“No need. It’s just a few short blocks.”
“I’d feel better.” His blue eyes met mine. “There’s so much craziness going on lately. I want to make sure you’re safe.”
Not seeing any way out, I acquiesced. “Thank you for being so considerate. And thank you again for that lovely meal at your house last week. I enjoyed myself. Your house is so beautiful.”
“It is, isn’t it? We’ll need to come up with another date that will work for both of us. I was kind of hoping you’d reciprocate.”
We reached my front door. “Yes. We’ll have to do that. I’ll reach out when I have my calendar in front of me.”
“Why don’t I come in and we can settle it right now?”
I shrank back just as Rob opened the door. “John, it’s nice to see you again.”
Startled, John looked between Rob and me. “Is Rob living here?”
“Yes,” Rob said.
“No,” I protested.
“Well, glad that’s cleared up,” John said. “I think I’ll be going now.”
He walked down the steps without looking back.
Rob ushered me in and shut and locked the door. “Merry, what on earth were you thinking? What was that all about?”
“I’m not sure. He drove up next to me and wanted me to get in the car. When I wouldn’t, he got out to accompany me home. It might have been all innocent, but his insistence gave me the willies.”
“Come here.” He wrapped his arms around me. “You’re shaking. Let me get you something to drink.”
“No argument here.”
He handed me a glass of wine. “To figuring this out.”
I sat on the sofa. “What makes us think we can do that?”
“First, we’re smart, and second, I think we are getting close.”
“That’s what scares me. Plus, I feel bad about all the innocent people we may be maligning.”
“Like who?”
“Our suspects—the ones whom we will eventually find out aren’t guilty.”
After dinner, I left Rob watching SportsCenter and went upstairs to read. It was so comforting to have another adult in the house with me. Especially a man. Especially this man. We seem to be so in tune together, and he is a caring person with such a nicely proportioned body. His kisses make me feel alive. It was going to be difficult to keep myself in my room tonight, knowing Jenny wasn’t home. Picking up my book, I tried to read, eventually giving up and turning out the light.
Sometime later, I heard him coming up the stairs. There was a hesitation in his turn toward the guest bedroom. Unexpectedly, I heard a soft tread heading to my door. Holding my breath, I stared at the knob. The clock chimed, and he slowly walked away. I let out my breath and wondered what I would have done had he opened the door. Was I ready to take our relationship to another level?
The rest of the week went quickly enough. I threw myself back into work, and Rob was playing catch-up as well.
At four thirty on Saturday, Rob said, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I don’t know, but I’m anxious to see if Paula/Candy is there.”
Arriving just before Mass, we followed through with our plan of sitting in the back. I was surprised by how crowded it was in the last few rows. They’re probably people hoping to make a quick exit.
Rob elbowed me and pointed toward the front. “See the brown-haired woman in the third pew on the left about six people in?”
My eyes narrowed. “Yes, that looks like it could be her.”
I started. John Gordan sat in the fifth pew on the left.
Rob frowned at me. “What?”
I pointed, and he whispered, “This is going to be interesting.”
Mass ending, we exited and found Father Tom. “I liked your homily,” I said.
“I’m glad you found it meaningful.”
“I thought I saw Candy Johnson toward the front. Do you think you could introduce us, Father?”
Sensing someone next to me, I turned and nearly jumped.
“Hello, John,” Father Tom said. “Did you enjoy the homily?”
Rob and I exchanged tight smiles with John.
Father Tom said, “Candy, Candy, come here, my dear. I have some people I’d like you to meet.”
Her eyes widened when she saw me and Rob and then almost leapt off her face as she noticed John. “No time, no time.” She spun around and made a hasty retreat to her car.
Father Tom shrugged. “I guess she was in a hurry.”
“Yes, seemed so,” I said.
John’s mouth made a perfect circle as he watched Paula speed away.
I asked him, “Do you know Candy?”
“Candy?”
“Yes.” I pointed to the receding car. “Candy Johnson. She’s new to the parish.”
“She looks exactly like someone else I know. Different hair color, though. Couldn’t be.” He slowly shook his head.
“Who?”
“Never mind. I’m afraid I must go. Thanks, Father.” John spun on his heel and left.
“Everyone seems to be in a hurry tonight,” Father Tom mused.
I said, “Must be plans for the evening.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” Father Tom turned to greet some other parishioners.
Rob and I moved slowly down the stairs. “Wow,” he said.
“Yep. Should we be concerned about Paula?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Let’s go back to the house and get my car. I think we should drive past her place to make sure everything’s okay.”
We sped up and, as soon as we turned into the drive, hopped into my car. Driving as quickly as possible, I soon pulled into the parking lot of her building. Her car was near the door. John’s car was nowhere to be found.
I said, “Maybe he didn’t have enough time to follow her.”
“She did leave rather quickly.”
“How long did it take us to find her address earlier this week once we had her name?”
“No time at all.”
I rubbed his shoulder. “I think we need to talk to Jay.”
“You’re right.” Rob pulled out his cell phone and punched in his number.
