Window to Danger
Danger Incorporated
Book Seven
by
Olivia Jaymes
www.OliviaJaymes.com
WINDOW TO DANGER
Copyright © 2017 by Olivia Jaymes
Kindle Edition
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Window to Danger
What would you do if you witnessed a murder but no one believed you?
That’s the position Desiree “Dizzy” Foster finds herself in. Through a bedroom window, she watched as her neighbor strangled a woman. But when the police arrive, there’s no body and no evidence. They’re not buying her story because she has a reputation in Tremont for being a little different, a little strange. She might be both of those things but she’s definitely not a liar. She knows what she saw.
Easton Anderson is a man who is comfortable with numbers and logic. He doesn’t believe in healing crystals, Tarot cards, or aura cleansing. So when Dizzy says she witnessed a murder, he wants to believe her. He truly does. But it isn’t easy.
But the more time he spends with Dizzy, the more he gets pulled into the mystery. Something is going on next door, and if she’s right, there’s a murderer living only a few feet away. He’ll have to trust more than the figures on his spreadsheets if he’s going to keep the woman he’s falling in love with from becoming the next victim.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the Book
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
About the Author
Other Books by Olivia Jaymes
Chapter One
‡
It had been a long day and an even longer week but the moon was full and the weather mild. A perfect evening for Desiree “Dizzy” Foster to do a little yoga and meditation by moonlight. There was an energy in the air during the full moon that was absent at any other time. It was almost magical.
More mundane was Dizzy’s summer job volunteering at the community center giving art lessons to children and adults. She loved opening up the world of art to her students, but today hadn’t gone well from practically the moment she’d opened her eyes. The alarm clock hadn’t gone off and she’d been running late for the rest of the day, constantly trying to catch up. She deserved a glass of wine with her dinner. Maybe two.
“I have all week to work in the studio,” she told herself in the mirror as she tugged on her yoga pants and t-shirt before making a face at her reflection. “And I’ll try that new cookie recipe too.”
Teaching was wonderful but actually creating something with her own two hands was Dizzy’s true passion. She’d known that she was destined to be an artist from a young age.
Pouring herself a glass of wine in the kitchen, Dizzy could see the full moon through the windows casting its light across her backyard despite the clouds that kept drifting in front of it. A frisson of excitement ran up her spine as she eased the back door open. The next half hour was her time. A little selfish but she didn’t care. It was these moments that kept her sane when all hell seemed to have broken loose in her too busy life.
When Dizzy had been a chubby child of only four or five, her mother Tami had taught her the Moon Salutations, so different than the Sun Salutations that she’d learned at first. As Tami had patiently helped her learn each pose she’d told Dizzy how the moon represented the mother and feminine yin. She’d spoken of how the moon brought cycles to their lives, invisible rhythms that people often ignored, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. It had been a powerful lesson at a young age – not everything could be seen by the eyes. It was a lesson that some people never learned.
Of course, now Dizzy was all grown up and her parents Tamara and Louis were doing Sun and Moon Salutations in Greece at the moment while working on an archaeological dig. Some parents retired to Florida and played golf. Dizzy’s parents traveled the world looking for adventure and spiritual harmony.
Slipping out to her back deck, Dizzy laid out the yoga mat and closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths, absorbing the moon’s energy with each inhale and then exhaling the negative energy of the crappy day she’d had. The tension began to drain from her body and her senses came more alive. She was acutely aware of the rustle of each and every leaf on the trees in her backyard, the chirp of the cicadas, and the music of the cricket. The cool air ran across her skin, raising goosebumps.
Somewhere in the distance a dog barked as the scent of grass, earth, and flowers tickled her nostrils. Her lids fluttered open and she stared up at the purple night sky dotted with tiny stars. She’d gone to art school and college in New York and she’d missed the stars that had been dimmed by all the city lights. There had never been a question of her staying there. She’d been glad to come home where she could actually see the sky.
Placing her wine glass down beside her she stood in position on the back porch as the cares of the day slowly fell away. Slowly and deliberately, Dizzy moved through her yoga poses before finally sinking to a sitting position at the end, cross-legged on the mat. Smiling serenely, she gave the moon a playful wink, her mood happier than it had been in over twelve hours.
She took a sip of her wine, enjoying the fruity taste on her tongue, but her attention was snagged away as her neighbor turned on an upstairs light, the glow illuminating the inside of the house like a movie screen at the local theatre. A woman came into view in the window for a moment and then disappeared just as quickly. Dizzy had to blink a few times to make sure she hadn’t imagined it.
