Eons later, the vet returned, a smile in place, and put Sadie’s leash in my hand. “She’s fine. Just a bit ill from imbibing too many sweets. Be careful, though. She might have problems from the other end, today.” Gross.
Thank you, God, that other than some internal problems, she would be okay. I planted a kiss between my furry child’s eyes and hurried to pay my bill. Thank goodness, my cats, Ebony and Ivory, who stayed out of sight most of the time since I’d brought the giant dog home, weren’t prone to eating people food. Add in the fact they distrusted strangers of any kind, I rest assured as to their safety. The worst thing that had happened to them because of my snooping was their getting locked in the pantry a few months ago when someone broke into the house.
Ryan dropped me off at home where Matt was helping a battered Mary Ann from his car. They conversed briefly about the latest development, then settled Mary Ann on the sofa. I’d already made up the guest room, but knew my best friend well enough to know she would want to be in the middle of the action as much as possible.
“I’ve put in for a leave of absence,” Matt stated, plumping pillows behind his sister. “I need to be around more and out scouring the evidence without the department breathing down my neck.”
“Did you use your sister as an excuse?” Ryan asked.
“Yep.” Matt speared him a glance. “I need you to back me up, partner.”
“Man, I’ve got your back. I’d take off and sit shotgun with you if I thought it would help.”
My eyes burned at the strength of their friendship, knowing that either man would take a bullet for me or my family. Still, I knew that having Matt around twenty-four seven would put a serious damper on my own investigating. But, being the resourceful woman I was, I’d come up with ways of ditching him.
Later that evening, my entire family, plus Matt and Mary Ann gathered around the kitchen table. Everyone sat except for Matt who paced like a caged jungle cat. While I admired the view, very much in fact, his pacing set my nerves on edge. It wasn’t hard to figure out that he was trying to come up with a diplomatic way of telling us we needed to follow the rules if we wanted to stay alive.
“This is the way it has to happen.” He spread his legs shoulder-width apart, crossed his arms, and scanned the table with a steely-eyed gaze. “The alarm must be set when you leave and when you arrive home. No one goes anywhere alone. If I could lock all of you in this house, I would.” He raised a hand against the protests of the two teenagers.
“I realize that is unreasonable. I will be sleeping on the sofa during the nights and spending most of my days prowling the streets for Stormi’s stalker. Nothing I haven’t already been doing, but by taking a leave from work, I can focus solely on this case and not be stretched.” His gaze met mine. “This needs to come to a close, and I intend to make sure it does.”
Him and I both. A few more days and my novella would be finished, and it was a doozy!
15
Again, I’d stayed up too late writing. I leaned against the wall in the shower and lifted my face to the spray. Tired and wanting nothing more than to crawl back in bed, I was happy with my writing progress. I’d called my agent before falling asleep and left a message on her answering machine in regards to the novella being released between novels. She wouldn’t mind. Anything that increased book sales, and there was no doubt in my mind that this gritty little story wouldn’t send sales sky-rocketing. Especially once readers found out why I’d written it.
Oh, how I missed the simple days before my agent told me to get out more. That little activity had brought me nothing but trouble.
I turned off the shower and went to check on Mary Ann. She still slept, most likely because of her pain meds. I softly closed her door and headed to the kitchen for coffee and a bagel before getting some more writing done. I didn’t have any other plans for the day. Not yet. Something I knew would please Matt to no end.
I’d just toasted a cheese bagel and added mocha creamer to my coffee when Mary Ann shuffled into the room. I set my breakfast down and hurried to her side. “You shouldn’t walk around without help.”
“I’m not an invalid.” She plopped into a chair. “Your neighbors next door are running lawn equipment and woke me up. What time is it?”
“Eight.”
She frowned. “Not too early.” She rubbed her temples. “What are we doing today?”
I told her of my writing plans. “I need you to design a book cover.”
“I can do that.” Her face lit up. “I can’t wait to see how this affects this loony tune who is out to get you.”
