Dead Weight

by Ragan, T. R.

  Chapter 16

  Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover

  Jessica climbed in behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened.

  Hayley climbed in on the passenger side and took a seat.

  “The car still won’t start. I’m going to call a tow truck.”

  “That would cost a fortune,” Hayley said. “Put your foot heavy and flat on the accelerator before you turn the key next time.”

  “That doesn’t work. I just need to give it a minute before I try again.”

  “Let’s knock on Farrell’s door,” Hayley said, “and see what he’s up to.”

  “No way, Jose.”

  Hayley thought only ten-year olds said shit like that, but like most things that came out of Jessica’s mouth, she let it go. “I thought you wanted to be a criminologist?” Hayley asked instead.

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “How are you going to figure people out if you’re too afraid to talk to strangers?”

  “I’m not afraid to talk to strangers.”

  “Well, what was your problem with talking to Johnson then?”

  “He’s a criminal and a full-blown druggy.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Give me a break. His hands were shaking. He was experiencing shortness of breath and he was sweating profusely.”

  “I guess you didn’t see the stack of vitamins and prescriptions on the coffee table, did you?”

  “I figured those were for his elderly mother.”

  “Wow, you don’t stereotype, do you?”

  “Okay, then what were the pills for?”

  “He wasn’t shaking; those were tremors. Theodore Johnson has full-blown Parkinson’s. The prescription was for L-dopa.”

  Jessica took in a long deep breath. “Okay, I admit, I was too quick to judge. Happy?”

  “No. Not happy, but satisfied. So which one of us is going to knock on Farrell’s door?”

  “I have a perfectly good cell phone if we want to call a taxi. Why would you want to bother Farrell?”

  “He’s on our watch list and his house is right across the street staring back at me.”

  Jessica dropped her foot on the gas pedal and turned the key. The engine had no choice but to sputter to life.

  “Don’t go anywhere,” Hayley said, her tone firm. She tipped her chin toward Farrell’s house, prompting Jessica to look over her shoulder. They both watched Farrell’s garage door open. A white mini-van backed out onto the street.

  “Let’s follow him.”

  “Why?”

  Hayley reached under her seat and grabbed the digital camera Lizzy had loaned her for just these types of instances.

  “It’s going to be getting dark soon and we still haven’t checked in with Lizzy.”

  Hayley waved her comment off. “Lizzy would have called if she needed us. Come on, let’s go. We’re going to lose him.”

  Hayley was surprised when Jessica didn’t argue further. Jessica made a quick three-point turn. It didn’t take long to catch up to the minivan. There was a driver, but no passenger inside the van. It was definitely Farrell behind the wheel. His crew cut and big ears made him easy to spot.

  After removing the lens cap, Hayley made a few adjustments for exposure so she could get a decent picture if they caught Farrell getting out of the car without assistance. According to his file, a fall at work had aggravated his knees. He was supposed to be wheelchair bound for another six weeks. The fall had supposedly taken away his ability to get around and therefore he was suing for loss of wages.

  “He’s getting onto the freeway.”

  “Don’t lose him.”

  Jessica stepped hard on the gas. The engine noise went from tolerable to deafening as Jessica did her best to stay a few cars behind the van.

  “I wonder where he’s going.”

  They didn’t have to wonder for long. The minivan took a right off of the Harbor Boulevard exit. They took a left on Harbor and a right on Industrial. A few minutes later, they followed the van into a deserted parking lot.

  Farrell parked in front of a rundown auto mechanics building complete with a row of abandoned cars that had been picked apart. Across the street was a gas station with a mini-market.

  “I don’t like this,” Jessica said, revving the engine to keep it from puttering out and dying on them. “I think we should go.”

  “Just stay calm.” Hayley examined the camera in her lap. “Let’s wait a few minutes to see if he gets out of the car.”

  “We shouldn’t be here. I never should have listened to you.”

  “Why does everything I do piss you off?” Hayley asked.

  “You really want to know?”

  “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

  Jessica pointed a finger at Hayley and said, “For starters, you’re selfish. You come into work whenever you feel like it. You don’t care about anybody but yourself. You’re not the only one in the world who was dealt a crappy dysfunctional childhood.”

  “Really? You mean I’m not the only fourteen year old to get fucked day after day, week after week, by her mother’s boyfriend and all of his friends? Well, thank you, Jessica. I feel better already. And here I thought I was the only one. Wow.”

  Hayley screwed the lens cap back onto the camera, put the strap over her shoulder, and opened the car door.

  “What are you doing?”

  “See that market across the street?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “I’m going to go inside and get something to drink. Then I’m going to sit on the sidewalk over there and wait and see what Farrell does next. In the meantime, you can drive on home before it gets dark.”

  “I’m not leaving you here in the middle of nowhere. Lizzy would kill me.”

  “Have it your way,” Hayley said before shutting the door and heading for the market.

  Jessica’s shoulders slumped forward as she watched Hayley walk off. Once again, Hayley had managed to make her feel like crap. Twice in one hour. Johnson was not a druggy; the man had Parkinson’s. And poor Hayley had been forced to endure multiple rapes at a young age for how many years, she wasn’t sure.

