Randy didn’t want to appear shocked, so he didn’t respond to her last statement. “Could be a coincidence,” he finally said. He thought he knew where she was going with this, but was also trying to decide if her theory made sense.
"Were you ever there when Justin and Keith were there?” Randy asked suddenly concerned his partner may be more involved in their deaths than she was letting on.
Carrie’s face creased in concentration. “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t have jeopardized the case by holding back that information. If I’d seen them or thought I had any information that could have helped, I would’ve told you.” Carrie was looking intently at Randy. She wanted him to know she was sincere.
“I know,” Randy said. “I’ve known you long enough to know your priority is always the case.”
“Ike was being very discrete when we interviewed him. He knew I’d become somewhat of a regular there, but that is one reason I liked it so much, everyone’s business stays their business.”
Randy nodded. “So, let me make sure I’m following you. After our discussion last night, you think that a woman could be our killer, and you highly suspect that the woman out in the car could be the woman at the bar?”
Once Carrie heard it come back out at her, she seemed skeptical of her own theory. “Sounds a little out there, doesn’t it?” Carrie asked, hoping he would say, ‘no Carrie, certainly not!’
Randy stood looking out the glass front of the building towards the woman’s car. He could barely see her through the car window. They were back far enough in the building that he was sure she couldn’t see them. Could it be possible? He wondered. Maybe. It was as good as any other theory they had, but they didn’t have enough reason to even bring her in for questioning.
“Let’s say you’re right,” Randy began, “what do you suggest we do at this point? We have no evidence linking her to the crime. We need to find out who she is and do some digging, see if anything validates this theory.”
“Her car tag. Hang back while I go up to my doctor’s appointment. When she comes in, hopefully, or even if she starts to drive off, get her tag, make, and model of her car.” Randy had already thought of that while Carrie stated the obvious next step.
Carrie went on up to her appointment and Randy found an out of the way place to sit where he could watch the lady in the car without drawing attention to himself.
Within ten minutes she got out of her car, locked it up, and headed towards the door. She was dressed very conservatively in grey slacks and a simple navy top. She wore almost no make-up and her hair was tied back in a loose low ponytail. She certainly didn’t match the description Carrie had given him.
He’d had his phone ready with the camera app open and held it where it looked natural to an observer, but where he could easily take pictures of her coming through the door.
She rode the elevator up. Once the doors had closed, Randy made a beeline out to her car. He quickly took a photo of her tag and stepped back to take an overall pic of her car. It was a five-year-old silver Prius.
He glanced casually in her windows to see if he could see anything unusual. Nothing at all was in there. Clean as a whistle.
He had shared everything he and Carrie had discussed the night before with Mike, Rick, and Darren this morning at a joint meeting they’d had in the war room. They had thrown out a few additional thoughts and suggestions, but were excited about what they had been able to put together so far.
He sent the pics of the lady and her car to all three plus Carrie, in a group text and asked if anyone knew her, particularly Darren. Then he asked if one of them would run her plates and gave a limited explanation of what Carrie had said earlier.
Almost instantly Darren responded to their group text. “I know her,” it said, “She’s the lady that works at the library here in Kachina. I can’t remember her name right off.”
Randy about choked, the library? A couple of cute snide comments came through from Mike and Rick, but Rick agreed to run her plates. Randy texted everyone a thank-you as he walked back into the building. He went back to where he had previously been sitting. If the lady came out before Carrie, he wanted to be able to observe her without suspicion.
But it wasn’t to happen that way. Carrie came out after about forty-five minutes and he’d seen no other sign of the lady. Randy wanted to hear about Carrie’s visit and Carrie wanted to hear about the lady. They agreed to go sit in Randy’s car after moving it to where they could strategically observe the lady leaving. Once there, Carrie would tell him all about her appointment.
“Doctor said I was fine.”
Randy looked at her like, really?
“Okay, but really I am healing well. He checked the stitches in my hand and said they should come out in a few days. No signs of infection. He looked where my ribs were broken and said there were no signs that indicated additional damage or that they weren’t healing correctly. I am to come back next Tuesday at three.”
Satisfied, Randy gave Carrie the events from while she was in with the doctor. “Seems like a long shot to me,” said Randy. “You should have seen her. She looked like a librarian. I guess that is because she is a librarian.” Randy laughed at his joke.
“You’re right. It doesn’t jibe with what I know. Could be a twin. Could be that she is boring by day and daring by night. Could be I was totally wrong, but I doubt it.” Carrie was once again throwing out possible scenarios the way she loved to do.
It was after four o’clock before the lady emerged from the building. She did not look around and therefore did not notice Randy and Carrie sitting two rows behind her car under a shade tree. Even if she had looked up, it would have been hard to see them with the shade and reflection on the front car window.
“I’m almost positive it’s her. She’s a dead ringer for the lady I’m talking about, but her body language is totally different. The lady in the bar walked around with confidence and an air of owning whatever space she was in. This lady is an obvious introvert and mousy. She looks like a feather blown the wrong way would scare her to death.” Carrie kept trying to formulate an explanation in her mind.
