“Sure,” Britt hesitated before he started to move, that was when the darkness must have dawned on her. “Oh, the lights.”
He heard her gasp.
“I’m sorry. They’re not still on, are they?”
“No.”
“I have some on a timer, but they must have turned off already.” She turned on the switch giving light to the room.
Britt wasn’t sure what he expected but was a little surprised by the warm, pleasing feel of the room. It was neat, tidy and free from clutter. It wasn’t even a quarter size of his apartment but didn’t feel cramped. One thing that drew his attention was a group of pictures on the wall. Several portrayed a lively, smiling Rachelle in various locations with people that he guessed were her family and some friends. One in particular almost took his breath away. She was sitting on a rock in front of a lake. It was obvious she’d been hiking. A smile lit her face, and her head was tilted slightly to the side. He was certain it had been taken when she was unaware of it, but whoever took the picture had caught the true natural beauty of her.
“Can I get you something? I don’t have any alcohol because it dulls the senses, though I wasn’t much of a drinker before.”
“I’m not much of a drinker myself.” He caught the sight of her hiding a yawn. “Actually, I probably ought to go. It’s getting pretty late.”
“Sorry,” her hand still covered her mouth. “I usually go to bed quite early so I don’t have to get ready in a hurry to make it to the office. And I haven’t been sleeping very well lately.”
“This time, I think it’s my turn to say I’m sorry, for getting you caught up in all this.” He stepped closer to her.
“It wasn’t your fault. Things just happen. You’re not responsible for what other people do, no matter how they affect us,” she said with more conviction than he’d ever heard from her.
“Sounds like good advice.”
She blushed, “I spent a lot of time thinking about it after … my accident. Wondering what I had done to deserve what happened.”
“Mind if I ask what did happen?”
“Car accident, I got hit in the front driver’s side. A drunk driver. It was weird. I only suffered a few bruises, no broken bones. Not even much swelling from a concussion. They thought that I’d be fine, I was just knocked out, until finally I woke up and couldn’t see.”
“And what happened to the person who hit you?”
“He took off. He’d already had his license revoked for DUI. The police were able to track him down from witnesses. When they went to arrest him, he tried to run and rolled his car. He died, but luckily, he didn’t hurt anyone else.”
“He shouldn’t have been on the streets in the first place.”
“No, he shouldn’t have, but it’s still sad he died.”
“You seem to have taken it in stride.” He was surprised at her attitude.
“No. For the first month I was in denial. The next month I was a mess. Then I got mad, after that I came to face it. I realized I was letting what happened to me destroy my life and started to fight back. It took a couple months to really get used to living and truly functioning. Going back to work was terrifying. The first couple days, I was afraid that I would make a mistake. I even had a dream I ran into you in the hall one day. I mean literally ran into you.”
“Too bad you didn’t then I’d have met you sooner and under more pleasant circumstances.”
“Not in my dream it wasn’t.” She shook her head.
“Was I that much of an ogre?”
She felt him move closer to her. “No, but you were a lot different then you are.”
“Really, how am I different?”
“You’re kinder, easier to talk to. I was tongue tied before. Well, I don’t think I ever pictured you in my apartment, or that I’d feel comfortable with you.”
“And do you feel comfortable?” he pressed, stepping closer.
“Yes, yes I do,” she said more firmly, with a smile.
“I’m glad.”
He was right in front of her now. Her face tilted up to him. In the soft light, he could see her trying to see him through the darkness. She was so inviting, so beautiful. He raised his hand and reached unconsciously to touch her, to run his fingers over the tender skin of her cheek. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked but stopped his hand just short. Rachelle wasn’t his to touch, no matter how much he was beginning to wish it was so. No matter how easy it would be to lower his head and take those unprepared lips by the storm that was beginning to rage within him, he couldn’t.
Britt forced himself to step back. “Good night, Rachelle.” He crossed the room, pausing to look at the picture of the smiling woman on the lakeshore. Behind him, he heard her say a soft good-bye, that seemed to call him back, but he urged himself on.
“Don’t forget to lock up after me.” He was out the door. Britt stopped in the hallway trying to get his runaway thoughts in line. Whatever draw Rachelle Harris had over him, it was getting out of control. Maybe he’d been working too hard lately, maybe he needed a vacation or at least to get out more. When was the last time he dated someone? He’d gone to the charity fundraiser last month, but it had been almost a year since he had been seeing anyone regularly. Even then, he always knew something was missing in his relationship with Laura, though everyone said she was perfect for him. She was beautiful, intelligent, good bloodlines, and from a well-moneyed family. Everything proper and perfect for him, but nothing about her held his interest.
He heard the lock click on the door behind him. No, Laura didn’t hold his interest, not like the woman on the other side of the door did. On the street below, he stopped and turned, looking up to her apartment. He wondered if she would remember to turn off the light. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the lights went out.
****
Rachelle stood in the middle of the room after she heard the door close. She felt rooted in spot, her heart pounded. What was wrong with her? For a minute there she thought Britton Clairbourne was going to kiss her.
