Literally Stalked

by Eryn Scott

  Liv and I got out, shielding our eyes as the sun reflected off the snowy grounds surrounding the barn. I kept Hammy on her leash, worried she might slip under the fence and try to make friends with the horses and their large hooves.

  The left side of the barn was where the horse paddocks linked up with the stalls. Horses in hunter-green blankets eyed us as they rested in the evening sun. We walked in the opposite direction, toward the right side of the building and up a set of stairs that led to a doorway.

  We’d made such a racket clomping up the steps, there was no need for me to knock, but I did so anyway.

  And then I knocked again.

  I was about to knock a third time when the door swung open. Emerson stood on the other side.

  “Pepper?” He peered at me as if he’d been locked inside this attic for a great many years like Bertha Mason in Thornfield Hall.

  Exhaling in relief, I smiled. After how he’d stormed in and out of the store the other day, I wondered if he even remembered me.

  “Hi, Emerson. I wanted to come by to check on you, see how you’re—” My voice cut out, more emotion than I had expected wound tight around my throat.

  Andrea was cementing herself as my number one suspect, if I was being honest with myself, so talking to Emerson had now become more about proving his innocence than anything else.

  His eyes were stormy as he took me in, Liv, and Hammy too. But like gray clouds after a tempest, his expression slowly cleared.

  “Uh, yeah. Come in.” He stepped aside to let us in.

  I thanked my lucky stars for his good manners. He’d been taught to entertain, to put on a happy face, even when everything was falling apart.

  “Sorry, is it okay for us to have Hammy in here?” I asked.

  “Yeah, the person who used to live here had a dog too, so it’s cool.” Emerson’s mouth tugged up into a smile. “Did you name your dog after a pork product?”

  I pursed my lips. “Um… technically beef. Her full name is Hamburger. My niece named her.”

  Liv coughed and turned to shut the door, but it was mostly to hide her grin.

  “This is my friend, Liv.” I motioned to her as she turned around.

  Emerson’s eyebrows twitched, and he looked Liv up and down. She was still wearing her business attire from work, today sporting sleek black pants and a rose-colored blouse that highlighted the light-pink streak we’d attempted to put in her blonde hair last week. I almost rolled my eyes at how obviously he was checking her out—not that I blamed him; my best friend was a knockout.

  He cleared his throat. “Here, have a seat,” he said, showing us to a tweed couch that looked like it was more expensive than Liv’s car.

  I set Hammy on the floor but kept her leash short so she wouldn’t go too far. The carriage house may have been above the barn, but there was nothing barnlike about it. It was gorgeous and from this height, had an almost panoramic view of the whole property.

  We settled onto the couch in the small living room, equipped with a fireplace, sliding glass door that opened onto a porch overlooking the paddocks, and a beautiful stone coffee table. Behind us was a full kitchen and beyond that a hallway that looked to have at least three doorways.

  Realizing she couldn’t explore like she wanted, Hammy sat on my foot, tongue lolling as she panted up at me, highlighting the awkward silence.

  “Are your parents coming into town?” I asked, folding my hands in my lap. I haven't heard anything about a funeral yet, but the police would have to finish their investigation before they release his body.

  Emerson nodded, bringing me back to the question I’d asked. He perched on a leather chair across from us. “They were at their villa in Italy, so it’s taking them a bit, but they’ll be here tomorrow.” His eyes strayed back to Liv, having answered my question.

  Liv, none the wiser, looked around her like she was making decorating notes for her new house.

  “The town is just… devastated, Emerson.” My face pulled into a grimace.

  His shoulders lowered along with his gaze.

  “I keep thinking, who could’ve done this? He was so well liked.” I sighed.

  Emerson dipped his head in agreement.

  “You don’t have any idea, do you? Were you around? Had he gotten into any fights?” I let each question tiptoe out so as not to scare him away.

  When Emerson finally looked up, his face was almost red.

  Uh oh, I’ve made him mad, I thought to myself, recalling the knife set Nate had described. I made a quick plan to get out of here as soon as possible.