“It’s a dangerous game I’m playing, but I’m willing to help give them their moment of fame.” I toasted a bagel for her and poured another cup of coffee. “I’m still a bit unsure of the motivation, though. It sounds a little crazy for someone to be so desperate for attention.”
“Not so crazy. Lonely people sometimes take things to extremes.” She bit into her bagel, her blue eyes glittering through the colorful bruises. “Look at history’s serial killers. Something clicks in their brain, and they start killing people.”
“You read too many of your brother’s profiling books.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “But, I’m holding to the motivation we came up with. It makes as good of sense as anything else.”
“Okay, then who on our list is the most reclusive? The one most likely to be a desperate introvert?” I grabbed the notepad from my purse and set it in front of her.
She scanned the names. “Cheryl, Ms. Dillow, Tyler, or the old lady down the street. They all seem the most weird.”
I laughed. “We can’t accuse someone because they’re weird.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be someone across the street this time. What are the chances of that happening twice?”
True. I took a bite of my breakfast and stared out the window. I screamed and dropped my bagel, which Sadie immediately wolfed down. Tony Salazar stood on an overturned bucket and waved.
I yanked open the backdoor, sending the alarm squealing. “Hold on! Don’t go anywhere!” I pointed a finger at him then rushed to turn off the alarm. Once peace had been restored, even if momentarily, I hurried outside. “What are you doing in my yard? You cost me my breakfast.”
His smile faded. “My apologies, but I’m missing my cat.”
My annoyance turned to concern. “When did you see it last?”
“Last night. We can’t keep him inside. He dashes out the second the door is open and roams the neighborhood. Your dog wouldn’t have eaten him, would she?”
“Definitely not unless she was covered in human food.” I glanced toward the house where Mary Ann watched out the window. “I’m helping a friend recover from an accident, so can’t really leave to help you search.”
“Can I just take a look in your bushes?”
I nodded and headed back for house. “Oh, and this means I won’t be able to help much with the Neighborhood Watch for a while.”
“No problem. We’ll take your turns, too. It will give us a chance to look for Bobo.” He hopped off the bucket and scurried behind my junipers.
Some neighbors were just the best, and then others were like Ms. Henley or … the Olseos. Mrs. Olson marched across the street and peered over my short fence. “That man has been snooping around your property all morning. If you weren’t writing those smut novels of yours, you might have noticed.
I started to defend my work, again, and decided not to waste my time. She’d never read one of my books or she would know they were as clean as Easter sandals, marred with a bit of dust. Maybe she was confusing me with Sarah Thompson. “Thank you, but he’s looking for his cat.”
“He doesn’t have a cat.” She turned and stomped back to her house.
When I looked for Tony, he had disappeared.
“That was weird,” I said reentering the house and setting the alarm. “Tony said he was looking for his cat, but Mrs. Olson said he didn’t have one.”
“She
would know. That woman is the nosiest person I’ve ever met.” Mary Ann had drawn squiggles all over our suspect list. “What do you think about setting up a meeting at the library to include Ms. Dillow and Cheryl? They’re both involved with your books and are on our list. We could watch them together. See how they interact.”
I closed the kitchen curtains. “That’s a great idea.” Why would Tony lie to me about owning a cat?
“Great. As your assistant, I’ll get that worked out.” She made a note on a fresh sheet of paper. “Maybe your mother can bring some snacks. I wish there was a way of getting all of our suspects to that meeting.”
“I don’t see how we can expect a young man like Tyler to show up.”
“Sure, we can! His mother is a fan. She doesn’t drive. He’d have to bring her.” Mary Ann tapped the pen against the paper. “What excuse do we use to involve her?”
“I know. I’ll order a round of coffee drinks for Tyler to deliver and suggest he bring his mother so I can meet one of my readers.” I sat at the table across from her. “If she doesn’t drive, she fits our reclusive profile and will jump at the chance to get out of the house.” I hoped. I also prayed she wouldn’t bring a gun and go postal on the group, if she was the guilty party. A giant if.
