It Started With A House: Lizzie. Book 1 (The Westport Mysteries)

by Beth Prentice

My pillow was laying half way down the bed with what looked like a patch of white sticky goo stuck to it. It had started to dry and had a slight crusty edge to it, but mostly it was quite fresh. It also had an unmistakable odor. I looked at Riley, bile rising in my throat.

  “Is that what I think it is?” I whispered.

  “Yes. I’m assuming it’s not left over from any activities you may have engaged in.”

  Shaking my head, no, I pushed past Riley and ran for the bathroom. Damn, still no toilet. Holding my hand over my mouth and fighting the gagging reflex, I ran for the upstairs toilet, making it just in time. So much for the lovely egg and bacon burger I’d had for breakfast.

  I could hear Riley on his phone, probably calling the police and after a few minutes, there was a small knock on the door. I sat on the floor next to the toilet bowl, back to the wall, trying to control the shaking that had taken over my body.

  Riley came and sat next to me, pulling me into him for a hug. I felt him hold on tight and kiss the top of my head, letting out a very long sigh. When the shaking finally stopped, the anger rolled in. Standing up, I started to pace the room.

  “Why the hell is this happening?” I asked, more to myself than to Riley. He was still sitting on the floor, head in his hands.

  “I don’t know,” he answered quietly.

  “I don’t know what I’ve done to encourage this guy. I don’t even know who he is!” I said, agitation growing with every second.

  Hearing a car pull up out the front, I walked over to the window and looked out to see a police car in my drive.

  “The police are here. I’d better let them in,” I said with complete lack of enthusiasm.

  By the time that I reached the bottom of the stairs Officer Wilkins and Officer Helms stood on the doorstep. Opening the door and letting them in, I guided them into the kitchen and sat down heavily at my little table. Riley quickly filled them in on what had happened.

  “Was there any sign of forced entry?” asked Office Wilkins. Riley shook his head.

  “Not that I could find. I checked every window and door and all were locked, just the way we left it.”

  “If this is the same person who broke in the first time, could he have taken a spare key you keep lying around?”

  “No. After the first break in I changed all the locks in the house, so even if he did take a key it wouldn’t work now anyway,” said Riley, looking really tired.

  “We’ll take the pillow in as evidence and start our investigation,” said Officer Helms, “but this isn’t like TV. We don’t have a big forensic lab that will test it and give us an answer in a hurry. Unless we catch this guy, it’s not likely we’ll find him. I suggest you don’t stay here alone until this is over,” he said, looking at me.

  “She isn’t staying here at all. Is it okay for us to take anything Lizzie may need?”

  “Yes. You can do whatever you want.”

  “I think I’ll start by burning the bed,” I said, still feeling sick in the stomach.

  I knew the police were doing their best, but I wanted them to come in and solve this within the hour, just like on NCIS. Officer Wilkins gave me a small smile.

  “Lizzie, this is my phone number. If you’re worried at all, just call that number and I’ll come right over, whether I’m on duty or not. If its life threatening I’d still advise you to call emergency services first. They can get here faster than I can. Phone me second though.”

  She reached out and touched my arm. It was only a small gesture, but one I appreciated. Looking into her eyes, I felt like someone really understood how I was feeling.

  “Thank you,” I said taking the card and holding it like it would be my lifesaver.

  After they left I gathered up some more clothes, my laptop and got Riley to help me with some client files. I felt extremely guilty carting it all into Riley’s home. It looked and felt like I’d taken over his space.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Things were pretty quiet between Riley and me for the rest of the afternoon. I’d tried to get some work done, which was extremely difficult on Riley’s kitchen table. The particular file I was working on involved lots of little receipts I had spread in piles everywhere – on the table, on the chairs, on the floor – you get the picture. Riley was doing his best to accommodate me but by six o’clock, I could tell I was getting under his feet.

  “I’m ordering Chinese in for dinner. What would you like?” he asked.

  “That sounds nice. I’ll have the lemon chicken please. Oh and some fried rice with those prawn cracker things. I love them.”

