Carnival of Secrets

Chapter 2

The first time the kid knocked on his door, he growled loudly but made no move to answer it.

"Come on, Pops, don't be such a hermit," came the plaintive whine, and he growled again and launched himself upward when a fist banging rattled the door a second time.

He willed himself to adopt his usual dim-witted scowl before he confronted the interloper.

"What?" he snarled as he yanked the door open just wide enough to poke his head out.

"I'm headed to a bar in town that's got a jukebox, pool tables, and lonely women. Wanna go?"

"No," he answered, and shut the door before his unwanted visitor could speak up again, then waited silently until at last he heard the kid's truck driving away.

Finally, he grumbled to himself as he locked the door and returned to his reading.

He picked up his highlighter and underlined the passage that he'd found right before he'd been rudely interrupted.

"Soluble in water," he muttered, and grinned. "That's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Time to get some and test it all out."

He stretched his arm across the narrow table to pull his laptop closer. He booted it up, opened an incognito browser window, and began to search for the items he desired.

Ten minutes later, he'd found a way to immediately acquire one of the items he needed - and was pleasantly surprised. He'd expected larger quantities to be harder to come by. But his search for the most important element in his scheme had him frowning at the screen.

"Licensed use only," he read aloud, and rolled his eyes. "I bet I can find a way around that."

Especially if we go far enough south. I can slip over the border where it's not regulated and get some that hasn't been altered...

He shelved that line of thought for the moment to lean back and contemplate the delivery method.

Huh. I'm going to have to test it both ways and see what works the best.

His mind immediately pivoted and conjured up his young, irritating co-worker's face, and his lips curled into an almost feral smile.

And I know just who to test it out on first.

***

* * * *

Nathan's phone buzzed just as he lifted a sleeping Charlie from his car seat and began to walk toward the front door. Once Charlie was tucked safely into bed, Nathan gently closed his child's bedroom door before reaching for the cell phone clipped to his belt.

He read Lizzie's text and grinned.

Just joined the team and already planning a vacation? Wow, Zimmerman. Didn't figure you for a slacker, he typed and sent, then waited a beat or two before he continued.

Just kidding. It shouldn't be an issue scheduling it out this far ahead of time. How many days off are we talking? he typed back, then waited.

Eight, came the swift response. September thirtieth through October seventh. And nice one, boss. That was funny. Not.

LOL. Sorry. Couldn't resist. Should be fine - unless we're working a case, that is. I'll email the unit secretary and let her know to make a note about it on the calendar, he responded.

Thanks. See you in the morning! was the final exchange he saw from Lizzie before he plugged his phone into the charger by the bed.

He turned and walked across the space and into the bathroom, where Bella was already pouring capfuls of bubble bath into the steaming water.

"I think three of these should do it," she told him as she screwed the cap back on the bottle and put it back underneath the sink.

***