Angel of Death

by Kimberley O'Malley

  “I thought we ruled out Noah.”

  “We did. Putting him on the list made Grey feel better.”

  “I never like him,” the man in question muttered.

  “In your defense, neither did I. Dating a patient is just wrong.”

  “Former patient.” She threw up her hands. “Why am I defending him?”

  “Good question.” Jonah looked at the list again. “Isn’t Mr. Mc Manus almost eighty? Although he might be the meanest guy in town, I think we’re safe to cross him off.”

  “See? I was right,” Addie crowed to her friend.

  “How do you know about him?” asked Grey.

  Jonah shook his head. “Everyone in law enforcement in Ocean Grove knows him. That man comes in at least once a week to lodge a complaint about something or someone. If it’s not his neighbor’s dog barking, then it’s someone who dared to jaywalk in town. That man is a menace but not your stalker.”

  “Agreed,” said Addie.

  “And who is Caleb?”

  She laughed. “You can take him off, too. He’s about twenty and a part-time barista at Wide Awake Cafe next door.”

  “Age doesn’t rule him out, Addie.”

  “And there’s the way he looks at you. Don’t forget to tell Jonah that,” added Grey with a bit of mischief sparkling in his blue eyes.

  “Oh, and how does he look at you, Addie?” Jonah asked, one eyebrow cocking.

  “Again, he’s twenty!”

  “Like he likes her. You know, likes her, likes her,” Grey added by way of explanation.

  “That’s enough out of you. And I would kick you out of my office, but I had another dream I have to tell you both about.”

  Both men turned to face her. “Just now, before Grey woke me up. I guess I fell asleep.”

  “We didn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” murmured Jonah

  “Really? Do tell!” commented Grey.

  Addie ignored the heat seeping into her face. The thought of why she’d lost sleep made her smile. “Anyway, it was very similar to the last one, but different.” She laughed at the confusion written on both men’s faces. “Sorry, that wasn’t very clear.”

  “About as clear as mud, as my dear, departed granny would say.”

  “You’re right, Grey. The dream was the same in that it happened in the same creepy, dark hallway. The setting was definitely the same. But it differed, because somehow, I knew to be careful. I crept down the hallway, not wanting to alert someone to my presence. Weird, right?”

  “Very,” agreed Jonah. “Go on. What else happened?”

  “I had my back to the wall and peeked around the doorway to see what was happening. Someone stood over a bed, with a needle in their hand. They whispered to the person in the bed in a quiet, almost soothing, voice.”

  “Almost? Why wasn’t it?”

  “I'm not sure. There was something about the voice…something off. Or maybe it had to do with the needle in their hand.” She shuddered remembering the rest of the dream. “And then I gasped, and the person turned to look at me. Caught me there.”

  “You keep saying ‘their’ and ‘someone’ without using he or she. Do you not know? Try to remember,” Jonah urged her.

  Addie closed her eyes, trying to recall the details of the dream. “The room was mostly dark, draped in shadows, with only a dim light coming from the bedside lamp. The person wore scrubs that were baggy and didn’t reveal a shape per se. It could have been a she or a smaller man. The figure was slight.” She opened her eyes and stared at the men in front of her, relieved by their presence as she tried to shake off the threat of the vision. “There was something very scary about the person.”

  Jonah covered her cold hands with his own. “I'm guessing the needle wasn’t a normal part of care. Maybe something ordered for the patient?”

  “I don’t believe so. There was a furtiveness about him. Or her.” She squeezed his hands in thanks for his support. Honestly, she had no idea why he hadn’t run for the hills yet with all this craziness. “I figured you should both know.”

  “Of course we should. Maybe Granny Betsy needs a bed there sooner than we thought. Maybe we should go back again, have another look around.”

  “No.” Jonah turned his head and fixed Grey with a stare. “You two are done cavorting around. I’ll look into this.”

  “Geez, take away my fun, why don’t you. You’re just miffed because Addie and I were married.”