Her new neighbor Trip Stanford must have company because Dizzy was quite sure the man lived in the house alone. A Tremont resident for the last five years or so, he’d moved in about three months ago and she’d taken over a bundt cake to welcome him to the block. He’d invited her in for some lemonade to go with the cake and they’d chatted about the weather but nothing of any consequence. He’d been friendly and charming but they hadn’t had a conversation since, content to wave and smile when they saw one another. There hadn’t been a woman in sight that day nor any day after. He appeared to live a quiet life which everyone appreciated, and better yet he kept his lawn mowed and his mailbox painted.
Rolling up her mat, Dizzy padded back into the house on bare feet as the air outside grew chillier despite the calendar on the wall. It
said the end of July but it had been abnormally cool this summer, which the whole town was enjoying.
“Damn,” she muttered under her breath as she tucked her mat behind the door, ready for another day. “Forgot my wine. I need that.”
Dashing back to grab her glass, she saw the woman she’d seen earlier back in the window but this time Trip was there as well. He had bent his head low to her ear as if speaking urgently or persuasively but the woman was having none of it, shaking her head vehemently. She tried to move away but Trip caught her by the arm, jerking her back, but the female didn’t give up trying to pull away. Before Dizzy could even take a breath, Trip had his hands around the woman’s neck and all she could do was watch in horror, her heart racing as the poor woman clawed at Trip’s fingers and then crumpled to the floor. The moment had played out like a horrific scene in an old time silent film but this was all too real.
At some point, Dizzy’s hands had come up to cover her mouth but they needn’t have bothered because her scream of terror was silent, clawing to get out of her tightly closed throat, but the only sound that was able to escape was a small squeak. She stood frozen for a moment, her limbs not taking any orders from her brain but then her body started to attention again as if she’d been hit by a stun gun. She stumbled back into her kitchen on trembling legs, flipping the lock closed behind her and falling to her knees as her legs gave way underneath her and hot tears pricked behind her eyes. Her breaths came in gasps and fits as she struggled to pull oxygen into her aching lungs.
With a grunt of effort, she propelled herself across her kitchen to the counter and grabbed the phone, fumbling to remember her passcode and unlock it. Dizzy’s shaking hands were barely able to dial and it took several tries before the call connected.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“I need to report a murder.”
Chapter Two
‡
Leaning against the makeshift bar in the Anderson building atrium, Easton Anderson poured himself another glass of wine and tried to pretend he was enjoying himself at this dead boring cocktail party. It was basically a business meeting pretending to be something fun and sociable but he wasn’t fooled in the least. He wouldn’t even be here if he wasn’t the Chief Financial Officer of Anderson Industries but duty always came first. He’d learned that at his father’s knee.
“You’d make a lousy actor.”
Easton turned to see his cousin Leann, who had recently taken over the Human Resources department after living in Florida for several years. She looked ridiculously happy since falling in love with Zach Gibson. Leave it to the Andersons to keep it all in the family. Zach’s sister Gigi was married to Leann’s brother West.
“Then thank goodness I decided against that career on the stage,” Easton smirked. “I’ll have to make do as a financial genius.”
“Modest too,” his cousin sighed. “Seriously, you look like your cat died. Can you smile or something? We’re celebrating closing a deal that’s going to give you more money to count, Scrooge McDuck.”
He should be happy. They’d signed a deal to build a housing development in a growing town about a hundred miles away. To thank the staff that had been working on the proposal night and day for months, they’d thrown this party.
“I am happy,” he said automatically. “Another feather in the cap of Anderson Industries.”
Leann shook her head. “You’re not fooling anyone. You’re miserable.”
He might not be giddy as a schoolgirl with her first crush but he sure as hell wasn’t miserable. What did she expect him to do?
“Just because I’m not dancing and singing around the room doesn’t mean I’m unhappy. I’m thrilled we got the contract. This is going to create a lot of jobs in the area.”
Which would probably get West re-elected as mayor whether he liked it or not. Even if he didn’t run, his name would just be written in on the ballots by the voters.
Eyes narrowed, his pretty cousin was looking him up and down. “I stand by my assessment. You’re not a happy man. And do you know why?”
If he didn’t let her have her say she’d dog his heels until his last breath.
“No, but I know you’re dying to tell me why so get on with it.”
“Because you’re alone,” Leann said bluntly. “And if you don’t do something about that soon you’re going to grow into a crotchety old man that only cares about profit and loss statements and has a cash register for a heart. Is that what you want? Because you’re well on your way.”
“I am not alone,” Easton objected, his mind drifting to his most recent girlfriend. “I’ve been dating.”
Snorting, Leann rolled her eyes. “How about we talk about the women you date? They’re all boring as hell. Even you think so because I rarely hear that you’ve dated one more than a couple of times. Are you even dating anyone right now?”
