My mother had done nothing to my room since I’d been gone. It was still the same pale pink color that I had chosen when I was in my early teens. If I were going to stay here and I wasn’t going to get a place of my own, then this room would need a do-over. I stretched, yawned, and rolled onto my back, laying in bed listening to the birds chirping outside my open window. It had been a sound I’d missed while living in a high-rise in a heavily populated city for the past five years. I’d been back in Sunset Cove for exactly forty-eight hours, and it had felt as if I’d never left.
I kicked the purple comforter off me and placed my feet down on the bright pink plush carpet. God, why did I choose pink? I thought to myself. God, I hated pink. I looked around at the mess of my belongings on the floor and then over at the desk. There, facing the wall, was a picture frame I hadn’t noticed until now. I picked it up and flipped it in my hands, looking down at it. Jackson sat behind me; his arms wrapped around me. My hands rested on his forearms and we both smiled at the camera. I remembered the day we’d taken this picture. We’d hiked up to the ridge and had a picnic lunch. Then we’d spent the afternoon laying on the picnic blanket, talking and dreaming of our future together.
I sighed. Suddenly, I started thinking of everything that had happened shortly after and I shoved the frame into the desk drawer. I took a moment to gather myself, then reached for a bag on the floor. Everywhere I looked, there were reminders of him and me. The teddy bear he had won for me at the Sunset Cove Fair sat on the chair in the corner of my room. Ticket stubs from one of the last concerts we had been to were stuck in the mirror’s frame that hung on the wall. The necklace he had given me for our sixth anniversary lay perfectly sprawled out on top of my dresser, so the chain didn’t tangle. Memories of him were everywhere.
“Time to rise and shine,” I heard my mother call from the hall. “You start your new job today. Don’t want you to be late.”
I smiled to myself. It didn’t matter how long I’d been gone from home, Mom always thought I needed a guiding hand. I reached for my sweatshirt that hung over the footboard of the bed and threw it over my head. Trudging to the bathroom, I swept my hair up into a ponytail and splashed some water on my face before heading to the kitchen.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes greeted me. “Morning, Mom.”
“Good morning,” she said as she bent into the fridge and pulled out the syrup. “Did you want juice? I have orange and apple.”
“Nah, I’m good with coffee. Not much of a juice drinker.”
“Bailey, you really should have juice. A good balanced diet contains Vitamin C in the morning.”
“I have Vitamin C right here.” I said, holding up my cup of coffee and grinning.
Mom gave me a look and shook her head while placing the bottle of juice in the center of the table.
I grabbed a juice glass from the cupboard and set it on the table, then took my favorite mug and filled it, carefully placing the carafe back on the hot plate. I took a sip of the hot coffee and looked out the kitchen window into the backyard. Four hooded orioles sat on the edge of the birdbath, each one taking their turn in the water.
“So, what’s it like to be back home?”
“A little surreal, but nice. I see you’re still feeding the orioles.”
“Yes, Connor used to love them. He would watch them for hours on end when he was younger. They seem to be here in abundance ever since…” She stopped talking.
I turned to see her standing there, her eyes closed, her hand wrapped around the handle of the flipper tight enough to make her knuckles turn white.
“I mean, for the last few years,” Mom murmured as she flipped the pancakes onto a plate.
I swallowed hard as I took on her moment of unease and sadness to invade me. I looked out the back window, at the trees that had changed color, brilliant yellow and the slightest hint of orange stood out in the sunlight. Even though I knew mom was okay, I couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling. I missed my brother so much, but I had gotten to escape the nightmare. Mom, however, still lived in the same house she was in the night Dad walked out on us, and the unfortunate night that asshole had taken Connor from us.
I took a deep breath, turned around, and sat down at the table, sipping on my coffee, watching as Mom dumped another dollop of batter into the pan.
“So, you’ve been out and about a lot since you came home. Been doing anything interesting?” She questioned.
Guilt invaded me. “Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry about that. I promise it won’t keep up. After I had to go for my interview, I needed to get a few things. Cara wanted to have dinner, and I had to change my address on my driver’s license, but soon I’ll be around all the time, and you will beg me to go out.”
“Nonsense. That would never happen. I’ve missed having you home.”
Sipping my coffee, I checked my phone for any messages. I was reading an email from Justine when Mom’s spoke, causing me to jump.
“Mrs. Fisher said she saw you downtown the other day.”
“Oh?” I swallowed hard. “How is she? I haven’t seen her in ages.”
