Peril for Your Thoughts (Mind Reader Mystery)

by Kari Lee Townsend

  “Let me guess,” Jaz said as she joined me with a glass of wine for each of us, “you must be referring to Detective Dreamy. What did he do this time?”

  Nik’s sliding door opened. He let Wolfgang out, who whined when he saw us, causing Prissy to hiss loudly and drawing Nik’s gaze to our side of the yard. He smiled and waved. Jaz waved back, but I turned away, staring straight into our side of the yard. I heard his grunt, then I heard the door close.

  “He insulted me again.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t mean to. I do know from my conversations with Boomer that the chief wants this case wrapped up quickly. They are under a tremendous amount of pressure. Even if they have any nagging doubts or want to believe Maria didn’t do it, they are being pushed into wrapping up this case.”

  “By putting an innocent person behind bars? Maria didn’t kill anyone, and she’s not the one who broke into our apartment.”

  “How did my gun get in her shop?”

  “The real culprit must be trying to set her up. I’m thinking my attacker is probably the same person who broke into your car and the house the first time, and most likely, the same person who killed Scott. I’m telling you, I held Maria’s hands and heard her thoughts. She really was home at the time, but no one will believe her. I know how she feels. No one wants to believe me either.”

  “Come on, Kalli, you know I believe you.”

  “Yeah, because you know about my gift. Detective Drive-Me-Crazy doesn’t. Is it too much for him to go on blind faith? To trust my gut? He didn’t say the words exactly, but it was pretty clear he would trust his own instincts and even Boomer’s but not mine because I’m not a real cop. And he can’t understand why I’m not dropping this and jeopardizing your freedom.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. The last thing I want is for anyone, even Maria, to fall on a sword for me. The truth always comes out. In the meantime, you keep digging. If anyone can figure this thing out, you can, from your sheer stubborn determination to prove Dreamy wrong.” She held up her glass.

  “Thanks, I think.” I laughed, clinking my glass to hers.

  “So, I take it your date night is off?”

  “Um, yeah. You could say so. I’m keeping my head in the present, living for today, so to speak. I’m beginning to think the future is highly overrated.” I took a sip of wine. “Let’s back up a step. Tell me more about these conversations with Boomer that you’ve had lately. Dare I ask if you engaged in pillow talk?”

  “Trust me when I say the past is anything but overrated, yet far too dangerous to relive. Let’s just say based on experience if we were on the same pillow, we wouldn’t be talking.” She sighed wistfully. “Nope, these days our conversations are more of a factual nature.”

  “Really? And what facts did you discuss?”

  “Turns out Scott wasn’t the only twin with an addiction. Bobby was addicted to drugs. I guess his allowance from his grandfather wasn’t enough to supply his habit, so he started dealing. After some kid overdosed on drugs he got from Bobby, their grandfather covered it up and sent Bobby away to rehab. By the time he got out, his grandfather had died, leaving all his money to Scott,” Jaz said, looking pensive. “I think you might be right. Baldy could very well be after Bobby instead of Scott and have mistaken him when he killed him since they look so much alike. They both had enemies and people who might want revenge.”

  “I just thought of something else. The attack on me didn’t start until the investigation turned toward outsiders. Baldy could have broken in, trying to discover what I’d found out, and then attacked me to try to stop me.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Turn the tables and stop him first.”

  “You should tell Detective Stevens.”

  “I don’t have proof. He won’t believe me any more than he believed Maria.”

  A rumble of thunder sounded and it started to sprinkle. We gathered our drinks and Prissy, then headed inside. The phone rang, and Jaz checked the caller ID. “Speak of the devil …”

  “Great. My day just keeps getting better and better,” I said, taking the phone from her.

  “On that note, I’m headed to bed. Big day tomorrow with the reopening of my shop. You better be there.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  “Don’t stay up too late.” She saluted me, then took her wine and headed into her bedroom.

  “Hello, Detective,” I said through the phone. “This really isn’t a good time.”

