Page 49 of Haunted By Sin
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brooklyn Sloane
May 2024
Monday — 7:44 pm
A steady rain had turned the day into a murky twilight. The gray curtain had begun to fall relentlessly about six o’clock. By the time Brook had finished up at the trailer park and gotten back on the road, she had cut her usual speed limit by around fifteen miles per hour. Still, she had made it to the pub with time to spare.
The lack of thunder or lightning lent an eerie stillness to the evening, broken only by the rhythmic patter of water on the pavement. She made her way through the downpour, mindful of puddles as the umbrella kept her top half somewhat dry. It was difficult to navigate when the rain was coming at her at an angle.
Brook had already determined that Bit hadn’t arrived at the pub before her. The tech van wasn’t in sight. While the black vehicle tended to blend in on a busy street, it was also easy to spot if one knew what to search for. There also wasn’t an unmarked federal vehicle anywhere in sight, though that wasn’t to say Agent Tirelli hadn’t driven his personal vehicle.
She opened the door, lowering her umbrella as she stepped inside. Keeping the door ajar, she collapsed the umbrella and shook what remnants of water remained until she was confident that she wouldn’t get herself soaking wet by carrying it through the crowd.
For a Monday, the place was quite busy.
Agent Tirelli was nowhere to be found, so she began to scan the room for a table. The bartender raised his hand in greeting. Some of his brown strands were wet, so he must have just arrived for his shift. She nodded back before giving the main area one more passing glance.
Brook finally spotted a high-top with four chairs.
As she carefully weaved her way to the back corner, she hadn’t realized how much the rain had dropped the temperature outside. The warmth of the pub was pleasant, and she hoped that the bartender wouldn’t mind brewing her up a hot cup of coffee.
Brook claimed the table by pulling out one of the chairs. She then hooked the strap of her purse over the back before tucking her umbrella in the corner. The past few hours had garnered her nothing but a vague description of Carl Swilling—brown hair, brown eyes, and an average build. The only distinctive mark was that of a three-headed dragon tattoo. A search of Mack Swilling’s trailer hadn’t produced a single photograph.
Using the railing of the chair, Brook settled into the seat. She reached back and pulled her cell phone from the side pocket of her purse. Glancing at the display, she confirmed that Bit hadn’t tried to reach her while she had been making her way from the car to the pub. His silence meant that Theo and Sylvie hadn’t been successful today, either.
It shouldn’t be this difficult to locate an individual in this day and age.
The local police had reached out to a sketch artist who would sit with one of Mack Swilling’s neighbors. Such a meeting was taking place now, and the sheriff gave his word that he would email her the electronic drawing first thing. Brook had also spoken with Bit about an aging software program. He stated that he would feed the one photograph that social services had on file into the application and have it run while he met her and Agent Tirelli for dinner.
A sudden vibration garnered her attention. The display on her phone had brightened and revealed Theo’s name. She swiped the screen. Pressing the phone to her ear, she realized immediately that she wouldn’t be able to hear him over the loud conversations and clinking of glasses.
“Theo, I’m at the pub. I’ll call you back when—”
“No, I have…” Theo’s voice broke off. “Did you get…”
“Theo, I can’t hear you,” Brook repeated as she decided to forego the table. Clearly, whatever update Theo wanted to pass on was significant. She stood from the stool, intent on collecting her umbrella and purse when she caught sight of Bit by the entrance. She raised her arm so that he could spot her in the back corner. “Theo, Bit just walked in. Hold on, and I’ll go to a quieter area.”
“…finally caved and told us that Carl was caught sneaking into Wallace’s…”
Bit caught sight of her and began to make his way toward her. He stood out from the other patrons by wearing jeans, a t-shirt that had seen better days, and his knitted hat. Most of the patrons either wore shorts or the clothes that they had worn into the office today.
“…was the one held in that room underneath the…”
“Theo is on the phone, but I can’t hear over the noise,” Brook said as Bit finally made it to the table. “Please keep an eye on my purse. I’ll be right back.”
“Boss?” Brook turned back to find that Bit had already hopped onto his seat. “I located Jason Bracco. He is currently in the hospital with a severe case of food poisoning. Severe enough that he’s been there for two days.”
Brook nodded her understanding before deciding the small hallway near the restrooms was the most ideal place to speak on the phone. If it wasn’t pouring rain, she would have taken the call outside. She hadn’t made it past two tables when she almost ran into Mindy.
“Excuse me,” Brook said as she attempted to edge past the woman.
Fortunately, Cav Buckley wasn’t in attendance. Mindy was enjoying a night out with friends, who seemed to be mostly co-workers from the bar and grill. Brook walked past the table, her thoughts switching from Cav to another male subject. She didn’t let on that she might have made a connection through mere initials.
C.S.
Coincidence?