Photo Bombed

by Daria White

  Her stomach clenched. “I should have come to you sooner.”

  “I need you to come to the station with me.”

  “Can I… Can I change clothes?”

  He bobbed his head. Then he eyed her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “A little shaken up, but it’s nothing serious,” she said.

  “Good.”

  “Thank you.”

  He gave a faint smile. “I’m glad I was at the right place at the right time.”

  “You seem to be good at that.” She stared into his eyes once more and her body temperature increased. “I mean… I’m grateful for your help and…” She pointed to the rock in the pond. “For saving me from a possible serious injury.”

  “You’re welcome.” He tugged at the hem of his soaked royal blue athletic shirt. It stuck to his skin and Bianca could see the defined muscles in his chest. “I need to change too. Meet me at the station and we can get your statement.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” A slight chill went through her. Bianca backed away, but Detective Sims only stepped forward. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m walking you to your car. Just in case,” he said.

  Bianca turned to face the parking lot, and he walked beside her.

  “No Casper today?”

  She grinned. He’d remembered her dog’s name. “Not today, although he would have come in handy.”

  “I bet he would have.”

  “But… it’s not like I didn’t have help today.” She glanced at him but looked away. She was flirting.

  “I’m sure you would have handled yourself if I hadn’t been here.”

  They approached her car. “Thank you for recognizing that.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’ll see you later.”

  Bianca bobbed her head. When she shivered, she knew she needed to hurry and get home.

  Chapter 19

  “There you are,” Melanie said, placing Casper on the floor.

  Bianca’s keys clicked against the front table. “Yeah.”

  “What happened to you?” Melanie looked past her and out the side window to the front door. “Did it rain? Why are you all wet?”

  Bianca met her sister’s gaze. Her heart palpitated. “I was jogging and…”

  Melanie stepped closer. “And what?”

  “Someone was chasing me.”

  “What?” Melanie’s mouth dropped. “Did you call for help? Was anyone there with you? Did you call—”

  Bianca rested her hands on her sister’s shoulders and told her the story. Melanie followed as she paced to her bedroom.

  “You sure didn’t recognize the man?” Melanie asked, sitting on her bed.

  “No.” Bianca dug through her drawer for a change of clothes. “I know I’ve seen his face, but I couldn’t remember.”

  “Thank God Detective Sims was there.” Melanie stood to her feet and touched a hand to her back. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Bianca nodded and hugged her sister. “I’m sure.” She sighed and pulled back. She needed a quick shower before leaving for the police station. “Not a word of this to anyone.”

  Her sister cocked her head to the side. “You think I would tell?” She held out her hand to Bianca with her pinky finger in the air.

  Bianca locked her pinky with her sister’s. “Thank you.”

  Melanie rubbed at her arms. “I’m working from home today so I can watch Casper.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be back after meeting with Detective Sims. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. I trust you. I’m glad you’re okay.” Melanie left her alone and closed the bedroom door.

  “Me too.” Bianca blew out her cheeks and walked into her bathroom. Resting her hands on the countertop, she released deep breaths. Her mind couldn’t shake it. The slap of his feet behind her or the air that had rushed through her lungs as she’d panted for her next breath. Her back still tingled knowing he’d been that close to her.

  What if Detective Sims hadn’t been in the park? Would she have hit her head on the rock in the park? Her body floating face down in the water? Placing her hands on either side of her face, she cleared her worst fears out of her head. She needed to get to the police station.

  A hot shower washed away the residue from the pond, along with the smell of wet earth against her skin. Facing the mirror again, she kept her natural curls intact instead of using her flat iron. Grabbing a hair tie and headband, she settled for a slightly messy bun.

  Changing into a blouse and her dark jeans, she slipped her feet into her flats and grabbed her purse, along with her phone. Bianca headed out the door and to her car. The drive to the police station wasn’t long at all, and when she pulled into the parking lot, she exhaled.

  Once inside, she gave her name to the front desk. Then she took a seat. Phones rang. Doors buzzed. Keys jingled. Bianca did her best to keep her knee from bobbing up and down. How was someone supposed to act in a police station? The mix of cleaning products and coffee filled her nose.

  “Ms. Wallace?” Detective Sims walked over to her.

  She stood to her feet. “I’m here.”

  “Come with me.” He gestured for her to follow him.

  Bianca did. When they came to a room with a plain table, she sat in the hard plastic chair. Detective Sims closed the door.

  He sat across from her. “Are you all right?”

  “I think so.” She fiddled with the strap of her purse.

  He reached for a pad of paper along with a pen. “Ready?”

  Bianca bobbed her head.

  “Do you usually jog in the morning in the park?”

  She shook her head. “I switch up my workouts, so sometimes I go to the park or the gym, or I’ll work out at home.”

  He made a note. “What time did you arrive today?”

  “It was after I dropped my daughter off at school… 8:15 this morning.”

  “When did you notice someone was following you?”

  “I’m not sure, but I took the trail in the park. That was when I heard footsteps. I thought nothing of it, but when I heard his voice, I ran faster.”

  “Can you describe his voice?” Detective Sims made more notes on his notepad.