  “Why? Got a hot date?” he ground out. “It sure didn’t take you long.”

  I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “After all Jaz has been through, I can’t believe you’re getting involved in online dating.”

  “Boomer.” I scowled.

  “Worse! I had to hear about it from my mother. But hey, I have no say, right? You made it perfectly clear earlier there is no us. I wish you both the best of luck,” he grumbled and then hung up.

  I scoffed. He had some nerve. The next time I talked to him I was going to give him a piece of my mind.

  The phone rang again, and I snatched it from its cradle without even looking. “You stubborn, hotheaded mule! You have got to stop jumping to conclusions and making false assumptions.”

  “I take it I can assume you have not finished your book of designs then, even though tomorrow is your deadline,” Natasha Newlander said over the line with obvious displeasure.

  I gasped. Fantastic. My life wasn’t the only thing that was a mess. My career was in jeopardy of ending before it even had a chance to get started. “I am so sorry, Ms. Newlander. I thought you were someone else.”

  “I should hope so, Ms. Ballas, otherwise I would have no choice but to draw the conclusion that you are highly unprofessional.”

  “I can assure you, Ms. Newlander, I am as professional as they come.”

  “Wonderful. Then I can count on your book being finished tomorrow, right on schedule. No excuses.” She hung up.

  Don’t stay up too late, Jaz had said? Ha! That was a joke. Looks like I wouldn’t be getting sleep any time soon since the day from hell had just turned into a night in purgatory.

  CHAPTER 23

  * * *

  “You stealing, conniving witch!” Anastasia Stewart screeched the next morning at Jaz’s grand reopening of Full Disclosure. It was a bright sunny morning, and unusually warm outside, and Jaz’s boutique had never looked better. Not to mention it was packed with patrons from Clearwater and several towns beyond.

  “What?” Jaz feigned innocence, yet oozed confidence. “You don’t like my fabulous finds?”

  “Those are not meant for spring.” Ana stabbed her finger in the direction of Jaz’s front window display. “Now what am I supposed to do?”

  “Not my problem.” Jaz leaned forward and emphasized each word with a hard edge. “You should have thought of that before you messed with me.”

  “Those are my finds for summer, and you know it. Not to mention, it’s not even summer yet. What kind of businesswoman are you?”

  “I don’t know any such thing, and take a look around, honey. I’d say I’m a great businesswoman judging by this lovely crowd. Besides, didn’t you get the memo? Spring is so yesterday.” Jaz turned to the growing number of people. “Step right up, everyone, and get your steamy summer steals. The heat is on, folks.”

  “You’re right. The heat is on,” Ana spat out, looking on the verge of hysteria. “And you’re going to burn in hell for what you did.”

  “After you, darling.” Jaz bowed gracefully, looking calm, cool, and collected. “Fortunately for me, I don’t burn. In fact, I like it hot.” She let her gaze run over Ana’s fair skin. “Something tells me you’re the one who’s going to get burned.”

  Ana stomped her foot and let out a garbled yell, which drew several disapproving stares. She took a deep breath and composed herself, smoothing back her hair, and then turned and headed toward the door. S
uddenly, she jerked to a stop before a gloating Johnny Hogan.

  “You did this,” she said to him on the verge of tears.

  “You know what they say about payback,” he replied with relish.

  “It’s over between us forever now.”

  “Babe, you weren’t that good anyway,” he said, then saluted Mrs. Flannigan and walked out the door with a jovial bounce to his step.

  Ana gasped, losing her composure once more as she shrieked, “You mean you were in on this too?” She gaped at Lois in shock.

  “What can I say? I’m on a fixed income, and Ms. Alvarez had a better offer.” Lois shrugged and then went on to looking through the sale racks, turning her back on Ana.

  I watched Ana leave Full Disclosure, looking disheveled, dazed, and confused. Then I turned to Jaz, who looked fabulous, sharp, and satisfied.

  “What just happened here?” I asked.

  “A little known thing called revenge.”

  “But how?”

