Chapter 34

It was only a few moments later when Anna returned holding her phone.

"He wants to talk to you," she told Bryant as she pushed the phone at him.

"Sure thing," Bryant said in a warm tone that he hoped would carry through the cell towers. "I'd like to talk to him, too. Thanks, Anna. You've been a big help."

He noticed the smile Jan gave him and figured he must have handled the situation correctly. Outside of the week or so he spent hanging out with Angel, Bryant had little to no experience around kids.

"Hi, Mr. Kozlov," Bryant said into the receiver of the pink phone. He felt a little stupid because it was decorated with sparkles and glitter, too. "This is Bryant Hawkins. I work for the police department down here in Emerald Cove. I used to live next door to the Jimenez family."

"I've heard your name mentioned," Erik Kozlov told him. "My daughter was pretty excited to get to go down there this summer. She told me that you know of my employment situation so you'll understand that I was a little hesitant to agree. I mean, money is really tight. But Maria and David said they would pay her way just so Angel could have someone to spend time with. They're great people."

"They really are," Bryant agreed. "They helped me through some troubling times. Uh, did Anna mention why I asked her to call you?"

Jan cleared her throat and shot Bryant a mock glare. He smiled and winked at her.

"Generically," Erik said. "She said there might be a job down there. I don't have a background in law enforcement. I wasn't sure if she had told you that but I wanted to be upfront."

"I understand and I want to assure you that Anna has been nothing but forthright," Bryant replied. "The thing is, the job we have down here isn't police work. A large percentage of our budget comes from state and federal grants. We need someone who knows what he's doing to make sure we get every dollar we can. Right now, I've been doing it and I'll be the first to admit it's a lot more involved than I thought it would be – or that it probably needs to be, if I'm honest."

Erik Kozlov laughed slightly. He was well aware of the endless list of forms and filings that had be undertaken for each dollar from state or federal dollars.

"You're right on both accounts, Mr. Hawkins," Erik agreed. "But it's what kept me employed for twenty years so I won't complain."

"So this might be something you're interested in?" Bryant inquired.

"Truthfully, I'd probably be interested in making sure your cruisers are clean if it meant I'd have insurance for my family and a couple of dollars in our pockets," Erik replied. "But I'll need to know a lot more about the job before I could even assess if I'm qualified. Just because I know how to write grant proposals doesn't necessarily mean I'm qualified for what you need."

"I understand that," Bryant replied. "I can give you a brief synopsis of what I've been doing if you think that will help you determine the qualifications required."

"Can I have the phone, please?" Cassidy asked.

Bryant looked the young woman.

"I can direct him to exactly what he needs to know," she explained.

"Hold on a moment, please," Bryant said into the phone. "I'm going to pass you off to my assistant. She said she could help you better than I can."

He passed the phone over to Cassidy who smirked at the term he'd used to describe her.

"You couldn't afford for me to be your assistant," she replied with a grin. "Hello, Mr. Kozlov, my name is Cassidy Bell. I do a web site for the city here and I can point you to where you can look to see the exact job specification as listed by the city if you have a computer nearby. Okay, go to emeraldcove dot sc dot gov. That will bring you to the city's home page. On the left hand side you'll see a tab for the police department. If you run your pointer over it, it'll pull up a drop down window where you'll see 'Employment Opportunities'. The job you're looking for is Administrative Clerk III. Did you locate it?"

"I did," Erik replied. "Thanks. This is a nice looking layout. Did you do this?"

"No, I just do a blog," Cassidy admitted. "I'm not sure who set up the city's site but it's gotten a lot better in the past year or two."

"Your blog wouldn't be 'Green Scene' would it?" Erik inquired. "If so, I should tell you that you are perhaps my daughter's favorite author."

Bryant saw Cassidy's face redden and he worried that Erik Kozlov might have said something offensive.

"I'm sure you'd prefer she read Tolstoy or Dickens," Cassidy replied – and Bryant relaxed.

"I'm just happy your writing doesn't have werewolves or elves in it," Erik replied with a laugh as he perused the job specs online.

"Well, I thought Bryant sort of resembled a troll the first time I met him and I'm pretty sure that Chief Elliot has either been abducted by aliens or bitten by a vampire," Cassidy replied with a chuckle. "Whatever it is, she's a lot different this week than the last time I met her. But that's probably as close to elves and werewolves as you're going to find down here. I'm going to pass you back to Bryant now."