She was really getting delusional. He was being kind, and she was blowing it all out of proportion. Her imagination was filling in the blanks that she couldn’t see. Whatever it was, she was going to have to keep better taps on her runaway thoughts or she’d be setting herself up for a lot of hurt and embarrassment.
Funny, she had always been quite practical in her relationships. She had dated Richard for almost a year before she really considered they were serious, and then it still was hard to consider marrying him, though everyone talked like it was a done deal.
Maybe that was why his deserting her after the accident hadn’t been so hard. At the time, it felt devastating. Then again, at the time, opening a can of soup was devastating. But when she made the turn to take her life back, she found she didn’t miss him at all.
Britton Clairbourne had only walked out the door a couple minutes earlier, and she already missed him. No. She would not think like that.
****
Rachelle just finished washing the plate and glass she used for lunch when there was a knock at her door. Feeling to make sure the chain was latched, she opened it. “Who is it?”
“Police, Detective Todd, are you Rachelle Harris?”
“Will you hold your badge to the door opening, please?”
She heard something brush the door and reached out, first bumping the leather before feeling the engraving.
“This is Dr. Lamb, she’s a police psychologist.”
“Hello, Miss Harris.” The female voice came from the side.
“Just a moment, please.” She closed the door and removed the chain, opening it back up. “Come in, please.” She moved to the side, motioning them to be seated and followed them over.
“Were you notified of our coming?”
“Yes.”
“Then you agreed to talk to us?”
“Yes, but I don’t know what help I can be. I put everything he said to me in the transcript.”
/> “Yes, we have a copy of that,” Dr. Lewis said. “What we’d like to do is have you try to tell us how it was said to you the best you can. Roll playing it, if you will. Give us your feelings and impressions. Do you think you can do that?”
“Yes, I think so, if you read the transcript to me, I’ll try to repeat it as close as I can to how he said it. Do you really think it will help?”
“It may help me get a feel for what we’re dealing with,” the psychologist answered.
“He’s serious. He really wants to hurt Mr. Clairbourne.”
“I agree, and we’re taking the threats seriously, but we’ve got to find some clues to figure out who it is,” the detective said.
Rachelle nodded. “Would you like anything or we can start now?”
“Let’s start.”
They were just finishing the transcript when there was another knock on the door. “Would you like me to get that?” Todd asked.
“Please,” Rachelle answered.
She was surprised when she heard Britt’s voice at the door.
****
Britt was surprised when a man opened the door until he looked up and recognized Detective Todd. “Detective,” he greeted the man.
“Mr. Clairbourne, this is a surprise.”
“I wanted to be here while you talked to Miss Harris. I just got caught up. How is it going?” He walked into the room.
“We’re just finishing the transcript. Mr. Clairbourne, this is Dr. Lewis.”
“Doctor,” he greeted then turned to Rachelle, who was sitting on the couch. He moved forward, taking in her too pale face. “Rachelle, how are you?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“Are you comfortable with Mr. Clairbourne here, or does he make you nervous?” Dr. Lewis asked.
Britt looked at Rachelle for signs that he might make her feel nervous, wondering if the psychologist picked up something. He didn’t want to think that Rachelle might feel uncomfortable around him. What he saw was color warming her cheeks, and her face turned shyly to the side.
“It’s fine. He doesn’t make me nervous.”
“Well, we’re almost finished here.”
Britt listened as they went over a few more lines then waited while the doctor wrote down the observations in her notebook.
It was the detective that broke the silence. “Well?” he asked the doctor.
“The man will not stop. He’s filled with jealousy and wants revenge. He believes Mr. Clairbourne has done or is responsible for something done to him. So he has heaped every bad thing onto him. For him to win or to prove his importance, Mr. Clairbourne must ‘pay.’” She made the motion of quote with her fingers.
“Who have you dated recently?” Todd turned to him.
“No one really. The last woman I dated even semi-seriously was a year ago, and our parting was mutual. How do we stop him?” Britt asked the doctor.
“Actually, he may have already given us the key.”
The detective slid forward in his seat. “What?”
“Miss Harris,” Dr. Lewis said simply. “I think that it’s possible he blames Mr. Clairbourne for the loss of a woman he was obsessed with. I think he has shifted that obsession to Miss Harris.”
Britt felt as if he had been punched.
“But I’d recognize the voice if I had met him,” Rachelle objected.
“I doubt you have met him. It’s your voice, or maybe that you were just pleasant when you first answered. And then, when he realized he frightened you, it brought out the protective instincts in him. It could be your voice reminds him of the woman he loved. Whatever it is, he has focused on you, and I think we can use it.”
“How?” Todd asked.
“When he calls, and he will call again, Rachelle, you will need to keep him talking. Try to get him to give information about himself, maybe even set up a meeting.”
“No,” Britt cut her off. “No way, I don’t want Rachelle, Miss Harris, anywhere near this guy.”
“Don’t worry,” Todd came back. “We’d have it covered.”
