Peril for Your Thoughts (Mind Reader Mystery)

by Kari Lee Townsend

  “Highly improper,” Yiayia agreed, tsking and shaking her head.

  “Twitter, Twitter, twitting about,” Frona jumped back on the bed. “Whee, I want to twit.”

  “You are a twit,” Eleni snapped, and Frona stuck out her tongue.

  “Look what it did to Jazlyn,” Ma continued. “Landed her floozy fanny in jail. You’ve already wound up in jail twice. I don’t want to see you wind up a floozy too, or worse, dead. That man looks downright scary if you ask me.”

  “It’s not the Twitter, it’s the Internet, and it’s called tweeting, but never mind that.” I swept my hand through the air, my energy sapped already. “And stop pacing. You’re making me dizzy.” My mother stopped walking and faced me. “What makes you think I met this man through online dating?” I asked warily.

  “Because he’s been asking for you all over town. It’s a good thing we have Ballases everywhere. He knows you’re Greek, and he knows your name is Ballas, but he obviously doesn’t know what you look like. At least you were smart enough not to post your picture. We’ve been running inference and sending him on wild goose chases all over town. He said he tried your number, but it’s disconnected.”

  “I changed my phone carrier, remember?” I had told my family and work, but no one else yet.

  “Of course I remember. How could I not?” My mother harrumphed. “First you leave me and now you cut me off. I can tell when I’m not wanted. My only daughter is trying to obliterate me right out of her life.”

  My yiayia patted my mother’s hand and gave me a disapproving look.

  “Ma, come on. You know I don’t want you out of my life. I didn’t cut you off. I just got on my own phone plan. I’m almost thirty. I figured it was time I got a life of my own.” Forget failure to launch. In my family you were condemned if you failed to stay.

  The scary part of this whole ordeal was trying to figure out who this guy was and how he had gotten my old cell phone number. Thank goodness I had changed it and he didn’t know what I looked like. I could work with that. I didn’t want to worry my mother by making her think there was a virtual stranger scary guy on the loose who was after me. He could be one of Scott’s enemies and out to stop me from looking into the case further. Or he could be one of Bobby’s enemies and maybe Bobby had been the real target all along. Or he could be the father of Wilma’s baby and trying to stop me from finding out. He could very well be the guy who broke into my house and attacked me last night.

  Oh my gosh, he could be the killer!

  In the meantime, I had to keep my mother from locking me up. If she knew the truth, she wouldn’t ask anymore. She would insist I go home with her, and she had enough backup to enforce her wishes. Not to mention Detective Dreamy was mad enough not to stop her from kidnapping me. Nope, for all our sakes, I would stick with the online dating angle and deal with the consequences that bit of information would bring.

  “You’re right, Ma. Bad idea on the whole online dating thing. I should have been more careful. But I don’t need Baldy anymore because now I have Detective Dreamy. Do me a favor and keep the bald man off my trail, would you? The last thing we both want is for him to interfere with my relationship with a nice Greek boy.”

  She was thrilled to have something to do. To have a purpose. To feel needed. I could tell she was on a mission. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’m on it,” she said to me, then turned to Dido. “Let’s rally the troops, Ma. It’s time to get to work. You know what to do.”

  And I knew what I had to do. I hated to admit it, but Nik was right. I didn’t feel safe one bit.

  “You were right,” I said, walking into Detective Steven’s office in the police station. I hadn’t been in there since he and Detective Matheson had questioned Jaz the morning of the murder. The walls were still white and the desks still bare of any personal effects. This really was a place of all business, which made it hard to talk about anything personal. But I knew I had to set the record straight for both our sakes, even though I still felt he’d overreacted. I just hoped he could move past everything that had happened because I still hadn’t given up on us.

  “Excuse me, what was that?” Nik asked, sitting back and locking his hands behind his head, getting comfy. “I couldn’t possibly have heard you. Could you repeat that?”

