Missing Her
Page 5
“Why do you think he would follow me here?” I asked.
Her frightened eyes met mine. “He’s very smart about computers and technology. He uses tracking devices and cameras and can get past spyware into someone’s computer.”
The warning signs began slotting into place.
Albert had asked about my car the first time we met. I’d told him it was a loaner in the lot behind our office building. He had time to plant a tracking device. He must have been thrown when I drove Dad’s truck instead of the car two days ago. No wonder he called to set up a meeting when I was at Timber Construction. He was trying to find out where I was. He must have been waiting outside our house for me to arrive home and saw me pull up in the truck.
He might have had time to put a tracking device on the truck I used yesterday. But he couldn’t have known about the second truck in Dad’s garage.
I tried to sound confident. “I’m in my father’s truck today. Albert wouldn’t have known about it.”
She shivered. “Otherwise, he’d be here.”
I remembered the attempted office break-in. Albert must have been trying to get to our computer. I thought about how viciously he’d swung the hammer at Gino.
“Did Albert ever hurt you?” I asked.
“At the end. He twisted my arm and punched me in the shoulder. I was scared he’d hit me in the stomach. I was pregnant but never told him. I recorded him on my cellphone yelling at me and throwing me around. Audio not video.”
“We could get him on assault.”
“I want to come home and see my mother and Rosemary. They should meet Lulu before she gets any older. I feel awful making them worry. I was hoping Albert would find somebody else and it would be safe for me to make contact. When Joe told me that Albert hired you, I knew he wasn’t letting go.”
“Albert went at a friend of mine with a hammer when he was caught trying to break into my office. If I can get evidence, I’m going to press charges.”
“If he’s locked up, I could see my mother.”
“Then I’ll see what I can do to make that happen.”
“Be very careful, Ms. Sweet. You’ve been lucky so far, but Albert won’t give up. He’s become my worst nightmare. He could become yours, too.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
The ice and blowing snow made for slow driving back into Ottawa. On the plus side, the snow had nearly stopped falling when I reached the west end of the city. I stopped at the store and picked up Evan’s gift on my way home. I left the present safely set up in Nick’s house and drove over to get Evan from his friend’s place.
“Grandpa left some food in the freezer for supper,” I said as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Would you like to drive downtown and look at the Christmas lights after we eat? The weather is clearing up.”
“Yippee!” he yelled.
“I take that as a yes.”
I parked in our driveway and Evan ran ahead of me to the front door. He waited for me to unlock it, but the door swung open under my hand. Had I forgotten to lock it?
“I’ll go in first,” I said.
The house was still and dark, as I’d left it. I walked down the hall, checking rooms along the way. Evan stayed near the front door and I heard him call me. I hurried back. Albert Romaine towered above Evan in the front hallway. He was larger than I remembered . . . and more unhappy.
“You’ve been out,” he said. “Have you something to report about Shelley?” His hair was wild-looking, and matched his eyes.
“Evan, why don’t you go to your room and read the newspaper?” I asked.
Evan looked at me, his eyes wide. “Okay,” he said, and raced past me before Albert could react.
I found my firm voice. “No, I have nothing to report. What are you doing here, Albert?”
“You’ve been gone all day. Did you meet her?”
“Are you following me?”
“I want to know where she is.” He moved further into the entranceway and shut the door.
“Get out of my house,” I said.
“I don’t think so. Not until you tell me where she is.” He took two steps in my direction. I backed up, feeling my way along the wall toward the kitchen. “She’s a liar, you know. I paid you to find her and you have to tell me what you found out.”
“You tried to break into my office,” I said calmly. “You put a tracking device on my car.”
“So what if I did? Prove it. How many vehicles do you own, anyhow?”
“I’m not working for you anymore, Mr. Romaine. I’ll return your money. Get out of my house.”
“Not until you tell me where she is. I know you met her.”
He lunged at me and grabbed my arm. I hit him in the chest with my fist and he punched me in the face. I would have fallen over but he kept hold of me. Blood was pouring from my nose. “Tell me where she is,” he said.
“I’m charging you with assault.”
His face went a dark shade of purplish red and he was shaking with anger. He pushed me into the wall. “I’ll kill you if you don’t tell me where she is,” he hissed.
I heard Evan on the stairs and pulled myself upright. I couldn’t let him near Evan. “Get out . . . of . . . my . . . house,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Aunt Anna!” Evan yelled from above us. His voice was terrified.
Albert looked upstairs and back at me. “Tell me where she is or I’m taking the kid.”