  Bianca stared at the table as she tried to recall the stranger’s voice. “Creepy, but I guess it was… low and deep. He was running, so I could tell he was panting.”

  “Anything else you can think of?”

  Bianca tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “I could tell he had an athletic build. I didn’t look too long, but he looked tall. At least six feet. Tanned skin with dark brown hair.”

  “Anything specific? To help us narrow that down?”

  She shook her head. “No.” A tsk sound escaped her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It happened so fast.” He tapped the pen on the table. “I’ve been trying to remember too. I remember his hair almost came to his shoulders.”

  Bianca snapped her fingers. “Yes, it did.”

  Detective Sims wrote on his notepad. “Okay. We’re getting somewhere.” He faced her. “If you remember anything, let me know. Sometimes details come back to us later, after the shock wears off.”

  “Shock, huh?”

  He laced his fingers together. “It happens. We go into survival mode in situations like this, so we forget details. Sometimes we remember and other times we block them out.”

  “Well… I’ll let you know if I remember anything.” She licked her lips. “Detective, have you made any progress with Martin’s murder case?”

  “Do you remember something else?” he asked.

  She took her phone out of her purse. Bianca pulled up the anonymous message. “This is what I told you about earlier. I think someone is following me. First this and now the man in the park today.”

  He exhaled.

  “I didn’t want to panic and bring something to the police for nothing.”

  Detective Sims tapped his fingers on the table. “Anything else?�
�

  “No, that’s it.” She felt a tickle in her nose. Was she going to sneeze? Not now. Covering her mouth, she prepared herself. Nothing. Thank goodness.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She sniffled. “I’m all right.”

  He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t reply. He stared at the message again on her phone. “For them to send this, have you been asking questions in town?”

  Bianca adjusted in her seat.

  “Ms. Wallace, I’m sure you mean well. You seem like a woman who cares about her family and friends, but I can’t have you butting in.” He held up her phone to her. “This is nothing to play around with.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Everything I’ve done has been to help.”

  He leaned over the table. She ignored the smell of his woodsy cologne. “And it’s my job to protect the citizens in this town.”

  “Thank you.”

  His face softened. “You’re welcome.”

  “Can you… trace that number?” She wanted a change of subject, to ignore her tingling skin.

  He stared at her phone. “It depends. It could be from a burner phone. Or the person could be using an untraceable phone app.”

  “They have apps for that?” she asked.

  “You’d be surprised, Ms. Wallace.” He handed her back her phone. “If you receive another message, let us know right away. Don’t keep this to yourself.”

  “I won’t.” She locked her phone and put it back inside her purse. “I do think… it may be connected to Martin’s murder.”

  He parted his lips to speak, but she held up her hand.

  “But I will lie low.” That was until another clue came.

  Detective Sims narrowed his eyes at her. “Why am I having a hard time believing that you will?”

  A grin grew on her face. “That sounds like a trust issue, detective.”

  “Can I trust you, Ms. Wallace?”

  She leaned in closer to the table. “That’s something only you can answer.” She draped her purse back onto her shoulder. “If that’s all you need, I have to get to work.”

  He cleared his throat and rose from his seat. “That’s it.” He walked over and opened the door for her.

  Bianca stood and headed for the door. She smiled to herself as she exited the building. She’d been doing that a lot since she’d met Detective Sims.

  Chapter 20

  Later that day, squinting her eyes, Bianca wondered if she’d used too much royal blue for the furniture business logo they had hired her to create. Rubbing her head, she pondered another approach. Though the company had requested blue, did it have to be royal blue? Opening her color chart in her software program, she searched for a lighter shade.

  Sky blue. Perfect. Making the adjustment, she pieced her design together. Merging the company letters, she… Achoo! Bianca grabbed several tissues. She wasn’t getting sick. Not today.

  A cup of hot tea would remedy her. She had a slight chill from her fall in the pond, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Passing through the living room, she caught Casper asleep in his dog bed. Bianca smiled and proceeded to the kitchen and grabbed her favorite mug from her cabinet.

  She checked her watch on her wrist. It was after three o’clock already? Alyssa would be home soon with Chloe. Melanie was helping their mother with another matchmaking event downtown since she had some time off. Bianca opened her refrigerator and stared. What did she cook for dinner?

  Spotting some leftover salmon, she decided she could work around that with some vegetables and some mashed potatoes. Alyssa’s favorite. Filling her teakettle with water, she placed it on the stovetop to boil. Before she knew, the kettle whistled. Perfect. Not too hot, and the heat warmed her chilled hands. Her spoon clicked the sides of her cup as she stirred in the honey.

  Bianca rested her chin in her palm for a moment. She couldn’t get Detective Sims’ words out of her mind. Whoever had sent her the message wasn’t playing games. Her mind flashed back to Nicole’s wedding day. When wasn’t she having flashbacks?

  Martin had been stabbed to death. Her heart raced inside her chest as the man’s voice from the park rang in her mind. Where did she know him from? She shut her eyes. Had he been at the wedding?

