by C. J. Carson
Picking his cell phone up off his desk, he made a call. “Hello, sir. I am on the move. I will report in when I have the target in my scope.”
Chapter 13
CLAUDIA AND I SPENT THE DAY marinating four steaks, making salads, baking cheesecake, and making twice-baked potatoes. We set the table, put the ice bucket out for the wine, and jumped into the shower.
Before we knew it, it was seven o’clock. Dressed and waiting for our company, the doorbell rang.
Claudia ran to the door. “I’ve got it!”
From the kitchen, I heard, “Hey, Josh, come in. Allie’s in the kitchen.”
“Hi, Claudia. I didn’t forget your date. He will be along shortly. We had a few last-minute changes to make.”
As he entered the kitchen, he handed Claudia a bottle of red wine.
At seven-thirty, the doorbell rang and when I opened the door, I found Jake standing there with a second bottle of wine.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, Josh invited me. I hope it’s okay? He told me he needed to bring a blind date, so I guess I am his backup.”
Walking into the room, Josh chimed in. “I really had someone coming with me tonight, but he got sick and canceled this morning. When I got here, I saw Jake outside in the unmarked car. He was happy to have another officer come to sit outside so he could be here with us tonight.”
Jake laughed. “Believe me, I would much rather be inside enjoying dinner with you lovely women than sitting outside, watching the house.”
Claudia took the wine from Jake. “That’s great, come on in. I’m so glad you’re here. Now we can enjoy dinner and feel a little safer with you and Josh, the black belt here, to protect us. What’s more, now we have white and red wine for dinner. That’s perfect.”
“I didn’t know if you were having fish, chicken, or beef, so I just took a guess and brought white wine.”
“That’s fine. Allie, if you and Josh want to put the steaks on the grill, Jake and I can get everything ready in the kitchen.” Claudia turned to Jake. “What do you say?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
The evening was so enjoyable, we almost forgot all the crazy things that were going on and the real reason Jake was here. After our meal, we retired to the great room where we polished off the second bottle of wine.
“So, Josh, will there be an official date soon?”
A half-smile crossed my face. “Claudia, can you please give it a rest?”
Josh burst out laughing and I turned to him. “What’s so funny? She is hijacking you into asking me for a date!”
“I’m sorry; she just keeps beating me to the punch. I would like nothing more than an official date. Maybe we can convince Jake and Claudia to join us? What do you say, Allie?”
“Well, I would say that if Claudia and Jake are in, how can I say no?”
“Claudia winked, you know me, I am all in!”
Josh got up from where he sat and started toward the door. “Look everyone, this has been a really great evening, but I think I need to call it a night. I have an early class and a long day tomorrow.”
I got up to walk him to the door. Claudia’s forward remark still flustered me, but I couldn’t muster up a good response. As we got to the door, Josh smiled at me with those big blue, pleading eyes. When I didn’t respond, he took four steps over to me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. My knees weakened when I felt his warm breath on my neck as he whispered in my ear. “I promise, if you accept my invitation, you won’t be sorry.” He slid his lips across my cheek until they brushed over mine ever so slightly. As I leaned into him, he inched away and grinned. “If you want to continue where we left off right now, you need to say yes to having dinner with me Saturday for an official date with our friends.”
“I thought I already did.”
Swooning, Claudia sighed softly. “I’m in, what about you, Jake?”
“Sure thing, but I’m not waiting until then for my goodnight kiss.” Turning to Claudia, Jake wrapped his arms around her and gave her a long, sensual kiss. “Top that, Josh!”
My defenses completely torn down, I shrugged. “Well, I guess we have a dinner date this weekend, Claudia.”
As Jake turned for the door, he looked up at the ceiling fan. “What the hell is that?” There was something attached to the top of the fan blade. He turned to me. “Allie, can you get me a couple of plastic bags?” After I retrieved the bags from the kitchen, he carefully used them to pull down an envelope and opened it. “Shit, how did we miss this?”
Carefully, he pulled out a note and read it aloud. “Hello, Allie. So, I guess by now you have figured out that even though I left the flowers outside at your back door, I gained access to your home. That’s right, I was here. I walked through each room in your home and I must say, it is everything I expected. I know you are trying to put me out of your life and mind, but you see, I can’t let that happen. You can’t ignore my messages, my texts, or my notes because they will not stop. Hope you liked the flowers.”
I paced the floor, shaking my head. “How the hell did he get in here?”
Jake grabbed my hand and stopped my movement. “Look, Allie, we’ll figure this out. There were no broken windows and no evidence of a forced entry when we did a sweep of the house. This guy is good. Either he picked the lock or he has somehow obtained a key. Think, have you left your keys with anyone? Maybe someone who worked on your car or a contractor you hired here at your house?”
“No, I haven’t given my keys to anyone. I can’t think of anyone who has had access to them.”
Claudia spoke up. “Your mom and I have keys!”
I looked at her wide-eyed. “Claudia, I hardly think you or my mom have any interest in scaring me!”
Josh chimed in. “No, that is a good point, Allie!”
“Are you kidding, Josh?”
