Temporary Intrigue

by Huston, Judy

  Not anyone.

  Was she going mad, contemplating the possibility that someone might be trying to hurt her, even kill her?

  There were so many questions without answers. And over and above them all was the tormented memory of her rift with Josh, the awareness that things were no longer the same between them.

  And maybe never would be.

  She finally fell asleep shortly before dawn, but slept for only a couple of hours. When she awoke she knew she couldn’t go to work. Gail would doubtless demand her instant dismissal, the recruitment agency would probably never deal with her again and Josh would know she was avoiding him, but she didn’t care.

  After a shower she put on comfortable clothes and, feeling cowardly but unable to deal with the voicemail of either Gail or Josh, left a message on Amanda’s phone. She made coffee, put a note on the kitchen table telling Shane and Leigh not to disturb her, turned off her phone, took the coffee through to the studio and closed the door.

  Immediately a blessed sense of peace enfolded her.

  Shutting off all thoughts of the world outside the studio door, she set to work to paint herself back to sanity.

  ****

  Josh spent the day on automatic pilot. Somehow he functioned during the official opening of the convention and the various sessions he attended, but the weekend scenes with Dimity played constantly through his mind like a movie he was unable to switch off.

  He was unsurprised, when he checked in at the office, to hear she had taken the day off. Several times between sessions he started to dial her mobile number, but each time he stopped. He needed to think about how to approach this. If he got it wrong – again – she would hang up on him.

  Returning to the office after 5pm he prowled restlessly through the outer section, missing the sight of her blonde head bent over the keyboard, wanting to see the mischievous half-smile as she looked up at him, the quick, intimate glance that had been his reassurance he meant something special to her.

  A reassurance now replaced by this aching emptiness.

  An emptiness he wasn’t going to put up with, damn it.

  Apart from the personal sense of loss, there was still that strong, underlying anxiety at the thought she could be in danger. In the light of day his suspicion seemed as improbable as she had claimed, but he would be on edge until he heard the result of the car inspection.

  He made himself wait until 5.30pm, then rang her mobile. It was off. After half an hour he rang again, with the same result.

  Gritting his teeth, he dialled her home number. If Shane or Leigh answered, and if Dimity had told them about his suspicions, he could expect a hostile reception.

  Leigh answered. Apart from sounding as ill-tempered as usual, she gave no indication of having heard that Josh suspected her boyfriend of homicidal tendencies. With some difficulty he extracted information. Yes, Dimity had been at home all day, but was now at Sandra’s place. As far as Leigh knew, Dimity and Sandra were going out for dinner. Yes, she thought Dimity would be home later.

  He continued to try Dimity’s phone at intervals until he’d had enough. It was clear she didn’t want to speak to anyone, or at least not to him. He’d go for a walk, then give it one more try. If that didn’t succeed, he’d leave it until the morning.

  On his way out through the foyer he passed a group of young people heading to the restaurant after pre-dinner drinks at the bar.

  “Mr Williams.” One of the men stopped. Josh took a few seconds to recognise Dave, the young garage mechanic, spruced up in a suit and with an attractive redhead in tow.

  “Hi, Dave.” He smiled automatically. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine. But I’m glad I saw you. I think I must have got the wrong number from the lady who owns the car I towed for you on Saturday. I’ve been trying to ring her all afternoon, but I can’t get through. I was going to check with you tomorrow if I still couldn’t reach her.”

  “Her phone’s been off, but I’ve got her number.” The redhead trailed after the group while they compared numbers. Dave shrugged.

  “It’s the right one. I’ll try her again in the morning.” He nodded and walked away.

  On an impulse, Josh followed.

  “You’ll let us know about the car as soon as you can, won’t you?”

  “That’s the thing.” Dave looked worried. “I had time to look at it today after all, and I wanted to tell you about it.”

  Josh made a sudden decision. “I’m going to see her now. I can pass on anything she needs to know.”

