by Rose Pressey
Dangerfield finished chewing and then said, “I guess that’s what we’ll have to figure out.”
I leaned back in my chair. “That sounds difficult.”
“I didn’t think you found anything difficult.”
I frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“You’re the strongest person I know.” He picked up his bottle of water.
His comment took me off guard. “I’m not strong,” I said.
“You’re stronger than you even know. It’s your spirit that makes you that strong.”
I looked down to hide my smile. “Thank you.”
“I’m only telling the truth.” Dangerfield finished his last bite.
“I get it from my mama.” I smiled.
Dangerfield appraised my face with a hunger I’d never seen before. I knew he wasn’t hungry for food.
“Do you have family around here?” he asked.
I picked at the edge of my napkin. “Just outside of town. My parents and older brother live there. What about you?”
“I moved here from Tulsa. My parents live there. I’m an only child… I know a little more about you.” He grinned.
“What do you mean?”
“Your favorite color is green. Your favorite drink is Diet Coke.” He motioned toward my cup. “And you’re afraid of heights.”
“I have to say, that’s a little disturbing that you know those things.”
He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not a stalker. That stuff is written on the news stations’ website. I saw it when I got your email address to send you the info about that case.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” Now I was embarrassed.
“Aren’t you going to ask what my favorite color is?”
I smiled. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Green.”
“You’re just saying that because it’s my favorite.”
“Hey, it can be my favorite too.” He winked.
I eyed him suspiciously, and then laughed. “Okay.”
Dangerfield pushed to his feet. “Now that we’re finished eating. I should walk you home.”
“Who’s going to walk you home?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I guess I’m all on my own.”
I didn’t argue with him because it was kind of nice having an escort. Walking alone when there was a murderer on the streets wasn’t my idea of fun.
Dangerfield and I made it back to my building. I didn’t even have to open the door to know that Mrs. Perkins would be waiting for me. When I opened the door, to my surprise, she wasn’t standing in the hallway.
There was someone else waiting for me though. Courtney’s eyes widened when she saw us. I supposed she hadn’t expected to see me with Dangerfield.
Courtney’s cheeks turned red. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said with a sly smile.
“Dangerfield was just walking me home.” I pulled the keys from my purse.
She nodded as if she didn’t believe a word I said.
“Dangerfield, you remember my cousin, Courtney?” I motioned.
He flashed her that dazzling smile. “Nice to see you again. I still can’t get over how much you two look like sisters.”
Courtney chuckled. “Everyone says that.”
We stood in silence for a moment. All of us exchanged looks, but didn’t speak.
“I guess I should go now.” Dangerfield gestured over his shoulder.
I nodded. “Thanks again for walking me home.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He winked.
Courtney and I watched as he walked out the door. Dangerfield sauntered off, whistling a happy tune.
When he was gone, she looked at me and said, “I didn’t know you two were talking on a daily basis. Why don’t you tell me these things?” She quirked an eyebrow.
I pulled out my keys and shoved them in the lock. “Because you will get the wrong idea.”
“And what idea is that?” she asked.
I opened the door. “Oh, you know what I mean.”
She laughed. “So you’re saying that what I’m thinking is totally wrong.”
“Completely wrong,” I said.
“Whatever you say,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Fine, don’t believe me.”
Courtney and I stepped inside my apartment. I tossed my purse and keys on the table by the door.
“So are you going to tell me what you were doing together?” she asked.
“I stopped by the office for the victim’s voodoo tour and Dangerfield showed up.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“What?” It wasn’t a lie. I’d just left out the part about me agreeing to meet him. “So what did you find out?” I asked as I plopped down on my sofa.
Courtney fell onto the sofa next to me. “I managed to find the names of a couple employees. It was only two other people other than the owners.”
“Wow, great job, Court. This will help a lot. Now all I need to do is speak with them.”
She sighed. “Just don’t get into trouble.”
Chapter 11
In a weird twist, one of the employees, Anthony Knight, worked at the same café where I’d met Haley. I wondered if Haley knew that one of her former employees worked there. She hadn’t mentioned it. I’d also found out that Jeff Hecht, an old friend of Tim’s, had been trying to borrow money from him. Jeff was unhappy that his old friend wouldn’t help him out with a new business venture.
Courtney was picking me up soon and we were driving over to the café. Maybe we’d have a quick brunch while we were there so that it didn’t look as if we were only there to speak with Anthony. I just hoped that I’d be able to get information from him. Maybe he’d seen or heard something that would be vital to this investigation. I slipped out of my building and waited for Courtney on the sidewalk. Sunshine shimmered and warm air surrounded me.
As I stood there looking down at my cell phone, a car horn honked. The phone almost flew out of my hand, but I managed to catch it. Courtney was behind the wheel and motioned for me to jump in.
“Anything unusual happen last night?” she asked as she steered back onto the road.
