Delusional

by Terri Breneman

  “Do any of your clients have the ability to drive?” Toni asked.

  “Oh, sure. Probably about half of them, but I seriously doubt they could have taken the van without someone else noticing. But you never know.”

  “Does the van stay at the shelter all the time, or do you take it home with you?” Vicky asked.

  “I take it with me a few times a week, I guess,” Charlie said. “Maybe more.”

  Toni noticed that he continued to keep eye contact with her, even though Vicky was the one asking the questions. She smiled at him slightly, trying to keep a mostly neutral expression. This was a skill she’d learned as a therapist and she was very good at not letting people see her emotions or reactions.

  “What about the staff?” Vicky asked. “These incidents took place at night. Do you have staff there overnight?”

  Charlie glanced at Vicky, then back to Toni. “We always have at least one staff member on the shelter side of the premises. It’s usually a case manager. And we do some outpatient therapy in the evenings, so some days there are therapists there until about eight o’clock. I can give you all of the names of all my staff if you think that would help.”

  “We’d really appreciate that,” Toni said.

  Charlie took out a pen and paper from his coat pocket and jotted down the names of the six other workers. “Here you go,” he said as he handed the paper to Toni. He looked at his watch. “I’ve got to head back now,” he said. “I’ve got a staff meeting.” He placed a ten-dollar bill on the table. “It was really nice meeting you, Ms. Barston. You too, detective. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.” He left.

  Toni watched him go out the front door before she said anything. She got up and slid into the opposite side of the booth. “Was it just me or did he completely ignore you?”

  “I’ll say. Holy crap. I mean I know I’m not a beauty queen or anything, but that was really strange. Especially since you’re an attorney and all. No offense.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well,” Vicky said. “Charlie is an old-school cop. It’s not like he hates lawyers or anything, but just that they aren’t ‘us’. And by ‘us’ I mean cops. Cops stick together. Before you came over to the table, it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk about anything. Usually old cops will talk your ear off about the good old days. Not that he’s that old or anything, but still, it was strange.”

  “Maybe it still bothers him that he had to medically retire,” Toni said. “You know, maybe it’s a sore spot for him.”

  “That or he was just flirting with you. He barely looked at me after you arrived.”

  “I think that was because I used to be a therapist and I knew what he was talking about. That’s all.” Toni leaned back in the booth and looked at the names on the piece of paper. “Guess you should shoot these over to Patty.”

  Vicky looked at the names and nodded. “She told me she was going to swing by Johnnie’s office to pick up the background info this afternoon.” Vicky chuckled. “I don’t think that’s the only thing she wants to pick up there.”

  Toni grinned. “Yeah, it was kind of obvious yesterday. I just hope that Johnnie doesn’t break her heart.”

  “Hey, for all we know, Patty is the one who’ll be breaking hearts.” Vicky placed her own ten-dollar bill on the table and slid out of the booth. She and Toni walked back to Metro together.

  Chapter 12

  Toni and Boggs pulled into opposite ends of the alley behind their house at the same time. Toni could see the huge grin on Boggs’s face as they both acted like they were about to play chicken. After laughing out loud, Toni hit the garage door opener and pulled in first. Boggs waited until she’d gotten out of her bright blue VW Bug before pulling her SUV into the garage. Toni waited for her by the door to the mudroom.

  “We couldn’t have timed that any better if we’d planned it,” Toni said.

  “I know. How strange was that?” Boggs keyed in the code on the security panel on the inside door after the garage door had lowered. They walked through the mudroom, hanging their keys on the pegs near the kitchen door. Toni set her briefcase on the kitchen island next to Mr. Rupert and sighed. She grinned as he pushed his head on her arm.

  “Hiya, buddy,” she said as she rubbed his head. “I guess you’re starving to death. I can almost see your ribs.”

