Page 33 of Spark

Aurelio:No. But I bet it’s the best place to go in town, with the best service!

Mia:He called out last night. Was he at the park?

Aurelio:Yeah, he was. He left before you got there, though. I want to try to reach out. I care about the kid.

Mia:I understand. He is a good kid.

The phone rang in her hands, startling her. She looked at the number. It wasn’t Aurelio's, but still unknown in her contacts.

She answered it tentatively. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mia. It's Detective Daniels… Charles,” a male voice introduced.

“Oh, hi!”

“Sorry for the early call,” he said, prompting Mia to check. It was almost seven; she had to leave soon. “But I was hoping to chat with you about something.”

“Sure, what can I do for you?” Mia replied, rushing around the apartment to collect the papers and books from the island.

“Well, it turns out that the cars you saw all those weeks ago were at a park about twenty minutes from your house,” he said smoothly.

Mia's heartbeat kicked up a step. “Oh, yeah! Oliver mentioned that last night. He was waiting for me when I got home.”

“He was?” Charles’ voice betrayed very little. “I spoke with him last night, as well.”

“So, he told you then.” She paused, picking her next words carefully. “I'm sorry I punched him; he startled me.”

Charles laughed. “He failed to mention that part.” He laughed a little harder before continuing, “He said you were out with your boyfriend near the park?”

“Yeah, we went to go look at the cars, but I was so cold.”

“Hmm, then what did you do instead?” he questioned.

“We went to the diner a couple streets over and had some dinner.”

“Oh, yes, Bird’s Eye. I know it well; the station gets a lot of takeout from there. They have great grits.”

“Yes, I actually work there, too.”

“Oh, that's why you look familiar. You're mostly night shifts?”

“Yes, I go to school full-time as well.”

“That's awesome,” he praised, his voice sounding fatherly. “What's your major?

“Psychology. I'm a post-grad student working on my dissertation,” Mia said proudly.

“Impressive.”

“Well, it's a lot of work.” Mia looked at the time on her phone before putting it back to her ear. “I need to head to class soon.”

“Of course,” he said. “Do you mind if I call you later to continue if need be?”

“Not at all.” Mia brought a finger to her mouth, resisting the urge to bite the nail. “I am busy all day, but I will try to call back if you leave a message.”

“Sounds great. Thanks.”

With a click the phone went black and Mia sighed. She felt the nerves shifting in her belly as she checked the time once more. The hour was too close to the start of classes and her worries would have to wait till later.

---