  Jessica thought about calling out to Hayley and apologizing, but she’d already disappeared inside the store.

  A bad feeling settled in the pit of Jessica’s stomach. She looked at her cell phone and thought about dialing Lizzy’s number. Lizzy would tell her what to do. But that would only serve to get Hayley into trouble and then Hayley would hate her more than she already did.

  Jessica placed her phone on the console at the same moment a big hand reached inside her window and opened her car door. Before she could process what was happening, Farrell unlatched her seatbelt and pulled her from the car, his beefy hands clamped around her upper arms, his knuckles white as he shook her.

  “Let go of me!”

  “Somebody’s got to teach you two not to meddle in other people’s business,” Farrell growled.

  “You better let me go or I’m going to call the police.”

  “I’ll be the one calling the police. You and your friend might just end up spending a night in jail for trespassing. There isn’t a neighbor within a block of my house who didn’t see you two speeding through the neighborhood, almost killing our kids before deciding to trespass.”

  “I wasn’t speeding. And it was a dog I almost ran over, not a kid. That dog ran into the street without warning. And we didn’t trespass. We had a legitimate reason for being in your neighborhood and it had nothing to do with you. Now get your hands off of me.”

  “I’ve had enough of you two following me and getting in my way.” He shook her so hard, spittle flew out of Jessica’s mouth.

  Jessica was about to scream when she saw Hayley run up from behind the man and put him in a chokehold.

  Everything happened fast after that.

  Farrell let go of Jessica, and he might have taken Hayley out with one quick jab of his elbow
if it weren’t for the three-inch blade she held against his throat.

  A drop of blood hit the cement.

  It took Jessica a moment to grasp what she was seeing. “Hayley, no!”

  Chapter 17

  What’s Love Got to do With it?

  Thoroughly satisfied, Lizzy’s hand rested on Jared’s naked chest.

  She had fed Rumpelstiltskin an hour ago and the kitten was curled up on the chair in the corner of her room. She’d slept like a baby last night. No nightmares. No waking up in a cold sweat. She turned on her side and nibbled on Jared’s ear. “I think that might have been the best night of sex we’ve ever had.”

  “Good, because I need you to keep that thought for the next two weeks.”

  She propped herself up on an elbow so she could see his face. “You’re leaving again?”

  “Not until Saturday morning.” He kissed her forehead. “We have the rest of the week before I leave. And besides, I’ll be back before you have time to miss me.”

  “Not true. I miss you already.”

  “I’ll set you up on Skype so we can get some face time.”

  “I don’t like Skype.”

  “You don’t know that until you try it.”

  She flopped backward until her head hit the pillow. “What about kitty?”

  “It’s all taken care of. My neighbor agreed to watch Pinocchio.”

  “You mean Rumpelstiltskin?”

  “Yes, that’s what I meant.” It was Jared’s turn to swivel to his side so that he was hovering over Lizzy. He played with a strand of hair near her ear.

  “You knew you were going to be leaving. Why did you wait so long to tell me?”

  “I knew you would be sad and I didn’t want to ruin our one night together with one big tear-fest.”

  She smiled. “Ridiculous.”

  “That’s right—ridiculously in love with you. That’s what I am.”

  Lizzy didn’t respond. She never responded when he used the L word. Although they had dated back in high school, they had only been reunited six months. Even if the fluttering of butterfly wings she felt every time he looked at her were the stirrings of love, it was too soon. Way too soon.

  His eyes glistened, making her feel adored as he gazed at her before he brushed his lips across her forehead. He pushed himself from the bed and looked around for his clothes, giving Lizzy a chance to admire his naked form in all its glory. He had a killer ass and a well-toned physique that made it difficult to possess a single coherent thought.

  She should have already moved in with him.

  What kind of an idiot was she? Hell, she should have asked him to marry her for God’s sake, but she couldn’t...or wouldn’t...and instead she said absolutely nothing.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked after he was dressed from the waist down.

  “My missing person case—Diane Kramer,” she lied.

  “The one whose disappearance might be connected to Anthony Melbourne?”

  Lizzy nodded. “I managed to get Diane’s hard drive from her computer at work downloaded onto a portable disc. I was going through the files when you rang the bell last night.”

  “Find anything?”

  She nodded. “A couple of interesting to do lists and lots of emails to the parents of her kids.”

  “Kids? I thought she was single?”

  “She is. She’s a special needs teacher. And she must have made quite an impression on these kids because it’s obvious they looked up to her. It seems she’s made a difference in many of their lives.” Lizzy sighed. “From what I’ve read and heard so far, I agree with Diane’s friends who don’t believe she would have left the school and her kids.”

  Jared sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on his socks and shoes. “Any suspects?”

  “A few. I’m beginning to understand why her sister Andrea is having me follow Melbourne. Something tells me Diane’s disappearance has everything to do with her weight.”

  “How so?”

  “According to friends and family, that’s all she talked about. She was over 200 pounds and she might have been depressed. She tried every diet known to mankind. Pills, gimmicky equipment, some kind of weird cotton ball diet, you name it. I recently learned from one of Diane’s co-workers that she joined an online group called the Weight Watcher Warriors.”