“No, I don’t want her exposed to him. I don’t even like the idea of her talking to him.”
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Dr. Lamb spoke up, shifting toward him. “He has chosen her.”
“I still don’t want Rachelle put in contact with him. We can have someone else answering the phones.”
“No,” Rachelle exclaimed. “I can do this.”
“It’s not that I think you can’t do it. I don’t want you in danger from this psycho.” Britt took a step toward her.
“He won’t know who I am.”
“Miss Harris,” Todd interrupted. “I must point out, this man has been able to get into a couple of places in the company with very high security, plus gain access to specialized instruments. It’s not unlikely he could find out who you are.”
“Well, if he is obsessed with me, and has access, then it’s more than likely he already knows who I am.”
Britt didn’t like what she said, but looking at the officer, it was obvious Todd agreed.
“I’ll have a tap put on your phone immediately, if that’s all right with you?” Todd asked.
“I’ll move you to a hotel,” Britt said at the same time.
It was Britt she chose to answer. “No, I’m not moving. This is my home.”
“I won’t have your safety jeopardized,” he said it so forceful it made her jump.
“I’m not helpless.”
“I don’t think you are, but we know this man is dangerous. He’s going to hurt someone, and I don’t want it to be you.”
“I don’t want it to be me either, but if you read what he says, he wants to protect me, not hurt me.”
Britt got her point, but it didn’t change how he felt. “What if that changes? You could become a target.”
“Mr. Clairbourne is right,” Dr. Lewis agreed coming back into the conversation. “He could change in a minute, and it might not take much to agitate the change. You never know.”
“Then we handle that when it comes, but as Mr. Clairbourne also said, someone is going to get hurt. So the sooner we catch this man the better.”
“Someone else can do it.” Britt didn’t like being so stubborn with her, but unfortunately she could be just as stubborn.
She turned to the doctor. “Do you honestly think he will talk to another person and open up?”
They all waited for the doctor to answer. It was slow in coming, but after a moment she did. “No, no I don’t.” It was said softly. “But I must concur with Mr. Clairbourne. It could be dangerous. This man is highly volatile.”
“But, if she’s our only way to get him to talk.” Todd joined Rachelle’s side on the argument.
“First, we try it without her,” Britt said firmly. “Monday we’ll have someone else screening executive calls.”
“But,” Rachelle started to object, he cut her off. “We’ll trade you to take the other messages.”
“What about Lois, if he comes after her?”
“I don’t think that will happen, but if I have to, I’ll assign security to watch over you both.” There was finality in his voice.
Chapter Four
He had done it. She was so mad. She would have kicked him in the shins if she could’ve found them. When she got to work, Lois was assigned to accept the executive lines and she was to monitor the others.
Actually, she didn’t mind monitoring the other calls, but she did mind Britton Clairbourne’s high-handedness. Rachelle steamed again. One of the things she liked about him was the fact that he treated her like a competent person, not an invalid. It was amazing some of the stupid things people did when you couldn’t see. One of the secretaries still hadn’t gotten over talking loudly to her. Usually the thought made her smile, but not right now. Not today, she sat and stewed about the change in assignment.
“Rachelle,” Lois’ voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “I need to go to the ladies room. Can you cover me?”
“Sure.”
“You okay?” Lois had already heard about it several times, and tried to point out Mr. Clairbourne was being wise and protective, and she thought it was kind of sweet.
“I’m fine.”
“All right, I’ll be right back.” Lois stepped out the door while Rachelle turned to field a call for Mr. Douglas’ office. Five minutes and three calls had passed when the next call came in.
“Clairbourne executive answering. May I help you?”
There was a pause on the line, she was about to repeat when the low voice came. “Angel Voice, I’ve been trying to call, but you haven’t answered.” Anxiety was heavy in the tone.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been handling other calls.” Her heart pounded. It was him. “Have you called often?”
“Several times, I wanted to talk to you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t answer.” Rachelle did what Dr. Lewis suggested, giving sympathy, and trying to get him to talk. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
There was a pause. Her fingers waited over the keyboard. She quickly checked for her home position, and then almost lost it when he finally spoke.
“I saw you Friday night. You’re so beautiful, innocent, and helpless. I want to take care of you.”
“Where did you see me?” She fought to keep down the stab of fear she felt coming through in her voice.
“I watched you waiting at the bus stop. I drove around the block. I was going to offer you a ride. But, when I got back, you were already gone. Your bus must have come.”
Not her bus. Britton had. If he hadn’t, Rachelle shivered. “I’m sorry. I probably wouldn’t have gotten in with you. I don’t take rides from strangers. Do I know you? Have we met?” She tried to think of questions that would help her identify him.
“No. I want to meet you, but I can’t right now.” The voice seemed to drift.
“Why not?” she pressed, her fingers trembled slightly on the keys.
“I have to get Clairbourne first.”
“Why?”
“Because he has to pay.”
“For what? What did he do?”
“Only I can make him pay.”
Blind Witness Page 4