"Troll?" he asked as he accepted the phone. "I guess that makes you a leprechaun or something."

"I'd prefer the term pixie," Cassidy told him.

"And I'm the fairy!" Holly chimed in. Bryant's mouth dropped. "Oh, please, like everyone doesn't know."

"Jesus Christ," he muttered as he pulled the phone back to his ear. He realized that Erik Kozlov had probably heard him. "Sorry, we're actually treating Anna and the Jimenez family to dinner and people seem to be having a little too much fun."

"Anna said she was having a great time meeting everyone from down there," Erik replied. "I've read through the job requirements and I'm happy to say that I meet them. The only thing I need is the South Carolina Civil Service exam. How about if I e-mail you a copy of my resumé? I'm sure you'll need to verify the reason that I no longer work for Planning and Development. You won't be able to speak to anyone there until Monday at the earliest."

"Your Illinois Civil Service test will transfer for 180 days," Bryant said. "What is your schedule like for the next few days?"

"Pretty open until Thursday," Erik replied with a trace of bitterness. "The stores at the mall cut everyone back to four-day weeks. At least my manager arranged it so that everyone gets a long weekend out of the deal. This one is mine. My wife is on vacation this week from her job and our son is out of school."

Bryant nodded to himself. For some unknown reason he liked the guy, despite never having met him. Part of it, he was certain, was the fact that David and Maria Jimenez seemed to be hanging on every word of the conversation with barely concealed excitement.

"I need to make some arrangements but how about if we bring you and your family down for a few days?" Bryant asked.

"It would take me at least two days to drive it," Erik hedged.

"We'll fly you down," Bryant told him. "We do this for all prospective employees. We can put you, your wife and your son up in a bed and breakfast and let you see the city at its busiest. The only thing we won't pay for is alcohol. We pick up the tab for everything else – including a rental car at the airport."

He saw Jan frown at him. The city generally paid for the room and gave a $40 dollar per diem for food for each family member. It didn't pick up the cost of a rental car. Bryant waved her off. If he had to reimburse the city for a car for the Kozlov family out of his own pocket, he was willing to do it. Jan's look softened and she smiled at him and shook her head.

"Are you sure?" Erik asked. "I mean, uh, you don't know anything about me."

"I know Dave and Maria," Bryant said. "And I'm getting to know your daughter. Now, where does your wife work?"

"She works in a clothing store," Erik replied. "She's the one who got me the job at the mall."

"Excellent," Bryant said, nodding his head. "If she can't transfer to a store nearby we have some very nice stores in the area who are always looking for full-time experienced help. The only way she could find work easier in Emerald Cove was if she researched sand for a living. How about I call you back in half an hour with the flight details?"

Erik Kozlov was silent for a moment.

"Sorry, I don't mean to pressure you," Bryant added. "I'm sure you'll want time to discuss this with your wife and son. Let me give you my number and you get back to me."

"No, it's not that!" Kozlov cut in. "It's more that I'm amazed at how fast this is all happening. I've been looking for work for close to a year and haven't gotten anything more than a cursory interview. Everyone seems to believe as you did: Grant writing is an easy proposition. I had begun to wonder if my new career was going to be in selling men's attire. No, I can say with absolute certainty that my family and I would love to visit your fine city and I would love to interview for a job there."

"If you're positive," Bryant said.

"My wife has been sitting across from me for the entire conversation," Erik admitted. "She's nodding like a bobblehead doll, so I think I'm safe in saying that I'm certain."

"Good enough," Bryant said. "We'll book you and your family on the first flight out of Chicago tomorrow morning. You'll likely fly into Atlanta and we'll have a car waiting for you there. Let me give you my number and you can call me when you get into Atlanta. We'll make arrangements to meet you and show you where you'll be staying."

"Thank you, Mr. Hawkins," Erik said gratefully.

"It's Bryant," came the response. "And I'm pretty sure I should be thanking you!"

The teenagers had convened at the end of the table and were laughing and joking about something or another. Bryant watched them for a few moments before turning to Jan.

"Why don't you call Stan and see if he and Sheila want to bring Michelle and Billy over to hang out?" he asked as he stood.

