Pier Pressure

by Rose Pressey

  “I guess no one is home,” I said.

  “Now what should we do?”

  “I don’t want this to be a wasted trip. I have to look around a little bit.”

  “You aren’t thinking of breaking into his apartment, are you?” she asked.

  I quirked an eyebrow. “No, I guess we shouldn’t do that. Let’s take a look around the side of the building.”

  Dorothy followed me down the path and around the building. There were garbage cans at the edge of the building. I stopped at a trash can and lifted the lid.

  “This is suspicious,” I said.

  Dorothy peered into the trash can. “What is it?”

  “A package of fireworks. This is August.”

  “Maybe they’re left over from the Fourth of July.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But I’m not so sure.”

  “Why do you think this is suspicious?” she asked.

  “I recently read a story about someone who used fireworks to make a bomb.”

  Dorothy’s eyes widened. “Do you think that’s what he did?”

  “Well, he would be kind of stupid to leave the evidence right out here. Like Jake says, criminals usually aren’t the sharpest knives in the shed.”

  “He said that?”

  “Well, it was something like that.” I placed the lid back on the trash can.

  A sound of a door closing caught my attention. I hurried toward the front of the house. When I reached the edge of the building, I paused. I motioned for Dorothy to stop as well. A man had just walked out from the apartment. And he had pretended that he wasn’t home. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was probably dangerous I would have yelled out at him.

  I recognized the man. He was the one who had been driving the car with Cora in it. Was this one of the people Cora said was following her? He had to have kidnapped her since I’d seen her in his car. Where was she now? What had he done with her? I was torn with following him and looking in the apartment for Cora. Since I’d seen him lock the door, I knew I wouldn’t get into the apartment. I would call Jake and tell him that I thought I’d located Cora. I just hoped that it wasn’t too late.

  “We’ll go after him,” I said.

  Dorothy nodded.

  I hurried out from around the building so that we could catch up with him. Dorothy rushed out with me. He was walking down the sidewalk. I just hoped that he didn’t realize that we were following him.

  “Where do you think he’s headed?” Dorothy asked. “Maybe he’s just going to a restaurant.”

  “Perhaps, but considering he could be a dangerous man, I’m not holding out much hope. Just act casual,” I said.

  Dorothy whistled.

  “Okay, that’s too casual,” I said. “Walking without doing anything suspicious is good enough.”

  Dorothy pulled a peppermint from her pocket and shoved it in her mouth. I supposed that was her way of soothing her nerves. She always had minty-fresh breath too.

  The guy was walking fast and it was hard for me to keep up with my short legs. He had a much bigger stride than me. Maybe I should have followed him in the car. Though if he turned down an alleyway, that would be a bad idea. At least he hadn’t looked over his shoulder and noticed us back there.

  “How far do you think he’s going?” Dorothy asked.

  “I wouldn’t think he’d walk too far,” I said.

  When we turned the corner he was gone. Had he stepped into one of the shops? How would I know which one? I supposed we could go into each one. That was unlikely to lead to us finding him though. Dorothy and I stepped into the store that was closest. We walked around the space, but he was nowhere in sight. Dorothy and I went back out onto the sidewalk.

  “I can’t believe we lost him,” Dorothy said.

  I blew the hair out of my eyes. “I guess we should head back. I don’t want to lose the evidence that was in the trash can. I need Jake to pick up the evidence as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, I suppose we should get back over there,” Dorothy said.

  I hated that we had lost the guy, but at least I had something new. I scanned the area one more time just in case I spotted him. No such luck. Did he really know we had been following him? He could be hiding somewhere and watching us right now. He might think he was clever, but I would outsmart him in the end. It was only a matter of time until I broke this case wide open.

  We were just walking across the parking lot to head down the sidewalk on the other side of the road when Dorothy grabbed my arm. We tumbled to the ground. The wind had been knocked out of me. I peered up at the bright blue sky. The sun beat down on me. Dorothy was beside me. She leaned up and stared at me. “Maggie, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I managed. “Are you all right?”

  She got to her feet rather quickly. “Don’t you worry about Dorothy. She’s tough as steel.”

  That was the truth.

  “Why did you yank me to the ground?” I asked.

  She pointed at the street. “That car tried to hit you.”

  I followed her pointing finger. “The white Rolls-Royce?”

  She nodded. “Yes, that’s the one.”

  It cruised down the road further away from us.

  “Did you see who was driving?” I asked.

  “I saw the back of a man’s head,” she said.

  “Did it look like the man we just followed?”

  She shook her head. “Actually it looked more like Dean the doctor.”

  My eyes widened. “The one I was supposed to have a date with?”

  That was a crazy turn of events.

  “That’s the one,” Dorothy said.

  Too bad I hadn’t gotten the license plate of the Rolls-Royce. I had no way of knowing if the car had tried to hit me on purpose. I had a feeling that was the case though. At least we were both okay.

  As we hurried down the sidewalk back toward my car I placed the call to Jake. I shouldn’t even tell him about the Rolls-Royce almost hitting me.

  “Jake, I think I have some evidence that you should check out.”

  “Is it a trash can full of fireworks packaging?” he asked.

