by Rose Pressey
It was just the wind, I told myself. Except there wasn’t any wind. The air was still and humid. The same rustle came from behind me again. I knew that I had to take a look over my shoulder. It was probably nothing more than a stray cat.
I turned and scanned the area behind the store. Expecting to see a cat, I was shocked to see Julian. She was moving away from the area. All I saw was her back, but I knew it was her. Had she been watching me? And if so, why? What other reason would she have to be behind Coco’s? It could be a coincidence, but after all that had happened, I wouldn’t rule anything out. If she had followed me then I wanted to know why. How long had she followed me? There were too many questions being tossed around in the blender of my confused mind.
I set the chair down and headed in the direction where I’d seen Julian. Behind the shops was an alleyway for the Dumpsters and deliveries, and beyond that was a line of trees and shrubs. On the other side of that was the parking lot for a few more businesses. Julian had crossed through the shrubs and disappeared. When I reached the spot, I looked to the left and to the right. She was nowhere in sight. She must have parked her car there and left because I didn’t think she’d had time to vanish from sight if she’d been walking.
I gave up and went back to my chair. After picking it up, I headed back to my car. Liz probably saw me walk past the front windows with the chair in my arms. If she’d thrown it away, though, it was mine for the taking.
Seeing Julian back there had been disturbing. I just couldn’t figure out what she would have been doing. I wanted to think there was a logical explanation. I certainly didn’t want to be paranoid and think the worst. Heck, maybe she’d wanted the chair too and I’d beaten her to it.
Then again Julian could be the one who’d closed the lid on me. Why would she do something like that? I didn’t even know her. I suspected Connie of closing the lid on me and I didn’t even know her either. There was no evidence that Julian had intended on closing me in the trash container, so I needed to calm down.
As I walked by Coco’s I avoided looking in. Maybe it was a fear that Liz would make me return her chair. If she asked I’d give it back, but I hoped that she didn’t ask.
I hurried over to the trunk of my car and popped the lid. I stuffed the chair into the trunk. Before getting into my car I took a quick scan of my surroundings just in case I spotted Julian again. I didn’t want anyone to follow me. Although she’d be following me home, since that was where I was headed, and she probably already knew where I lived. After not seeing her, I waited for a couple cars to pass and got behind the wheel of my car.
When I pulled away from the curb I expected to see Julian, Connie, or Doreen watching me. I hadn’t expected to see Charity and Ross watching me.
After driving a short distance, I pulled the car over. I took my phone from my purse and dialed Kent’s number. I still didn’t know how I would tell him I’d seen that footage. There was just one way. I had to tell the truth. It wasn’t good to lie in a relationship and I wouldn’t want Kent to do that with me.
That was if we actually had a relationship—it was still too early to say what we had. For all I knew he could turn out to be just like his ex-friend, my ex-husband.
After a dozen rings it went to his voice mail. I didn’t bother to leave a message.
Chapter Twenty-One
That night I heard more noise coming from outside. I tried to tell myself that I was jumpy and on edge, but I couldn’t let it go. I just had to take a look. I climbed out of my lumpy bed and stuffed my feet into the flip flops by the bedroom door. I slipped through the hall and to the back door.
As I approached I could have sworn I saw someone walking in the back yard. It wasn’t an animal because the shadow had been too big. Unless it was a bear, which was highly unlikely for this area.
When I made it to the door, I figured I had no choice but to look outside this time. If someone was out there then I needed to tell them to get out of there. But what if it was the killer? I would be crazy to go out there alone and confront the person.
I couldn’t just let this go. I had to know who was in my yard. I rushed back to the bedroom and grabbed the bat as my weapon. If I had to defend myself I hoped that I could actually swing the thing.
I eased out the back door. My heart hammered in my chest at the prospect of confronting someone. This was crazy and I should have just called Kent. But I couldn’t call him every time I heard a bump in the night. Plus I was just extra alert after what had happened lately.
Moving down the steps, I held the bat up and looked to my left and to my right. I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye. There was definitely a person beside the house. The moon bathed the area in a white glow.
I followed the shadow around the side of the house. I had to be as quiet as possible. This could be the killer for all I knew. Was I really prepared to confront a killer? The answer to that question was definitely no. I could have gone inside and called Kent, but I wanted to be strong and handle this myself. So far the person hadn’t noticed that I was back there. The darkness concealed the person’s identity, but from what I could tell it looked like a woman. She was about five-five or five-six.
The person stopped by the bushes at the side of the house. I stopped and watched. She looked as if she reached in, but since it was so dark I couldn’t be sure. Finally she continued on around the side of the house. As the person made it to the front of the house the light from the front porch illuminated her face. Charity was the person wandering around my yard. What was she doing here? I thought about calling out to her, but I wanted to know what she was doing.
