Chapter 26
Everyone came back downstairs, mom had been crying and dad looked pissed but they were hiding it pretty well. We all sat and had dinner. It was awkwardly silent but it the same time it also welcoming because knowing my family this could’ve been much worse.
Erin and Theo took some leftovers with them and left shortly after dinner. Dad went back upstairs to his room, he mumbled something about a game being on. Mom went to the kitchen to clean up.
“I’m going to go say goodnight.” Elena said as she followed mom.
“Come on.” I grabbed Joey’s arm and pulled him outside. “So spill it.” I was a little too anxious as I tried not to bounce on the balls of my feet.
He smiled. “How long have you been itching to say that?”
“The last hour, when Elena and I were talking what was going on with you? You figured something out right?”
“You’re so nosey. It gave me something to check out but I don’t have anything to really share.” Joey admitted with a sarcastic shrug of his shoulders.
“Check what out? Come on man tell me!”
“Don’t you have a date with Myers? You go do your thing and I’ll go do mine.”
“Fine be an ass. What are you going to do with Elena?”
“She can’t go home yet, someone might know she found your mom. For now I’m taking her somewhere safe and outside of sight. You try and do the same thing, be safe and stay out of sight.” Joey said as Elena joined us outside. We said our goodbyes and they left with no more resolution than that. I could have all the questions and ideas in the world but right now none of them were helping because on one hand Joey didn’t want to involve me and on the other my mom was too scared to tell me anything.
I went back inside and to the kitchen. “How are you?” I asked mom as she washed the dishes.
“I’ll be ok.”
“How did it go with dad?”
“It went fine.”
Even after all that happened she was still treating me like a little girl she didn’t want to worry. I wanted to scream all the ways I was an adult and could really be a benefit to confide in but alas I couldn’t force her to trust me. “Ok, I’m gonna go upstairs.”
“That’s good you need your rest.”
I left the kitchen feeling a little worthless and upset. But maybe it was easier this way because at the same time I didn’t want to take on everyone else’s worries and fears. I walked into my room and flopped down on the bed, I was so tired. My eyes finally closed and my cell phone rang. “Yeah?”
“I forgot you’re staying with your parents.” It was Zack. “We’re going to have to wait on our plans for tonight.”
“Yeah living at home sucks major ass but it’s ok I’m tired anyway.” But it was Zack; if he was around I knew I’d perk right up.
“How was dinner?”
I sighed. “It’s over. Everyone knows about Elena and even Theo met her. Dad looks pissed but he’s not expressing it. It all went pretty good.” I had been expecting a lot of yelling and lashing out but it went better than expected except for Alissa storming out like a child.
“That’s good. I’ll let you get your rest now you need it, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Zack said ending the call.
I pushed the cordless phone to the side and sat up. I was tired but I couldn’t sleep and dinner had been so tense that I didn’t eat to my full capacity, my stomach growled at that fact. Since mom should be done cleaning the kitchen and everyone else was in bed, I headed downstairs.
But I was wrong I realized as I neared the kitchen. Mom was still there, she was sitting at the table talking on the phone. I hung back and listened because my curiosity was at an all time high; mom didn’t just talk on the phone all the time and especially after the sun went down.
“Meet me at the little Cuban restaurant downtown and we’ll talk more. But be careful.” I heard her say and the whole conversation was in Spanish. Crap, that can be an array of different people. “We’ll meet at noon, I have a doctor’s appointment around then so no one will suspect anything. All right see you tomorrow.” I tiptoed back upstairs as she hung up the phone.
I slowly closed the door so it wouldn’t make a sound. Oh my god! Who was my mother talking to? More secrets? It was mind blowing, I couldn’t get used to this woman I met lately, she looked like my mom but she wasn’t my mom. She was a woman with a past, a woman with a life. I know it’s insane but for all my life she was just mom, now she was Linda; a ball of mystery.
I stayed next to the door and waited to hear my mother come upstairs, I still wanted to raid the kitchen. Stressed and curious I could still eat, I think I could be on my death bed and still want a burger. It took a few minutes but I heard footsteps pass my room. My parent’s room was all the way at the end of the hall.
I waited a few more minutes, you know just in case, then headed downstairs. Hello chicken. I grabbed a few fried pieces of chicken into a napkin, grabbed a soda and headed back upstairs. It was cold since it had been in the fridge but I didn’t care; I was hungry and it was good.
After that I was ready to fall asleep, I felt like a pig but a happy pig.
The next morning I had to be at the office earlier to open the doors. If wasn’t even a day of being in charge and I wanted Alissa back. I sat in her office and tried calling her but only got her voicemail. “It’s Sam, this is the…I forget but I’ve called a lot. I wanted to talk to you about the job, not what happened last night, call me back damn it.” I tossed my cell phone down on the table and sat back. I lied; I wanted to talk to her about last night and the way she ran out. So far work was going pretty good but Alissa also left everything in order so I couldn’t really screw up. Her trust in me was heart warming.
There was a knock on the door before Zack walked in. “Hello lover.” I greeted.
He smiled. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah fine, peachy. A little bored though.” I had a feeling I’d regret those words, it was still early and everyone hadn’t showed up yet. The office would get busy later and I just hoped nothing happened where I had to play boss.
“How bored? You know we’ve never done it in an office.”
My turn to smile. “And we’re not now, not in my sister’s office”
“Damn, I have to get an office. Hey wanna do it in the interrogation room at the station?”
“Nah, too many germs. You seem in a happy mood, what’s up?” It wasn’t unlike Zack to talk about sex but he looked too happy.
“I got the boss off my ass after we made an arrest on the robbery case I told you about.” Zack explained as he sat down in the chair in front of me.
I’ve known Zack forever now and got to know the adult him lately but there were still things I didn’t know, well didn’t bother to ask seeing as I suck. “What kind of cop are you? There’s homicide, narcotics, all that, what are you?”
Zack smiled. “A little bit of this and that, I do whatever the boss tells me to.”
I nodded. “Huh that makes sense seeing as none of your cases are alike.”
Zack stood from his seat. “I came to say hi and,” he walked over to my side of the desk and kissed me. “and do that but I have to get going. I’ll see you later and call me if anything comes up.”
I watched him go, I hated to see him leave but loved to watch him go. I leaned back in my chair and looked around. Alissa was always doing something, she never had enough time it seemed but I couldn’t find anything to do.
“Hey boss girl.” Nikki said an hour later.
“Hey, just the girl I wanted to see.”
“What’s up?”
“Can you hold down the fort for an hour or two? There’s something I have to go do.” I asked as I left the desk. I knew Alissa wouldn’t mind, Nikki knew the job better than anyone and knew how to be boss, she liked control and demanded respect on a daily bases.
“Yeah no problem, I’d love to tell all these bitches what to do.”
I laughed. “Thanks.” I ran out to my car, it was going to be noon. Yup I was going to spy on my mother.