Reed Ferguson Short Stories

by Renee Pawlish

  “What woman?” he said with a sly smile. Then he narrowed his eyes. “Darcy shouldn’t be talking to others about this. I’ll handle her, okay?”

  I didn’t like the ominous edge that had crept into his tone.

  His gaze bore through me. “This conversation stays between us, okay?”

  It was my turn to think for a bit. “Well,” I finally said as I set my beer down. “I guess that’s it. I’ll tell Darcy everything’s all right.”

  “Hey, man, that’s great.” He stood up, and patted my shoulder, now jovial, like we were pals. “I’m telling you, she’ll get over this.”

  By dumping you, if she’s smart, I thought but didn’t say. I stood up as well. “I’ll go home now and talk to her.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  He walked me to the door and waved as I stepped outside. The door shut a little too forcefully as I headed down the stairs. I sauntered back to the 4-Runner and got in, but I had no intentions of going home, or of telling Darcy that everything was okay.

  Chapter Three

  I knew Jerrod was lying. I wanted to catch him in the act, in order to have some concrete proof for Darcy. So I waited to see what he would do. And besides, my curiosity had been piqued. I wanted to know who could be so compelling that he would risk his relationship with Darcy. I started the car, turned on the air-conditioner, and drove down Willow Drive, where I pulled into an office building parking lot. From there, I could see Jerrod Rhodman’s townhome. I cranked up the greatest hits of The Smiths, my favorite ’80s alternative band, and waited.

  A few minutes later, as Morrissey just finished singing about being miserable now, Jerrod came out his front door and stomped down the walk to a silver Lexus parked at the curb in front of his townhome.

  “Bingo,” I said to myself.

  I’d had a hunch that I’d stirred things up for Jerrod, and now he had to act. Where he was going, or what he would do when he got to his destination, I didn’t know, but I intended to find out.

  The Lexus came down Willow Drive toward me. I ducked down until it passed, then eased onto the street. I let a few cars get in between the Lexus and me, then I followed Jerrod to Yosemite, and north to Orchard. There the Lexus turned left and merged onto Interstate 25.

  Traffic was still heavy as we headed north. I stayed far back, just in case Jerrod was watching for me. Somehow I doubted he would. He seemed pretty sure of himself, and I think he thought he had me buffaloed.

  I listened to the Smiths and mulled over why Jerrod would cheat on someone as nice, not to mention as attractive, as Darcy. As Jerrod exited onto Sixth Avenue and went east, a thought occurred to me. Was he heading to Darcy’s? I’d have to be sure he didn’t see me park near my condo just across the street. And was he going to confront her? I remembered the way he’d said he would “handle” Darcy. That worried me, and I called Willie.

  She answered and got right to the point. “Hey hon, how did it go? Did Jerrod talk to you?”

  “Uh-huh,” I said. “Is Darcy around?”

  “No, I think she’s still at work. Why?”

  I made sure I could still see Jerrod’s Lexus up ahead of me. “I wonder if she should stay with us for a few days.”

  “What’s going on?”

  I told her about my conversation with Jerrod. When I got to the part where he seemed to admit that he’d cheated on Darcy and that I should keep my mouth shut, Willie swore, which was unlike her.

  “So he is cheating on her!” she said.

  “He never outright said he was, but I’d say so. And I didn’t like his tone when he referred to Darcy.”

  “Do you think he’d hurt her?”

  “I don’t know,” I said as the Lexus crossed Lincoln Street. If he was heading to Darcy’s, he should’ve turned north onto Lincoln. “How about you call and ask her to stay at our place tonight, just in case.”

  “I’ll do that. What’s your next move?”

  The Lexus continued east.

  “I’m going to see what Jerrod’s up to,” I said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be home.”

  “Okay, be careful.”

  Willie’s father had been a police officer, and she grew up worrying whether he’d come home after work each day. When she and I started dating, those concerns surfaced again, but this time, they were directed toward me. And although she’d gotten over most of her fears, she still always reminded me to be careful.

