Cozy Creek

by K M Morgan

  “Uh-oh,” Chloe said to herself. “This could get really messy.”

  For a second, Chloe considered firing up the ignition of her car and driving away. While that would temporarily solve her problem, it would potentially lead to more trouble down the road. To start, it would make Danielle suspicious of Chloe.

  The next time they ran into each other, Danielle could just blow her top. Chloe wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs.

  Chloe decided to stay put and let Danielle approach her driver’s-side window. At the same time, Chloe was determined to be more than just a sitting duck. Ever since she started investigating cases, she had gotten into the habit of keeping a can of pepper spray in her purse. If things did go south with Danielle and the suspect got violent, Chloe wouldn’t hesitate to spray her in the face.

  Of course, Chloe was getting a little ahead of herself. Danielle hadn’t said a single word yet. There was a chance that Chloe was just blowing the situation out of proportion. It didn’t hurt to be prepared, however.

  “Here we go,” Chloe said under her breath. “Let’s hope things don’t get too out of control.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  When Danielle reached Chloe’s window, the suspect threw out her arms. There was a scowl on her face as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

  Talk about an uncomfortable question straight out of the gate. There were two ways that Chloe could go with this. Normally, she tried to tell the truth as much as possible. In this instance, that could make the situation much worse.

  Especially if Chloe was brutally honest. What was Chloe supposed to say, that she still believed that Danielle might be the killer? There was a zero-percent chance of that going over well.

  Chloe tried to turn the tables on Danielle. “I could ask you the same thing.”

  Danielle didn’t take the bait. “Why don’t you answer my question?”

  “I’m here based on a hunch,” Chloe said.

  Danielle gave her a wary look. “Is that so?”

  Chloe nodded.

  “That’s strange. I thought you were heading home,” Danielle said.

  Chloe’s attempts to take the conversation in a different direction were failing hard. Danielle was a seriously determined woman.

  That said, Chloe had a stubborn streak in her as well. She decided to keep being as vague as possible. With a little bit of luck, she might be able to sneak out of here without any damage being caused.

  “I changed my mind. Like I said, I got a hunch,” Chloe replied.

  “Is that before or after you decided to follow me?”

  “What makes you think I was following you?”

  “Chloe. I’m not stupid. Now, why don’t you tell me why you were spying on me?”

  “I wouldn’t call it spying.”

  “You can call it whatever you want. I know what’s going on here. You followed me over here. And I don’t like it.”

  So much for Chloe trying to throw Danielle off. Chloe’s efforts were getting her nowhere. If she wanted to get out of this situation without being worse for wear, she’d have to try something else.

  “I completely understand why you would be angry right now. But I can explain my actions,” Chloe said.

  Danielle folded her arms. “This should be interesting.”

  Chloe hated to outright lie to her, but she appeared to have very little choice in the matter. The right lie might be just what she needed.

  “When I dropped you off earlier, I pulled away. As I rounded the corner, I realized that I didn’t have your phone number. So, I turned back. When I went back down the street, you had already gotten in your car and pulled away. At that point, I realized something. Instead of turning left to head toward your house, you turned right. I figured that was because you came up with an idea about the case.”

  “So, like I said before, you followed me?”

  “Technically, yes. But I didn’t do it for some dubious reason.”

  “If that’s true then why didn’t you come up to the door when I was talking to Michael?”

  “By the looks of it, things got pretty heated. I decided to let you finish your conversation with him,” Chloe said. “I was going to talk to you about it later.”

  “That’s a really interesting story. And I don’t believe a single word of it.”

  “I don’t understand why not.”

  “Because you’re a terrible liar. Now, why don’t you be honest with me? Tell me why you’re really here?”

  “I already told you—”

  “Save your breath. I don’t want to hear more lies.”

  “Danielle, I think you’ve got the wrong idea about this conversation.”

  “That’s doubtful,” Danielle said. “This is why I believe that you’re truly here. You still have your suspicions about me, don’t you? In your mind, you haven’t really eliminated me as a suspect.”

  “We just spent the afternoon working together.”

  “Maybe you did that to keep tabs on me. Perhaps you believed that you might get a new lead by spending that much time with me.”

  “You have all sorts of wild ideas. You know that?”

  “Go ahead. Keep trying to deflect. But I see right through your efforts.”

  It was scary how accurate Danielle was. If Chloe didn’t know better, she’d believe that Danielle could read her mind. Since that was impossible, Chloe just had to face the fact that she was dealing with someone who had incredibly keen instincts.

  When Chloe spoke with a suspect, she was used to having the upper hand. She liked being in control of the conversation. With this confrontation, she was on her heels. She hated being put on the spot like this.

  She tried once more to change the topic. “Why don’t you tell me about your conversation with Michael?”

