Sun Scream

by Barbara Silkstone

  I settled my finger on the button of my hairspray and Jaimie raised her bottle-club. We tiptoed along the side of the garage. A car engine was running.

  Jaimie melted down. She yelped and dashed around the front of the garage, pounded on the plywood, then ran towards the stairs. “Chip loves that car!” She shrieked.

  Her burst surprised me. I charged after her but was only at the bottom of the stairs when she reached the top. I’d be able to catch her when she unlocked the door.

  “Skathers!” she screamed. With one hand she yanked open the door while swinging the vodka bottle over her head.

  A half dozen steps behind her I knew we were headed for trouble. I watched her lock the door when we left. It wasn’t locked now.

  “Jaimie! Stop!” I yelled.

  She didn’t respond but tore through the kitchen and down the stairs. When she opened the door to the garage, fumes rolled out. I followed her in, choking on a thick fog of exhaust.

  Jaimie launched herself at the driver’s door. She couldn’t open it. Gasping and coughing she ran to the passenger side. She couldn’t open that door either. “Locked,” she said as she fell to her knees.

  The motor continued to spew fumes into the garage. My head spun and my eyes teared.

  With my hands under Jaimie’s arms, I half dragged her to the stairway door. It was closed! I turned the knob. Locked! We were trapped!

  I peered through the thickening haze trying to hold my breath and think clearly while the world spun around me. A shovel stood in the corner. I laid Jaimie on the floor and grabbed the tool. My staying conscious was our last chance.

  Dragging the shovel to the door, I raised it to shoulder height, and brought it down vertically like a hairbrush on hair. The shovel dragged along the door hitting the floor with a weak twang. It barely made a dent in the plywood.

  There was only one more clobber in me. If I didn’t break through Jaimie and I would be headlines in the Silverfish Gazette. I planted my legs, twisted my upper body till my shoulders were beyond tight, closed my eyes, drove my knees forward, and swung like a baseball player trying to hit a home run.

  The impact of the shovel against the plywood vibrated me from head to toe. I felt fresh air and opened my eyes. I had smashed a six-inch gap on one side of a plywood sheet. I stuck the shovel in the opening, braced my feet, and pulled. The plywood squealed open another foot. I fell on my butt.

  I got up, staggered over to Jaimie and dragged her to the opening. I pushed her head

  through and thumped her back. “Breathe! Breathe!” She was silent for the longest

  moment in my life. Then she coughed and vomited out the opening. I levered the plywood one more time. It opened wide enough for us to get out.

  Jaimie crawled through. I grabbed my purse and followed her. Once we were lying on the lawn near the front steps, I ferreted my phone from my bag and hit speed dial.

  The sound of Kal’s voice was the last thing I remembered before passing out.

  Chapter 10

  I felt a knee in my side and opened my eyes to the sight of a fellow in a white jumpsuit clambering over me to get to Jaimie. “You’re not putting that schoplally thing on me!” She pushed the oxygen mask from her lips and struggled to sit up.

  Kal crouched at our feet looking like a guilty puppy. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

  “Why? Did you leave the T-Bird running?” Jaimie was back to her usual snarky self. Being right has that effect on people. “I told you! I told you!” she said.

  I curled up into a sitting position feeling as if everything I ever ate was going to come up. The sides of my mouth were sore. If I had an oxygen mask on, I didn’t remember it.

  “Nice work with the shovel, Olive. Quick thinking,” Kal said. “You mumbled what happened but tell me again now that you’re… sober.”

  “Sober is so not the word!” I snapped. Maybe it wasn’t a snap it just sounded like it as the words reverberated in my head.

  “Jaimie heard a prowler. She set the alarm and locked the door. Then we circled the house looking for the prowler but there was only a raccoon on a cabin cruiser.” Kal’s face did an odd whirling thing. “Stop spinning your face!”

  “Take it easy Olive.” He motioned the EMT guy to return.

  “I’m fine.” I stretched my arms out resisting the attentions of the medic. “We heard a car motor running in the garage. We couldn’t open the door outside so we ran in the house and down the stairs to get to the garage.” I looked at Jaimie.