  “Okay.” Dave seemed relieved to have the decision taken for him. “She might need to be more careful about where she parks in future. There’s a puncture in the hose connecting the brake cylinder to the rigid part of the hydraulic system. It doesn’t look like wear and tear or an accident. It looks as if it was done deliberately.”

  Josh let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

  “Would it have taken a lot of time?” he asked.

  Dave shook his head.

  “They’d just need to get under the car with something like a sharp metal skewer, and punch a hole in the hose.”

  There had been pieces of fruit on sharp, metal skewers on the food trays that Shane had prepared for the reception.

  “The brakes seemed all right when we left town,” Josh said. “I didn’t notice anything until we started to go down the hill.”

  “That’s how it would work,” Dave agreed. “From the size of the hole, it looks as if you’d have been able to go for about ten or twelve kilometres without noticing anything, but you’d be losing brake fluid all the time. Then all of a sudden the brake pedal would hit the floor when you tried to use it.”

  “It sure did.” Remembering the hair-raising drive, Josh experienced a surge of anger combined with fear for Dimity.

  “If the car was parked outside, anyone could have got at it,” Dave said. “Probably kids being smart, something like that.”

  “Could be what happened.” With an effort, Josh kept his tone casual. “Thanks, Dave, I’ll let her know. We’ll be in touch about picking up the car.”

  Taking the steps to the underground car park three at a time, he drove the now-familiar road with a growing sense of anxiety gnawing at him. It was almost nine o’clock. Surely she was home by now.

  He had to knock twice before Leigh answered, wearing a long, pink floral dressing gown.

  “She’s just gone,” she said, before Josh could speak. “She took the dog for a walk.”

  “With Sandra?”

  “No, on her own. She should be back in about half an hour.”

  The thought of inviting him in didn’t seem to occur to her.

  Josh turned away. It would be easier to wait in the car. Then a thought hit him.

  “Is Shane here?”

  About to shut the door, Leigh rolled her eyes in irritation.

  “He’s out too. Why?”

  “No reason,” said Josh, unable to think of any except the one he didn’t want to contemplate.

  “I’m going to bed,” Leigh said.

  The door shut with an inhospitable bang.

  Josh got out his phone and tried Dimity’s number again, with no success.

  He’d have to find her.

  He set off at a fast pace, mentally reviewing the route they had followed on Saturday night.

  We always go the same way.

  He hoped this would not be the one night she decided to vary her routine.

  As he passed the street where the car had almost hit her, he could see the reserve ahead, dark, silent, with no sign of life.

  He likes the same places, the same smells.

  Noting the wind was getting up, he quickened his pace. Would she have gone across the reserve alone? He peered ahead, hoping against hope to see her, but the oncoming headlights of a lone car blinded him.

  When it had passed there was nothing but night. No sound but his own strained breathing and the rapidly rising wind.

  For a couple
of seconds, he paused.

  Maybe she hadn’t come this way after all.

  Or maybe she had.

  Maybe somewhere, on that deserted patch of ground–

  His heart gave a lurch of fear.

  He strode forward, driven by an increasing sense of urgency.

  ****

  It should have been so simple.

  Mouth twisted in frustration, the watcher crouched beside a fence as the tall figure blurred into darkness ahead and disappeared.

  There was no way now that the plan would work.

  Or maybe there was.

  The shadow beside the fence stirred.

  There was usually another way.

  It was just a matter of finding it.

  And then ending things. Quickly.

  ****

  There was no moon, and the reserve looked unpleasantly dark. Dimity felt a twinge of uneasiness. Apart from last Saturday night, when Josh had been with her, she usually walked Bert earlier. But tonight she had felt unbearably restless.

  She paused indecisively. With the nearest street light some distance away, the darkness ahead was almost impenetrable. It would make more sense to return via the streets, keeping close to the houses.