“No, Allie, listen. If this guy is so intently keeping an eye on your comings and goings, he may have gotten the key from someone that Claudia or your mom gave it to.”
Standing akimbo, Jake nodded. “That’s a really good point. Claudia, have you left your keys with anyone?”
“Well, when I had my car at the body shop a while ago, I left my keys with them for the day.”
“Can you remember how long ago? Was it before Allie was attacked?”
“You know, I’m sure it was before that, sometime the month before. I can’t remember the date, but I have the receipt and I can check.”
Jake thought for a minute. “Do you think you could give me a copy of that?”
“Sure thing.”
Jake looked at me. “Allie, in the meantime, tonight I will take this message to the lab and have them check for DNA and fingerprints. Do you think you could contact your mother to see if she had left her keys with anyone?”
“I’ll check in with her in the morning.”
“That would be great. I’ll be here first thing in the morning to relieve the guy doing surveillance tonight.” Jake handed us each a card. “In the meantime, if you need anything, call me on my cell.”
After Josh and Jake left, Claudia turned to me. “Your stalker sure is one crazy dude! I can’t imagine him showing up here out of the blue and just coming into your home. What if you got home while he was here?”
“I think he is too calculated to make that mistake. What bothers me the most is that he is way too close for my comfort.”
“I don’t understand how he can be so close without your noticing him. Maybe he has someone else working with him. They might be able to come and go without your even noticing them. Even worse, what if it’s someone you know, someone in your circle?”
I took a deep breath. “Anything is possible.”
As I reached over and turned the hall light on, Claudia immediately beat feet down to her room. “Well, I have to start my day early tomorrow. I have to catch the morning light for a new painting I am planning, so I think I will turn in.”
I followe
d her down the hall. “Oh, no you don’t. Not so fast. You aren’t getting out of this so easily.”
“What?”
“You know what! Why do you insist on playing matchmaker? What are you trying to do, embarrass me every chance you get?”
She laughed. “Oh, come on, Allie. You and Josh have some chemistry for sure, and you know it! If you can’t see it, I think you’re the only one in the universe who can’t.”
“You are absolutely insufferable, Claudia!”
“But I’m still your bestie and you know I’m right.”
The following morning, I woke to find Claudia up and gone. As I moved to the kitchen, I opened the front door to find Jake had already relieved the overnight officer in the unmarked car at the curb. Waving at him, I closed the door and moved to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Sitting down at the island, I stared at the wooden box my grandfather left me. With my fingertips, I traced the carving and inlay on the top of the box. I missed my grandfather so much. Why didn’t he tell me more about this box of treasures? I had an urge to open the lid. I reached in, picked up a small dream catcher, and closed my eyes. Images of Patricia Cole flashed in my head. Her hair tussled, she looked unclean with bruises and cuts over her eye and across her face. Blindfolded, a rag gagged her mouth, appearing so tight it would surely leave dents in her face. I was so startled, I jumped and knocked over my coffee. Moving urgently to clean it up, I ran to my room, grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, and threw them on. Rushing, I didn’t even take time for a shower, but pulled my hair back in a ponytail, threw on my coat, and raced out to my car. Realizing I needed to clear my schedule, I called Payne from my car and rushed off to the office.
***
Across town, the convertible arrived back at the Summit. The distinguished gentleman got out of the car, threw the keys in Guile’s hand, and without speaking to him, went directly to the penthouse. As the doors to the elevator opened, even before he could get to the office, he pulled his cell phone from his front pocket and made a call only to get a recording on the other end. He left a message. “Hello, sir. I am reporting in. Once again, I was unable to get the target in my scope. I waited all night and was unsuccessful. It is like this target has a sixth sense or some kind of good luck charm. I will be waiting for your call.”
Chapter 14
AS I HURRIED DOWN THE HALL, Tara was holding out mail for me.
“Good morning, Allie. Claudia stopped by this morning, but couldn’t wait any longer. She left you some Danishes.”
“Oh no, I didn’t know she was going to stop by. This has been a rather strange morning.”
Tara chuckled. “I think strange is getting to be the new normal for you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, you’re not kidding.”
Frantically, I entered the office, took off my coat, and opened my laptop.
Tara called out to me from her office. “Allie, your calendar is empty this morning, but you have a follow-up appointment this afternoon with Doctor Kennedy.”
“Hey, Tara, could you get Detective Payne on the line?”
“No problem, give me a minute.”
“And, Tara, could you please reschedule my appointment with Doctor Kennedy?”
“Allie, this will be the third time.”
“I know; tell him I promise I won’t cancel again.”
“Okay, but he is not going to be happy at all!”
A few minutes later, Tara had Payne on the phone. “Hi, Detective Payne, could you please hold for a minute? I have Allie on the other line and she would like to speak with you.”
She transferred the call to my office. “Hi, Detective Payne, can we meet this morning? I really need to speak with you.”
“Good morning to you, too, Allie. I’m fine, thank you.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I really need to talk to you as soon as possible.”
“What’s going on, Allie? Did you find something more at the house?”
“No, nothing like that… Patricia Cole is still alive.”
