I laughed. “Like Martha always says, ‘I bet you a dollar to a donut,’ we’d both be surprised by whom.”
Who was it?
Chapter 62
La Famiglia`
I’m sitting there, thinking things through. Why do I even bother with all this? There was no way the aggravation was worth it. I wish I could say what was going on, but lately that wasn’t happening. My book was at a standstill, my house now included so-called extended family, no one was telling me squat, and I’d run out of possible theories. So what was a girl to do? Why, go to the nearest possible source.
Next door.
I was desperate for any kind of explanation about what directly affected me and, of course, Mona. Now, as far as my book was concerned, it was filled with interesting sidebars of information, some useful, some not.
But that didn’t mean anything unless I could actually tie everything together. I couldn’t. Not yet. Those strings of information led me so far and then they abruptly ended. Nothing seemed to naturally fall into its rightful place. To be honest, it never did. I always ended up nudging it along.
An outrageous thought hit me. Might someone break in to hide something and not steal it? Now that was a crazy concept I had never considered before. With that possibility in mind, I tore through the house again, meticulously searching for the disc; even behind paintings.
To tell you the truth, there were not that many places it could possibly be. My rental house had only a few closets or storage spaces. That is, if someone were to actually hide it there. I tried to think out of the box on this thing.
If someone did break in to hide something, why would they? To retrieve it later on? Maybe, they hid it for me to discover on my own? Maybe, I had it all this time and they were waiting for me to put two and two together. If so, where could it possibly be? I still faced that same old problem. I couldn’t find that damn disc.
So, I walked across the courtyard and knocked on David’s door. Seeing no foot traffic below, I figured he was alone. After all, like I said earlier, cleaning my kitchen sink and my counter had its rewards. And that courtyard was my territory. I was about to ring the doorbell and not expecting multiple footsteps on the stairwell, when the door suddenly swung open.
I was rooted to the spot, as my mouth fell open. There stood Pat, saying her goodbyes to David.
How interesting!
“…It was fun, David! Well, I’d better get going.”
How sweet!
She turned. “Oh! Hi, Samantha! I was just leaving. He’s all yours!”
How convenient!
I watched her leave. Pat had on the shortest shorts I have ever seen, a halter-top and sandals. Well, so much for my expert surveillance skills. Now, where’d she come from?
How mysterious!
David must have read my thoughts. “Hi, Sam! Pat was passing by on the boardwalk and saw me up on my deck. I waved her over and invited her in for an iced tea.”
How nice!
As she walked away, I noticed her carrying a briefcase. Now, what would she be doing here with her briefcase? And why would she be walking on the boardwalk with it? I was abruptly yanked from further thoughts on that subject.
Suddenly David looked both ways, grabbed my arm, quickly ushered me into his foyer and firmly closed the door shut behind us.
How odd! Why the big rush to get inside?
“I didn’t expect you here today,” he said, slightly agitated.
“Obviously,” I replied.
Was someone watching him too?
“What’s up?” he asked with a slight note of impatience.
I looked up at him. “For once, I would appreciate some specifics. I need some answers David. Somehow, I’m caught up in this mess. My house is like a circus, and I’m having a hard time figuring why I’ve been singled out and put on the spot.”
David sighed, leaning on the spiral handrail that led upstairs and crossed his arms, shaking his head. “…Because you seem to be in possession of something very valuable that multiple parties are interested in. And because of that, the FBI thinks you’re tied to the Mafia.”
Chapter 63
I’m Breathing, I’m Talking, I’m What?
“I’m what?” I shouted, breathing heavily and shaking from righteous anger. “David, what’s going on? I’m just a fiction writer! Not some made guy! Or is the term made woman? You see? I can’t even get the lingo right!” I said, pacing and talking excitedly. I threw up my arms in total frustration. “Talk about outrageous developments! Even I’m not that inventive.”
“Sam, calm down.”
I stopped, pivoted to face him, waiting and staring him down, angry as all get out. “Well, what have you got to say for yourself?”
He said absolutely nothing, just ran his hand over his eyes and rubbed his forehead, as though dealing with a child. He was probably trying to think of some lame excuse to placate me for the time being. Well, I wasn’t buying any of it.
I came needing something that would explain why my world was headed way off course. Instead, I was hearing that my future suddenly had the word dangerous written all over it.
He leaned in real close. “I’m having a hard time trying to keep a lid on this thing. You want to get hurt? If not, then do absolutely nothing. Hear me? Now, why don’t you go back home before I completely lose my temper.”
I was burning up inside with indignation.
Who did he think he was talking to?
I stared him down. “Like hell I will,” I threw back. I noticed his hands twitch at his sides. I was pushing limits and enjoying it immensely.
I took a mental time out, forcing myself to smile unexpectedly to throw him completely off. “Do you actually think you’re intimidating me?” What he didn’t know, was that my palms were sweating and crazy nightmarish thoughts were scrambling across my brain at that very moment.
