by Tim Myers
“Bradford, if they could get into my apartment, they wouldn’t leave the warning on the front door. I’m safer inside than I am in my car.”
“Blast it, Jennifer, listen to me. That door could be booby-trapped. Now do what I’m asking.”
“Fine, I’ll be in my car when you get here.” After we hung up, I stared at the wig a few more seconds, then hurried downstairs to the parking lot. If the killer had meant to put me on edge, then she’d done a marvelous job of it. I rushed back to my car, got in and locked the doors. Suddenly I found myself wishing for a bigger automobile, some kind of monster SUV that might give me more protection. But the Gremlin was all I had, and it would have to do.
I kept watching my apartment door, half expecting the killer to come out at any minute after Bradford’s alarming comments, so I nearly missed it when Sara Lynn showed up with a bagful of groceries in her arms. Rolling down my window, I called out, “Sis. Over here.” “What is it, Jennifer? This bag is heavy.”
“We can’t go inside right now,” I said as I unlocked he passenger door and popped it open.
“What is it, some kind of gas leak or something?” he asked as she hurried over to me. “It’s something else,” I said. After she was safely inside the Gremlin, I locked the doors. She looked at me a second, then said, “Would you mind telling me what this is all about?”
“Somebody left me a message on my door. I called Bradford, and he told me not to do anything until he got here.”
“What kind of message was it, Jennifer?” I repeated it, mentioning the wig, too. Sara Lynn whistled under her breath, something she always did when she was nervous or unsettled about something.
“Yes, calling Bradford was the right thing to do. Do you have the slightest idea about who’s doing this?” I was about to answer when our brother pulled up in his cruiser, slamming the car into place as he jumped out. I started to get out to join him when he said, “You two stay right there.”
Bradford pulled out his gun and started toward my apartment, then hesitated and came back. “Do you want me with you after all?” I asked. “I need your key,” he said. I started to protest when Sara Lynn said, “For heaven’s sake, take mine.” She thrust her keys out it window to him, and he nodded his thanks.
“Why did you do that?” I asked. “If we’d held a little longer, he might have let us come in with him.”
“Jennifer, sometimes you are reckless beyond belief. Our brother’s a trained police officer, he’s got a gun and he knows how to use it, and you want to along to see what he’s doing. This isn’t a scavenger hunt or a church picnic; someone means you harm.” I hated it when my sister lectured me, especial when I deserved it. “It’s my life that’s being threatened, not his or yours, either, for that matter. I have a right to be in on this. I know Bradford’s a good sheriff, but he’s not infallible. There might be something he misses.”
“Then you’ll see it and point it out to him. I’m positive of that. In the meantime, let’s allow him assess the situation and determine if there’s a threat or not.”
“Sara Lynn, you’ve been watching crime shows on television again, haven’t you?”
My sister, an avid reader who vehemently denies ever watching television on general principle, nodded “I’m addicted to Law and Order, I confess, but that’s beside the point.” She looked up toward my apartment and said, “It appears that Bradford is signaling for us to come upstairs.” We met him at the door. “Ladies, don’t touch anything. I want Jim to come over and get some photographs for the record.” “You mean they got inside?” I asked, suddenly feeling hollow. I couldn’t stand the thought of someone violating my space. Well, anyone but my family. “No, your apartment hasn’t been touched. I was talking about the front door.” Sara Lynn said, “I’ve got to get some of these groceries in the freezer before they melt. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
Bradford said, “Go right ahead.” After Sara Lynn was gone, I took a step closer to the door and studied the wig for a few moments. That’s not the wig I borrowed from Lillian.”
“I didn’t think it was,” Bradford said. “But it still shows that the killer saw through your disguise when we went inside the crime scene. She knows who you are, Jennifer.”
“Yes, but she doesn’t know that Lillian played a part in it. I’m guessing that whoever saw me didn’t see our aunt, so that must mean that whoever was at the house where the murder took place wasn’t at Tina’s home.”