“What?”
“She’s still alive, I’ve seen her.”
“Where? What do you mean you’ve seen her?” He sighed. “Wait, I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“Then don’t, you really don’t want to know.”
“I’m sure. Look, how soon can you be at George’s Café?”
“Fifteen minutes?”
“Great, see you there.”
***
After Payne hung up the phone, one of his officers stepped through the doorway.
“Hey, Danny, I’m going to meet Allie Callahan. She appears to have a lead on the Patricia Cole case.”
Danny looked shocked. “Do you want me to come along, Payne?”
“No, but could you please relieve Jake at Ms. Callahan’s house and have him meet me at George’s Café? I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”
***
As I entered the café, George walked from behind the counter and hugged me. “Hey, Allie. Hope your dinner was a success, and you had a good time last night.”
“Well, George, it was kind of a mixed bag. We had a good time, but there was a little more drama.”
“I know, Payne filled me in on last night’s events. Don’t worry, they’ll get this guy. Go ahead and join him, and I’ll bring you a latte.”
“Thanks, George. Could I get something to eat, too?”
“What would you like?”
“I don’t know, surprise me.”
Payne waved from his table for me to join him as Jake walked into the café. “How are you this morning?”
“Not bad, considering my life seems to be taking off in a whole new direction, but never mind me. I really need to talk to you and Payne.”
We sat down at the table and I dove right in. “I need you to take me to the house that Patricia Cole was showing the night she disappeared. I think I might pick something up there.”
Payne appeared more than a little interested. “What do you mean ‘pick something up there’? Wait, once again, I don’t know if I want to know. Look, Allie, I’m anxious to hear the information you have on Ms. Cole, but that’s a crime scene. I don’t know if that is possible. I could get some flak for bringing you into an active crime scene.”
Jake chimed in. “Oh, come on, Payne, it’s been close to a month. God knows we don’t have any other leads. I’ll take her. Officially, you don’t have to know a thing about this.”
“I don’t know, Jake.”
“Come on, Payne, it’s worth a shot.”
“Okay, but that’s it—in and out in twenty minutes! Report back to me as soon as you’re out of there.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“I mean it, Jake. This is my ass, not yours!”
Within the hour, Jake and I arrived at the beach house that Patricia was showing the night she disappeared. Ducking under the police tape, we entered the front door. As we stepped into the entryway, I took Jake by the arm.
“Hey, can you wait here? I think I need a few minutes in the house by myself.”
“I don’t know, Allie.”
“Please, Jake, just stay right here. I won’t go beyond eyeshot. You can watch me the whole time, just give me a minute.”
“Okay, but don’t touch anything, and don’t make me sorry I did this!”
I left the doorway, entered the room, and slow-walked around, hovering my hand over objects without making contact. As I looked across the room, I saw a flash of the young girl in her hospital gown crouching, looking at something on the floor next to the coffee table. She picked it up and showed it to me. It was some kind of needle. Moving over to a small couch in that area, my knees buckled and took me to the floor. I felt as though I was racing to another location where I could see Patricia tied to a chair at a kitchen table.
The next thing I remember was waking up on the floor in Jake’s arms.
In shock and out of breath, he whispered, “What the hell?”
As I got my wits bac
k, I sat up. “We need to get moving.”
“What? Slow down, Allie. Where are we going?”
“We need to go next door. That’s where she is, I just saw her. I don’t know how, but I just saw her.”
“This is really getting creepy, Allie.”
“I wish I could say I’ll explain later, but I’m not sure I can. I just know we need to go now. Come on!”
As I ran out the door, Jake was on my heels, pleading that we needed to call Payne.
“We don’t have time. She’s right next door and appears to be alone. Let’s go before he comes back.”
When we got to the edge of the property next door, Jake stopped me.
“Wait, Allie, we need to move slowly. If you’re right, we don’t know if there is someone else in there. Just stay behind me and follow my lead. Payne is going to have both our heads for this!”
We quickly eased over to the house. With our backs to the exterior of the house, we moved from window to window, peering carefully into each one. Finally, we got to the back door. Looking through the small glass panes into the kitchen, I saw Patricia in a chair at the table, gagged and bound at her wrists and ankles. When she spotted me, she nodded, signaling me to come in.
Jake tried the door. It was unlocked. He rushed in first and cleared the room. I raced in after him and began removing Patricia’s restraints. As I took the gag off her mouth, she began panting. “He left you a note!”
Jake was already at the table. “She’s right. It’s right here. I’ve got to call Payne. Please don’t touch anything.” He moved to make the call and then paused. “And Allie, you and I need to talk about what happened next door.”
“We will, but look at this note!”
“I’ve been told things about you and I must say they fascinate me! Today was a little test to see if what I have been told is true. If you are reading this before the police, I guess my information is dead-on, no pun intended. That will make my next move very exciting and add a little challenge for me. Are you ready for a little game of cat and mouse? Here’s how it works. I’m the cat, you’re the mouse. The cat never really catches its prey until it has some time to play. The cat likes to taunt and play with its prey before he moves in for the kill. Let the games begin!”
