Red Ochre Falls (4 page)

By the time we made
it to the dance club, we’d caught up on everything and were invigorated to be
out on the town.

“I just want to
dance, it’s been so long.” I followed Jocelyn inside The Boxcar and she found
us a spot near the dance floor. Drinks flowed under the neon 80s Night sign, so
we grabbed a couple and hit the floor right away.

The club was fairly
clean, but it’s mostly a meet market. Tons of students and young execs, with some
random dance-hungry girls like us thrown in the mix.

“I love this song!
It’s Howard Jones.” Jocelyn shouted as we got to our spot on the dance floor.
It was crowded, but tonight crowded felt energizing. It was time to shake off
anxiety and have fun.

On campus, Jos and
I got a reputation for dancing. We didn’t dance for anyone but ourselves and we
never held back. People used to stop and stare, while others joined us. Tonight
was no different—dancing was our workout and tension reliever rolled into
one. A couple guys approached us, but we weren’t here to snag dates. Jos and I
just needed to unwind, so we ran interference for each other.

A young looking
banker-type and his wingman approached us as we made it to the bar for another
round. They bought us drinks and we thanked them, but made it clear we were
here for fun, not hook-ups.

After the second
round, we felt pretty good. The vibe was electric and we danced out butts off
for a while. Sweat beaded up on my neck while we kept up with a thrumming bass.
I moved my arms under my hair to flip it up and get some air to my skin. As I
let go my arms caught someone on the way down.

I kept dancing and
turned to apologize for slapping the innocent bystander when his eyes meet
mine. He looked amazing—clean-shaven and lightly tanned, dressed in a
casual t-shirt and jeans. He smelled even better—a crisp, musky scent
mixed with his body heat and pheromones. I could’ve eaten him up, but I needed
to maintain my composure.

Someone bumped me
from behind and I stumbled into Garrett. He steadied me at the waist and gently
placed one of his hands on the small of my back. So much for remaining
composed. His blue eyes mesmerized me. Heat shot into parts of my body I didn’t
know existed.

“May I have this
dance?”

“Yes,” I whispered.
He pulled me close to dance. My heart fluttered when I placed my arms around
his neck. Our eyes locked. His blue pools of awesomeness looked darker than
usual. I hoped it was a good sign. As he pulled me even closer the whole
arm-flexing thing distracted me. I didn’t know how much more of this I could
take before I completely melted into him. This was bad. Very, very bad, but
felt so very, very good.

He leaned in and
gently pressed his lips to my ear.
 
I felt his breath as he whispered, “Nice moves.”

He made me feel
really good. Better than I should have felt, considering the desire to do more
with him was overriding my common sense. I shivered and he pulled back. My
attention moved from his soft, decadent lips to his gorgeous eyes.

“But, you hit like
a girl.” His lips pulled up into a sly grin. I knew he referred to the hair
flip-and-slap incident from a minute ago, but it took a moment for me to
respond.
 

“Very funny.” I
playfully punched him in the arm, a little harder this time.

“Umph. Just
kidding, there’s no need to get testy. Although, I like the feisty side of
you.” His comment shocked me enough my mouth may have dropped open. He placed
his hand under my chin as if he was going to close it. Or, was he going to kiss
me? I felt breathless. What’s he waiting for? I’m here! Take me now! It got
really loud in my head.

“Don’t let me stop
you, big guy,” Jocelyn must have decided it was time for Mr. Handsome to get
the once-over while I stared at, no, drooled over him. “I just wanted to see
the first person to ever render my best friend speechless.” Jos was a great
friend. She came to make sure I was ok, and not getting hit on by a crazy
stalker. This is not a crazy stalker guy, Jos. Really. I hope she read it in my
expression and got the hint.

“Jocelyn,” I said,
a little disheartened she was still standing there because I really wanted to
dance with him again. “This is Garrett.”

“Nice to meet you,
Garrett. I’m Mattie’s best friend. We’re dancing tonight to help her forget her
troubles.”

“Troubles?”
 

“Yeah, she’s had a
tough year. Her mom’s been sick, they lost their house, and they just moved
into a creepy new one.”

I wanted to crawl
under a table. Was there one around here somewhere? No? I had to face this head
on. Only, Garrett beat me to it.

“I’m Garrett,” he
shook her hand. “Owner of Mattie’s creepy new house.”

