by Rose Pressey
“Bill, it’s me, Cece Cash. I live here, remember?”
I sure hoped he remembered me. He stared at me a moment as if he was trying to focus. His eyeglasses were thick and it was dark out here. I suppose I understood if he thought I was a burglar.
“I caught someone breaking into my house,” I said.
I hated to scare the whole neighborhood, but I had to tell him. He would most definitely tell everyone he came in contact with. The neighborhood would probably want me to leave once they found out.
Finally, he said, “What are you doing out here?”
“Like I said, someone broke into my place. I saw him come back here.”
“Did you call the police?” he asked.
“No, not yet.”
“You’d better call.” He looked around the yard.
My hands were still up in the air. Was he still suspicious of me?
“Can I put my hands down now?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, go ahead and put your hands down.” He waved the gun as he spoke and I ducked.
I was glad that the burglar hadn’t shown up while Bill was making me keep my hands in the air.
“I’m going to pick up my gun now. Do you want to stop pointing your gun at me?” I asked.
He lowered the gun. “Sorry. Where did the person who was in your house go?”
I pointed toward the path. “He went that way.”
“Did you get a good look at him?”
I shook my head. “No, it was dark.”
I didn’t even know if it was a man or woman. I picked up my gun. “Is it okay if I go call the police now?”
Though there was probably nothing they could do to help.
“Oh, sure, I can talk to the police too if they need me.”
“Thank you, Bill,” I said. “I will let you know if they need you.”
“You know, you should be more careful with who you talk to,” he said.
What was that supposed to mean? Did he think just because of my job that I attracted this kind of event? Okay, so maybe I was attracting this kind of event because of my job. I hardly had time to discuss this now though.
“I’ll make sure to keep this in mind,” I said.
“You know, a lot of neighbors are concerned,” he said as I walked away.
I’d figured as much. “I promise that everything is fine.”
I didn’t know why I’d said that because it really wasn’t fine. I had no way of guaranteeing that this wouldn’t happen again.
I went around the side of the house. My gun was still out as I walked to the front of the house to retrieve my phone. I dialed 911 for the second time within the last two hours. It was now two in the morning. I told the woman what had happened and she said police would be there shortly. As I paced waiting for the police to arrive, I rubbed the amulet dangling from around my neck between my fingers. I hoped that would help with protection from whatever bad vibes directed my way. I whispered a spell under my breath as I held the onyx between my fingers.
When the policeman arrived with his blue flashing lights, I could have definitely done without the sirens. Now all the neighbors would be awake and I would be the talk of the community all over again.
It hadn’t taken the police long to get there. Fifteen minutes was probably the best I could have hoped for. Luckily, it was a different officer this time, so he was a tad bit more understanding since I didn’t have Private Investigator plastered all over the windows. He still basically said there was nothing they could do. At least I had a report this time too. The neighbors had all come out to stand in their yards and watch. Bill was making the rounds, telling everyone what had happened. They all stared.
The officer was finishing up with the report as I stood on the sidewalk, waiting for him to wrap this up.
Mrs. Langley walked over to me. “Cece, can you tell me what is going on? Bill said there was a shootout.”
Oh, great. The exaggerations had already begun.
“Nothing like that happened. Somebody broke into my place,” I said.
“Oh, dear, this is not good.” She shook her head. “This scares me so much.”
I patted her arm. “It’s okay. I’m pretty sure that I was the specific target. I don’t think anyone else is in danger.”
She stepped away from me just a bit and glanced around. “What if they got the wrong place next time, dear? Are they really looking for you? People are beginning to talk. I think they might want you to move away from here.”
“But I like it here,” I said.
She gave me a sympathetic look, turned, and then walked away. She hadn’t said she wanted me to stay. Did they really want me to leave? How sad was that? I was being kicked out of the retirement village. What had happened to my life?
The policeman gave me a copy of the police report and then pulled away, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my life. Neighbors stared as I walked back inside. When I stepped inside, I took a look around at the mess.
Immediately I started picking up things, placing the sofa back in the correct spot and the pillows back where they belonged. I gathered papers from the floor and put books back onto the shelves. At first I hadn’t been going to tell Derek, but now I realized I needed someone to talk to. I sent him a text message. Not surprisingly he answered right away. I’d known he’d still be awake. He was probably at a party.
My phone alerted me to a text right away. Do you want me to come over?
That was a difficult question. Part of me wanted that very much, and then the other part of me didn’t want it at all.
I sent a message back. No. I’ll be fine. The doors are locked. Everything is secure. I’m going to bed.
As I lay under the sheets, staring at the ceiling again, I wondered if maybe I should call Derek. I needed somebody to talk to. Right now Derek was pretty much the only person I had. Sometimes I gave him a hard time, but it seemed as if he was my only friend in the city. Maybe I needed to be a little nicer to him. Maybe I would let him get to the scene first sometimes or pretend that he had been the one to find a clue. No, maybe that was going too far. I’d just give him a smile occasionally. Yeah, that might work.