Jay answered on the second ring. “What?”
“We need to meet,” Rob said.
“I’m just sitting down to dinner with my family. Can’t it wait?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Jay sighed. “I’ll meet you at Merry’s house in fifteen.”
Rob hung up. “He’s not happy.”
“He’d be less happy if we didn’t call him.”
As soon as we got home, I made coffee. “We haven’t had dinner yet, and it sounds like we interrupted his. Should I defrost some dessert, and we’ll eat out of order?”
“I’m all for dessert first.”
Retrieving some frozen cobbler, I stuck it in the microwave to reheat. As Jay arrived, I pulled it out and reached in the freezer for ice cream. “Would you like some blueberry cobbler with ice cream?”
He shrugged out of his jacket. “Sounds great. I’ll finish dinner later, hopefully.”
Rob and I took him through what we found out about Candy Johnson. When we finished, Jay summed up. “So John and his wife had an ugly split, and now you think she’s stalking him, but you’re worried John is going to turn the tables and hurt her?”
“Good summary,” Rob said.
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about it. No one’s been physically injured so far.”
“Two people are dead,” I protested.
“True, Merry, but we don’t know if this is all related.”
My eyes widened. “You think this is a coincidence?”
“It may be. I’ll tell you what I’ll do: I’ll drive over there to make sure she’s all right and see what I can find out.”
“That would make us feel so much better,” I said. “Would you call us afterward? I don’t know if I can sleep not knowing.”
“I guess I could.” He stood
and pulled on his jacket. “Thanks for the cobbler. I hope the kids haven’t finished all the roast beef at my house.”
“For your sake, we hope not,” Rob said.
“What should we do now?” I asked as we cleaned up the table.
“We wait. Do you have any board games?”
“A few.” I pointed him in the direction of the game cupboard and finished loading the dishwasher.
Holding up the backgammon box, he raised his eyebrows.
I smiled. “I’m so going to beat you.”
The pace of play was fast. I forgot we were waiting for a call, and when Rob’s phone rang, I started.
“Hello, Jay,” he said. “She’s not there? Is her car there? It’s an older cherry-red Ford Corolla. Not there? Well, I guess there’s not much you can do. You’ll swing by her place again in the morning? Thanks. We’d appreciate that.”
“She’s not there,” Rob told me.
“So I heard.”
“What can we do? This is so frustrating.”
“We could swing by John’s place.”
“Okay. I just need to do something.”
The inside of John’s house was dark with only the porch light shining. His car wasn’t in the driveway.
Rob said, “It is Saturday night. Some people have dates.”
“But he asked me out tonight.”
Rob’s eyebrows rose. “You didn’t mention that.”
“It was after the dinner at his house. I didn’t think it was important because I obviously wasn’t going to be meeting him.”
Leaning over the console, he gave me a quick kiss that became a far longer one. It was broken up only by headlights flashing past us as they turned into John’s driveway.
“Duck,” I said.
We both scrunched down in the car, poking our heads up enough so that his car was visible. John got out and slammed his car door. Then he strode to his house and slammed the front door behind him.
I straightened. “That was close.”
“It was, but I felt a bit silly.”
“We didn’t want him to see us.”
“Why?”
I rubbed Rob’s shoulder. “He seemed angry—all of that door slamming. Plus, I don’t think we are two of his favorite people right now.”
“Well, he’s alone, and it looks like he’s in for the evening. Do you want to stop somewhere for something to eat, or do you want to go back to your house?”
“Let’s go back to my house.”
I started to turn the key when Rob abruptly put his hand on mine. A car darted under the streetlight, coming to a halt just outside of its glare. Its headlights were off, but the streetlight had exposed a cherry-red Ford Corolla. We watched silently to see if Paula would get out. She didn’t.
“Now what do we do?” Rob asked.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve been sitting here long enough that if you start the car, she’s going to wonder why she didn’t see us get into it.”
“She looks like she’s settling in. I don’t want to be here all night. Plus, we could be teenagers necking.”
“Now, that’s an idea.” Rob smiled and reached for me.
I grinned at him. Her car door opened. I tensed as she crossed the street, keeping to the shadows. Tiptoeing to John’s house, she peered in one of the lit windows. He moved around in his living room as she watched him.
I whispered, “This is getting bizarre.”
“It sure is.”
Paula crept away from the house and slid into her car. In a few minutes, it started, and she pulled away from the curb, again without headlights. The lights flicked on halfway down the block.
I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Do you think tonight’s drama is over?”
“One can only hope. Let’s go before anyone else shows up.”
We covered the short distance to my house in silence. I grimaced. “Do you think she does that every night?”
“It’s scary to think so. I’d hate to have someone peeping in at me.”
I unlocked the door. “What do you feel like eating?” The clock chimed. “Wow. How did it get so late?”
“We’ve had a busy evening. How about I put together some sandwiches while you pour some wine?”
Watching Rob move around the kitchen relaxed me. “I should be tired, but I’m not. Another game?” I gestured at the backgammon board on the kitchen table.
