The Company of Darkness (7 page)

“Ugh, it’s so boring, come down and keep me company,” Kelli complained, and Cady’s gaze flicked to the clock on the wall. 

“It’s supposed to be boring, it’s three o’clock.  Normal people do not hang out in bars at three in the afternoon.”

“They do if they’re super cool and want to keep my brains from leaking out my ears from boredom.”  Kelli’s job at
La Colmena
had only lasted a week, the
be your own boss
stint selling knives had been a total bust, and now she’d found a job tending bar at D’Bar.

“Kelli, I can’t come down there, I’m at work.”

“So?  Blow it off early, tell your boss you have cramps or something.”

Cady looked up at the closed door to her boss’ office, glad no one was around to see her taking the personal call on her cell.  “I can’t.  This isn’t Spanky’s, this is a real job.  I’m pretty sure I’m expected to be able to answer the phone if I have cramps.”

“Oh, come on, I’ll give you two free drinks for every one you buy.”

“You want me to entertain you by drooling on the bar?  That’s how I’ll end up if I drink that much.”

“Please!  I’m so bored I’m starting to organize the booze by flavor.”

There were definite perks to having a friend who worked in a bar, but even the lure of free drinks wasn’t enough to send Cady into amateur theatrics in order to leave work early.  “Why don’t you call Penny?”  Not that she didn’t have a real job too, but anything that deflected Kelli’s attention had to be a good thing.

“She already shot me down, she has to go to some dumb wedding thing tonight.”

“Oh, I see how it is.  You’re giving me the guilt trip when I wasn’t even your first choice?  Nice.”

“Only because I knew you’d say no.  You know you’re my girl.  You’re way more fun to hang out with anyway.”

“I’m going to tell her you said that.”

“No you won’t, because you wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings,” Kelli retorted, and Cady had to acknowledge that was probably true. 

“Look, I’ll stop by after work.  Will that make you happy?”  From the sound of Ethan’s earlier texts, he wouldn’t be free to meet up with her tonight anyway.

“Great, what am I supposed to do for the next two hours?”

It was like having to remote babysit and she wasn’t even getting paid.  “Um, your job?  What are you supposed to be doing in your down time?”

“I don’t know, cleaning and other boring stuff that’s just gonna get messed up again when it gets busy later.  I’m serious, what am I supposed to do?” she demanded with a petulant whine as Mr. Morley’s door opened. 

“Play Candy Crush or something, I have to go.”

“But I…”

Cady hung up, fairly sure he hadn’t spotted anything before she tucked the phone away and handed him his messages.   But then he was out the door, out for another agent visit, leaving her mostly unsupervised and pretty much bored herself.  The difference being, Cady could keep herself entertained, unlike her blonde friend.  After spending the afternoon practicing protective sigils on her message pad and making it to grand master in
mah johng
on the computer, she locked up for the day and headed straight for D’bar. 

Of course Kelli barely managed a wave when Cady stepped out of the late afternoon sun to let her eyes adjust to the cool dimness, the after work crowd starting to filter in.  The bar had the feeling of a video arcade from the eighties – plenty of neon touches, shiny vinyl booths with more than a few duct tape repairs, a hellacious black carpet with shocks of neon colors that almost seemed to glow under the lights.  

There was a high tech juke box that played three songs for a dollar, but it wasn’t a dance club.  The floor was too crowded with tables for that.  Cady made her way to the end of the long bar that was lit from beneath, making her legs look unnaturally pink.  Kelli hopped over before too long, her cheeks high with color, and thankfully, wearing sensible white sneakers for once instead of tottering around on her ridiculous heels. 

“What can I get for you, stranger?” she grinned, rubbing the bar with a wet rag in a passable impression of an old timey western accent. 

“There’s no one stranger than you, Kel,” Cady quipped.  “I’ll have the usual rum and Diet Coke, thanks.  I see you’re not so bored anymore.”

“I know, right?  It’s been crazy for the past hour.”  Her hands were already busy, plucking down a tall glass, filling it with ice.  “Oh, I’m gonna add something super yummy to your drink.”

“I don’t know…”

“No, it’s delicious, I swear.  You don’t have to pay if you don’t like it, but you will, I promise.”  Kelli concocted the drink with a flourish, shaking her ass to the beat of the music, something by Shakira.  After she was done, she set the glass in front of her, waiting expectantly.   

Cady took a dutiful sip, the syrupy, sweetness overpowering the rum and the soda.  “What is this?  It’s really sweet.”

