Link to Part 3

Case 29 - Frenzied Drama Part 4


    Sean’s house felt strange.  Keiko had been checking on it from time to time since he went into hiding at her home, and it always brought back memories.  She still vividly remembered hanging out there when she first moved to Garden City, while Sean and Lisa were both at work.

    But getting there this time was a little more complicated than she expected.  It was located almost right behind her house...but it was pouring rain and cold.  With all the delicate equipment and tools she needed to bring, walking the distance wasn’t an option.

    It seemed so wasteful and decadent, but she had no choice but to load her car in her warm, dry garage...and then drive it to Sean’s home.  Fortunately she remembered that she still had one of his opener remotes, so she could simply drive up to the house and into the garage, where she could bring the equipment in safe and dry.

    Keiko paused when she stepped inside the home from the garage, and looked around - it brought back so many warm memories.  She gently put down the box of equipment and small cooler she brought and headed downstairs silently.  With the click of a switch, she felt like she did the day she moved into that house - the basement bedroom was still just as she left it.  The den was too, set up as a lounge and home theater.  Everything was a little dusty, but still lively.

    She returned to the entrance after her tour of the place, where she left a box of equipment, a toolkit, cordless drill, and a spool of wire when she first entered.  She wore comfortable jeans, sneakers, a long sleeved shirt, baseball cap, and mechanic’s gloves - prepared to install Sean’s security system.

    Keiko sat on the floor next to the living room television and switched it on as if she’d done it a hundred times before.  She began assembling the security system equipment - batteries and such - as she listened to the background noise so the work wouldn’t feel so lonely.  After that she picked up the cordless drill and began hooking up and wiring the three control pads - one the front and back of the main floor, and one in the upstairs hallway.

    There was a method to the way she was working.  Starting with the control pads and then the system hub in the basement, quickly followed by motion detectors with full coverage.  Within the hour she had a security system that wasn’t perfect, but would operate well enough to suffice if she had to abandon the job for the day for some reason.

    She had more time, fortunately, so she planned to install the door and window and glass sensors next.  But first, she timed it so she could have a light lunch she brought from home to give herself a break and renew her energy.  She ate at the kitchen table after dusting it briefly.

    Then she resumed her work installing the door, window, and glass sensors.  Once they were all installed, she stopped to admire her work.  Then she went for one final upgrade - armoring the windows with a shatter-resistant laminate to slow down anyone who might be very determined to break in and possibly harm Sean.  It would take them so long to break in, she would be there before they managed it.

    Lastly she made one more pass through the house to make sure she didn’t miss anything.  During that pass she started to think about things she didn’t notice earlier, because she was too focused on the work.  Like she realized that she couldn’t look into Sean’s bedroom for too long...it brought back memories of heartbreak.

    Keiko went back to the living room and pulled off the mechanics gloves, tossing them in the box with her cordless drill and leftover cabling, and then following up by tossing in the baseball cap and freeing her hair.  She took a deep breath and surveyed the room with her hands on her hips.  “He’s going to be surprised,”  she whispered to herself.

    She collected all of the things she brought with her and loaded it all into her car, in the garage.  Then she went back inside to turn off the television and take one last look before arming the security system and leaving.  Keiko knew she would probably be visiting Sean frequently - or vice versa - but there was something warm feeling about having a hand in bringing his house back to life after such a long hiatus.


---


    Keiko arrived at home as dry as when she left, having driven directly from Sean’s garage to her own.  As she entered her house, she checked the front window to make sure it was still raining.

    She also noticed something else was still there, something that she didn’t want to tell Sean about, and thankfully he didn’t notice.  A large, dark colored sedan, parked on the street a few doors down.  It was one of two that was always in that spot - one brown, and one dark blue.  Keiko recognized it as a police stakeout.  For a change, she didn’t care, since she was doing nothing illegal.  With two possible enemies in the police department - definitely Anthony Wilder, and perhaps Matt Kreeger - it was no surprise.  It amused her, allowing them to waste their own time.

    Then she started thinking about Sean, and how she was becoming less and less relevant to his life.  Every effort she made to improve him failed, and in fact he continually tried to drag her into his problems.  She kept trying to convince herself that he needed her, when in fact, it was she who needed him.  Without Sean, she really didn’t have any friends.

    At least she had a developing friendship with Lisa.  Perhaps, Keiko thought, it was time to introduce herself to Lisa’s circle of friends.  They might not be as close as Sean...but someday Sean may just find a girl who takes a lot of his time and interest, and she would be left virtually alone without new friends.  It already happened once, after all.  Besides, only having one friend in all her time in Garden City seemed rather sad.

    The detective business was good for that, Keiko thought to herself finally.  Being Sean’s partner, it was fun and comfortable, but it was also rather isolating.  She saw and talked to the same people every day, and anyone new she met was either a criminal or a witness who felt too intimidated to socialize.  As a private detective, she would meet a lot more people who were in a more sociable mood.

