The Legacy: A Kimberly & Sykes Mystery Novel (8 page)

“Damn! I was hoping she had some idea where her father may have hidden it; I thought they may have had more contact than she let on.” Smith snapped angrily.

“No, I think she was telling the truth, she didn’t have any contact with him at all. There are no pictures of him in her apartment and nothing in his boxes indicates they had anything to do with each other.” Sykes watched Lauren place a forkful of food in her mouth.

“Keep looking. I need more frequent updates from you than I am getting Sykes. Call me this evening.” The line went dead.

Sykes pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it before dropping it in his inside jacket pocket. For a fleeting moment he wondered what Smith would say if he had told him about the coded letter and his night time counsel to Lauren. Smith paid him well, but that didn’t mean he liked the man. Sykes walked back across the road to the cafe and made eye contact with Lauren through the window. He walked straight to the food counter and looked at the sandwich board. There were too many choices, and they seemed to contain both meat and cheese, a combination Sykes didn’t care for. He settled for a pre-made smoked meat sandwich and a bottle of water. With his tray in hand, he joined Lauren at the table.

Sykes sat down facing the window and took a bite of his sandwich. Lauren let him eat a couple of mouthfuls before saying, “Well?”

Sykes held up his sandwich and managed to smile with his mouth full. Lauren waited but when Sykes reached for his water, she made a loud, “Tsk.” Sykes paused, the bottle of water inches from his mouth, and then lowered it without taking a sip.

“Pardon me?”

“Oh! For god’s sake! Who did you call? Do you know who was trying to run us off the road this morning?”

Sykes raised the bottle again and took several gulps then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. “Lauren. You really are paranoid! I haven’t given a thought to the jerk who cut us off and neither should you! I told you, it was just some kid trying to race. I was giving Smith an update. He wants to stay on top of what we are doing.” Sykes added as an afterthought, “Smith isn’t happy.”

Lauren let out aloud snort and settled back into the hard wooden chair. Her tapping foot resonated loudly on the wooden floor of the cafe. “Tough! Neither am I. We’ve been traipsing around all morning and gotten nowhere. What next? I don’t even know who my father’s friends were so I have no idea of where to go from here. How the heck do we find a woman who casts equipment components?”

Sykes’ eyes dropped from Lauren to his plate. He picked up the last of his sandwich, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly then wiped his mouth with a couple of paper napkins. By the time he finished drinking the last of his water, Lauren’s foot had stopped tapping and she sat perfectly still. Sykes noticed a tic at the corner of her eye. He had noticed it before when she was angry, it was her ‘tell’.

“I also got a message I need to follow up. You go to your father’s building, you are only a few blocks away, and start knocking on doors. Find someone who knew him and find out if they knew his friends or where he hung out.”

“I thought you weren’t supposed to let me out of your sight. Aren’t you afraid I am going to run off?”

Sykes sigh was soft but pronounced. “And where would you run off to? Just keep knocking on doors and I’ll meet you at your place this evening. If you do find someone who knows your father, call me on this number.” He handed her a card.

Lauren looked at the card and turned it over. All that was printed was a phone number. “How long will you be?” she asked as she held the edges of the card in her fingertips.

“I’m not sure; could be a couple of hours, or more. Can you get the Metro back to your place?”

“You’re kidding right? If I had known you were going to take off, I would have come in my own car. I’ll have to do four changes on the Metro, it will take me two hours!” Lauren’s voice was getting louder the angrier she became; other customers were turning to listen. She cast a glowering look towards the nearby tables and waited until people turned their heads away. Satisfied, Lauren leaned across the table and up close to Sykes. “I’ll get a cab, the neighbourhood is a bit too seedy for my liking. Next time you talk to Smith tell him I want expenses.” She got up, snatched her bag from the chair and walked out of the cafe, her heals clacking loudly on the floor.

Lauren held her back straight and her head high as she walked down the street. She passed a couple of seedy looking businesses and, at each, a group of men were standing outside smoking. She had dealt with men like this every day and didn’t feel in the least intimidated when they leered and made crude comments. She took her purse off her shoulder and flipped so the clasp was against her body and slipped the shoulder strap over her head. Nobody would be able to steal her bag or slide their hand inside it without first knocking her over. Though instinct told her these characters would not go that far, she decided to play it safe and held her keys like brass knuckles, one key poked through each knuckle. If anyone attacked her, she would have a ready-made weapon. She clutched the keys tightly and kept her eyes moving as she continued her walk up the street.

