“I do too, but neither of us feels comfortable living here even though there’s a possibility Roger could be innocent,” Kate said. “He’s too interested in our comings and goings. There’s no way around it. It’s time to go.”
“I know you’re right. When did you say you’re meeting with the owner of the apartment building? Mr. Quinn, right?”
“Right. I’m meeting him at Starbucks today at four. I’m leaving work early to meet with him. He wasn’t willing to do this over the phone. I know you’ll be at work then, but it was the only time this week he could meet with me. I really want to get our deposit back and explain to him what’s going on and why we’re moving. I hope you don’t mind I’m meeting him without you, Charlie.”
“Oh, it’s not a problem. I know you’ve got it under control. Thanks for taking care of this. I want it over with as soon as possible. I think the townhouse we found will work out very well, especially since we will have a garage. I’ll feel safer to pull in and have the doors close behind me before I get out.”
“Actually, I have some exciting news. Neil asked me to move in with him yesterday and I said yes,” Kate said while putting sugar and creamer in her coffee.
“Wow! That’s exciting, Kate.” Charlie paused for a moment. “I know I’m going to sound like your mother, but are you sure you’re ready for this? You haven’t known each other very long.”
“I know. It’s kind of crazy, but I know in my heart of hearts he’s the one for me. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. I’ve completely fallen in love with him and he has with me as well. He told me so yesterday.”
Charlie got up to hug Kate. “I’m so thrilled to finally see you happy again. You deserve to be with a great man. I really like Neil and I can see how you two go together.”
“Thanks, Charlie. Now you and Mitch can live in the townhouse together and move forward in your relationship.”
“Well now, that sounds like a wonderful solution,” she said. “This is going to work out perfectly, but I’m going to miss seeing you every day.”
“Me too. You’ve been there for me through everything. But we’ll always be tight. You’re my best friend.”
“Ditto.”
“Well, I better get to work,” Charlie said.
“See you later.” They gave each other another hug and Charlie headed out the door.
***
Mr. Quinn arrived promptly at four o’clock. The warm smile on his face was comforting.
“Mr. Quinn, thanks for meeting with me. I really appreciate it,” Kate said.
“Well, it sounded very urgent when we spoke on the phone. What can I do for you and your roommate?” he asked.
Kate explained that Roger was a suspect in a murder investigation and how uncomfortable she and her roommate now felt living there. She said she was giving him notice and hoped under the circumstances he’d consider refunding their deposit.
“Wow, I haven’t heard a single thing about Rose’s murder or Roger being a suspect. I can understand how you and your roommate feel,” Mr. Quinn said. “In a normal situation, I wouldn’t let you break the lease, let alone refund your deposit. But, given these circumstances, I’d be happy to do so as long as you leave the apartment as clean as when you moved in.”
“Then it’s settled. We will be moving out while Roger’s in Germany. Also, we don’t want him to have our new address. We need you to send the deposit refund, not him.”
“That’s not a problem. I can take care of it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Roger
Roger kept missing Kate when she left in the morning, and she used her schoolwork as an excuse not to hang out with him in the evening. He needed to see her, spend some time with her. It was the day before he was going to leave for Germany, so he decided it was time to visit her at work. It felt imperative he didn’t go without sharing his feelings and that he wanted to take her out when he returned. Buying a couple of outfits for Jacob from her should coerce her into lunch.
Upon reaching the top of the escalator at Nordstrom’s, he saw her from a distance. His heart rate increased with each step he took. He caught Kate’s eye as he approached the department.
“Roger, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice squeaky.
“I wanted to take Jacob some new clothes. I remembered you work here in the children’s department. I thought you could help me pick out some things.”
“Oh, absolutely. For a moment, I thought something might be wrong. I’m glad to help you,” she said. She smiled, but it looked forced.
“Do you have time to help me right now? You haven’t gone to lunch yet, have you?” he asked.
***
Kate
Kate knew immediately Roger was going to ask her to lunch. She didn’t want to go with him, but before she could utter words, Maria chimed in. “Kate hasn’t gone to lunch yet. She can go whenever she wants.”
The blood drained from her face. She wanted to smack Maria for opening her big mouth. The thought of having lunch with this obsessed serial killer made her want to hurl. How was she going to make it through this?
“Sounds like you’re available for lunch.” Roger grinned. “When we’re done here, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“That’s so nice of you, but totally unnecessary. You have so much to do to get ready for your trip. I know you’re leaving soon,” she said, adding a polite smile. Keep it light, keep smiling. She didn’t want to let on she was nervous.
“I’m leaving tomorrow and I’m already packed. I insist on taking you to lunch. Plus, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten yet.”
“What size does Jacob wear?”
“He’s a size six.”
“Did you have anything particular in mind?”
“Not really. I’m open to suggestions.”
Kate showed him corduroy pants and coordinating sweaters. She helped him pick out three outfits for Jacob. She did everything in her power to act as natural as possible, to think of him as another customer, but she didn’t know if she could make it through an entire meal with this maniac.