“Did you happen to see what floor she went up to?” Carrie asked.
“No. I was sitting out of the way so I could see her enter the building and then get on the elevator, but I couldn’t see what button she pushed once in there.
As the lady pulled out of her spot, they did the same following behind at a safe distance. Randy’s phone pinged. “Take a look at that for me. It may be info from Rick.”
Carrie picked up Randy’s phone. It was indeed from Rick. ‘Lady’s name is Senna Carter. No record. No flags of any kind. Didn’t want to dig deeper until we know more. Address: 632 Pine Grove, Kachina’.
She texted back, ‘Tailing now. Will advise’.
The tail was uneventful. They followed her back to Kachina and then to the address that Rick had sent in the text. Randy drove past and then circled the block. Her house was on a corner lot so he circled and came back at a right angle to the street they had driven in on. He stopped well back, but close enough to see her house.
It was a small white clapboard house, and it looked to be about nine hundred or so square feet. The exterior was tidy and well maintained. There was a large detached garage at the back of the lot situated at the end of the driveway. The lady pulled her Prius up close to the garage, put it in park, and got out. She went to what they assumed was her back door, losing sight of her as she walked behind the house.
They discussed leaving, but were so curious they felt compelled to stay. She was the closest thing to any kind of suspect they’d been able to generate. After about an hour, the lady came back out. She was dressed in jeans and didn’t have her purse so it didn’t appear that she was leaving.
After punching a code in the keypad next to the garage door, it began to go up.
“Oh my goodness,” Carrie exclaimed. “Do you see what I see?”
Randy sat there dumbfounded. There in th
at little clapboard garage sat a bright red Ferrari. “Sweet! Can you see the model?”
“No, her Prius is parked too close.”
Randy had grabbed his duty camera from the backseat and was using it to zoom in and take pictures. The model and tag were still hidden behind the Prius.
“I’ve never seen a Ferrari like that,” said Carrie. “Could be something special.”
The lady had gone into the garage and was doing something at the back where neither Randy or Carrie could see. She was only in there about ten minutes then left, closing the door behind her before going back into the house.
Randy sent the pics of the car to their group text, ‘What kind of Ferrari is that?’
Mike, being a car guy, knew exactly what it was ‘A Ferrari 488 Spider, depending on options lists new at close to $400,000’.
Randy and Carrie let out a consecutively shocked huff of air. They were dumbfounded and speechless. If the thought of a Ferrari being in this little tidy detached clapboard garage had taken them back, then this exclusive Ferrari that cost more than six times the cost of that house, rendered them beyond thought and speech.
“Well, there is definitely something wrong here. The tag isn’t visible in the pics.” Randy quickly texted back to see if any other vehicles had come up under that lady’s name. ‘Nope. None’ came back. ‘Check for stolen Ferraris’ and ‘Did. Found none’ came back.
“We need probable cause for a search warrant,” Carrie thought out loud. “I want in that house and garage.” Her mind was inventing plausible reasons to gain entrance.
“Me too,” said Randy just as his phone pinged again. ‘Only two sold. One to a Sienna Carter’. Randy quickly typed back ‘typo?’ to which the response was ‘no’.
Adrenaline was surging through both Randy and Carrie. They sat for the next hour discussing theories and plans with no movement in or around the house.
~~~
Not long after Senna had left for her appointment, Andrea was able to find the time to call Blake.
“I hope I’m not interrupting you,” said Andrea.
“No. I can’t concentrate on what I am supposed to be doing,” replied Blake. He sat back in his desk chair and rubbed his eyes. The stress of it all was wearing him down and he felt old and tired.
“Have you talked to her; since yesterday at the park that is?” asked Andrea. She was nervous and paced behind the library counter, and she currently couldn’t resist an old habit of chewing her cuticles.
“No. I think it’s best to give her time,” Blake said. “I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. I love her, Andrea. Well, I loved the Senna I knew. She doesn’t seem at all like the same person now. I waver from being hurt to indignant that she would treat me this way, I’m so totally confused. It’s been a cycle like that all yesterday afternoon and today.”
Andrea told him about how Senna had been at work that day and the things she’d said. “She actually left early for her doctor’s appointment, which alone is strange, but she didn’t even give me the courtesy of saying she would be leaving, or acting as if she cared if it was an imposition on me.” Andrea felt renewed frustration.
“I know this may sound odd, and I completely understand if you can’t or don’t want to, but could we meet for dinner? I really need to talk and you are the only one I feel like I can talk to about this.” Andrea held her breath, hoping. She knew it was forward, and she hoped Blake didn’t read more into the request than she had intended.
“I’m pretty beat from all this, but I agree with you. I need to talk about it, too, and eat. Let’s go to the diner and have a burger, if that's fine with you.”
Relieved, Andrea readily agreed to meet him at the diner at six fifteen. Andrea would be done at the library at six o’clock so that would give her more than enough time to shut things down and get to the diner.
Blake was just walking up to the diner door as Andrea was crossing the street. Their normally friendly greeting was dampened by their downcast spirits. The diner was busy and all the booths were full. As they were standing there, the group sitting at the booth in front of the window got up and left.