  Bert tugged suddenly on the lead. His movement caught Dimity by surprise. The lead slipped through her fingers and Bert took off at a trot, heading for his favourite tree.

  Dimity called him, but the wind snatched her voice away.

  Perhaps if she stood here, Bert would return when he was tired of exploring. She had tried that before, and he usually came back.

  A car passed, travelling back down the road. Glancing after it, Dimity felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind, or the rain that was beginning to sprinkle down. For an instant, in the car’s headlights, she had glimpsed someone advancing along the footpath, still some distance away but covering ground rapidly.

  Probably just a law-abiding citizen out for an evening stroll.

  But there was nothing leisurely about this person’s pace. Whoever it was seemed to have a definite mission in mind.

  A snuffling noise nearby attracted her attention. Bert had returned. Reaching down, Dimity grabbed his trailing lead and urged him towards the reserve. In the street she would be easy to see. Here, the darkness that frightened her would also hide her.

  They crossed the reserve in record time, Bert frustrated by Dimity’s refusal to let him stop and sniff along the way. Only when they were almost at the other side, once more close to houses and street lights, did she dare to look back.

  Was that a shape following the direction she had taken, or was it her imagination? She didn’t wait to find out.

  “Come on,” she whispered to Bert. “Along this street, round the corner then we’re there.”

  Scenting home, Bert matched her brisk pace. Almost at the corner, where a van was parked, Dimity looked back to reassure herself that the street was as safe and serene as it had always been.

  Her blood froze.

  A tall figure was striding along the street towards her, breaking into a run even as she looked.

  Panicking, knowing that in this well-lit area she could be seen quite clearly, Dimity hurtled down the street with Bert. At the same time a shadow broke away from the concealment of the van. Brandishing something, it lunged at her.

  Dimity heard a high, thin scream rising through the air. Hardly realising it came from her, she threw herself to the ground. Something clattered onto the footpath. Vaguely aware of footsteps running away, she screamed again as strong hands gripped her, pulling her up into a sitting position.

  “Sshh. Sshh. It’s all right. It’s me.”

  Josh. Almost not believing it, she clung to him. He held her just as tightly.

  “What are you doing here?” She was scarcely able to speak. He held her a little away from him at last, tracing a finger over her face as if checking for injuries.

  “I went to see you. Leigh said you’d gone for a walk. I was worried.”

  She stared towards the van.

  “Someone was waiting. He attacked me.”

  “I know. But then he must have seen me coming and decided to run for it. I could have chased him but I didn’t know if you were hurt.”

  “He was going to hit me with something.” She shivered, aware suddenly that the rain was falling more heavily. “Nobody would have heard me with all this wind and rain.”

  After helping her to her feet, Josh moved forward a few steps then gave an exclamation.

  “Here it is.”

  He picked up something and returned to her, holding it. “This could have done some nasty damage.” His voice was grim. “Hell, it could have killed you.”

  Dimity stared down at Shane’s baseball bat.

  It seemed hours before she looked up. Even then she couldn’t speak.

  As if in a daze she moved towards her house, vaguely aware that Josh had retrieved Bert from someone’s garden and was walking with her. She was grateful for his supporting arm, grateful too that he didn’t speak until they were almost at her gate.

  “My car’s around the corner,” he said then. “I’ll come in with you while you get whatever you need. You’re not staying here tonight. We’ll decide tomorrow what to do.”

  Making no attempt to argue, she fumbled for her key in the pocket of her track pants and unlocked the door. Still moving as if in a dream she took Bert through to the back veranda and settled him in his kennel while Josh watched from the kitchen door.

  Leigh heard them and emerged from her room in her floral dressing gown, hair standing on end.

  “I thought it was Shane,” she said.

  “Where is he?” Dimity’s voice was low, strained.

  “He said Malcolm rang and asked him to help with some catering at the convention.” Leigh gave Dimity a speculative up and down. “You’ve got grass stains on your pants.” She shifted her eyes to Josh and smirked.