  But what he said froze any thoughts in my mind.

  “Do you believe in ghosts?” he asked.

  Remembering the armful of books he’d purchased from me the other day, I glanced over at Liv. “Um…”

  “Of course you don’t. It’s stupid.” He shook his head. “And to answer your question, no one hated Cole. He was annoyingly likable.”

  Hammy stood and growled as my body tensed. Her attention locked onto Emerson in blame, knowing her Auntie Olivia wasn’t the cause of my worry.

  Emerson laughed—not a reaction one wants toward their beloved protector. “Sorry, Beef, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It's Hammy.” I pulled her into my lap, the incorrect name reminding me of when Alex had first met her. He called her Hot Dog or Ham Sandwich, until he inevitably fell in love with her.

  Thinking of Alex also reminded me that he would be pretty unhappy if he found out I was here. He hadn’t specifically told me not to investigate, but after Emerson’s angry outburst, I realized this wouldn’t qualify as staying safe like I promised Alex I would. Now that I was here, I needed to make this visit count instead of running away at the first sign of trouble. I looked at Liv who was watching me, waiting for any cues.

  Pulling in a deep breath, I asked, “Emerson, what happened during Thanksgiving break of your junior year?”

  His face froze in surprise. “What?”

  “You and Cole were like oil and water at the best of times, but after that break you came back like oil and fire, ready to combust anytime you were in the same room.” I scrunched my fingers into Hammy’s fur so he wouldn’t see them shake.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t matter. When the surprise cleared from his expression, all that was left was a dark fury that made my spine straighten. He stood, clenching his fists.

  “You should go.” The words were clipped, as tight as his jaw.

  Liv and I shared an uneasy glance before following him as he walked to the door, whipping it open.

  “My brother is dead. I don’t have the time for some Nancy Drew wannabe sniffing around here.” He raised his eyebrows and motioned to the porch.

  We stepped through. “I’m sorry if I said something to upset you, Em—” I started, but the door slammed shut, cutting me off.

  Hammy barked and wheeled her legs as if she might run after him—or, more likely, away—if I wasn’t holding her. Liv patted the dog’s head and slipped an arm through mine as we made our way down the steps and back toward the car.

  “Sorry, Peps,” she said as she started the engine.

  “Why?” I asked as she backed up.

  Her forehead creased as she eased the car forward. “Because we didn’t learn anything.”

  I clicked my tongue. “Liv, Emerson acted as eager to get rid of us as Rochester was to wed Jane the first time.”

  Liv blinked. “Which means?”

  “He’s hiding something, and even though I don’t know what that is, I'm sure I was right; it has to do with that Thanksgiving break. Which means I was wrong about Emerson. Andrea just found herself a competitor for our number one suspect.”

  13

  Liv and I were halfway home when her phone buzzed in the center console.

  “Would you mind reading that?” she asked, keeping her focus on the road.

  Nodding, I picked up the phone. “Carson says, At the hardware store. Don’t hurry home.”

  She sighe
d.

  “Do you want me to write anything back to him?” I asked cautiously.

  “Something like, See you for dinner?” Shrugging, Liv took a right on the road that would take us back to downtown Pine Crest.

  I did so.

  Three dots appeared as Carson typed a response.

  “What’d he say?” she asked after a moment.

  I cleared my throat. “Uh… he hasn’t, yet. But it looks like he’s typing something.”

  The three dots vanished, then reappeared.

  “Oh, maybe not. Wait. Yes, he’s typing again.”

  Liv’s fingers tightened on the wheel.

  Finally, a text came through. I gulped. “He says, Sure.”

  “Sure?”

  “Sure.”

  “That was a long time to type the word sure.” She narrowed her eyes as the university campus came into view. We would pass by the hardware store in a few blocks.

  “Maybe he was driving?” I suggested.

  “But he said at the hardware store, didn’t he?” She looked over at me.

  I scrolled up to clarify. “He did. At, not on his way.”

