by Rose Pressey
It totally freaked me out to hear him mention my name.
“I have no idea,” Kelly muttered. It seemed that question had caught her off guard too.
“So you don’t know if she shops here?” he repeated. He certainly was persistent.
“No, I don’t know who you are talking about,” she said.
I really needed to buy clothing from Kelly if she worked on commission because she was doing me a huge favor. Silence filled the air again and my anxiety grew by the second. I was back to my earlier plan of calling the police. If I didn’t hear him leave in the next couple seconds I was placing that call. I figured that her boyfriend wasn’t in the back room because he probably would have come out to the front by now.
“She is on the news here in New Orleans,” he said as if Kelly had asked.
“That’s nice,” Kelly said.
I was sure she was trying to think of a way to get rid of him. She probably also was thinking of ways to tell me to get lost once I came out of the dressing room. I wasn’t sure I’d be ready to come out even if he did leave.
“Well, sorry if I bothered you,” he said.
Now I wished I’d told her to ask his name. Why hadn’t I called Marc right away? He could have come here and asked this guy what he wanted. I guessed I had panicked. I couldn’t let him leave without doing something. I had my phone, and figured I could snap a photo. Of course I didn't want to open the dressing room door. I leaned down and positioned my phone to snap a photo from under the door. Once I touched the screen, the flash lit up the tiny space. I prayed he hadn’t noticed the light. I checked the picture, but realized the camera had been reversed and I'd taken a not-so-flattering selfie.
The door dinged again and I held my breath, hoping that he had truly left.
“You can come out now,” Kelly said.
I sucked in a deep breath and twisted the doorknob. I eased the door open and peeked my head out just a bit. “Is he really gone?”
Kelly nodded. “Yes, he left. Who is that guy? He is creepy.”
“I don’t know who he is. Now that I think of it, I wish I had told you to ask his name. Then again, I didn’t need to get you involved in this. I am sorry I asked you to cover for me like that.”
“Don’t worry about it, he was a creep. You don’t need to talk with him.” She stepped over to the window and looked down the street.
“Do you see him?” I asked.
I was scared to go outside. This was crazy. I shouldn’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder everywhere I went.
“Is your boyfriend really in the back room?” I asked.
She waved her hand. “Oh, no, I just told him that because I didn’t want him to think I was here alone.”
“That’s a good idea.” I stepped over to the door. “Thanks again for covering for me.”
“No problem. Just be careful out there.”
I opened the door and headed outside onto the sidewalk. I took a step and stopped. A piece of paper lay on the sidewalk. I reached down and picked it up. I hadn’t expected for Bill Dangerfield’s name to be written on the card. The guy had to have dropped it. That was too much of a coincidence. Now I had to know why he had Dangerfield’s name and number. Was he following Dangerfield too? Or had Dangerfield put this guy up to following me all along?
I scanned the area to see if the man was still around. When I didn’t see him I headed toward my apartment and pulled out my cell.
“Dangerfield,” he said when he picked up the phone.
“Did you send someone to follow me?” I asked.
Surely Dangerfield wouldn’t do something like that. Especially considering the guy had tried to hit me with a car.
“What are you talking about? It’s a little early to be drinking, Charley.”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” I said.
“I won’t if you tell me what you are talking about,” he said.
“That man followed me into a store. I managed to hide from him.”
“Where are you now?”
“Never mind that. I need to find out where he went,” I said.
“What did you do after you saw him?”
I glanced to my left and to my right. “When he left I went outside to look for him.”
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Dangerfield said.
“Actually, I think it was a good idea, considering I found your name and number on a card in front of the store.”
“You’ll have to explain a little more because I’m not following.”
“Obviously the guy had your info and dropped it. Are you sure you didn’t send him to look for me?” I said.
“I didn’t send anyone after you. Why would I do that?” He sounded a little upset with me.
“Then why did he have your info?” I asked.
“Maybe it was on something you had and it fell out of your bag.”
I thought about what he said for a moment. Then I figured it wasn’t possible. I didn’t remember having a card with his info on it.
“Don’t be mad at me, Charley, I did nothing wrong.”
I released a deep breath. “Then why did he have your info?” I asked.
“That’s what I’d like to know. Who was this guy?”
“If I knew that I wouldn’t have even called you. Wait, yes, I would have because I am mad.”
“Don’t be mad at me. You said it’s the same guy from the other night?” Dangerfield asked.
“Yes, I’m sure of it. I didn’t know that guy then and I don’t know him now. He asked about me and then left the store. I would have followed him but he was gone when I went outside,” I said.
“It’s a good thing he was gone. He could be dangerous. Maybe you have a stalker.”
Now I was starting to freak out all over again. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me.
I released a deep breath. “I suppose I did jump to conclusions. I’m a little stressed. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” Dangerfield said. “Now are you going to tell me where you are?”
“I just got to my place. Why do you ask?”
“I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Do you think I’m in danger?” I asked.