Bradford grabbed his cell phone, and I didn’t even have to ask who he was calling. After a minute, I heard him leave a message. “Lillian, call me on my cell phone as soon as you get this. Don’t worry about the time, okay?”
“You think she might be in trouble, too?” I asked. “I’ll never forgive myself if something I’ve done puts her in danger.”
“Take it easy, Jen. I’m just touching all the bases right now. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“So what do we do now?” I asked.
“Like I said, Jim’s coming by with his camera so he can get some good shots of this door. Then we’ll bag the wig and save it for evidence.”
“That’s it?” I asked.
“What else do you suggest I do, Jennifer? I can’t afford to guard you around the clock, and you won’t leave your apartment or your store. I’m doing the best I can.”
“I know you are,” I said, ashamed at my outburst. “I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just so frustrating.”
“Welcome to my world,” Bradford said.
Sara Lynn rejoined us. “Bradford, why don’t stay and have dinner with us? It will be just like old times.”
He looked like he was tempted by the offer. “I’d love to, but Cindy will have my hide if I skip out on her. This diet she’s got me on is killing me.” He frowned for a second, then asked, “What are you having?”
“Oh, nothing special. I’m throwing together some meat loaf, scalloped potatoes and green beans. We’re having a special treat for dessert. There’s going to be plenty for you, too, if you’d like to stay.”
He looked at me. “Jennifer, would you feel better if I hung around here awhile?”
The pleading in his gaze was obvious. “It would help,” I said.
“That’s all I need, then. Cindy will have to understand that. After all, it’s family.”
He turned his back to us and called home on his cell phone. Sara Lynn smiled brightly when I said, “That was cruel. You know he’s on a diet.”
“Nonsense, he doesn’t need to lose weight. He’s big-boned. Now I’d better get started on dinner, will be wonderful being together again.”
“Sara Lynn, we’re together all the time,” I protested.
“Not like this, without work or our spouses or the errant murderer thrown into the mix. It will just be the three of us.”
I could swear I heard her humming as she went back inside the apartment. My sister was big on family, but it was an odd thing. While our parents had been alive, she’d been just as reluctant to spend free time with us. But as soon as she was the oldest member of our immediate family, Sara Lynn became a demon for get-togethers and family time. Lillian wasn’t always invited to our little mini reunions, and I understood why. As much as I loved our aunt, she wasn’t a part of our core, the three of us. Sara Lynn, ii Bradford and I had gone through quite a lot together, both good and bad, and somehow I always felt better knowing that they were close by. I Bradford hung up and looked at me. “I guess you heard all of that, huh?”
“To be honest with you, I was thinking about something else. Did she give you a hard time?”
“She actually accused me of making excuses so I wouldn’t have to eat at home. Imagine me turning down a tofu burger so I could get meat loaf.” His grin was so big he could barely contain it. “I, for one, do find it hard to believe.”
“Listen, do you mind staying out here and watching the door until Jim shows up? I need to talk to Sara Lynn about something. I’ll be here in a second if you need me.”
&
nbsp; “Go ahead,” I said. “I’m fine.” He patted my shoulder. “I know you will be. Besides, you’ve just gotten the warning; I can’t imagine you being in any real danger yet.”
“Thanks, you’re all heart,” I said as I sat down on the top step and looked out into the growing night, amazed that Rebel Forge could look so calm and peaceful from a distance. There was a killer loose somewhere out there, and I wondered if she was watching me now. What did that warning mean? I hadn’t done anything productive to help my brother with his investigation. So why had the killer chosen this particular method of communication? If I could unmask her, I would do it without fear or hesitation, but in all honesty, I didn’t have a clue who might have killed Tina. A thought suddenly struck me. Could the murder be tied in to the upcoming wedding somehow? If the killer was watching my shop, seeing the mothers of both bride and groom visit me might give her the impression that I was looking into the murder more actively than I was actually doing. What was I supposed to do, though, bar anyone from coming in who had the slightest connection to the happy couple? That gave me an idea. If the killer thought I was getting closer, then I had to be on the right track; chances were, Tina’s murder had to be tied in to the wedding. But could I go to Bradford with that suspicion, and more importantly, would he take it seriously? I kind of doubted it. No, if that connection was right, I was the one in the best position to use it and find the murderer. I’d never been discouraged by threats. If anything, they would just make me dig my heels in more.