“She’s good. When Bill died, she had a hard time, but I got her into the support group I joined after Connor passed. She told me she saw you downtown, near the Sunset Cove Police Department.”
I looked down at the floor and closed my eyes for a second, then cleared my throat. “Yeah, so what?” I knew what my mother was hinting at. I could tell by the sound of her voice.
“Oh, nothing. I just thought it was strange you were all the way downtown.”
I looked at my mother, knowing full well what was coming. “Mom, just ask me what you want to know. You want to know if my being down there had something to do with Jackson?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I guess I was wondering if you went to see him?”
“Mom don’t do this,” I begged, letting out a huff. It was too soon to mention him to me.
“Do what, baby girl? It’s an honest question.”
“Do this! Exactly what you are doing. Jackson and I are over, and we’ve been over for five years. There is no more us, nor will there be any more of us.”
“Bailey, I just figured you would want to see him. I mean, it’s been a long time.” She set the plate of pancakes down in front of me along with the syrup, then looked at me. “Honey, I think it’s time you at least speak to him. He was your brother’s partner as well.”
“No, Mom, it isn’t time I speak to him. I closed that chapter on my life a long time ago. Please, respect that.” I picked up the bottle of syrup and drowned the hot pancakes in the sticky syrup.
“Bailey, I do respect that. Don’t think that I don’t.” She said, turning back to the stove. “I just thought it would be good for you both to sit down and talk, like adults.”
I looked down at the pile of food in front of me, suddenly losing my appetite. I was so lost in thought that I’d barely noticed she’d flipped the last pancake onto her plate and sat down across from me.
“Bailey, I’d have thought you’d already have sunk your fork into that fluffy stack of pancakes you coated in syrup already. Aren’t you going to eat?” she questioned, grabbing the bottle of syrup and lightly coating hers.
I shook my head. “No, I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.” I got up from the table and placed my partially full mug on the counter, and walked out of the kitchen.
“Bailey, you need to eat. You work today.” Mom yelled.
“I’ll grab something there.” I shouted and then stopped in the hall, pinching the bridge of my nose. I took a breath and then turned around and stepped back into the kitchen. “…and, just so you know, if you’re expecting Jackson and I to get back together, you can forget it. We are over. You can tell that to Mrs. Fisher, too.”
* * *
“Order is for table ten, Bailey!” Glenn yelled in my direction from where he was pouring a couple of beers for two men sitting at the bar.
I nodded and slid the tray of drinks onto the palm of my hand, carefully balancing it. I turned and began walking toward table ten when I caught eyes with Dave Specter. He and Ryan were seated in my section. I dropped the drinks off at table ten, quickly taking their food order, and then made my way over to the two men.
“Well, Bailey Scott, as I live and breathe,” Dave said, flashing me that sexy smile every woman in Sunset Cove loved.
“Hey, Dave, Ryan, how are you?”
“Good, love. Nice to see your pretty face back here. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again,” Dave said.
“Thanks. It’s a little surreal being back here, but it’s good to be back with Mom. What can I get for you guys tonight?”
“Whatever is on tap,” they both said in unison.
I let out a laugh. “Okay.” I smiled and was about to turn away when Dave cleared his throat.
“So, when did you get back to town?”
“About fifty-eight hours ago now.”
“I see you’re counting.” Dave chuckled.
“No. I’m settling in. I couldn’t say no. My best friend practically begged me to come back to help with some wedding plans,” I answered, glancing at Ryan, who smiled at me.
“Yeah, Ryan mentioned you might be returning for the wedding,” he said, looking in Ryan’s direction. “How’s your mom been? I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“She’s good. She’s been busy with her gardening club, but she is glad to have me back home. Is it just going to be the two of you tonight?” I questioned, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach at the thought of Jackson possibly joining them.
“Yeah, it’s just us,” Ryan answered. “You don’t need to worry.” He winked.
“All right, two of whatever is on tap, coming up!” I said as I threw two coasters down on the table.
I was halfway back to the bar when the door opened and three gang members from the Green Cobras walked in. Things apparently hadn’t changed around here, I thought to myself. These guys had always frequented The Crooked Judge. The three of them stopped just inside the door and looked around. One of them looked in my direction and looked longingly at me. Chills ran through me as his eyes ran the length of my body before meeting my eyes again. I’d hoped that Dave and the rest of the Sunset Cove Police had run them out of the area after Connor’s death, but it appeared they hadn’t. There had been a lot of speculation that it had been one member Connor had crossed that night. Yet, no one could be sure since there hadn’t been a clear sighting. Regardless, I swallowed hard and put it to the back of my mind that one of these very men could be the one responsible for my brother’s death. As I walked by them on my way to the bar, I heard one of them give a low whistle. I ignored them and went about my business until the three of them came over to the bar and took a seat right next to me.