  “I’m positive I set the alarm code and locked the door with my key. When we ran into the garage the T-Bird was running and the place was filled with fumes.” She bore through Kal with an angry glare. “Both car doors were locked.”

  “We ran back to the stairway door but it was locked—not stuck—locked!” I said.

  “Now do you believe me?” Jaimie snarled.

  “Someone must have been in the house the entire time you were walking around outside,” Kal looked up at the house. “The banging noises you heard earlier were probably coming from inside. If Olive hadn’t shown up…”

  Jaimie blinked sending a single tear trickling down her cheek.

  Kal helped Jaimie and then me to stand. “We had to pry open the window to shut off the engine,” he said.

  “Robbie is walking the grounds now. He’s already been through every room inside the house. Whoever they were, they’re gone.”

  “I’ll call Chip,” he said. “Get him back home.”

  “Poshookly! You will not! You’ll make this sound like more than it is.”

  Kal’s eyes bulged. “How much more could this be?”

  “I’ll tell him in my own way. He’s got an important meeting tomorrow. I don’t want him distracted. He’s a worrywart.”

  She turned to me. “Okay if I stay at your place tonight?”

  “Absolutely. Don’t go back in the house. Let’s just split.”

  “Can you check out my car, Kal? Make sure it hasn’t been tampered with?” I asked.

  “I’ll go over it right now and then follow you home.”

  I handed him my keys. Jaimie and I stood on the front steps and watched as Kal ran my car down the driveway and out onto the road. I heard the low murmur of my engine. The brakes screeched somewhere further down the street.

  Kal returned pulling the car close. “It seems fine. Brakes work.” He handed me the keys.

  We waited while Robbie went through the house again this time confirming all the doors and windows were locked. He came out armed with a hammer and a box of nails from the garage.

  Jaimie, Kal, and I watched as Robbie picked through the plywood finding pieces large enough to cover the hole I’d made in the door. He nailed the broken pieces in place. It looked bad enough before but now it really looked like a shanty.

  “Kal, how was the car running on its own?” I asked.

  Before Kal could respond Jaimie said, “Chip leaves the key to the car on a hook by the stairway door.”

  Kal’s eyes darted to her then back to me. “There was a lawn gnome wedged on the gas pedal. The brake was on and the car was in neutral.”

  Jaimie snarled. “So not only do I have a stalker but he disrespects my gnomes!”

  Kal helped Jaimie into my passenger seat while I slipped behind the wheel. “Promise me you’ll call Chip,” he said.

  Jaimie put her head back and closed her eyes. “I promise I will call my husband as soon as we get to Olive’s place. Just give me a chance to collect myself. You know I don’t like being told what to do.”

  The trip from Jaimie’s place to my condo took half the time. The roads were empty aside from Kal’s unmarked car tailing us five car-lengths behind.

  He pulled alongside as I parked my car in my assigned Sandy Shores space.

  Kal stepped from his car “Here’s your keys, Jaimie. Robbie locked up but didn’t set your alarm.”

  She took the key ring without a thank you.

  “You’re both probably a li
ttle heady,” Kal said. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

  “Don’t mother us!” Jaimie said. She was getting her edge back. “Give me some space.”

  Kal frowned but didn’t push. “I’ll pull out front,” he said. “When you get in flick the light switch twice to let me know you’re okay.”

  Jaimie walked ahead of me looking even more ghostly as her white robe blew in the warm breeze.

  We stepped into the elevator and stared at each other. I pushed the button and we watched the doors close.

  Once we stepped inside my condo I dropped my purse on the nearest chair and scooped up Puff. Then as promised I flicked the living room switch twice, peeked out the blinds and watched Kal ease out of the parking lot.

  “What have you got to drink? And I don’t mean coffee, tea, or water. Something with some teeth in it.” Jaimie said.

  “I’ve got a bottle of chardonnay in the fridge.”

  “Just need something to chill me before I call Chip.”

  I poured her a glass and passed her my cell phone.

