“Hey!” My father’s co-worker, Jimmy, pulled me into a tight embrace as I entered the office early the next morning. 

Jimmy was practically an uncle to me. He had been to many family functions with us before, and when my mother passed away, he was evermore present in our lives. For a few years, we relied on Jimmy’s cooking and care to survive. Both my father and I were forever in debt to this considerate human being.

Jimmy never held anything against is; he saw us as family. In a small town such as McGrath, there was a possibility that Jimmy was actually family. 

I pulled back from the hug with a grin splattered across my face. 

“How are you doing, Annie-Bananie?” He asked, teasing me with the nickname used by most of the police force during my younger years. 

I scowled at him. “You know I hate that nickname. Why do you have to keep calling me that, Jimmy?”

“Because you hate it.” He ruffled my hair before walking back over to his desk and settling down. “So what brought you over here today?”

I shrugged and leaned against the edge of my father’s desk. “I missed everyone here. I thought I’d stop by.”

“And by ‘everyone’ you mean me, right?” 

I laughed, nodding. “Of course, Jimmy.”

“Stop distracting Jimmy,” My father said as he returned from the break room with a cup of coffee in his hands. He set the ceramic mug next to his keyboard, and plopped down in the padded leather chair. 

“She isn’t distracting me, Carl.” Jimmy shook his head as he shook the mouse and brought the computer monitor back to life. 

“Really? So you have those reports filled out and filed?”

Jimmy scowled at the computer screen without a response. My father smirked in victory before turning back to his computer screen. The office was slowly coming to life as the nightshift workers went home and the dayshift entered. Sleepy eyes turned on cold monitors, and the bitter, bland aroma of coffee spread out through the room.

I pulled up a chair from the break room and sat next to my father, greeting those who I knew as they walked in. Most of the office was a familiar face. I had grown up here. This was a home away from home. 

I helped my father in logging claims into the database for most of the morning. A few people stopped over to chat, but I managed to get half of the pile presented to me done by the time lunch rolled around. As soon as the hands aligned to point to the thick black twelve, Jimmy ceased working. He turned off his monitor and strolled over to where my father and I sat crowded at the desk.

“How about we head to town and grab a bite to eat today?” He rested a hand on the back of both of our chairs with his head sandwiched between ours. I looked up from the paperwork at my father. “I’m sure Anne would rather get some properly made food than the microwavable meals you have kept in the fridge.”

My father leaned back in his chair as his eyes fell on me. “What are you in the mood for?”

I shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“What was that? Did you say you want Mexican?” Jimmy asked, pretending to misunderstand me.

I laughed, standing up. “Sure. Mexican sounds good. You game, Dad?”

He nodded.

We decided to carpool in Jimmy’s truck. He kept his vehicles better prepared for the icy snow that we were faced with during the year. Large snowflakes sprinkled from the sky as the loud truck rolled over the slush that bordered the roads. 

There weren’t too many restaurants in our town. Molly’s was the major one, and I was surprised that Jimmy hadn’t asked to go there. He was a fan, but I almost never worked when he dined. Mexican was one of the rare ethnic styles that our town was fortunate enough to serve, and there was almost always a wait.

The parking lot was fairly packed when we arrived. 

Jimmy managed a tight squeeze in the back. I was careful not to hit our door into the neighboring car as I squeezed out. I met the two older men by the trunk, and the three of us walked into the already crowded restaurant.

My father and Jimmy took a seat on the bench along the wall as I went to put in a name for us. The hostess was a petite girl with a friendly smile and assured me the wait was no longer than ten minutes. 

I handed the beeper over to my father and hurried off to the bathroom. The small three-stalled bathroom was poorly maintained, but not many public restaurants were. Molly’s was an exceptional restaurant that took care of their restrooms. 

As I walked out a few minutes later, fingers curled around my wrist and pulled me back further into the corridor. My back hit the wall separating the men’s and the woman’s entrances. A familiar figure trapped me. The palm of his hand pressed against the wall near by head, effectively sending a message that I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Derek?” I asked softly. “What are you doing here?”

“The same thing you are; I’m dining out,” his voice was husky as he kept it low. The tense stance gave me a different impression. 

