Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

W hen I woke up very early the next morning, before dawn, after a long, tumultuous night and not much sleep, Rose was gone, which was a relief and a disappointment, which was confusing. Rocky Start was growing on me.

Maggs was on the bed beside me, so Rose must have let her in.

I dressed and went down the stairs from my apartment, Oz's apartment, Maggs following, feeling a few aches Rose had inflicted the night before, which was a good memory, and walked through the two rooms to the side of the shop entry, turning to go through the main room and then back into the kitchen. I found a note on the kitchen table from Poppy that said, Mom, don't forget, secret meeting this afternoon here .

I had no idea what "secret meeting" meant, but if Poppy was running it, it would succeed. Of course, leaving a note saying "secret meeting" and designating where and when it would be flunked Tradecraft 101. The kid had already left for school, probably with Luke's boy again. There was no sign of Rose, so maybe she was sleeping in again, back in her own bedroom in case Poppy looked in?

I, on the other hand, had some work to do. I knew it was early, but I didn't care .

I called Pike first since he was evidently the top gun in Rocky Start. He answered with a "Yeah?" as if he weren't surprised to hear from me and he was already awake.

"I talked to Luke yesterday," I said.

"He mentioned that."

"And Herc."

Silence.

"And now I need to talk to you."

More silence. Then he said, "Meet me at Ecstasy in five," and hung up.

I had no idea what he meant, but I was pretty sure it wasn't a pass. I pulled up a browser on my phone and typed in "Ecstasy, Rocky Start" and got back a picture of a shop with big windows that looked familiar. I zoomed out and saw that it was right next to Oddities. Coral's coffee shop. Plus bakery. Convenient.

"Stay," I said to Maggs.

She didn't need to be told twice and settled down on the kitchen floor in the sun by the back door, ready to stop anybody who wasn't Poppy or Rose. She was already at home here.

I walked out and down the alley. As I came to the side street, I noted that Norman's van was parked in the same spot. I was tempted to go over and knock on the darkened window to see if he was sleeping in there. I went around the end of the block and came most of the way back to Oddities, stopping short at Ecstasy. The front was almost all glass, a rehab of a building like Oz's. The name of the establishment was etched in a small font on the glass door. A CLOSED sign was in the window since the sun wasn't even up yet, but the lights were on.

Coral saw me and waved me in. I pushed open the door and stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was the smell. Fresh baked goods, fresh bread, with a rich undercurrent of recently brewed coffee. The nectar of the gods.

There were tables scattered in the front part, empty for now until the shop opened, and a fancy counter between two glass cases displaying the baked goods. Pike was sitting on the first of a row of four stools at a counter to the side—around the corner from the glass cases and the big counter—a semi-private space, half hidden from the rest of the shop. He had a mug of coffee in front of him with an excellent field of fire facing the front door. He was not using the coffee to wake up. I wasn't sure he ever slept. Coral was on the other side of the bar, leaning toward him, then straightening as I walked to join them. She wore an apron with the name of the shop embroidered on it, and both it and the tee under it were pretty low-cut. There was a slight smudge of flour on her cheek and her face was flushed. I imagined she'd been up for a while to fill all those racks with fresh-baked goods.

They both eyeballed me as I walked forward. I noted that Pike had his forty-five in a holster on his right hip. Open carry, which might or might not be the law in either North Carolina or Tennessee, but I don't think it mattered to Pike. I also noted surveillance cameras up in the far corners.

"Morning," I tried with my most cheerful voice, which, like every other voice I had, came out like a threat.

Pike just stared at me.

"Good morning," Coral said. "How may I be of service?"

That brought a chuckle from Pike, which earned him a dirty look from Coral. An epic history there between them, something I didn't want to know about.

Then again, if I was going to be here for a while, maybe I did. "Coffee?" I asked, which made me feel stupid. It was a damn coffee shop, after all. I'd been on the trail too long.

Coral smiled at me. "Dark roast, cappuccino, espresso shot, flat white, latte, macchiato, mocha?—"

I held up my hand to stop her. "Just coffee. Please."

"A simple and direct man. I like it." She nodded and went down the counter to get a pot of just coffee.

"Where's your dog?" Pike asked.

"Guarding next door."

"Good."

Coral poured from an elegant pot into a satisfyingly large mug. "Cream, milk, sugar?" I could almost imagine her adding "me?" to that .

"Sugar, please."