  “Very funny.” I walked inside and shut the door. Boomer wasn’t there, so it was now or never. I took a breath and then sat in the chair across from Nik, folding my hands in my lap so I wouldn’t fidget. I’d come straight from the hospital so I still had on my yoga pants and zip-up hoodie. Now I wished I had stopped home to don a suit. I would have felt much more confident saying, “You were right, and I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

  He slowly lowered his arms and stared hard at me. He had showered and donned his typical jeans, dress shirt, tie, and sport coat, clearly giving him the advantage. I couldn’t help it. I started to fidget until he finally made up his mind about something. He said, “Apology accepted.”

  I sighed, rubbing my temples.

  His gaze turned soft and concerned. “How are you feeling?”

  “A bit of a headache and a little sore throat, but I’ll live. And for the record, you overreacted big time. I didn’t call Max. I called 911. I wasn’t thinking straight and 911 was about all I could handle. Besides, do you really think I have your cell phone memorized?”

  “I’m an ass,” he said, and I blinked in surprise. “I figured that out once I went home and cooled off. “I’m the sorry one for acting like a jerk. I got jealous. I admit it. Jealous people sometimes do stupid things.” He cleared his throat, which suddenly sounded as hoarse as mine, before adding, “Truth is, I hated seeing you in another man’s arms. It wouldn’t have mattered who it was.”

  I read the sincerity in his eyes, and my body warmed with pleasure over his admission. I couldn’t help smiling a little on the inside as things were most definitely looking up. “Apology accepted,” I repeated his words softly and then bit my bottom lip.

  His gaze dropped to my mouth as he said, “Guess my pride was a little stung after you bolted on me the night before. I thought things were going well. I thought we were on the same page in wanting to see where things could go between us. I apologize if I was wrong.”

  “You weren’t wrong, and we were on the same page. We still are, I promise.” How did I say this without giving away that I could read his mind? I stood and started to pace. I might be adopted, but there were some things I definitely got from my mother. “I could just tell you weren’t totally focused on me,” I went on, talking with my hands. “You had a lot on your mind, so to speak. And you know I have quirks. This whole romance thing is hard for me. So in the future,” I paused to watch his intense gaze lock on mine, and then added, “make no mistake, Detective, there will be a future.”

  “I can live with that.” His grin came slow and sweet. “You were saying?”

  “In the future, do me a favor and don’t think about anything but me.” I could feel my face flush fire red but knew if we were going to have a chance at all, then I had to go for it. “And, um, think about exactly what you want to do to me. And don’t leave out any details.”

  “Seriously?” he asked, his eyebrows shooting sky-high as he stood.

  I backed up, but then shook off my embarrassment and conjured my inner Jaz as I added, “Definitely. Think you can handle that, big guy?”

  “Um, gee, let me think about that.” His gaze turned heated as he started walking around his desk, slowly stalking me. “When I kiss you next time, you want me to think in explicit detail about making love to you. About all the things I want to do to you. About every place I want to touch you, and kiss you, and—”

  “Yup, that’ll work!” I bumped into the wall behind me, trapped as I tried to calm my rapid heart rate and erratic breathing. “Trust me.”

  “Then trust me when I say, hell yeah I can handle that.” A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest as he came to a stop mere inches before me.

  I had
to admit I liked this lighter, more playful sexy side of him. “Good.” Feeling daring I said, “Care to give it a try right now?”

  “You never cease to amaze me, Ms. Ballas.”

  “Remember, think sexy,” I blurted breathlessly.

  “No problem there.” He braced his hands on the wall on both sides of my head and leaned in. His lips were a fraction of an inch from mine when someone knocked on the door. He closed his eyes, and I could see his cheek pulse as he ground his teeth, struggling for control. After a moment, he said in a husky voice, “Hold that thought.” Taking a step back, he barked, “Come in.”

  We just stood there by the wall, looking awkward and guilty of something even though nothing had happened yet as Boomer barged through the door. He looked at Nik and then at me and then raised his brows.

  “What’s up?” Nik asked. “What’s the emergency? And there’d better be an emergency.”