“Was there something you needed?”

He grinned humorlessly. “Actually, yes. Who are the two men you came in with?”

“My father and his co-worker. Why—”

“Your father is the chief of police?”

I nodded hesitantly. “Yeah…”

Derek released my wrist and ran that hand through his hair in exasperation. He exhaled slowly with closed eyes. 

“What is it?” There was some thought process occurring in his mind, and I was eager to know what it was. 

He shook his head softly before giving me a calming smile. “Nothing, Anne.”

“There’s something…”

“Nothing that concerns you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. The gap between us was small, and I could feel the thin fabric of his shirt tickling the hairs on my arm. My lips pursed in irritation. “That’s not fair. I answered your surprise question, now why can you answer mine?”

“Because my questions concerned you. Yours don’t.”

“They concern you.”

He raised an eyebrow, pulling back. “What’s your point?”

A sigh full of irritation slipped through my lips. “Whatever. Can I please go back to enjoying my meal?”

“Sure,” He stepped back to give me space. I pulled away from the filthy wall before giving him once last skeptical look. 

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked out of the corridor. 

My father and Jimmy had already been seated as I returned. They waved me over to the small booth in the corner. I took a seat next to Dad and scanned the menu, despite already knowing what I was going to get. I noticed that a glass of water had already been placed before me.

I took a deep sip, trying to ease my nerves.

“Someone’s thirsty,” Jimmy commented, winking.

I simply shrugged and smiled.

~*~

The short interaction stayed with me during the weekend. I tried fruitlessly to distract myself by filing out reports for my father, but as Sunday rolled around, I realized there was little else I could do to occupy my mind.

As I sat staring at the moving pictures on the television, my mind contemplated possible explanations for why Derek had acted so strange at the restaurant. 

He could have been a felon in the town he lived at before coming to McGrath.

He could have been doing something illegal at the restaurant when we showed up. Drug deals, stealing, dining and dashing…

He could have simply been astonished that I was related to a police officer. 

Or there could be something I hadn’t thought of. As I listed off various reasoning, I found myself believing it less and less. The tone he took, his guarded stance, nothing added up. There was something I was missing about that conversation.

Sunday passed slowly, and I found myself looking forward to Monday. 

While the time slot was short, I was guaranteed to see him first thing in the morning. When Monday rolled around, I made sure to clear myself of any distractions. 

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Andy grinned as he appeared by my side once I arrived to school. I sipped from the latte I had picked up on my way over. 

“Morning.”

Andy chuckled at my lethargic response. “Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?”

My locker opened with ease for once. I grabbed a few books for the day, replacing those I had taken home on the weekend. “No, I’m just not awake today.”

“I can tell.”

“Thanks, Andy.”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me off balance and crashing into him. Andy supported our weights as he rocked us back and forth. “You never asked me how my date with Mia went.”

“I didn’t realize I was supposed to.”

He ignored my comment, continuing anyway, “She sucked my dick.”

“First date?”

“Yup.”

I shook my head, muttering under my breath. “Some girls at this school are just too easy to tolerate.”

“She was so good.” He grinned fondly at the memory. “She has a way of working her tongue around your d—”

I slapped my hand over his lips and gave him a bland look. “I do not need the details.” 

He chuckled and pulled away. 

“Look, Andy, I would love to catch up with you and your sexual escapades—”

“I beg to differ,” he interjected. 

I shot him a sharp look before continuing, “—but I need to go get some help with History before class. I’ll hang out with you tomorrow morning.”

“You’re leaving me for school work?” The pout that crossed his lips struck a chord, but the memory of Derek’s edginess was far too engraved in my mind for me to change it. I bit my lip and nodded sullenly. 

Andy and I departed with a scowl across his face. He was upset now, but he needed one of his masculine friends to brag about his date more than he needed his feminine friend to not listen to him talk.

Derek showed up earlier than anticipated. My eyes followed him as he walked into the room in an irritable mood already. I waited until he was comfortably seated behind me before turning around with a questioning look.

“What was up with Saturday?”

“What do you mean?”

