11:45 AM
Ashley put down his sketchpad, and rose from the chair, walking across the room to the bar. Retrieving a beer from the refrigerator, he made his way to the large window overlooking the beach behind his house. He normally enjoyed the view it provided, and at that moment, in full daylight, he still did. It wasn't as crowded in November as it would be in mid-summer, but there were still a sizable number of people surfing, jet-skiing, and playing volleyball, and it would remain relatively busy until sometime after sunset.
This fact was what concerned him, as he had, perhaps for the first time, fully realized exactly how isolated the area truly was after dark. Unless someone in the neighborhood decided to have a cookout, or some other sort of activity, the beach was essentially deserted in the late-night hours, and it would be incredibly easy for someone to slip up to one of the houses virtually unnoticed. This thought gave him a slightly queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he stepped back from the expanse of glass, closing the blinds as he did.
He took a pull from the beer, then flung himself into the couch, picking up the TV remote and punching the power button. The 12 o'clock news had just begun, and as the station logo faded away, the solemn face of the afternoon anchor appeared on the screen, saying, "In an update to breaking news we brought you during our 6 AM broadcast, the identities of the two people found deceased earlier this morning in a burning home have just been released. In a statement from the office of the LA County Medical Examiner, the victims have been identified as fifty-six year old Ignacio Suarez, and his sister, fifty-four year old Beatriz Maldonado. The official cause of death has not yet been released for either victim, but it is known that foul play is likely."
The camera cut from the anchorwoman to a shot of a pile of smoldering rubble, still being sprayed by firefighters, as she continued to speak from off-camera. "We also know that Ms. Maldonado's two young grandchildren escaped the blaze, and were discovered by a passer-by, who called 911. Sources say that this individual also reported seeing a suspicious vehicle in the area immediately prior to this."
As he continued to watch, the picture changed again, to that of a thin, wary-looking Latina, with the name "Alma Suarez" printed underneath. The newswoman continued speaking, saying, "As many of you will likely remember, Ignacio Suarez made quite an impression on the police department, as well as our viewers, with his outspoken belief that they weren't putting forth a genuine effort to solve the case of his missing daughter, Alma, who vanished nearly two years ago."
Something about this statement niggled at Ashley's memory, so he tuned out the sound of the television in an effort to firmly grasp the thought. After a couple of minutes of concentration, the words seemed to flash across his brain, almost as if he were seeing them again: "They never found Loony Lenny, or the Suarez bitch, but no point taking chances."
His stomach rolled over, and the beer seemed to sour in his mouth. He placed the bottle on the coffee table, and rubbed his temples as he considered the implications of this revelation. The possibility that maybe Sanger was actually onto something when he had so forcefully insisted that he and Briar be careful of their safety. This thought led to another, and he picked up his phone, searching the contacts for the recently-acquired number.
When he found it, he pressed the button and listened to the ringing, until the call connected, and he heard Briar's voice, sounding weary and somewhat hoarse. "Hello, Ashley. It is you, right?"
"Yeah, it's me. Listen, Briar, I was just looking at the news, and I saw something a bit weird. Did you happen to catch the story about the fire last night?"
She made a guttural snorting sound, and he wasn't certain whether it was meant to be laughter, or something derisive. "Yeah, I know about it," she replied. "But I didn't need to watch the news, I was there when it happened."
"You were what?! Excuse the fuck out of me!"
"Yeah, I know, right? The way my luck is going, I'm almost afraid I'm gonna get hit by lightning the next time I step outside."
He thought for a second, and then inquired, "Would you maybe like to grab some lunch, and, I dunno, talk about it or something? I've been told I'm a pretty decent listener, and sometimes it's easier to talk to somebody who can actually get where you're coming from."
There was a brief pause, and then her voice came back through the speaker. "That sounds like the best offer I've had in days, but is there any chance we could make it dinner? I didn't sleep real well last night, and I just got back from going over my statement at the police department, so I could use a bit of a nap first."
"Absolutely!" he responded. "It's just past noon now, so how does six o'clock sound to you? I can pick you up, or we can meet somewhere, if you'd rather. Whatever works better for you."
"If you're sure you don't mind, I think I'll take you up on the offer of a ride. I do enough driving for work that I know how quick things can go wrong if you're not on your game, so I don't think I'll risk it today. And yeah, six sounds good."
She recited her address, and he jotted it down, then ended the call, giving her the chance to get some much-needed rest. He then went to the kitchen and pulled together a small lunch of grilled chicken, avocado, and a bit of cheese, wrapped in a small tortilla, to tide him over until dinner, and, when finished, decided to return to his sketches, to stay occupied until he needed to get himself ready.
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6:50 PM
Briar gave a brief smile, and muttered a thanks to the waitress as she placed the food on the table, then stepped away. When she was out of earshot, Briar offered Ashley a rueful grin, and commented, "Well, I'm probably not the most popular customer they've ever had. I think my attitude tonight is a bit, um, less than engaging, shall we say?"
"No biggie, I'll just make sure to leave a good tip," he responded. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a big fuckin' bundle of sunshine right now, either. This whole thing has me creeped out, I was kind of freaking out even before I saw the news this morning."
After taking a bite of her lasagna, she looked up at Ashley and said, "Yeah, I've been thinking quite a bit about it myself since last night, trying to think if there's anything that I missed. I mean, is there something else I can do to lock down my apartment, or something like that? I mean, I'd really hate to have my friends put into a situation like that poor woman's son was. I mean, he and his wife were so relieved when they found out their kids were okay, but then it pretty much turned on a dime when Officer Ruiz told them about his mother. That may have been the most awful thing I ever saw, and I don't think I ever want to hear anyone make that sound again as long as I live. "
He glanced toward the window as movement caught his eye, seeing a dark-colored SUV, pulling a trailer behind it, drive past the front widow and out of his line of sight. "Yeah, it's pretty awful to get that sort of news, trust me. I was too young when my parents passed away to really remember much, but I lost an uncle a few years back, and I remember what that was like for my family. My grandparents, especially. Losing one of your kids seems to take something out of you that you never really get back."
Giving him a wry face, she replied, "Well, since I don't get along with my family, I'll have to take your word. Mine basically didn't seem to give a damn when Sylvia died, it was like they were more worried about how it would affect their precious reputations than actually sorry that she was gone, so I haven't actually spoken to any of them since then."
Glancing toward the window again, he saw a beat-up compact car park in the slot next to his, and briefly thought, "Come on, dude! Puh-leeze do not scrape my fuckin' paint!, He watched the driver, a heavyset man in painters coveralls, get out of the vehicle and close the door before returning his attention to his dinner companion.
As he opened his mouth to reply to Briar's statement, she glanced up, with a puzzled look on her face. "Do you hear that noise? Sort of a 'click, click' sound?"
He listened briefly, and finally picked up the noise, then they both attempted to locate the source. As they stood up from their chairs, she glanced at the window, and her eyes widened. "Ashley, get away from the window!"
"What? Why?"
"Just do it, now! That's it, right next to your car! That's the fucking car I saw last night!"
He gave her a startled glance, and as he moved away from the table toward her, there was a sudden rumble, and the front wall of the restaurant seemed to leap at them as Ashley flung himself at Briar, bearing them both to the floor.