  “It’s my turn to tell you to be careful, too,” I said. “Maybe this guy’s up to nothing, but he rubbed me the wrong way. You keep an eye out, just in case I lose him.”

  “I will. Love you.”

  “I love you,” I said, and ended the call.

  The Lexus passed the old Esquire Theater on Downing Street, and then it turned left on Marion Street. I followed. The Lexus was almost to the end of the block. I drove slowly, keeping it in sight. Jerrod crossed Ninth Avenue and parked in front of an older, four-story apartment building. I pulled up behind a Ford truck near the corner and watched. A second later Jerrod got out, hurried up to the apartment building, and disappeared inside.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed Darcy.

  “Hey, Reed, I just got off the phone with Willie,” she said when she answered. “You really think I need to stay with you two? I don’t want to impose.”

  “We’d love to have you. Hey, quick question.”

  “Right, you’re on the trail of that douchebag. What’s up?”

  “Who does Jerrod know that lives in an apartment building at Ninth and Marion?”

  “I’ve never heard him mention anyone. Is he there now? Oh, I should come there and confront him.” Then she proceeded to threaten a particular part of his anatomy.

  “Let me see what’s going on before you do anything rash,” I said.

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  She thanked me, and I ended the call. Then I watched the apartment. I was wondering how long I’d have to wait when Jerrod came back out of the building. And a tall, African-American woman was with him.

  Chapter Four

  I snatched binoculars from behind my seat and trained them on the woman. Her hair was bobbed and dyed mahogany, and she wore tight, gray slacks and a colorful blouse. Long earrings dangled down to her cheeks. She was nothing short of sexy.

  She walked with Jerrod to his car. They got in and drove down Marion. I eased into the road and followed. The Lexus reached Colfax and they soon arrived at The Irish Snug, a popular Capitol Hill pub that served Gaelic food. It had a nice patio where a few people were seated at metal tables with umbrellas.

  Jerrod pulled into a parking space near the pub. I gunned the engine, zipped past the pub, and managed to find a place on the next block. I parked and ran back toward The Irish Snug. I loitered across the street near a streetlight, pretended to text someone, and watched the pub.

  A few minutes later, a host escorted Jerrod and his lady friend to a table outside. The couple sat down, and while they waited to be served, Jerrod put his hand on the table. The woman reached out and took his hand in hers. They leaned in and began talking. She gave him a red-lipped pout at one point, and Jerrod quickly said something. A waiter came and took their order and returned a few minutes later with pints of dark beer.

  I wanted to use a slick camera I have with a zoom lens, but I didn’t want to attract attention to myself, so I settled for using my phone camera. I zoomed in and took some pictures of them talking, and I took a few with the focus on the woman. When I was satisfied that I’d gotten some decent shots, I strolled around the corner where I could still see them, and continued to watch them.

  Jerrod and the woman finished their drinks, ate a leisurely dinner, and then shared a dessert. The whole time Jerrod kept his focus on the woman, nodding his head when she talked, leaning in close to her, and frequently holding her hand. She didn’t appear quite as smitten as he was. A time or two she pulled her hand away from his, but then she’d smile, although it appeared forced.

  The sun wa
s low in the sky when they finally finished dinner and left the pub. I tailed them back to her apartment. Jerrod parked and went inside with her. I waited a long time, finally concluded he was staying for the night, and drove home. When I walked through the door, Willie and Darcy were sitting on the couch. This time there were no tears, for which I was grateful.

  “How’d it go?” Darcy asked. Then she saw my face. “Oh no, he is cheating on me, isn’t he?”

  I nodded. “It looks that way.”

  I handed her my phone and she scrolled through the pictures. Her jaw tightened and she swore softly.

  “I don’t recognize the woman,” she concluded as she handed the phone to Willie. Then she frowned. “What does she have that I don’t?” She smacked the cushion. “That jerk!”

  Willie checked the pictures. “I don’t know her, not that I would.”