  All conversation ceased as we craned our necks to peek into the hardware store parking lot.

  Carson’s car wasn’t there.

  “That’s weird,” I said, hoping the discomfort in my tone was less noticeable to Liv than it was to me.

  “Not as weird as that,” she said flatly, pointing to Carson walking into Bittersweet, holding the door open for a woman. He turned to glance over his shoulder.

  Liv sped past before he spotted us, gunning the accelerator as if we were being chased, but she took a quick right after the café, screeching to a halt in one of the open parking spaces. Her fingers shook.

  “I knew it.” Her gaze landed on mine.

  My heart broke at the pain behind her eyes.

  “Liv…” I wanted to say something reassuring, but I couldn’t find anything positive about what we’d just seen.

  Putting the car into park and turning it off, she unbuckled. “That’s it. I’m going to confront him.”

  “Hold on.” I put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Let’s think this through first. We don’t want to pull a Gilbert.” I took a deep breath, hoping it might inspire her to do the same.

  She stared at me in confusion. “Who?”

  “Gilbert Markham, from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall,” I said. Seeing she still didn’t understand, I added, “He thought the woman he loved, Helen, was seeing her landlord, Frederick, in secret. An angry Gilbert confronts Frederick and hits him so hard the poor guy falls off his horse and almost dies. It’s only after that Gilbert finds out Frederick is actually Helen’s brother, and he’s helping her hide from her unstable husband.” I turned to Liv. “Any chance Carson has a long-lost sister he might be helping?”

  “No. Just the one I already know about, and that wasn’t her.”

  I chewed on my lip. “Okay, so it’s not his sister. And that’s not the hardware store.”

  “Which means I need to go confront him,” Liv said impatiently.

  Hammy whined from the back seat as if she sensed the tension building up in the car.

  “Or”—I unfurled my hand in a flourish, hoping it might add some pizazz to my suggestion—“we could investigate a little more before we go in there, guns blazing.”

  Not used to Old West references coming from my lips, Liv balked, but only momentarily. “We're good at investigating. But he’s definitely going to notice us.”

  I held up a finger. “Don’t worry. I have a man on the inside.”

  With the windows cracked for Hammy, we slunk into the alley behind the café. I glanced down at my phone, impatient. Even with our winter coats, it was freezing outside.

  Bittersweet’s back door opened just before I gave up hope. Nate’s tall form leaned out into the alley. His almost black eyes sparkled as they landed on us.

  “Good evening, ladies.” He smiled that curly-lipped grin of his. “Fill me in on this clandestine task of ours.” He rubbed his long hands together like an evil villain from an old movie who’s entrapped the hero.

  Liv and I stayed silent for a beat—I can’t speak for her, but I was definitely waiting for him to let out a malevolent muahaha.

  When he didn’t, I said, “Okay, Nate. Carson is in there with a girl. We need to know who she is.”

  “And why he would lie about meeting with her,” Liv blurted out.

  Jabbing her with my elbow, I eyed her in warning. Nate was one of the worst people to tell secrets to, so I’d been trying to keep as much of our predicament as was possible a mystery.

  Nate’s eyes widened in understanding—at least, I hoped that’s what the expression meant—and he nodded. He touched a spindly finger to his nose before disappearing into the café. We waited for a few minutes, pacing around the, thankfully, clean alley to keep ourselves warm, before the door opened again.

  Carson stepped outside, body language tight and wary. He glanced over one shoulder before catching sight of us. Liv and I panicked, running into each other as we each attempted fleeing in the opposite direction. Quickly realizing escape was not an option, we turned to face Carson, head on. Liv’s cheeks reddened, mirroring the heat flushing mine.

  “Liv? Pepper?” Carson’s face slackened with relief. He laughed and ran a hand over his features, smiling. “Sorry, I’m relieved. I had no idea why Nate asked me to come out back. Well, that’s not true. I had a few… terrible ideas.” He shivered.

  Unable to share any of Carson’s relief, I wanted to slap my hand onto my forehead. Nate! In what universe did this solve our problem?

