by Rose Pressey
“I smelled vanilla,” I said. “And I should know because I use that a lot.”
“The other cast members, do you know anything about them?” he asked.
“No, I usually leave right after the filming, and well, it’s only been a couple of times. If I think of anything I’ll be sure to let you know,” I said.
I slipped into my car and waved goodbye to the detective. He walked to his car and I watched as he pulled out of the parking lot. Would he find anything at the studio? Now Kristen would know about the note and the attack.
The detective had given me something to think about. I had to remember something about this person. The smell had been on the person’s hand. That meant that they had been cooking using pure vanilla, not like perfume or something. If it was vanilla extract, then the person had to have been cooking. Who had been cooking? Finn. He’d helped me make the cupcakes.
Was there anyone else? I didn’t want to think that it was Finn, but I supposed I had to voice my suspicions to the detective. Was there anything else that I could remember? I hadn’t had a chance to look at the shoes or anything to do with clothing. Perhaps I’d noticed that the pants were dark. So the person wore black pants—that meant nothing.
I sat in the car with my hands on the steering wheel, wondering what to do next. I kind of wanted to go back to the studio. Then again, I kind of never wanted to go back. When someone knocked on my car door window, I jumped. Adam the cameraman stood beside my car. He motioned for me to lower the window. I wanted to be alone.
“I thought I recognized you,” he said. “How are you? Is everything going all right?”
“Everything’s fine,” I said.
Obviously, he had no clue what was truly going on at the studio.
“Are you getting coffee?” He pointed to the coffee shop.
“I was just leaving,” I said.
He frowned. “Oh, that’s too bad. I thought maybe you could join me for coffee.”
I was pretty sure I frowned. He probably thought I was totally disgusted by him. It was just that I hadn’t expected him to ask. I barely knew him. Not that I had been avoiding him, but the last few days had been nothing but a whirlwind.
“Are you sure you don’t have time?” he asked.
“I really do need to go, but maybe some other time,” I said.
He sighed. “Yeah, maybe some other time. Well, have a good rest of the day and I’ll see you at the next taping.”
“Yes, see you then,” I said.
I hurried to put the car window up before he had a chance to talk more. I wasn’t trying to be antisocial, but I just wanted to get on with solving this crime. Plus, he was slightly creepy. Things were getting more dangerous by the hour. If I didn’t solve the crime there would be no next show. Finn had been told the same thing, but I guessed he’d find another show, so it wouldn’t matter to him. If one was canceled, then another one would come in to replace it. Not the case for me.
I started the car and backed out of the parking space. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I looked in the rearview mirror. Adam was still watching me. Yes, he was creepy. I cruised back by the studio, but I didn’t turn into the parking lot. Instead I drove around the block, contemplating whether I should stop or not. I wanted to find out what the detective was doing, but I also wasn’t prepared to go back yet.
I’d better get over that anxiety though because with any luck I’d have another filming soon. When I looped back around the parking lot, I pulled up along the street and parked so that I could watch the parking lot without actually pulling in. What good was this doing me anyway? I supposed I could see if the detective had left and then call him, but he’d said he would call me when he found out anything. My detective skills were seriously lacking. I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, contemplating my next move. I supposed what I really needed to do was find out more about Ruby.
I was just about to pull away from the curb when someone knocked on my car window again. Jumping from the startle, I looked to the left to find the cameraman there again. What was going on with him? I’d just left Adam at the coffee shop. I cracked the window just a bit.
Turning down the air-conditioner so that I could hear him, I said, “Yes?”
“Are you all right?” Adam asked.
I just stared at him for a moment. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Well, I was just wondering why you’re sitting out here next to the studio and not going in?”
Had he left the coffee shop immediately after talking with me? Had he gotten his coffee to go?
“Oh, I was just waiting for someone. We were meeting here, but they canceled so I’m leaving now.”
He raised an eyebrow as if he thought I was making up the story. Which of course I was, but I thought I sounded convincing. What was he doing back here again? I’d thought he’d left for the day.
“Okay, well, if you’re sure you’re all right,” he said.
“I’ll be leaving now,” I said. “It was nice seeing you again.”
“Nice seeing you,” he said.
I tossed my hand up. Apparently, he didn’t take the hint because he just stood there and stared at me.
“I need to get going now,” I said, still trying to sound friendly.
Now I was really becoming anxious. My heart beat faster. After a few more seconds. he leaned away from the car.
“Just be careful out there,” he said.
What was that supposed to mean? I pushed the button and the car window closed. Before he had a chance to stop me again I pulled away from the curb. When I looked back, he was still standing there. That guy was all kinds of creepy. He had been in the building probably at the time that I had been attacked. He was also wearing black pants. Why would he smell like vanilla though?