“I’ve been seeing Melanie Elliott, a well-respected real estate attorney in town. As a matter of fact, she and I attended a dinner party a few nights ago.”
The actual party had been rather dull, some sort of bar association get-together, but Melanie had been well-dressed and clearly respected by her peers.
Leann quirked an eyebrow and leaned closer. “How’s the…you know…sex?”
That question was out of bounds. Easton didn’t discuss his sex life with anyone, except maybe his brothers. He certainly didn’t talk about it with his female cousin.
“That is none of your business,” he replied crisply. “I can’t believe you even asked me that.”
Her mouth turned down and she shook her head again. “That bad, huh?”
The fact was he hadn’t slept with Melanie. Not yet, anyway.
“My sex life is fine,” he assured Leann. He didn’t want to discuss this with her. “And since you’re so fired up to discuss fornication, how’s your sex life?”
He should have known she wouldn’t shrink from answering. Leann had a spine of steel and with all the boys in the Anderson family she’d learned early not to back down from a challenge.
And he didn’t need to know the details of her sex life with Zach.
Giggling, her eyes lit up and she grinned. “Fantastic, cousin. Absolutely awesome, thank you for asking.” She poked her finger into the middle of his chest. “And that is the kind of sex life you should have. The kind that shakes the foundation of your house and wakes the neighbors. You need someone that excites you and gets you out of your rut. Someone that has more going on in their life than boring business. Someone…someone like Dizzy, for example.”
Easton sputtered, almost spilling his drink. “Dizzy? The one and only Dizzy Foster? You must be joking. What in the hell would she and I talk about? Her latest aura cleansing? If you haven’t noticed, Leann, your friend is weird. Bizarre. She passed up eccentric and is heading straight for crazy cat lady that all the kids in the neighborhood think is a witch.”
Leann smiled sweetly. “Dizzy doesn’t have a cat and she’s not a witch. As for her aura…well, I cannot say but she’s never mentioned that it was dirty.”
With an image of Dizzy in his brain suddenly the word dirty took on a different connotation. He was going straight to hell for it too.
“She’s still strange. Her name is Dizzy, after all.”
Sighing, Leann refilled her wine glass. “That’s because she couldn’t pronounce Desiree when she was little. It came out sounding like Dizzy so it stuck. Don’t be a jerk. Dizzy is a wonderful woman and you’d be lucky to date someone like her.”
His cousin had lost her mind. Clearly being in love with Zach had moved around her brain cells until she couldn’t think straight.
“I’m a man of logic and reasoning,” Easton explained slightly exasperated. Leann wanted everyone to be in love. “Dizzy lights candles at the full moon and thinks crystals will cure her cold.”
“It can’t hurt,” Leann shrugged. “It might even work. She never seems to be sick and she’s happier than just about anyone I know. Ma
ybe she’s onto something and we should have a more open mind.”
Easton had an open mind…but Dizzy was a bridge too far.
“No,” he said firmly. “I don’t think she and I would be good together.”
His younger brother Carter took that opportunity to sidle up to them and horn in on the conversation. As usual. “Who wouldn’t be good together?”
“Easton and Dizzy,” Leann said with a smug smile. “Don’t you think they’d make a great couple?”
Easton waited as Carter seemed to consider the pairing before answering. “It wouldn’t be boring, that’s for sure. Are you going to ask her out?”
Gritting his teeth together, Easton shook his head. “I am not. She’s not my type. She’s too…young for me.”
He didn’t even have the word for what Dizzy was. He only knew that she’d drive him crazy within minutes. She was sweet and lovely but mostly she was like a little sister to him. A strange little sister. That was not a recipe for romance and desire and passion.
Carter grabbed a beer from the cooler. “I doubt Dizzy would be interested in you anyway, big brother. You’re a little too mainstream for her. She’s probably looking for someone exciting and spontaneous.”
Ouch, that kind of hurt. Easton knew that he wasn’t spontaneous but he didn’t need it pointed out to him. He liked to think of himself as calm and steady.
Although Carter and Leann would probably say that he was boring as hell.
Carter clapped a hand on Easton’s shoulder. “I didn’t come over here to debate the identity of your future wife with you. I came over here to tell you it’s your turn with Madame Viola.”
“Someone else can take my turn.”
Chuckling, Carter took a swig of his beer. “That’s what you say every single time.”
At some point in the past, the party planner for the company had thought it would be funny and entertaining to hire a psychic for the event so she could tell everyone’s “fortunes”. While the staff appeared to really enjoy it, Easton thought it was ridiculous. But she was so popular they invited her back for almost every party. So far, he’d managed to avoid her.
Window to Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 7) Page 1