From the corner of her eye Lauren caught a sudden movement and whipped around with her hand raised, the keys ready to strike. A cat chased a paper bag floating in the light wind. Letting her body relax, Lauren smiled and put her hand in her pocket. Sykes was right, she was paranoid.

Occasionally glancing from side to side, Lauren walked down the street keeping her hand and keys ready for action. This was a strange turn of events, she thought. Sykes’ had taken off, so she clearly wasn’t as powerless or trapped as she thought she had been. Her shoulders lifted and she walked taller. She was free.

Lauren had walked a couple of blocks when she became aware of the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw a large dark shape… a man?... slip into a doorway. Paranoid or not, someone was following her. Lauren gripped the keys tightly in her pocket and with her free hand, searched her bag for the card Sykes had given her.

With gave a muffled cry when her fingers found it. Slowing her steps, Lauren pretended to window shop. Through the window of a used furniture store she could see large wardrobes and tallboys dotting the floor space.  With forced casualness, she sauntered inside and hid behind a tallboy, peering out to watch the door.

A large man stood in the doorway looking into the store. He couldn’t see Lauren from her vantage point but she could see him clearly. He was huge. His shoulders were wide and, from the way he held his arms by his side, she knew he was very muscular. He had a bald head and a big tattoo covered one side of his neck. Lauren’s legs were shaking. She wished Sykes was with her.

Leaning on the tallboy she wiped away the perspiration on her upper lip with the back of her hand and looked around the store.

The young woman behind the counter was watching her with a puzzled look on her face. Lauren gave her a small wave and forced a smile. “Sorry, I am hiding from someone. We’re playing a game,” she said. The young woman shrugged her shoulders and went back to reading the magazine in her hands.

Lauren’s eyes were glued to the window while she reached into her purse for her cell phone and called Sykes. He answered immediately with a curt, “Sykes.”

“I’m being followed,” Lauren blurted

“Where are you?” he said urgently.

“The same street the cafe is on but, about a block from my father’s! I’m in the used furniture store, hiding.”

“Stay where you are. Don’t leave the shop until I get there.”

Lauren’s body slumped with relief. “How long will you be?... Sykes! Sykes!”

He had hung up.

Lauren knew whomever was following her wouldn’t come into the store. If they were going to do that, he would have already done so. He knew where she was. She slowly walked around the store pretending to inspect the furniture while keeping her eyes on the door. She clutched her cell phone in her sweaty palm and gave the young woman behind the counter an occasional smile, but she needn’t have worried. The woman was far to absorbed in her magazine to pay any attention to Lauren’s behavior. As the minutes passed, Lauren could feel sweat dripping down the centre of her back, and her upper lip continued to perspire. She contemplated hiding inside a cupboard but didn’t want to get trapped if the man came back.

The ring of her cell phone made Lauren jump.

“Hello.” she whispered.

It was Sykes. “You can leave now. Don’t look back, turn right and walk casually towards your father’s place. I’m right here watching, just act normally.”

Taking a deep breath, Lauren wiggled her fingers in a ‘goodbye’ to the woman behind the counter and walked out of the store.

She took a few steps, and heard light footfalls behind her. It was an effort not to turn around. The next thing she heard was loud shouts from behind. Raising her fist, keys at the ready between her knuckles, she turned around.

Sykes was fighting with a man on the sidewalk. It was the man who had looked into the store. Sykes’ arm was around the man’s neck and he was struggling to get him on the ground.  The man was much bigger than Sykes and seemed to be getting the better of him. Lauren started to call 911 but stopped when Sykes twisted his body, bent forward, and flipped the man over his shoulder. The man landed flat on his back with a grunt and didn’t move.

It had all happened so quickly, yet, already, a handful of people had materialized out of nowhere. A couple of them were shouting into their phones and Lauren knew that it wouldn’t be long before the police arrived. Sykes shouted to her as he ran to his car and jumped in.

“Get in, NOW,” Sykes shouted as he revved the engine. But she couldn’t move. Her feet wouldn’t obey her commands. Sykes drove to her, jumped out of the car, grabbed her by the arm and pushed her into the passenger seat, slamming the door. “We have to get out of here before the police arrive.”

