Long Live Dead Reckless Page 11

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, startling me. I laughed it off this time, embarrassed. I grinned stupidly at Sage and he did the same. We tried to ignore the ceaseless vibrating, but it kept on. It meant someone was calling. I didn’t want to offend Sage, but I thought it might be Spencer with a gotcha call, so I pulled it out. I checked it quickly, seeing Jesse’s name.

  “Oh man,” I groaned, remembering that I was supposed to meet Jesse fifteen minutes ago. I hit ignore so it went to voicemail.

  Sage politely cleared his throat. There was rare curiosity in his tone.

  “Anyway, there are some cops here. They want to talk to you, I think.”

  I rolled my eyes and gave a short laugh. Nothing like the guy you’re crushing on telling you the police are looking for you. What a freaking day.

  “Are they strippers?” I asked.

  Sage laughed as he opened the double doors and held one for me.

  “Um, I really hope not.”

  I could see two cops standing there talking to Kati. One of them was familiar. He had a baby in the nursery almost every day. I only knew he was a cop because he was always wearing his uniform when he came in. I squint to see the shiny nametag in my memory. Thomas, I think. Normally a really nice guy, he seemed much less approachable with a gun replacing the infant on his hip. I gave a nervous smile.

  “Mr. Thomas?”

  They both turned and the older one tipped his hat. His southern accent was thick. He was definitely a local…and not a stripper. He wasn’t dressed in a uniform, either.

  “Afternoon, miss. Sorry to bother you at work like this, but we’ve spoken to your supervisor and we’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s all right?”

  Wide-eyed, I looked over at the Assistant Director. As always, he stood idle and judgmental, crossing his arms. A small crowd of my coworkers had gathered to watch my undoing. Of course Sage was in there, too. He was back on the other side of the counter in his designated seat, his finger gently tapping his lower lip.

  “Ok, sure,” I answered.

  The cops looked at each other. A few regular Goodlife members toddled awkwardly around the commotion and swiped their cards on the reader. The beep seemed to be the only sound in the lobby besides my deafening heartbeat. Officer Thomas looked around and shielded his mouth with his hand.

  “Don’t worry. We’re only here to ask questions.”

  I nodded as the Assistant Director pointed to his office.

  “Please use my office.”

  Trying to think of a way to excuse myself without looking suspicious, I pointed to the nursery area.

  “Can you give me just a minute? I’m sorry. I left my purse sitting out in the nursery. You know kids these days.”

  Great. I’d resorted to accusing toddlers of stealing when I was about to be questioned. As bad an excuse as it was, somehow it worked. The cops politely waited while I hurried back to the nursery. I turned off the lights when I got there. No one should see this. In my frustration, I started punching the air wildly. I looked like I was fighting someone invisible.

  Oh wait…I’d already done that.

  I couldn’t believe I actually did that twice in one day. Circumstances were pushing the limits of my sanity. For all I knew, Spencer was dead and I was about to be blamed for it. Once I’d worked myself into a breathless frenzy, I stiffened my arms by my side and tried to regain composure by remembering my yoga breathing. Grabbing wildly at my purse, I heard something metal drop on the floor. In my mindless rush out of Bosh’s newly haunted house, I held onto Spencer’s key and brought it with me. I stared at it lying there for a minute, not knowing if it was real. When I blinked a billion times and it didn’t disappear, I bent down to pick it up.

  Would be better to flush it down the toilet or risk the cops finding it in my purse? Would they search my purse? Could I drop it on the floor somewhere in the hall and pretend it was just there? I could say I took the key because he sexually assaulted me. I mean, it technically was true, but only technically. Ok, it wasn’t true at all.

  I panicked. My heart shuddered against my chest as I watched the key slide into the toilet water. I felt like the guilty man in the “Tell-Tale Heart,” and I was glad I was stupid enough to flush the evidence so I couldn’t drag the cops back here to pull up the bloody floorboards. I flushed it and scalded my hands in hot water before heading back out to the front. The crowd hadn’t dissipated much. I was asked to sit in one of the chairs in the Assistant Director’s office.