  “That’s the least of my worries,” Jonah mumbled.

  “Boys! Maybe we can concentrate on the task, or tasks, at hand. Jonah, I promise not to go back there. At least not without you. And I’ll put any names I can think of on the list. And Grey, you will behave yourself.”

  “Ah, what fun is that?”

  7

  The rest of Addie’s Sunday passed without incident. Sales had picked up with Christmas less than a month away. She put the name of every male she’d interacted with, and could remember, on the list for Jonah. None of them seemed a likely candidate for her stalker, but you never knew.

  Before Jonah went back to the station, they’d made plans for an early dinner. Although they both enjoyed last night’s ‘stress relief,’ they’d decided actual sleep was called for tonight. Jonah planned to be at her house by seven, with takeout from wherever he picked. This upcoming week would be very busy, between the store and the holiday. The next few weeks until Christmas always proved to be the busiest of the year. And while she wasn’t complaining, she had a lot of work ahead of her. Her minuscule stockroom already overflowed with new inventory.

  After the last customer left, Addie switched the sign to ‘Sea you tomorrow’ and locked the front door. Living near the beach gave her the opportunity for all kinds of fun nautical expressions. Although being in the store alone after the note creeped her out more than a little, she had work to do. Those shelves weren’t going to stock themselves. The fact that she was locked in helped. She walked around the store first, gathering books that had been pulled then discarded. She usually did this as the shop was closing, but the day’s last-minute crush of customers hadn’t left her any time. Not that she was complaining. When she’d scooped up all the strays, Addie headed into the backroom to grab the first few boxes.

  She debated in her head between starting in the adult or children’s section when the lights went out. Addie gripped the boxcutter in her hand until her fingers cramped. She stood very still, listening for anything that would indicate another person in the store with her. Although she was happy Grey had taken the girls to the Aunties, they made an excellent early warning system. She held her breath, afraid even that slight noise would give away her location. Although she’d been sure she was alone when she locked up, she didn’t feel very confident about it now.

  No noise came from the outer room. She strained to hear, but it would be hard to hear anything faint over the rushing of her pulse in her own ears. She gripped the boxcutter with one hand and slid her phone out of her back pocket with the other. After ducking behind a tall stack of boxes, Addie slid her finger across the screen to unlock it before hitting Jonah’s preset. It rang a few times before his voicemail clicked on.

  Damn!

  She waited until the beep, ridiculously loud in the dark room, before whispering into the phone. “Jonah, it’s me. Something’s wrong at the store. The lights went out. Please hurry. I'm calling nine-one-one.” She hung up the phone and did just that.

  “Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

  “I think someone is trying to break in,” Addie whispered into the phone, afraid to make any noise.

  “Ma’am, are you okay? I can barely hear you,” the female dispatcher stated.

  Sweat trickled down Addie’s neck as she crouched lower behind the boxes. “Someone left a threatening note at my home yesterday, and now the lights have gone off in my store. I'm here alone. Can you s-s-send help, please?” She rattled off the name and address just in case the dispatcher needed them.

  “
Okay, ma’am, tell me your name.”

  “Addie Foster.”

  “All right, Addie, my name is Stephanie, and I'm going to stay with you. I have police on their way. Where are you in the store, Addie?”

  “I’m in the back storeroom, hiding behind a stack of boxes. I don’t think they can see me.”

  “They? Is there more than one person involved?”

  She shook her head before remembering the dispatcher couldn’t see her. “I don’t know. I didn’t actually see, or hear, anyone.”

  “Are you armed, Addie? I have to tell my officers.”

  A giggle escaped her pressed lips. “I have a boxcutter. I don’t believe in guns. At least I never did. Now, I wish I had one.”

  “That doesn’t always end the way people think it would. Do me a favor, take some deep breaths for me, and stay on the line.”

  Addie did, and it made her feel a little better. But her legs ached from holding her crouching position. She longed to stand or sit but remained frozen to the spot. “Stephanie, I don’t hear anything. But I'm too scared to move.”