  I scowled. “How did you know that?”

  When I turned the corner I spotted his car. Now I knew how he knew. Had he followed me here? I wouldn’t be surprised. That was exactly something Jake would do.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact that’s exactly what it is,” I said.

  Dorothy and I continued walking toward the apartment.

  “Did you follow me?” I asked.

  “No, I didn’t follow you, but why didn’t you call me right away and let me know you were doing this?” Jake sounded as if he wasn’t happy with me.

  “I had to act on this lead as quickly as possible,” I said with a click of my tongue.

  Dorothy and I moved over beside my car to watch the police crime scene. They would be on the lookout for the suspect. Cora wasn’t in the house. That was a bit of a relief, but also a let-down because I wanted to find her. I hoped that she was okay.

  A piece of paper floated across the wind and landed by my foot. I reached down and picked it up. It was almost as if fate had stepped in and wanted me to see this.

  It was a receipt for Fireworks World. I wasn’t sure if it was for the fireworks container that we’d found in the trash or a different purchase. However, the signature of the person who had bought this was of the most importance to me. The doctor’s name was on the receipt. Why would his name be on a receipt here? I knew why. Because they were in on this together.

  “Look what I found.” I showed the receipt to Dorothy.

  Her eyes widened. “You’re not still meeting him for a date, are you?”

  “If he calls I certainly will. Plus, I will track him down if he doesn’t call. I want him to confess his involvement in this.”

  When I glanced up I saw the police bringing a woman out the front door of the apartment.

  “Is that Cora?” Dorothy asked.

  “It l
ooks like Cora,” I said. “But it’s not her.”

  Dorothy’s mouth dropped open. “Is she the one you saw in the car yesterday?”

  I stared in shock at the woman. “Yes, she’s the one I saw.”

  I couldn’t believe the mistake I’d made. Now I really looked stupid.

  “Oh, Maggie,” Dorothy said with a click of her tongue.

  “What will Jake think?” I asked.

  “He’ll probably think you’re a lousy private investigator,” Dorothy said.

  “Dorothy! That’s not what I wanted to hear,” I said.

  “Well, we all have off days.” Dorothy forced a smile.

  I scanned the area, looking for Jake. That was when I spotted him talking with his partner. Oh, great. Even better that I looked like an idiot in front of Abby. I meant that in the most sarcastic way possible.

  They looked over at me. I knew they were discussing my mishap. Everyone made mistakes, I reminded myself. Abby’s look was almost one of pity, as if she was saying, Bless her heart, she’s a terrible investigator. She walked away from Jake and he looked at me again.

  “Oh, no, here he comes,” I said.

  “It’ll be fine,” Dorothy said.

  It would have to be fine. There was no way to get out of it. I’d have to own my mistake.

  “Are we all finished here?” I asked with a smile.

  “I guess you can see that the woman you saw in the car wasn’t Cora,” Jake said.

  “She looked a lot like her. You have to admit that,” I said.

  “Yes, I will admit it looked like her. I can see where you would have mistaken that woman for Cora.”

  Thank goodness Jake was being nice about this. What had I worried about? He wasn’t a jerk. If he was a jerk I wouldn’t be interested in spending time with him.

  “So now we’re back to the beginning in our search for Cora. There’s been no activity on her credit cards.”

  I thought of telling Jake I’d placed a tracking device on her car, but it didn’t matter because the car hadn’t moved since she went missing.

  “Come on, I’ll walk you both over to your car.” Jake walked with us over to the car.

  He opened the door for Dorothy and she slipped in the passenger seat. I moved around to the driver’s side. Jake closed Dorothy’s door and then came over to my side. I let the window down. He leaned down and propped his arms against the door.

  “Thanks for keeping us out of jail,” I said.

  “Stay out of trouble, okay?” He studied my face.

  “Trouble should be her middle name,” Dorothy said.

  Chapter 13

  Not long had passed before I got the call that I had been waiting for.

  “Do you remember me?” Dean asked.

  I remembered way more than he realized.

  “How are you?” I asked in an overly bubbly voice.

  “I wondered if you would have time to go out on the boat with me tonight?”

  What perfect timing.

  “Yes, I have time,” I said.

  “Great. Should I pick you up?” he asked.

  I wanted to have my car in case I needed to get away. “I can meet you,” I said. “I’ll be out anyway. Where should I come to?”

  “At the boat dock. My boat is there. You can park right beside it.”

  He told me to write down the address. I already knew the area well. There was no need to give me that information.

  “How about in an hour?” he asked. “We’ll be able to see the sunset.”

  “That sounds great.” Was this his idea of romance? As Dorothy would say, gross.

  “I’ll see you soon,” he said.

  As soon as I clicked off the call the anxiety set in. This would be a difficult trip. I had to get the information I needed. Time was running out to find Cora.

  I’d barely reached the closet to pick out something to wear when my phone rang again. Was it Jake? What would I tell him? I rushed over to answer the call.

  “Maggie, I have a date with Morton tonight. Do you need me for anything?” Dorothy asked.

  “Nothing tonight, Dorothy. I have a date with the doctor.”