    Her cell phone rang, and she checked the display.  Ron Clancy was calling?  What could he want?  She answered the phone.  “Hello?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“That you Keiko?”  he asked in his New York accent.  “Got a job for you, if you want it.  Right up your alley.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What’s the job?”  Keiko asked.  She tried to be honest with him and trust him, but she couldn’t help her suspicious nature.  “I’m working on another assignment, you know.  Real estate scam.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Good for you!”  Ron complimented her.  “Be careful though, real estate is a violent business.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Tell me about it.”  Keiko chuckled a little.  The conversation was cheering her up.  “So what’s the job?”  she asked again.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Car fencing operation.”  Ron explained.  “But not the kind the cops stick their noses into.  This is cars that are in transit...repos, trades, deliveries...disappearing before they reach their destination.  Dealer files an insurance claim, and then the car mysteriously turns up at another lot.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How do you know where it turns up?”  Keiko asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Good question.  Your instincts are getting sharper.”  Ron complimented again.  “I set up a dummy transaction and got a car with a tracker nabbed.  Didn’t tell anyone it had a tracker...but I followed it.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Sounds like you’re doing fine without me,”  Keiko replied.

    Ron took a deep, saddened breath.  “I had to back off.”  he said.  “I didn’t survive this business for so many years without being able to smell danger.  This job has gang written all over it, Keiko.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And you think I’m better suited to taking them on.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No,”  Ron replied confidently.  “I think you’re better suited to beating them.  Without getting caught.”


---


    For a relatively small town, Garden City had a lot of organized crime, Keiko thought to herself.  When she arrived she found that the Intelligence Agency had offices there.  Then she had to deal with Matt’s mild corruption leaning toward his political aspirations, Anthony Wilder and The Bishop, and now these real estate mobsters and a stolen car fencing gang.

    If she were still an assassin, she thought, this city would be just the place she would be sent for lots and lots of work.  Quite alarming, it was, thinking about that.  She had to wonder if there were local small-time assassins running around town somewhere, and if she would start to meet them soon.  Keiko hated dueling with amateurs, they always insisted on proving themselves.  There’s no professional courtesy among those ranks.

    Keiko went to her computer and checked her email.  Ron had sent her a few photos and some address information she needed for the new case.  It would save her some time with surveillance.

    She heard Sean enter her house - she could tell it was him because she could hear his keys.  Since she figured he knew she was home by now, she continued reading her email as he could be heard checking the small pile of mail and putting his jacket away.  Then his footsteps walked to the stairway, to the back of the house, and then toward Keiko’s small office.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I have a new case.”  Keiko told him as soon as he stepped into the doorway.  She spoke without looking at him, and he was a little taken aback that she knew he was there.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh, good.”  Sean replied, sounding tired.  “What’s it about?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Simple car scam.”  Keiko slid out of her chair and met Sean at the door, standing as close to eye to eye as she could, considering that she was much shorter.  With a sly smile she added, “And your house is ready.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Really?  You installed the security system that fast?”

    She nodded.  “I’m serious about getting you and Karen some privacy,”  she said, still smiling.  “It’ll be lonely here without you, but it’s far less awkward this way.”  She stared at him for a moment, and then elaborated to intercept the first question she guessed he would ask.  “For you, it is.  You can entertain whoever you wish in your own home without having to answer to me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I like answering to you.”  Sean pointed out cheerfully.  “You’re great to answer to.”

    Keiko couldn’t help but smile at that.  Sean was so used to flirting he practically couldn’t help himself.  Fortunately she was merely entertained by it - he would have to save it for Karen, or someone else who was more easily impressed.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Let’s go out to dinner to celebrate,”  Sean said, placing one arm across Keiko’s shoulders.  “I had a good day today.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“So did I.”  Keiko replied.  “But it was a long day, too.  I think I’ll stay in this evening.”  She smirked and added, “Besides, I think you have someone you’d like to take out to dinner...and probably reap the benefits well into the night.”

    As usual, Sean was a little shocked to hear that from Keiko.  But she was also right, in a way.  “Are you sure?”  he asked.  “I like hanging out with you.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“There’s plenty of time for that.”  Keiko said with a smile.  She slapped him on the arm gently.  “Go, have fun.”

    Once he left, Keiko was a little surprised with herself, that she had the distinct feeling like the pressure was off.  It would take some getting used to, trying to separate herself from Sean as more than a friend.  In the long run, her friendship with him would become stronger.  But in the mean time it would be difficult.

    Keiko watched him drive away, and then she pulled her boots off and settled in for a movie on her large flat screen television.  She deserved a reward she could call her own.


TO BE CONTINUED
    


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- World Class and all characters therein are property of 
--    Strike Two and Jason Froikin.