  “Stay exactly where you are. I don’t want you to go out there.”

  She stifled a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

  “Good. My first officer is right around the corner from your position. His name is Mike Bradley. Is there a back entrance to the store?”

  Relief washed over Addie at the familiar name. He was the officer who’d been injured protecting her last summer. “The back door is maybe twenty feet from where I am. It’s locked. The front is locked as well.”

  “When I tell you to, can you reach the back door to open it without putting yourself at risk?” Stephanie asked.

  The thought of moving from her position sent a flood of icy sweat down her back. But she’d feel safer once an officer arrived. “Y-y-yes, I can do that.” She crossed her fingers, hoping she could. Even two minutes seemed like a very long time right about now. “Can you reach Jonah, uh, I mean Detective Wolfe? I called him first, but he didn’t answer.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I’ll have someone do that. Officer Bradley should be there any second. I just need you to hang on for a little while longer.”

  “Thank you for staying on the line with me. I don’t feel so scared.”

  But she’d spoken too soon. The sound of the front door rattling almost stopped her heart. “Someone’s trying to get in the front door. Please have him hurry.”

  “He should be on scene right now, ma’am. Do me a favor and move to the door.”

  Addie crept toward the backdoor, her legs burning with the effort after crouching for so long. She picked her way behind rows of boxes, desperate to remain hidden, but the boxes ended halfway to the door. Knowing she had to risk it, Addie sucked in a deep breath and ran the rest of the way, collapsing against the door. “Officer Bradley is that you?” she whispered against the metal.

  “Ms. Foster, it’s me. Can you let me in?” came a masculine voice.

  His soothingly familiar voice set her in action. With shaking hands, she unlocked the back door, opening it only enough to allow him to squeeze in. “Oh, thank goodness,” she whispered as she hugged him. “Thank you for coming. I don’t know if anyone is up front or not.”

  “My pleasure, ma’am. There are two cars out front, checking the street. Should just be a moment now.”

  She let go of him and moved back behind the row of boxes as the radio clipped to his jacket squawked to life. Addie couldn’t make out what was being said, but she hoped it was good news.

  “Ms. Foster, everything is clear up there. I'm going to go open the door and let in the other officers. Will you be okay alone for a moment?”

  She gave him a wan smile and nodded.

  He reached behind himself and locked the back door. “Give me a minute. I’ll let you know when it’s clear to come out.”

  Relief flooded through her, and she sat down hard on the ground as her knees gave out. Now that she was safe, she found it hard to breathe. She rubbed at the ache in her chest. Addie stayed in that position. She heard him rush up front, followed by the sound of the door opening. A few different voices all seemed to speak at once, but only one caught her attention.

  “Where is she?” came Jonah’s distinctive baritone.

  “I'm back here,” she cried. She couldn’t even get off the floor before he reached her, gathering her in his arms and lifting her up.

  “Addie, I was so worried,” he whispered into her hair.

  She clung to him to him like a drowning person to a life preserver. “Thank you for coming. I was so scared.”

  “I'm so sorry I didn’t answer. I had stopped in to grab our dinner and left my phone in the car. Never again, I promise.” He hugged her so hard she could barely breathe, but nothing had ever felt better. Or safer.

  “You have nothing to apologize for. How could you have known?”

  “Well, now I know.” Jonah kissed the top of her head. “Nothing is more precious to me than you.”

  “Right back at you,” she managed past the lump in her throat. If she told him how she really felt, how very important he’d become to her, she’d lose it. Tears everywhere. She sniffed and pulled away from him. “I need to see what’s happening.” She ignored the confusion in his eyes and walked out of the storeroom.

  Three cops moved about her store, checking the door and windows. “Can anyone tell me what happened?”

  Officer Bradley turned toward her. “Looks like the power was cut at the box outside. Should be easy enough to fix once we’re done.”

  “Done?”

  “Oh, done with investigating.” The younger man straightened to his full height in front of her. “We’ve got this, Ms. Foster. We’ll find out who did this and why.”