  She took a few deep breaths and then dialed Chip’s number. It rang and went to voicemail. “My dear husband is a sound sleeper.” A frown nipped her brow. “Maybe he has it shut off or the connection in the hotel is bad?”

  “Where’s he staying? Call the hotel directly.”

  “He’s at the Marquis.” She punched in the name and the phone did the rest.

  “Mr. Chip Toast’s room.” No please. No thank you.

  She tapped her fingers on the wine glass pushing it toward me for a refill.

  “Well try again!” She barked. “He has to be there. It’s almost three in the morning.”

  Jaimie wasn’t usually a crier. She was a screamer, yeller, and a name-caller. I watched as tears puddled in her smoke-reddened eyes. “Do you think my stalker got Chip?”

  An icky thought tickled the back of my neck. I shook my head rather than answer.

  Chapter 11

  I gave Jaimie one of my nighties. She disappeared into the guest bathroom and let the shower run for what seemed like ages.

  Our clothes reeked of car exhaust. I threw her flimsy negligee and silky robe along with my pants and top in the washer and closed the lid. They shouldn’t be washed together but I was too tired to play laundress. It could wait until tomorrow.

  Jaimie spent the night in my guest room. Sound asleep, she clutched the sealed vodka bottle with both hands like a child snuggling a teddy bear.

  After a long, soapy shower, I crawled into bed to savor the few remaining hours of this long frightening night.

  Just after six in the morning, I peeked in on my guest. She clung to the bottle, snoring softly. I left the door sitting ajar and went to put on the coffee.

  Jaimie was still sleeping when I returned to give her a gentle nudge. She popped up like a jack-in-the-box at my touch. “Is he here?” she said in a voice thick with sleep.

  “Chip?” I asked.

  “No! My stalker.”

  “No one here but you, me, and my kitty. We have to hurry. Puff has an appointment at the vet.”

  Jaimie rolled over with a groan but managed to land her feet flat on the floor.

  “I’ll fetch one of my outfits while you fix your coffee.” I looked at my watch. “You have exactly fifteen minutes to pull yourself together. That includes a shower.”

  She collapsed back in bed, hugging the bottle to her chest. “Can’t I just stay here until you get back?”

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight until Chip gets home.”

  She gave me one of her I’d like to see you try looks.

  Ten minutes later I slipped Puff in her kitty carrier while Jaimie—wearing one of my A-line dresses and shower-wet hair—sipped her coffee.

  She put her cup in the sink. Holding her house keys in one hand and the vodka bottle in the other she strode to the door.

  “Let’s disguise that bottle as something else.” I handed her a blue beach bag. “It’s just a little early in the morning to be seen lugging liquor.”

  “Any psychologist type guesses as to who’s after me?” She said as we walked to the elevator.

  “You’d know better than me.” I pressed the button and the door slid open revealing Ivy LaVine and Myron Meyers.

  “Going down?” I said.

  Myron nodded. “Morning Olive. Morning Jaimie.”

  Thankfully it was only one floor to the ground because the tension in the little box was stifling. I felt sorry for Ivy. She’d created our current standoff by trying to bully her way into running our cold cream business.

  As the door slid open, Ivy trounced past us. She turned to me. “The grand opening of the Jivy Ivy is next week. Feel free to stop in,” she said. “I’m giving away samples.”

  “Thank you,” I said in a pleasant tone.

  Jaimie and I dashed to my car. I buckled Puff’s kitty carrier in the back seat and headed for Dr. Connelly’s office. I should have been concentrating on questions to ask the vet but my mind zipped back to Sophia’s endorsement, conveniently skipping over last night’s attempt on our lives.

  Lizzy and I worked to exhaustion over the past weeks brewing dozens of jars of miracle and magical cold cream plus assorted specialties we’d invented. Lip glosses, blushes, and our new line of sunscreens.

  A giddy feeling ran through me. The legendary Italian star would soon grace our tiny beachside shop. Our accounting books would show the demand for our products and Sophia was already a fan of the miracle cream. Things seemed to be falling into place nicely and that’s always a freaky sign.