  “I didn’t think anybody loved them,” said Riley with a shrug, his face reminding me of a brewing storm.

  While we were waiting for dinner to be delivered, I cleared away all my crap and tried to hide it out of sight as much as possible.

  “I might have a quick shower now, if that’s okay?” I said to Riley. He’d sat down and had the evening news on TV, waiting for some information on the shopping center fire. Looking over his shoulder, he gave me a small smile. “Yeah, whatever. Knock yourself out.”

  I still was having trouble shaking the events of this morning from my mind, and along with the Scott debacle, I was feeling quite grotty. On the one hand I had a man who I thought cared about me, sleeping with an older woman because I was so unattractive, and on the other hand, I had a complete stranger, breaking into my house and tossing off in my bed. What did that say about me? Maybe if I cleaned myself up a bit and put on my nice jeans and top for dinner I might feel a bit better about myself.

  By the time I emerged from the bathroom, dinner had arrived. I’d spent a bit of time applying make-up and fixing my hair, so I should feel pretty good about myself. But I didn’t. Still, not to be one to dwell on unpleasantries, I pushed all thoughts of Scott to the back of my mind where I would deal with it later. There were a few other issues back there that needed to be dealt with as well, but all in good time.

  Riley had poured two glasses of wine and handed one to me as I walked into the kitchen. The TV had been turned off and his iPod was playing a mix of current hits and some oldies. Sitting down to eat, Riley’s mood improved greatly as we chatted for hours about our childhood memories, about our families and about what we hoped to do in the future. Sitting here with Riley, it was easy to forget all the crap that had been happening lately. Billy Joel’s This Night started playing on the iPod. Riley stood up and held out his hand to me.

  “Could I have the pleasure of this dance?” he asked, laughter playing on his voice.

  We’d finished off the bottle of wine and my senses were not what they should be. “I’m not a very good dancer,” I said, the room spinning slightly as I stood.

  “That’s okay. I am, according to Gran, so I can lead you,” he laughed.

  He had a wonderful laugh, and a wonderful smile, oh and wonderful eyes, oh and a wonderful body. Actually, thinking about it I couldn’t really pick a fault. Sighing, I allowed him to pull me in so close I could feel his heart beating through his shirt. I felt the warmth of his hand on my waist and the heat seep right into my skin. His other hand took mine as he started to lead me in a slow waltz.

  His gran was right. He was an excellent dancer. The music seemed to fill the room as the world consisted only of Riley and me. I felt like my heart was about to jump right out of my chest, it was beating so hard.

  What was happening here? Looking up at Riley, I could see his eyelids had gotten heavier and as we spun around the room, his eyes never left mine. As the song reached its climax, Riley spun me around and dropped me into a dip, supporting me the whole time so I felt completely safe. His face was so close to mine, if I moved, just slightly, our lips would touch. Riley’s gaze drop to my mouth and my palpitations kicked up a notch. If he was ever going to kiss me, it would be now.

  But I never found out. My phone had started ringing. Crap! Crap and double crapping crap!

  I felt Riley sigh. The moment broken, he pulled me up to standing and turned his
face away. God help the person on the other end of the phone! This had better be life threatening.

  Pulling my phone out of my bag, I saw the caller was Molly. For a brief moment, panic ran through me. Looking at the time, I saw it was after eleven and Molly never rang me this late. Pressing the answer button I said, “Molly, what’s wrong?”

  “Oh my God, Lizzie. Have you seen the late night news?”

  “No, why?” What on earth could be on the news that would be so urgent?

  “What’s wrong with your voice? You sound all husky.” I could hear suspicion in her voice.

  Clearing my throat, I said, “That better?”

  “Hmm. Well, they just named the person who was killed in that fire at the shops today.” Her voice was now void of the panic I’d heard when she first spoke. Now she was just curious.

  “Really? Who was it?” I asked, not really caring.

  I mean, there I was just about to be kissed by Riley, when she phones to tell me about something on the news? What could be that important? Looking at Riley, I kept thinking about what could have happened. He still had his back to me so I couldn’t see his face. Maybe he was regretting ever asking me to stay.

