Random Acts of Iniquity

by Christy Barritt

  And I was ready for the rest of my life. All I’d ever wanted was to be a wife and mom. To keep a welcoming home. To be involved in the community.

  Maybe it was one of the reasons I’d become obsessed with times past, with the 50s. I wanted that simplicity instead of the insane busyness of the world around me.

  But I could feel that starting to change inside me.

  Now I needed to figure out how to handle things with Drew as well.

  However, my first priority right now was figuring out who had done this to me. I couldn’t go on until I knew.

  “Chase, this man has my phone, and he’s continuing to send texts and making them seem like they’re from me.”

  He pressed his lips together. “I know. Your purse was still here in the house. I don’t think this guy was aiming to steal things from you. I think he wanted you, to mess with your head, your life.”

  I shuddered again. It just didn’t make sense.

  I cleared my throat, determined not to spiral into self-pity or fear. Not right now. “Any leads on who might be behind this?”

  “I talked to Wilson this morning. The police still don’t know much. They’re going to check with the developer, Kurt Casey. Does that name sound familiar?”

  I shook my head. “Not at all.”

  “The home you were in was a model home. That’s why it was decorated.”

  My heart sank. That explanation seemed too easy. “Did other people have access to it?”

  “I’m sure they did. Kurt Casey may have developed it, but he has a whole team of people who work for him. It will take a while to dig through everyone.”

  I let out a sigh and leaned back, picking at the crust of my toast. “I was thinking for almost the entire time I was in the shower about who might be behind this.”

  “Did you draw any conclusions?”

  “I didn’t. But I did feel like someone had been watching me over the past week or so.”

  Chase straightened. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I shrugged. “I thought I was being paranoid. I mean, I would turn around and no one was there. I had no evidence. No proof. No reason, even.”

  “Like I said, not everyone needs a reason.”

  “Honestly, I figured it was nothing.”

  Chase leaned toward me. “Did you think of anyone who’s shown unusual interest in you lately? Now that you’ve had time to ponder it.”

  I frowned, hating to throw out a name, knowing the repercussions of an accusation like this. But I had to put my heart aside in the name of justice. “I’m not saying there’s anything to this, but there was one man who came into my brother’s office last week.”

  “What about him?”

  “He was there to file a complaint about a new business slated to open near his neighborhood. It was a bar, and he didn’t want the riffraff that would bring—his words, not mine. Anyway, before he left, he asked me out.”

  Chase raised his eyebrow. “What did you say?”

  “I said no, of course. But he kind of looked at me strangely for a minute, and then he told me he didn’t give up easily.” I shifted as I remembered the way he’d said the words. The man had seemed so cocky and sure of himself. He’d rubbed me the wrong way.

  “Do you have his name?”

  “No, but it should be on file at the office.”

  “I’ll need that.”

  “I’ll get it for you.”

  Chase’s phone dinged, and he looked at the screen. His eyes narrowed. “What . . . ?”

  I wanted to look over his shoulder and see what the reaction was for. But I waited, minding my manners.

  He shook his head and finally showed me the screen. The expression on his face clearly revealed that whatever it was disturbed him.

  I had to stare at the video for several minutes before I realized what I was looking at.

  It was me.

  In bed last night.

  Tossing and turning.

  Someone had recorded it.

  Ice climbed up my spine.

  This wasn’t over yet, was it?

  No, it was far from over.

  Chapter Seven

  Detective Wilson came by and took my laptop. It appeared someone had managed to activate the webcam last night—I’d left my laptop open on my dresser—and had recorded me sleeping. Wilson also had his crew dust my place for fingerprints, and he swept the house for any other cameras.

  He’d found none.

  As I sat with my legs pulled beneath me on my couch, reality began to hit me. Reality of just how far this person was willing to go.

  I wanted to believe the danger had ended when I was rescued, but I knew that was far from the truth. I pulled my favorite quilt up around my shoulders, suddenly chilled.

  Ralph had gotten the name of the man who’d asked me out last week—it was Perry Gutherson. Another detective had already looked into him and discovered the man had been gone all week. None of his neighbors had seen him, but one did hear he was visiting his sick mother on the West Coast. That would need to be confirmed, of course.

  But otherwise, it left me back at square one.

  It wasn’t the place where I wanted to be.

  My doorbell rang. Chase walked in from the kitchen, where he’d been working at the table while I “rested” on the couch. His hand was at his waist, ready to draw the gun there if necessary.

  He opened the door, revealing my best friend, Jamie. She stood there with her glowing brown skin, her springy black hair, and an urban sassiness that was unrivaled by anyone I’d ever met.

  She ignored Chase and dashed toward me. “I know I wasn’t supposed to come until after you rested, but I couldn’t wait another moment. Are you okay? You’ve been all I could think about all night.”

  I sat up. “I’m okay. Thank you.”

  Jamie glanced back at Chase, a confused look on her face.

  “Listen, I’ll give you two a minute.” Chase pointed behind him. “I’m going to make some phone calls.”