Charity didn’t stop as she moved down the path and out the wrought-iron gate. She approached a car, but I couldn’t get close enough to see who was in it. There was definitely someone behind the wheel though. I leaned against the house, trying to hide in case she turned around to look. Charity opened the car door and climbed into the passenger seat. Now I had to know who she was getting in the car with. The car looked to be black but it could have been blue.
I didn’t know anyone with that type of car. Maybe this was Charity’s friend picking her up. I knew that I should follow her. Where was she going and why had she been outside in the back yard? The last thing I needed was to see her messing around with Ross again though. That was one thing I could do without seeing ever again. Once was definitely enough.
Charity probably wouldn’t tell me the truth if I asked. If I told Kent he could ask her but then he’d want to know why I hadn’t called him right away.
Charity had been messing around the bush in the back yard. I needed to look and see if she’d left anything. It wasn’t like she had stopped to smell the flowers. Who did something like that in the middle of the night? I walked over to the shrubbery where I’d seen her poking around. I looked over my shoulder again to make sure that she hadn’t returned. I was alone out there in the dark. It was spooky and I couldn’t believe that I’d actually been brave enough to go out there by myself.
As I leaned toward the bush, I tumbled forward. I stretched my arms out to catch myself. My face landed on the greenery and I released a big groan. I was glad that no one could see what a fool I’d made of myself.
While I was down there I made sure to look around to see if she’d left something. It was dark so I couldn’t be sure, but as far as I could tell there was nothing there. Maybe she’d had something there and taken it with her. But what would she hide outside my house?
When I finally stumbled up I brushed the dirt from my pajamas. It was time for me to go back inside to bed before I seriously injured myself. Maybe I’d been half asleep and imagined that Charity had been messing around in the bush. No, I was awake. But why would she do something like that? Had she been the one who’d left something in the front bushes? It seemed like that was a possibility. The reason was beyond me though. I would ask her about it as soon as I got the chance.
***
The sun had finally popped up, bringing light to the
day. Kent was standing on my front porch. I’d broken down and called him. I hadn’t wanted to, but I wanted him to get answers from Charity.
He looked good as usual in his uniform. My stomach did a flip when I looked into his gorgeous blue eyes.
“I figured you could ask her what she was doing and she’d give you a straight answer,” I said.
He nodded. “Sure, I can ask her. That doesn’t mean she’ll be truthful with me either.”
“I figure you have a better chance than I do.”
“Can you show me where she was looking?” he asked.
I nodded. “Sure, it was right around the side of the house.”
Kent followed me off the porch and around the side of the house. He smelled so good and it was nice having him so near me. I was rethinking not calling him in the middle of the night. Having a reason to call him was always a good thing.
We stopped at the side of the house. I knew my story probably sounded a little crazy. I’d found something in the bush and now I was accusing someone of leaving something else in the bushes.
“This is where she was.” I pointed in front of us.
Kent stopped in front of the bush. He stepped closer and peered down. Then he stuck his arms down in the shrub and moved the branches back. He looked all around under the bush.
“I don’t see anything unusual.”
I had a flashback of when I’d landed face first in the shrub. I was just thankful that he hadn’t seen that pathetic display.
“Are you sure this was the spot?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, this was exactly where I saw her. I remember because it’s right below my bedroom window.”
He frowned. “I hope your window is locked.”
I nodded. “Yes, it’s locked.”
Of course now I couldn’t remember if I’d locked it after I’d opened it yesterday. I’d have to check again. I’d tried to make it a habit after the first murder in Honeysuckle, but unfortunately sometimes I forgot.
Kent stepped over to his left and looked through the bushes just like he’d done at the other spot. When he didn’t find anything there he looked to his right.
“Looks like there’s nothing here.” He stepped back from the shrub. “I can talk to her about why she was here.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate that,” I said.
He studied the bush for a moment longer and reached down into the bush. When he leaned back he flashed what looked like a driver’s license at me.
“Whose is it?” I asked.
“Charity’s,” he said.
“How do you think it got there?”
He stepped back from the bush. “That’s what I’d like to ask her.”
That was a very odd place for someone to lose their driver’s license. It was almost as if it had fallen out of her pocket. Since my bedroom window was right above, the thought crossed my mind that maybe she had been trying to get into my bedroom.
“Well, this proves that she was here.” I placed my hands on my hips.
“Yes, it does show that she was here. But I didn’t need to see this to know. If you say you saw her then I believed you.”
I knew she had been messing around at the side of the house. Now I had the proof. I was glad that Kent had found the license so that I wouldn’t look like a crazy person to him. I wondered what she would say to Kent when he asked her. What would be her excuse? Surely she wouldn’t be able to lie about it. She would have to tell him the truth.
“Of course she was staying at your place, so she could have lost it. I wouldn’t say she was doing anything bad just yet. Try not to worry, okay?” He rubbed my arm.
My skin tingled under his touch. “Sure, I guess that’s possible. But how would it have ended up here?”
He shook his head. “I really don’t know.”
Yeah, I couldn’t think of a reason for it either. I knew he was trying to make me feel better. Just having him around did that though. I wasn’t sure if he knew that. I wasn’t about to tell him yet.