Kate began to ring up the clothing for him.
“So, have you thought of where you want to go?” he asked excitedly.
“I love the food here. Why don’t we eat in the Nordstrom Café?” she asked, knowing she’d feel safer in her own surroundings.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go somewhere else? You probably eat here all of the time.”
“Actually, I bring my lunch every day. I really don’t eat out often. I love the food at the café, so this will be great.” She tried her hardest to sound enthusiastic. “I need to punch out, so if you want to wait for me here, I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Sure, no problem.”
***
She walked through the employee doors to security. Brandon was manning the security desk.
“Brandon, would you pull up my department?”
“Yeah. Is something wrong?”
“My neighbor, who the police have questioned in two murder investigations, is here to have lunch with me. Could you have one of the undercover guys watch him? That’s him right there,” she said, pointing Roger out on the screen.
“No problem. I’ll have someone on him until he leaves the store.”
“Thank you so much.”
Kate left security with her purse and went back upstairs. She made her way back to Roger. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
They walked over to the café. It was located on the same floor as her department. She tried to make small talk. “I bet you can’t wait to see Jacob. I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you to be so far away from him.”
“Yeah, he’s a great kid. I’m hoping to convince Paulina to move back here so I can see him regularly again. Especially with Rose being gone.”
“How are you doing? I’m sure you’re having a hard time wrapping your mind around what’s happened.” She had to
concentrate on keeping her voice steady. She was quivering on the inside. How was she going to eat feeling this way? This was going to be the longest hour of her life.
“I’m hanging in there. I still can’t believe she’s gone. She really liked you a lot. She wanted to set you up with someone so we could double date.”
“I remember you telling me that. She was such a sweet woman. You were lucky to have her.” It was now their turn to order their food at the counter.
“Hey, Kate. What would you like today?”
“Hi, Jeff. I’ll have the half turkey sandwich, chicken noodle soup, and an iced tea.”
“And for you, sir?”
“That sounds good. I’ll have the same.”
Kate took out her wallet to pay her own way. She didn’t want to be obligated to Roger for anything. “Put your money away. I’m buying lunch,” he commanded.
She begrudgingly did as she was told. The last thing she wanted was to feel she owed him anything. Jeff handed them their glasses and a number for their order. Kate proceeded to fill up her glass and find a seat while Roger paid for their lunch. He then filled his glass and followed behind her. When they sat down, he stared at her intently.
“I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now I’ve been extremely attracted to you since I first showed you and Charlie your apartment.”
Her worst fears were being realized. How was she going to stomach eating lunch now? She thought it was bad before. Now it was worse. It was no longer in her head that Roger liked her. He was coming out and saying it. Before she could respond, he continued.
“I’d like to take you out on a date when I return from Germany. I think we could have something really special together. I really like you,” he said, reaching his hand across the table to take hers. She moved her hand away quickly, before he was able to touch her.
Swallowing hard, she pushed down the bile rising in her throat. She was disgusted by the man, but she didn’t dare let it show. “Oh, Roger, that’s so sweet of you. But between going to school full-time and working full-time, I’m afraid there’s not much time left over for anything else. I hope you can understand. I think you’re a great guy, but I’m so busy.” Then she stopped talking, hoping he’d take the hint.
“Well, one thing we’ve got going for us is we live so close to each other. I’ll see you when you have time. I don’t care if we just watch TV together. I want to be with you. I think I’ve fallen for you.”
His words came crashing down around her like a hailstorm. He wasn’t getting the message. “Well, I appreciate your honesty. But you never know, maybe you and Jacob’s mom will work things out. You do have a child together. It would make sense.”
“We didn’t work out before. And she’s not who I want. I want you,” he said with a little bit of force in his voice.
She could see her objections were getting her nowhere. He kept pushing no matter how much she tried to dissuade him. “Well, we’ll see what happens. For now, going to Germany sounds amazing. I’ve always wanted to travel to Europe. Have you been there before?” She desperately wanted to change the subject.
The waiter brought them their food. She took a bite, hoping to not have to talk for the next minute or so.
“I’ve traveled all over Europe. When I served in the military, I was fortunate enough to see many beautiful places. You’d love Europe. Maybe we could go there together someday.”
Damn it, he’s not getting it.
“I’d love to have the opportunity to go there someday. I especially want to see Italy. There’s something about that culture that really speaks to me.” Kate continued eating. She wanted this lunch hour to vanish quickly.
“So, Roger, where did you grow up?” she asked, hoping to steer him in another direction.
Any direction as long as it was away from his feelings for her.
“I grew up in Idaho,” he answered. He looked irritated. Kate could tell he was annoyed she wasn’t swooning over his declaration of love for her.
“I’ve heard great things about Idaho. It’s a really breathtaking part of the country. Did you like living there?”
“It was okay.”
“Did you spend most of your childhood there?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you have it rough growing up?”