He paused, and then said, “Yes, if this guy is following you around, I think he is dangerous.”
Now that Dangerfield said it out loud it made it even more real. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I had to face the reality. I unlocked my door and hurried in and locked the door behind me.
“Okay, I’m inside and safe now.”
“You’ll call me if you need anything?” he asked.
“I promise I’ll call if I need you.”
I might need to place a call for help sooner rather than later.
Chapter 18
In my dream, a phone kept ringing. I tried to silence it, but it was no use. Finally, I woke up and realized that my phone was actually ringing. I groaned and picked up the phone from my nightstand.
“This had better be good,” I said when I glanced at the clock and saw that it was six a.m.
“I guess you’re not a morning person,” Dangerfield said.
“Not in the morning, no.” I lay back in the bed.
“Well, get up and dressed. We have somewhere to go,” he said.
“You can’t be serious,” I said.
“You’d better hurry because I will be there soon.”
“I am not going anywhere this early.” Silence filled the line. “Hello?”
Damn it. I tossed the phone on the bed and jumped up.
I’d just pulled on a pair of jeans and a polo shirt when my doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock. Thirty minutes was all that it had taken him. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to put my shoes on yet. I opened the door and couldn’t believe how handsome Dangerfield looked this early in the morning.
“We’ll get you some coffee, I promise,” he said.
“Why are you here so early?”
> “I think we should go to Haley’s home,” he said.
“Can I ask why?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Call it a feeling.”
After putting on my sneakers, I grabbed my purse. Dangerfield followed me out the door. “It’s been a while since we asked her more questions. Maybe she’s thinking a little clearer now.”
It had been a long time for him maybe, but not for me.
“I suppose you do have a point.” I locked the door behind me.
Just then, Mrs. Perkins stepped out of her apartment and grabbed the newspaper in front of her door. She looked over at me and Dangerfield. Her eyes narrowed as she eyed us up and down. She shook her head and walked back into her apartment. I knew she thought Dangerfield had spent the night. Dangerfield didn’t say anything, but instead opened the door for me. I walked out onto the sidewalk.
Flashes of last night came back to me. I couldn’t let the fear get the best of me though. We hopped into Dangerfield’s car and drove the short distance to Haley’s street. When we reached the house, I noticed a man walking across her lawn. I didn’t recognize the man, but then again, why would I? I was just glad I hadn’t been followed by the weirdo who’d tried to run me down.
Dangerfield pulled up to the curb and cut the engine. We watched the man in silence. He stepped onto her front porch and rang the doorbell.
“We should wait and see what he’s doing,” Dangerfield said.
I didn’t take my eyes off the man. Haley answered the door, but she tried to close it again right away. The man placed his foot in the door, stopping her.
“Uh-oh, looks like we have trouble.” Dangerfield gestured.
“What’s wrong?” I followed his gaze.
The man waved his hands and it looked like he was yelling, but I had no idea what he was saying.
“It looks like we should get involved in this,” Dangerfield said.
I opened the car door and jumped out. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Dangerfield ran across the lawn and jumped onto the porch, taking the steps in one giant leap. Haley’s eyes widened when she saw us.
The man hadn’t noticed us and only turned around when Dangerfield asked, “What’s going on here? Is everything all right, Mrs. Swanson?”
The man whipped around and glared at us. “Who are you?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is you are harassing Mrs. Swanson and I think it’s time you leave,” Dangerfield said.
“Is that right?” The man stepped closer to Dangerfield.
This was taking a turn for the worse quickly.
The man gestured toward Haley. “She and her husband owe me money.”
Wow. There were a lot of claims of Tim owing money. Did this have anything to do with the bank ledger we’d found?
“This man is crazy,” Haley said.
Dangerfield stepped in between the man and Haley. “Why don’t you leave?”
The man glared at Dangerfield. I figured at any moment the man would push Dangerfield off the porch. The man looked at Haley again. She crossed her arms in front of her waist, but she looked as if she wasn’t about to back down. The man stepped off the porch. I let out a breath of relief.
He turned around though and my relief was short-lived. “This isn’t over.”
He finally walked away.
“I’m sorry about that,” Haley said. Dark circles lined her eyes and she looked as if she hadn’t slept in days.
“What was that all about?” Dangerfield asked.
“That guy’s name is Jeff. He wanted to borrow money from Tim, but Tim told him no. He wouldn’t take no for an answer though.”
“Wow, he sounds a little crazy. Why didn’t you tell us about him?” I asked.
“It sounds like he just moved up to the top of our suspects list,” Dangerfield said.
She brushed hair out of her eyes. “Like I said, I guess I wasn’t thinking.”
Jeff drove past. He glared at us from the car, but luckily he didn’t stop.
Haley released a deep breath. “I’m glad he’s gone. I’m just shocked that he left when you told him to go away.”
“I figured I would have a fight on my hands,” Dangerfield said.
“Like I said, I’m sorry,” Haley said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
She looked from me to Dangerfield. “So why are you all here? This isn’t a random visit, is it?”