  “Remember when you saw Johnny sneak into the back room of Ana’s shop and then emerge, shoving something in his back pocket?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, early on I figured out that Mrs. Flannigan was the mole.”

  “Wait, what?” Now it was my turn to gape at her. “Mousy little old Mrs. Flannigan?”

  “Michael Flannigan’s pub does okay, but not well enough to support his wife’s shopping addiction. Lois has been a regular since I opened my place. She knew the ins and the outs and was even privy to a lot of information I would never trust anyone else with. I knew she wouldn’t jump ship without just cause. Meaning someone had paid her enough to make it worth her while.”

  “Talk about no loyalty. I can’t believe she would do that to you.”

  Jaz shrugged. “I can. Fashion tends to make people a little crazy, if you haven’t noticed by now. Anyway, I confronted her, and she crumbled. She’s really not a bad person, she just can’t resist a good sale. I knew Ana would figure it out if Lois tried to turn the tables on her, but I also knew Johnny was just as angry with me as he was with Ana. Whereas Lois can be very charming when she wants to.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I got Fickle Flannigan to get Johnny to sneak into Ana’s back room and discover her fabulous finds for the summer. Then he leaked them to her, which she in turn gave to me.”

  “I can’t believe he agreed to that.”

  “Everyone has a price, chica. His was revenge and enough money to get the hell out of town.”

  “He’s moving?”

  “He’s loading his moving van later today.”

  “Can’t say I’m sorry to see him go,” I said. “Maybe you and Maria can finally move on then.”

  “That’s wishful thinking, doll.”

  “Stranger things have happened.”

  “Ain’t that the truth?” Jaz snorted.

  “There you are,” a familiar female voice said from behind me.

  I swallowed hard and turned around with dread. “Natasha, how wonderful to see you again,” I lied.

  “Likewise.” She shook my hand. If I have to stay in this godforsaken town one more day, I will lose my mind. I have a lot riding on this book. It had better be good. She let go of my hand, thank goodness, because she was freaking me out. “Now that it’s been two weeks, time’s up. I am excited to see your book of designs.”

  My stomach turned over. What if she didn’t like it? What if none of them did and they changed their minds? I’d stayed up all night working on my book until finally, blessedly, I’d finished. But now I was second-guessing myself. What if it wasn’t any good? Lord knew I’d had enough distractions lately with trying to solve a murder and dealing with Detective Dreamy. I hadn’t exactly been focused on work to say the least.

  “Ms. Ballas, did you hear me? I asked where the book is.” She looked at her watch.

  Based on her thoughts, I was sure she’d already booked her ticket on the next train out of here.

  “I’m sorry. My mind has been a bit scattered lately.” I regretted the words immediately.

  She frowned. “I hope that isn’t reflected in your work. You only get one shot at this, Kalli. You can’t afford to blow it.”

  Gee, no pressure! I smiled, hiding my fears and putting on my game face. “No worries, Natasha. I’m confident you’ll like what I’ve come up with.”

  “It’s Ms. Newlander,” she said matter-of-factly, implying she was allowed to be informal but I hadn’t earned that right yet. “When can I see it?”

  “How about an hour from now? I can’t just leave Jaz hanging. I’ll meet you at my house.”

  “Your house. One hour. No later.” She gave me a pointed stare. “Some of us have other things to do than wait around. Understood?”

  “Perfectly.” I waited until Natasha disappeared out of sight, and then decided I had to leave Full Disclosure and head for home, even if it disappointed Jaz. I needed that precious hour to put the finishing touches on my book. Yes, it was finished, but Lord only knew what I’d drawn in my delirium last night.

  Thirty minutes later, I’d managed to sneak away from Jaz and head back to my house early. I went to my bedroom and pulled out the book from my hiding spot in a secret compartment beneath the floorboards of the old house. I’d grown up in a family of nosy Greeks, and the only way to truly keep things private was to find a hiding place. Some habits died hard. Even though I lived with Jaz, and I was pretty sure my designs were safe, I still continued to hide them. I was superstitious that way. Didn’t want anyone to see the finished product before it was truly finished, for fear of jinxing it.