After reading tons of books and watching all those gangster movies over the years, my imagination was vividly running unrestrained. And I might add, none of it was very pretty, either.
Well, out of nowhere, he smiled too. “Good! I’m glad you’re upset. It will keep us both totally focused, you on staying out of harm's way, and me on getting to the bottom of this ugly mess before it gets riskier than it already is.”
Well, that threw me. I glared at him. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“Now, don’t give me that look,” he said. “I already told you once before, I was here to protect you.”
“Yeah, I know all that, but you forgot one little detail about that whole strange evening back at my house. You walked out without explaining why. Remember?”
He smirked. “Hey, I’m not perfect, okay? Let’s forget that for now. You need to stop snooping around. And I mean for real!”
Mentally and physically, I had no intention of doing any of that, but verbally, I was willing to let it go, thinking I might learn more if I kept to the agenda at hand. “Come on, David! You’ve got to tell me something.”
“Like I said before, for your own safety, I can’t. I know, that’s not what you wanted to hear, but if I don’t get to the bottom of this soon, you’re in grave danger. Do you hear me? You know, like in dead bodies!”
I stood there, mute. I tried to speak, but couldn’t.
What did he just say?
He then opened his door, grabbed my shoulders and slowly guided me carefully over the threshold, whispering, “Now, again, I reiterate: If you know what’s good for you, please stay out of it!” Then he closed the door and locked it behind me.
All alone outside, I nervously looked both ways. No one was there. I breathed in. I breathed out, trying to calm myself down. I could barely move, let alone get the words out. “…I’m what?”
In grave danger? Dead bodies?
Chapter 64
Going Over & Going There
Days had passed and I was still mindlessly bouncing my finger on one of the keys on my laptop, but not hard enough to actually type something
. I was trying to think. It seemed that’s all I was doing lately, thinking, which was a hazardous endeavor on my part. But hey, I liked to live on the wrong side of caution.
Somehow, I always found a way to maneuver through it. This time I was just as stumped and just as frustrated, and like before, my brain was not coughing up much. Even after giving the house another run-through, I was still empty handed.
Where was that disc? I had to find it!
David had rattled me, so I was currently in a semi-quasi lock down mode. I had ventured out to follow Mona once or twice, was paying extra attention to Betty and Hazel’s movements and conversations, still had hopes for Martha’s instincts, and quite frankly didn’t know how to handle Barbara at the moment.
This is why: She had approached me, needing to speak in private. “Do you mind if I ask a personal question Samantha?”
Curiosity hovered on the sidelines. “No, go right ahead.”
“How well do you know this David fellow?”
I hesitated. “…Why? Is there a problem?”
She leaned forward. “I don’t mean to sound alarming, but there seems to be an inordinate amount of people going in and out of his house. Is that always the case? Or am I just making something out of nothing?”
Now, there were two ways I could handle my reply. I didn’t want to place Barbara in danger by telling her, so I could play dumb and dismiss her concerns and move on to another topic, or nudge around the edges, and take the opportunity to nonchalantly feel her out about what she may have actually heard, and who she might have seen, without her becoming too suspicious about why I was asking in the first place?
Now, you already knew which way I was headed, didn’t you? I felt I had nudged enough edges.
I sipped my tea and forced a smile. “What did you see?”
She set her cup down. “Well, I saw Bill, that realtor, and one of his agents. I believe you mentioned at one time her name was Pat. I also noticed Crystal coming and going a lot. Then there was that afternoon I saw those two guys go in. I must admit, they were the oddest pair.” She shifted slightly.
“One was muscular and fairly good-looking and the other was sort of on the bookish side and wore glasses. They seemed to be in a heated argument all the way across the courtyard, right up to David’s front door. Obviously, David knew them, because he opened his door and let them right in. What are your thoughts about all this activity?”
“Well, Bill and Pat handle the lease, and Crystal cleans his house. But the two men, I’m not so sure about.”
Yeah, I knew who they were. The question was, why were they at David’s?
Barbara leaned in. “Samantha, I’m worried.”
I smiled. “I wouldn’t be concerned if I were you.”
“Oh, but I am. Especially since I saw Martha going over there too!”
Chapter 65
Shaken, Rattled & Rolled
The very next day, I was unexpectedly grabbed by two sets of hands the minute I walked in my front door. They practically dragged me up the stairs, while they both talked simultaneously. Thrown off balance by their surprise attack, I didn’t know which of their conversations to center in on first.
“Whoa! Ladies! Hold on! One at a time! Please!”
Hazel and Betty seemed quite shaken.
Not a good sign.
I knew I didn’t want any more bad news, but then could have sworn I heard, ‘we’ve been rolled!’ As far as I could tell, they appeared physically okay, but you never knew with those two, even on a good day.
They were capable of anything, including overactive imaginations. Before this got out of hand, I had to attempt to try and calm them down to get to the bottom of what happened. I had a feeling it involved major damage control.