“I need to get back to writing,” I said. “I want this novella finished pronto. There’s a lot riding on it.”
“You could even slip at the meeting that it’s almost ready.”
“Great idea, just don’t tell your brother. He’ll put a stop to it all.”
“Nah, him and Ryan will probably come to the meeting, too. They’ll want to scope everyone out.” She closed the notebook and headed for the living room. “I’ll get my laptop and work on a cover at the table before taking a nap.”
Exhaustion showed in her shoulders and the curve of her back. I hated the thought of her not getting the rest she needed because she helped me. “It can wait.”
She nodded. “Maybe I’ll take the laptop to bed with me. That way, I can fall asleep whenever I get the urge.”
I watched as she headed to her room before entering my office. My spirits fell at the reminder of how much pain my dear friend was in. For so long I’d lived alone, keeping people at bay, not forming any solid relationships. Now, my family lived with me, I had a best friend, and a man I was quickly falling deeply in love with. So much had changed in such a short time and the weight of responsibility left me feeling a bit shackled.
Life, while boring and predictable six months ago, had left me as lonely as we believed my stalker to be. That hadn’t sent me over the deep end into psychotic actions, though. I booted up my laptop. Ms. Dillow seemed nice enough to me and the 9-1-1 operator, Cheryl, was tickled to pieces to meet me. Tyler was a nice enough lad. None of them seemed like the aggressive, write-a-book-or-else, type of person. But, with nothing else to go on and no one else to add to my suspect list, I’d concentrate on them. Stranger things had happened.
My laptop glowed to life and showed I had several emails. My agent had received my message and after warning me about the implications of provoking a nutcase, wished me good luck and said it would help sell a ton of books. My thought exactly.
No email showed from my stalker. I’d gone almost a full day with no contact. I wasn’t sure how to feel. Relieved? Worried? I bit the inside of my cheek. Was this some type of mind game designed to keep me on edge?
I peered out the window. Although my office sat on the second floor of my house, it wouldn’t be impossible for someone to be watching. The skin on the back of my neck prickled. I grinned and gave a goofy wave, just in case. No sense in letting them know how terrified I was.
I settled back in my chair. Let them watch if they were. All they’d see was a writer determined to finish their latest creation. On a whim, I grabbed a sheet of paper from the printer, wrote with a sharpie, and held the paper up to the window before God whispered in my ear that it might not be a wise choice. To make sure it stayed until my stalker could see it, I put a strip of tape on all four corners.
My note plainly stated, “Almost finished. I hope you like it. This book is dedicated to you!”
16
“Do you want to unveil the cover for A Killer Plot at the meeting?” Mary Ann slid a glossy photo across the kitchen table. “I think it’s a killer.”
I spewed coffee, marring the print.
“Good thing I printed off two.” She set another at the opposite end from me.
“You’re as evil as I am.” I dabbed at the coffee splatters and studied the black background. A Killer Plot, the font signifying dripping blood, seemed suspended across the background. As if entering from an unseen room, a tiny figure walked from a cloud of wispy smoke. It carried a book in its hand.
“You are a genius, Mary Ann.” No one would know from looking at the sinister cover the taunting story that resided within the pages. Instead, they’d think the book was as twisted as the cover portrayed
“Yes, let’s unveil this tonight.” All my suspects would be in one room at the library. I couldn’t wait to gauge their reactions. Tonight could very well reveal the identity of my stalker.
“That’s scary, kind of.” Mom peered over our shoulders. “Help me load up the van, Stormi. The desserts are ready.” She glanced from me to Mary Ann. “You two are up to something. I can tell. Oh, and Robert is coming tonight. He wants to help me serve the dessert, so I told Greta she didn’t have to.”
Great. One more possible suspect. It also wouldn’t hurt for me to get to know Mom’s boyfriend a bit better.
While Mary Ann slid the untarnished photo into a large bag, I hefted a box off the counter and headed out the front door. “Set the alarm.”
Mom groaned. “This is such a nuisance.”
