Chapter 25
An eight-person hot tub would be delivered to her house within the next day or so. An electrician and plumber would be coming by to check the wiring and pipes, and Millie wanted someone to check out the panel in the floor of her pantry, the same panel Grace had spotted on her last visit there. Oh, and she still had to get everything unpacked.
"Good thing I still have another week left of my vacation left," she said to Steve, running her hand through her now-short hair.
After the interview with David Rossi and Penelope Garcia, Garcia had ganged up on her. The end result was a spa-treatment and haircut that would make washing and styling Millie's hair easier with one working hand. Her once bra-band-length hair had been cut to a stylish chin-length bob that let her still use headbands and clips but keep it tidy with little effort.
When Garcia finally departed back to Quantico, she had earned herself the nickname Kala, meaning Star, and made a friend out of Millie, who promised regular emails.
As for Susan, she went back to Portland the day after Millie officially took possession of her house, assured by both Steve and Millie that Millie would be okay.
"You can take more time if you need it," Steve said.
"I take any more time off I'm going to go crazy with boredom," Millie shot back, watching as Lou and Chin finished setting up her bedframe so she had a place to sleep that night. Lunkhead was in the living room, perched on his cat tree, watching the going-on's with a close eye, tail twitching every now and then.
"Have you found a priest willing to do the blessing on the house yet?" he asked her.
"Yeah. Nice guy. He'll be over on the weekend," Millie said. "I explained the situation to him and he assured me this won't be a problem."
"You're gonna need a barbeque too," Lou said.
"Me, or you?" Millie shot back.
"Call it payment for services rendered," Lou said.
"I call it a lot of things, some of it rude," Millie said. "I'll see what I can do."
Danny came into the room, holding some of her books. "You like the paranormal, huh?"
"Yup. I also like the t.v. show Science of Stupid, Forever, the Mack Bolan series, and the off-shoot series, Stony Man. When I want a good giggle, I'll watch The Muppet Show. Oh, and when I'm absolutely bored out of my skull, I'll watch the Looney Toons classics. Plus I'm picking up a few courses at Honolulu Community College," Millie said. "Anything else?"
"What are you studying?" Steve asked.
"A few courses in the Administration of Justice program," Millie said. "I've got to attend a few lectures during the week, but it's mostly for learning and expanding my job knowledge." She held up her good hand and ticked off her fingers as she tried to remember what courses she was taking. "Introduction to Terrorism, Introduction to Criminology, Rules of Evidence, and Introduction to Criminal Law, I think. Plus one or two others I can't remember off the top of my head."
"You're going to be busy," Steve said.
"Good thing I'm not taking the courses all at once," Millie admitted. "HCC is giving me some leeway because of my job, which is nice. And HSPCA is letting me help out next week with their Adopt-a-thon, but I'm on restricted duty."
"So no dog washing?" Chin asked.
"Nope. The best they'll let me do is cuddle with the kitties, which is my favorite thing to do anyway," Millie said shrugging. "Can't even do face painting, not with a busted wrist. Oh well."
Then Kono stuck her head in the room, looking a bit rattled. "Did you guys happen to see an old guy go by?" she asked.
Everyone shook their head.
"You okay?" Chin asked.
"I was putting some stuff away in the kitchen and I thought I saw an old guy in the kitchen window reflection," Kono admitted. "Turned around and there was no one there."
"What did you feel?" Millie asked.
"Creeped out," Kono admitted. "I just checked the yard and the rest of the house; no one here but us."
"Maybe the previous owner, Mr. Iwa, decided to pop in," Chin teased.
"The faster I get that priest here to do a blessing, the better," Millie muttered.
Two days later, Steve stopped by. Millie had made progress on her house, getting things put away that could be put away, while an electrician poked around.
"Hey big guy," Millie said, accepting his kiss.
"Hey beautiful," he replied, keeping his arms around her waist as he leaned against her kitchen table. "How's it going?"
"That's Shaun, a licensed electrician, and he's checking the wiring. So far, it's not too bad," Millie said, brushing a lock of his hair back in place with her fingers. "Couple of switches need to be replaced and he's going to check the breaker to make sure it's up to code."
"That's good. What about that panel in the pantry floor?"
"I've got someone coming over in a short bit to look at it," Millie said. "Might be something, might be nothing. Shaun's also going to check the wiring in the garage."
"Good idea. Any idea what you're going to do with it?"
"Keep it tidy, make sure Blackbird and whoever is visiting can park easily."
"Do me a favour?"
"Sure."
"A container of gas or some other flammable liquid, some glass bottles, cotton fabric that can be torn to strips, and matches or a lighter," Steve said.
"You're talking about the makings of a Molotov cocktail," Millie said. "You do know the ATF considers them illegal, right?"
"They're very good for distractions, and it wouldn't be the first time," he said, shrugging.
"Right. I'll put together a bin just for that and label it with an explosive sign, just in case," she said sarcastically, making him chuckle in amusement. "What else do you want in the garage?"
"Flashlights with extra batteries, rope or zip ties, and a well-stocked First Aid kit?" he asked hopefully.
"See what I can do," she said, already planning to call Doctor Mindy Shaw... again. "Anything else?"
"Yeah; a date."
"A date?"
"A proper date," he said. "As in we go out for dinner, maybe catch a movie, date."
The idea appealed to Millie. "Okay, sure. When?"
"Tonight? Pick you up at seven. Sunday casual," he suggested, already planning a beach barbecue at his place, followed by a slow seduction that was guaranteed to make her burn. It had been advice from David Rossi, who understood that victims like Millie sometimes needed to be reminded of the fact that, bruises or no bruises, they were still beautiful. Millie was a woman; she needed to be reminded of that.