  “Miss Gardin,” the older cop said. “I’m Detective Case. You know Officer Thomas, I think?”

  We both nodded at each other.

  “She watches Jackson. Keeps him from swallowing tiny toy trucks,” Officer Thomas said, smiling.

  Detective Case furrowed his bushy brow.

  “Miss Gardin, we’re told you and Spencer Kaden were close.”

  He paused, ascertaining my reaction. He was looking for anything signaling my guilt. I shook my head.

  “What do you mean, were?”

  “You do know Spencer Kaden, don’t you?” Detective Case asked.

  I thumbed backwards towards the lobby.

  “Yeah, we all do. The gawking masses out there included. Why are you only talking to me?”

  Detective Case folded his arms.

  “Witnesses say you were the last person seen with him before he disappeared on the night of September 28th. And some of the gawking masses out there say you were romantically involved.”

  I scowled. I know the Assistant Director told them that. Had to be him. He’s the only one who saw us that night. Azalea said Spencer’s car was still in their driveway, a strange package showed up on my doorstep...everything was linking together for a mounting panic attack.

  “It’s not true. We were – are – friends.”

  “His girlfriend claims he hasn’t been home or answered his phone in three days.”

  “Oh, I know his girlfriend. She didn’t mention him missing. Are you sure this isn’t a prank? You know, since people go missing here all the time.”

  Detective Case ignored me as he peered down through his glasses at a notepad he was holding.

  “Maybe you can walk us through what happened on your date? Anything you think might help us find the young man.”

  I looked over my shoulder out the office window to Sage. He was still standing there pretending to be working. Pretending to be on the phone. Pretending not to judge me.

  “It wasn’t a date. He picked me up here for the gala.”

  “Well, what happened after that?” Officer Thomas asked.

  I swallowed so hard it felt like I had strep throat. I didn’t want to tell them about the kiss. It would be in a report. I couldn’t tell them about what I saw after the kiss, either. I would be thrown in the room next to my dad. I was trapped.

  “Shouldn’t I have a lawyer present for this?”

  “You aren’t under arrest,” Detective Case said.

  I stood up. Detective Case held up his hand.

  “Miss Gardin, please. We’re just trying to find this missing young man. He has a very concerned family who want to know he’s all right. That’s all. We need to know everything you can tell us so we can help.”

  “I wish I could, but I don’t know any more about where he is than you do,” I said, sighing.

  I wanted to call them out on never finding anyone who disappeared from Cypress, but I kept my mouth shut. I knew Spencer had played some joke on me, but I didn’t know why he took it this far. I was sure the woman who went missing after her bike ride weeks before had a very real, very concerned family, and it frustrated me that the police were wasting time on a case like Spencer. Officer Thomas crooked his brow.

  “Did he take you home after the gala?”

  I sat back down. I didn’t want to seem like I needed to escape.

  “No, a friend picked me up.”

  “Why didn’t you leave with him?”

 
; “Because.”

  They waited for my answer. I tried to imagine one. But wait – that would be perjury. Lying to a cop is illegal, right? Yes. I tried not to fidget. I was going to tell the truth. Part of it, at least. The only believable part. I lowered my voice as much as I could.

  “Because he kissed me and he’s my friend’s boyfriend.”

  They looked at each other. Detective Case scratched his head and scribbled something down on his notepad.

  “I see,” he mumbled.

  Officer Thomas covered his mouth as he leaned closer to Detective Case. I strained to hear, but he was good at whispering. It was freakish, really. He then adjusted his uniform as he stood up from sitting on the corner of the desk. Detective Case handed me a business card.

  “We don’t want to take up any more of your time, Miss Gardin. Please let us know if you think of anything. Where he might be, folks he might be with, that sort of thing.”