  “It was Brian Hogan. The jeweler. Wasn’t he the one you took the ring to?”

  I felt my blood run cold. “Are you kidding me?” I asked, even though I knew there was no way Molly would joke about a thing like that. “Did they say what happened?” Molly now had my full attention.

  “Only that a fire broke out in the jewelry store this morning. They evacuated pretty quickly but he must have been overcome with smoke.”

  “How come he didn’t get out?” Riley had turned around and had his head close to mine, trying to listen to the conversation. “Hang on, Molly. I’ll put you on speaker.” Putting the phone on the table, we both leaned in so we could hear properly.

  “I don’t know. I just thought it was an interesting coincidence, don’t you. Where are you anyway?”

  I hadn’t told my family about my run in with Sedan Man. The last Molly knew was when he followed me through town the other day.

  “Umm…I’m staying with Riley for a few days.” There was silence on the other end of the phone. I could just imagine what was going through Molly’s head right about now. I just prayed she censored it before it came out of her mouth.

  “O...kay,” was all I got back.

  I also hadn’t told anyone about my break up with Scott either, so I knew what she was thinking.

  “It’s okay, Molly. Riley is just putting me up for a few days, while we sort a few things out with the house.” Well this wasn’t a total lie. I did need to sort a few things out and it did happen at the house.

  “Yep. Whatever you say. Well, I’ll let you get back to it then, shall I?”

  Hanging up, I looked at Riley. There was nothing to get back too. In fact, whatever there was, it was now filled with awkwardness.

  * * * *

  After a night of tossing and turning and not getting much sleep, I decided at five-thirty am to give up. Getting up, I headed straight for the shower and after the usual routine, I emerged to find Riley sound asleep on the bed. Tiptoeing down the stairs, I made a pot of coffee and sat on the couch, waiting for the caffeine to kick in and do its thing. The couch still had Riley’s sheets on it and they were still warm. Picking up his pillow, I put it to my nose and took a deep breath. It smelt of his aftershave.

  “Morning,” Riley said from behind me, his voice husky from sleep. I jumped so high I spilt coffee all over his pillow. Shit. How the hell I was going to explain this had me stuffed. I looked around to see him smiling at me, still wearing his boxer shorts and nothing else.

  “Morning,” I mumbled, jumping up, dropping his pillow and thinking I may be able to clean it later without him noticing.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. You’re up early.”

  “Yeah, I had trouble sleeping. I kept thinking of Brian Hogan.” Riley looked a bit dark under the eyes this morning so I wondered if he’d had much sleep last night.

  “Me too. Sorry I fell asleep up there. I was waiting for the bathroom but must have been more tired than I thought.” He smiled, walking into the kitchen.

  “Why don’t you go back to bed and get a few more hours sleep?” I suggested. “You look really tired.”

  “No, I’m fine. I’ll admit the couch isn’t the most comfortable thing I’ve ever slept on, but I’m okay.” I watched as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

  “Riley, do you think the fire yesterday was really an accident?”

  I didn’t want to know the answer to this but it was a question which had been on my mind all night. I didn’t need to wait for his answer though, as no was written all over his face.

  “I don’t know what to think,” he said with a shrug, “It’s a pretty big coincidence if it isn’t.”

  “I think so too. But I just can’t figure out how.” The caffeine hadn’t kicked in yet and my sleep-deprived brain was having a hard time piecing this together. I just wished Brian Hogan had told me the story of the ring on the phone the other day and hoped his death was not connected to our search for its owner.

  “Me either. Maybe we should tell the police about our conversation with Brian and leave them to do their job. If there’s any connection, surely they will figure it out.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said, putting my cup in the sink. “What are your plans for today?” I was amazed at how fast my mind could change gears.

  “Well, I really need to get back to your house and finish the tiling. The bath should be ready early next week and I had a call yesterday about a big renovation job I need to quote for,” Riley said, never really meeting my eyes. “How about you? What are your plans?”

