After sitting at my desk for another hour, doing nothing but reading line after line of code, I decided to call it a day. I wanted to think about the code before bringing up all the irregularities I'd seen. If I started getting into the details, I didn't think I'd get home that night. On the investigation front, no one I'd met seemed like they were shady, unless you counted Louie, who was just creepy.
I said a quick good-bye and noticed that no one else made any moves to leave. I was lucky to get a wave of the hand from everyone other than Eric, who was nice enough to say a few words. They were mumbled under his breath, so I didn't know what he'd said, but he got an A for effort.
When I got to the Suburban, I didn't see Nate around, so I let myself in. Not knowing how long he'd be, I closed my eyes and rested for a little while. I doubted even a full minute passed before I heard the driver's side door open.
"In case you were wondering, you have a lot of explaining to do," I said, not bothering to open my eyes.
"You, my sweet, are lucky I didn't clobber a couple of your new friends over their wee little heads for the way they were looking at you," he said, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek.
He started the car up and after he got us heading in the direction of home, he took my hand and started playing with the engagement ring on my finger. I was a little surprised my hand hadn't felt weighted down after it received its temporary accessory.
"How in the world did you just happen to be carrying around an antique engagement ring in your pocket?"
"That ring is very important to me. I've been carrying it around in either my pocket or on a chain around my neck for years. It now rests on your finger and I want you to make sure it stays there and is kept safe."
Even that directive didn't make it feel any heavier. I thought Nate was foolish for putting something that important to him in my possession. He'd lived with me long enough to know I was good at misplacing things during certain phases of the moon.
"If you're worried about it, you could always take it back. We could just tell everyone else we sent it off to be sized."
"No. It's on your finger and there it will stay. I don't even want to see it off when you take showers or cook dinner. Speaking of dinner, do you have anything planned?" he asked, moving quickly away from the subject of the ring.
"I was just thinking of making some sandwiches and destroying a bag of potato chips. Being in super-spy mode and being friendly with that many people kind of drained me today," I said as we entered the house. "While I'm thinking about it, did you happen to have any odd experiences today?"
I'd thought about not bringing it up, but I really wanted to know if I'd finally stepped over the line where I could claim to be sane. He looked at me with an odd mix of worry and hopefulness on his face. I wasn't sure what he was hoping for, but it worried me.
"No, I didn't. What happened to you?"
If no one else shared my weird delusions, I figured it was probably better to keep them to myself. I didn't know if there were any mental institutions close by, but my goal was to stay out of them.
"Nothing really. Just had a couple of dizzy spells. I thought maybe something was up and asked Hank if anything happened during the times I got them and he mentioned some fusion reactor testing that went on during those times. It's probably nothing, just wanted to see if you felt anything funny."
"Let me know if they get worse. We may need to pull you out if you're having medical issues in the building," We walked to the kitchen and I started making sandwiches.
"Like I said, I'm sure it's nothing. Oh, just so you know we're having an open house here this Saturday. I'm doing a favor for one of my new coworkers and at the same time we can try to get a handle on the different people in town. Maybe we can at least find someone who sticks out, so we can focus our investigation on him or her.
"I didn't get any bad vibes from the people around me today and I don't know another way to meet the other departments, since they seem to stay pretty grouped together." I had our turkey sandwiches assembled, with extra pickles on mine, so I grabbed my plate and a bag of Doritos and headed to the living room.
"That's a really good idea. What coworker are you helping out? As good as the idea is, if it's Louie or Eric, I'm vetoing the plan." He settled in next to me on the sectional and picked up the remote.
"No, it's actually Ettie. The only reason we've heard bad things about her from everyone is because she used to date Josh and when she broke things off with him, everyone turned against her. I really feel bad for her. It's one thing to be stuck working here in the middle of nowhere, but it's a totally different story if everyone around you hates you. She's hoping this little get-together might mend some fences."
"I wouldn't say anyone is stuck here, but I get your meaning. I still can't believe you showed someone your tattoo, though."
He turned the channel to the national news. It was reporting the usual doom and gloom, so I ignored it.
"It's not like it's on some super hidden body part. It's my side and I'm wearing a freaking back sheath, so I couldn't flash anyone. And just so you know, other people have actually seen it before. A whole room of doctors and nurses, Frannie, and your friend Rick have all seen it. Plus, the idea is to be friendly with the locals. I was just trying to form a bond with one of them over tattoos." I inhaled a big bite of my sandwich once I stopped flapping my gums.
"I'm not sure I like the form of bonding that reveals a usually covered portion of your body," he said as he became bored with the news and started flipping through the channels. "And don't think for a second I like the fact that Rick has seen it either. Just because he's one of my best friends, doesn't mean he gets any special privileges."
Rick was a NYPD detective who I'd met just after visiting my first crime scene. He and Nate had been friends forever it seemed and during my recovery I got to know Rick pretty well. The three of us spent a lot of time hanging out in my apartment and riding our motorcycles around town. Nate wouldn't let Rick and I spend any time alone. I'd tried to tell him Rick seemed more like a brother than anything else, but my words were wasted on him.