  As Chase disappeared into the other room, Jaime plopped beside me on the couch.

  “What happened, girl?” She studied my face, her lips pulling down at the corners. “Everything has seemed classified or something. I’ve been out of my mind with worry.”

  I told her what had happened. Most of it, at least. I left out the part about Drew barging into the house this morning while Chase and I lay on the couch.

  My cheeks still heated at the thought of it.

  Her hand flew over her mouth as I talked. “That’s so awful. Are you okay?”

  I nodded, but the action took entirely too much effort. “Yeah, I’m fine. I mean, I’m as fine as I can be, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” She glanced over her shoulder before lowering her voice. “And Chase? I thought he was out of your life.”

  I shrugged. “He was supposed to drop off something for me that night. He got worried when I wasn’t here. He hasn’t left my side since he found me.”

  She let out a grunt. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but it’s special. You both just need to realize it. Chase needs to get over himself.”

  “Or maybe I just need to face the fact that we aren’t meant to be.” How much had to happen before I accepted that sometimes things just weren’t meant to be? Our relationship had been through more twists and turns than a rollercoaster.

  “Relationships are about two broken people realizing that together they can be whole,” Jamie continued.

  I gave her a skeptical look.

  She shrugged, looking unfazed. “Yes, I’ve been reading some relationship books. I figured it’s good to stay on top of these things.”

  “Are you and Wesley having problems?” My friend had been head-over-heels happy since she’d started dating him. I hoped there wasn’t trouble in paradise.

  “No, not at all. But I like soaking in all the wisdom I can.”


  My smile turned into a frown. “As far as Chase and me . . . all I can say is that I’ve got bigger worries at the moment. I don’t need any man drama to add to my list.”

  Jamie pulled her leg beneath her, a sympathetic look on her face as my words seemed to sober her. “I know you don’t. Any idea who did this to you?”

  “No idea whatsoever.” If only I did. That would make my life so much easier right now.

  She stared off in the distance, as if searching her thoughts before looking back at me and snapping her fingers. “What about that crazy girl who pretended to be your cousin?”

  “What? You mean, Kari?” Kari Harling . . . I’d tried to put the woman out of my mind. She’d first shown up in my life, claiming to be someone named Blake and saying that we were related.

  My father had been adopted, and we didn’t know anything about his biological family. Kari had said she was from his birth family. The problem was, we didn’t even know who those people supposedly related to my father were, and every lead we discovered had only been a wild goose chase.

  But I’d fallen for her story hook, line, and sinker. I’d even let her into my home when she was having financial problems. But, in the end, it had all been a lie. Blake hadn’t been her real name. She wasn’t a student at the University of Cincinnati. In fact, she’d been involved with some pretty shady people.

  The biggest kicker had come the last time I’d seen her. Chase had revealed that, through some testing at the police department, my DNA and Kari’s had shown we were, in fact, in some way related.

  Then she’d disappeared, and I hadn’t seen her since. I knew she was trouble, but I couldn’t figure out what she was up to.

  “We never found out what she was really planning,” Jamie continued. “Maybe she was scheming all of this all along.”

  Though Kari still remained a suspicious character in my mind . . . “It was clearly a man who held me captive.”

  Jamie shrugged. “Maybe she was working with someone.”

  “I don’t know . . . in my gut, it doesn’t fit.”

  Jamie leaned closer, excitement building in her voice. “Just think about it. It was weird how she appeared in your life and then disappeared. Whatever she wanted from you, she didn’t get it. We don’t even know what it was that she wanted. Maybe she hasn’t given up.”

  “I suppose anything is worth looking into at this point.”

  She pursed her lips, her reporter instincts seeming to kick in. “You said no one owned that house where you were held captive?”

  “That’s my understanding. I’m hoping for an update later today. We’ll see.”

  “These things take time, I know. But there’s got to be a clue in there somewhere. Someone doesn’t take that much time to set up something like this without leaving some kind of trail.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping. I’m trying to let the police do their job. Normally, I’d try to be in the thick of things, but this is one instance where I’m probably better off staying on the sidelines.”

  “We’ll see how long that lasts.” Jamie studied my face. “Why do these things always happen to you?”

  “That’s a great question.”

  “I actually already know the answer. It’s because you care. Because you go the extra mile. And, as a result, sometimes you stick your nose places where people don’t want it.”

  “You’d think I would have learned my lesson by now . . .” Having a big heart seemed like a liability sometimes. I didn’t want to acknowledge it, but, at some point, I’d need to face the truth.

  “Don’t change. The world needs more people like you, Holly Anna Paladin.” Her gaze traveled down. “Speaking of which, what are you wearing?”

  I shrugged at my jeans and T-shirt. “Somehow the 50s has lost its appeal.”

  “Don’t let this psycho change you.”

  How could I go through something like that and not be changed? That was the bigger question that echoed in my mind. And the other question was, how was I ever going to continue on with life until this guy was caught?

  I had no idea.

  * * *

  After Jamie left an hour later, all I could think about was how I wanted to be out on the streets myself. I wanted to track down answers. Figure out what had happened.