  The thought of Riley moving on was another issue I’d pushed into the to be sorted bin in the back of my mind, all to be dealt with at a later date. It’s funny how these things can force their way back out again, just when you least expected it.

  “Oh! Well, I guess I need go into the office and give some of these files back. Where is the job you have to quote?”

  “It’s in Loganville.”

  “But that’s hours away. You wouldn’t be able to drive there every day.”

  “No. I know. I’m thinking if I get the job, I’ll move there for six months and rent this place out for a while.”

  Any thoughts I’d been having of breakfast had suddenly vanished. My appetite just deserted me.

  “It’ll be worth quite a bit of money and it’ll be great for my business to get such a big job,” he continued in way of explaining.

  “What about your family? Won’t they miss you? And what about Ruby?” I asked, a familiar lump forming in the back of my throat. Riley just shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just see what happens.”

  * * * *

  To say I was apprehensive to go back home was an understatement. I was physically dreading what I might find. I was also regretting having too much to drink last night and my headache was just a constant reminder of it. On the drive I kept replaying our evening and hoped I hadn’t said or done anything to upset Riley. His mood had been really odd this morning. It seemed he was avoiding me as much as possible and, when he was around, he wasn’t making much eye contact. I know our near kiss may have left him uncomfortable and I wanted to tell him I was sorry, I didn’t mean to make him feel that way, but I just didn’t know how to start. Pulling up in my driveway, he turned to me.

  “I’m sorry about last night, Lizzie. I’d had a few too many drinks and I was really out of line.” He stopped and took a deep breath, looking at the roof of the truck as if it would give him the right words to say. “I enjoy your friendship and I don’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable.” He shifted in his seat, looking out the side window and avoiding me altogether. I felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over my head.

  “Yeah, me too,” was all I could say. The whole I enjo
y your friendship bit really stung. I couldn’t help it. I’d fallen for this guy and to hear he valued my friendship just sucked. Well, I valued his friendship too, obviously, but I wanted so much more than that. Riley turned and looked at me for a minute then got out of the truck, slamming the door behind him.

  Okay, I could understand he was uncomfortable, but angry? What was that about? “Riley!” I called, stumbling out of the truck and running after him. “What’s wrong?”

  I caught up with him at the front door. Lucky for me it was locked or I don’t think I would ever have caught him. I looked up at him and could see the anger simmering in his eyes.

  “Nothing!” He took a deep breath and finally looked me in the eye. I counted the seconds, waiting to see what happened next. “Life just sucks, that’s all. No matter what they tell you, the jerks always win.”

  He unlocked the door and slammed it open. Personally, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I decided it was best to stay out of his way for a while.

  Thankfully it looked like no one had been for a sleep over while I was away, so finding some rubber gloves from under the kitchen sink, I headed to my bedroom with a large garbage bag. What sucked was I really liked these sheets and now I was going to have to throw them away. Stripping everything off the bed, I kept thinking today wasn’t a good one. And it was only going to get worse when I got to the office and had to face Scott and Brenda.

  Filling the garbage bag, I took it all down to the skip and threw it in. Looking back at the house, I stood for a while and thought how much my life had changed since I made the decision to buy it. Riley was definitely a positive change, even though he just wanted to be friends. Our friendship was new though and I wondered how it would go after him being away for six months. Probably not great.

  * * * *

  By the time I’d driven into the city, my mood was definitely black. It had started to rain, I’d had to park two blocks from the office and make three trips to get all the damn files from my car to the office building. Riley had wanted to come with me but I convinced him I would be safe. It was daylight after all and I would be in the office most of the time. His mood hadn’t been any better than mine, so I thought a bit of space would do us both good. Taking the elevator to the third floor, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what I’d find. All sorts of images flashed through my mind. Like, did everyone in the office know what was happening? Were they all talking and laughing at me behind my back? How many times had Scott and Brenda done it in the office, maybe even on his desk? True, that didn’t sound like something Scott would do, but I obviously didn’t know him as well as I thought I had.