  Mr. Rupert meowed loudly and blinked at her several times. She retrieved a can of wet food from the cabinet. Before she could finish opening the small can, Little Tuffy jumped up and sat next to his large brother. Mr. Rupert glared at him and Little Tuffy scooted about two feet away. Toni put one third of the can on one plate and the rest on another small plate. She placed the food in front of the boys. It took less than a minute for it to disappear.

  Toni shook her head. “It’s not like it’s been days since you two ate,” she said, patting each of them. She put their plates into the dishwasher. “You have dry food, you know.” Neither seemed to care that she was talking, as their need for her to operate the can opener had passed.

  Boggs handed her a cold beer. “Looks like you could use one of these, babe.”

  Toni took a long drink. “Jeez. I don’t think a beer has ever tasted this good. I keep thinking about the killer, and I’m sure we’re missing something really obvious, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what it is.” She set the bottle down on the island. “I’m going to run up and put on my comfies, then I’ll fix us something to eat. How does that sound?”

  Boggs had already downed half of her own beer. “Let’s treat ourselves tonight and order some Chinese food. I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood to be lazy.”

  Toni picked up her beer and after a long drink, she smiled. “Ah, a woman after my own heart.” She took another sip. “Go ahead and order while I change.”

  By the time Toni returned downstairs, Boggs was sitting in the living room, drinking what appeared to be her second beer. Her legs were stretched out on the ottoman.

  “You must have had one hell of a day yourself,” Toni said as she grabbed her own beer from the kitchen island. She plopped down in the other leather club chair. Mr. Rupert hopped up on her lap. “What happened?”

  Boggs was absentmindedly scratching Little Tuffy, who was curled up in her lap.“It was just one of those days where I couldn’t get anything done. Interviews where the guy doesn’t show up or where the woman conveniently forgets what happened in a robbery. Like you could forget if there were one, two or three guys who supposedly held a gun to your head. She changes her story every time I talk to her. We already know her boyfriend was one of the perps, but she’s adamantly denying that. Drives me crazy. I’m having an ‘I hate people’ kind of day.” She took another swallow of beer. “And I’ve been doing some digging on Peter. Sam gave me his personnel file. Or at least Sam’s version of that.”

  “Sorry about your lousy interviews. Did you find anything on Peter?”

  “Nope, not really, but I just started. He just gives me the creeps. I did find out he’s a Republican.”

  Toni laughed. “Well, that’s enough to make me question his sanity.”

  “I just wish there was something I could put my finger on,” Boggs said. “But so far there isn’t. It’s bugging me.”

  “Maybe he just gives off a bad vibe,” Toni said. “You know, icky energy or something? I’ve only worked with him a few times and that’s what I pick up from him.”

  “You might have something there. At first, I thought it was just a personality clash between us or something, but now I think you may be right. Vicky can’t stand him either, and Sam said he’d fire him if he had a good reason.” Boggs finished her beer and set the empty bottle on the end table.She glanced at her watch.“The food should be here any minute. I ordered extra so we could have leftovers for lunch and such.”

  “Yum.” Toni finished her own beer and went to get them both replacements. The doorbell rang just as she was putting the bottles in the recycle bin. She glanced at
the monitor on the kitchen counter and saw it was the regular boy from Dragon Inn. She grabbed some cash from her wallet in her briefcase and paid for their food. The brown bag was huge.

  “Holy crap, hon, were you hungry or something?”

  Boggs came over and started to unload the food while Toni got out plates, bowls and flatware.

  “I couldn’t decide between cashew chicken or shrimp with snow peas,” she said, grinning. “And I didn’t know if you wanted beef with broccoli or chicken and snow peas, so I got one of each. And I also got us egg rolls and soup with an extra order of fried rice for lunch tomorrow.”

  Toni smiled as she watched Boggs pull out each container. She looked like a kid at Christmas, examining each and every present. Toni kissed her on the cheek before sitting at the island.

  As they ate and sampled each other’s food, Toni filled her in on the meeting with Charlie Jones.

