Page 14 of Steal My Heart

“Hey,” Hilliard said as he strode to the car. “It’s okay. This sort of thing happens.” He pulled open the door and slid behind the wheel.

Brian got in, wanting to ask Hilliard to just take him home. This entire exercise was futile; he should have seen that from the start.

“There’s nothing out here for us,” Brian said softly, staring out toward the ocean.

“You don’t know that.” Hilliard squeezed his knee, and when Brian turned toward him, he was met with a hopeful smile. Then Hilliard kissed him lightly. “We have to try. If someone remembers you, then we have a major hole in the case, and it’s a significant enough development to petition the courts. If we can establish a solid alibi, then we’ll get the court to take notice and provide the evidence to the police to get them on our side and convince them to reopen the burglary case.” He seemed so excited that Brian found himself feeling the same way. Hilliard’s energy and outlook were contagious.

“Okay,” he said, flashing a small smile.

“Good.” Hilliard slid his hand around the back of Brian’s neck and gently tugged him forward. He leaned closer, kissing him hard, sending Brian’s mind into a spin. He had no idea how Hilliard could affect him this way, but every time Hilliard kissed him, Brian felt like he could fly. When Hilliard paused, he breathed deeply, eyes wide. “I think I’m going to have to do that every time we don’t find anything.”

“Huh?” Brian said, blinking, trying to make sense of what he said.

“It’s simple. Whenever we get unhelpful news, I kiss you. Make the most of a bad situation.” He started the engine and backed out of the parking spot to head down the drive and out along the point toward the main road. Brian sat in the passenger seat, just watching Hilliard. There was something about him that made everything seem okay. Brian didn’t know if he could trust or believe it, but it was there. Damn, he wished he could believe what Hilliard did—that everything would be fine. But his experience was something completely different.

At the end of the point, Hilliard turned south. “Where did you and Gramps stop next?”

“We stopped for lunch a ways south and drove as far as Point Reyes to the next lighthouse. I’ll show you when we get there.”

Hilliard sped up, the air blew through his hair, and Brian sat back to try to enjoy the ride.

“ARE YOUsure this is the place?” Hilliard asked as he pulled into a diner that looked to be from a different era.

“Yeah. Gramps liked the place. He said it reminded him of a diner he used to eat at when he was a kid. The food was pretty good.” Brian got out of the car, and they went inside.

“Is anyone familiar? I know it’s been a while.” Hilliard sat in a booth, and Brian took the place across from him.

“There was a server that Gramps talked with for quite a while. She was older, and it was quiet, so she settled in for a good talk while we waited for our food.” He wished he could remember her name. She and Gramps had enjoyed talking about the way things used to be, and it was possible that she might remember them. “I don’t see her. All the people working here look young.” And like they hadn’t had a good meal in a long time.

“What I get you?” a woman asked in a heavy accent.

“There used to be an older lady who worked here a while ago. Really friendly?” Brian asked.

The server shrugged.

“Lisa?” the other server offered quietly. “She doesn’t work here anymore. The place was sold a while ago.” She had less of an Asian accent, but her eyes were as sunken as the other woman’s, and her skin as sallow. Neither of them looked healthy. Brian’s appetite went south, and Hilliard leaned forward.

“Thank you,” he said softly. Both women glanced toward a door at the back of the dining area, fear in their eyes. Brian was about to get up when Hilliard lifted his phone so the women could see it. Brian didn’t know what he was showing them, but the women looked at each other and then turned away. Hilliard slipped his phone in his pocket, and the second woman brought them each a glass of Sprite.

Brian wondered what that was about, but Hilliard’s expression told him he shouldn’t ask and just drink. Hilliard pulled out some money and paid for the drinks, finishing his Sprite before leaving a tip and thanking the women. Then he motioned to the door, and Brian finished his drink as well. He and Hilliard got in the car, and they headed away.

“Okay. What was that about? I hate Sprite. And what was with your phone?”

He unlocked it and passed it over. The screen read:Need Help? Sprite = Yes, Water = No.He handed it back to Hilliard.

“Those women were scared to death, and I doubt they’re being fed properly. And something had to be going on, so I thought I would ask without raising suspicion. If the boss thought I was onto what was happening, he’d cause a lot of trouble.”

“God,” Brian breathed, realizing that Hilliard was probably understating things. It was likely that the women would simply disappear. “What do we do?”

“The last time I flew into California, every time I went to the airport bathroom or public restroom, there was a sign in English and Spanish with a number to call if you need help. When we come into reception again, see if you can find a picture of it and we’ll call that number. Jot down the name and location of the restaurant so we don’t forget it, and we’ll see if we can help.”

“You did this without raising suspicion, didn’t you?” He was slick and maybe a little sneaky.

“The boss was just in the back, and he might have ways of either watching them or listening to them, so I tried to make this as unobtrusive as possible.”

“But how do you know they’re telling the truth?” Brian asked.

“Desperation and fear. Both of them reeked of it. Who knows what happened? Maybe they were trafficked into the country and are now working off some debt for pennies an hour. I represented a whole family back in Cleveland who had been taken advantage of. I was able to help them, but Alan was angry because they couldn’t pay.” Hilliard shook his head. “He turned out to be a real asshole. I always wanted to be a partner in a large law firm, one big enough that I could take the occasional case just because it was the right thing to do. When we started the firm, I had visions of growing it into something special, afirm we could be proud of and one that would eventually become what I had always envisioned, one that could help people like those women in the diner. But Alan, my ex-partner and jerk extraordinaire ex-boyfriend, squashed that vision like a bug.”

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