  “How dare he!” Darcy stood up and began pacing. “If he thinks he can do this to me, he’s got another think coming.”

  “I’d be careful,” I said, thinking back to the ominous way Jerrod had said he would handle Darcy.

  “Oh, I’m not the one who should be worried,” Darcy said. She was fuming.

  “Maybe not,” Willie said, “but what if I was there for moral support.”

  Darcy pursed her lips. “That might not be a bad idea.”

  “Call him and see if he can come over to your place tomorrow after work,” Willie suggested. “I can come over then.”

  “Good idea.” Darcy grabbed her purse and dug out her cell phone.

  “Jerrod’s still with that woman,” I murmured. “I doubt he’ll answer.”

  “Then I’ll leave him a message,” Darcy said. She punched the screen and waited. Then she nodded at me. “Voicemail. Of course he can’t answer if he’s with her.” She listened for a moment, and then said briskly. “Jerrod, it’s me. I need to talk to you. Give me a call as soon as you can.” She punched the phone again forcefully. “He better call me back.” She crossed her arms, and then glanced around. “Do you really think I need to stay here for the night?”

  I shrugged. “You know Jerrod better than I do. If you confront him about all this again, do you think he’s capable of hurting you?”

  She mulled that over. “He has been acting strange lately, and he did explode at me.”

  “Why don’t you stay here,” Willie said. “Just in case. We can have a drink and watch a chick flick.”

  Darcy sat back down. “That sounds nice.”

  “Reed, do you want to join us?” Willie asked.

  “A chick flick?” I shook my head. “I’ll watch something in the bedroom.”

  “Something dark, an old film noir,” Darcy said with a wink.

  I grinned. “That’s right.”

  “You two have fun.” I went over and kissed Willie.

  “Thanks, Reed, for everything,” Darcy said.

  I nodded. “Sorry it wasn’t better news.”

  Darcy threw me a wan smile. “Me, too.”

  They began discussing which movie to watch as I sauntered back into the bedroom. Since it had been on my mind, I popped a DVD of This Gun for Hire into the player and settled on the bed. I dismissed thoughts of Jerrod and the mysterious other woman from my mind, thinking I was finished with them.

  How wrong I was.

  Chapter Five

  The next afternoon I had some errands to run, and when I came home, Willie was in the kitchen, typing on her laptop.

  “I thought you were going over to Darcy’s,” I said. “Isn’t she breaking up with Jerrod tonight?”

  She leaned back, stretched, and raked a hand through her hair. “Jerrod never returned Darcy’s call, so at this point, there is no meeting at her place.”

  “I wonder if he’s avoiding her.”

  “Could be.”

  I was headed for the fridge for a beer when Bogie’s voice sounded. I pulled out my cell phone and answered.

  “Reed, it’s me!” Darcy said. Her tone was low and tight.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I never heard from Jerrod today, so I finally called his office. He never showed up. As much as I think he’s a jerk, it’s not like him not to return my call, and certainly not to not show up for work without calling in sick. And he’s not at home, either.”

  “He’s not? Are you there now?”

  “Yes, I have a key and let myself in.”

  So much for Darcy being careful, in case Jerrod lost his cool.

  “And I’m not sure, but I think someone might’ve gone through his things,” she went on.

  “You’re not sure?” I repeated.

  “Well, I haven’t been over here in a week or so, but it’s messier than he usually leaves things, like drawers left open, and there’s paperwork on his desk, but it’s not tidy like he tends to leave things.”

  “Call the police and then go wait in your car,” I said. “I’ll head over now.” I ended the call and shook my head.

  Willie stared at me. “What?”

  I told her what Darcy had said.

  Willie bolted to her feet. “I’m coming with you.”

  I grabbed my keys and we rushed out the door.

  When we arrived at Jerrod’s townhome, a Greenwood Village police SUV was parked outside. Willie and I hurried up the sidewalk and through the open front door. Darcy was standing with a patrol officer in the living room. Willie hurried over and hugged her. Then Willie and I introduced ourselves to the officer. He was a young guy with a peach fuzz mustache and a serious demeanor. The nameplate on his uniform said, “Fouse.”