The next few moments seemed to unfold in slow motion. The front door swung open behind Albert with a blast of cold air. Jimmy charged into the hall right behind it, his eyes taking in the scene in front of him. He didn’t hesitate and tackled Albert from behind, slamming him into the floor.
After much grunting and thumping, Jimmy managed to pin Albert in a stranglehold. He kept his full weight on Albert and twisted his arm behind his back until he stopped resisting.
Breathing heavily, Jimmy looked up at Evan. “You okay, bud?”
When Evan nodded, Jimmy turned his head to look at me, propped up against the wall. “You okay too, Sweet?”
“Never better.”
Jimmy barked out a laugh. “You and Evan have quite the signal worked out. He texted me and then called 911. I was already on my way here from the airport in a cab, coming to pick him up.”
As if to confirm what Jimmy said, I heard a siren off in the distance getting closer.
“Our ‘read a newspaper’ signal.” I smiled and tilted my head back to stop the blood flowing from my nose. It didn’t feel broken but maybe that was my wishful thinking.
Albert screamed and bucked like a wild animal, trying to push Jimmy off him. “Let me go!” he screeched.
Jimmy slammed Albert into the floor again. “You’re not going anywhere but a jail cell,” he said, putting both knees on Albert’s back and bearing down. “Anna’s going to fill me in on what you’ve been up to.”
“The list is long,” I said. “Break and enter. Two assaults, one with a weapon. Threatening to kidnap and kill . . . I think we have enough to put this bully away for a good long time.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As it turned out, I wasn’t alone Christmas morning. Jimmy spent the night on the couch and Evan woke us both up to open all the presents that we’d managed to get under the tree after visiting the hospital. He was thrilled with the telescope from Dad and the new downhill skis from Jimmy. I kept my gift hidden until the last minute, sneaking out a few times to check on it. Then I brought Evan and Jimmy to Nick’s house with me.
Seven-month-old Sammy was snoozing in the kitchen. But he jumped up when he saw us, tail wagging like a flag.
“Is he really mine?” Evan kept repeating.
“He is, and Grandpa says he can live with us if neither your mom nor your dad has room. We’ll all help look after him.”
“A beagle?” asked Jimmy.
“Yup. From the animal shelter.”
“My very own dog.”
Jimmy waited until we were in the kitchen mak
ing breakfast to say, “Stroke of genius giving him a dog, Sweet. Thanks.”
“Cheri might not be as thrilled but Sammy can stay with us.”
“I’ll take him when Evan’s with me. We’ll make it work.”
“Why did you cut your holiday in Cuba short?” I asked.
Jimmy’s eyes met mine. “I checked my messages and found out Cheri was stuck in Barbados because of a storm. I realized that I wanted to be with family for Christmas.”
“Well, Evan and I are certainly happy you came home when you did.”
I slipped away to my room after breakfast and called Nick using a video app. He was shocked at the sight of my bruised nose and blackened eyes.
“You should see the other guy,” I said, stealing a line from Gino. I filled him in on what had happened.
“Is this Albert Romaine under arrest?” asked Nick, his face as angry as I’d ever seen it.
“He is, with a list of charges a mile long. Gino and I are both pressing charges. We’re asking Shelley if she wants to come forward as well with her story. She recorded some of his abuse and it can be used in court.”
“I hope they throw the book at him.”
“Me too.”
After a few moments, Nick’s eyes softened. “I miss you.”
“I’m waiting for you to come home to give you my Christmas present,” I said.
“You can give it to me in two days, then. We’re wrapping up early and I’ve booked a flight. Let’s make this the last Christmas we’re apart from each other.”
I laughed. “We can try, but I suspect our lives are never going to be that predictable.”
He tilted his head and smiled. “But I can predict that life is never going to be boring with you around, Anna Sweet.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brenda Chapman is a well-known mystery author. The Anna Sweet Mysteries are a popular series in adult literacy and English as a Second Language programs. My Sister’s Keeper, the first title in the series, was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award in 2014. The Hard Fall was nominated for the Golden Oak Award in 2014. A former teacher and senior communications advisor, Brenda makes her home in Ottawa.
ALSO BY BRENDA CHAPMAN
In Winter’s Grip
The Second Wife
Second Chances
Cold Mourning
Butterfly Kills
Tumbled Graves
Shallow End
Anna Sweet Mysteries
My Sister’s Keeper
The Hard Fall
To Keep a Secret
A Model Death
No Trace
Jennifer Bannon Mystery Series
Running Scared
Hiding in Hawk’s Creek
Where Trouble Leads
Trail of Secrets
You can visit Brenda’s website at www.brendachapman.ca