Just then my phone rang. It was Derek. It was nice to hear his voice. We talked until sleep took over and I drifted off. At five o’clock in the morning I woke up to a knock on the door again. I couldn’t believe somebody was here. I’d only gotten a few hours of sleep and now somebody wanted to wake me. I hoped it wasn’t the burglar coming back. Surely the person wouldn’t knock. I wasn’t here the first time so maybe they had knocked first. Maybe that was their signature calling card. I eased out of bed and headed toward the front door.
When I answered, my neighbor Bill was there. A scowl covered his face. He still wore his blue pajamas and had the morning newspaper in his hand. What was he doing here so early?
“Good morning, Ms. Cash. I just wanted to let you know that I saw someone messing around your place a minute ago. He left down the street. I’m not sure what he was doing before that.”
“Did you get a look at the person?”
“Not really.”
That didn’t tell me much.
He pointed the newspaper at me. “I’m concerned with the things that happen to you.”
He meant the things that happen to me while I was living next door to him.
“I’ll take care of it. Thanks for letting me know.” I acted as if I wanted to close the door.
He stared for a moment, and then walked away. I peeked out, looking to the left and then the right. No sign of anyone so I went back inside. I needed coffee immediately.
Chapter 16
On my way to work my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but I decided to pick it up anyway. I hoped that it wasn’t a telemarketer trying to sell me a timeshare. Or telling me that I owed some kind of phony bill that had never even existed just to get money out of me.
“Hello?” I said reluctantly. “This is Cece Cash. May I help you?”
“Oh
, I didn’t expect you to answer. I thought I would get your voicemail,” the woman said.
“Well, you got me. What can I do for you?” I asked.
“You’re the private investigator, right?”
“Yes,” I said.
Why wasn’t she just coming right out and telling me what this was about? I was beginning to get nervous.
“My name is Cheryl and I have some information for you about the case that you’re working.”
“Which case?” I asked reluctantly.
“The guy who committed suicide… I may know something about what really happened to him.”
How had she gotten my number? “Do you want to share that information with me?” I asked.
“I’d really rather not do that over the phone. Can we meet somewhere and discuss it?”
After my office and house had been broken into I was hesitant not knowing this person’s identity. For the sake of solving the case, I would have to find out more.
“Sure, I can meet you. Where would you like to meet?”
I would only agree if it was someplace I felt safe. It would have to be on my terms.
“How about we meet at the Mimosa Café at the Paris Casino?” she asked.
I supposed that was on my terms, so I said, “Sure, what time is good for you?”
“I can be there in fifteen minutes. How does that work for you?”
I hadn’t been expecting it to be so soon, but I’d rather get this over with and find out what she had to tell me, so I agreed to meet her in fifteen minutes.
“How will I know who you are?” I asked.
“I know what you look like,” she said. “I’ll find you.”
For a brief moment, I contemplated telling Derek about where I was going, and maybe even asking if he wanted to join. Then I thought better of it. Besides, it would take him entirely too long to get there. Unless he was already at the casino, which was a distinct possibility. He would think that I was withholding information on purpose, and he would be right.
Ten minutes later I arrived at the parking lot for the Paris Casino. I walked past the other shops and restaurants until I finally came to the Mimosa Café. I entered the little space and looked around. Now I’d have to find someone and ask. Of course I had no idea who I was looking for. I decided to take a table by the front door just in case I needed to make a quick getaway.
Right away after I sat down the waiter came over. I ordered a lemonade and waited. How long would she keep me waiting?
After a couple more minutes, a woman walked through the side door. She paused at the door and looked around the room. I didn’t know why, but I had the feeling she was looking for me. She was dressed in white shorts, a pink tank, and white sandals like she was ready for the beach. After a couple seconds, she looked in my direction and headed toward me. This must be Cheryl. I’d never seen her before. How did she know me?
She reached the table and said, “Hi, Cece Cash? I’m Cheryl.”
“Have a seat.” I gestured.
She pulled up a chair and sat across from me. After setting her handbag on the table, she placed her hands on her lap, staring at me.
“So you want to tell me why you called me? What did you want to tell me?” I got straight to the point.
She pushed the chestnut-colored hair out of her eyes. “I do have information that might be important for the case. You should look into his ex-girlfriend. Either she did it herself or had someone else do it. She sent a lot of text messages to him.”
“How do you know that she sent text messages?” I asked.
“I was there when she sent a lot of them. I asked her if she thought that was excessive and she just seemed clueless about it. She didn’t want to acknowledge that she was sending too many messages. She thought it would make him want her more, but that wasn’t the case.”
“So he broke it off with her?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s when he broke up with her.”
“I guess she wasn’t happy about that?” I took a drink of my lemonade.
“You could say that. She went on a rant, throwing things around. She broke a lot of stuff. It took her quite a while to calm down, but then when she did, she said that it was no big deal. That everything would work out. She was oddly calm about it after everything she’d done before. It was strange behavior and it made me nervous, not only for my safety because I was around her, but for his too.”