  Addie held in a snicker. Jonah had once mentioned he thought the patrol officer had a little crush on her. Of course, he growled when he said it. Seemed he was right. Then she remembered the stalker and how it could be anyone.

  “I’ve got this, Mike,” Jonah announced coming to stand next to her. He placed an arm around Addie, tugging her against him. Normally that kind of pissing match irritated her, but Officer Bradley nodded and left the building. She’d take it.

  “Who would do this? And why? Was he just trying to scare me? Or was he planning something else?” The endless, unpleasant scenarios whirled in her head.

  Jonah turned to her. “We have to assume this is tied in with the ‘gifts’ you’ve received. Whoever it is has stepped up his game, become more threatening. No more taking any chances, Addie.”

  “What chances have I taken? I stayed in the store all day, even letting Grey go for lunch because God forbid, I walk two blocks in broad daylight. I was locked in my own store, all safe and sound. What else could I have done?”

  “That’s just it, Addie. You were locked in your own store, alone, and this happened.” He threw up his hands. “You cannot be alone anymore. Anywhere. We can’t take the chance. What if he had busted in, not just terrified you? What if I’d gotten here too late?”

  Jonah’s voice drifted to just above a whisper by the end. Addie’s heart squeezed in her chest. What was she doing to him? “I get it, Jonah. I do. But I can’t live like this. And I really can’t ask you to either.” She started to walk away; hot tears threatened again, but for a different reason this time.

  He grabbed her wrist. “Oh, no you don’t, Adelaide Foster. You’re not getting away from me that easily. I’m in this for the long haul, crazy stalker and all.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that, Jonah.” She looked into his dark eyes, seeing love all mixed up with fear and something she couldn’t identify.

  “You never asked me to. Remember? I'm here, in this mess with you, because there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

  And in that moment, she knew he was telling the truth. Being Jonah. She threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. “I’m probably going to fall apart a little later. When we’re not standing here with all t
hese people. I'm going to cry until you think I’ll never stop. But you’ll be right there with me, even though women crying makes you very uncomfortable. And I’ll love you even more for doing it, although I don’t know how that’s even possible.”

  “Yes to all that, Addie, and so much more. One day, there won’t be a crazed stalker after you. There might even be a period of time when you don’t have prophetic, scary dreams and someone isn’t trying to kill one or both of us. But even if that’s not true, I'm still going to be right here. With you.”

  She hugged him tighter for a moment before letting go. “Okay, then, sounds like a plan. I’d really like to go home. Can we wrap this up?”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  8

  Addie got out of the bath only when the water made her teeth chatter. She dried off and threw on pajamas and her oldest, heaviest robe. It was the comfort food of clothing. About as sexy as a hospital gown, but she’d take it.

  A delicious aroma teased her nose as she stepped into the kitchen. “I didn’t hear you leave, and I don’t own the ingredients for that kind of dinner.” She smiled at Jonah. He’d removed his tie, unbuttoned a few buttons, and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. Already, he looked less like Detective Wolfe and more like the man she loved.

  He held up his phone. “No reason to leave when there’s an app for that.”

  “Ah, Food 2 U, the delight of hungry but lazy people everywhere.” She closed her eyes and sniffed. “Is that Angelo’s I smell? Oh, I so hope that’s Angelo’s Penne a la Vodka.”

  Jonah walked up to her and tapped the end of her nose. “Good guess. I figured after what just happened, Angelo’s Penne a la Vodka was the right choice.”

  “The only choice.” She threw her arms around him. “You know me so well.”

  A chorus of excited yips sounded from the kitchen slider. “And the girls are home.” Addie rushed to the kitchen door to let them in. They crowded her, competing for attention as if they’d been separated for days rather than hours. She pet their fluffy bodies, fur cool from the evening air. When she straightened, both dogs ran to the table, noses scenting the air. “Apparently, I'm not the only ones who can appreciate good food around here,” she joked.