"I can do that," she said, wondering what he was up to. At her quizzical look, he just smiled. "You're up to something."
"I'm always up to something," he said, grinning.
"Uh-huh."
"Ma'am?" Shaun said politely.
"Yup?" Millie said, dragging her eyes away from Steve.
"I found something odd," he said. "Wiring that's about fifty, maybe sixty years old. Real knob and tube stuff."
"That's old," Steve said. "Where does it lead to?"
"That's what I can't figure out. The notion on the breaker says 'bunker', but this place doesn't look like it has a bunker," Shaun said.
"As far as I know, it shouldn't," Millie said. "Although..."
"That panel in the pantry," Steve said, catching on. "It's the right size for a basement bunker, and after the Pearl Harbour attack, there was a big bomb scare going around."
"If that's the case, then if it's still structurally sound, it could be used as a storm shelter," Millie said. Her eyebrow twitch said the rest of her thought; and a hiding place.
"Let's have a look at that panel," Steve said, reluctantly letting his girlfriend go.
They headed for the kitchen and the walk-in pantry. On the floor, near the back, was the panel. Steve took out his pocket knife and used the tip to find the exact edge of the panel. Along the way, he found the recessed handle. Shaun brought out a crowbar and with a little muscle, the two men were able to lift the panel up.
Stale air and darkness greeted them.
"This thing hasn't been opened in years," Steve said. He accepted the flashlight Millie handed him and peered cautiously into the darkness. Seeing steps leading down, he descended them carefully, not sure of what he was going to find.
What he found was a time capsule. A switch turned on the lights, revealing a small kitchenette, two sets of bunk beds with privacy curtains, a small living room area, and a door that looked like it led to a generator room and a small bathroom. The decor was right out of the 1940's. The cabinets still had plates and cups, the beds were made, and there was a bookcase full of books and magazines.
Shaun and Millie joined him cautiously, with Shaun's eyes going wide.
"My grandpa used to tell me stories about these places, but I never thought I'd ever see one as intact as this place is!" he said.
Steve thumped the wall. It was solid. "I'm not seeing any sign of asbestos," he said, poking around. "What do you make of the generator?" he asked Shaun.
Shaun took a look at it. "Old, definitely, but barely even used, based upon the lack of oil stains and the amount of dust I'm seeing. It might work, but I wouldn't risk it," he said after a moment. "Something like this belongs in a museum."
"If you upgrade the wiring, can this place be used as a shelter?" Steve asked, already thinks of things like witness protection and weapon storage.
"Sure," Shaun said, shrugging. "Just a matter of replacing the wires and upgrading the breaker. I wouldn't recommend using the generator, though."
"Easy to replace," Millie said, joining them. "Pull the wires that connected the generator to the whatever it is in here, and re-label the word 'bunker' with 'garage two'. Will that be a problem?" she asked Shaun.
"No ma'am. It'll be extra, but it'll be done. I'm going to need some muscle to get that generator out, though," Shaun said.
"I'll make a few calls. You just say when," Millie said.
"Sure thing. You also might want to have the wall paint tested for lead. Any homes built before 1978 can have lead in their paint and kids are pretty susceptible to lead poisoning," Shaun said.
"Charming," Millie groused, heading back up the stairs. The plumber was going to love her. And who the hell did she call about removing lead-based paint?
Shaun left shortly afterwards, promising to be back the next day with the necessary materials to make the repairs. Steve also left, promising to pick her up at seven, leaving her with a few hours to kill.
She was worried about Lunkhead. That damn fool cat of hers had started wandering again, to the point she'd left her back yard gate open just enough for him to come and go as he pleased. But that had been yesterday evening, and he still wasn't back yet. With a cast on his back leg, he wouldn't be able to go very far, or at least that was the general theory.
She hoped he was okay; despite all the names she called him, she was genuinely fond of the feline.
At seven, Steve was right outside her house, just as he promised. She had elected to wear a pretty floral Hawaiian-print sundress that was easy to get on and off, sandals, and a lace shawl in case the evening got a bit cool.
He took her to his place and, already set up, was a barbeque and setting for two, complete with a bottle of wine, on his beach. It turned out Steve wasn't a bad cook himself, doing up a nice shish kebab with vegetables, pineapple, and beef.
The whole thing was relaxing and nice. If this was Steve's idea of a real date, Millie thought, stretching out on the blanket he'd put on the sand, then she was doing this more often.
Then he started kissing her. And the heat started building.
Millie moaned as Steve's lips found her neck. "This is nice," she said.
"It can be even nicer," he said, working along her jaw.
"I'm sure. Cast, though?" she said, fighting the temptation to return the favour and give in to the ache that was building inside.
"Only a problem if you let it," he replied, running his hand up her leg and under her dress, liking how her skin felt. He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled down at her, watching as she blushed.
"Are you sure?" she asked tentatively, letting herself run her fingers across his face.
He rolled slightly, capturing one of her thighs between his legs. "Feel that?" he asked. When she nodded, feeling the pressure and weight of a tell-tale sign below his belt-line, he continued. "I want you. It's that simple. I want you to feel good and I want to be the one to make you feel that way."
Millie looked at him, liking the way he felt against her. He could make her feel good; his kisses were plenty proof of that. And the way his hands felt against her skin... Oh, what the hell.
She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss. "Then have at it, Navy boy. I want to feel good, and I want you to show me that. I don't care if it's here, on your couch, or in your room, but I want you."
He smiled down at her, thinking he was glad he'd prepped his bed and nightstand, just in case. It was going to be a long, hot, night.