“It was okay. I was raised in foster care. My real family fell on hard times and they had to give me up. I was the youngest. I lived with a foster family from age four to eighteen.”
“Do you keep in touch with your foster family?”
“Yes, I talk to my foster mom about once a month. I try to see her at Christmas when I can. I’ve missed the last couple of Christmases.”
“What about siblings?”
“I have five real brothers and sisters and three foster brothers. One of my sisters lives up in North County.”
That’s where they found Rose. “Do you get to see her very often?”
“Once in a while.”
“Wow, where did the time go? My lunchtime’s almost over. I need to scoot. I want to go to the ladies’ room and freshen up before I return to the sales floor. Thanks so much for lunch. I enjoyed it.”
She didn’t know what else to say. She stopped herself from babbling on any further.
“You’re welcome. I look forward to seeing you tonight when you get home. Hopefully we can continue our conversation.”
“Sounds good,” she said with a half smile. “See you then.”
“See you then.”
She stood up, leaving him sitting at the table. She moved away as fast as she could. She went to security and asked them to inform her when Roger had left the store. Then she went to the employee bathroom, locked herself in a stall, and began crying uncontrollably. She had thought their conversation about Rose’s murder and him being a suspect had been difficult. The past hour made that look like child’s play. The enormity of him expressing his feelings for her was too much to handle. If she called or texted Neil, he’d become enraged and most likely pay Roger a visit. If Roger killed Rick and Mark, he could kill Neil too. He obviously was cunning and experienced. Deciding for now to hold off on telling Neil, she instead unlocked the door and went to the mirror to fix her makeup. This is a nightmare.
She smoothed away the streaks the tears had left on her cheeks. She took out her powder and brushed it all over her face. Adding some blush and lipstick made her look presentable again. Once she was refreshed, she punched in and went back to her department. The girls surrounded her to find out who she went to lunch with.
“Maria, he’s the guy I’ve been creeped out about,” Kate said angrily. “He’s believed to have killed three people.” She tried to control the sob aching to be released from her chest.
“Oh no, Kate! I had no idea. He’s so good-looking. I had it in my head he’d be unattractive. He’s…he’s the guy?” Maria asked.
“Yes, he’s the guy. He told me he’s fallen for me and he wants us to go out when he returns from Germany.”
“Kate, if I had known, I’d have kept my big mouth shut. I’m so sorry,” Maria said, putting her hand on her chest.
“I know. It’s okay. You didn’t have any idea who he was. The scary part is, like you said, he’s good-looking and you don’t think he’s…a killer. What if he’s killed more people than the police suspect?”
“How are you going to handle this?” Maria asked.
“He’s leaving the country tomorrow, so Charlie and I are moving. He’ll be gone for a month, so we have time to get everything done.”
“I’m so glad you’re going to get away from him.”
“Me too.”
Several customers entered the department and needed assistance with baby gifts, causing them to end the conversation abruptly. The rest of Kate’s shift was busy. When she got off work, she dreaded going home knowing Roger was going to do everything in his power to see her again before he left the next day. She called Charlie on the way home and asked if Mitch was staying the night. Tha
nkfully, he was there already. Mitch had seemed to be a deterrent in the past. Hopefully, that would continue to hold true.
Kate plodded up the stairs like she was walking to her death. She wasn’t only shaking on the inside, she was visibly shaking on the outside. Roger’s door was open and she knew he was watching for her. As she made it to the landing, he called out to her while approaching the door.
“Would you like a glass of wine, Kate?” His gaze zeroed in on her trembling hands. “What’s wrong? You don’t look very good.”
“I think I might be coming down with something. You better stay away. I don’t want you to get sick before your trip.” Please let this work, she prayed.
“Oh, you’re right,” he said, taking a step back. “I can’t get sick right now.”
“I need to go to bed. I’ll see you later,” she said, turning and walking toward her door. “If I don’t see you before you leave, have a safe trip. Enjoy your time with Jacob.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond. She got into her apartment as quickly as she could.
Mitch’s eyes widened the moment he saw her. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
“No, I have Rogeritis.”
“Huh?” Charlie said.
Kate pointed toward the door. “That lunatic came to Nordstrom today and bought some clothes for his son and then insisted on taking me to lunch. One of my co-workers volunteered I hadn’t gone to lunch yet, so I had to go with him. It was horrifying. He told me he’s fallen for me and wants to take me out when he returns from Germany. I’ve literally felt sick ever since.”
The look on Charlie’s face said it all. It was a mixture of shock and revulsion. “This is insane. I’m so glad we’re moving out of here. But you need to put in for a transfer to a different Nordstrom. He will come to find you again at work.”
“I talked to HR late this afternoon. I put in for a transfer. I have interviews for a couple of openings. Do you think changing to a different store’s going to be enough?” she asked. She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. She ran to the bathroom, but it was dry heaves. Leaving the bathroom, she went to lie down on her bed. Mitch and Charlie joined her in her room.
Fallen For You (Killer Next Door #1) Page 19
