Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters)

by Satin Russell

  He shrugged. “I don’t mind. Besides, it will give me a chance to get an early start on my day. I’d like to go talk to Brad and make sure he adds last night’s vandalism to his file of events.”

  “Okay, that makes sense.”

  “I’ll also call your sister and arrange to have your car picked up.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

  “Really, it’s okay. I don’t mind,” He walked up to where she was standing and gently wrapped his arms around her. “It’s not like I have a lot on my schedule, at the moment. I want to help.” He bent down and gave her a kiss. “Let me do this for you.”

  She took a moment, curving her body against him, relishing his strength and the feeling of having someone willing to help carry the weight of a bad situation. “Okay. Thank you, I could use the help.”

  “Good.” He glanced over at the clock on the stove. “We need to get going if you’re going to be there on time.”

  The two of them climbed up into the cab of his truck and sat in silence on the way into town, neither one of them awake enough to make decent conversation. She thought it was nice that they could be comfortable enough not to break the quiet between them.

  The world outside had taken on a slate gray appearance, and there were frost crystals fringing the windows of parked cars. She’d heard another cold front was supposed to be coming through that day, and already, she could feel the temperature take on an edgy bite.

  “You can just turn into the back lot,” Olivia directed absently. “I usually let myself in through the back door. Jackie or Becky will unlock the front doors closer to opening.”

  Mason nodded at her direction and pulled into the lot. “Why don’t I come in with you and make sure everything is okay?”

  “Oh, that won’t be necessary. Tom’s car is already here.” With that, Olivia opened the door to hop out of the cab, but he reached over and touched her elbow.

  “Hey.”

  She turned towards him with a question in her eyes. That is, until he snagged her lips with his, giving her a deep kiss and setting her senses instantly alert. Dazed, she looked up at him. “Have a good day.”

  Giving him a quick nod, she jumped out of the cab with a smile dawning on her lips. “You, too.”

  She could feel him wait for her to let herself in before he took off.

  “Hey, Tom. You’re here early.”

  “Not too early, boss. Just got here.”

  “Um, Olivia? Can you come here for a second? There’s something I think you need to see…”

  Surprised by the odd tone she could hear in her friend’s voice, she headed into the dining room to where Jackie was staring out the windows.

  “Hey, you don’t usually get here until just before opening. What are you doing here so early…?” Her question trailed off as she caught sight of the bright red paint splashed all across the windows. “What the hell?”

  “Whore!”

  “Slut!”

  “Bitch!”

  The vulgar words shouted to the public from her windows, screaming out into the frozen dawn.

  Aghast, she strode out the front door, but could do nothing but stare at the words for a minute. Her mind reeled from the shock of such terrible vandalism.

  Jackie joined her outside and put an arm around her. “Sweetie, do you have any idea who could have done something like this?”

  Numbly, she nodded her head, her hand to her mouth. Quickly, she recounted the events from the previous day and last night, along with Mason’s suspicions of who may be behind them.

  She allowed herself the luxury of another moment to wallow in the shock, and then squared her shoulders. “Well, we obviously can’t leave it like this. I’ll go get a bucket of water and some scrapers. Jackie, you finish getting the dining room ready, and tell Tom he’s unfortunately going to have to get the prep done on his own.”

  “Are you sure, Livvy? We could have him do the windows for you, so you don’t have to look at it.”

  She looked directly into Jackie’s eyes, her gaze blazing with fury. “Oh no. I’m going to look directly at it, and stare and stare at it while I clean it off. Up until this point, I’ve been feeling timid and scared by whoever is doing this. First my home, now the café? No more. Now, he’s just managed to piss me off.”

  “Well, okay! Don’t let this asshole cow you. I’ll try to hurry up and then come out to help.” With a final hug, she ran back into the kitchen to let Tom know what had happened.

  Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she shivered and stood looking at the writing. Then, with a resolved look, she lifted her head and went inside to grab a bucket.

  Forty-five minutes later, she was just wiping off the last of the red paint along the doorway. She had worked like a demon, rushing to get the filthy language removed before the rest of the town had a chance to wake up and see it. She would be damned before she’d let that happen.

  Watery, red paint had dripped everywhere; down her arms, on the back of her neck, all along the front of her…she even had it in her hair! With a look of distaste, she glanced at her reflection in the now clean windows and grimaced. Her arms, neck and shoulders all ached from the strain of scrubbing above her head.

  Plus, despite the fact that she’d refilled her bucket multiple times with warm water, she’d quickly started shivering in the frigid morning air.

  “Isn’t it a little cold to be cleaning your windows, Olivia Harper?”

  At the older woman’s voice, she let out a squeal and spun around. “Mrs. Crowley! You startled me!”

  The older woman gave her a shrewd once-over, “What’s going on here? Don’t you know better than to be washing your windows in freezing temperatures like this? And why are you covered in all that red stuff?”

  She sighed and barely stopped herself from running her dirty hands through her hair. “Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing, just some kids playing pranks.” She gathered up the bucket and dirty cloths she’d been using. “Do you mind getting the door for me, Mrs. Crowley?”