She used a tiny pair of tongs to remove a single cube from an ornate thing. I'm sure there is some name for the little thing that holds sugar cubes, but it had never been part of a mission briefing, so it's a "thing." She plopped it in the mug. "More?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

I guessed. "Four."

"You like it sweet," Coral said as she did the transfer.

"I haven't had anything sweet in a while."

She batted her eyes at me, and I wondered if she was going to turn everything I said into a double entendre.

"Right," Pike said. "Since you're walking the A.T."

"Rose might have something to say about that," Coral added at the same time.

"What do I owe you?" I asked as I took the mug. It felt nice and warm in my hands.

"On the house," Coral said. "Any friend of Rose's is a friend of mine. And how did she sleep last night?"

"I have no idea." I knew how she'd been before she'd slept, which was unbelievable, but how she was after I fell asleep . . .

"Certainly," Coral said. "You're a gentleman. Discreet. I like that. An admirable trait. We get so few gentlemen here." She sent Pike a pointed look.

"You're in Rocky Start," Pike said to her, as if that were an answer to everything.

"What exactly is Rocky Start?" I was going to sit down near Pike at the side counter, but then I noticed the array of baked goods in the display case. I was drawn back to Berlin, my last Army duty assignment before I went into the gray world. I'd loved the cafes and bakeries.

"Something to eat?" Coral put her hands on top of the display case and graced me with a smile. "It is all freshly baked. I rise early every morning?—"

Pike cut in. "Almost every morning. "

"—and bake. It is one of my passions. Nourish a man's stomach and he is a satisfied man."

I selected a cake-looking thing labeled Blitzkuchen . I am always impressed how everything in German sounds like it's ready to attack. Coral retrieved a piece of it and put it on a plate. She carried it to the bar and set it down near my coffee.

I walked back and sat down, keeping a stool between Pike and me. It's a guy thing. Sort of like the way we approach urinals, keeping our distance.

She resumed her position on the other side of the bar, leaning forward. She seemed to like that stance. One could easily see why. Despite her age, she was a distraction, which I knew she knew. And she knew I knew, and so did Pike. We were a knowledgeable little early morning coffee group, all of us thinking about Coral's breasts.

Before I could start my questions, Pike preempted me. "Why are you really here?"

I took a sip of coffee. "Excellent," I said to Coral, and she graced me with a smile that I now noticed didn't touch her eyes.

One thing they teach you in covert ops is to use the truth as much as possible. It's hard to keep track of lies. Plus, I was still ticked off at Herc.

"I've been walking the A.T. since April. Herc directed me here. You know Herc, right?"

Pike just stared at me with those flinty gray eyes.

Coral shook her head sadly as if Herc's name was not a fond memory, which I completely empathized with.

"I had no idea why until I spoke to him yesterday," I continued. I told them about checking on the daughter and that Herc had not been aware that Oz had died.

"You stay away from Lian and Mei," Pike said when I was done. "Lian's good people. Her daughter is doing great, so mission accomplished. She and Poppy are Oz's and my goddaughters, they don't need anybody else."

I noticed Coral giving a sideways glance, indicating she wasn't 100 percent on board with Pike's assessment .

"Agreed. But it seems like you've got another problem."

Pike raised one eyebrow. "I do?"

"You were on the last op in Afghanistan with Oz, weren't you? Died in the same plane crash?"

Pike exchanged a look with Coral. "Herc wouldn't have told you much about that. Which means you know even less."

"I know Norman is looking for something. I know Junior came into the shop twice looking for something."

"The second time it was for his wallet," Pike said. "I gave that back to him."

"After Mrs. Baumgarten tased him and the funeral director drugged him and took him out in a body bag. You gave it to him after he got out of the body bag?"

"Yes."

"And then?"

"I sent him to his mother with a message," Pike said.

"Serena Stafford," I said. "And what was the message?"

"To back off."

I took another sip of coffee now that it had cooled off a bit and forked a piece of the cake. "This is amazing," I told Coral, telling the truth again, and she beamed at me.

I began to wonder about Pike. He'd sent a message, but that wasn't exactly taking action. Mrs. Baumgarten and the funeral director were doing good work, but Pike seemed to be mostly making threats without backup. "Will she back off?"

"Doesn't look like it," Pike said, nodding toward the front of the store as Junior approached the glass door followed by a vampire.

