Read Online Starting Point by N.R. Walker - Free Book Online Page B

you could do me a bit of a favour,” I started. “Normally I would ask Mitch, and he’d either do what I asked, or flip me off.”
    “Okay.”
    “I have the names of two guys that I’d like you to do a background check on, if that’s okay?”
    “I’m listening,” he said cautiously.
    “Darius McInnes and Tyler James. They’re two guys that have started hanging around outside. They don’t come in, but they seem to target the local kids.” I sighed. “Maybe it’s nothing, and I didn’t really give them much thought, but I was talking to the church pastor today and his reaction to them was fair warning.”
    “Hmm,” was Kurt’s response.
    “Hmm, what?”
    “Well, a few things,” he mused. “If they’re not drug-related, I don’t know how much I can find out. But you know this, so I’m presuming you’ve cause enough to be concerned. Which brings me to my next concern—if you’re questioning it, then chances are they’re up to no good.”
    I smiled at that. “Well, like I said, it wasn’t my intuition about the two guys. It was the pastor’s reaction to seeing them. He seems to be a pretty switched-on kind of guy.”
    “And the names?”
    I repeated them, “Tyler James and Darius McInnes.”
    “Needles and haystacks, man.”
    “I know.”
    “I’ll see what I can find out for you.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “I know it’s a long shot and they’re small-fry, but I’m grateful. Maybe it’ll turn up nothing. Hopefully it’ll turn up nothing.”
    Now it was Kurt’s turn to snort into the phone. “When have you ever raised an investigation that turned into nothing?”
    I barked out a laugh. “Say hi to the guys for me.”
    “Even Berkman?”
    “Especially Berkman.”
    There was only laughter then a dial tone in my ear. I hung up the phone, and it was then I heard another familiar laugh in the gym. Smiling, I walked out of my office to the main floor area and found Kira and Arizona talking, laughing.
    “Hey,” I said in greeting.
    “Hey,” Kira replied. “Arizona was just telling me about your little sidekick, Claude. She was giving you a hard time today?”
    “She gives me a hard time every day.”
    “You finished for the night?” Arizona asked me.
    “Yep. I just got off the phone to Kurt.”
    “Everything okay?” Kira asked.
    “Yeah, it’s all fine,” I reassured him. “Just wanted to ask him a few things.” I gave Kira a smile, but knew he’d ask me about it when we were alone. I looked at Arizona. “You done here? I’ll help you lock up. Need a lift home?”
    “Nah, man, I drove,” he said. “I’ll just check the bathrooms,” he said, walking to the amenities door.
    “I got the windows,” I called out. It was procedure to check and double check all doors and windows before we left each night. When the place was secure and the alarm was coded, we said goodbye to Arizona and headed home.
    “What did Kurt have to say?” he asked. We’d not even gone one block.
    “I asked him to do a background check on two guys that have been hanging around.”
    Kira smiled, but then he glanced from the road to me and realising I was serious, his smile died. “Matt.”
    “I told you before. I’m not involved. I just asked the question and they’re going to look into it, not me,” I said. He didn’t look too convinced, so I said, “Kira, baby, that’s why I called Kurt. I don’t want to be involved. Truly, I don’t. It was just that the pastor at the church warned me to keep the kids away from them, so I thought I’d just ask the boys to check on it. What they find, or what they don’t, is outta my hands. I promise you, Kira, I’m not involved. But I can’t have some losers at the club scouting kids to run drugs—”
    He reached out and grabbed my hand. “Matt, it’s okay. I believe you. I do.”
    I gave him a quick smile and sighed. “I don’t blame you for asking the questions, babe. You’ve earned the right, and I have nothing to hide. I’m not