Page 17

CHAPTER 17

Saturday Morning

The smell of coffee, frying bacon and biscuits teased Suzanne awake. The old-fashioned school-house clock on her bedroom wall showed seven o’clock. “Mmm,” she murmured, stretching her arms wide. “Breakfast food for dinner. Yummy. But why is it still so light outside when it should be dark?”

Wait. Seven o’clock? She grabbed her phone from the nightstand. 7:00 am Saturday morning . December 28 th . She’d slept since yesterday afternoon and all through the night.

She broke her own record for showering and dressing before hurrying to the living-dining area. From there, she saw a tall, broad-shouldered man standing at the kitchen stove. “Hello?” she called cautiously.

He pushed a large skillet to a back burner, covered it and turned. Dark brown eyes and a broad smile greeted her. “Good morning,” he greeted. “You must be Suzanne.”

“Yes,” she said cautiously. “Where’s Kristopher?”

“In the office, talking to Grant Miller.” He wiped his hands on the towel hanging from his apron before coming forward. “I’m Bailey Mills, USMC, retired and Brotherhood Protector,” he introduced. “Hank asked me to join you guys. Would you like some coffee?” He pointed at the coffee press and cups on the counter.

It’s fresh.”

“I’d love some,” she said, going to pour a cup and add milk from the small pitcher. “Are you here because Hank Patterson thinks we might be in more danger than we first thought?”

Bailey’s smile vanished. “Yeah, especially since we think we’re dealing with The Cadre and that couple from the shelter got murdered. Someone is seriously pissed.”

“And it’s about to get messier,” Kristopher announced, joining them. “Miller said the police released the news about the Taylors to the media late last night. It will be all over the morning news.”

“Holy cow,” Suzanne whispered, shaking her head. “What a mess.”

“Yeah,” he said. He cocked his head and gave her a long once over glance. “Did you sleep well?”

“You should have at least woken me for dinner.” She affected an annoyed expression. “Did I miss anything?”

“Only a meeting with Hank about some Brotherhood business,” Kristopher said. “And you needed to sleep.”

“Amen,” Bailey echoed, as he plated their food. “Now, let’s eat. I do better on a full stomach and I have a feeling today will be a long day. What did Miller say about those bodies?”

They took their places at the dining room table and Kristopher said, “Their names were Eva and Alfred Taylor, and they worked at the youth emergency shelter since the first of the year ever since it was absorbed by Tennessee Cares, also known as TC. He’s still trying to track down TC’s CEO to ask for a meeting about everything that’s gone on in the past two days.”

“I wonder what else has happened there since TC absorbed them,” Bailey commented with a frown. “I read up on the organizations before I left Alabama. Sounds like the old agency, All Families, did a great job over the years. Sometimes changes aren’t always good. New people, new ideas when the other ways worked just fine.”

“I’ll bet they agreed to become part of TC because it has more money.” Suzanne reached for another biscuit. “More money, more programs for people who need help. Did you learn anything about the CEO?”

“Charles Tattersall, who has a long stellar career with family service organizations,” Bailey supplied. “He’s got quite a career in family service organizations, but we should keep digging.”

Something in his voice got Suzanne’s attention. “What do you think we might find?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But something is off.”

“Well, with these two new bodies, he better be kicking some ass,” Kristopher declared. “I know it’s the holidays, but two missing kids and three murders since the day after Christmas is bad news for the community.”

“Four missing kids, if you count the Clark sisters,” Suzanne reminded him. “Bailey, did Kristopher tell you about them?” At his nod, she continued. “And today is Saturday so all the agencies are going to be closed. But Elaine would open Families United if we needed to meet there.”

“Yeah, but Grant Miller won’t let it being Saturday stop him,” Kristopher said. “He’ll just dig in his heels and keep going.”

“Sounds like my kind of guy,” Bailey commented. “Like BP, he aims to please.”

His comment erased the remaining tension in the room, and they finished their breakfast with light conversation about the weather and the upcoming season for the Lady Vols basketball team.

“I believe the rule is, the cook doesn’t have to clean up,” Kristopher said, standing to gather their plates.

“Works for me,” Bailey announced. “I’m hitting the showers.”

He left them alone and Suzanne rose. “My wrist is feeling much better, so I can certainly help clean up. What is that old expression? Many hands make light work?”

“Works for me,” Kristopher echoed Bailey. “Let’s get it done.”

There was actually very little to do. Bailey obviously belonged to the clean-as-you-go cooking club. After they put away the leftovers and loaded the dishwasher, Suzanne made a fresh pot of coffee while Kristopher swept the floor.

“Looks good,” Kristopher announced putting the broom and dustpan in the small closet.

“We make a good team,” Suzanne agreed, starting the dish washer. She looked up and found Kristopher standing next to her. This close she was able to inhale the comforting smell of soap and a faint woodsy scent that reminded her of autumn days. It was a comforting scent and Suzanne suddenly realized she felt safe. Still worried, but safe.

“I haven’t thanked you,” she said shyly.

His eyebrows rose. “For what?

“Taking care of me.”

He shrugged. “That’s what I’m supposed to do. No need to thank me for doing my job.”

“I’ll bet there might have been more exciting assignments,” she teased.

“I was already in Knoxville, remember?” he said. “So, it made sense for me to take the case.”

“And you knew Mercy and David, so taking this case was important to you,” she added but his expression suggested this might not be the time to talk about that. “Do you have family here?”

He hesitated and after a long pause, said, “Yeah. My parents are here. But we’re not exactly on speaking terms. Even after all this time, they still disapprove of my decisions to become a cop and join the Army. I spent the holiday in Townsend with another BP member and his fiancée. Nice and peaceful.”

His flat tone tugged at her heart, and she offered up the only reply she could think of. “Should I say I’m sorry?”

“No,” he said, the ancient hurt darkening his eyes. “I’m ok with it.”

“Well, I’m still grateful,” she said, not really believing him. Standing on her toes, she kissed him on the cheek. “You seem like a nice guy, even if you can’t cook.”

His arms slipped around her, and she leaned into him. Staring down at her, he said, “But I make really good coffee, don’t you think?”

“Really good,” she agreed, lifting her head to accept his sudden kiss. It was warm and sweet, tasting of breakfast honey and was completely delicious and she wondered what the rest of him might taste like.

After a moment, he pulled back. “Two kisses in twenty-four hours. I think we’re getting way ahead of ourselves,” he said. “I mean, we just met.”

Heat flamed Suzanne’s face. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “You’re right. Lots for us to do.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he said, his fingers brushing her cheek. “We just need to stay focused.”

The sound of someone singing, Who Let the Dogs Out? had them stepping back just as Bailey entered. His eyes did a quick study of them and Suzanne had no doubts he knew exactly what was going on. “So” he asked, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “What’s the plan?”