  Bianca’s mouth dropped. The driver. He reminded her of the limo driver at the wedding. Were they the same person? She didn’t know but it was worth a shot. Grabbing her cell phone, she called the police station.

  “Edenville Police Department,” the woman said.

  “This is Bianca Wallace. I need to speak to Detective Lamar Sims, please.”

  “I’m sorry, he’s left for the day. Is it an emergency?”

  “Well…” Was it? If it was Martin’s killer, than yes. How could Bianca be sure? “I just have some important information for him. I can call back later.”

  She didn’t give the woman a chance to answer. Bianca hung up. She sipped her tea. What would the motive for her stalker have been? A record? Had he hated Martin too and had a grudge against him?

  Was Priscilla aware? Bianca adjusted in her seat. This case was getting crazier by the minute. When her phone rang, she shrieked and her body jerked. Casper barked at her outburst and headed for the door.

  “Calm down.” She grabbed her phone, seeing Malcom’s name on her screen. She exhaled. “Hey.”

  “Hey. Sorry I’m just getting back with you. I had some work to catch up on at the office.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Hope said you needed dates?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I wanted to know the dates so I can plan her trip. Get flight details together.”

  “Sure. One second.”

  She heard a tapping noise in the background. Bianca took another sip this time, thankful for the warm liquid. She sniffled.

  “You okay?”

  Bianca swallowed. She wouldn’t tell her ex-husband about her sleuthing. “I’m fine. Just a runny nose.”

  “Okay, well, take care of that in case it gets worse,” he said.

  “I will.” Along with everything else getting worse around here. No need to mention that to Malcom.

  “Okay, I’m thinking… The first week of June. School starts back for her mid-August, right?”

  “Right.”

  “So I think that’ll give us plenty of time to hang out. Will that work?”

  That only gave Bianca about a month left with her daughter. “That’s fine with me. She should be home soon, so you can call and tell her.”

  “Teaching her how to drive yet?”

  “Not yet. She’s riding home with her friend Chloe.”

  “What about that boy she’s crushing on?” Malcom asked. The protectiveness in his voice returned.

  Bianca grinned. “Ask her, Malcom.”

  “I can’t handle this.”

  Bianca giggled.

  “Laugh. I’m tempted to lock her in her room when she gets here.”

  Bianca raised an eyebrow. “You have a room prepared for her already?”

  “We’re working on it.”

  We. Him and Hope. Would that ever register in Bianca’s brain? “That’s nice.” She heard keys jiggling outside the door. “I think that’s her now. You can call her now.”

  “Sure thing. Thanks. Talk to you later.”

  Bianca hung up, only to feel something warm at her feet. Casper stretched across her feet, but when the door opened, he sprinted to Alyssa.

  “Casper!” Her daughter held out her arms. The puppy jumped into her arms. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, sweetie. Hi, Chloe.”

  “Hi, Ms. Wallace.” Chloe waved just as Casper jumped into her arms. She giggled and patted his head.

  “Honey.” Bianca gestured at her daughter. “Your dad’s going to be calling you about dates for your visit this summer.”

  “I can’t believe you’re going. Awesome!” Chloe bounced on her toes.

  “I need a new wardrobe,” Al
yssa said.

  Bianca shook her head as the chatter of teenagers faded down the hallway. She hoped and prayed Alyssa enjoyed her time with her dad. This wasn’t the way she’d pictured raising her daughter, but she would make the best of her situation.

  Finishing the last of her tea, Bianca moseyed to the sink and washed her cup. Dinner. That was something she needed to start. Taking out the salmon to heat in the oven, she grabbed three bags of frozen vegetables.

  Ding dong.

  She turned her head. Who was at the front door? Bianca hurried to answer but paused. Was it the man from the park? Had he followed her… no, he wouldn’t have rung the doorbell, only to hope for her to be careless enough to answer it.

  Looking through the peephole, she noticed Detective Sims. Had the receptionist told him she had called? After opening the door, he greeted her with a faint smile and a plastic bag in his hand.

  “Ms. Wallace,” he said.

  “Detective, what are you doing here? I called the station, but I was told you left for the day already.” She folded her arms over her chest.

  He extended the bag to her. “I thought you could use this. I made a stop by the store.”

  Bianca took the bag, only to notice something warm inside. Looking inside, she saw a container of chicken noodle soup. She grinned. He’d brought her soup. “You did this for me?”

  “I couldn’t take the chance of you getting sick.” He stuffed his hands inside his pockets.

  “That’s sweet. Thank you.”

  “You’re feeling okay overall?”

  “I had some tea and some over-the-counter medicine. I can take it if I need it.”

  His smile grew. “Good.” His chest heaved a sigh. “Well… that’s all. I won’t keep you.”

  She snapped her fingers. “Wait. I called the station for a reason. The man at the park. I think I remember him.”

  He inched closer. His eyebrows rose with apparent curiosity. “From where?”

  “The wedding. I think he was the limo driver for Chad and Nicole. He favors him at least.”

  Detective Sims rubbed at his stubble-covered chin. “We did question him that night. He said he was inside during the murder. I think Mrs. Long vouched for him with his alibi.”