  “I agree with Vicky,” Boggs said after swallowing another bite. “I think he was hitting on you.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Toni said. “I mean it’s possible of course, but I didn’t get that vibe. Not at all.”

  “Well, the strangest thing was the fact that he didn’t bore Vicky to death with old cop stories. She’s right. I’ve never met a retired cop that didn’t tell an assload of stories or at least give you advice about how to investigate something.” Boggs took a sip of her third beer. “But maybe he’s just an odd one, like Peter.”

  “You’re probably right. I mean, well, he was very upfront about the people at his shelter and the workers. Patty will run those names for us.” Toni pushed her plate away. “I am stuffed. And it looks like we barely touched all the food here.”

  Boggs finished the last of her egg roll and started to put the food away.

  “I’ll do that for us, honey,” Toni said as she pushed her stool back from the island.

  “No, that’s okay, babe. I’ve got it. Why don’t you stay there and let’s go over our Thanksgiving list while I clean up?”

  Toni nodded and smiled. She got the list out of the island drawer and sat back down. She watched Boggs move about the kitchen with ease, putting dishes in the dishwasher and putting the food into containers for the refrigerator. She couldn’t believe how incredibly lucky she was. She lived in this beautiful home with her partner and best friend. They’d just treated themselves to Chinese food and now they were planning a family holiday. She saw Mr. Rupert sleeping on the couch in the living room and Little Tuffy was curled up on one of the ottomans. Toni felt loved and safe, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

  She blinked several times, trying to keep her emotions in check, but the tears wouldn’t cooperate. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful life? The thought of losing everything at the hands of a delusional maniac, just like Maggie had, was too much for her to comprehend.

  Boggs had just put the last plate in the dishwasher when she noticed a very emotional Toni, tears streaming down her face. “Are you okay, babe?” She quickly crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Toni. “What’s wrong?” Toni saw her gaze dart around the room as though she were looking for the source of her anguish.

  “I just love you so much,” Toni whispered. “I can’t bear the thought of not having you.”

  Boggs visibly relaxed, kissing her cheek and wiping away the tears with her sleeve. “You’re not going to lose me, babe. Not if I have anything to say about it.” She pulled Toni off the barstool and held her close. “We’re okay,” she whispered in Toni’s ear. “We’re okay.”

  “I’m sorry, hon,” Toni said. “I don’t know what got into me.”

  “It’s fine, babe. I felt that way just a few months ago when I thought that woman had killed you. It just washed over me and I couldn’t stop the tears.” Boggs lightly touched Toni’s cheek, then kissed her. “How about I fix us a cup of coffee and we just relax in front of the fire for a bit?”

  “That sounds wonderful.” Toni took a deep breath, then hugged Boggs one more time. “In fact, if you make the coffee, I’ll put some frozen apple turnovers in the oven. How does that sound?”

  “Like a perfect night.”

  Toni was able to push past that emotional overload, and by the time the turnovers were ready to come out of the oven, she and Boggs were laughing at the antics of Mr. Rupert and Little Tuffy. They spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch with the fire roaring and football on their flat screen television.

  He had spent the last hour in his sanctuary, praying and going over his new list. He felt more inspired than he’d ever felt before. On his way home from work that evening, he’d seen a billboard. Even though he usually drove the same route, he’d never seen that sign before. There was no doubt in his mind that this was a sign from God. It was an advertisement for a local restaurant.

  CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE—ADD US TO YOUR “TO DO” LIST

  EAT AT JENNY’S RESTAURANT TONIGHT!

  He knew that this message was meant for him and only him. He had been given permission to expand his mission. He twisted his ring. This was better than he could hope for. He knew that soon everyone would know about him and praise his work. As he pulled up in front of his house, another message came through a song on the radio. He was so excited that God was now communicating with him not only through his dreams and meditation, but also through the media and no one but he could understand. He was special.