  I took the card without a word. Detective Case tipped his hat as he followed after Officer Thomas. I studied the card for a moment before leaving. The Assistant Director walked out with the detectives and I was left standing with Kati, Sage, and Larissa, who had come in while I was being questioned. The rest of the crowd scurried off when I came out of the office. Larissa waited until the cops were outside before jabbing her fist deep into her hip. She still had her keys in her hand.

  “Talor! You got cops coming up in here looking for you? What in the world happened?”

  Kati just kept laughing.

  “You just made history here, babe. I’ve been here seven years and no one ever had the cops come in. Tell the truth – we’re your friends – did you kill Spencer?”

  Sage had a strange look on his face. I stuffed the card into my pocket and grabbed the sides of my pounding head.

  “Dear lord, I’m just about to lose it. You all know he did this as some sort of joke. Where is he? Is he hiding back there, Sage?”

  Giving a sympathetic smile, Sage shook his head as Kati reached for the ringing phone.

  “You heard the cops. You were the last person to see him. So, where’d you bury him? You can tell us.”

  “Oh, answer your phone, woman,” I said, stomping off.

  I went to the break room and sat at the corner table. It was perfect for sulking. It was usually quiet in there and it allowed me to collect my thoughts. They only thought it was funny because they didn’t know what I knew. They hadn’t seen the things I had. Sage came in a minute later jingling change in his hand. It was just the two of us in there, so I was trying to think of something to say.

  “This has been the weirdest day of my life.”

  “Looks that way.”

  There was silence between us as he dropped coins in the machine and pushed buttons for his selection. Whatever it was dropped to the bottom and he reached down to get it. When he straightened, he pointed to the chair across from me.

  “You mind?”

  I shook my head. I hoped my perspiration from interrogation wasn’t visible. He sat down and started unwrapping his sandwich. I glanced at it and my stomach gave a loud grumble, much to my dismay.

  “Do you want some?” he offered, holding half the sandwich towards me. I shook my head.

  “Oh no, please. I’m ok. I’m just a little stressed, I think.”

  He gave a gentle shrug and placed it on a napkin between us.

  “Well…I’ll leave it here. Just in case you turn ravenous.”

  Ravenous? Good word. It was always nice for a hot guy to use an SAT word in conversation. I blushed despite myself. An intelligent male vocabulary would always be a pleasure point of mine. My stomach groaned again.

  “You’re not hungry?” I asked, placing my hand on the table near the sandwich half.

  “Not really.”

  I leaned forward.

  “If you’re not hungry, why did you buy a sandwich?”

  He leaned forward as he nudged the sandwich my way.

  “I needed an excuse to come in here.”

  Smiling, I took a bite. It was turkey, lettuce, tomato and Swiss, and it tasted like heaven from a vending machine. It was depressing how excited my taste buds got over that. They burned and ached as I devoured a few bites. Maybe I hadn’t eaten all day and it was four in the afternoon, but a sandwich from the hand of Sage was food from the gods. As I chewed, Sage looked down at the crumbs gathering on the table.

  “I know you’ve had kind of a rough day, but would you like to hang out sometime? Maybe go for something not from a vending machine?”

  I wanted to savor the moment Sage finally asked me out, but I almost choked instead. All I could do was try not to cough bits of sliced turkey all over his staff shirt. Sage just asked me on a date after seeing me interviewed by police. I could feel the crumbs outlining my lips and sticking to nearly all of my teeth, but I didn’t care. I beamed a big, nasty smile anyway. I tried to play it off by licking my lips, but I wasn’t great at getting out of embarrassing situations. I was doing my best to keep from sticking my finger – or my foot – in my mouth. Saying yes before Sage changed his mind was more important than my comfort.

  “Yes,” I said, trying to swallow and smile and not cry.

  He gave a bouncy bob of his head as he stood up.

  “Ok, well, I’ve got to get back, but I’ll see you after work. We’ll talk?”

  “Sounds…perfect.”

  He gave one last shy smile before disappearing out the door. I was too excited to eat any more and my stomach groaned in protest. I was wearing more of that sandwich than I ever got in my stomach, but I couldn’t have cared less. I finally had a date with Sage, and it only took six weeks, a police investigation, and the weirdest day of my life to get it.