As the Audi screamed down the street, Sykes looked in his rear view mirror and saw the first police cars arriving from the opposite direction. Driving with one hand, he reached over Lauren’s body and grabbed the seatbelt to strap her in.

“Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh My God,” cried Lauren, her body was shaking and her eyes were as wide as saucers.

“It’s OK. You’re OK!” Sykes shouted above her cries.

Sykes drove quickly, weaving in and out of the heavy, afternoon rush-hour traffic. Lauren sat, making gasp-like hiccups, trying to stop crying. Sykes reached over and gave her hand a squeeze before putting both hands on the wheel his eyes searching for gaps in the traffic. He had to get as far away as possible, as fast as possible.

“Who’s following you Lauren?”

“What? What do you mean? How would I know?”

“That guy was following you. I picked him up the moment you walked out of the store. He started after you as soon as you appeared.”

“Smith must have sent him after me!” Lauren exclaimed, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes.

“It wasn’t Smith. I’m with you; he wouldn’t have sent anyone else.”

“Well then how the hell should I know who it was? I’ve never been followed in my life! I’m a social worker for god’s sake, not a…. a…someone who gets followed!”

Sykes didn’t say any more. He kept his eyes glued to the road and continued to drive out of the city. Lauren wondered who could be following her, and why. It had to be tied up with this business to do with her father, it had to be. Maybe Smith sent someone because he didn’t trust Sykes; after all, Sykes had left her when he wasn’t supposed to. Maybe Sykes told Smith where they were when he was on the phone with him?

No matter which way Lauren looked at it, none of it made sense. Lauren wanted to curl up and go to sleep and wake up when it was all over. For the first time in a long time, Lauren wished her mother was alive.

Sykes had been on the phone, in her bedroom, for almost an hour. She paced back and forth and finally made a cup of tea. It didn’t do the trick. Lauren was still shaken. Sykes had saved her from certain harm; after all, if the man just wanted to talk to her, he could have simply stopped her on the street. Stalking her added a dimension that Lauren didn’t want to contemplate. She mentally chastised her father for turning her life upside down. Whatever he had been involved in, was making a bigger impact on her life than he ever did when he was alive.

Lauren sat in her Eames chair with a cup of tea, when she heard her bedroom open. She put the tea down and moved to the edge of the chair, waiting. Sykes’ face was lined and his mouth set in a thin line when he emerged.

“I talked with some of my contacts and this is what we know. The guy’s got a fractured skull and concussion but is expected to recover. His name is Andrew Morton. Morton’s mother had a big court case this morning, and it got postponed. She had a massive heart attack at the courtroom and is in bad shape.”

Sykes got a mug and poured some tea, avoiding looking at her. Lauren felt her stomach clench and stroked her stomach trying to stop the cramp. 

“What are you not saying? What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Morton’s mother is one of your clients. The case was adjourned because you were not there.”

“But I don’t have any clients called Morton!”

“She remarried; her name is Connolly – Isabel Connolly.”

“Oh my God! Cases are adjourned all the time. Why was he after me?”

“As far as my contacts could find out, and let’s be clear, this is all from his sister, Isabel Connolly was very stressed out by the whole court case. When she had the heart attack, Morton blamed you for not turning up: he said it was your fault. By a weird twist of fate, he was on his way home from the hospital when he saw you in the street. He recognized you from the previous court hearings.”

Lauren lifted her hand to cover her open mouth.

“I had no idea…The poor woman…I’m sorry, I thought for sure it was Smith’s doing.” Lauren felt a sinking feeling in her chest and she slowly lowered herself back into the chair. “What will happen now? Do the police know about you? Will you be charged with assault?”

“No. Morton’s sister told the police that he was out to get you. He had threatened to make you pay for causing his mother’s heart attack. There will be questions to answer, but, everything will be ok.”

Lauren sat quietly as she tried to sort out the rush of thoughts and emotions assailing her. She could feel Sykes watching her and it felt invasive and accusing. Too shocked to do anything more, she eased up from the chair and went into her bedroom, closing the door.

Lauren removed her shoes, and fell, fully clothed, on her bed. Within a couple of minutes, she was oblivious to everything.