  “Can you join the group?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think of that.”

  “You might want to join and see what you can find out as a new member.”

  “That’s brilliant. I’ll join the group and see if anyone mentions Diane.” Excited about the prospect of finding a lead, Lizzy pulled on her shorts and T-shirt.

  After Jared put on his shirt, she wrapped her arms around his waist. She might not be ready to live with him, but she couldn’t fathom the idea of living without him. “I don’t want you to leave,” she told him. “There are so many things I need to talk to you about.”

  He held her tight and kissed the top of her head. “Maybe this is exactly what you need. A few weeks without me will give you a chance to think things through.”

  Her cheek was pressed against his chest. She wanted so badly to tell him she loved him...but she was afraid, she realized. Just the thought of saying the words to him caused her heart to beat faster.

  She was afraid of being vulnerable and needy.

  What if she grew to love him so much that she would no longer be able to stand on her own two feet? What then?

  Telling him she loved him would be synonymous with saying, “here I am...here’s all of me, the bad and the good. What you see, is what you get.”

  Was she afraid he would judge her or reject her?

  She sighed. Her apprehension had nothing to do with Jared and everything to do with her. She was afraid of being honest with herself.

  Love sucked.

  Chapter 18

  Nobody’s Perfect

  Always aware of her surroundings, Lizzy kept her eyes on the cars parked nearby as she climbed out of her car. Her gaze swept over the buildings and the street as she headed for her office. Up ahead, people walked in and out of the coffee shop. Summer or winter, it didn’t matter: everybody needed their caffeine. No unusual shadows; nobody watching from afar. Her shoulders relaxed as she entered her office, bringing inside a surge of dry Sacramento heat.

  “How’s it going?” Jessica asked from her desk at the back of the room.

  “Not too bad for a Wednesday.” She walked around the front of her desk and put her purse away. “Sorry I haven’t been around much. Jared will be heading off on business for a few weeks and I wanted to spend some time with him before he leaves.”

  “How about your workouts? How was that this morning?”

  Lizzy felt heat rise to her face. Her best workout had been last night in bed with Jared. A treadmill and a few lunges didn’t compare. But she wasn’t the type to kiss and tell. She glanced at her watch. “My workouts are later on Wednesdays. I’m supposed to meet Cathy at the gym in 45 minutes for another session of torture.”

  Lizzy sat at her desk and began to sort through the mail stacked in her in-box.

  “So, what do you think about Melbourne?” Jessica asked. “Is he hiding something?”

  “The only things that man is hiding are his flaws. Nobody could possibly be that perfect.”

  “Are you still sore?”

  “No, it only hurts when I blink.”

  Jessica laughed.

  “Did you and Hayley have any luck yesterday with the Fullerton case?”

  Jessica grabbed a file from her desk and walked it over, placing it in front of her. Lizzy saw the bruise on Jessica’s upper arm, prompting Jessica to yank on the sleeve of her shirt to cover the fingerprints.

  “What happened to your arm? Who grabbed you?”

  Jessica went back to her desk and sat down. “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s obviously a handprint. I’m not your mother, Jessica. I’m not going to lecture you about the
guys you hang out with, but I also refuse to—”

  Jessica whipped around fast. “You think my boyfriend did this to me?”

  “Whoa, there. I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend.”

  “I don’t...not really,” Jessica muttered. “But none of that matters because Casey had nothing to do with the handprints.”

  “Handprints? You have more than one of those?”

  Jessica huffed at her obvious misstep, and then gently rolled up both sleeves so Lizzy could get a good look at her bruises.

  Lizzy had never seen anything like it. Whoever had done this to Jessica had left indents on both of her arms.

  “I wasn’t supposed to tell you,” Jessica said, “but yesterday, after you left, and at your request, Hayley and I did a search on the Internet for information on Theodore Johnson.”

  Lizzy had to bite her tongue to keep from interrupting. Instead, she grabbed a pencil and began chewing.

  Jessica walked back toward Lizzy and took a seat in the cushioned chair reserved for clients. “As it turned out, Johnson lives with his mother in a house about fifteen miles from here...right around the corner from Eric Farrell, the guy trying to collect workers’ comp.”

  Please don’t let those bruises have anything to do with Farrell, Lizzy thought. She pulled the pencil from her mouth. “Please tell me that you two did not visit Mr. Johnson at his home.”

  “You promised you would hear me out first.”

  Lizzy began chewing again.

  “I hate to put all the blame on Hayley, but I want you to know that I tried to talk her out of it. She wouldn’t listen. She’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever met in my life.”

  After a calming breath, Jessica continued. “Yes, we went to Johnson’s home. But you’ll be happy to know, thanks to Hayley’s determined questioning, he gave us a lead.” Jessica gestured with her chin toward the file on Lizzy’s desk. “It’s all in the file.”

  At the moment, Lizzy couldn’t care less about the file. “But Theodore Johnson didn’t cause the bruising on your arms, did he?”