"What?"
"You
know how a van or truck will move if you even shift your weight?"
"Yeah.
So?"
"So,
Jay's truck was moving when I walked by. I just didn't focus on it.
It wasn't important at the time, you know? I wonder what happened?"
"Don't
you dare!" Drea cautioned.
"Don't
I dare what?" Kirk knew, but he was playing dumb.
"Don't
even think about investigating this crime. Remember what happened
before?"
"Nothing
bad happened...."
"Nothing
bad?"
"Not
that bad...."
"We
got run out of town and very nearly got arrested for obstruction. Not
again, Kirk. No."
"Sorry,
didn't heard you. What?"
"Kirk!"
her tone was dangerous.
"Drea,
I promise to be careful. Jay needs us now."
"Jay
doesn't need us. He's dead! He doesn't need anything anymore."
"His
daughter needs us. We met her once. Remember?"
Drea
signed heavily, knowing she couldn't stop him, but she had to try.
"Let the police do their jobs, Kirk. You will only get in the
way."
Kirk
shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her. They drove home
in silence, arriving at their loft apartment above the shop. It was
nearly midnight when they entered the freight elevator. The disaster
in the fish market was nothing compared to the devastation of their
home. Furniture was overturned, their cushions slashed open.
Priceless heirlooms and other irreplaceable items were crushed and
broken. Drea burst into tears. Kirk's first impulse was to dash
forward, but Drea caught his arm.
"We
should call the police." As always, Drea was the voice of
reason.
Nodding
helplessly, Kirk followed her downstairs. She made the call and they
waited in their car for the police to arrive.
"You're
having a busy day," the responding officer said. "Didn't
you make a call this morning too?"
"Yeah,"
Kirk answered absently.
They
gave the police their information and answered their questions.
"Where
were you when this happened?"
"St.
Andrew's Church," Drea replied. "Before that, we were at
the shop."
"Do
you think this is related to the incident this morning?" The
police officer asked them.
"Don't
you?"
Kirk
was worried, so he snapped more than he intended. The cop looked
offended. Drea clutched his arm warningly.
"Sorry.
Yes, I really do. I drove the company vehicle to the market. We're in
the phone book. It wouldn't take a genius to find us."
"Do
you have somewhere else to stay tonight?"
"Yes,"
Kirk replied. "We'll go to a hotel. We can't disturb our
co-workers at this hour."
"No
family around?"
"None,"
Kirk replied rather quickly. "It's just us, I'm afraid."
"Well,
good luck to you. You can go now. My crime scene guys will put
security locks on the door when they leave and I'll have officers
posted here. Did you notice if anything was taken?"
"No.
We didn't stay in there all that long."
"You
can go through it more carefully tomorrow and see if anything is
missing. If we take anything for evidence, I'll give you a receipt
and detailed list."
"Thank
you. We'll keep in touch. We have your card."
Sad
and discouraged, Kirk and Drea headed to the nearest hotel. In their
room, they got showers and fell into bed, exhausted.
"I
can't think of a time I've been so tired," Drea sighed, curling
up next to Kirk.
"Me
either. What a day, huh?"
"I
hope we never have another like it. What do you suppose they were
looking for?" She asked.
"Where?
At Jay's or our place?"
"Either."
"Who
knows? It's not like we were Jay's best pals or anything." He
shrugged slightly, snuggling closer to his wife.
"Do
you suppose they think we took something from him or from his shop?"
"Could
be. If I interrupted whatever was going on before they got whatever
it was they wanted.... Maybe they think I took whatever it is?"
"That's
the vaguest statement you've ever made." Drea kissed him. "Good
night, my love."
"Good
night."
Waking
in a strange room in an unfamiliar bed, Drea got up early. Despite
the long day and all the excitement, she couldn't sleep another
minute. She set up the pot of coffee the hotel provided and turned on
the TV. The news was just coming on as she poured her coffee. The
reporter was talking about Jay's murder and their apartment break in.
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
No comments:
Post a Comment