Sara K. Parker - Security Measures

“You’ve helped all this time. Why don’t you eat with us?” she suggested, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull him toward the buffet tables.

“I’ve got to get home, but thank you.”

“Oh, right. Your kids are waiting for you. Well, I hope I’ll get to meet them. Did you talk to Brandon?”

“I did. I’ll bring the kids by soon.”

“Levi and Josie, right? I can’t wait.”

“Have a good night, Kaye,” he said and started to turn away before he had a last-minute thought. “Actually...” He pulled out his wallet, slipped out a business card and handed it to her. “I’m a little worried about Triss. I don’t think she wants anyone to know right now, but I’d feel better if someone here was watching out for her. She was in an accident on the way back from the cemetery today.”

Kaye accepted the card, her eyes widening. “That’s why she seemed different when she walked in. Why she was late...”

“She didn’t want to go to the hospital, so I was keeping an eye on her. Would you—”

Kaye was already nodding. “I have six daughters. This is my specialty.” She smiled then, tapping the card. “What a very caring coworker you are.”

Hunter couldn’t help but grin. The woman was astute, and he knew he could trust her to watch out for Triss.

“Go home to your kiddos, now. And I won’t tell Triss that I know about the accident.” She gave him a goodbye hug and Hunter let himself out of the home, heading across the parking lot to the cottage-like building Triss had pointed out.

The cottage was constructed of whitewashed brick, and its oak door was unlocked. Hunter tapped on it before opening the door, and was greeted by a jungle of flowers and a smiling silver-haired woman snipping thorns off of a pile of roses. The place smelled like a flower boutique, with arrangements in a myriad of vases on every surface.

“Hello there,” the woman said, her voice chipper. “How can I help you?”

“Sorry,” Hunter said, confused. The place looked more like a gift shop than an administrative office building. “I think I’m in the wrong place. I was looking for Security.”

“Oh, no. You’re in the right place. I’m the office manager.” The woman set aside her flowers and wiped her hands on a hand towel before offering a handshake to Hunter. “Laura Senate. My daughter’s wedding is this weekend, and I’m helping make the floral arrangements.”

“You do beautiful work.”

“Thank you. The security office is around the corner. First door on the left.” She pointed, but a frown line surfaced along her forehead. “I hope everything’s okay?”

“I have a few questions I wanted to run by the team.”

The woman nodded, still not quite smiling. “Vince’s there right now, and Adam’s somewhere...” She shrugged. “It’s pretty quiet out here, you know.”

“It’s a peaceful place,” Hunter agreed. “Thanks for the help.” He followed her instructions and walked around the corner, finding the first door on the left open. He tapped on the wall outside the door and peeked in.

The man at the desk wore black slacks and a gray uniform shirt A brown desk plaque gave the name Vince Beck . He looked up from his computer monitor in surprise, his hand coming up to adjust his too-long comb-over.

“Yes?” the man asked, his gruff voice matching his bulky frame.

Hunter stepped into the room and held out a hand, “I’m Hunter Knox. A friend of mine is one of the graduate students here at Harmony—Triss Everett.”

Vince smiled and relaxed, shaking Hunter’s hand. “How can I help you?”

Without much information yet, Hunter wanted to be careful with his words. His purpose tonight was to get a feel for the security at Harmony, and also the receptiveness of the team to making some adjustments.

“You may know that Triss works for Shield Protection Services. We’re coworkers, actually.”

Vince’s expression was suddenly amused. “Oh, yes, we all know about Triss and her focus on security. She’s always got new ideas she wants us to put in place, but Harmony hasn’t ever had a security problem. I say, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

Hunter didn’t see the humor Vince obviously saw, and took note that he would likely meet resistance when trying to implement any changes. Vince seemed a little too comfortable with his job. He was a big guy, probably in his late thirties. He carried a little extra weight around his midsection, but otherwise he appeared fit. He didn’t wear a wedding ring, and there were no family photos anywhere in his office.

Hunter forced a smile. “It’s a beautiful place. My mom was here for a while.” He started. “Maybe you knew her—Wendy Knox?”

Vince shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell, but I’ve only been here three years.”

Hunter nodded. “She passed before that, but sure enjoyed her time here. In fact, I know others who are considering it for their parents. Would you mind giving me a quick rundown of your security protocols?”

“Oh, sure,” Vince said, motioning for Hunter to take a seat as he turned a wide-screen computer monitor toward him. The monitor showed four grainy scenes at a time. “This here’s our monitor,” Vince began, and Hunter suppressed a sigh. This was going to be worse than he’d expected.

* * *

A half hour later, Hunter was thinking about the practically nonexistent security at Harmony and wondering how quickly Shield could convince Harmony management to make improvements. A private security company, Shield designed, installed and manned custom security systems for residences and businesses. Due to the nature of the work, agents often served as both bodyguards and investigators, reporting suspicious activity and passing tips on to police. Usually, potential clients approached Shield for help. Bringing a proposal to Harmony would likely be a hard sell. Maybe bringing his kids to the facility the next day would be a good first step. That way, he could get a feel for the place without making anyone uneasy.

He pulled into the first grocery store he saw, heading quickly inside and grabbing a basket. He’d only managed to grab bananas and frozen chicken nuggets when his cell phone rang, the number unfamiliar.

“Hello?” he answered, snagging a pack of mini doughnuts for his kids in the morning.

“Is this Hunter Knox?” a woman’s voice asked.

He recognized the voice, and his heart pitched. “Yes. What’s wrong, Kaye?” He was setting his basket on a closed register before she could even answer, heading straight for the exit.

“It’s Triss. She just left the dining hall. I followed her and she told me she was very tired. Unlike her. It’s not even seven o’clock. And she looked...funny.”

“Funny, how?”

“I can’t really say. Her eyes looked kind of glazed. Maybe I’m overreacting...”

“I’m heading back now.”

“Hurry, okay?”

“You got it.” Hunter was already running to his truck. He slammed the door shut and peeled out of the parking lot.

This is what he’d been afraid of—a head injury or an internal injury that hadn’t made itself known immediately. He should have forced her to get checked out after the accident. Well, she wouldn’t argue with him this time. He would go over there and knock on her door until she opened it, and then he was going to drive her straight to the hospital—even if he had to drag her.

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