I was still thinking about the possibilities when I saw someone coming up the steps toward me. Instead of Jim, Wayne Davidson was there, a camera slung around his neck, ready to take pictures of my front door.
“I thought Jim was coming,” I said, not at all happy to see Wayne coming to my apartment again for any reason.
“Nice to see you, too, Jennifer. Jim was buried in paperwork, so I volunteered to come by.” He looked around, then asked, “Where’s the sheriff?”
“He’s inside. Would you like me to get him for you?”
“No, that’s fine. I know the drill.” As he got ready to take the photographs, my first instinct was to go inside where my family was. Then I thought about what Corrine had told me, and I realized this could be the perfect time to reconcile the two versions of Wayne I’d been hearing about lately.
As he lined up a shot, I said, “I ran into an old girlfriend of yours this week.”
“Yeah? It wouldn’t take much around here. Rebel Forge isn’t all that big, and the dating pool is kind of shallow.”
I waited until he snapped his first picture, then said, “Actually, she hasn’t lived in town for a while. She’s been away at college.”
Wayne had been ready to take another photograph, but he lowered the camera and stared at me with a glare that chilled me. “What did she say?”
I was getting nervous being with him. “Nothing important,” I said as I eased toward my door. My s apartment had been built like a bomb shelter, and while I usually relished the sound protection offered inside it, I was wishing for paper-thin walls so my brother could hear me if I got in trouble. Wayne stepped forward, cutting off my way inside. “I asked you a question, Jennifer. What did she tell you?”
He was so close I could smell the slightest trace of liquor on his breath. It appeared that Wayne was the kind of man who got mean when he started drinking, and I didn’t want to do anything to set him off. “She told me you just broke up with her. Corrine seemed surprised by your excuse.”
For some reason Wayne looked relieved by the admission. “Yeah, well, it was a long time coming.” He kicked off and started to shoot again.
“Why were you so upset about her saying anything o me?”
“I don’t like people talking about me behind my back, that’s all,” he said nonchalantly.
“Aren’t you a little old to be dating college girls?” I asked him, wondering why he’d reacted so strongly to my earlier statement.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, there aren’t a lot of women my age in town. Why, are you interested after all? If you changed your mind, I’d still like to take you out.”
Great. It looked like if I gave him the slightest encouragement, I was going to get a stalker of my very own. “Thanks, but no thanks. The reasons I told you before still hold. I don’t have the time or the interest to date right now.”
He shook his head slightly, whispered something under his breath, then went back to taking photographs. I was just about to push him a little more when; my door opened and Bradford walked out. “What are you doing here?” he rumbled at Wayne. “You’re off duty.”
“I was hanging around the station when you called and Jim was loaded down with paperwork. No big deal, I was happy to come.”
Bradford took the camera from him and said, “Go home, Wayne. I’ll see you in the morning.” He studied his deputy’s appearance, then asked, “Do you need a ride?”
Wayne waved his hand at Bradford, then walked away.
I said, “He’s been drinking. You know that, don’t; you?”
My brother shrugged. “I can’t babysit all my men, Jennifer. Wayne’s working his way through some problems. He’s been like this the last couple of days but I’m hoping he snaps out of it on his own.”
“So you’re letting him drive around town drunk?”
“I doubt he’s drunk, but what do you expect me to do, arrest one of my own officers for having a drink now and then? They’re not Boy Scouts, Jennifer, you can’t make them behave themselves when they’re off duty.”
