Without asking our preference, he poured three shots of Jack Daniels into the sparkling glasses. My stomach turned. I didn't do so well with whiskey, but it was liquor, and it was free. I'd have to make do.
Renlee handed me a glass while taking one for himself.
"To small towns and spring nights," the owner said.
It wasn't the best toast I'd ever heard, but I clicked glasses with them all the same. I closed my eyes as I downed the whiskey, which warmed my body immediately. Shivers cascaded down my forearms too.
I couldn't help but think about one of the last times I drank whiskey. Zac and I went out with a few guys from the force on a Friday night. Everyone took turns ordering shots of Jack all night. We stayed at the bar in Ashford until the owner flicked off the buzzing neon "Open" sign. Zac had his arms around me as we all walked down the main strip and toward the water. We grabbed a slice of pizza from an all-night place and watched the sun come up. I'd never be able to watch another sunrise with Zac beside me again.
The owner smiled, reached across the bar to pat Renlee on the back, then excused himself to the kitchen. Rock-n-roll oldies crooned through the speaker system while patrons young and old socialized over drinks. White canopy curtains hung loosely around the perimeter of the patio, giving the vicinity a crisp, clean vibe.
Renlee shook his head like a dog and smiled. "Jack always goes straight to my head."
"I know what you mean." The lights shone a little brighter after the shot, and my balance wavered as I sat on the stool.
Renlee opened his mouth to speak, but a microphone screeched through the speakers, causing everyone to cover their ears with their hands. An older gentleman wearing an Elvis t-shirt tapped the microphone toward the stage area of the patio.
"Sorry! Sorry! We will begin karaoke night in a few minutes. Please make your way to the stage to sign up and choose your songs.”
Renlee looked to me with a devilish grin and a twinkle in his eye. "You want to sing a song together?”
His cheeks were flushed, and his speech slightly slurred. While I felt a heavy buzz too, I wasn't nearly drunk enough to get on stage and embarrass myself in front of my peers. He must have had a few drinks before I came; it was the only explanation for his slowing drawl.
"I'd rather jump into the river," I said bluntly.
Renlee drank his beer and smiled a toothy grin. "Yeah, alright. Probably for the best. If I sang what I wanted to, I doubt anyone in this place would ever respect me in uniform."
I sipped my drink, which neared the bottom of the glass. "Oh yeah? What did you want to sing?”
"If I tell you, I'll have to kill you," he said with a wink.
I playfully punched him in the arm. "Tell me!" I pleaded.
Renlee nodded and slid off the barstool to step closer to me. I felt his warm breath against the nape of my neck.
"’Shallow’ from A Star is Born!" he whispered into my ear, which sent shivers snaking down my spine.
I couldn't help but snicker. "Really? You don't seem like the type!”
"Hey!" he said. "It was a great movie!”
The first karaoke singer graced the stage. I recognized her at once as being one of the class clowns in school. Lyndsey something-or-other. With a sixteen-ounce beer in her hand, she sloppily belted out “Baby, Hit Me One More Time.”
Renlee ordered us another round of drinks. I noticed his eyes began to glaze over, and I wondered if he had a ride home. Although, it was a refreshing change to drink with an old friend rather than by myself, as I'd originally intended.
"Wanna know a secret?" he asked in a slurred, husky voice.
"Sure," I replied.
Renlee leaned in closer to whisper into my ear. I closed my eyes and strained to hear him above the off-pitch singing in the background. A breeze rushed through the patio too, which ruffled my soft waves.
"I always had a crush on you in school," he said.
I looked at him with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. "No, you didn’t."
"I did!" he said with hands in the air.
"I don't believe it one bit." I shot back another round of Jack.
He opened his mouth to say more, but my phone buzzed inside my pocket. I didn't want to answer it, but instincts told me I didn't want to ignore it. I excused myself from Renlee. He nodded smoothly and ordered another beer for himself and a drink for me too.
I pulled it out to reveal several text messages from Jake.
The texts read:
Call me. It's urgent. I've got the list of clients, and you're never going to believe who's on it.
I exhaled the breath I'd held in my lungs while my pulse exploded. Fireworks erupted inside my head as the possibility of taking one step closer to finding Callie's killer danced in my mind. This was going to be something big, I could feel it in my bones.
"I'm sorry," I said to Renlee, whose eyes lost their shine as I spoke. "I have to go."
"So early?" he pouted.
As much as I wanted to stay and have another, I had more important things to do.
I had to catch a killer.
Twenty-One
Without needing to use my app, I texted Sandy that I was ready to be picked up and asked if she could be here as soon as possible.
She replied with a wink emoticon, which I assumed to be confirmation that she'd be here shortly.
I paced the sidewalk to the left of the bar's patio entrance. I didn't want Renlee to see me waiting for my ride. Dark images invaded my brain and pushed out the carefree feeling from tonight. The image of the person who killed Callie wasn't just a shadow in my mind anymore. I was one step closer to finding out who stole a beautiful soul from this world.
As I stood on the curb, a light switch turned off in my heart as darkness enveloped my consciousness. I could almost hear Callie’s screams for help ringing in my ears. Was she afraid? What did she think about just before she died? I couldn't hold it in any longer as a fit of sobs wracked my body. I pulled out a mini shot of vodka from my purse, opened the plastic container, and tossed back the liquor down my throat.
I knew I was drowning. All the booze. All the pining darkness. The current threatened to pull me under at any second. Deep down, I was hoping finding Callie's killer would be the life preserver I desperately needed.
Sandy pulled up just as I'd tossed the empty shot bottle into a trash can beside the curb. She parked a few feet ahead, and I ducked under a small sapling with budding leaves to get to the rear passenger door.
"Leaving so early?" she asked with a motherly curiosity.
"Yeah. It was getting too crowded," I lied and wiped the tears from my face.
"Not a problem.”
My mother’s house was only a handful of blocks away, but far enough where I shouldn't walk by myself. Many years ago, I wouldn't have minded the distance, but with too much alcohol in my system and a killer on the loose, I figured it wouldn't be exactly the safest mode of transportation.
Sandy asked if I'd had a nice time.
"Yeah, it was okay." I sniffled.
Our eyes met in the rearview mirror. I broke contact first as we turned down my street. She pulled into my driveway, and I handed her a crisp twenty-dollar bill. She smiled and shook her head.