“Now, sit down. I’ll bring over some ice tea. It will give you both some time to collect your thoughts. I can’t make heads or tails from all your talking over one another.”
I made a hasty retreat and was back within minutes, carrying a tray with a pitcher of tea and glasses. I handed one to each of them. “Go ahead, but one at a time, please. Okay?”
Betty spoke in a hushed secretive tone. “We’ve stumbled onto something really big, Sam!”
I tried not to overreact. “Again?” I asked, already tensing up, afraid to hear what they were up to. I was still recovering from that last time in Highlands.
Hazel sniffed in indignation. “I saw you roll your eyes! Don’t be so judgmental, Samantha! It doesn’t suit you!”
“Sorry,” I offered, trying to look contrite. I looked from one to the other. “I guess I was jumping the gun.”
Betty wagged her finger at me. “Most certainly, young lady. Now, listen to this.”
Hazel leaned in conspiratorially. “Who do you think we caught talking to one another by the fountain down in your courtyard earlier? You will never guess!”
I sat there running possible match ups in my mind. To tell you the truth, there were so many to pick from it was hard to choose. “…Who?” I finally asked, trying to contain my composure.
Betty whispered, “That David fellow and our very own Martha! Can you believe it?”
“At first, we thought she was stretching it,” explained Hazel, “you know, flirting with a younger man like that, but as we edged around the far end of the building hoping to confront her, we caught words of a loud argument going on and stopped, quickly hiding out of sight to eavesdrop on what they were quarrelling over.”
“…What were they arguing about?”
“Martha was clearly disturbed,” replied Betty, “telling David that Joey was becoming dangerous, and she was obviously concerned.”
“Then David accused Martha of risking getting caught up in something she might regret,” added Hazel.
I had not expected that response. What had Martha been up to? Known? Done? “Getting caught up in what?”
“We don’t know!” said Betty. “The she accused him of risking your safety, trying to catch who took the disc.”
How did she know about the disc?
I tried for neutral territory, while still maintaining a somewhat curious, but casual attitude. “What disc?”
“We were wondering too,” Hazel replied. “But suddenly it all turned south.”
“What happened?”
“Somebody must have let that Great Dane loose that lives next door to David, because, out of nowhere from behind the two of us, he raced past,” Betty said tersely, “and knocked us both down in the process. Why, I’m still rattled and sore I might add! We’re lucky we weren’t seriously injured, considering his weight and size! We heard later on that he was last seen racing down the boardwalk in a southerly direction, who knows where!”
“What happened to Martha and David? Didn’t they hear what happened? Didn’t they offer to help?”
“No,” said Hazel. “I guess when we landed around that corner of the building it was just far enough away from them to notice, what with all that yelling going on between those two. And, as you very well know with people our age, by the time we recovered, rolled over, got our bearings and got up, they were both long gone!”
Chapter 66
Abnormal, Atypical Absurdities
After all the setbacks, I still felt compelled to keep going because, as far as I was concerned, I had approached that point of no return. I was in too far. My book had unexpectedly become a major commitment at this point and I couldn’t backtrack and start over on something else. I was determined and maybe foolish, depending on how you wanted to look at it, to see this thing through to the end.
Surprisingly, there were not one, but two abnormal sightings of Martha in conversations with David next door. One was her being seen by Barbara going into David’s house and the other observed by Betty and Hazel having heated words in the courtyard with Martha.
Like the previous times, I was half-expecting the unexpected, but then again wasn’t, when it finally hit. What was I supposed to make of it? What did their encounters mean? As far as
contacts with David went, Martha had met him at the casino, then again on the night Mona went deep sea diving under our club table on ladies’ night out, and also on the day of the break-in when I returned home from being with him at the Cape May Zoo.
The question here was, how did she get familiar enough with him between then and the present to already be having an argument with him? How did she know about the disc? I knew Mona wouldn’t have confided in her, and I certainly never let it slip to anyone, especially since I knew that by doing so would have been placing them in grave danger.
Why did David accuse Martha of risking getting caught? Getting caught at what? Why didn’t the two of them hear what was going on with Hazel and Betty on the other side of the courtyard?
Could it be that David and Martha were so caught up and distracted by their own words that they heard nothing? Maybe the large fountain they were standing in front of obscured noises at that distance. All of which were logical and explainable under the circumstances.
At first, the initial explanation of what Betty and Hazel saw and heard sounded absurd and questionable. And for that particular reason alone, after considering all the possibilities out there, I figured it was probably true!
Chapter 67
Bar, Bar, Bar, Bar, Barbara And… Who?
I had just finished saving the latest pages of my book when Barbara came barging in, all excited and dressed to go out. Much younger than the elderly Jack, she still turned heads, with her slim figure, striking chestnut brown hair, and impeccable sense of style. I was surprised she had come, while Jack stayed back in North Carolina, minding the store so to speak. Those two were like two peas in a pod; close as could be. But she was a free spirit. When she felt she had to see me, she picked herself up and did.
Without Any Warning (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 2) Page 15
