Page 93 of Smooth Sailing

“You know the code?” I asked.

She nodded. “I saw him put it in. He wasn’t being careful because he…he…well, he thought I’d passed out.”

I flinched for her.

“I changed it though,” she went on. “It’s two, two, three, two.”

“Got it. I’ll be back again.”

“Okay.”

I left her and nearly ran into Hugger in the hall.

He’d heard her No! and was loitering outside Suzette’s door.

“Okay?” he asked in a growl.

I shook my head, grabbed his hand and dragged him to the living room.

Big Petey was alert and sitting on the edge of the couch.

He’d heard the No! too.

He stood when I let Hugger go and headed right to him.

I handed him the phone.

“That’s Imran Babic’s phone. She stole it.”

“Jesus,” he murmured.

“Christ,” I heard Hugger say behind me.

I ran to the kitchen, opened my junk drawer and found Detective Scott’s card tucked right where I left it. I nabbed it and dashed back to Big Petey.

“Can you call Detective Scott? Tell him we have Babic’s phone.” I handed him the card.

“Will do.”

“The code is two, two, three, two,” I shared. “And Big Petey, he’s been communicating with her. Threatening her, me, us.”

“Motherfucker,” he gritted.

Hugger said nothing, but I felt the wall of anger coming from him slamming into me.

“I gotta get back to her,” I said to them both.

“Go,” Big Petey urged.

I ran back to Suzette’s room and went right in.

She was up against the headboard, hugging a pillow to her chest, her good arm folded around her calves, curled into herself, still terrified, clearly having taken that time to convince herself she’d done wrong.

I sat back down on the bed.

And I made a scary decision.

But I sensed I had an in.

---