  “She’s had a bit of a fright,” Josh told her.

  Dimity wondered detachedly why he bothered. Leigh was unlikely to offer sympathy, as her next words confirmed.

  “Lucky for you that Mr Wonderful appeared out of nowhere to frighten the baddie off,” she said.

  “I’ll unlock the car while you get your things,” Josh said to Dimity. He sounded as if he were controlling his temper with difficulty.

  “I’ll see you out,” offered Leigh, either suddenly and uncharacteristically hospitable or, more probably, just glad to get rid of him.

  Dimity hardly noticed they had gone. She felt chilled to the bone. Realising the kitchen door was still open, she went over and shut it.

  “That’s a good idea.” Leigh had returned. “Never know who’s hanging around.”

  She reached around Dimity, turned the key in the door and removed it. Her dressing gown fell slightly open. With vague surprise Dimity noticed she was wearing jeans, a sweater and sneakers. The information slid into her mind and out again.

  “I’m going to pack a few things,” she said.

  Leigh moved away, opened a drawer with her back to Dimity and closed it.

  “No you’re not,” she said.

  She turned around.

  In her hand was a carving knife, pointed straight at Dimity.

  ****

  On his way to the car, Josh remembered the baseball bat. In his anxiety to get Dimity away, he had left it at the scene of the attack.

  He jogged down the road to the corner and was relieved to find it still lying on the footpath. With a vague idea that evidence should be preserved, he picked it up and walked quickly back. He was unsure yet whether he planned to hide the bat to protect Shane or hand it over to the police. Right now it seemed irrelevant. Whatever he did would make no difference to the agony Dimity would feel over the fact her brother had tried to kill her.

  The overwhelming need right now was to get her out of that house. Somehow he sensed she was still in danger. Maybe Leigh was, too. They should have told her what had happened.
/>   He stopped in front of the house, suddenly more uneasy than ever.

  There was something he should have noticed, something out of place.

  A car pulled up beside him. Shane got out and waved as the car took off. Josh recognised Malcolm at the wheel.

  “Hi.” Shane stared at Josh, then at the bat. “What are you doing with that?”

  There was no fear, no guilt in his expression. Instead Josh saw puzzlement and suspicion tinged with indignation.

  A completely normal reaction, in fact, to finding somebody loitering outside your home at night, armed with your own baseball bat.

  “Hell.” Josh knew now what had been bothering him. “I said she’d had a fright. I could have meant a dog went for her, or a car nearly hit her. How did Leigh know I was talking about an attacker? How did she know I frightened someone off?”

  Before Shane could speak, Josh strode up the path to the front door.

  “It’s locked.” Still clutching the baseball bat with one hand he banged on the door with the other, then gestured furiously at Shane. “Where’s your key? Quick!”

  Shane was looking at him as if he thought he’d gone mad.

  “Do you mind telling me what’s going on?”

  “I think Dimity’s in danger. Open the damn door, can’t you?”

  Still unconvinced, Shane produced his keys from his pocket, unlocked the door then pushed without success.

  “The safety chain’s on. Leigh! Are you there?”

  He knocked a couple of times.

  “The kitchen door!” Josh remembered Dimity putting Bert into his kennel. “It might still be open!”

  He tore around the house, hearing a crash and a scream from inside.

  “Call the police!” he yelled at Shane, who was following him at an infuriatingly slow pace.

  The kitchen door was also locked, but the venetians were open a fraction. Looking in at an angle, Josh could see part of the room. His heart seemed to stop. The table had been overturned. Dimity was on one side of it, pinned against the cupboards. On the other side crouched Leigh, with a large knife raised at shoulder height.

  Shane, now beside him, uttered a violent curse, fumbled a phone from his pocket and hit three numbers. At the same time, Josh swung the baseball bat, shattering the window to smithereens and launching himself into the room almost in the one movement. Shane was not far behind him.