  13

  I was so nervous about my date with Sage that I completely forgot I was angry at Azalea. I called her to ask if I could borrow clothes. I didn’t remember we were fighting until she answered the phone with this awkward hello. I felt stupid, but I used it to my advantage so I could seem mature and forgiving.

  “I didn’t think you’d call me. I thought I’d have to go through Jesse,” she said, subdued.

  “Well…fighting is dumb and I’d had a rough night. I was still raw. I hadn’t processed everything, but it’s ok now. I’m not mad anymore. I just wanted to say that.”

  She was biting her lip. Or doing that smirk thing when she was pleasantly confused. I knew it even though I couldn’t see it, so I waited on her to speak. Her tone was hopeful, fragile. It was rare to hear.

  “Well, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the champagne. I know it’s a big deal to you and I respect that. You know I don’t think you’re crazy, right? Your dad isn’t either. So…yeah. God, it was hard to, like, not talk to you for a few days, you know? I want to catch up. Can we hang out later? Not Harvest Moon. I promise I’ll protect you from your admirers.”

  She gave a nervous chuckle a little at the end and I smiled.

  “Actually, I kind of have a date with Sage tonight.”

  Just like that, old Azalea was back. She squealed into the phone and asked me a dozen questions. When I asked to borrow clothes, she said she’d be over in thirty minutes with five options. Azalea really knew how to make up. I realized then that’s why she could date so many guys at once. They all forgave her because she was easy to forgive.

  Against better judgment, I decided to borrow a dark green V-neck sweater, pairing it with tight jeans and fierce stiletto boots. She asked me why I continued wearing shoes that were bound to kill me one day. I told her I would never get better at something if I didn’t put the time in to learn it. In this case, walking in stilettos.

  As expected, Sage picked me up on time and opened all my doors. He took me to dinner first (where I did not order a turkey sandwich), and we were going to a play at Cypress Theatre afterwards. He must’ve known that I loved going to the plays. I always wanted to be up on stage, but I never found the courage. Inst
ead, I lived through Azalea’s theatrics – on and off the stage.

  As we sat at our booth, I couldn’t help but smile at him. His hair had been meticulously fixed in its wild style and his eyes had a glint in them I hadn’t seen before. I think it was excitement. He shaved for our date. It was strange seeing his whole face clean-shaven. He had a strong jaw that was usually softened by a beard.

  My eyes traveled down to his shirt, which fit as well as the one he was wearing the first time I saw him. He was carved from some living marble somewhere – one that was toned and freckled. I always got to work an hour early hoping to catch a glimpse of him working out in the weight room. I loved to watch his arms and chest flex when he would do pull-ups and push-ups. It seemed so effortless. I don’t think he ever kept count of his reps, but I did.

  “Can I ask you something?” he asked, breaking me out of my trance. He was talking to me. Oh yeah, we were on a date thing. Time to stop fantasizing.

  “What?”

  He narrowed his eyes until all I could see were wet drops peering out from beneath thick lashes.

  “Did you do it?”

  He was flirting. I liked this side of Sage. He just kept getting cuter. I smiled and leaned forward over the table.

  “What?”

  “Whatever the cops are accusing you of?”

  “Do I look guilty?”

  He gave me a long look.

  “Not of everything.”

  I smiled. I could get used to his smooth voice and quiet playfulness. I wanted to learn more. It was my first chance to really get to know him, and I wanted to find out everything. I reminded myself not to ask anything too weird.

  “Now can I ask you a question?”

  “Well, it’s only fair.”

  “Why’d you wait until the cops showed up to ask me on a date?”

  Not a great start, but it made him chuckle.

  “Plausible deniability?”

  I leaned my head back and laughed. How could he think I would ever say no to anything he asked? Didn’t he know how sold I was on him? I tried to be nonchalant.

  “Oh wow, do girls turn you down often?”

  He gave a shy smile.