Page 22 of Delivering David

She broke her own record for showering and dressing before hurrying to the living-dining area. From there, she saw a tall, broad-shouldered man standing at the kitchen stove. “Hello?” she called cautiously.

He pushed a large skillet to a back burner, covered it and turned. Dark brown eyes and a broad smile greeted her. “Good morning,” he greeted. “You must be Suzanne.”

“Yes,” she said cautiously. “Where’s Kristopher?”

“In the office, talking to Grant Miller.” He wiped his hands on the towel hanging from his apron before coming forward. “I’m Bailey Mills, USMC, retired and Brotherhood Protector,” he introduced. “Hank asked me to join you guys. Would you like some coffee?” He pointed at the coffee press and cups on the counter.

It’s fresh.”

“I’d love some,” she said, going to pour a cup and add milk from the small pitcher. “Are you here because Hank Patterson thinks we might be in more danger than we first thought?”

Bailey’s smile vanished. “Yeah, especially since we think we’re dealing with The Cadre and that couple from the shelter got murdered. Someone is seriously pissed.”

“And it’s about to get messier,” Kristopher announced, joining them. “Miller said the police released the news about the Taylors to the media late last night. It will be all over the morning news.”

“Holy cow,” Suzanne whispered, shaking her head. “What a mess.”

“Yeah,” he said. He cocked his head and gave her a long once over glance. “Did you sleep well?”

“You should have at least woken me for dinner.” She affected an annoyed expression. “Did I miss anything?”

“Only a meeting with Hank about some Brotherhood business,” Kristopher said. “And you needed to sleep.”

“Amen,” Bailey echoed, as he plated their food. “Now, let’s eat. I do better on a full stomach and I have a feeling today will be a long day. What did Miller say about those bodies?”

They took their places at the dining room table and Kristopher said, “Their names were Eva and Alfred Taylor, and they worked at the youth emergency shelter since the first of the year ever since it was absorbed by Tennessee Cares, also known as TC. He’s still trying to track down TC’s CEO to ask for a meeting about everything that’s gone on in the past two days.”

“I wonder what else has happened there since TC absorbed them,” Bailey commented with a frown. “I read up on the organizations before I left Alabama. Sounds like the old agency, All Families, did a great job over the years. Sometimes changes aren’t always good. New people, new ideas when the other ways worked just fine.”

“I’ll bet they agreed to become part of TC because it has more money.” Suzanne reached for another biscuit. “More money, more programs for people who need help. Did you learn anything about the CEO?”

“Charles Tattersall, who has a long stellar career with family service organizations,” Bailey supplied. “He’s got quite a career in family service organizations, but we should keep digging.”

Something in his voice got Suzanne’s attention. “What do you think we might find?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But something is off.”

“Well, with these two new bodies, he better be kicking some ass,” Kristopher declared. “I know it’s the holidays, but two missing kids and three murders since the day after Christmas is bad news for the community.”

“Four missing kids, if you count the Clark sisters,” Suzanne reminded him. “Bailey, did Kristopher tell you about them?” At his nod, she continued. “And today is Saturday so all the agencies are going to be closed. But Elaine would open Families United if we needed to meet there.”

“Yeah, but Grant Miller won’t let it being Saturday stop him,” Kristopher said. “He’ll just dig in his heels and keep going.”

“Sounds like my kind of guy,” Bailey commented. “Like BP, he aims to please.”

His comment erased the remaining tension in the room, and they finished their breakfast with light conversation about the weather and the upcoming season for the Lady Vols basketball team.

“I believe the rule is, the cook doesn’t have to clean up,” Kristopher said, standing to gather their plates.

“Works for me,” Bailey announced. “I’m hitting the showers.”

He left them alone and Suzanne rose. “My wrist is feeling much better, so I can certainly help clean up. What is that old expression? Many hands make light work?”

“Works for me,” Kristopher echoed Bailey. “Let’s get it done.”

There was actually very little to do. Bailey obviously belonged to the clean-as-you-go cooking club. After they put away the leftovers and loaded the dishwasher, Suzanne made a fresh pot of coffee while Kristopher swept the floor.

“Looks good,” Kristopher announced putting the broom and dustpan in the small closet.

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