***
Shutters the color of a honeydew melon softened the façade of Wisterlawn, a stone and brick structure, featuring covered porches, arched doorways, raised ceilings, stone hearths and walls of glass. The massive six-bedroom house never failed to amaze and impress me. The Stryker family was old money in Freedom and generations of Strykers had taken up residence in the ancestral home over the years. If Lou Jr. didn’t free himself from drugs and man-up, there was a good chance Lou would be the last of his line.
On the drive to Wisterlawn, I kept a periodic watch in the rear view. I didn’t think I was being followed, but what I knew about these things could fill a thimble. I found myself thinking about all the reasons to say alive – Amy; Lou; Cletus, my eighty-year-old barber in the Creek; my work; Shamus and Shawn. There were so many things I had yet to experience, and I didn’t want to miss out on any of them.
I parked in the circular drive at the front entrance, gathered my laptop and backpack in my arms and jumped from the van. I caught a flash of gray in my peripheral vision. In the next instant, I was on my back on the ground in the flower garden wedged between a rose bush and a hydrangea, my belongings scattered around me.
“What the hell?”
Two monstrous and hairy paws landed on my chest, pinning me to the earth. I looked into eyes as large as chestnuts.
“Baby?” I asked timidly, staring at the long tongue dangling from the side of his mouth.
“Woof.”
I laughed. Before I knew what was happening, Baby slapped his paws on either side of my head and washed every bit of skin on my face. I wiggled and scrunched my face, which excited him even more. I attempted to get out from under him, but the dog had me overpowered.
“Baby, please. Enough.” HHHHe didn’t stop. Apparently, my face needed a thorough cleansing. I grabbed the strap of my backpack and pulled it over. “I’ve got something for you.” I reached inside and grabbed a granola bar.
Baby devoured the chewy treat within seconds, time enough, though, for me to get out from under him and stand. I brushed myself off, wondering why I always landed in the dirt on my butt in the company of a male.
“Woof, woof.” Baby bounced around me, obviously wanting more play time.
“I can’t,” I told him. “I’m too tired.”
One look into those baby brown eyes and I caved. “All right, but I have to unpack first. I’m in the guest house.”
Baby ran to the front door and waited.
“I said, the guest house not the main house.”
I led the way around back. The trees seemed more towering than I remembered, but everything else appeared the same since the company picnic a few months ago.
The guest house was a two bedroom two full bath brick bungalow more elaborate than any of the houses in Devil’s Creek.
I let us in. Baby lunged toward the sofa.
“Not on the furniture,” I said.
Baby stopped and looked back at me with a, say what? expression.
“You heard me.”
He whined.
“Don’t give me that. I’m sure Lou doesn’t let you on the furniture.”
Baby bounded to the window and looked out, his stub of a tail twitching.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned his name. He’ll be home later.”
He looked over his shoulder. “A-ouah?”
“How about some cable?” I switched on the television.
Baby watched the screen, his full concentration on the changing scenes as I flicked through the channels. “Tell me when.”
“Woof.”
“Excellent choice.”
I left Baby watching a commercial for Angus beef and took a quick tour of my temporary home. The place was spotless, and the refrigerator was well stocked. Lou employed full-time help and must have arranged for Mabel to spruce up the place after I accepted his offer.
I checked the back door and found the dead lock bolted. All the windows were closed and locked.
If I weren’t in trouble and needing help, Lou would never have offered me his guest house. He was a sucker for lost souls and women in trouble. At the moment, I was both.
The telephone in the living room rang.
“Woof. Woof.”
“I’m coming.” I sped through the hallway and into the living room and answered the phone on the third ring. Call display said: Stryker.
“Hi ya, boss,” I said, smiling at Baby.
“I see you made it there in one piece. Everything in order?”
“Yes. Mabel did her magic. The place is immaculate. Give the woman a bonus. She deserves one.” I sat beside Baby on the sofa and scratched the top of his head.
“I’ll take it under advisement. Any problems? Did you set the alarm? You remember the code, right? Did you check the locks on the windows and doors?”
“I did. I feel safe here.” Safer than I had in a long, long while, in fact.
“No problems?”
Lou was fishing. I’d make him ask. He should have warned me about the horse-size hound he’d adopted.
“None,” I said, smiling. “Everything’s A-okay.”
“Sure?”
“Positive.”
Baby whined.
“What was that?” Lou asked innocent-like.
I grunted. “As if you don’t know. Why didn’t you warn me about him? I could have gotten seriously hurt. He tried to plant me in the garden at the front entry.” My voice was stern but inside I was laughing. “How big’s this guy going to grow?”