“It’s a shot of cherry schnapps.  Pretty good right?  It’s like a cherry coke that gets you drunk too.” 

“It’s really sweet.”  Cady swallowed, rolling her tongue around in her mouth to try and rub off some of the cloying flavor.  Much too sweet for her taste.  And where was the usual diet soda aftertaste? 
Ick
, was it regular Coke?  “Kelli, I don’t think this tastes right.” 

“Ooh, be right back.”

“Wait…” Cady called after her, but it was too late.  Kelli was already halfway down the bar, flirting with a guy in thick hipster glasses about bottled ales.   

“You’re a purist, eh?  Me too.”  The voice came from beside her, and even before Cady turned her head, she knew who it belonged to.  The desire to bolt out of there flashed through her mind, but she held her ground, head swiveling to confirm who’d exactly taken a seat beside her. 

Rikard.

He looked slightly different than she’d last seen him, his reddish brown hair mostly gone, cropped close enough to lose the curl.  A rasp of stubble covered his jaw.  He wore jeans and a brown leather jacket designed to conceal the weapons she knew he must be carrying.  A high necked, blue t-shirt stretched across his chest leaving the only tattoo in sight the one covering the back of his left hand. 

His eyes were more of a slate gray than blue in the light, and with the charming smile on his lips, he actually seemed kind of cute, in a dangerous, don’t-play-with-fire way.  Until his eyes locked with hers, cold and piercing, making her feel like he could see straight into her soul. 

“It’s Cady, right?”  The cold stare flicked away and she felt like she could breathe again.  That was until she realized she’d never told him her first name. 

“Yeah, you’re Smythe, right?” she said, somehow finding her voice, using the bogus name he’d given her in the coffee shop.

“You’ve got a good memory.”

“Some things are more memorable than others.” 
Shit
.  She probably shouldn’t have said that.  She shouldn’t have let on that she remembered him at all.  Too late, his smile stretched wider.

“You made quite an impression on me too.  I’m surprised to see you in this neighborhood though.  Out for a drink or collecting more rent checks?”

Like hell he was surprised.
  “I um...”  How were you supposed to tell a dangerous creeper it was none of his business?  “I’m here to see my friend, Kelli,” she said, happening to catch the blonde’s eye for a wave.  That didn’t sound too bad and it didn’t admit too much one way or the other.  The bigger question was, what was
he
doing there?  Was it dumb luck, was he following her, or was it something else?  “What about you?  Do you live around here?”

“My work brought me to this neighborhood.”

Nice and vague.  “You do some kind of marketing, right?”

“I’m more of a consultant.  I go wherever there’s need.”

“And there’s a need here at D’Bar?”

He leaned closer, his piercing gaze holding a touch of amusement this time.  “A man’s got all kinds of needs.” 

Fuck a duck..
.  Was he flirting with her?  She didn’t know what to do with that.  Pretend to flirt back with him like she didn’t know he was a killer?  Luckily, she was saved by Kelli who appeared before them, no trace of the silly western twang this time as she leaned over the bar, offering them (well him, really) a shameless view of her cleavage. 

“Who’s your friend?”

“I don’t know if we’re really friends…”

“The cavalry has arrived,” Rikard grinned at Kelli.  “And just in time, I was about to die of thirst.”

“We couldn’t let that happen, could we?  Don’t you worry, handsome, I’ll take good care of you,” Kelli smiled back, flirting outrageously.  What happened to her having something going with Ian?  Then again, that was her personality.  It was mostly harmless and led to great tips.  

Rikard pulled out a sheaf of bills.  “That’s what I like to hear.  Take care of me, and I’ll take care of you.”  He peeled off a twenty and slid it across the counter.  “Bourbon with a beer back, and keep the change.”

“You got it,” she agreed, and Cady could see her going for the high-quality stuff, wanting to make a good impression.  Rikard swept his cool gaze across the bar and Kelli shot her a look, mouthing the word “hottie” and fanning herself until he turned back around again. “Just give me a whistle if you need anything at all,” she said, pushing his drinks across the bar. 

Cady stood up before Kelli started to ask him if he knew how to whistle.  Not caring that her drink was utterly repellent, she carried it to a table closer to the door in case she decided to make a break for it.  To her dismay, Rikard followed not two minutes later, taking a seat without asking. 

“I thought you were here to see your friend,” he remarked, taking a sip of his beer. 

“She seemed happier talking to you.”