“As a matter of fact, it isn’t a random visit. We thought we’d talk to you because we thought maybe you’d remember something new,” I said.
“It looks like Jeff just did that for you,” Dangerfield said.
“Thank you all for stopping by and getting rid of him,” she said.
Dangerfield nodded. “We’re glad we showed up when we did.”
“We’ll look into this guy more,” I said.
She nodded. “Thanks again for the help.”
“Call if you happen to think of anything else,” I said.
“I will,” she said.
I just hoped that she wasn’t forgetting about any other disgruntled employee or ex-friend. This case was taking too many twists and turns. I had no idea if the car incident last night was related.
We turned to leave and Haley closed her door. I heard the lock click. I hoped Jeff didn’t show back up after we left.
Dangerfield and I left her house. It was still early and as much as I wanted to take him up on his offer of lunch, I decided it was best if I went home and got a little more rest.
He walked me to my door. Before I could speak, he leaned down and kissed my lips. It knocked the wind right out of my lungs. I didn’t stop his kiss. In fact, I actually enjoyed it more than I ever thought I would.
Dangerfield said goodbye and that he would call me later. I hoped it wasn’t at six in the morning next time.
Chapter 19
As I sat at my desk, I was lost in thought. I had a lot of questions. Why had Tim really been at Jack’s Jazz Club? I’d never gotten anyone to definitively answer that question. Marc had given me little information so far. I supposed the police thought it was none of my business to even ask. But I hadn’t liked the way they hadn’t taken Haley’s claims that she’d been targeted too seriously.
How would I find out more? I tapped my pen against the desk. Ruth shot me a nasty look. How could that small sound have bothered her? I ignored her and went back to my thoughts. I wondered what Dangerfield had found out, if anything. I’d told myself that I wouldn’t ask Marc for information or let him know I was snooping around, but it looked as if it was unavoidable. He was so close to the investigation, it would be a tragedy for me to ignore that. Surely he would understand.
Would Marc give me the info? I picked up the phone, but then placed it back on my desk. I tapped my pen again and stared at the phone. If I didn’t call, I might never solve this case. What if something terrible happened to Haley and I could have helped her? Sure, the police were working the case, but another mind wouldn’t hurt. Maybe I’d get lucky and think of something that they’d overlooked. It could happen.
“Do you mind? I’m trying to work.” Ruth popped up over her cubicle and glared at me.
“Sorry,” I said.
I picked up the phone. This time I was really going to call Marc. And not just call, but ask questions. I wouldn’t back out this time. Marc picked up after a couple rings.
“Hello, gorgeous,” Marc said in his sexy tone.
“Thanks for taking my call,” I said.
“Of course I would take your call. I’m never too busy for you.”
“I’m at work and I’ve been thinking about Tim Swanson,” I said in a hurry before I backed out.
“Uh-huh,” he said.
“Is there anything new?” I asked. “After all, I was the last person the man called. I’m kind of curious.”
Marc released a little chuckle. “Yes, I can see why you’d be curious.”
I could just picture Marc lea
ning back in his chair, maybe folding his muscular arms across his wide chest. He’d flash his gorgeous smile and look at me through those thick dark eyelashes.
“So what would you like to know?” he asked.
I hadn’t expected him to answer so easily and it caught me off guard a little. “What about any other unusual calls?” I asked.
“No, nothing unusual,” he said.
“Great, lucky me. What about before that?”
“He talked with his sister and then his wife. That’s it. I’m sorry, Chase. The detectives have been working the case. There’s just not much to go on.”
“What about Mrs. Swanson? She says someone has been trying to kill her too. Are they taking that seriously now that her husband is dead?” I asked.
“Of course, but without anything to go on it’s hard to do anything. You understand, right?” he asked.
I sighed. “Yes, I suppose I do. Mrs. Swanson had reported that Tim’s sister Kristine Michaels thought someone was trying to kill her about a year ago. I’m just trying to figure out what happened to that. What did the police find out? Why had the case dropped? It seems kind of an odd thing if she thought someone might be trying to kill her.”
“Chase, I didn’t mention this before, but his sister thought someone tried to run her off the road. That was a year ago and she hasn’t reported anything since.”
It was odd that I had been almost hit with a car too. Was that why Marc hadn’t mentioned it?
“Don’t you think that is a little strange?” I asked.
“Yes, it is strange,” he said.
“Did the police ask her about this?”
“She didn’t have anything else to say about the matter.”
“That is even weirder.”
Maybe Haley had been right. Tim’s sister could have been doing it only for attention. The fact that her brother had been murdered and her sister-in-law thought someone was trying to kill her could be a strange coincidence. But I really didn’t believe in coincidences. Haley and her sister-in-law both thought someone was trying to kill them. There had to be a connection.
“So what do you think?” I asked.
Marc was silent for a moment. “To be honest, I think there is more to it than what his sister is saying.”
