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Jason
After a couple of days in the hospital, they release Tamara for light duty work. Man, that blow she took to the head, left a nasty gash. Good thing we found her when we did. The way we found her leads me to believe that she would be dead if it weren’t for us. Mainly Ken’s persistence.
Ken’s gut feeling was spot on and I need to trust that more often. The more I think of him, the more I like him. As a friend. Not sure about the lovey stuff just yet. It’s tough thinking about that when you’re hardwired for a female’s pussy.
Even hardware people know these things. There are ‘male’ and ‘female’ pieces in electrical and plumbing. Geesh! Why do some people have to fuck with the system?
Like work. Tamara does a hell of a job running things there to keep it all smooth. Yet, someone’s got some damned idea that they need more and anyone that gets in the way, gets hurt. I shake my head as I turn onto the street to the office.
In the parking lot are several police cruisers with lights flashing. What the fuck?
What’s going on now? I can’t park in the lot so I pull around to the back and go inside. A bunch of cops are flooding the hallway to the offices, like a pack of sardines in a can. I see the oil commissioner make his way through the crowd toward me.
He stretches a hand out for me to shake. “Hi there and good to see you again,” he shakes my hand warmly and then looks back at the mob of dark blue, choking out the hallway. He turns to them and shouts, “Can some of you in blue, back out of there so that people can walk through?”
Some follow his directive and clear the hall, heading outside. The commissioner faces me and rolls his eyes. “If you don’t give them something to do, they won’t do anything. I’m sorry to hear about Tamara.”
“Yeah,” I hang my head and put my hands on my hips. “She’s definitely been through the mill.”
“I talked to her last night to check up on her and she told me that she’s doing better, but wants this to end. With everything she’s already turned over, we feel like it’s time to check the ledgers,” he says to me and then scratches his chin. “You saw the fight between Tamara and Charlotte?”
“Part of it,” I say and then add, “The last part. We all could hear them from outside, so I wanted to check it out. I did hear her make a veiled threat.”
“Yeah, she told me the entire rundown,” he thinks for a minute and I can see the wheels turning. “You know, we got a tip from the hotline that said embezzlement was happening here.”
I must have had a concerned look on my face because he quickly adds, “Don’t worry, Tamara’s not a suspect. She’s the one that discovered it.”
I relax and wipe my face to remove any looks that might or might not be misunderstood. The commissioner taps my arm and asks, “Come with me, please?”
I follow behind him and we go into Tamara’s office. Her head still has bandages on it to keep it from any infection. She’s sitting behind her desk, with her books open. Next to her is a different man, not in a uniform. She’s mostly talking with him and showing where she found the discrepancies. Ken’s in the back corner, leaning against the wall.
How in the hell did he get a ticket to front row seating? He waves at me and I just look away wondering about where I stand with him presently. Some officers are asking questions about the whereabouts of Charlotte. She just shakes her head.
As time wears on, officer after officer leaves the building, satisfied with their notes and the numbers in the books. The commissioner gives Tamara a hug and kisses her on the cheek. “You keep getting better and I want you to know something. Your daddy would be so very proud of you. Your diligence, knowledge, and bravery will not go unnoticed. I know this because I, too, am proud of you.”
I watch as tears slip down her cheeks. She hugs him back and leans into him. “Thank you so much.” I look at the ground feeling like I’m intruding on a family moment..
As she pulls away from him and wipes her eyes he says, “I’m always here for you Tamara.”
She nods her head and waves goodbye. After he shakes my hands, he shakes Ken’s hands. “You two,” he looks from me to him, “Take care of her.”
Ken nods his head and says, “Will do.”
“You got it,” I say.
He pats our backs, “Good men,” he turns to Tamara and points back and forth between Ken and me, “Good men?”
“The best,” she agrees.
I watch him as he leaves the office and then I wipe my face, running my hands through my hair. Breathing out a heavy breath, I release the tension that I’ve been carrying since I got here. Tamara slumps into her seat as the last two officers leave the building.
“It’s been a long day,” her head rests in one hand and she sighs.
Ken begins to clean up the books and papers that are everywhere. “Why don’t you let me and Jason clean this up?”
I start to gather things, placing them in a stack on her desk. “Just help us out by telling us where these go,” she nods her head. “Then maybe we just take you out to dinner.”
“That sounds lovely,” she grins.
Once everything is put away, Ken and I help Tamara to her car, talking about where she wants to go for dinner.”
Suddenly, shots are ringing out and they wiz by our heads, landing with a thud into the trunk side of Tamara’s car. Every shot fired misses its target. Tamara. We have her duck on the far side of her car while trying to determine where the shots are coming from. Ken’s bike takes a bullet to a side mirror, shattering the glass to the ground.
The shots stop and someone yells, “This isn’t over, not by a long shot!”
Shaking badly, Tamara stands from her hiding place. “I guess this means we’re calling the cops back?” she asks.
“No dinner for us,” I say as I shake my head.