I could feel his eyes on me. Hell, I could almost feel his breath, too.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” he said, running his finger along my arm.
My eyes fell to where his tatted fingers rubbed my arm. The letters GREE were visible, and then I looked at the snake on his forearm.
“I’m Garrick. This is Linden and Dorian. What’s your name, beautiful? Not seen you around these parts before. Are you new around these parts?”
When I didn’t immediately answer him, he chuckled. “That’s okay. We like shy girls, don’t we, guys? They are much more fun.” He said, running his forefinger over my forearm once again.
A chill ran through me, and I was about to say something when Glenn turned around and glared at the three of them. “Gentlemen, I’ve told you before, you can come in here, play pool, drink, and eat, but don’t bother my staff. Now what can I get for you?” he asked, not faltering once while he placed the beers on my tray and nodded for me to get out of there.
I rushed to the table where Dave and Ryan sat and set the beers down in front of them. “Here you go, guys. Did you want anything to eat?”
“Nah, we’re good right now.” Dave smiled at me and raised his glass before taking a sip.
“So, have you seen Jackson since you been back?” Ryan asked me outright as he, too, took a sip of his beer.
I looked at Dave and noticed he was giving Ryan the eye.
“What?” Ryan questioned, looking over at Dave. “Someone’s got to ask her,” he mumbled like I wasn’t even standing there.
“Cara is going to have your balls, you know that, right?” Dave questioned, looking over at me and giving me a wink.
I smirked and cleared my throat. “Just so you know, Ryan, no, I haven’t seen him. You can let Cara know that, too.”
A loud bang behind me caused to me to jump, and I turned in time to see a pool cue being thrown to the ground by one of the gang members.
“Fuckin assholes,” Dave mumbled.
“Tell me about it,” I said, looking in their direction.
“You make sure you steer clear of those guys, Bailey.” Dave said, nodding in their direction.
I nodded. “Have there been any updates on my brother’s case? Mom won’t tell me,” I questioned, looking at Dave. I knew this wasn’t the time or place to ask, but curiosity was getting the best of me. I needed to know the truth.
“We have a couple of suspects. Nothing solid.”
“You don’t think it’s one of these…” I swallowed hard, my throat getting tight at the thought.
“Bailey, don’t you worry. We are still working on it, okay? Just ignore the fact that these guys are even in here, and if they cause any trouble, call the station.”
I nodded, looking at the ground. “Will do.” I glanced around and noticed I was being flagged to a couple of tables. “I’ve got to go. Enjoy your drinks.”
The night went on, Ryan and Dave left and two hours later, the only patrons in the bar were the three Green Cobras members and two other tables of two. It was then that three other men walked in that I didn’t recognize. Glenn was in the back doing the order, and I was minding the bar. I watched as the three men walked over to where Garrick, Linden, and Dorian were playing pool. They exchanged words between them, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as I wiped down the bar. They looked at one another, and then one of them placed a pile of cash on the edge of the pool table and they racked a set of new balls.
I knew Glenn wasn’t a fan of the Green Cobras being in here, never mind them betting in his bar, but he said nothing to them. I did as Dave said and continued on with my job, pouring drinks and waiting on the two tables that were here. Once I’d delivered drinks to everyone, I began loading glasses into the dishwasher. I watched the game going on over in the corner. The three men I’d never seen before cheated their way to winning, only I wasn’t the only one who had seen it. Garrick had seen it, too.
As one man threw it in their face, he picked up the money. Garrick grabbed the other by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. The force of him hitting the wall caused me to drop a glass to the floor, shattering it.
“Fuck,” I whispered under my breath, afraid that the shatter of glass would turn their attention to me, but none of them noticed.
“You cheated, you fucker?” Garrick hissed, reaching around, and pulling a knife from his belt, holding it up to the guy’s throat. Linden and Dorian pulled their knives too and approached the other two men, completely ignoring the fact that they were in the presence of other people.
I didn’t wait another minute for this to move ahead any further. Instead, I stepped into the back room and dialed the police.