  Obliging, she exclaimed, “A prank? You have to be kidding me. Kids these days…I tell you what, they ought to be bent over somebody’s knee and taught a lesson!” Olivia walked her to the usual booth and, after giving her a weary nod, left her muttering about the way things used to be.

  With a nod to Jackie, she headed back to the bathroom to clean up before more people came in asking questions. Thankfully, she’d managed to get the front windows cleaned before she had to open.

  A few hours later, Becky slipped in the back door, looking for her.

  “Olivia?”

  “Becky, I didn’t think you were working today.”

  The younger woman stepped all the way into the kitchen. “Well, I’m not. Actually, I wasn’t planning on coming in at all today.”

  “Oh? What’s up, then? Everything okay?”

  “Do you pay attention to the online review sites at all?”

  She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and shot Becky a puzzled look. “Well, I don’t know if I would say I keep track of them, but I know about the sites you’re talking about….”

  “Well, I’m on them pretty regularly. I like to write reviews and there are some pretty entertaining ones. Most of the time, I’ll also check for the Three Sisters Cafe while I’m at it and just see what’s being said.

  “Olivia, somebody left some really nasty reviews last night. Not just on one or two, either. They took the time to post to all of the sites, under multiple profiles.”

  “What?!” She flipped the pancake she was working on before it burned, but she could feel her hands begin to shake. “What kind of things? What do you mean by nasty?”

  “Well, things like they got food poisoning by eating here and that there were cockroaches that could be seen scurrying in the corners and down the hall.”

  Tom and Olivia looked at each other with weighted expressions. “Why? Why would someone be doing this? Tom, could you…?”

  Nodding, he took
the spatula from Olivia’s hand. “I can handle it here. Go see what she’s talking about.”

  With a grateful smile, she turned back to the younger woman. “Come back to my office with me. I need you to show me.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Becky cast her a final apologetic look before leaving. Sitting in her old, beat-up office chair, she shook with fury as she read the slanderous reviews before checking the contact and posting policies for each website, and sending off emails to the webmasters. She didn’t hold out much hope, though. Who knew what they could do, when they’d get to it, or whether they would even try to discover the truth?

  Wearily, she dropped her head down into her hands and contemplated the consequences of the damage this attack would cause. This was her livelihood. Her very reputation as a chef was being called into question and decimated by the whim of…who? Some madman? Some sicko who had decided she was his? How could something like this happen in this day and age? More importantly, what – if anything – was she going to be able to do to fix it?

  Keeping that thought in mind, she opened a new window in her browser and began looking up “State of Maine stalking laws.” Just as she was about to click the first link, a light knock interrupted her.

  “Yes?”

  Jackie poked her head in the doorway. “Becky told me what happened before she left. I know it’s already been a rough day, but unfortunately, I don’t see it getting any better…”

  Closing the browser, she sighed. “What is it?”

  “Health inspector is here to do a surprise inspection.”

  Well, the hits just keep on coming. She stood up and straightened her chef’s jacket, thankful that the jacket at least covered up most of the red stains she’d gotten on her shirt earlier. “Okay, I’ll be right out.”

  Her friend put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Hang in there, Livvy. You and I, we’ve gone through worse times than this. We’ll get through this one, just the same as all the others.”

  Encouraged by the thought, Olivia thanked her and made her way down the hall to greet the pale, tweedy man waiting for her at the breakfast counter.

  Of course, two hours later, he still hadn’t found anything. At his disappointed look, she was almost tempted to feel badly for him. Almost…except that he’d gotten more and more determined as the time had gone on. Now, she was not only exhausted, but had also run late enough that she’d been forced to reschedule her appointment with the locksmith for later in the afternoon.

  One spot of good news was that Liz had called and let her know that her tires had once again been replaced and her car was ready to be picked up. As she was closing the café and saying her good-byes to the health inspector, Mason walked through the front door and gave her a hug.

  Gently, he bent down and dropped a kiss on her lips, before handing her a latte. “Thought you might need this. How was it today?”

  With a sigh, she told him about her day. It was still hard to believe someone had actually gone through all the trouble of creating multiple profiles and posting to so many review sites. Whoever was after her was determined to make her life hell.

  “I’m sorry this is happening to you. I hate to think I may have been the one to bring his attention to you…”

  “This guy’s sickness, assuming it is actually him, is not your fault, Mason.”

  “Still, if you don’t mind, I’d like to follow you back to your place after I drop you off to pick up your car. I want to be there when the locksmith comes in to install the new locks.”

  She locked the back door and followed him out to his truck, “That actually works out well. All I can think about doing right now is getting out of these paint-stained clothes and taking a shower, but I don’t want to do that in the house without new locks. Would you mind standing guard while I get myself cleaned up before the guy comes?”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  As they pulled up to the garage, she noticed her car sitting in front of the mechanic bay doors and turned to give him a relieved smile. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  “No problem. Say hi to your sister for me.”