I finished eating and grabbed our empty plates to take them to the dishwasher. On my way back to the living room, I heard my cell phone ring. I picked it up to see who it was, afraid my mother found out I was in the state and was planning to come for a visit. I was delighted to see it was the person who was just on my mind. I took a seat at the dining room table, answering the phone.
"Hello, Freddie," I said, calling him a name I knew he hated. One of those evenings sitting around my apartment, I found out Rick's real name was actually Frederick and he absolutely despised it.
"Hey, baby girl, you know you're lucky I love you," he replied in his usual, overly flirtatious voice. "I hear congratulations are in order. I can't believe you let him put a ring on your finger. I really thought you'd eventually wise up and leave him for me."
"Rick, you know I'm smart enough to not actually be with him. Any relationship he claims we have is all a part of some delusional world Nate lives in. Plus, he didn't put a ring on my finger. He put a ring on Peggy Richards' finger.
"We aren't actually going to get married, so if he's been spreading those lies, I'll make sure he's punished. Once the mission is over, this ring is off my finger fast enough to spin heads and if I'm lucky, he'll decide to move out."
"All I'm saying is, baby girl, you better be careful. He got a ring on the finger; it may be harder than you imagine getting it back off. The man has had it bad for you for a very long time. If he gets to be too overbearing, you just come to me and I'll make sure you're taken care of."
"You know, Rick, if I didn't know any better, I'd find it hard to believe you guys are actually friends. Aren't you supposed to be helping him get the girl, not warning the girl to run as soon as possible?"
I'd seen them together and they were really like two peas in a pod. When the topic of me came up, they tended to butt heads a little. There was some undercurrent I didn't understa
nd, nor did I really want to.
"Hey, Nate is my oldest friend, but that doesn't mean I won't give him a little fight when I think he's doing things wrong. He can't always have everything just given to him without putting a little effort into it."
"So, are you just calling to tease me about my upcoming fake nuptials?" I asked, curious if the conversation was going to turn to a more pleasant topic.
"Nah. I was calling as your friend to ask how your first day undercover went. I know how nervous you get in this type of situation and wanted to show my support."
"Don't let the guys you work with know, but you're really a big softie, Freddie," I said, teasing him. "Today went surprisingly well. I actually made friends and the whole engagement came about because I had to fight off advances from an unwanted suitor. The kid looks about sixteen and for some reason got it in his mind he had a chance with me. I made up a story about how my boyfriend was probably going to propose any day and sadly the idiot, known as my boyfriend, overheard and used it to his advantage."
"Did the kid manage to keep all his body parts attached? If he doesn't take the hint, let me know and I can make a trip over to show him you're well and truly unavailable." I wasn't sure I wanted to know what that meant, and I was positive Nate could handle Louie, if he proved to be stupid enough to pester me further.
"That's just what I need. A town with seventy people in it and you and Nate polluting it with overdoses of testosterone. For right now, let's just keep you in New York." I tried to hide a yawn, but it was followed closely by another one. Not having gone to work daily in months left me not acclimated to putting in a full day.
"Fine, but if you need me, just call and I'm on the fastest jet over. Don't hesitate to call for backup."
"I'm pretty sure things will be fine, but I'll keep that in mind. I need to start getting ready for bed. Too many people around exhausted me today. You want to talk to Nate before we hang up?"
"I'm good. We've already had our talk for the day. I just wanted to chat with you for a little while, but I'll let you get your beauty sleep. Talk to you soon, Avery. Hugs and kisses."
"Back at ya, Freddie," I said, hanging up.
"You encourage him too much sometimes. I think you should reiterate a few more times that you're not interested."
Nate was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. It figured that he'd try to listen in on my conversation, not that I was trying to make it private.
"He knows I'm just playing around and have no interest in anything more than friendship. Even if he flirts, he has learned to take a hint, unlike someone I know," I said, looking at him pointedly.
"You might be thinking friendship, but I know for a fact that isn't what is on his mind, which is really wrong on so many levels. Since I've brought it up before, I won't give you another lecture, just be careful with him."
"You hate the fact that he and I are actually friendly and I tend to treat you not as nice."
"Yes I do," he said simply. There was no reason to expound on the truth. "Why don't we get you off to bed? You can barely sit in that chair without slumping over."
"Good idea," I said, standing and leading the way to the bedroom. "The pillows are staying in place even with the fake proposal."
"For now, but you do owe me for that biting trick this afternoon. That wasn't a very nice thing to do in the company of others. If it had been in our bedroom, that would be a whole other story."
"Eww. Yuck. I promise to never bite your tongue again. Especially if it makes you think of us in a bedroom." I grabbed some pajamas and was off to the bathroom to get changed.
When I returned to the room, he was already in bed, under the covers. I made sure our alarm was all set and settled in on my side. It had been a long day and I was sure there were many more to come before the assignment was complete.
I rolled over, facing Nate's side of the bed. "Good night, Nate," I whispered, already starting to fall asleep.
He leaned over and gave me the usual kiss on my forehead. "Good night, my little butterfly."
If he said anything else, I didn't notice because I was fast asleep.?
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CHAPTER 10
I don't recommend a caveman diet; they are really hard to peel