He was going to be difficult. Fantastic. “You know what I mean, Derek. You were so… I don’t know, suspicious.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Suspicious?”

“Suspicious, sketchy…” I waved it off casually, “They’re all synonyms for how you were acting. And quite frankly, they all raise red flags.”

Derek smirked and leaned forward on his desk. He folded his hands together to rest his chin on as he braced his elbows against the wooden top. “I really don’t think it’s any of your business as to what I’m doing.”

“Were you dealing drugs?” I asked in a low voice, cautious of bystanders listening to our conversation. 

Derek raised an eyebrow. “That’s what you think I was doing at the restaurant? Dealing drugs?”

“You appeared out of nowhere and questioned me on my connection to the police! You give me no reasons, and I’m left basing my thoughts around your body language and your tone.” I ran a hand through my hair. “What am I supposed to think?”

He chuckled, “I promise you that it’s not drug-related.”

“Look, it’s not like I care if you do or don’t do them.” I held up my hands innocently. “We’ve all had our experiments. I just want a reason why you were so paranoid.”

“You’ve smoked a few doobies?”

“Doobie?” I laughed, shaking my head. “Are you from the 70’s? I have never heard someone call it that. But yes, when I was much younger. I’m not going to judge you if you do too.”

“I don’t,” his voice was much harsher this time around, losing the playful tone. I didn’t give in to the intimidation setting.

“Alright, alright.”

He settled back in his seat once he was content I believed him.

“So… if you weren’t dealing drugs….” I traced invisible patterns in the wood of his desk with my finger. Derek’s eyes followed the point as if he was seeing the pictures with me.

“Why are you so curious?”

“Because…” I trailed off with a sigh. “Because it’s been on my mind all weekend. I don’t really know you, and you’ve made such an impression on me.”

“Have I?” The conceited smirk returned once more to his face. 

I made a face. “Not that kind of impression. You stick out in my mind, aside from being the first new kid of the year, of course.”

He opened his mouth to retort when our teacher stood up and addressed the class. I hadn’t even noticed the bell had rung and most people were seated now. I pulled away from Derek’s desk and settled myself back into my own. 

“Good morning,” She said as she took her place before the podium. Her eyes skimmed the class slowly.

A few people muttered a response, but she ignored them, opening the text book to the chapters we had just been studying. I dug in my back for my book like my neighboring classmates and in a few minutes everyone was staring at page 394. 

“So the Roaring Twenties. They were a big part of our history.” She lectured, leaning on her podium slightly. “The first world war had just finished. Everyone was happy, the economy was amazing, and everything was relatively stable.”

She pulled away and began to pace back and forth. “Women were making very scandalous improvements toward their rights. More skin was shown than ever had been before. Parties were being held much like the teenage ones you have at this age where young people could get alcohol. Remember, this is when the Prohibition went on.

“Technology was booming. Everything was going wonderfully.” She turned on her heel and paced the other direction. “Many people overlook the importance of this era. They were on the eve of a depression and only a few years away from another world war. Many things that happened in this decade had drastic impacts on the future.”

She stopped in front of a girl in the front row and grabbed her wrist, showing it off to the class. Her dark skin looked even darker from the yellow t-shirt she wore. 

“Look at Maria’s skin.” The teacher indicated a hand toward the bare arm. “You would never have seen this kind of thing a few decades ago.”

Maria took her hand back as a blush crept upon her cheeks.

“I’ve decided that instead of a unit test for the Roaring Twenties, I want you to partner up and create a presentation based on how a particular aspect of this era affected future generations. You could choose Prohibition, the economy, women, or anything else that strikes your fancy. Groups of two or three only.” 

She moved to her desk to gather together papers. Life sprang around us as people paired up with their friends across the room. A few names were called out to grab attention. I spun around and grabbed Derek’s forearm tightly.

My eyes were wild with excitement. 

“You’re mine.” His voice was low, husky. His eyes moved from where I held his arm to mine and a sly grin crossed his face. 

"Sounds like a plan."

The look sent a shiver down my spine. But this would give me an opportunity to explore more into his life and what was going on. He had a way of raising suspicion within me that I couldn’t simply ignore. 

This project was the key to unlock the mystery.