“Oh, really?”
Jocelyn eyed me as though I owed her a long and detailed explanation. I wanted
to argue,
I just gave you an explanation even if I left out some of the good
parts.
Jos smiled at Garrett. Did she just bat her eyes at him too? OMG!
What level of hell was embarrassment? “She never told me you were so…young.” At
least she didn’t say hot. “And hot.” Jos nodded in my direction.

I guess I deserved
that. Not only had I kept my address quiet, I kept the hottie boss a secret
too. I had a lot of explaining to do.

“Thanks for the
compliment,” Garrett said to Jos before he eyed me. “So, do you think I’m a
hottie, Mattie?”

Did he really want
my answer? Could I give him an answer? What would happen if I told him he was
hot? I grabbed him to steady myself.

“Whoa, there.
Either it’s the answer I hoped for, or you’re a lightweight.” He held me and I
wanted to say something, but couldn’t.

When I looked to
Jocelyn for help, her face went blank. I followed her eyes over to a dark
corner of the bar. It was Tab. He saw us, and walked over to where we were on
the dance floor. Even over the booze of the bar and a hundred sweaty co-eds, I
could smell him—drunk, again.

“Hey ladies,” he
flashed a greasy smile at us. “Looking good Mattie.” He took a step, but
Garrett stopped him.

“Garrett
Mackenzie,” he shoved his hand out to block Tab and shook his hand, firmly.
“And you are?” Garrett did not sound happy. Tab must have picked up on it. He
eyed me then Garrett and decided to play with him.

“Oh, I’m here for
Mattie. Didn’t she tell you?” He smoothed out his voice. “Sweet little Mattie
used to be jealous of what I had going with her college roommie. She decided she
wanted a piece, so I’m gonna take her back to my place and—” Tab raised
his hand to touch me, but Garrett twisted it back so swiftly we barley saw it
happen before Tab yelled out. “Ow!”

Garrett applied
more pressure judging from the pained look on Tab’s face. Even with his hand
incapacitated, the drunk lashed out. “Hey man, don’t start something you can’t
finish.” Tab wriggled to free his hand, but Garrett held tight.

Knowing he had no
place to go, Tab stopped moving. “I was just having some fun with the ladies.
You like having fun. Don’t you, girls?” He reeked of booze and violence, and it
scared me.

Then, in a low,
calm voice Garrett said something, and Tab went white.

“Tab’s going to
leave now.” Garrett pulled Tab’s arm tighter, not caring whether he broke it
off, and walked him out the front door. Whatever Garrett told him must have
been meaningful, because Tab didn’t bother to resist or come back.

“What a creep!” Jos
spoke first. She crossed her arms. Chloe’s ex- rattled us both.

“Hasn’t changed a
bit, has he?” I jabbed.

The guy was bad
news. I didn’t like the fact he showed up just as Chloe and her mom seemed to
be reaching out for help. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Jos. I heard from
both Chloe and her mom this week.”

Jos looked at me and
I shared the worry in her expression.

“I know, I think
Tab may be up to his old tricks. I’ll know more after I meet with Chloe
tomorrow.” It was all Jos needed to hear.

We headed to our
table and ordered waters. Jos described a couple recent incidents between Chloe
and Tab. He supposedly looked her up to apologize for hurting her. Something
about making amends in his effort to get sober. She must have loved the guy, or
the sex, because he ended up charming her into bed, again. They went public
with the relationship, and it seemed fine for a couple weeks.

Jos told me he
showed up drunk at her house one night when she and a co-worker were going over
a case. Tab went nuts, and started beating Chloe. When her co-worker tried to
stop it, Tab started beating him. The guy ended up in the hospital, but was too
afraid of Tab to press charges. Chloe told the police, who recommended she get
a restraining order. Instead, she called Tab’s father and they took him back to
rehab.

Apparently, he’d
gone off the deep end without Chloe. This was worse than I thought.

When Garrett came
back, I didn’t know what to say. How do you tell a guy you and your mom work
for, but you barely know, a) Thank you for getting rid of the threatening
lunatic we attracted, and b) You smell good, I want to be more than
friends—what does one say in this position?

Garrett came back
to check on us. He helped me off the stool without saying a word. He didn’t
look mad, but he kept quiet. We walked Jos to her car and made sure she drove
off safely before we headed over to my car.

