Lost in my revelry, I almost missed the entrance to a convenience store on my right. I whipped the car into the lot, much to the dismay of the driver behind me who honked and threw up a familiar hand gesture.
"My bad," I mumbled.
I walked inside and crinkled my nose while I strolled down the aisles. The white floor tiles were no longer clean but cracked and covered in grit. Rap music with several bleeps in a row bumped through the store's sound system. A few teenagers huddled near the magazines while I found the end cap of electronics.
The phone chargers, which had a few portals on one key ring, boasted a sale price of $5.99. I pulled out the burner phone from my pocket to ensure one of these cords fit. The second cord on the keyring was an exact match. I also grabbed a burner phone in its packaging. Couldn't hurt to have one of my own, just in case.
I paid for the charger and phone at the counter, and tried not to make eye contact with the forty-something attendant who wouldn't stop staring at my cleavage.
As soon as I turned my car on, I plugged one end of the charger into my USB port and the other end into Callie's burner phone. I nibbled on the inside of my cheek while I waited for the phone to pick up a charge. After several seconds it flickered to life. I immediately scanned the text messages and calls. Only one number appeared on her Recents, and it had to be her boyfriend. No doubt he used a burner too. This was some next-level secretive shit. I scoured through the outdated interface to try and find info about the device itself and its given number. After several attempts, I finally found the seven digits I needed.
With my phone, I dialed a number I knew by heart.
"Dahlia! Just couldn't stay away, could you?”
"I need you to work your magic and help me trace a burner.”
"Nice to hear from you! I suspect you're having a good day?" Jake asked.
My lips turned upward. Jake always managed to paint a smile on my face. "Yeah, sorry. Hi.”
"All good, Dahlia. I know you just like to use me for my superpowers.”
"More like evil powers," I replied playfully.
I pulled out of the convenience store lot, took a left and cruised down North Street back toward my house. My stomach grumbled, and I realized I hadn't eaten much today. Hopefully, my mom cooked something delicious for dinner.
"Burners can be tricky, but I'll see what I can do," Jake said. "What's the number and general location?”
I read him the number on Callie's phone, which had to be her boyfriend's digits. Who else could she have communicated with on the burner?
"Okay, give me a sec," Jake said.
I furrowed my brow. "Wait, you can trace it that quickly?”
I stopped before an intersection while a few younger kids crossed the street. Without needing to ask, I knew they were most likely venturing toward the playground across the street from the elementary school a block down. I used to play on the same playground throughout my childhood. While it no longer had a merry-go-round or a swing set that made you feel like you could kiss the sky, many more safety-conscious items stood on the fresh pile of wood chips laid down each spring.
"And, done. It's definitely a phone in Keygate. It hasn't pinged any towers outside the city limits. There are several numbers this burner has been in contact with. I just emailed you a few things.”
"Jake, you're a lifesaver," I said.
It was a wonder Jake could find these records so easily. I imagined it wasn't always a legal method, but sometimes you needed to bend the law to enforce it.
"I know. Happy investigating, Detective Dahlia." Jake hung up.
I pulled into my driveway as adrenaline coursed through my veins. My chest rose and fell with veracity. Part of me wondered if I should make myself a drink, with the other louder part of me insisting I didn't need one. The high of knowing I was one step closer to finding Callie's killer was enough for now.
Thirty-Three
We sat at the dining room table and dove into the delicious meal my mom prepared: grilled chicken, cheesy scalloped potatoes and a fresh garden salad. The antique chandelier provided a buttery glow of light overhead. Jack played soft jazz on his record player in the background. A sense of comfort and security washed over me. I wanted to bottle this feeling up and save it for whenever I needed reassurance that life wasn't all bad.
"How's your father doing?" my mom asked while she sipped her cabernet.
"He's good," I said. "He actually decided to take a road trip to California to visit some of his distant cousins. I think it'll be a good distraction for him.”
My mom nodded. "And how's the other business going along?”
At this point, why beat around the bush and just ask about my personal investigation?
"I had a big break today, actually," I boasted.
"Good," my mom said as she set down her wine glass. "Those Keygate Police wouldn't know how to find a criminal if he bit them in the ass.”
Jack shook his head with a smile and patted my mother's back.
After dinner, the three of us worked together to clear the table, wash the dishes and put them away. Jack kept blowing soap bubbles into the air toward my mom, to which she frowned at his playful tactics. However, at the last minute, she grinned. I hoped one day I'd find a love like this, one that was natural and secure.
Once everything was tidied up, I retired to my room to continue my investigation: Detective Dahlia and the Case of the Burner Phones. Had a nice ring to it, I supposed. I flopped onto my bed; the long day had exhausted me to my core. By this time, I was usually half in the bag, but for some reason, the glass of wine at dinner sufficed. Maybe focusing on the investigation more seriously pushed the evil cravings away?
Either way, I wasn't complaining. I noticed a difference in myself even going a day or so without getting wasted. Despite waking up with subtle shakes and nausea, once I put something in my stomach and chugged a few bottles of water, I could think more clearly. Even my face and cheeks appeared less blotchy and bloated.
I charged Callie's phone until a little "100%" icon shone at the top corner of the screen. Again I scanned through her text messages. They talked about running away together, about abandoning their life in Keygate and starting fresh. They professed their love to each other every day. However, none of the messages, not a single one, included his name or any other identifiable features, information or the like. But I knew, thanks to Jake, he used a burner phone too. And he had other numbers on there. If the man cheated on his wife with Callie, was he cheating on Callie with other women as well? I needed a way to contact this mysterious man without spooking him.
I set aside Callie's phone and opened the stiff plastic packaging of the new burner phone I purchased at the corner store. It was nearly identical to Callie's. Luckily, the device was pre-charged, so I was able to turn it on right away. I scanned the instructions to see if there was any information I needed to know about the phone, but it was mostly how to turn it on and off, charge it and dispose of it if necessary. I rolled my eyes. Was I trapped in some spy movie where everyone needed coded communication to keep their identities a secret?
I nibbled on my cheek while I typed in Callie's lover's phone number into my burner phone. I needed to gain his trust early without having to prove who I was too quickly. The man was a cheater, though. I could use that to my advantage. But I only had one shot at this. If he didn't believe me, or if I spooked him, I'd have to find another way to track him down.