  Danielle shook her head. “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “Is that because Michael didn’t give you anything useful to work with?”

  “No. It’s because you’ve been using me this entire time.”

  “You have the wrong idea about me. I’m just interested in discovering the truth.”

  “You have a lot of nerve. A little too much nerve. I’m done with you. I’m not sharing any details with you anymore. In fact, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”

  “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

  “Not at all. You crossed a line. You need to know that what you did isn’t okay.”

  “Richard’s killer is still out there. They are on the loose. Everything I’ve done is to bring them to justice.”

  “You can act as noble as you want. But that isn’t going to change the way you just betrayed my trust. I’m going to find Richard’s killer. I’m going to do it without you. From now on, don’t come anywhere near me. And don’t you dare follow me. Got it?”

  Danielle had a fiery look in her eyes. She stared daggers at Chloe.

  At that point, Chloe instinctively reached into her purse, where she kept her pepper spray. A chill went down Chloe’s spine as she looked at Danielle.

  Chloe put on a strong face. She didn’t want to show any hint of weakness.

  “Is that a threat?” Chloe asked.

  Danielle gritted her teeth. “Just stay away from me.”

  Chloe had her hand on the can of pepper spray. The question became, would she have to use it?

  It was difficult to tell. Danielle looked like she was ready to blow her top. Never mind the fact that they were on a residential street with a number of houses around them.

  In the end, the fact that they weren’t in private was probably the deciding factor in Danielle turning around and walking away.

  Danielle backed away and then walked over to her car.

  Chloe took her hand off of the pepper spray. She then turned on the ignition of her sedan and drove away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  On her drive home, Chloe couldn’t get the confrontation with Danielle out of her head. It was something that would s
tick with her for a long time. Especially since Chloe’s instincts acted up on her again when she was halfway home. She got a strong feeling that things weren’t over between Chloe and Danielle.

  Even though Danielle said that she didn’t want to be anywhere near Chloe again, Chloe had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last that she would see of Danielle.

  Since Chloe’s instincts had proven to be incredibly reliable, she immediately went on high alert. Her gut was currently giving her a terrible feeling about what Danielle might do next. It was clear to Chloe that Danielle had a dark side to her.

  As Chloe continued home, she found herself spending a lot of time looking in the rearview mirror. She also tried to formulate a plan about what to do going forward.

  That became more difficult when her phone rang. Chloe quickly glanced at the caller identification screen and saw her mother’s name.

  She rarely ignored a call from her mom, but this would be an exception. She wasn’t in the right headspace to have a discussion with her mother right then.

  Chloe let the call go to voice mail. At that point, she figured she could go back to thinking about Danielle.

  She was wrong.

  Her phone began ringing again. Once more, she saw her mother’s name listed on her phone.

  So much for ignoring her mother.

  Sure, she could let that call go to voice mail as well. But Chloe knew her mom. Her mother would just keep calling. That was just how she operated. It was better for Chloe to just pick up the phone now.

  Besides, what if her mother had something important to say? Perhaps that was why she had phoned twice.

  Chloe took the call. “Hello.”

  “Why didn’t you answer the first time I called?” Amanda Cook asked.

  “Mom, this isn’t really a good time.”

  “Why not? Are you in danger or something?”

  “No. I mean, yes.” Chloe took a deep breath. “I think.”

  “Well, which is it?”

  “I don’t really know for certain.”

  “That isn’t very reassuring.”

  “It definitely isn’t.”

  “When you say that you might be in danger, what sort of trouble are you talking about?”

  “I’d rather not get into it.”

  “Oh dear. It must be serious. This is why I don’t like you investigating murders. So many bad things can happen.”

  “Mom, now is not the time for a lecture.”

  “That’s what you always say.”

  “It’s especially true right now.”

  “Fine. I won’t nag you.”

  “Good.”

  “Just know that you have me worried.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” Chloe said. “But instead of belaboring this point more, why don’t you tell me what you were calling about?”

  “Right. Well, given your situation, it’s going to sound pretty silly.”

  “Why?”

  “I was just calling to tell you that a new ice cream shop opened up on Marsh Road. They have over fifty different flavors.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. It’s a lot, isn’t it?”

  “I meant, wow, that was the last topic that I thought you would bring up. I was worried something serious had happened to you or dad.”

  “Nope. We are both doing just fine.”

  “That’s good to know. I hope you both stay that way.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. You know how I worry about you.”

  “I’m aware. Anyway, I have to go.”

  “All right,” Amanda said. “Take care of yourself.”

  ***

  By the time that Chloe reached her house, she was filled with anxiety. Her nerves refused to calm down. When she got a phone call from her boyfriend, she insisted that he come over to her house immediately.