I reached for my
key to unlock the door and started to shake. Garrett put his arms around me.
“It’s okay, I’ll make sure you get home safe.” He squeezed me tighter. “You
don’t even have to give me your number—I already have it.”

It made me laugh,
which was good because laughing seemed a lot better than crying in front of him
right now. He opened my door and went around to the other side of the car. He
got in the passenger seat and told me where to find his car.

I dropped him off
next to a gorgeous black Maserati. If my car could blush from embarrassment, it
would. Instead, it made a metal screech, kind of like an angry cat. When
Garrett looked over, Old Bessie shut-up.
 

“Follow me. You’re
parking in the garage tonight.”

I didn’t know what
that entailed, but I trusted him. Sure enough, he drove up on the other side of
the funeral home and stopped in front of the garage. He pointed to the second
of four bays, then got out and raised the garage door. I pulled in next to a black
hearse and cut the engine. He parked outside in one of two spots near the
garage entrance and came inside. Then I watched as he pulled down the garage
door and locked it.

We walked through
the hallway, past the room where I saw Jimbo the body, and into the office.
Garrett stopped me.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded ‘yes’, but
it must not have convinced him. He led me through the office and to the
stairway leading to my apartment. “Everything’s going to be okay.” He gave me a
reassuring squeeze. I smiled and went upstairs. After I reached the landing at
the top, I peeked down to see if he was still there. He waved. I got inside
safely and double-checked the locks.

Mom was asleep, so
I did the bare minimum to get ready for bed, and hit the sack.

CHAPTER 6

The smell of toast and eggs woke me before the alarm. Mom must have
gotten up before me. I met her in the kitchen and poured us both some orange
juice. She asked about my night on the town as we shared breakfast.

I ate a forkful of
eggs and tried to decide how much information to give mom. We’re pretty close.
Sure, we’ve had our disagreements, but we depended on and trusted each
other—the way it’s always been. She needed to know what happened, so I
drank some OJ, and gave her the details. Not to worry her, but to make sure she
stayed alert because I didn’t know what Tab might do. I may have left out the
part where I drooled over Garrett, but she knew he helped Jos and me.

As soon as we
cleared the breakfast dishes, I grabbed a few things and stepped into the
shower. I put my head under the hot water and waited for it to perk me up for
the interview, errands, and meeting with Chloe I had planned.

I hoped it would be
easy for me to find work since most college interns and part-timers would be
headed back for fall term. Being young and eager should help me land something,
right? Trouble was, I wanted a job that paid well with flexible hours—to
leave early on class days, and take off whenever mom needed help. Basically, I
needed a miracle. Jocelyn helped set me up with an interview at a local law
firm. Maybe I’d get lucky.

I dressed in my
best navy suit mom bought me for college interviews. It still looked new, and
was the most professional clothing in the closet. The tailored skirt and jacket
paired well with a white blouse, nude pantyhose and heels. I tied on bright
scarf with yellow flowers for some added color, then spritzed my hair and
brushed on some blush and mascara.

Not only did I look
sharp for the interview, but I also felt better since our run-in last night. I
might even see how Garrett responded to my polished look, although, it didn’t
matter because I felt good all on my own. My confidence soared as I grabbed my
bag to leave.

“You look great,”
mom said when I stepped into the living room.

“Gee, this old
thing.” I twirled. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,
sweetie. I know you’ll do great. If they’re smart, they’ll hire you on the
spot.”

“Thanks, mom. See
you later.” I leaned over, kissed her on the forehead and headed downstairs.

The car was in the
garage, so it was necessary for me to walk to the back office and through the
back hallway in order to leave. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Garrett, but got a
nice compliment from Hank on the way out. The garage door gave me trouble, but
after a little nudging it flew open. My car didn’t screech at startup this
morning, which was a pleasant change. I backed the car out, and left it running
while I got out to close and lock the garage door—no remote openers in
this old place—and drove to the interview.

The office was
impeccably decorated. The receptionist sent me back through a set of mahogany
stained wood doors inlaid with glass. A woman with short black hair and a chic
grey dress looked up at me over a large desk. The light from two overhead
chandeliers reflected metallic flecks on her lips and nails—not what I
expected in a conservatively decorated law office, but she made it work.

“Mr. Myagi is
expecting you.” She pointed toward a row of conference rooms. “Second one on
the left.”