  After thirty minutes of prayer and extensive research on his laptop, he decided that not only would he give his regular sermon tonight, he’d add someone new. He felt almost giddy. He also decided that he needed to change his technique for getting into these people’s homes. The message from God on the billboard was not only a gift, allowing him to cast out more deviants, but also a warning that he needed to change his routine. It was wonderful.

  With a new method set in his mind, he grabbed his gym bag and went downstairs. His mother was in her faded green recliner watching television. She looked puzzled when she saw his bag.

  “Where are you going? Tonight isn’t your gym night.” She seemed confused.

  “I know, Mother. But with the holidays coming up, I want to make sure I don’t gain any weight.” He smiled. “Especially with all the wonderful goodies that you make this time of year.”

  She grinned. “I’ve got a list of things I’ll need from the grocery store soon,” she said.

  “I can get them tonight if you’d like,” he said. “Or I can take you to the store after I come home tomorrow. Whichever you prefer.”

  She thought for a moment. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d like to go with you tomorrow. I like to see what they have.”

  “I’ll make sure I go to the gym early tomorrow, and that way I’ll be home before dinner. We can go to the store right after that.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

  He had to make himself walk calmly out the door. He was so excited about his expanding mission for God. Tonight would be one on God’s list, and Wednesday would be one of his own choosing. He’d have to wait a day since he promised to take his mother to the grocery store, but that was fine. Honor your mother and father.

  Chapter 13

  Toni had just sat at her desk on Tuesday morning when Vicky called. There’d been an attempt last night. What went wrong? Toni chided herself. Maybe I should be thinking, what went right?

  “I’m guessing that this woman’s neighbor scared our guy off,” Vicky said. “The victim is still unconscious and Claire said she’d call as soon as she knows anything. She thinks he only got a partial dose of the insulin in before the neighbor started pounding on the door.”

  “Did the neighbor see anything?” Toni asked. “Was that why the neighbor was so persistent?”

  “She didn’t see a damn thing,” Vicky said. “She was having a crisis of her own. She’s a bit of a drama queen. But I want to talk to everyone in the neighborhood after I finish in here. I think I’ll be here at the scene for another hour or so. We’ve bee
n here all night. Patty is doing some interviews right now and I’ve already called Johnnie.”

  “Are you sure it’s the same as the others?” Toni asked.

  “As far as I can tell, yes. I was hoping he’d make a mistake and maybe this is it. I hope I’m not just missing something.”

  “I keep feeling that way,” Toni said. “Like there’s something obvious that I’m not seeing.” She took a deep breath. “Why don’t you all come over around six and maybe we can sort this out?”

  “Sounds good.” She rang off without saying anything else.

  Toni frowned as she replaced the phone. What can I do? Someone needs to look into that shelter, she thought. The clients, not just the staff. But with privacy concerns, she wasn’t sure how to do that. Since Charlie seemed very friendly to her, she decided to give him a call. It couldn’t hurt to try. She looked up the number and called immediately.

  “Hi, Charlie. It’s Toni Barston. I met you yesterday with Detective Carter?”

  “Oh, sure, Ms. Barston. How are you?”

  “I’m doing good, thanks. But please, call me Toni. I wanted to talk to you about your clients. I’m concerned about this Peeping Tom, and I wondered if you had any ideas or concerns about any of them. I’m afraid he might escalate.” Toni hoped this ruse would work. It was worth a shot.

  “I thought about that last night,” Charlie said. “And there might be two or three.” He hesitated for a moment. “I can’t really violate confidentiality you know,” he continued, “but if you came over for a tour, I may be able to introduce you to some of our clients.”

  Toni quickly looked at her appointment book and saw that she was free from noon until two. “Would it be okay if I came over around twelve thirty?”

  “That would be great,” Charlie said. “I can show you around the facility and the folks I’d like you to meet will be here. I’ll see you soon.”