“The jealous type, eh?” he chuckled.  “I’ll have to remember that.  What about your boyfriend?”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.  Could he mean Ethan?  Or was he still trying to pretend to flirt with her?  “What about him?”

“Are you meeting him here tonight?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just wondering if I’ve got a clear line of sight.”

Cady took a deep swallow of her sweet mess, almost instantly wishing she’d thought of something else to delay while she tried to figure out what he meant by that.  Her gaze darted to the door with a pang of hopeless desire, wondering if he’d give chase if she ran.  He’d catch her though, she had no doubt he was faster and stronger than her with all those demons inside him.  Maybe she could excuse herself to the ladies room and try to shimmy out the window? 

Her salvation appeared in the form of a handsome blonde detective, whose eyes lit up as soon as they saw her.  He approached, gaze flicking down to Rikard warily before his hands came up in supplication.  “I know, I know, I’m not supposed to…”

Cady stood and threw her arms around his shoulders, effectively silencing him with an overly enthusiastic kiss.  Lucas recovered his surprise after half a beat, his hand falling to rest against her waist as he kissed her back.  Maybe a tad too enthusiastically and Cady pulled away when she felt his hand dip lower to cup her ass.  “This is my boyfriend,” she declared before he could say anything else, hoping like hell he was smart enough to go with it.

“I’m her boyfriend,” he repeated with a loopy grin.

“He’s a cop.”

“I am a cop,” he nodded, his smile growing more confident as he pulled up his t-shirt to show his badge.

Easy as pie.
  Cady’s smile returned at his easy acceptance, turning to face Rikard who watched the pair warily.  “This is Mr. Smythe.”

“Really?”  Detective Lucas replied with a healthy dose of skepticism and she stepped on his foot.  “It’s not often you meet a Smythe.  I like Williams myself.  It’s generic, but doesn’t sound as made up.” 

What the hell was he doing?
  Cady stepped on his foot harder, her heel grinding against him until Lucas hopped to the side. 

“Sorry, sweetheart, I’m being completely rude to your friend.  Occupational hazard.”  He extended a hand but Rikard ignored it, his expression troubled as he pushed to his feet. 

“Right.  I’ll see you around, Cady.”

“You bet, awesome, can’t wait…” She tried to inject a note of cordiality into her voice, but it came out sounding fake and flat to her ears.  Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.  Maybe he really was flirting with her because he thought she was interested?  Maybe that’s why he backed off so soon after meeting her “boyfriend”? 

Whatever the reason, Rikard lit out of there without a backwards glance, leaving her standing with a very curious police detective. 

“So, want to tell me about your friend?  Sweetheart?” he smiled, picking up a pretzel and popping it into his mouth. 

“Not especially.”  Ignoring the mixed drink, Cady picked up Rikard’s mostly full beer and took a long drink, needing to chill the fuck out before her heart leapt out of her chest. 

“Okay,” he agreed equably enough, leaving her behind to belly up to the bar and for a moment, Cady thought she’d miraculously avoided the grilling she knew Lucas was so eager to administer.  No such luck though, as he returned a few minutes later with two beers and a refill on the bowl of pretzels. 

Settling into the seat opposite her, he took a drink and held the bowl close, munching away.  “Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Nope.”  It was stupid, she knew it was stupid, but Cady finished the old beer and reached for the second, looking for answers in the bottom of the glass. 

When it got to be real obvious she wasn’t about to say anything else, Lucas shifted forward, his brows twitching together.  “You can’t just kiss a guy and…”

“Look, I’m sorry, but I used you,” she cut him off before he got anymore worked up.  “It was a completely shitty thing to do, and I’m sorry, but that guy scares the crap out of me and I wanted him to go away, pure and simple.  There’s nothing else to it.”

“Who is he?”

She should’ve known that question was coming.  “His name is Rikard.  He’s sort of a friend of a friend, but I had no idea he knew I lived around here.  Maybe he’s following me, I don’t know.”  She shook her head, the beer dulling some of the panic that should’ve arisen at that last notion.

“I thought his name was Smythe?”

Cady looked up with pity.  “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Of course not, but I’m curious as to why you don’t.”

She wasn’t about to go down that road with him, not about Rikard or Ethan or anything to do with the Company.  “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you.”

All of a sudden she was Miss Popular.  “How did you find me?”

“I’m a cop, remember?” He shrugged, crunching on another pretzel.  “That’s what I do.”

“Okay, but more specifically, how did you know I’d be here?”  Was there a website all of her stalkers could go to and compare notes about her movements? 

