Brick By Brick (Sequel)

Stepping Out

Another morning began at the break room coffee machine. As I was adding the last spoon of sugar to my mug, a tall mop-head boy entered the room.

"Good morning," he greeted me.

"Morning," I replied without looking up.

"How are you?"

"Good. Great." I finally ventured a look into his eyes. That was a mistake. He always looked at me in a way that I should never be looked at. Like a princess. My eyes flew back down to the counter. "Sorry," I diverted. "I just have to get this coffee to Kate." I picked up both mugs and walked out the opposite door, pretending to look back in his eyes but knowing I never should.

I set Kate's coffee on her desk and sat down without a word. I stared at the file on my desk, willing it to open itself because I couldn't remember how to move my hands.

"Ren? Hello??"

I realized the sound was coming from behind me, so my body turned itself around. "Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

I corrected the fact that I hadn't been looking at her. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Great." Forced normalcy coated my words as I tried to ignore the funk that has been clogging my chest for weeks. Since that night at his apartment. I shook it off and snatched the file from my desk, walking up to the murder board. Not because I had anything to contribute to it, but because it forced me to move. "So, the plates were a dead end. His coworkers all checked out. Have we checked his phone records?"

"We actually just got those back," Espo walked past with the answer. "It seems our vic called the same number three times on the day of the murder."

"Did you trace the number?" Kate inquired.

"It was bounced off of a bunch of different towers," Ryan approached, "but we were able to trace it to a guy named Carlo Manteca." Ryan clipped a photo to the board.

"Do we have an address?" Kate stood, ready to pounce.

"That's the problem," Ryan said. "Manteca is in prison."

I tapped my pencil on the file and paced away. "So how could someone have answered his phone? Who would have it?" I mused.

Foster appeared, and I avoided looking at all costs. "Manteca is actually the leader of a group called El Hombres."

"Really?" Espo huffed. "The Men? Couldn't come up with a better name than that?"

"Not the point, Espo," Kate quipped, ignoring the chuckles that bounced between the boys.

"So someone in his gang most likely answered his phone. But why would they use his phone specifically?" I questioned, mainly only talking to myself. "They could have used a burner phone, but instead they use a phone from a member of their gang, allowing us to trace it back to them."

"There has to be a reason. Some sort of game they're trying to play," Kate mused. "Boys, find out all you can about his gang and any people or groups connected to them. Ren and I will search prison records to learn more about Manteca."

We all walked our own directions. Kate and I sat at our back to back desks, typing. I shoved myself into work, ignoring the rest of the world. Finding anything I could and saving it, sending it to Kate. Back and forth. Making phone calls. Lost in the world of our secret databases.

"Ren."

I spun around. "Yeah?"

My eyes hit Espo. "A witness just showed up saying he saw part of the incident and can potentially describe some members. We need you-"