The Detective

Chapter 18 - A Girl like Gravity

Carr didn't fire me, but only because he couldn't afford to and keep his job. By the end of the day, the story had reached the local news. By the weekend, it had gone national. The sheriff's job is a political office and it was an election year, so I smiled for the cameras, knowing each headline meant job security.

Ramon Edgar had been the inside-man pumping information about the sheriff's office to his two friends, Kyle Culvers and Travis Bell—a.k.a. Justin Sider. Travis, an M.I.T. engineering drop-out, had been the ring leader of the trio and was an expert at cracking safes. He had once even taught a seminar on it at an international security conference. Just as I suspected, they were targeting homes protected by ArmorTech. They had spent months driving around nice neighborhoods looking for ArmorTech stickers on houses and then had hacked into the video feeds of each one. When they found a house with a large stash of cash, they planned their attack, waiting till no one was home, then disabling each system remotely prior to going in.

The death of Carissa Withers was a tragic miscalculation on their part. Still, Kyle Culvers, the trigger man, went up for second degree murder and the other two were charged with everything from accessory to tampering with evidence. All three of them would spend the majority of the rest of their lives in federal prison.

As far as I could tell, none of them had any grand plans for their loot aside from buying computer equipment and video game add-ons. Ramon had reportedly purchased a $6,000 elf on World of Warcraft through an auction in Australia. When I found out, I suddenly felt better about my non-existent social life.

Speaking of...

I spent the weekend dodging the media in Asheville.

On Friday night, Shannon took me downtown to eat dinner. Tupelo Honey was packed with a line of people waiting to get in, but she swore it was some of the best food in town and well worth the wait. When we were finally taken to our table, a surprising face was at the table next to ours.

"Sheriff Davis," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

He looked up, then smiled when he saw me and stood. He offered me his hand. "Detective McNamara. Fancy meetin' you here. How are ya?"

I nodded. "I've been busy."

He laughed. "So, I've heard." He pumped my fist again. "Congratulations on the robbery case. You've been all over the news, even here."

I blew out a sigh. "Between you and me, I'm just glad it's over. That was months of headache and frustration."

"It usually is," he said. "What brings you back to town?"

I looked over at Shannon. "Asheville hospitality."

He chuckled and waved to her. "Nice to see you again, Ms. Green." He looked down at the woman sitting next to him. "This is my wife, Gloria. Gloria, this is the hotshot investigator from Raleigh I've been trying to get moved out here, Nathan McNamara."

I tipped my hat in her direction. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

She smiled politely.

He crossed his large arms over his chest. "Have you thought anymore about my offer?"

I laughed. "Honestly, sir, I've been so busy, I haven't had time to think about anything."

He pointed at me. "Well, don't forget about it, son."

I smiled and shook my head. "I won't." I bowed my head slightly. "I hope you enjoy your dinner."

He nodded. "And you as well."

Just as I joined Shannon at our table, my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was the lieutenant. I groaned and looked at Shannon. "Babe, will you excuse me for just a sec? I've got to take this. It's my boss."

She smiled. "Want me to order a drink for you?"

I glanced back at the bar. "Yeah, a pale ale on tap."

She nodded as I walked away and pressed the answer button on my phone. I held it to my ear as I stepped back outside in the cold. "McNamara."

"Nathan, I'm going to need you out with Wallace on the double homicide in Rolesville tonight," Carr said in lieu of a greeting.

I rolled my eyes up toward the starry sky. "Lieutenant, I'm not on duty tonight."

"I didn't ask if you were. I said, I need you in Rolesville."

"I'm out of town, sir."

He paused. "I don't believe you cleared your absence with me."

"I'm not on duty," I repeated, over-enunciating my words. "I'm sorry, sir. You're going to have to call someone else."

He began spouting off on the other end of the line, but I wasn't listening. I held the phone away from my mouth and began making static noises. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. Bad reception. You're breaking up on me."

Then, with a little too much satisfaction, I pressed the end-call button and powered the phone all the way down before tucking it into my jacket pocket. Screw that guy.

With a new quickness to my step, I turned back toward the restaurant just as two women stopped at the front door. They were about my age and both attractive. One was blond and about six feet tall; the other was brunette and a little shorter than me.

"Adrianne, it's packed," the brunette said as she scrunched up her nose.

God, she's hot.

The blonde looped her arm through her friend's. "You're right. Let's go grab margaritas instead!"

My feet seemed rooted to the ground, as the brunette glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled. Her eyes were the color of new copper pennies. She looked back at her friend. "Go on then, you're blocking the door!"

My breath hung in my chest as the pair took off down the street toward the sounds of a mariachi band. And like with the force of gravity pulling at me, I wanted to follow.

*****************
The End.

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