One Step Ahead

Click, Click, BOOM!

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."