  After hearing the concerned tone in Chloe’s voice, Dylan naturally asked what was going on. Chloe didn’t go into detail with him. She told him that she would explain everything when he arrived.

  Dylan rushed over to Chloe’s place. Since he didn’t hit any traffic on the way, he made it to Chloe’s street in less than ten minutes.

  Chloe looked so relieved to see him.

  Meanwhile, when Dylan took one look at his girlfriend’s face, he became more worried.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Get inside. Right now,” Chloe insisted.

  Dylan did what Chloe asked. Once Dylan was inside, Chloe quickly closed the door and locked it.

  “Chloe, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you like this,” Dylan said.

  Chloe opened up her arms and gave her boyfriend a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “It’s good to see you too,” he replied. “Will you please tell me what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”

  “It turns out that you have every right to be scared.”

  “Why?”

  “I have a feeling that something awful is going to happen.”

  “When you say awful, what do you mean exactly?”

  “I think I’m in danger.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “My gut is really acting up on me.”

  “In that case, you have to listen. Your instincts are almost never wrong.”

  “I know.”

  “Although, I have to say, if there has ever been a time for your gut to be wrong, this would be a good one.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that happening. I have already prepared for the worst.”

  “What about Detective Thicke? If you’re really in danger, shouldn’t you call the police?”

  Chloe shook her head. “Not right now.”

  Dylan’s nose scrunched. “You’re not making any sense. If you’re in danger, why would you wait to call the authorities?”

  “Because at the moment, I can’t actually prove that I’m in trouble. It’s just a feeling. A strong feeling, mind you, but it’s not something that I currently have evidence to back up.”

  “How long are you going to wait until you’re going to call the authorities?”

  “I’m not doing anything until I have proof that I’m right.”

  “I don’t think that’s very smart. What if that is too late?”

  “I don’t have any other choice in the matter.”

  “Sure you do. You can call right now.” He pulled out his phone. “Or, if you don’t want to do it, I will.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Clearly.”

  “I know Detective Thicke better than you do. That man doesn’t act on anything unless he has proof. It’s just the way he operates.”

  “So, what are we supposed to do then?”

  “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

  Dylan laughed nervously. “Let me tell you something. I’m incredibly worried. Not just for your safety, but also because I have no clue what’s going on.”

  “That’s right. I have left you in the dark, haven’t I?”

  He nodded. “You sure have. Why don’t you back up a little? What happened today?”

  Chloe gave Dylan a rundown of everything that had taken place. By the time Chloe was done speaking, Dylan had to sit down. It was a lot to absorb.

  Chloe became concerned as she looked at Dylan’s face.

  “Are you feeling all right? You don’t look so good,” Chloe said.

  “That’s because my stomach is turning,” Dylan said.

  “Everything is going to be okay.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, but it’s not going to work. This could turn into an absolute disaster. With deadly consequences.”

  “Trust me. I know what’s at stake.”

  “Then why aren’t you trembling like I am? I didn’t think I could get more worried, but I was wrong. This entire situation is terrifying,” Dylan said.

  “Like I told you before, I have a plan,” Chloe said.r />
  Chapter Fifteen

  An hour went by without any incidents to speak of. By that point, it was practically pitch black outside. Adding to the darkness, Chloe turned off all of the lights at her house.

  From there, Chloe sat back and waited. She didn’t know how long she would have to stand by before anything happened. Or if anything was going to occur.

  If her gut was correct, the next few hours could prove to be very interesting.

  About forty-five minutes after Chloe turned off the lights in her house, there was activity at her back door. Her doorknob jiggled a little as someone attempted to pick the lock from outside. It took that person a few minutes, but they were able to successfully pick the lock.

  A mysterious intruder then opened the back door and tiptoed into Chloe’s kitchen. As they made their way to Chloe’s living room, they were very careful not to knock anything over or to draw attention to themselves.

  The intruder’s efforts were in vain, however. Despite how careful they had been, their actions had not gone undetected. Chloe had been standing off to the side the entire time, waiting for the right moment to step in.

  Once the intruder reached the middle of Chloe’s living room, it seemed like a good time for Chloe to act.

  Chloe crept up behind the intruder and pressed a metal object against the back of the intruder’s head.

  Chloe then spoke up. “Stop right there, Danielle.”

  Danielle didn’t move a muscle.

  “Do you feel that object pressed against your head? That’s a gun. And if you don’t follow my orders, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger,” Chloe said.

  “I don’t believe you,” Danielle said.

  “Do you really want to test me? I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Chloe said. “Especially since I’m well within my rights to fire.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “You just broke into my house. You pose a threat to my safety. I have every right to defend myself. And if I did that, the police wouldn’t charge me with anything. Because I’d be acting in self-defense.”