CHAPTER SIX
Billy cracked his knuckles and glanced around the table. "You know what?" he said, and Adam opened his eyes. "I'm not going to do this."
Adam felt a weight lift from his chest and he looked at his friend gratefully.
"Why not, man?" Rocky asked Billy. He'd been looking forward to playing Magnum PI.
Billy looked sideways at Adam before answering, "Because it's invasive, and I'd like to keep my contract with the AGPD and stay in their good graces. And because there's a simpler way for Adam to find the information that he's looking for."
Aaand, he lost me. "Which would be…?" Adam prompted, draining his beer. Why do I get the feeling I'm going to like this less than hacking AGPD?
Billy pushed his glasses up on his nose and nodded. Then, he slid his cell phone over to Adam. Adam picked up the old Nokia and ran his fingers over the numbers. "Call Rachel," Billy said simply.
"Yep, liking this better," Tommy whispered to Rocky, loud enough for Adam to hear.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "And that solves the problem how, exactly?" His palms started to sweat and he disguised it by reaching for a piece of pizza.
Billy held up a finger. "First, it answers the question as to whether or not there's a Mr. Connors. Second," and here he held up a second finger, "you can mention having seen the mark on Jenna's arm and wondering if it was in class."
"Yeah, that's a good point," Rocky agreed. "Say we just want to make sure nobody's getting too aggressive in class or something. And since we just had class tonight, it lends itself to the story." He pointed at Billy with a slice of pizza. "Good idea, Bill."
"A better idea would be to save some of that for the rest of us," Billy replied, snatching the piece out of Rocky's hand, lightning quick. "Did they not feed you in Vietnam?"
Rocky grinned. "Not California-style pizza," he said.
"And, since you're using my phone, if anything does go awry, it won't fall back on you or the dojo," Billy said.
Adam picked up the Nokia and spun it on the table. "Go ahead, man," Tommy encouraged.
"I retrieved her number from the call she placed to your phone," Billy said.
"Thanks, but I think I'll use the one we got from her when she signed Jenna up for classes," Adam replied. "Because maybe she's not supposed to have that other phone, and someone might think something suspicious." He managed a smile. "See, I can be sneaky too."
"We're rubbing off," Tommy whispered and Billy motioned for him to shut up.
Adam stared at the phone. Then, he looked at Rocky. "Got those registration forms?" he asked.
Rocky nodded, disappearing into the living room and returning with his briefcase. He handed it to Adam. Adam thumbed through the paperwork, which Rocky had meticulously set in alphabetical order. "I'm rubbing off on you," Adam teased as he pulled out Jenna Connors's form. On the bottom, Rachel had filled in her cell as the emergency contact.
He took a breath, then dialed.
The phone went immediately to voicemail.
All the guys let out a collective breath as Adam hung up. "Voicemail," he announced, flipping the phone back to Billy. "Guess we'll all have to wait until Wednesday."
Tommy glanced at the clock and swore. "Speaking of, I better get back on the road. You guys better let me know what happens," he warned them. "Or I will come back down here and give you that beatdown you think you're giving me," he teased Rocky and Adam. "And don't think you'll get off, either," he added, pointing to Billy.
"I'm completely terrified," Billy said, straight-faced.
Rocky yawned. "Yep, scared to death," he agreed. "I better get moving, too. You coming, Adam?"
"In a bit," Adam said. "I need a slice before I go." He looked at the cardboard to see one piece lying there. "Don't even think about it," he told Rocky, who held his hands up in surrender and backed out of the kitchen, following Tommy out the door.
The kitchen was blissfully silent. Adam dropped his head to his arms on the table, and Billy clapped him on the shoulder. "They are a bit overbearing, aren't they?" he grinned, and Adam shook with laughter under his hand.
Wednesday rolled around faster than Adam wanted. He was so preoccupied with rehearsing what he wanted to say to Rachel that he left his keys for the dojo at his house and had to drive back across town to get them. By the time he unlocked the dojo, changed, and set everything up, his students were waiting outside the door waiting to be let in.
"Hey, Sensei Park," Abbott, one of his senior students, greeted him as he slipped past him.
"Morning," Adam replied, then rolled his eyes exasperatedly when he realized what he'd said at 3:30 in the afternoon. Abbott, to his credit, didn't correct him.
You better focus, Park. Or it's gonna be a LONG lesson.
"Hi, Sensei!" Jenna Connors breezed through the door, already dressed in her gi, pulling her hair into a ponytail.
"Hi, Jenna," Adam greeted her. He let the door fall closed as his students stretched and sparred, waiting for his command to begin the days' lesson. He heard the door, and saw Rocky slide in, give him a wave, and disappear into their shared office.
Adam took a deep breath, and called the lesson to order. His students filed into their lines, and the lesson began.
An hour later, he was leading them through cooldown stretches, with no idea of where the time had gone. Rocky poked his head out of the office with a raised eyebrow, and Adam nodded, letting Rocky know it was okay for him to lock up shop while he took Jenna home. Jenna was sitting next to Abbott on top of the extra mats when Adam came over.
