Bradley - Justice Buried

I T WASN T TOO HOT FOR 10:00 P . M . in the middle of May unless you were about to climb over the ledge of a fourteen-story building in downtown Memphis. Kelsey Allen peered over the edge of the building, the distance to the street dizzying.

She ignored the tantalizing aroma that floated up from Tom Lee Park, where ninety contestants were grilling all night for the World Championship Barbecue Contest. Instead, she turned and concentrated on securing a small, motorized winch to the edge of the roof.

Once it was anchored, she attached the cable to her harness and then paused to take a deep breath. Slowly she released it, but her heart still thumped in her ears. She was about to break in to the building next to her stepfathers company. If Sam found out... She didnt want to go there.

Time to refocus, to calm her nerves. Kelsey glanced toward the lighted bridge over the Mississippi River and the double arc reflected in the water below. Overhead, the quarter moon vied with stars that glittered against the night sky. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. I can do this.

Her cell phone vibrated in her backpack, and she jerked it out. Sabra .

Im kind of busy.

I know. Just checking on you. Where are you in the scheme of things?

About to go down.

You dont have to do it, you know.

She never should have told her sister what she was into. A siren raked Kelseys ears, sending her heart into double overdrive.

Whats that? Sabra asked.

A patrol car. Her heart slowed as the flashing lights sped toward the park. Looks like a problem at the cook-off.

I told you thered be more security. That barbecue contest draws a lot of people. Just turn around and leave. Now.

Kelsey grunted, and her gaze swept the hordes of people below her as she took her tablet from her backpack. Its one of the reasons I chose tonight. Theres a wall of people from Beale Street to the river. It ought to keep the police busy, so dont worry about me.

But I do. We might not be blood sisters, but youre the only sister I have.

Thank you, but Im telling you, Ill be fine. Shed never thought of Sabra as anything other than a sister either, especially since Sam and her mother never made any difference between the two of them.

There was a sigh on the other end. Have you hacked into the security system?

Im doing it now. Kelsey tapped the tablet, and with a few clicks, she was into the security companys control panel. Thats funny.

What do you mean?

The security cameras are off, but they were on earlier when I checked.

Thats a sign you should call it off.

No. I have to do this. Sabra didnt understand because her father had never done anything wrong. And she wasnt the one trying to get her security business off the ground.

Sabra was silent a few seconds and then said, Is anything else off?

Kelsey checked the infrared grid for the eighth floor. No, she said and inserted code to turn off the grid on that floor. The grid had to be returned to normal as quickly as possible. Gotta go. I only have an hour before the next security check.

You sound nervous.

I dont like heights.

Then you picked the wrong field for that. Sabra chuckled. No, for you its all about seeing how close you can get to the fire without getting burned.

Not true. Kelsey set her jaw. It wasnt about the danger or the adrenaline racing through her body. It was about redeeming her family name and being able to get a job in her chosen field.

You cant undo what your dad did.

It was like Sabra had read her mind. Youre right, and thats why Im testing security systemsto protect businesses against thieves like him. Its not like Im breaking and entering, since Mr. Rutherford hired me to check the buildings security.

Then why doesnt he correct the newspaper reports that make you sound like some kind of thief?

He will. She just didnt know when. Talk to you later.

Kelsey slid the phone into her backpack and pulled on a black beanie cap, tucking her short hair inside it, then felt to make sure none of her curls had escaped. Should have bought a tan one to match her ash-blonde hair. She felt fairly confident that if anyone saw her, they would assume she was male.

She tested the cable one last time before climbing over the side of the building. This was the part she really didnt likedangling fourteen floors above the street with only a cable attached to the electric winch to keep her from plunging to the alley below. At least it wasnt forty floors, like the last time.

The news reports stated she had nerves of steel, but if those same reporters could hear the drumbeat of her heart pounding against her chest, they would know better. But if she passed this test and Rutherford hired her for his other buildings, more jobs would roll in. She forced the air out of her lungs and breathed in again.