Lou chuckled. “About one-twenty. He’s a Bullmastiff.”
Even the name of his breed sounded monstrous. “He seems docile enough.”
“Don’t be fooled by those puppy dog eyes. He’s a great guard dog. What’re your plans for the rest of the day?”
“Get some work done. I’m way behind. Tonight, it’s to the hospital to see Amy.” That worried me. Jackson didn’t know me well but he knew my attachment to my sister and that I’d never let a day pass without visiting her.
“Is that wise?” he asked. “Jackson knows your routine.”
“I’ll be careful.” Jackson didn’t know Amy’s name or that our last names weren’t the same, but Trish did. And if they were in cahoots…
“Be doubly careful. It’ll piss me off to run your obit.”
“No more than it would me.”
I could hear someone talking to him. Lou came on a few seconds later.
“Gotta go. Chaos in the cage.”
“Okay.” I hit the ‘off’ button on the cordless and let the phone drop from my fingers.
My cell rang. “I wonder who that is,” I said, reaching into my backpack. “Oh look, it’s Trish.” I showed the screen to Baby. He wasn’t impressed. “Think I should answer?”
“Woof woof.”
“No way. You’re right.” I checked my messages. Jackson, Jackson, Jackson, Trish, Jackson, Jackson, Jackson. Delete, delete, delete...I deleted them all, hating I hid out, hating feeling scared, hating looking over my shoulder. The time had come to put that behind me. I called the Freedom PD.
“Lieutenant Vail, please,” I said to Officer Crawley who answered.
“He’s not in. Did you want his voice mail?”
“His cell number would be nice,” I said.
“I’d like it myself.”
“When I get it, I’ll pass it on to you.” I was serious.
I phoned my cyberspace wizard. “Hey, what’s cranking?” I said when Voortz answered.
“Yo, Josephine.”
Voortz was the only person who got away with using my given name. “I need a cell number.”
“Sing it to me, sweet cheeks.”
“Nathaniel Vail.” I could hear nails clicking against keys, A second later, he gave me the number.
“You’re the best.”
“I know. Later.”
Voortz and I went way back. I did him a favor, and he’d been repaying me since. He never complained, asked questions
or severed the tie that bound us. I expected one day he’d cut me loose. I’d miss him and his expertise.
Beside me, Baby cocked his head. I felt compelled to keep him abreast of my activities. “Now, I’m going to light a fire under the police.”
Vail answered my call on the first ring.
“Lieutenant, it’s Josie Fox.”
“Twice in the same day. To what do I owe the honor?”
Technically, it wasn’t the same day. Today was Monday, and I’d called him a minute or two before midnight last night. On another note, I found it strange he didn’t ask how I latched onto his cell number. Maybe he knew I had resources too. “Have you made an arrest yet in Thomas’s murder?”
“My prime suspect went off the radar.”
“If you’re referring to Carlisle, I may be able to help.”
“How so?”
“He’s been calling me. Maybe I could set up a meeting.” I thought about my temporary lodging and didn’t want to bring this nasty business to Lou’s. “Some place public, with lots of people.”
“Why’s he calling you?”
Honestly, did everyone think of me as a plague on man? If I survived this murder investigation, improving my profile would definitely head my to-do list.
“I don’t know. I didn’t answer his calls.”
“Why not?”
“The answer should be obvious.”
“You think he killed those men.”
“You do, too.” Or did he? Maybe I’d made a mistake. “Don’t you?”
“He has some questions to answer, yes.”
Vail played his hand very well, but I wouldn’t let it concern me. “I can bring him to you.”
“I can’t involve a civilian in an investigation. The chief would come down on me like an avalanche.”
“I’m offering.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
We moved in circles, never once coming close enough to each other to reach an agreement. Tiring of the antics, I decided to go for a straightforward approach. “You have until Friday to solve this murder.”
“What’s happening then?”
“My sister’s being released from the hospital and intends to help me apprehend the bad guys, I believe were her exact words. She’s still recovering from brain surgery. I can’t be sure if something’s not misfiring up there. All I can say is that she’s different, nothing I can identify, but there’s definitely something not right about her.”
“Should I be scared? Is that why you’re calling me? To warn me?”
“Oh God no. My motives are purely selfish.”
“Bear in mind, interfere with a murder investigation and dire consequences could ensue.”
“Yeah, yeah, obstruction of justice, interference and all that.” Truthfully, those charges sounded tame compared to what I’d face if Amy helped solve this case. “I’m returning Jackson’s call and arranging a meet. Are you on board or not?”
An Equal Measure Page 23