“I had a vivid dream that I married Ryan Gosling and we ended up in a nursing home together.”
Courtney snorted. “If only.”
I applied lip gloss and shoved it back into my purse. “Other than that, it was an uneventful evening.”
Within a few minutes, we’d arrived at the café. Courtney parked around the corner. As we walked toward the building, we discussed what we’d say once we found Anthony.
“Just try to sound casual,” Courtney said.
“Ideally that’s exactly how I’ll sound, but in reality, I’ll probably screw that up,” I said.
Since it was Saturday and late morning, there were a couple of tables available. The same waitress led us to a table. I knew by the strange look she gave me that she recognized me from the other day.
Once at the table I asked, “Is there an Anthony Knight who works here?”
She stared for a moment and then said, “He did work here.”
I exchanged a look with Courtney. That wasn’t the answer that I’d wanted to hear. The waitress stood beside our table staring at us. Now I didn’t want to tell this waitress that once again I was going to leave without ordering anything.
“Thanks anyway,” I said.
The waitress looked to her left and then to her right. “I do know where he’s working now if you’d like to know.”
My eyes widened. “Yes, that would be great.”
She shoved her hands into her apron pockets. “It’s a little place just outside of town. They have the best crawfish. The name is Harbor Market.”
“Do you know what time it opens?” I asked.
Courtney frowned.
Okay, so the woman wasn’t Google, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
“I guess they’re open now because I know he’s working.”
“A
re you good friends with him?” I asked.
She tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “No, not really.”
I wasn’t sure if I should press for more information. I was just glad I’d gotten this little tidbit.
“Do you need more time to order?” The look on her face told me that she already knew what I was going to say.
I frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“But you’re going to the other place now, right?” She placed a hand on her hip.
I nodded. “Sorry.”
She grabbed the menus. “See you next time.”
“Thanks again,” I called out as she walked away.
I grabbed Courtney’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
After a short drive, we arrived at the Harbor Market. It was housed in a wood building that looked as if it would be abandoned soon. The gravel parking lot was packed full of cars.
“This place must have great food,” Courtney said.
We climbed out from the car and headed inside. The place was jammed full of people. The employees zoomed past. A waitress glanced over and spotted us. She held up her index finger and I nodded.
A few more minutes passed before she finally made it over to us. “Just the two of you?”
“Yes. Do you have an employee by the name of Anthony Knight?” I asked.
“Do you want to sit in his section?” She used the menu to gesture across the room at a line of tables by the windows.
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
She motioned for us to follow her. Courtney and I looked at each other as if we had just won a prize.
She sat us at a small table in the back of the room. Windows lined the wall next to our table. Wooden tables with matching chairs that looked as if they had been there as long as the building. Pictures of the bayou decorated the walls. The kitchen was at the back of the building.
“You know, even if he isn’t here, I think I need food this time,” Courtney said.
I grabbed the menu. “Me too.”
I scanned the room to see if I could pick out Anthony Knight. Of course, I had no idea what he looked like. There were several men working. After a few minutes, I spotted a guy walking our way. His uniform was faded jeans and a red t-shirt with the restaurant’s logo on the right side of the chest. He had sandy blond hair. It looked rumbled as if he’d just gotten out of bed.
“I think he’s coming,” I whispered.
Courtney pretended to look at the menu again. “I wish I could hide under the table. I’m so nervous.”
He stood beside the table. “Hello, ladies, welcome to Harbor Market. Can I get you something to drink?”
Anthony was written on his name tag. Since Courtney had already warned me that she wanted food, I decided to wait to ask the questions.
“Diet Coke, please.” I barely even looked up at him as I spoke.
“Same for me,” Courtney said.
“I’ll be right back.” He turned and walked away.
“So you chickened out?” she asked.
“No, I figured we’d better eat first.” I picked up my napkin and unfolded it.
“How’s work? What about your boss?” Courtney asked.
“Oscar is the same as always. Slightly less hostile since this murder investigation came along, oddly enough. Anything new with you?”
“I’m thinking about expanding my inventory.” She tapped her fingers against the table. “We should go out for drinks soon. We need to unwind and I need to meet someone. You on the other hand have your hands full.”
“Don’t remind me,” I said.
Anthony returned with our glasses full of Diet Coke. He placed the glasses in front of us. “Do you know what you want?”
“Just crawfish,” Courtney said.
Apparently I’d lost my ability to talk. Or at least Courtney felt that I had and spoke for me. I just needed a little more time to prepare what I wanted to ask.
I released a deep breath when he walked away. “I’m just preparing what I want to say in my mind before he returns.”
Courtney’s mouth twisted down at one corner. “Exactly what are you going to ask?”
“The usual stuff that you ask a person whose boss has just been murdered,” I said and then took a sip out of my straw.
Anthony returned with our plates. I knew Courtney thought I wasn’t going to ask him questions ever, but I really was after we ate. I figured it was best to wait. She gave me a disapproving look, so I ignored her by stuffing my face.