The waiter came back to the table. “Would you like to order?”
I shook my head. “I’m good.”
Cheryl ordered food. I wouldn’t have time to chat over a meal.
After the waiter walked away, I asked, “Do you really think she would do something to him?”
“I think it’s a real possibility and that’s why I contacted you. Chuck said you were investigating the death. When I heard Paul was dead I immediately thought there was foul play involved.”
“Thanks for the information,” I said.
“Hey, no problem. I just hope that you can solve it. I just want to do my part, however small.”
I took a last sip from my glass and headed out the other door in the opposite direction. I really did appreciate the information. I wasn’t quite sure why she was telling me all that now. I needed to know where to go from here.
I’d only made it a short distance when I realized I’d left my phone. I really was becoming scatterbrained. What was wrong with me? I turned around and hurried back to the café. I hoped I got there before someone else found it and decided to keep it. I really didn’t need a lost phone today. Luckily, when I got back to the café and went inside, I spotted my phone still on the table where I’d left it. Cheryl wasn’t there. I grabbed it and headed back toward the door. When I looked to the right, I spotted Cheryl. She didn’t see me.
She was talking to a couple of men. Was she okay? They seemed awfully close. Too close in my opinion. Maybe I should go over and see if she needed my help. I moved over toward them. Cheryl still hadn’t looked my way. Neither had the men. She actually smiled while talking to them, so perhaps she was friends with them. Maybe I should just mind my own business. I inched over beside a palm tree and watched as they continued to talk. I supposed if she was comfortable talking with them, then it was none of my business.
I watched a couple more seconds. That was when one of the men grabbed her arm. She didn’t try to yank it away, but she didn’t look comfortable either. I had my hand on my phone ready to dial 911. I also had my gun at my side in case the situation became life or death. Maybe I was just too paranoid, but after some of the things I’d witnessed, it wasn’t too crazy to think something bad could happen. I needed to get a little closer so that I could hear what they were saying.
Just as I moved to go closer, the guy released his grip on her. She turned and walked away. Whew. I was glad they’d let her go and that she was walking away. Now I just had to make sure they didn’t follow her. The men watched her for a couple of seconds, but they didn’t go after her. They stood there and talked for a minute. I still wanted to know the subject of their intense conversation. They were so into it that I bet they wouldn’t even notice if I came closer to them.
Just as I’d taken one step the men glanced in my direction. Our eyes met. I knew my face gave me away. I couldn’t pass it off as a casual curiosity. My stomach twisted into a knot. What would I do now? The men moved forward. I turned around and ran. What did they want with me? I ran as fast as I could. I didn’t want a confrontation with these men. It was best just to get away. Though I supposed I should confront them. I stopped and turned around. The men weren’t behind me. Where had they gone? I scanned the area, but they were nowhere in sight.
Walking out of the casino, I headed over to the parking lot. I’d go back to the office and see what I could find out about the text messages sent to Paul. I’d have really liked to see those messages, but I was seriously doubting I’d ever get access to that information. There had to be a way that I could see them. I just had to have i
nside access.
Once back at the car, I slid in and immediately turned the air-conditioner on full blast. I clicked on the oldies station—listening to Elvis would help my mood. Once out of the parking area, I merged into the heavy traffic. I wondered if I should call George and let him know that I’d be a little bit late. Usually he sent a text if I was a minute late, so maybe I’d just wait for him. He enjoyed being able to text me.
A couple of minutes later, George sent a text. I managed to steer out of the congested traffic and onto the highway. I planned to swing by a couple of shops before I headed over to the office. I needed to pick up some office supplies.
As I was driving along, minding my own business, enjoying the music, a car in the lane beside me veered over into my space. My only choice was to swerve. I moved into the other lane, almost smashing other cars along the way. Finally, I ended up on the median with a bunch of cars honking at me. The silver car had cut me off on purpose. I just wasn’t sure why. Had I done something to the person? The abrupt movement of the car let me know that it had been deliberate.
I’d almost wrecked my car and caused a multicar accident. It took me a couple minutes of just sitting there to calm down enough to be able to pull back out onto the road. My adrenaline was really pumping. I worried that the car would come back for me. This wasn’t bumper cars and I wasn’t interested in playing games with this person. I’d gotten a good view of the car, but there was no time to get the license plate number.
After pulling back onto the highway, I soon realized by my shaking hands that I was still too upset to drive. At the next exit, I merged off. I wheeled in to the McDonald’s and parked my car. I should forget about the errands for now and just go back to the office. I inhaled and blew out a deep breath. I’d been cut off before, so why was I upset this time? I knew the reason… this had been different. I knew the person had meant me harm. It wasn’t simply an accident.
My phone alerted me to a text message.
Cece, you’re late. Where are you?
Derek always knew just the right time to contact me, whether on the phone or in person.