"Ready to go?" Adam asked her.
She nodded. "See you next class," she told Abbott. Her voice sounded strained. Adam watched her slide off the mat slowly, and grab her bag. She kept her head down as Adam held the door open for her. "Hop in," he told her, nodding to the Camaro.
The car seemed to perk her up a little. "Wow. This is yours?" she asked him.
Adam nodded as he climbed into the driver's seat. "Yeah. An indulgence I'm pretty sure I'll be paying off until I die," he said. Indulgence? I've been hangin' around Billy too much.
"I love the color. The black is way cool."
"Thanks," Adam said. "So, listen," he began. "I'm sorry if this is awkward, me taking you home. Your mom-"
"Is working late," Jenna cut in. "It's okay. Maybe a little embarrassing to get a ride from your teacher," she added after a moment. "But everyone'll be jealous I got to ride in this car." She glanced sideways at him with a small smile.
Adam grinned, and revved the engine out of a stoplight. Jenna grabbed the front edge of her seat in surprise.
"Sorry," Adam replied. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Jenna looked at him. "How fast will this thing go?" she asked him, only the smallest trace of fear in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure your mom and dad would rather I didn't get picked up for speeding with you in the car," Adam ventured.
Jenna leaned her head back against the seat. "Just mom, my parents are divorced," she said.
Adam waited to see if she would offer anything more, but she said nothing the rest of the drive, only saying things like, "Turn left here," or "Take the next right." Her directions took them downtown Angel Grove, and Adam saw the lighted sign for PERRY'S DINER a block away. It wasn't too far from the Youth Center, which explained Jenna's early morning craving for smoothie.
He parked the car in an open space. There was an uncomfortable silence as Jenna started to grab her things and undo her seatbelt. Now or never, Park, he told himself. "Look, Jenna. I was wondering…"
She looked over at him, and this time, he definitely caught the fear in her eye. "The bruising, on your arm," he said. "I saw it at the Youth Center. Is that something you got in class?"
Jenna looked straight ahead as she fumbled with her seatbelt. "Um, no," she said, a little too quickly. "PE class. At school. Thanks for the ride, Sensei Park. See you next week." She practically flew out of the car, flinging the door open so wide it nearly hit the car next to them. It swung back shut on its' own.
Adam leaned back against the headrest as Jenna sprinted down to the diner. "Nice work, Adam," he groaned.
Rocky flicked idly through the channels while Adam paced the living room. "So Mr. and Mrs. Connors are divorced," he said as he searched the TV channels. "And Jenna got hurt in PE class."
Adam shook his head. "There's more to it, Rocko," he insisted. "She's scared. That answer about PE class? It's like it's rehearsed."
Rocky heard the insistence in his friends' tone, and set the remote down. "Sit down before you fall down," he ordered Adam. Adam dropped into a chair, facing the ceiling. "So what do you want to do, man?" Rocky asked him.
"I don't know," Adam replied. He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand down his face. "All I know is that something isn't right. I know that Jenna didn't get that bruising in PE class. Talking about her family life makes her uncomfortable. Something is happening, but I don't know what."
"You need to talk to her mom," Rocky decided. "Rachel. Call her into the office. You can open with asking her about the county tournament coming up," he said. "Jenna's good enough, she could represent Path of Light in her division. Have her come in to sign the registration and the waiver. Then ask her."
"And if she lies?" Adam asked. "Jenna probably told her about what I asked her."
"You'll know," Rocky said. "You're a pretty good judge of character," he added.
"Oh, yeah," Adam snorted. "Yeah, like Sabrina? And Tanya?"
Rocky sat up and turned to face him. "First of all, Sabrina was a scorpion warrior minion of darkness posing as a teenage girl. Second of all…what does Tanya have anything to do with this?"
"If I was such a good judge of character, why didn't I figure out that she wasn't coming back?" Adam bit.
Rocky's mouth dropped into a small o. "Jeez, man, after all these years?" he said in surprise. "I-I didn't think you were still hung up on Tanya."
Adam shrugged, as if to say, You know now. "Tanya decided to put her career before my best friend," Rocky started. "That's never sat okay with me," he added. "I'm just as pissed as you are that she left what you guys had for that record deal." He pointed at Adam. "That's on her, man, not you. That wasn't your fault. You were ready to be supportive through the whole crazy thing. She was the one who decided a relationship with you wasn't worth keeping."
He leaned back on the couch. "Tanya had a good thing with you, and she left it," he finished.
It was quiet for a moment, then, Adam shook his head. "You're a good friend, Rocko," he told him.
Rocky grinned. "I know." The two of them laughed. Then, Rocky turned serious. "About Rachel and Jenna? Go with your gut. You think something is up, then you need to get to the bottom of it. I'll back you. Paperwork for the county has to be turned in by next Friday. Gives you some time to figure out your next play."
Adam nodded. My next play…except I don't know what it should be.
And what happens if I wait too long to figure it out?
Author's Note: Well darn it, so Adam didn't get to talk to Rachel. Best laid plans...Apologies for the mild Tanya-bashing, I really don't have anything against her, it just fit with the story :)