  My announcement was met with silence.

  “Are you still there, Dorothy?” I asked.

  “Yes, I’m here. Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.

  “I have to do it,” I said.

  She sighed. “I suppose it would be awkward if I went on the date with you?”

  “Yes, that would be weird. I promise I’ll be fine. I’ll call you as soon as I find out anything.”

  More silence on the line. I knew she was trying to think of a way that she could come along on this date.

  “You’d better call me as soon as you can. Text me and check in with me because you know that I’ll be worried.”

  “I promise I will,” I said.

  I hung up with Dorothy and went back to the closet. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jake would say if he knew what I was doing. With any luck he would never find out. Though if I found any good information I would have to tell him how I’d figured it out. I stood in front of my closet and tried to decide what the best outfit would be. It couldn’t be a dress or anything too nice. It had to be something that I could move in quickly in case I needed to run.

  I pulled out a nice pair of blue shorts and a dressier t-shirt. Yes, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, which was pretty much what I wore all the time. This was a boat trip though and not a cocktail party. After dressing in the clothing, I slipped into my flip-flops and dabbed on a bit of lip gloss. I spritzed perfume and headed out the door. Maybe I shouldn’t have put on any makeup at all, but I didn’t like being a complete slob.

  I had no idea what to expect when I got there. My nerves were on edge. I reminded myself that I had a job to do. I inhaled and released a deep breath several times. That did little to settle my anxiety though.

  I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. The breeze carried across the wind and the sun was easing down in the bright blue sky. I hoped that we didn’t stay out on the water for too long. I would tell him that I had something else to do. That was after I’d gotten the information that I needed.

  Jake would frown upon the fact that I was going out on the boat with this man. Sure it was dangerous, but what other option did I have? I had my gun in my purse so if he tried any funny business I would have defense. After being shot at before it always was safer to have my weapon. Being a private eye was scary work.

  I climbed behind the wheel and headed over to the boat docks. It felt weird being in the car without Dorothy. I knew that she would be texting me soon. I glanced down and spotted a peppermint candy in the middle of the console. I grabbed the candy and popped it into my mouth. I wasn’t sure if what Dorothy said about the mints calming nerves was true, but I was willing to give it a shot now.

  The ride there seemed to take longer than I remembered. It was probably a mix of traffic and me being nervous about the visit.

  Finally, I reached the parking lot and whipped into a spot. After getting out of the car, I scanned the parking lot looking for the Rolls-Royce that had almost hit me. I didn’t see the car, which was a relief. Maybe it was just a man who looked like the doctor who had been behind the wheel.

  I strolled along the boardwalk toward the dock. I made sure to watch my surroundings and look for anyone suspicious. There was a special reason for that right now. I had the creepy feeling that someone was watching me. I kept glancing over my shoulder. No one was back there and anyone walking ahead of me didn’t seem to realize that I was even back there. I told myself that it was all in my head, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. I would feel better once I got this visit over with.

  I was taking my time even though I knew I had to get this over with. Stalling would get me nowhere. I pushed my shoulders back and held my head high. I gave myself a mental pep talk. I’d been through more than this with other cases, so I knew I could handle it. I smiled at a man and woman as they wa
lked by.

  I reached the dock. Now I had to find his boat. The sun was getting lower in the sky. A million thoughts raced through my mind. What if he knew who I was and had asked me to come to the boat so that he could take me out on the water and toss me overboard? The thought sent a chill down my spine. Nevertheless, I had to go through with this. I glanced back, still feeling as if I was being watched. There was a man back there, but he stepped onto a boat. He wasn’t following me.

  I counted down the numbers. A house boat? Was he living on this thing? I’d figured he would have some big boat. So basically he’d invited me to his place? I hadn’t signed up for that. If he tried anything funny he’d get a taste of my fighting skills.

  I’d located the boat, but I didn’t see the doctor around. “Hello?” I called out.

  I wasn’t sure if he would be able to hear me over the sound of the waves lapping against the boat. Seagulls circled the sky above me. There were a lot of them up there. Why were there so many?

  “There you are,” the male voice called out.

  I spun around and spotted him stepping off the boat. What if my wig came off with all the wind? This was seeming more and more like a bad idea with every passing minute.

  I forced a smile on my face. “Here I am.”

  “Well, what do you think of it?” he asked with a wave of his arm.

  “Do you live on this boat?” I asked.

  I knew I sounded a bit suspicious.

  “No, but maybe someday. Come on. We should get going before we miss the sunset.”

  I hoped that he didn’t notice my hesitation. I stepped onto the boat. I wasn’t about to go below with him. So far he hadn’t asked.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.

  Oh, sure, he wanted to get me drunk so that I would be easier to push overboard. “No, thank you, I’m good.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure. Let me know if you change your mind.”

  We set off into the water. The sunset was gorgeous and I tried to keep up with his chitchat. I was worried that my wig would come off and blow my cover. Not to mention that I was nervous about what else might happen. So far he didn’t act too strangely though. How far did he plan on taking me? I had to ask questions so that I could get back on dry land. Dorothy was texting me. I had to answer. He probably could tell that I wasn’t really into this date.