They must have
recently remodeled because the fresh paint smell overpowered my senses—I
thought she just called the guy Mr. Myagi.
 
“Excuse me. Who?”

“Mr. Myagi.”

“You know Mr. Myagi
is—” I started to say it, but a short grey haired man stepped up and
shook my hand.

“Yes. I get that a
lot, especially since I’m Asian. At least it gets me free coffee every now and
then. So, I’ve learned to own it.” He smiled. “Well, grasshopper. If you’re
ready, I’d like to ask a few questions.” I chortled at the grasshopper comment,
and sat down to talk with him.
 

After about thirty
minutes the interview was almost over. I wasn’t sure the questions he asked me
really highlighted my strengths as much as they pointed out my inexperience.
So, I took the opportunity to reiterate my dedication and drive—it might
have been better to call it desperation, but I didn’t want to scare him and
ruin my chance to land this job.

He made some more
notes before the interview concluded and I went on my way. Overall, I thought my
chances were pretty good, and the Jocelyn connection could only help.
 

I had to book it
out of there in order to meet Chloe, but was going to be late, so I texted her.
When I finally got there, a number of people posed by Fountain Square and shot
pictures, probably to share with family, friends, and social media followers.
It looked tempting, but I’d have to find Chloe first.

I scanned the crowd
on the south side then moved clockwise until I’d covered the whole area around the
fountain. She wasn’t there. Something felt off. She asked me to meet her. Sure,
I was late, but I’d sent her a text to let her know it. She should be here. I
sent another text and paced back and forth while I waited for a response. By
the time twenty minutes had passed, I took another pass then ducked into a
hotel café nearby. She didn’t appear to be there either, so I ordered a soda
while I decided what to do next.

I paid for the soda
and left some change. As I hurried out, eager to do another search I noticed
one of the pedestrians from the fountain at the café. Not Chloe. I tried
looking again, but got frustrated and walked to my car.

The entire way
things played out in my head. Chloe’s sudden call after a long hiatus, and the
call from her mom seemed explainable, but the visit from Tab bothered me.
Footsteps followed, and they shared my pace. Usually, foot treads sound
different until the person tailing you slows or passes you. It wouldn’t have
been weird except it sounded like they’d been there for more than a block. I
sped up slightly and the person behind me did the same. My car came into view
and the keys were already in my hands. As I put the key in the lock someone
grabbed me by the shoulder.

“Mattie,” he said.

“Ack!” I turned and
saw Derek. My heart pounded in my chest and I was about to keel over.

“Oh, my gosh. I
didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”

 
“Yeah, you scared me.” I breathed hard.

“I’m so sorry. I
saw you and thought I’d say hello. I tried to get your attention, but you
seemed distracted and kept speeding up.”

Of course I was
distracted, I really needed to get to the bottom of this. I needed to find
Chloe. “I was supposed to meet a friend and she ended up being a no show. I
guess she got so busy at work she forgot to cancel.”

“Her loss is my
gain.” Derek smiled. “Do you want to grab a coffee?”

“I should get back
home, I’ve got to find out what happened to my friend.” I looked at him and
noticed the chiseled features of his face. He was handsome, but I had other
worries.

“How about another
time?”

Derek seemed really
disappointed. I caved.

“Sure.” I didn’t
know what else to say. He seemed nice. I figured one coffee couldn’t hurt. I
could maybe pick his brain about the business and learn more about the Davis
and Mackenzie families.

Derek helped me
into my car and waited while I got it started. My spotted chariot decided this,
of all times, to crap out. Even though I cranked it and pushed the gas, the car
made a chortling sound and died. My face went beet red. Derek held back laughter.

“Can I give you a
lift?”

“Please.” I made
sure to slam my door shut before locking and leaving it. There was no way this
could be good. And it was most likely going to cost a lot to get my car fixed.
It’d take a lot of work to earn enough to pay for repairs. I figured Derek and
I could make the most of the ride, and I’d tell mom all about it right after I
took a nap.

Turns out, Derek
had pretty good instincts. Having been around the funeral business his entire
life, he said he noticed how bothered I was by it when we met. Not hard to miss
a panic-stricken girl bolting across a busy street and nearly running a guy
over just to get away from a dead guy. He was able to put me at ease about the
whole living and working with dead bodies issue I seemed to be having this
week.