“Do me a favor, okay?” Kent looked me in the eyes. “Call me next time you see someone wandering around your back yard in the middle of the night.”
“I didn’t want to bother you,” I said.
He shook his head. “You’re not bothering me. It makes me upset to know that you could be hurt.”
My stomach did that little flip again. He really knew how to make my stomach dance. He’d caught me off guard with his words.
“Just make sure you call me next time,” he said again.
“I promise I will call you next time. I hope there isn’t a next time,” I said.
“Yes, I hope not too. There’s certainly been a lot of action in Honeysuckle lately.”
More than I cared to ever see. After he checked one more time for more items, Kent and I walked back to the front of the house. It was unsettling to think that someone might have been right under my bedroom window. I was glad that I kept the blinds down so they couldn’t see in.
“Do you know why she would have been here tonight?” Kent asked.
I blew the hair out of my eyes. “Not unless she forgot something.”
“That doesn’t explain why she wouldn’t have come to your door.”
“Maybe she knocked and I didn’t hear her. She could have knocked on the window.”
“You must have been in a deep sleep,” he said.
I thought about it for a moment. I really didn’t think I’d been in that deep of a sleep. I’d heard the noise and gotten up to investigate. There were many unanswered questions and I wanted to know why she’d been at the house.
“What if someone else could have been at the window?” I asked.
“Maybe you should get a dog,” he said.
I looked out across the yard. “I’ve thought about it.”
I thought when my neighbor had been arrested I wouldn’t have to worry about any more murders or crime in Honeysuckle. It looked as if I was wrong about that. I was still upset that I’d run into Ross that day and gotten pulled into this investigation. When he’d asked for my help I should have run the other way. It was hard for me not to help someone though.
“If Ross was by here, then I need to talk with him. He knows he shouldn’t come around your house anymore.”
What did Kent mean by that? Had he told Ross to stay away? Of course I wanted Ross to stay away, but I was capable of telling him myself. Okay, maybe I wasn’t capable. He’d come by wanting to spend the night and I hadn’t been able to tell him to get lost. I needed to grow a spine and tell him to beat it once and for all. Just thinking about it made me angry.
“Well, Ross is leaving anyway,” I said.
“I’m surprised he came back.” Kent shook his head. “No, I take that back, I guess I’m not surprised. He comes back when he needs something.”
It was hard for me to talk about Ross. Honestly, I didn’t want to think about him. He was in the past and there was no need to worry about him anymore. It sounded like Kent still had unanswered questions though. He needed to talk with him about their friendship. There were definitely things left unsaid between them. They’d been friends for years. I couldn’t blame Kent for wanting to end that friendship. Ross wasn’t the person we thought he was.
“Thanks for coming by,” I said as we walked back to the front door.
“You know I’ll be here any time you need me.” He touched my cheek.
Kent opened the door and motioned for me to step inside. “Now get some rest and I’ll talk to you soon.”
I nodded. “Yes, sheriff.”
Kent walked down the steps and then turned around. He smiled and walked backwards for a few steps before finally turning around and heading toward his car. I wanted to watch until he drove away, but since that creepy sensation of being watched was around I closed the door and pulled down the shade instead.
Would he really find out why Charity’s license had been outside my window?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Later that day wh
en I picked up my ringing phone, I saw that it was Claire Ann’s number.
“You’re being kind of quiet,” she said when I answered.
I picked at the edge of a chocolate chip cookie. I knew something was wrong when even a chocolate chip cookie didn’t sound good. “It’s just that I’m trying to figure out who murdered Luke and Darcy.”
“You’re letting this get to you too much. Just let the police handle it.”
“That’s easier said than done. You know I can’t let a mystery go,” I said.
“Yes, Nancy Drew, I know how you are. So what can I do to help?” she asked.
I tapped my fingers against the kitchen island. “Well, I would love to know where Luke kept his awards. And if maybe there was a clue in his office. But I don’t have a way to get in there.”
“Don’t you think the police got all the evidence out of there?”
I sighed. “You’re probably right, but I’d just like to see for myself. How would I get in there though?”
Claire Ann was silent for a moment and then she said, “I know someone who cleans that building. I bet they would have a key.”
“Yeah, but would the person let you use it?”
“That’s what I’ll have to find out.”
After about twenty minutes Claire Ann returned my call. “We’ve got the key,” she said.
“You are kidding,” I said.
“I’ll be by to pick you up.”
Within another fifteen minutes, we were on our way to the office. I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t nervous about going into the office, but I would have to suck it up and do it. We met the woman outside of the office and she handed Claire Ann the key.
“You didn’t get that from me,” she said.
Claire Ann nodded. “Never saw you today.”
Claire Ann motioned for me to follow her as she approached the door. I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone watched. I was afraid that we’d get caught. It was like we were breaking in, even though we had a key. Claire Ann shoved the key into the lock.