However, those two things alone could point to him as my attacker. I would need more clues than that though. Could he be the killer? Did he know the murder victim? Of course he knew her since he worked with her, but how well did he know her? I would have to find out more information about Adam. Perhaps I could ask Kristen. She had been awfully quiet about all this. She acted as if she didn’t discuss it then it would all go away. Unfortunately, I knew that wasn’t the case.
As I pulled up to the next red light, my phone rang. My mother was calling. There was no way I would tell her about what had happened at the studio. Reluctantly I pulled over to the side of the street so that I could answer the call. After Adam had knocked on the window while I sat in the car, I worried he would show up again. Surely, he hadn’t followed me now.
“Hi, Mom,” I said when I answered.
“How are things?” she asked.
“Things are good,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
I hoped she didn’t see through my act.
“I thought maybe we could get together this weekend for dinner,” she said. “Maybe you could bring over that new host of the show.”
“Finn Fine?” I asked, a little louder than I had anticipated.
She laughed. “You don’t like him? He sure is handsome.”
“Oh, he’s handsome and I think he knows it.”
She laughed again. “I just thought it would be nice to get to know him.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I said.
“Well, whatever you think is best,” she said.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to ask him right now.”
“Okay, we’ll get together, just without Finn Fine.”
“Is that all you were calling for? I’m in the car right now.”
“There was one other curious thing that happened,” she said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Earlier this morning when I took the trash out. You know they left the trashcan down by the curb.”
My mother had a tendency to stretch stories out just a bit.
“Okay, but what happened?” I asked, trying to move things along.
“There was a strange car sitting not far f
rom the house. And I just got this bad feeling that they were watching me. Do you think I’m being a bit paranoid? Maybe something’s happening to my mind.”
This sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t want my mother to think that she was turning into a paranoid person, but then again, I didn’t want to alarm her and let her know that a car had been following me too.
“What did the car look like?” I asked.
“It was a black sedan, four-door,” she said. “I couldn’t quite see who was behind the wheel because of the sun glaring onto the windshield, but I thought it was a man. Do you think I’m silly for thinking that he was watching me?”
“I don’t think it’s silly,” I said. “But it’s probably nothing.”
“So you think I’m being paranoid?” she asked defensively.
“Mom! I just said it’s not silly. It’s good to be a little cautious of your surroundings. It’s a good thing to watch and make sure that no one around is acting suspiciously. You never know when somebody will grab you up and kidnap you. You taught me that, remember?”
“Oh, I suppose I did,” she said, sounding a little worried.
Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned the kidnapping thing. Now she would be worried about me out there in the world fending off kidnappers.
As if on cue, she said, “What if you’re kidnapped?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” I said. “No one is going to kidnap me.”
Now I was back to worrying whether she would sense the stress in my voice.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked.
See, now she really was picking up on it.
“Yes, I’m just fine,” I said, glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure Adam hadn’t walked up behind my car. “Is the car still out there still or did they leave?”
“The man drove away when I walked back to the house. That was another thing that made me suspicious.”
“And you haven’t seen him since?” I asked.
“Not since,” she said.
“Well, just be careful out there,” I said. “I can stop by soon. I’ll bring cupcakes.”
Again, I wanted to smack myself for saying that. I wanted her to be careful, but now she was probably worried.
“So you do think it was someone bad? Should I call the police?”
“I’ll take care of everything, don’t worry. I’ll call you back soon, okay?”
I planned on telling the detective about this, but I would wait for him to call me back first. In the meantime, I would be worried about my mother though. Thank goodness the car had left. Why would they be at my parents’ house? Maybe this was one of the cousins.
“Did you tell Dad about this?” I asked.
“Well, no, he’s not home.”
“Maybe you should tell him,” I said.
“Yes, I suppose,” she said around a sigh.
“Okay, Mom, I’ll call you soon, all right?”
I had to get off the phone in a hurry because just then I saw a black car drive down the street that looked an awful lot like the one that had followed me, and my mother had just described. The car was at the red light and I decided that I had to go after it. Unfortunately, there was some traffic blocking me from getting back onto the street. I had to wait until the light turned green and then with any luck I would fall in behind the car.
I tapped my fingers anxiously against the steering wheel waiting for the light to turn. Finally, the traffic started moving and I merged back onto the street. I was a few cars behind and I hoped I didn’t lose sight of the black car. I just needed to get around the other vehicles so that I could be directly behind the subject of my attention. Maybe I could get the license plate number this time.
I wished the other cars would get out of my way. They were blocking my sleuthing activities. The black car switched lanes now. That meant that I would have to get over too. Were they trying to turn off to get away from me? Maybe they knew that I was back here. They probably knew all along that I had been following them. What if the car had been following me all this time? That sent a shiver down my spine.