By the time I had the box settled into the back of the van, the house was locked up tight. Mary Ann climbed into the back seat, leaving the front passenger seat for Mom. I slid behind the wheel. The party/meeting started in an hour. What had started as a mere way of getting a few suspects together had morphed into a celebration of my upcoming release. I grinned and turned the key in the ignition. Tonight would light some fireworks under someone’s behind.
Mom and Mary Ann chattered as I made the ten minute drive to the library. Whenever Mom commented on how much fun the ‘party’ would be, I met Mary Ann’s gaze in the rearview mirror. No one other than us knew the real reason for the get-together. Matt would have tried putting a stop to it immediately, and I didn’t want Mom to act anything but natural.
I pulled the van as close to the library as possible. The conference room reserved for the night’s events wasn’t large by party standards, but this way, those in attendance would be forced into close proximity with each other and within hearing distance of me. I held high hopes for the evening. God willing, I’d gain valuables clues.
Ms. Dillow met us at the door. “Oh, this is exciting. Yes, it is. Imagine how another book by our local author will increase patronage and donations to our humble home for books.” She cast a glance over her shoulder. “But there is an extremely bossy young woman trying to take over.”
That would be Cheryl, if I made a guess. “She’s in charge of the release party.” I squeezed past, burdened down by cookies. “Which I won’t need much longer. I’ve hired a literary assistant.”
“Oh?” Ms. Dillow trotted to keep up with me.
“Me.” Mary Ann smiled under her bruises and hurried to hold the conference room door open. “I’m the one who planned this little shindig.”
“Then you’d better get in there and stop that woman from messing up your plans.” Ms. Dillow stormed past us, clearly upset at our news.
Mary Ann and I exchanged delighted glances and hurried into the room. Sure enough, Cheryl had taken over. Balloons and streamers in pink and black hung everywhere. A bit overdone for a simple unveiling, but it was no secret how excited she was about the release of another book. I batted a balloon out of the way with my head and headed for the table s
et up at one end of the room.
“We won’t be able to see everything that’s going on with all this stuff.” Mary Ann wrapped her hand in a streamer and yanked, pulling it free from its tape.
“I worked hard on that!” Cheryl cut another piece of bubble gum pink streamer.
“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble,” I said. “It’s a simple meeting. There won’t be a large crowd here.” My eyes widened, catching a glimpse of Mom planting a quick kiss on Robert’s lips. A balloon drifted, cutting off my view.
“I only want to show you what I’m capable of.” She glared and stomped away.
Mary Ann and I shared another glance, and grinned. Everything was progressing exactly as planned.
Tyler, and a woman who didn’t look old enough to be his mother, approached the table, a tray with blended coffees in their hands. A bright blue dress did its best to hold the woman’s amplified bosom in place, and failed. The flesh oozing over the neckline jiggled like jelly. Five inch heels caused the woman to tower over my short frame, bringing her ‘girls’ to my eye level. Heavily frosted hair hid what few gray hairs she might possess, and sparkling green eyes twinkled as she set the tray down and rounded the table to give me a hug.
Smothering in perfumed flesh, I held my breath and latched on to a glimpse of Matt entering the room. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs…?”
“Norma Winston.” She held me at arm’s length. “There’s no mister and never has been. Why lock myself into a relationship that will only go sour in a few years? Life is too short. A woman is meant to take what she wants.” She put an arm around Tyler’s shoulders. He rolled his eyes. “Take my son, here. He doesn’t plan on settling down, do you, sweetie? People will always disappoint. Always. Oh.”
Oops. She caught a glimpse of my man. “Now, that is delicious.” She set the tray she carried on the table and hurried away.
“Sorry about that,” Tyler said. “My mother is a bit … hard to take for some people. She’s ruthless, unscrupulous, you name it.”
Nosy Neighbor: All 7 complete Nosy Neighbor cozy mysteries PLUS: 2 short Christmas stories (A Nosy Neighbor mystery) Page 25