“I called your friend Penny when you didn’t come home from work.  She told me where she thought you might be and I took a shot.”

She’d have to remember to talk to her about that.  That solved the how but not the why.  “What do you want?”

“Someone’s been digging into your friend’s case file, I thought you might know who it was.”

“How would I know who’s digging into police files?  And how would you even know if someone was poking around in your computers?”

“It’s not like it is on TV where everything’s electronic and someone can waltz into the system and take a look at whatever they want.  I don’t know about most police departments, but ours is nowhere near paperless yet.   Sure, the progress reports are entered in routinely by the investigating officers, but all the pictures, the hard evidence – it needs to be catalogued, tagged, scanned into the system when possible.  Are all my reports in the computer?  Yes.  But some things still need to be accessed the old fashioned way, through the evidence locker.” 

“So?  Someone took a look at the file.  Maybe they were trying to cross reference it with another case, like you did.  Doesn’t it tell you who got into the evidence locker?”

“It should, except no one signed in to access that case in particular.”

“Then how do you know someone dug into it at all?”  Maybe too many conspiracy theories had started to melt his brain? 

“Because it’s not all there anymore.  There are key pieces of evidence missing, and that got me to checking the computer files.  My reports have been altered, some parts left out entirely.” 

“Altered how?”

“David Brown’s association with the case was severely downgraded.  There was barely a mention of him, even though he was my prime suspect for the majority of the case.” 

“Maybe that was changed after he was exonerated?” she suggested, wondering if that was due to the Company’s cover up.  It seemed clumsy, but it wasn’t like she knew how that sort of thing normally went down. 

“That’s not how it works.  You don’t go back and erase your mistakes, you present the new conclusions.  But that’s not all.  Everything in there about you in particular – almost completely gone.”

“Me?” she squeaked.  “What was in there about me?” 

“I had reports about our conversation in the coffee shop, speculation about your relationship to David Brown and your boss, Dylan.  The background I did on your family history, statements with your brother after he thought you were kidnapped, all of that, completely missing.”

“What kind of a speculation did you have about me and David?” 

“Just what I pretty much already knew.  You’d developed an attachment as neighbors, and when he rabbited, he took you with him.  The fact that you were so willing to stand by him even after I told you about his multiple aliases spoke to how close the two of you became.”

“And you think I had something to do with this tampering of evidence?”

“The thought did occur to me,” he admitted, taking a sip of beer.  “But I’m starting to think it’s something else.  Something bigger.”

Balls
.  Was it the Company trying to cover their tracks?  Or Rikard maybe, fishing for information?  Or was it Ethan trying to keep her safe?  Regardless of who was behind it, Lucas was headed for disaster if he kept poking around in it.  “Don’t you think you should leave it alone if it is something bigger?  What if the next thing they try to erase is you?”

“Aw, I can’t decide if that’s supposed to be a threat or if you’re actually worried about me,” he grinned. 

“Believe it or not, I don’t want you to end up hurt or worse.  I have nothing against cops, I was practically raised by them.”

“Then why won’t you trust me?  I want to help you, Cady, why can’t you believe that?”

She believed him, that wasn’t the issue at all.  “Because you can’t help me with what I have going on.  In fact… you should probably stay away from me altogether.”  Cady stood and so did Lucas, a half second later.

“By which I’m assuming you want me to stick close to you.”

Had the beer gotten to her more than she’d thought?  She couldn’t follow his logic.  “Um, no… I just said the opposite.”

“Which is like catnip to a cop.  Don’t they teach you girls this stuff in high school?  The best way to ditch a guy is to turn all clingy and call him Pooh bear and stuff.  The surest way to reel him in is to play hard to get.”

Was he trying to be funny?  “I’m not playing hard to get with you, Lucas.”

“Andrew, my name is Andrew.”  He took a step closer and she started to think she’d made a big tactical error in kissing him before, whether it’d gotten rid of Rikard or not. 

“Then I really want you to take a hike, Andrew,” Cady said as coldly as possible.

“I could run you in for being a minor in here.”

“Be my guest.”  She thrust her wrists at him, waiting to be cuffed, but he just shook his head, backing off with a long sigh. 

“I’m not done with this.  Sooner or later I’ll figure out what’s going on.”

Cady reached out and caught his hand before he turned away.  “Please, please drop this.  Trust me, ignorance is bliss.”

“Would you be able to let it go if you were me?”

She already knew the answer to that question.  It had been impossible for her to stop pestering Ethan until he let her in and told her everything. 

“I didn’t think so.”