The waitress buzzed by with a promise to clean the table for them. She was quick and efficient, and in just a heartbeat, they were seated.
They ordered from memory and sat for a while with nothing to say. They were both, individually, lost in thought. They attempted some small talk and then their meals came.
Blake ate his burger, but Andrea only picked at her chicken sandwich. They wanted to talk about it, but honestly didn’t know where to start or what to say that hadn’t already been said.
Once the waitress came and cleared their food away, Blake said, “Andrea did you see any of this, any clue that she...” he choked up and couldn’t finish.
Andrea just sat quietly shaking her head. She was looking down at the paper napkin she was tearing into tiny little shreds. Then she looked up, and seeing the pain on Blake’s face, reached across the table with both of her hands and covered his.
“Blake I’m so sorry. I know I’m hurting, but I know it is nothing like what you’re feeling.” They both sat with Andrea’s hands covering Blake’s, looking at each other face to face. Both were oblivious to the fact that Senna had just driven by and had seen them clearly through the window of the diner.
Senna had left her house after Randy and Carrie had decided to leave. Randy and Carrie had had no reason to believe Senna would be leaving or doing anything that would further the investigation. They were also not yet authorized for a stakeout, so they had left.
It was just as well because Carrie was feeling exhausted. Her body needed rest. Randy took her home and then said goodbye.
About thirty minutes after they’d left, Senna got in her Prius and drove away. She’d had no idea she had been watched. She wanted to go to the grocery store and fill her tank with gas.
From the street, Senna had seen Blake and Andrea in full view. They were sitting in an intimate position in the front booth of the diner. Blake and Andrea were leaning in with their forearms resting on the table. Andrea was covering both of Blake’s hands with both of hers. They were face to face, obviously completely engaged in intimate conversation.
Nausea engulfed Senna. She drove on past and found herself doubling over in pain. She quickly pulled the car over and parked just before passing out.
~~~
It had been hard to talk about the situation with Senna at first, but soon Blake and Andrea were sharing their hurt and hoping for resolution. They found that, once they had opened up, time had flown by. One thing was certain though, they both cared deeply for their new friend and wanted to do whatever they could to help her, and also hoped to restore their relationships.
It was well after nine and dark outside by the time Andrea was pulling into her driveway. The little house she lived in did not have a garage, so she always parked on the gravel driveway next to her house.
She stepped out, locked her car door and headed to her back porch. It may not have been necessary to lock her doors in Kachina, as small and safe as it was, but she always did.
Once at the porch, she was trying to find the right key on her key ring. She wished she’d thought to turn on the back porch light before leaving that morning, but she rarely came home after dark this time of year, so the thought had never occurred to her.
Suddenly, she felt something grab her from behind. It was some type of strap that pinned her arms down to her sides. She began to scream, but as soon as she opened her mouth it was filled with a soaked rag.
Her eyes began to water and burn and she found she’d lost the ability to fight back. Soon darkness overtook her.
Sometime later she began to wake. It was dark wherever she was and her mind was foggy. As realization of what had happened hit her, panic immediately set in. She began to struggle against the bonds that kept her arms tight against her sides.
She began to scream, realizing that the rag was no longer in her mouth. As soon
as she did, a lantern was lit in the corner of the room and light slowly filled the space. She was in a cabin of some kind. There was a small side table where the lantern sat. And... and the rocking chair that Senna sat in next to the table.
Confusion completely consumed her mind. “Senna, what are you doing?” Andrea asked.
Senna got up and came to stand in front of Andrea. She squatted down right in front of her. “I’m not Senna.” The voice was not Senna’s. In fact if Andrea had heard that voice independent of seeing Senna in front of her, she would not have known who it was.
Andrea just sat, confused and frightened. The lady stood up and walked back to the chair dragging it closer to where Andrea was. She sat down and leaned back. It was an old wooden rocking chair that creaked when she rocked. The lady leaned back, crossed her legs, and began to slowly rock.
The binding was holding her arms down so tightly that Andrea’s arms were in excruciating pain. “Can you loosen this tie? I’m in so much pain, and my arms are numb.” Andrea was hopeful that she would comply.
The lady just continued to rock slowly.
“Who are you, if you are not Senna?” Andrea asked.
Still, the lady just continued to rock back and forth which only escalated Andrea’s fear. Hot tears of despair rolled down Andrea’s cheeks. She was too terrified to say any more. The lady looked exactly like Senna. But her body movements were totally different. Andrea couldn’t put her finger on it right then, but Senna never held that kind of posture or moved in that way.
And Senna would never dress like that. She had on tight, low-slung skinny jeans with a little tank top that didn’t quite reach to the top of those jeans. A logo on the front was of some kind of biker emblem or something, Andrea couldn’t quite tell. And she wore high heeled black sandals. Senna was barely out of flats.
But it was her demeanor that was the most different. Without saying a word, she caused Andrea to be alarmed. Even if she had not been abducted and tied up, she knew in this woman’s presence she would feel terrified. It felt like pure evil radiated from within her.
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