“I know that, but you can keep them off the road when they’re drunk.”
He started down the stairs, and I called out, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to follow him home to make sure he gets there all right. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Don’t start without me.”
“What am I supposed to do in the meantime?” I asked.
“Guard the door until I get back. I need to up with the photographs. Then I have to collect evidence.”
Before I could protest, he was gone. Now what? I couldn’t go inside, but I was tired of sitting on the stairs waiting. I had half a mind to go in anyway and take my chances, but I knew what would happen when Bradford got back, and I didn’t want to have to tell my brother why I’d disregarded his orders.
He was back sooner than I expected, carrying a fishing tackle box in one hand. I asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head as he put the box down and opened it up. “I was kind of hoping Wayne would drive home a little slower and straighter than he did. I’m going to have to have a talk with that boy first thing tomorrow morning. Whatever is eating him, he’s going to have to just get over it. Now, let’s get these pictures taken so we can eat.”
Bradford shot a whole roll of film on the door in no time flat, and after he handed me the camera, he removed a large bag and a pair of pliers from his tackle box. I watched him as he pulled the nail, then caught the wig before it could fall. After both pieces of evidence were safely sealed and labeled, he took a swab and dabbed at the lettering. I watched in surprise as Bradford studied the end of the swab, then took a sniff of it.
He shook his head as he bagged that, too. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know, but I asked him anyway. “Is it blood?”
HANDCRAFTED CARD-MAKING TIP
For nature lovers, it can be great fun incorporating autumn leaves, bits of curled tree bark, even a flat stone with interesting markings on it, into the front of your card.
Chapter 12
Bradford rolled his eyes slightly as he answered, “No, somebody used ketchup to write with. If that hadn’t been nailed to your door, I would swear this was just a bad prank. Why don’t you get some detergent and we can clean this right up.”
“I’ll be right back,” I said as I went inside. Sari Lynn was fussing as she peeked into my oven. The aromas coming from my kitchen were wonderful. Then my sister opened her mouth and spoiled it. “Jenn
ifer, your thermostat is way off. You need a new one.”
I’d never noticed a problem with it, but then again, Sara Lynn was a fussier cook than I was. “I don’t have any trouble with it.”
I moved past her and grabbed a bottle of clean and a handful of paper towels. “What are you going to do with those?” she asked me.
“I’m going to clean up that threat before we get ants. It was written in ketchup, can you believe that?
“Don’t discount the message just because of the medium,” she said. “We have a brother in law enforcement. Let him do his job.”
“For your information, big sister, he asked me clean it up himself.”
Sara Lynn clucked at me. “Now don’t get defensive with me, young lady. You know I only care for your safety.”
“Sometimes I wish you didn’t care quite so much,” I said.
Sara Lynn’s eyebrows elevated, but to her credit, she didn’t reply.
I went back outside and tried to hand the cleaner to my brother. When he wouldn’t take it, I said, “Hey, aren’t you the one who’s supposed to clean up a crime scene?”
“It’s all been documented,” he said. “Now it’s just mess on your door. Besides, if word got back to Cindy that a bottle of cleaner fit my hand, she’d never let me hear the end of it.”
“You’re such a sissy,” I said as I sprayed the door and wiped it clean. The only evidence of what had been there before was a small nail hole in my door. “So what do we do now?” I asked as I wadded up the dirty paper towels.
“Hopefully we’re about ready to eat,” Bradford said.
“I’m talking about this threat,” I said. “And you know it.”
“Jennifer, I’m doing all I can. Just watch your step, okay?”
I sighed. “That’s all I seem to be doing lately. I just hate the idea that somebody’s threatening me like this.”
“I’m not too happy about it, either, but until we catch this woman, there’s not much else we can do. Now, let’s go inside and forget about this for a while. I’m starving, how about you?”