  Jamie was right when she’d wondered how long my sideline position would last. I wasn’t a sideline kind of girl.

  Usually.

  But right now I was trapped in my own home feeling clueless. The fact that I was clueless made me feel helpless, and my helplessness made me feel useless.

  But what could I do other than contend with my thoughts and let the police do their job? Chase was here, keeping an eye on me. My laptop was gone. I had no phone.

  Quite honestly, part of me didn’t want to leave the comfort of my home. I didn’t want to face the world out there yet.

  And that wasn’t like me.

  My doorbell chimed. My brother had called earlier and said he would stop by. He mentioned something about wanting to see with his own eyes that I was okay.

  I peered out the window to confirm it was Ralph before opening the door. He’d brought his girlfriend, Olivia, with him.

  Ralph and Olivia had only started dating three weeks ago, but she seemed to be becoming a fixture in his life. The two had nearly been inseparable since they met. I was really happy for him. Ralph’s first wife had died in an auto accident shortly after they got married, and he’d been single for a long time.

  “Holly, we were so worried.” Olivia gave me a quick hug.

  The woman was pretty—tall and slender, with dark hair she wore pulled into a bun. She owned her own grant-writing business and apparently did quite well with it. She always wore name-brand clothes, and she drove an expensive car. She fit right into my family of overachievers.

  When she and Ralph had first started dating, I’d done my own little online investigation into her. She’d passed my tests with flying colors. The woman was involved with charities, had won awards for her business, and liked to travel.

  There was nothing not to like about her.

  “No need to worry,” I said. “I’m here. I’m fine.”

  As soon as Olivia stepped back, Ralph pulled me into an embrace. My brother was a nerdy cute guy who had an affinity for sweater vests—and it was sweater vest season again. How lucky for him.

  I held back a smile.

  “Can you really be fine after something like that?” Ralph murmured in my ear before stepping back. “You don’t have to pretend with us.”

  My chin trembled and gave away my false bravado. “How about this? I will be fine.”

  Ralph gave me a brotherly glance and looked like he was about to say something when someone stepped up behind me.

  “Chase.” Ralph’s voice held surprise.

  My family knew all about my Chase drama. They liked Chase, but they were also protective of me, and I appreciated that fact. Like any good big brother, Ralph didn’t want to see me get hurt.

  “Ralph,” Chase said. “Olivia.”

  Chase had met Olivia once at a community event. My family’s presence and work in the area was practically legendary. Ralph, the state senator. My sister, Alex, a district attorney. Her husband was a doctor. My mom was a real estate agent and headed up so many committees that everyone knew her. She’d just married a retired cop.

  “Are you investigating this case?” Ralph asked.

  “No, I’m just here to support Holly.”

  Ralph gave me another look. I was sure he wondered what was going on with my life. My family had liked Drew. Of course, they’d liked Chase also. They just wanted what was best for me.

  Unfortunately, everyone in my family thought they knew what was best for me instead of trusting me to make my own choices. It came with being the little sister.

  “I can trade off with you,” Ralph finally said. “If you need to take a break . . .”

  I loved my brother. He was funny. Brilliant. Compassionate.<
br />
  But he wasn’t Chase.

  “I’d feel better if I kept my eyes on her.” Chase edged closer to me. “At least until we know more details about what’s going on.”

  Ralph looked like he wanted to argue, but I saw Olivia squeeze his arm, and he backed down. “Whatever Holly wants.”

  “Whatever Holly wants,” Chase repeated.

  I shifted, feeling uncomfortable. Instead of addressing the awkwardness, I cleared my throat and changed the subject. “I wonder how mom is doing.”

  Ralph turned toward Olivia and rested his arm around her waist. Olivia beamed up at him. “She’s supposed to come home next week. She should be enjoying herself.”

  Though I didn’t want to keep things from my mom, I was grateful she didn’t know about this. I didn’t want her to worry. Besides, she deserved some time to have fun. Her coming home early to dote over me wouldn’t solve any problems.

  As a moment of silence fell, Chase ran a hand across his neck and then over his face. “By the way, since you’re here, how’s your friend doing? The one you talked to me about.”

  I squeezed my eyebrows together. I had no idea what they were referring to. Had Chase and Ralph been chatting?

  “He decided not to pay the money.” Ralph frowned and then glanced over at me. “One of my old college buddies received a note with some questionable photos attached. Whoever sent it asked for money and warned not to get the police involved. He came to me for advice, and I talked to Chase about it—off the record.”

  “That’s horrible that someone would blackmail him like that,” I said. “Is he innocent or were the photos legit?”

  “I’m not sure,” Ralph said. “But either way, what’s being done to him is wrong.”

  I froze as I heard a strange sound behind me. As I turned, I saw the TV flash on.

  What?

  I glanced at Chase, who looked equally as confused. No one in this room was near the TV or the remote.

  A moment later, a man’s face flashed on the screen . . . a man wearing a creepy mask.

  Chapter Eight

  “Hello, Holly,” the man crooned.