Junior opened the door and held it for his mother, the infamous Serena Stafford. She didn't appear much older than the picture I'd seen in Oz's room, still pale and beautiful. Drinking the blood of virgins can do that, I've heard. The only real difference was two silver streaks in her pitch-black hair starting above each eye and ending where the hair hung down below her shoulders in the back. She wore black leather pants, a black turtleneck, and a black leather coat that went to mid-thigh. I figured there had to be a weapon or two inside that long coat.

She took three steps in. Junior let the door shut, wincing as he didn't move fast enough and it hit his arm, and stood slightly behind her and to her right.

Her gaze raked over us, one by one, and then fixed on Pike. "Pike Bernard. It's been a long time." Her voice was low, husky, almost sexy if you were into a lot of pain and no future.

"Not long enough," Pike said.

"You're supposed to be dead," she said, coming closer.

Pike kept his eyes on her, his gaze steady, no smile. "Take it up with Herc."

Serena let her eyes drift over Coral, who was watching her, frowning. Then she looked at me. "I checked on who you are. You have no dog in this fight. You can go now."

I met her gaze. "I don't like men who hit women. You should have raised your boy better."

"And you've never killed a woman?" Serena smiled at me, not warmly. "Yet you strike my son because he hit a nobody?"

I noted that also didn't go over well with Coral, whose frown turned into pressed lips and narrowed eyes, probably about to reach for her stiletto. Strike two.

I wasn't too happy about the "nobody," either.

"What do you want, Serena?" Pike had adjusted his position, his hand casually closer to his pistol.

I still had my hands cradled around my mug of coffee. This was Pike's play, although I noticed that Coral was moving away again, putting distance between her and Pike and probably getting closer to a weapon. This wasn't her first potential gun fight and she wanted out of the line of fire. I kept my eyes on Junior, leaving Serena to Pike. It appeared from the slight bulge in Junior's coat that he was carrying, just as he had been the first time we'd crossed paths, but when he moved his right arm again, he was careful, since Rose had given him a good whack there with the Maltese Falcon and then Coral had knifed him in the other arm .

"I want justice," Serena said to Pike. "Word is, you're the law in this town. My son was assaulted by the woman squatting in my son's store and by that man." She indicated me.

"If I'd assaulted your son," I said, "he'd be in a body bag. Again."

She ignored me. "I am willing to forego all that if I get what is mine."

Coral spoke up. "Did Junior tell you he was taken out by Betty Baumgarten with a taser? I was so sorry to miss that."

Serena waved that detail off. "She will be dealt with later."

Coral snorted. "Good luck with that. Your dance card is too full, Serena. Pike? Herc? Betty?"

I thought it was interesting she didn't add my name to the list.

But after a pause, Coral did add, "Me."

Serena's eyes narrowed at that last bit, but she didn't respond to Coral.

"That woman kidnapped my son," Serena said, looking back at Pike.

Pike shook his head. "He pulled a gun on a civilian and Betty did a citizen's arrest. You know Betty. He's lucky she didn't turn him into llama kibble." Pike looked at Junior with contempt. "I even returned his wallet, which he'd misplaced. Didn't he give you my message?"

Junior stood there while they talked about him, looking uninterested. Probably trying for aloof and only achieving blankness.

"But now you're here," Pike was saying, "so you didn't take the warning seriously. There's nothing for you in Rocky Start other than trouble, Serena. Don't make me regret the decision to let your son go. Oz didn't have a son, so you can back off on that bullshit, too."

"Come now," Serena said. "Do we want to talk about what happened in Pakistan between missions? We were all so bored." She smiled at him, possibly suggesting she was bored again and he could fix that, but Junior spoke up, perhaps feeling a bit neglected.

"And I've a got a DNA test."

"How'd you get Oz's DNA?" Pike asked.

"My Uncle Norman," Junior said. "They can tell from that."

That elicited a snort of derision from Coral. "Uncle Norman? "

Junior was undeterred. "Dad's lawyer demanded a new DNA test, and I've had the results sent straight to him from the lab so he knows I didn't tamper with it. I really am Oz's son, and that will prove it."

"Dad's lawyer?" Pike scoffed. "You mean Barry?"

Serena looked back at Junior and he shut up. Then she turned to Pike and shook her head. "You should be happy I didn't roll into this town hard. I thought I'd be reasonable, but I'm losing that inclination given the way my son has been treated. Just give me what I want and I'll be gone."