"Good idea!" Jan said brightly. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to talk to Rosa," Bryant said. He didn't expound before he left the table.

Stan and Sheila Williams were surprised to get a phone call from Jan Elliot. They were reluctant to bring their children to a bar until Jan explained that Chuck had closed off the section for dining. The bar crowd was on the back deck.

If the Williamses were surprised, Rosa Delgado was downright shocked when Bryant wandered into her kitchen.

She hadn't gotten the chance to thank him or Jan for the extra tip money they'd provided because she had been hopping in the kitchen since she walked in the door.

"Uh, I heard you saying last night that your granddaughter is staying with you now," Bryant said. She hadn't told him directly but he'd overheard her talking to one of the young waitresses. "You said she was seventeen, right?"

"Yes," Rosa said sadly. Her daughter was one of her life's greatest disappointments.

"I have two young women from Chicago in town," Bryant explained. "They're both 16 and I think at least one of them will be living here in the fall. I thought you might like to give your granddaughter a call to see if she'd like to meet them. Stan Williams – he's with the police force – is bringing his daughter over, I think. Cassidy Bell is going to show them the sights. She's pretty responsible for her age. They're all good kids. I thought it might make things easier on your granddaughter if she knew some people her own age."

Rosa was in the middle of frying hamburgers on the griddle and had two steaks on the grill.

"That's kind of you," Rosa said. "I'll call her when I get a chance."

"I'll take over here for a little while," Bryant said. "I cleared it with Chuck. He said he was planning to come back in a minute anyway because you needed a break. I'm pretty sure I'm a better cook than he is."

Rosa chuckled but showed Bryant what she had going. In addition to what he saw, she also had two dozen hot wings in the oven that would need to come out in a couple of minutes and fries in the deep fryer. She handed over the spatula grudgingly and went to call her granddaughter, who she was certain was either sitting in front of a TV screen or planning to sneak out of the house and find trouble. She watched as Bryant flipped the burgers and covered them with a lid before lifting the fry basket out of the oil.

He opened the door to check on the wings and turned the steaks.

"I had a few KP shifts in the Army," he said when he saw her watching. "I'll be fine."

She laughed lightly and went to use the bar phone. Her granddaughter, Mirabel or Mira, answered the phone with her usual surly tone.

"I haven't run off, Grandma," the girl said.

"I didn't figure that you had," Rosa replied, lying through her dentures. "I wanted to let you know that you've been invited to spend some time with several young women your age and to see if you're interested."

"What are they going to do?" Mira asked.

"That I don't know," Rosa admitted. "Two of them are from out of town. I think at least one of those will be living here in the fall. Bryant said there are two local girls who are going to show them around. One is 19, I believe, and the other is your age. Would you like to come down and visit with them for a little while to see if you think it might be fun?"

"Beats sitting in the house all night!" Mira groused. Her grandmother had insisted that the girl stay out of trouble and since her grandmother knew every damned police officer in the city that meant staying at home. "Do you expect me to walk down there?"

"If you want to visit with them, I'll see if someone can pick you up," Rosa replied. She was thrilled that her granddaughter might meet some people who were far different than the friends she had in Philadelphia – and if Bryant Hawkins said these were good kids then they were good kids.

"I'll run over and pick her up," Bryant offered as he sat two plates on the counter between the bar and the kitchen.

"Chief Hawkins will be there to get you in a few minutes," Rosa said.

"Give her time to get ready!" Bryant said with a laugh. "I think Cassidy is taking them down to the boardwalk for a while and then out to one of the juice bars so they can dance and stuff. Does she have a driver's license?"

"She does," Rosa said.

"That will make it easier on everyone," Bryant said. "She can drive them out. Cassidy doesn't have a license and Anna and Angel both just have junior operators' permits from Illinois. I don't know if Michelle has a license or not."

"She doesn't have a car," Rosa admitted with embarrassment. "I don't like to drive. We take the bus most places."

"She can use mine," Bryant said with a shrug. "All of them will fit. Let her know I'll pick her up in, let's say 45 minutes. Does that work for her?"

"He's going to let me drive his car?" Mira asked her grandmother. "He doesn't know me!"

"He knows me," Rosa said. "He is a very good man and he is putting his trust in you – just as I am putting my trust in you. You have heard me mention his name but I should tell you that he is a police detective. I expect our trust will not misplaced."