  Liz came out of the garage as she approached. “There you go. Two more tires and it’s good as new again. I double checked the rest of the vehicle just in case, but I didn’t see anything else he may have messed with. The car alarm must have startled him.”

  “Either that or seeing Mason sprinting out the front door in his sweats and with bare feet had something to do with it.”

  Liz shot a glance at Mason sitting in the cab and gave him a little wave before turning back towards her. “Oooh, lala! Please tell me there’s something going on with you two.”

  She blushed and shrugged, trying not to make it obvious they were talking about him. “Well…nothing too serious, yet. We seem to keep getting interrupted.”

  At that, her sister’s eyebrows shot up. “That implies that there was something to interrupt.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Olivia, do NOT be coy with me.”

  Surreptitiously, she glanced over her shoulder and then back at her sister. “Let’s just say, he’s a fabulous kisser, and if it hadn’t been for that damn car alarm last night, I may not have been waking up in my own bed this morning.” She looked down at her hands.

  “Okay, so…what’s the problem, then?” At her look of surprise, Liz tossed her hands up in the air. “Oh, come on. I can tell when you’re over-thinking something. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know…I just, with everything that’s been happening, I’m not sure now is the right time to get caught up with anyone.”

  “Do NOT let this asshole prevent you from living your life. He does NOT deserve it. Besides, by keeping yourself back, you’re only allowing him to win.”

  Olivia shot her a confused look, so she continued. “I’ve been doing a little reading up on stalking, and a lot of the sites mention they try to isolate their victim, get them to sever ties with their loved ones and remove themselves from their everyday, normal interactions.

  “It’s a form of control, Livvy. All it does is serve to fray the victim’s support system and make them more vulnerable. You can’t let that happen to you. I won’t let that happen between us, and you shouldn’t let it happen between you and Mason, either.”

  “Okay, okay…you have a good point. I’ll think about what you said, I promise.” She held her hand out. “Now, can I please have my keys so I can take my car home? It’s already been a really long day, and I still have to deal with the locksmith.”

  Liz gave her sister a hug, then handed her the keys. “There you go. Want me to come by later tonight?”

  Olivia gave her a smile. “Thanks, but no. I think what I’d really like is to just spend a quiet night at home and go to bed early. I’m exhausted. Maybe we can do something tomorrow? Or this weekend?”

  “That works. Let me know if anything else happens or if you find out anything new.”

  “Will do.”

  Once in her car, she pulled out of the parking lot and checked the rearview mirror to make sure Mason was behind her. As she pulled into her driveway, she noticed the locksmith’s truck was already waiting across the street.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Mason pulled up and parked behind the locksmith’s van. He quickly noted the company and snapped a picture of the license plate. It wouldn’t hurt to make sure the guy was legitimate—just in case.

  He walked up to where Olivia and the man were talking. She’d already begun explaining to him what she wanted done.

  “Okay, so you want me to replace the locks on both this front door and the kitchen door, and then install new deadbolts?”

  “Yes, please. About how long do you think that will take?”

  The balding, rotund man shrugged and stroked his chin. “Shouldn’t be too long, maybe an hour or two.”

  She cast a look at him. “Ok, great. This is Mason, he’s going to keep an eye on things,” She looked down at the red splattered across t
he front of her shirt. “I really need to get myself cleaned up. If you have any questions, just ask him.”

  Mason watched as she trudged up the stairs, and then nodded at the man standing in front of him. “Hi. I’m going to be in the living room if you need anything.”

  “No worries, I’ve got this. I’ll let you know if there are any problems.”

  With a final nod, he moved into the other room and pulled out his phone. First thing he did was check the website for the locksmith. Satisfied that everything was as it seemed, he called his captain in Boston.

  “Mason. Wasn’t expecting to hear from you until after the holidays. What’s up?”

  “Hey, Captain. I wanted to see if there were any new developments on the Mendez case. Have you guys been making any progress with it?”

  “Actually, it’s been going pretty slowly. You really shouldn’t be worrying about it, though. You’re not on active duty right now, remember?”

  Mason winced a little at the warning tone in the other man’s voice. “Yeah, I kind of had a feeling you’d say that. Actually, there’s a reason I’m bringing it up…” He took a moment to catch his captain up on the events that had been occurring in Maine.

  “Sounds like quite a situation you have up there.” The older man hesitated. “And you said there hasn’t been any evidence that can help support your suspicions this is him?”

  He moved over to the front of the living room and looked out the window at the quiet street. He noticed the day was already slowly turning to twilight. “Other than the similarities of the flowers and the speed with which this situation has progressed, all I have is my gut telling me it’s somehow related.”

  Captain Fields sighed, “Well, Mason, you know I used to work the streets, just the same as all of you guys, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a good cop should trust his gut.” He hedged, “Of course, if there’s no evidence, then my hands are tied.”

  “I know. I just wanted to make sure you’re aware of the situation. I was hoping you’d be willing to pass on any information you do have to the local PD here. Officer Thompson is the guy working the case, and he’s a good cop. Not to mention, he’s personally motivated to help solve this since he and Olivia are old high school friends.”