As I ate my food, I scanned the room. I almost dropped my fork when I spotted the man across the room peering back at me. It was the man who’d given me the note at the bar. I tried to pretend like I hadn’t noticed him, like I wasn’t about to panic. Was this a coincidence? I highly doubted that.
I shoved more food onto my fork and put the fork up to my mouth. “Don’t look now, but the man I’ve seen watching me is at the back of the room.”
Chapter 12
Courtney’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? Maybe it just looks like him.”
“No, I’m positive.” I’d looked away from him, but now I knew I had to see if he was still watching me.
“Should we leave?” she asked.
Again, I peeked at the back of the room. “Yes, he’s definitely watching me, but we can’t leave now.”
Panic began to set in. I thought about getting up and running out of the restaurant right then, but I hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to Anthony yet. Plus, I wouldn’t let this guy scare me away like that.
“I should march right over there and ask him exactly what he thinks he’s doing,” I said.
As far as I could tell, this man was harassing me. Was he one of the ones who had written me wanting a lock of my hair? Was he a stalker? That was the last thing I needed right now. How would I get him to leave me alone?
“What should we do?” Courtney asked.
I took a drink of Diet Coke and then said, “I should confront him, right?”
Courtney gestured with her fork. “No, that’s a bad idea.”
I furrowed my brow. “Wait. A woman just approached his table.”
“What are they doing?” Courtney whispered as if they’d hear us.
I tried to act as if I wasn’t looking, while the whole time I was staring. That wasn’t an easy task. “The woman sat down. It looks like she is going to order food.”
She wore a hat and her blonde hair peeked out from underneath. What I couldn’t understand was why she was wearing sunglasses in the restaurant. It looked like she was trying to disguise her identity.
“See? He isn’t here for you. Nothing to worry about. It’s just a coincidence,” Courtney said.
I released a deep breath. “I suppose you are right. Still, it was creepy to think that he could have followed me here.”
I needed to push the worry from my mind. As I played with the food on my plate, I said, “I just know I’ve seen that woman before.”
“Where from?” Courtney asked.
I tapped my fork against my plate. “I just can’t remember.”
Courtney grabbed my arm. “Your nervous habits are going to make me have a panic attack.”
I placed the fork on the table. “Sorry, I didn’t realize what I was doing.”
“That’s understandable.” She patted my hand. “What are they doing now?”
“I guess they’re not eating after all. They’re getting up from the table.” I watched as they walked away and toward the front of the restaurant. “It looks as if she is wearing a wig.”
Once they went by, I eased up from my seat.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Courtney asked.
“I just want to go to the front of the restaurant and see where they go.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “That’s it. Don’t do anything else,” she warned with a wave of her finger. “I can’t go with you because they’ll think we’re dining and dashing.”
“I promise I won’t do anything stupid,”
I said.
I took off across the floor in a hurry so that I wouldn’t lose them. I spotted the couple by the front doors. They opened the door and stepped outside. It looked as if they were leaving.
Maybe I could see what kind of car they got into. I dashed around the hostess and over to the front door. I peeked out, but didn’t spot the couple so I opened the door and stepped out into the night. I hoped that the man didn’t see me following him. Even worse, I hoped he wasn’t hiding somewhere waiting to jump out and grab me.
As I stood in the parking lot, I still didn’t see them. Where could they have disappeared to so quickly? They had to be in one of the cars, but I couldn’t go around to every car and look for them.
I was about to go back inside when I spotted the woman sitting in a black car across the parking lot. The man wasn’t with her though. If he wasn’t there, then where was he? I looked around to my left and right. I started to panic now because I didn’t want him to jump out at me. Why had I come out here alone? What a stupid move. I should just go back into the restaurant, but I wanted to know what they were doing too.
I exhaled and tried to calm my nerves. I had to be brave and not back down.
Courtney had told me not to get into trouble. Now I was doing the exact opposite. She should expect that out of me though, so I decided to walk over there to the car and ask the woman what she was doing. She had been looking at me in the restaurant too, so I knew she was aware of me. She had to know why this man had been watching me. Pushing my shoulders back, I walked across the lot to the car.
Once next to the car, the woman hadn’t noticed that I was standing next to her. My heart thumped in my chest as I knocked on the window. The woman jumped and looked over at me. She glared at me as I motioned for her to put the window down. The woman didn’t budge though so I gestured again.
Finally, she put the window down. “What do you want?” she demanded.
Well, that was rude. Had her mama taught her any manners? I wasn’t the one following them around, so why was she angry with me?
I gestured toward the building. “The man you were with inside the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice you all were watching me. What does he want?”
Now that I had asked, I realized that I probably sounded crazy, but the question was already out there. I peered into her car to see if I could get any clues as to who she was, but I saw nothing. It looked as if it was a rental car.
