Agent Brown
The shit storm that is Nora Robertson is really keeping me on my toes. I knock on her front door and wait. I don’t see the car in the driveway but Eve could have it. The door swings open slowly and Nora’s pale face appears.
“Agent Brown. Hi.”
“Sorry to show up unannounced but it’s important. Can I come in?”
“Of course,” she says. She hobbles a step backward to make room for me to enter. In the kitchen, I take a seat at the island.
“So what’s going on? Did you find Holden? Lotte?” she asks.
I shake my head. “It’s about Anton,” I say. Nora’s face wrinkles. “He’s missing. The police went to pick him up and the Clarks front door was unlocked and the house was a disaster, chairs flipped, lamps broken and Anton can’t be found.”
“Angela? Aimee?” she asks breathless.
“They are fine. Angela was at work and Aimee wasn’t home from school yet. And as you know, Aubry was here.”
Nora releases a breath and drops her head into her hands. “I knew this was a bad idea.”
“No.” I reach out and touch her shoulder. “Nora, this is not on you. He could have run. We just don’t know. I just wanted to fill you in.”
“Yo, Nora. A little help with these bags?”
Nora grins weakly at Eve’s voice. I motion for her to stay put and get up to help Eve.
“Oh, hey, Samantha,” Eve says. I sigh and take three grocery bags from her outstretched arm.
“Agent Brown,” I correct.
“Yeah, yeah. But we go back a long way now, I feel like we’ve graduated to first names.” I laugh at Eve because there really isn’t any point arguing with her. “Why are you here? What’s up?” she asks, as we set the grocery bags on the kitchen island.
“Anton is missing,” Nora says. Eve drops the rest of her bags and spins to face Nora.
“What? That fucker ran? One little sexual assault charge and the pussy ran?” Eve’s voice is close to a squeal, which I’ve learned happens before her temper explodes.
“Calm down, Eve,” I say. “We don’t know. The house was turned upside down, like a struggle happened and no one can find him. That is all we know. I want you both to be vigilant about locking doors and setting the window alarms. And I brought you this.” I reach into my blazer and pull a pistol from my shoulder strap.
“No,” Nora says.
“Yes,” I say.
“Hell, yes,” Eve says.
Nora shakes her head. “I don’t want that in my house.”
“Well, tough luck. It stays,” I tell her. “Now both of you pay attention.” I show the girls how to unlock the safety and load the gun. Then I have them each do it twice for practice. “Now listen, this is my spare. It’s registered to me. Do not use it, unless absolutely necessary.”
“I won’t use it at all,” Nora scoffs.
“I promise to call you the second I shoot it,” Eve says and grins. That girl is incorrigible.
“Listen, you shoot this gun and I’m in a shitload of trouble but I can’t get the idea of you two not having a way to defend yourselves out of my head.”
Eve’s expression goes from jubilant to solemn. “Can I buy the gun from you?”
“What?” I ask.
“What if you sell me the gun? I can register it and legally, you won’t be in the middle, if it ever gets used.”
“Eve,” Nora says.
“What, Nora? Seriously. Our objective is not to get Samantha here fired and we don’t have to use the gun, but it is nice to know we have it, if we need it,” Eve says.
Nora makes a sour face but in the stare down from Eve, she finally relents. “Fine.”
“Good decision. Listen, if you hear from or see Anton, you call immediately, you hear?”
Both girls nod. “And Eve, let’s go to the firearm shop and draw up a bill of sale and get that registered.”
“Do you want to come, Nora?” Eve asks.
“No, thanks. I’ll unload the groceries.”
“Lock the door behind us,” I say. Nora shoots me a half smile and a nod.
I do my make-up in the car on the way to Howie’s bar. He’s sitting at the bar with a beer in hand, his back to me. His broad shoulders stretch the fabric of his Oxford shirt when he rests his elbows on the bar like he is. His dark hair looks glossy under the lights. I walk up and tap him on the shoulder.
“Sam, you came,” he says.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I thought you’d chicken out, honestly.”
“Me?”
He laughs. “Yeah, you.”
“Salve.” I slap him on the bicep playfully. “I don’t kiss and chicken out, even if the kiss was a surprise.”
“Listen, I didn’t mean to surprise you. I honestly figured you saw it coming. All those late nights together, going over this case. The texts, calls.”
I hold up a hand to stop him. “I’m pretty bad at my personal life and I’m surprisingly pretty clueless to flirting when it’s happening to me.”
Salve smiles and pats the bar stool next to him. “Fair enough.”
“How was your day?”
“Rough. Captain has me on a homicide and so far it’s all dead ends. You’d think Pocketville was small enough that people couldn’t hide a crime, but nope.” The bartender stops in front of Salve and he orders me a beer. “How’re Nora and Eve?”
“I sold Eve my spare gun today. I wanted them to have something in the house with them. This whole Anton ordeal is setting off red flags for me.”
“I wish I could be more involved.”
“I know, but it’s not your jurisdiction anymore. Pocketville needs you to serve and protect.”
Salve laughs before taking a slug off his beer. The bartender slides mine before me and I pull down the light amber liquid, as if it will solve all my problems. Last week, I’d called Salve to go over some details of the case, even though he’s technically off the case because Nora doesn’t live in Pocketville. We’d been eating Chinese and brainstorming and the next thing I knew, Salve’s lips were on mine. I’d pulled back in shock but then practically jumped him. After a teenager-like make out session, his cell had gone off and he’d had to speed off. The job, for us, always comes first.
“I know it was only kissing,” he says, “but I’d really like to see where this goes, Samantha.” His eyes trap mine and hold them prisoner. I find myself grinning at the detective I once found irritating for being so soft.
I put my hand on his on the bar. “Like I said, I’m pretty bad at relationships, but I’m willing to give this a go.”
Salve leans in and brushes his lips against mine. He smells like alcohol and smoke but tastes like mint and beer.
“Just one thing,” I say. “I don’t want Nora and Eve to know.”
Salve smiles at me. “Don’t want them knowing you have a functioning heart?”
I laugh in earnest. “Pretty much.”
“I love it when you laugh,” Salve says and pushes an errant strand of hair out of my face.