Pike shrugged. "What do you want?"

"You know." For the first time, there was a crack in Serena's confidence as her eyes shifted briefly to Coral and me before focusing back on Pike. "What Oz took that he shouldn't have. Do you really want to get into this in front of others?"

"You walked in the door," Pike said. "You saw who was in here. Seems like you played that hand."

"I want the Russian files," Serena said.

Oh, fuck , I thought.

"I don't have them," Pike said.

"I know," Serena said. "Oz took them. I want them. I'll pay. I'll set up that woman next door and her kid for life."

"Should have started with that," Pike said, "rather than sending your idiot son in to try to con Rose. You used to be smarter."

Junior flinched and Serena glared, and I realized she was also off her game. Whatever those files were, their resurfacing must have blindsided her because she was playing this poorly.

Pike shook his head. "We can't give you something that we don't have."

"Oz had them," Serena said.

"Whatever you think he had went down with the plane after we jumped out."

"No," Serena said. "You dropped the actual files to me, but you know the damn KGB took pictures of everything. There were microfilm duplicates with the files. Where are they? "

"If Oz had that, you think he'd have kept them buried all these years?" Pike asked. "You're chasing a ghost."

Serena was adamant. "I want to go through his building."

"No," Pike said.

She stared at him for a long moment. "I'm not the only one interested in those files."

I glanced over as Pike frowned, and I noticed that Coral's eyes were still narrowed.

"Who?" Pike demanded.

"Who do you think?" Serena asked. "The people you stole them from."

"The Russians? Dmitri?" Pike shook his head. "Been a long time."

"Russians have long memories," Serena said, and I had to agree with her on that one given my experiences. "Dmitri in particular."

"Dmitri's probably dead," Pike said.

"Dmitri is very much alive," Serena said.

Junior saw this as his opportunity to chime in. "The store will be mine anyway. I have a DNA test."

Pike focused on Serena. "You don't know if there's a will that would cut your boy out. You're not even sure Junior is Oz's, are you?" He shook his head and went back to his coffee, dismissing her. "Give it up, Serena."

" I am going to get answers ," Serena said, and I sensed she was ready to make a play right here and right now. Her right hand drifted inside her coat. My left hand did its own drifting toward my pistol, and I felt Pike tense as he realized the same thing. All we needed was John Wayne to swagger in?—

Two of those dinky mail jeeps pulled up outside, screeching to a halt like SWAT tactical vehicles on an assault. Postmaster Lionel Ferrell leapt out of one, wearing his government-issue blue shorts and short-sleeved shirt and a pith helmet appropriate for a mellow fall day. A wiry little dark-haired woman about his age, dressed the same, jumped out of the other. Mrs. Ferrell, I presumed. Her pith helmet had a daisy on it. They both had large mail bags slung over their shoulders .

Serena glanced out at them and hesitated.

They shoved the door open and came in, spreading out tactically on either side of Serena and Junior. Junior looked at them, his brow furrowing. Serena ignored them now, her attention back on Pike. I straightened, moving my left hand to my pistol.

Coral greeted them. "Dottie! Lionel! Good to see you. What will you have?"

"We're just delivering the mail," Dottie said, her voice sharp. "Special delivery."

"I wouldn't mind a mocha with whipped—" Lionel began, and Dottie snapped, " Just the mail. "

Lionel's shoulders slumped.

Serena finally acknowledged them with a quick glance left and then right. "The Ferrells." She shook her head. "Went postal, did you?"

"Screw you, bitch," Dottie said. "Get out."

"I assure you," Junior began, but then Dottie snarled, "Time for you to leave, kiddo," and lifted her hand from her mail bag, revealing a submachine gun with a suppressor, her finger on the trigger, and then lowered it again, hidden in the bag once more.

Junior looked from her to Lionel, who shrugged and wiggled something in his mail bag, not feeling a need to show off.

Junior looked at his mother, proving he was incapable of independent action, or maybe just more cautious now that he'd been whacked with the Maltese Falcon, stabbed, tossed, tased, tranquilized, and body bagged.

"We don't like outsiders," Lionel said, sounding tough, but he was watching his wife with as much trepidation as Junior. He shifted a step to his left and she moved the same distance to her left. It was one of those moments when the slightest thing going wrong could precipitate a bloodbath.

Which, of course, is when the door opened again, and Rose walked in with Maggs.