  Sitting down, I was a little afraid to look at what I’d done. Opening the cover, I began to turn the pages with surprise and satisfaction. They were good. I could feel it in my gut. Just a few more tweaks, and it would be ready. I pulled out my pencil when I heard the unmistakable sounds of footsteps out in the living room.

  Not again, I thought.

  My heart started pounding when I realized I’d forgotten to lock the front door. I peeked my head out of my bedroom to see the huge and intimidating body belonging to Baldy stepping inside my house and looking around. I gasped. I couldn’t help myself. It was just enough noise to alert the intruder. His intense gaze snapped to mine, and he started toward me, looking larger than life and oh so scary.

  I slammed my bedroom door and leaned back against it, then realized I hadn’t seen Prissy. I hoped she was okay. Maybe she had escaped outside.

  “Ms. Ballas, is that you?” he asked from outside my bedroom, sounding breathless with excitement.

  That couldn’t be good, I thought. Clearing my throat, I tried to utter with bravery, “Maybe, maybe not. Who wants to know?”

  “You’re a hard woman to track down,” he said with a voice way too deep to be safe.

  “Who says I want to be found?”

  “Trust me when I say I am very good at what I do. If you’ll just open up, I’ll—”

  “Do nothing,” said a rich smooth voice I’d know anywhere, followed by a whack and then a thud. “No means no, pal. Or didn’t you get the memo? The lady already has a date.”

  “Detective Stevens?” I asked through the door, afraid to hope.

  “It’s Nik, the idiot who always speaks before he thinks. I’m sorry for earlier, and I’m here to answer your ad if you’ll have me.”

  I whipped open the door and threw myself into his big, strong arms. He smelled amazing. I focused on that. It felt so good to go with my instincts instead of thinking things through first, and I barely even squirmed this time.

  Progress, I smiled.

  “Can I take that as a yes?” he asked, his mouth pressed against my neck and his arms holding me just as tight. Please say yes. I don’t think I can take another rejection.

  I kissed him in response, surprising him, but when he started to respond, I pulled away. “Hold that thought,” I said, repeating his words breathlessly with a smile. “You have a murderer to arrest.” I ste
pped back.

  He blinked. “I do?”

  I pointed to Baldy. “Contrary to popular belief, he’s not my online date. Did you honestly think I would risk the germs of meeting a man through one of those websites?”

  His mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. “I thought it seemed far-fetched, but the mamas were so positive.”

  I threw my hands up. “The mamas are crazy. We both know that.”

  “True. So who is this guy, then, anyway?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’m thinking he was an enemy of either Scott or Bobby. He killed Scott and then tried to kill me because I was getting too close to the truth. He said he was good at what he did. You just beat him at his own game before he had a chance to do anything bad to me. I told you Maria was innocent. I think we’ve finally caught the real killer.”

  “I’ve gotta hand it to you. I think you might be right.” Detective Stevens went to work dragging Baldy out into the living room and handcuffing the man’s hands behind his back. He was a big guy. It was only a matter of time before he woke up with a whopper of a headache and royally pissed off after being knocked unconscious.

  He began to stir when the doorbell rang, so the detective tended to him.

  I opened it and smiled wide, no longer nervous. “Natasha, it really is good to see you this time.”

  She eyed me warily. “I’m glad, I guess.” Her gaze landed on Baldy, and her eyes went wide. “What in the—”

  “Don’t worry about him. The detective’s here, so we’re safe. Let me just grab my book, and you can be on your way.”

  She looked shaken and took a step back, but she shook off her nerves at my words. “Okay, but hurry or I’ll miss my train.”

  I jogged to my bedroom and returned quickly with my book of designs. I handed her the book, and she flipped through the pages. Her face transformed into one of pure pleasure. “Well done, Ms. Ballas. These designs are fabulous. My employer will be so pleased.”

  “I’m so glad you think Mr. Erickson will like them.”