  “Hey, Carson.” I forced my face into a smile. “We were—uh—just checking if Nate had any…” I glanced around, noticing a pile of cardboard to my right. “Recycling.”

  His eyebrows rose. He followed my gaze.

  “We’re spearheading a recycling program to help… underrepresented…” I gulped.

  “Why’d you lie?” Liv stepped forward, finding her voice.

  As awkward as this was about to get, I inwardly thanked her. I hadn’t been doing any better.

  “And who is she?” She tacked the second question onto the first.

  Carson’s face lost all color again as he realized he hadn’t quite avoided danger after all. “Liv, I’m sorry. It’s not what you think. She’s from work.”

  Liv put a hand on her hip as she listened to him stumble, a silent warning not to mess with her.

  “I was at the hardware store, but I got a call from our recruitment office asking if I could meet a potential student. They said she was on the fence and wanted me to take her somewhere downtown that might persuade her to come to this campus.” His forehead wrinkled in concern as he watched Liv.

  Her hand fell from her hip. “Truthfully?” she asked, the warning not entirely gone from her voice.

  Carson nodded. “And I’m realizing that the longer I leave her with Nate, the less likely it is that she will want to come here.” He backed up two tentative steps, glancing at the building.

  Liv huffed out a breath. “Okay, go.”

  He held her gaze for a moment more before running around to the front again. He wasn’t gone more than a few moments before the back door creaked open once more. Nate stepped out, hands clasped behind his back. He pursed his lips together as if holding an invisible toothpick in the center.

  “So?” I said, covering the distance between us. Liv’s footsteps were right behind me. “Did you find anything out?” I skipped mentioning that we had also wanted Carson to remain unaware of our presence, knowing it was moot at that point.

  “I did.” He inclined his head toward us. “Her name is Justine Connell, and she is a prospective Northern Washington University student.”

  My shoulders released from their tensed position, and Liv let out a whoosh of relieved air.

  Nate smirked. “Once Carson was out of the picture, she sang like a regular songbird.”

  �
�What did you tell Carson to get him to come out here?” Liv asked, curiosity dripping from her question.

  “Ah! I merely informed him that there was a surprise just for him in the alley.” Nate winked, as I’m sure he had also done when telling Carson.

  Liv and I covered our mouths to hide our barely contained laughter. No wonder the poor guy seemed like he was walking into a trap.

  Locking her arm through mine, Liv moved toward her car. “Okay, well, thanks for your help, Nate. We’ve gotta get going.”

  We waved over our shoulders and were greeted by Hammy’s smiling face from the car window as we emerged onto the sidewalk. I gave Ham a scratch behind the ear for being such a good girl when we climbed inside.

  “Well, at least that mystery is solved.” I buckled my seat belt.

  Any happiness flitted away as I looked over at Liv. Her fingers gripped the steering wheel as if it were her only lifeline. She focused on something past the windshield.

  “Hey.” I put a hand on her shoulder.

  She met my gaze, her forehead creased in worry. “It’s almost worse this way.”

  “Oh no,” I tried to make my voice sound sympathetic, instead of confused. “How is finding out your boyfriend isn’t cheating on you worse, again?” I tapped my finger on my lip.

  “Because it explains today, but not the last week. If he’s not cheating on me, then maybe it means he really doesn’t want to live with me.” Between the wobble in her usually steady voice and the moisture collecting along the edges of her eyes, it was clear this was far from over.

  “Or…” I dragged out the word, as if reeling her back to me. “He’s going through something he’s not ready to talk about yet. Moving hasn’t been easy for you either.” I gave her a pointed look.

  Sniffing, she swiped at the corner of her eye. “I suppose.”

  Over the past few days, she’d texted me approximately twenty-seven videos of Hammy and our old apartment attached to lines like “Remember when…” or “I can’t believe this was a year ago already!”

  As if knowing she needed some encouragement, Hammy jumped forward onto the center console and licked Liv’s cheek. She laughed.