I slowed down so that I could attempt to merge over into the right lane. But even more cars drove up beside me in the other lane. Now the black car was getting even more ahead and I was losing sight. If I lost out on following this car I would be upset. Thank goodness I was finally able to get over into the other lane. Now I just needed a couple of cars to turn off so that I would be directly behind the black car.
Chapter 17
A couple of cars turned off and now I was directly behind the black car. I still couldn’t get the license plate number though. The sun was glaring on the back of the car and I couldn’t quite read it. Of all the luck. Suddenly the car made a right turn without any warning or a turning signal. It wasn’t so fun being chased, was it? Now this person was getting a taste of their own medicine.
With both hands tightly on the steering wheel, I made the turn as well, trying to keep up. I kept back a bit because I really didn’t want the person to know I was following them. If the person knew I was following them they might not go to their planned destination. Perhaps they would take me to a dangerous location, like luring a fly into a spider’s web.
All the lights were green, so we were breezing right through them. The car slowed down to make another left turn. My anxiety grew the farther we got away from the studio. I kind of wanted to turn around, but if I really wanted to solve the crime, then I had to continue this pursuit. I pushed forward with following the car.
The person made another right turn. I stayed back some this time, but I could still see him. He had to know at this point that I was following him. I pressed on the gas and headed down the road so that I wouldn’t lose sight of him. We were in a subdivision now on a residential street. Was he going home? Maybe he didn’t know I’d followed him after all. Perhaps he was preoccupied by the radio and hadn’t even looked in the rearview mirror to see that I was back there. Could I really get that lucky?
The guy pulled up in front of a red-brick house. I pulled over to the side of the road to watch what happened next. What if he got out of his car and came back to my car? I’d be busted. But then at least I would see who this guy was. For all I knew though this wasn’t the car that had followed me. However, it did look like that one.
The car door opened. This was the moment I had been waiting for, like revealing what was behind the curtain. To my disappointment, when the guy got out of the car he was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up, concealing his identity.
Yes, it had started to sprinkle with rain, but was it really necessary to wear that hoodie? Now I couldn’t see what he looked like. I had no idea who this was. Now what would I do? This wasn’t helping my sleuthing.
He walked to the front door and pulled out keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, never even looking back to see me sitting in the car. Either he really didn’t know I was back there or he was just pretending, waiting to see what my next move would be. In all honesty, I had no idea what my next move would be. I definitely wasn’t brave enough to go up to the door and ask him if he had been following me. I wasn’t that crazy.
I sat there for a moment staring at the house, contemplating what to do. I supposed there really was nothing left to do. Nevertheless, I got out of the car. I wouldn’t walk up to the house, but I’d pretend to stretch my legs on the sidewalk. I tried to come up with some kind of clever plan. There was a distinct possibility that I had just followed some stranger home.
As I stood on the sidewalk, I sensed someone behind me. I spun around and saw a woman with her cute little black dog.
“I’m sorry, did I startle you?” she asked.
“Oh, no, I just was daydreaming, I suppose,” I said a bit winded.
She had startled me, but it wasn’t her fault. I shouldn’t even be standing out here staring at a stranger’s house.
“You look a little lost, can I help you find something?” she asked.
This mi
ght be my only chance at getting information about the person in the car.
“Do you live around here?” I asked.
Okay, that sounded creepy, like something Adam would say.
“What I mean is, I’m looking for an address. I thought for sure it was that house there, but when I was driving up, I saw a guy get out and go inside. The person I’m meeting is a woman and she lives alone. Understandably, I’m a bit confused,” I said with a chuckle.
I tried to sound as casual and convincing as possible.
“I live in the area, yes. I live right next to the house. There’s definitely not a woman living there. It’s just a guy.”
“Oh,” I said.
Now I’d kind of dug a hole for my conversation and didn’t know how to get out of it. I couldn’t ask for more information about this guy. She would want to know why.
“It’s funny because I’m positive that’s the address she gave. Do you think maybe someone else is living there and you don’t know about it? What’s that guy’s name?” I asked.
Again I tried to sound as casual as possible so that she wouldn’t know I was pushing for information that she probably shouldn’t give me. I smiled at her dog, hoping that would add to my credibility. He was cute though, so how could I resist?
“His name is Adam. I don’t know much about him. I only met him a couple of months ago. But I’m almost positive he’s the only one there. I’ve never seen anyone else.”
What? Adam? As in the cameraman who had followed me back to the studio? How had he gotten a different car? It had to be the same Adam, right?
“Well, that’s interesting. Maybe he works with this woman,” I said. “She works at the local police station. Not as an officer but as dispatcher.”
Where was I even coming up with this stuff?
“Well, he’s not a police officer.” She laughed.
Why was she laughing about this? Did she know something about his criminal history that she wasn’t telling me?
“I take it he wouldn’t make a good police officer?” I asked.