  “Oh, right.” Boomer shook off his confusion over us and refocused “Maria Danza has just been arrested.”

  “The hell you say,” Detective Stevens said, looking floored.

  “Why?” I asked in complete shock.

  “They found the murder weapon in her pastry shop,” Boomer explained, looking pleased to be the first one in the know.

  “So what does that mean?” I asked, unable to process what I was hearing.

  “It means, Jaz is a free woman,” Nik said, “and we just caught our killer.”

  CHAPTER 22

  * * *

  “Maria wants to speak with me?” I sputtered Friday evening, staring at Detective Matheson in shock. He’d dropped the bomb that Maria Danza had been arrested for the murder of Darrin Wilcox aka Scott Parks. They’d found the murder weapon in her pastry store, Sinfully Delicious, shortly after I was attacked earlier this morning.

  “That’s what she said,” Boomer replied, leaning against his desk in the office that he and Nik shared at the police station.

  “Why me?” Today was turning out to be one of the worst days of my life.

  “Don’t know, she didn’t say, but she does get one phone call. She didn’t want her lawyer or anyone else. Just you.”

  “Then why didn’t she call?” I asked, feeling light headed.

  “She tried,” he answered. “Seems no one knows your number these days.”

  “I do,” Nik said with a frown, looking from Boomer to me then back to him again.

  “My bad,” Boomer said, smirking, reminding me he still owed me payback for the Boy Wonder crack. If he told Nik about Baldy and the online dating misunderstanding, I’d holy smoke his Docker-clad behind.

  “You have my number, but most other people don’t,” I explained. “I recently switched to a new carrier and got on my own plan.”

  “I see.” Only, he didn’t look like he did. He still looked suspicious, and my glaring at Boomer was probably not helping.

  “What if Maria was the one who attacked me? Maybe she broke into our house to kill Jaz or kill me because I was getting too close? She could have stashed the murder weapon in her shop after she left my house. What if she wants to see me to finish the job?” I swallowed hard, not too proud to admit I was terrified.

  “It’s okay, Kalli. Calm down before you give yourself a panic attack. I will be right there with you.”

  “Negative,” Boomer said. “She wants to speak with her alone.”

  “You don’t have to do this, you know,” Nik said to me.

  “No, it’s okay,” I replied, taking a deep breath and striving to remain calm. I was the only one who could find out for sure if she was lying or not. I knew what I had to do, even if every ounce of my flesh recoiled at the thought. “I need to put this case to rest once and for all. I need closure. I just want this whole thing to be over, and maybe after today, it finally will be.”

  “Just know we’ll be right outside the door, and she’ll be in handcuffs. You so much as raise your voice, I’m coming in.”

  “Okay, and thanks.” I smiled at him. “For everything.”

  He nodded, and then Boomer led the way down the hall to the holding room with me in the middle and Nik bringing up the rear. Boomer knocked once and then went inside the room with Maria.

  Nik turned to me and rubbed my shoulders before I could object, then dropped his hands to his hips. “You sure you’re going to be okay?”

  “Yes. I’m ready. I think I actually need this.”

  “Okay. Just remember, it will all be over with very soon. I for one am looking forward to putting this whole thing behind us and moving on to whatever the future might have in store.”

  There was that word future again. I smiled with a mixture of hope and anticipation. “Me too.”

  The door opened. “She’s ready for you.” Boomer stepped outside and held the door for me.

  I took a moment to even my breathing, then held my head high and walked through the door. A resounding click sounded behind me, and I jolted, much to my frustration. The room was cold and white and empty except for a table and chairs. Maria sat at the table with her handcuffed hands in front of her, looking way more terrified than I felt. Somehow that put me instantly at ease. Something wasn’t right here. My gut was screaming for me to get to the bottom of it. She glanced up at me and promptly burst into tears.