He pulled his Lexus
up the driveway and parked. When did we get here? It didn’t seem like we’d been
in the car long enough to already be home. Oh, well, I thought. As I unbuckled,
my car door opened.

Garrett extended
his hand to help me out. I didn’t notice him when we pulled into the driveway.
When did he get here? My brain must not have been fully functioning
today—my interview felt a little flat; I couldn’t find Chloe; and guys
were magically appearing before my eyes. Maybe a nap wasn’t the only thing I
needed.

“Is everything
okay, Mattie?” Garrett sounded concerned.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Just some car
trouble.” Derek walked over to us. “I saw her downtown and offered to give her
a ride.”

“How nice of you.”
Garrett’s voice had an edge to it.

 
“Yeah, my car bit the dust. I’d have had
to call a tow service, and cab it back here if Derek hadn’t been there to
help.” Then I turned to thank Derek only he hugged me instead. I don’t know if
I was more uncomfortable or Garrett, but we both thought Derek’s move was a
little over the top. I didn’t hate it, but it felt weird with an audience. I
stepped back. “Thanks, Derek. See you soon.” I did an uncomfortable wave at the
elbow because I wasn’t sure what else to do besides wave goodbye.

Garrett gave him
the stink-eye to indicate it was time to leave. Derek smiled. He got in his
Lexus and we watched him drive across the street and go inside the house.

“I’m hungry,”
Garrett said out of the blue. “How about you?”

“Me too.” He might
have noticed the hesitance in my voice.

“Sorry, Mattie. I’m
glad you got back okay. There’s just something about the guy I don’t
trust.”
 

I tried to analyze
his expression—was it a mix of concern and regret? I couldn’t tell—but
decided to leave it alone for now and get the lunch I’d missed. I’d search for
Chloe and deal with my broken car later.

“I could eat. But,
I need to check on mom first.”

“Sounds good. Think
you’ll be ready in twenty?”

I smiled and
nodded.
 

“Mattie? You’d
better change and bring your bat.” He winked. “I’ll meet you in the front
office.” I watched him turn and walk away before I ran up the stairs.

Mom was fine,
disappointed our car broke down and that Chloe stood me up, but happy to hear I
made it to the interview, and got a ride home without much trouble. She
reminded me Aunt Eileen planned to visit, something I’d forgotten about until
now. I mentioned Garrett’s offer for food, and she told me to go ahead. There
may have been a slight hesitation when she said it, but it was hard to tell.
This didn’t need to be a big deal. My plan was to play it safe: we’d eat and
we’d talk, nothing more. Easy, right?

I changed into
khaki shorts, a light blue t-shirt and tennis shoes. After a quick touch-up, I
stuffed my ID case in my shorts, hugged mom and grabbed my bat on the way out.

“Wait here, I need
to check something in the back room,” Garrett told me when I reached the front
office. “It shouldn’t take long.” He put his phone in his pocket and jogged out
the door.

I hadn’t been here,
except to peek when we took our first tour of the place a few days ago. The
front office, located just inside the glass doors at the front of the house,
looked more formal than the back office. The guys planned funerals with
grieving families in this office. The room projected style and professionalism,
and a designer’s touch ensured it felt like it belonged in a grand old
Victorian home.

The focal point of
the room was a cherry stained writing desk framed by two large cherry bookcases
that stood against the wall a couple feet behind the desk. A deep burgundy
leather chair sat empty at the desk. Opposite the desk was a floor lamp and a
small round-top table situated between two Queen Anne chairs. Large windows
behind the chairs and table let in an abundance of natural light. Beige sheers
covered the windows.

I peered out one
window for a few minutes contemplating the day. When Garrett returned, he had
on shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes, like I did. Only his t-shirt hugged his
upper body muscles like nothing I’d ever seen. I swallowed hard and he smiled.

“You ready?”

“Ready for what?” I
had some idea, but at the rate my day had gone, asking seemed like a smart
move.

“A stress
reliever.” He took my hand, then lead me out the front doors. This was not the
Maserati from the other night. It was a big Ram truck, and looked newer than
any car I’d ever owned. He opened my door and helped me up. He got in on the
other side and started it up. Can trucks really look this good? I ran my hands
all over the inside to find out. He made a couple noises and handed me a
granola bar.