“Absolutely.”
We played two more games. I yawned. “You’ll be carrying me up the stairs if we play one more time. I’m so sleepy.”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
Smiling, I leaned over and kissed him. Before I knew it, we were making out like teenagers left alone in a den. Struggling upright on his lap, I straightened my clothes. “Much fun as this is, I’m not sure I’m ready for such a big step. We haven’t really known each other that long. And I remember reading somewhere that you shouldn’t make big decisions in times of stress.”
Rob rubbed my back. “You’re stressed?”
“Yes. Aren’t you, with a murderer running around loose?”
“I wasn’t stressed a moment or two ago.” He gave me a wolfish grin.
“Neither was I, but you know what I mean.”
“I do, and even though every fiber of my being wants you, I respect the fact that we may be moving a bit too fast for your comfort. I know what I want, and I want it long term. I can be patient.”
“Thank you for understanding.” I stood. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
As I opened the door to my room, I looked longingly at my bed. Nope. Cold shower first.
Chapter 21
“Is it just me, or is this town getting odder?” I said to Rob as we left to meet Jenny for breakfast at the Iron Skillet.
“I think strange things are happening. Hopefully we’ll be able to figure out what it all means and quickly.”
Jenny came in, and I gave her a big hug. “I’ve missed you!”
“I missed you too, Mom. I love Cindy and her family, but it’s crazy there. How much longer is this going to go on?”
“Hopefully it won’t be too much longer.”
We chatted about schoolwork and after-school activities and ordered breakfast. The restaurant filled up fast as the churches finished their services. Enjoying my meal, I was surprised to see John Gordan. He looked distracted as he surveyed the crowd. He must have found the person he was meeting, for he waved and made his way toward the back. Five minutes later, Jay and his family came in. He stopped by our table and told his wife he’d join her shortly. Barbara waved as she shepherded the kids to their table.
Jay said, “I stopped by Candy’s place this morning, and her car was there. I see your number one suspect is eating in the back.”
Rob looked pained. “Maybe we should meet up later after you’ve had a chance to eat.”
“Just get me before the game starts at two.”
“Merry’s at one?”
“I’ll be there.” Jay nodded at Jenny as he turned to join his family.
“Who’s your number one suspect?” Jenny took another big bite of her pancakes.
I gulped. “Your superintendent of schools.”
“Mr. Gordan? He couldn’t have done it. He’s nice.”
“He may not have, but just in case, I want you to be careful around him.”
“I will. I need to get more clothes and drop off my dirty laundry. Can I go back with you?”
“Of course. I’ll take you over to the Twilliger’s too.”
Leaving, I craned my neck to see with whom John Gordan was eating breakfast. Unfortunately, the man had his back to me and John saw me looking. He gave me a level stare, and I made a hasty retreat.
When we returned home, Jenny pulled together another week’s worth of outfits. After I loaded the washer with her dirty clothes, I ran her back over to the Twilliger’s. “Tell Mrs. Twilliger I’ll call her later. I love you.” I gave Jenny a fierce hug. “Hopefully this
will be over soon. I miss you!”
She jumped out of the car, and I watched to make sure she got safely inside. Once home, I moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer. I joined Rob at the kitchen table. “Rob, I’ve been thinking. Are we looking at this the wrong way?”
“How so?”
“Paula seems to be a stalker, but, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why she would want to kill Ben Ford or poor Nancy.”
“I agree, but we can’t ignore the fact that Nancy wanted to tell you about Paula and was killed before she could.”
“Was it a coincidence?”
“I don’t know that I believe in coincidences.”
Jay knocked on the back door. “Any coffee?”
I rose to get the pot. “I’ve been wondering. Do you have problems sleeping with all the caffeine you ingest?”
“Nope. Have a caffeine gene. Requirement to become a cop. That and a love of donuts.” He smirked. “You’ll be happy to see I brought your mug back.”
I took it and put it away. “Thanks and thanks for coming. I know you want to get back in time for the game, so we should probably get started. Rob, do you want to tell Jay what we saw last night?”
Rob told him. Jay nodded. “That’s interesting. Maybe we were worried about the wrong person.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” I said. “But where I keep getting stuck is why Paula would have killed Ben and Nancy. She didn’t know them and hadn’t lived here very long.”
Jay reminded me, “Merry, as I said last night, it could be a coincidence.”
“Who here believes in coincidences?”
None of us raised our hands. “Okay, so it isn’t a coincidence. What’s the link?”
Jay’s cell phone rang. “What? A shooting? Where? I’ll be right there.” He frowned. “I have to go. No game for me today.”
“Who was shot?”
“Not sure yet, but it was in the parking lot of Paula’s building.” He rushed out the door.
Rob and I leapt up at the same time. He grabbed his keys. “My car.”
Jumping in, we sped over to the apartment building. The area was cordoned off, and when we pulled up to the curb, the ambulance arrived. Rob ran forward as I tried to see what was going on. Unfortunately, my diminutive size didn’t allow for much of a view. After a few minutes, Rob returned. “It’s John.”
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