet and I heard about it. And then you were brave enough to come out and all...” He stopped abruptly and blushed.

     I made a face. “Trust me, going after that killer was not the smartest thing I've ever done. That was stupidity not bravery. I almost got myself and people I cared about killed.”