  A cell phone played a few bars from a Rolling Stone classic. Without looking at the caller ID Jaimie pressed it to her ear. “Chip! Are you okay?”

  She blew out an irritated snort. “Hi Grams. Yes. I’m fine. I’m with Olive. Let me put you on speaker.”

  “I heard about what happened last night!” Grams sounded breathless. “I have a feeling that you need me.”

  Jaimie gave me a cross-eyed look. She held her phone at arm’s length and tipped it back and forth as if it was dancing. Ever the comedienne.

  “Grams, Jaimie will be with me all day. I’ll be watching her. Can’t chat right now. We’re almost at the veterinarian. Puff is fine. Just a checkup. Bye!”

  We pulled into the lot and parked next to the entrance. “Check your caller ID before taking any more calls,” I cautioned Jaimie while I grabbed the kitty carrier from the back seat.

  Ten minutes later, Puff sat on the vet’s examination table enjoying the fuss being made over her. Dr. Connelly’s tech, Amanda, was about to clip Puff’s claws, part of the routine she usually accepts. This time she pulled back and tucked her paws under her fluffy chest.

  Amanda gently reached for one of her tiny mitts but she backed up making a slight hissing sound.

  “She’s never made that sound before.” Puff and I exchanged looks. Something in her bright blue eyes told me my kitty’s sixth sense was at work. “Let’s leave her nails for now maybe she’s got a heavy date.”

  Jaimie’s phone rang. This time she checked the caller ID. “It’s the car dealership.”

  She slipped out of the room while Puff and I finished up with the vet.

  I tucked my little fuzz ball in her carrier, hefted all seven pounds of her, and stepped into the hall.

  Jaimie stood just outside the door, her face deadly pale despite her tan. Her hand shook almost dropping her phone. “Someone deliberately drained the fluid from my brakes,” she said. “The mechanics can see where the line has been sliced.”

  I reached out with one hand and drew her to me, sending Puff sliding in her carrier. I hugged Jaimie until she stopped quaking.

  “When we get in the car call Kal. Tell him exactly what the mechanic said and give him the dealership number.”

  Jaimie had just finished explaining the horrific details of the cut brake line to Kal when my phone rang.

  “Guess what?” Lizzy chirped. It was her fake chirp, sort of like a c
ode between us. We were in trouble.

  “Sophia arrived early to surprise us. She’s here with her personal assistant and also Fabio. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  The hours I thought we’d have this morning to prepare for Sophia had just vanished.

  There was no time to take Puff back to my place and Jaimie was with me until Chip returned.

  Two more obstacles to a successful business meeting. I felt like the Titanic after it encountered the iceberg.

  Chapter 12

  A black sedan was parked close to the stairs in front of our shop. I pulled in next to it wishing there was some way I could keep Jaimie in the car—but it’s cruel and illegal to lock loudmouth pests in hot cars.

  “Jaimie, we have company. I want your double-pinky promise you’ll keep your snark in your pocket.”

  She snorted indignantly. “Don’t I always?”

  I released the kitty carrier from the seatbelt and carried Puff into the shop with the Loud Mouth of the South trailing after me.

  Sophia’s handsome bodyguard stepped forward to greet me planting a kiss on each cheek. Behind Fabio a tall lady wearing enormous sunglasses, a large brimmed straw hat, and a long, shapeless, beach dress beamed a laser white smile. The sight of her cast a warm glow over me. During our short time together I had come to think of her as family—which was convenient since we agreed it would be our cover story.

  “Auntie Maria!” I walked towards Sophia greeting her with a light embrace. She hugged me sending Puff for a bit of a jiggle in her kitty carrier.

  A young blonde woman stood behind Sophia. She stepped forward extending her hand. Aside from the smattering of freckles over the bridge of her nose and her dark brown eyes she was almost a ringer for Jaimie.

  “This is my personal assistant, Raelyn Smith,” Sophia said.

  “Olive, I’ve heard so much about you and Lizzy,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Your shop is charming.”

  “Chi è questo?” Sophia said, peeking in the mesh window of the kitty carrier.