Page 24 of Question Everything

“What do you want to do about it, Kyle? We’re right here. Anything you need, just ask.”

“I think I want to question them myself. Just steer the family away from here and try to head back to Sibby’s. I don’t want Mia to be out on the street any longer than necessary.”

“We’ve got it covered, brother. Will do,” Tim replied.

Kyle knew that both his brothers had weapons strapped to their ankles. They never left home without them, and while he’d never done that himself, preferring to leave his police-issued gun at home under lock and key when he wasn’t working, they felt differently. He and his brothers owned licensed and registered Sig Sauer P365s, a compact pistol. They went to the shooting range and practiced safe gun handling. Even now, when Kyle questioned everything about the night he mistakenly shot the young man with the toy in his hand, he trusted his brothers and their judgement implicitly. They would not deploy a weapon unless it became absolutely necessary.

Kyle waited until his family was much further down the block before crossing the street and walking up to the idling sedan’s driver side window. He knocked on the glass, which was rolled down in a smooth motion, a cloud of cigarette smoke drifting outward.

“Gentleman,” he began. “Do you mind telling me what you’re doing here?”

“Who are you and why would we need to tell you anything?” the driver said gruffly.

“Call me a concerned citizen,” Kyle replied. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you in this neighborhood, is all. I know everyone who lives around here, and I know that you two don’t.”

“We’re just out for our coffee break. Taking in some air… is there a law against that?”

“No, but there is no Dunkin within a square mile of these residential blocks.” His detective mind clicked on. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re really doing here.” Kyle realized immediately that these two men were professional goons. “Or,” he began, “tell me who your boss is, and I’ll ask him a few questions myself.”

“I told you buddy. We’re just taking a break. Nothing more,” one of the men said. “We’re not here to make trouble. We’re only taking in some fresh air.” He took an exaggerated deep breath as if to make his point.

“Then let me suggest that you go find a more urban place to enjoy your time off. You’ve had enough fresh suburban air for one day.”

The man in the passenger seat leaned forward and one side of his jacket fell away. Kyle clearly saw the shoulder strap for his gun and the revolver tucked at his waist. The driver put out a hand across his partner’s chest and pushed him back in place.

“No problem. We were just leaving anyway,” the burly man said as he put the car in gear.

Kyle jumped back as the man pulled away from the curb and he watched the car disappear around the corner. Then he turned and quickly ran to go find his family. He had some decisions to make, and those were best done as a group. For as much as he didn’t want to frighten Mia, it was time to get to the truth.

CHAPTER 13

When Kyle returned to Sibby’s, Conor was the first to greet him.

“We’ve got the situation under control, Kyle. All doors and windows are locked. Tim and I checked the shed in the backyard and the basement. Nothing is out of place, no sign of anyone having been here when we were gone.”

Kyle simply nodded. “Thanks, brother. Good to know.”

“What’s the deal? Were they PIs?”

“Hard to tell. They were goons, that’s for sure. I don’t know if they were out to snatch Mia or if they were just observing her for now. They were both armed. That I can confirm.”

Conor joined the conversation, his arms crossed over his chest. “You want to call this in? Maybe you should get the department involved.”

“I was going to call the Chief tomorrow, but I think I’ll do it now instead. I got the plate. Maybe something will turn up when we run it.”

“Yeah, but Kyle, you’re probably right. I bet they’re investigators. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mia’s family showed up here looking for her.”

“If that was the case, why didn’t they knock on the door of my condo? They tracked her to my address.”

“Yeah,” Tim offered. “But they didn’t see Mia that day, did they? Today they got a visual. They’ll be back, or someone else will.”

“What’s the next move?” Conor asked.

“I think I should speak to Mia first. I don’t want to upset mom and dad, or Sibby for that matter. You know how she gets…”

“Yeah man, good luck with that,” Tim grimaced. “She’s gonna lose her mind if she knows that those guys were near the kids.”

“True,” Kyle nodded. “I need a minute. Let me get Mia alone and take her temperature on all of this. It’s her life we’re talking about here. I have to know what she wants to do.”

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