  Something deep within pushed me forward and made me sit down across from her. “Maria, what’s wrong?” I asked, my heart melting for the very real and sincere distress written across her plump rosy cheeks. Yes, I wanted this case to be over with. And yes, I wanted Jaz’s name cleared. But not at the expense of another innocent victim taking the fall in her place. And every ounce of my being screamed this woman was innocent.

  “Everything!” she wailed. “No one believes me. I admit I don’t like Jaz, but come on. I’m a pissed-off jilted ex, not a murderer. And I think I’m even angrier at Johnny than I am at Jaz. I have no clue how that stupid gun wound up in my shop. I was just as surprised as the cops were when they got an anonymous tip. And of course I don’t have an alibi for early this morning when you were attacked, which I am so sorry about, by the way. No one deserves that.”

  “What happened?”

  “The truth of the matter is I live alone. I get up at the crack of dawn to bake, not attack people. Do they really think I am capable of that? The real attacker must have slipped the gun in my shop before I started baking this morning’s pastries. Can I prove it? No. What do I have to do, install security cameras too? I really didn’t think I needed them, but apparently every business is vulnerable in this town.”

  “Why did you ask to talk with me?”

  “I don’t know. Something I saw in your eyes the day we talked in my shop, I guess. You just seemed like you really wanted to get to the bottom of this case and find the truth. Jaz wants her freedom—which trust me, after today, I can’t blame her—and the police want this case closed, but you seem like the only person who really cares about seeking justice. Oh, my God, what if justice never happens? What if I go to prison for the rest of my life? I’ll die in there.”

  She started sobbing uncontrollably, so I did the unthinkable. I grabbed her hands and held on tight. Oh, please, God in heaven, let someone believe me. I’m innocent. I’ve lost my boyfriend, now I’m going to lose my freedom, and then I’ll lose my business. What did I do that was so wrong to deserve this? I’m a good person. Why don’t I deserve happiness? It’s not fair. None of this is fair.

  I felt her sincerity with every fiber of my being. I shuddered, then let go and stared at her with sheer determination. “It’s going to be okay, Maria.”

  “I-It is?” She hiccupped.

  “Yes. Because I believe you.”

  “B-But Jaz is your best friend.”

  “Yes, she is. But she too is innocent, and if I know Jaz, she would never stand for anyone being accused of something they didn’t do.”

  “I misjudged her.” Maria looked down, her face crumbling with shame. “Why is love so hard? I let a stupid guy cloud my
judgment.” She sniffed and looked up at me, holding her chin high. “Never again, I tell you. “If I get out of this mess in one piece, I will never again allow a man, of all things, to get in the way of the sisterhood and my common sense.”

  “Well said,” I replied with a squeeze to her hands before I let go. “And trust me when I say Jaz shares your sentiments. You two are more alike than either of you realize. Something tells me when this is all over with, you’re going to become fast friends.”

  She blinked, showing the first signs of hope. “You really think so? For some strange reason, you might be right.”

  “Yes, I do think so, and I know I’m right. This too shall pass, and we will prevail.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  I stared hard in her eyes, trying to give her enough hope to hang onto. “Because I won’t stop until I find the real killer. I can promise you that.”

  She wiped her tears away and nodded, sitting a little straighter and looking a whole lot stronger. We said our goodbyes and I left the holding room. Nik went in to talk to Maria briefly and then rejoined me.

  He smiled, studying me closely. “You look good. Your talk must have gone well. So, are we done now? Can we finally get on with our lives? You know, focus on the future?” His gaze held a sparkle that spoke volumes.

  “Absolutely,” I replied. “My talk went very well, and I am definitely ready to focus on the future, but we are so not done.”

  He blinked, and a look of wariness clouded his gaze. “What do you mean?”

  “Maria Danza might be a lot of things, but guilty of murder she is not. She didn’t do it, which means, dear detective … we still have a murderer in our midst.”

  “This has been the day from hell. I can’t believe he did it to me again,” I said to Jaz later that night while sitting out back on our deck, looking across the yard and over the new fence Nik had paid to have replaced. The sun was setting, but not as quickly these days, and the temperatures were growing warmer.