  “Ms. Cranston was filling me in on what’s going on.” Fouse twitched his mustache and then focused on Darcy. “There’s no sign of forced entry,” he went on, “and you can’t say if anything was actually stolen, so I don’t have much to go on. I can file a missing person’s report.” He met our collective gaze, then fixed his eyes on Darcy again. “I hate to say it, but he probably went somewhere with his new lady friend.”

  “Probably,” Darcy said. “Good riddance, I guess.”

  “What about the woman Reed saw Jerrod with?” Willie asked.

  Fouse looked at me. I told him about the mysterious woman I’d seen last night with Jerrod, and then said, “but I don’t know who she is or where exactly she lives. I didn’t even pay attention to the address of the building they went into.” I gave him the cross streets and described the building.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Fouse said. “Unless we have concrete proof he’s missing, there aren’t the resources to follow up on this.”

  His radio barked and he listened for a moment. “I’m afraid I need to go. I’ll file a report, but if I had to bet, your friend will show up soon.”

  “He wasn’t too concerned,” Willie said drily after Fouse left.

  I shrugged. “He’s right. We don’t have any solid proof that anything happened to Jerrod, and the police are too busy. We’re on our own.” I looked at Darcy. “You really think someone else was here?”

  “Yes,” she said. “You need to look at his office.”

  I gestured past her. “Show me.”

  Darcy led us down a short hall to a small room that could’ve been a spare bedroom, but had been furnished with a nice maple desk, an expensive leather chair, and a glass shelf in the corner. It was sterile, with blank white walls, and nothing on the desk but some papers haphazardly laid about. Darcy pointed at them.

  “Jerrod wouldn’t leave everything out like that. He’s a neatnik, so it would’ve been put away.”

  I nodded, sat down at the desk, and picked up a piece of paper. It was a credit card statement. Jerrod had charged a variety of things, from restaurant tabs to golf. Underneath it were some bank statements. I studied the latest one, for the previous month. At the end of the month, Jerrod had withdrawn three thousand dollars. I held up the statement.

  “Has Jerrod been blowing money on things?”

  She shrugged. “Not that I know of.”

  “
Does he have a drinking or gambling problem?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  I set the statement down, and looked at some bank receipts that were next to the statements. Jerrod had withdrawn hundreds of dollars in the last few days.

  I gestured at the papers. “If he was in a hurry, could he have left things like this out?”

  Darcy sighed. “I guess it’s possible. But what about him not showing up at work?”

  “Good point.” I got up and we went into the bedroom.

  It had a teak platform bed, and matching dresser and nightstand. The walls were bare, and the blinds over a window above the bed were closed.

  Darcy pointed at the dresser. “See how the drawers aren’t quite shut. That’s not like Jerrod.”

  I went to the dresser and opened the drawers. The underwear, t-shirts, and socks looked as if they’d been put in neatly, but then disturbed.

  “See? Those clothes have been gone through.” Darcy had her hands on her hips. “Maybe I’m crazy, but something’s not right.”

  Willie pointed at the dresser. “Is anything missing?”

  “I don’t know,” Darcy said.

  “What about a suitcase?” I asked.

  She stepped over to a walk-in closet. “His carry-on bag is here.”

  I glanced around, but saw nothing unusual, so we all went back into the living room.

  I looked at Willie. “Can Darcy take you home?”

  Darcy let out a big sigh. “I could use a drink.”

  “We’ll go get a bite to eat,” Willie said to her, and then glanced at me. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to find out who that woman is.”

  Chapter Six

  I left Jerrod’s townhouse and headed back to Marion Street, where I’d last seen him with the mysterious woman. I parked, and as I walked back to the apartment building, I looked for Jerrod’s silver Lexus but didn’t see it. I strolled up the sidewalk and through the entrance to a small lobby. On the opposite wall from the entrance was a glass security door. I tried it, but it was locked.