Death Comes in Threes

by Marja McGraw

  I looked at her face and knew she was truly frightened.

  “Let’s get her inside,” I said, taking hold of one of her arms.

  Stanley took her other arm and we walked her back to the house where we helped her sit down on the couch.

  “My fingers are getting numb,” Glenna said. “I can’t seem to breathe right.”

  “I think you’re starting to hyperventilate. Do you have any paper bags?” I sat down next to her and rubbed her hand.

  “In the bottom drawer in the kitchen.” She pointed toward the rear of the house.

  Stanley ran to the kitchen and returned with a bag. “Do you want me to call 9-1-1?”

  I glanced at Glenna. “I don’t think so. Let’s try this first.”

  I bunched up the top of the bag and handed it to her. “Breathe into the bag.”

  She did, and before long her breathing slowed to almost normal. She took one very deep breath and shook her head. “That was scary.”

  “How does your chest feel?” Stanley asked. “I can still call 9-1-1.”

  “No, I think I’m okay now.” She glanced at each of us. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here to calm me down.”

  I patted her back. “You rest for a few minutes.”

  Motioning for Stanley to follow me, I headed toward the kitchen.

  “Stan, I hope I don’t live to regret this, but I think we should take Glenna to my house. Maybe Ronald is really David, and maybe he’s not, but I don’t think she should be left alone. Would it make it more difficult if you were all helping two of us instead of just me? I know how much I’m imposing, but – ”

  “You’re not imposing,” Stanley interrupted. “I think what you’re doing is a fine thing. This young woman is frightened, and so are you. It would probably make things easier if you were both in one place.”

  I stepped forward and hugged Stanley. “You’re a good man, and I can’t tell you how much you mean to me.”

  Stepping back I looked into Stanley’s eyes. He smiled, although he looked like I’d embarrassed him.

  Returning to the living room, I explained to Glenna that interestingly I was in a similar situation to hers. I went on to tell her I had several people keeping an eye on me, including an officer who was patrolling my home.

  “So there could be danger if you’re around me, but I don’t think so. I think the guy who’s after me will wait until I’m alone. If you’re at my house, Ronald can still call you on your cell phone, but he won’t know where you are. And you’ll have my family and friends to keep an eye on you. What do you think?”

  She didn’t hesitate for even a second. “I’ll pack a bag. It won’t take me long. There’s safety in numbers, and the police are on your side, too. I can’t deal with staying here by myself. Last night I didn’t sleep at all. I called in sick at work. They know what’s going on and didn’t hassle me. My boss just said to take care and come back soon. She’s been so understanding the last few days.”

  “How long has Ronald been here?” I asked.

  “A little less than a week.”

  Timing can be everything. I’d have to ask Rick exactly when David escaped. Who knew how long it had taken before he knew about David?

  Glenna packed her bag and followed us back to my house. I called Felicity on the way, and by the time we pulled up everyone was standing on the porch. I’d have to remember to give my mother a key.

  “We walked the perimeter, and it doesn’t look like anyone’s been here.” Felicity gave me the update while watching Glenna. She stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Felicity DuBois.”

  “Sorry. Everyone, this is Glenna Tate. I’m sure Felicity explained what’s going on, right?”

  “Right,” Dolly said. “And we’re delighted that Glenna is joining us.” Somehow that just didn’t seem appropriate under the circumstances, but I knew what Dolly meant. “I’m Dolly,” she said, reaching for Glenna. She gave her a big welcoming hug.

  My mother followed Dolly’s example and introduced herself, giving Glenna a hug.

  “Let’s go inside.” I unlocked the front door.

  While the women settled down in the living room, Stanley and I made the rounds of the house, checking windows and doors. When I reached the back door, in the kitchen, I let Bubba in. “No one’s going to try to break in with you around.” I patted his head.

  He ignored me and lumbered out to the living room. He’d apparently heard a new voice and wanted to check it out.

  Sitting down by the kitchen table, I tried to catch my breath. It had been a very long, very busy day. I could hear my mother explaining about Bubba’s smile to Glenna. I closed my eyes for a moment and was startled when someone placed their hand on my shoulder. My head snapped up and around to see who had joined me. Stanley stood by my chair.

  “Sandi, I promise that everything will work out for the best. We won’t let anything happen to you, or to Glenna.”

  His hand was still on my shoulder and I reached up and patted it. “Thank you, Stan. It seems like you’re always here when I need you.”

  “I’m going home for an hour or so before I park my vehicle down the street.” He glanced toward the window. “It’s getting late and the sun will go down soon. I want to be in my assigned spot before the ladies leave.”

  “Thank you again, Stan.”

  He walked through the living room and told everyone goodbye before he left. For just a moment I felt completely overwhelmed. It was one thing when I was the only one in danger, but now I’d involved Glenna, too. Was I getting her into something I couldn’t control? I didn’t like it when I couldn’t control things, which was most of the time.

  Standing up, I headed for the living room, sighing a deep, cleansing sigh as I walked.

  Trying to sound cheerful, I decided food might be something to occupy everyone’s thoughts. “Okay, who’s hungry? Why don’t we make an In-N-Out run and get burgers for dinner?”

  “I’ve heard of In-N-Out, but I’ve never tried one of their hamburgers. Now might be a good time, but I’m not really hungry.” Glenna sounded so down-in-the-mouth.

  “When I need comfort food, I go for one of two things; chocolate or an In-N-Out burger. Trust me when I tell you that you need to eat, and a burger is just the ticket.” I smiled, hoping I looked a lot happier than I felt.

  “Do you have any chocolate here?” Glenna asked.

  “I do, but you’ll have to wait until after the burgers. Dinner first, then desert.”

  Felicity opened her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. “Okay, tell me what you all want and I’ll go pick up the burgers. Dolly, why don’t you come with me?”

  Dolly nodded before telling Felicity what she wanted. The rest of us joined in and Felicity folded her list and put it back in her purse.

  “While we’re eating, I want you to tell me more of the Stan story. That should brighten everyone’s evening.” Felicity smiled. She’d been using this tactic for a couple of days. She seemed to feel the stories distracted everyone.

  She was right. We needed all the distractions we could come up with, and then some.

  Chapter Seventeen

  While Felicity and Dolly were gone, and after Glenna put her things in the downstairs bedroom, she asked, “What was Felicity talking about? You have some kind of stories about Stanley?”

  “Oh, my, when Sandi and Pete met Stan, things were very different than they are now.” My mother decided to share the stories I’d already told about Stanley. She embellished just a little, but it didn’t take long for Glenna to start laughing.

  “And Pete’s your partner?”

  “Yes, but he’s out of town right now. He’d just started working for me when Stanley came into the office looking for our help.”

  My mother raised one of her eyebrows. “Pete is a lot more than Sandi’s partner. They’re going to be married in November.”

  Glenna smiled a wide smile. “Congratulations, Sandi! I hope someday I meet the right guy and ge
t married. How did you and Pete get together?”

  Before I could answer, Felicity and Dolly arrived bearing burgers. Taking the bags, I set up our dinner in the kitchen. There wasn’t much discussion while we ate. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was hungry.

  Bubba sat next to Dolly and politely stared at her, almost willing her to read his mind. He wanted some hamburger, but all he got were a few French fries.

  “You were right. This is the best hamburger I ever ate.” Glenna picked up a fry and ate like it was her last meal.

  I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be. Sometimes I drove myself nuts with my thoughts.

  While my mother picked up the remains and headed for the trash can, I fed Bubba. I usually put his dish outside, but under the circumstances I decided to feed him in the house where I knew no one could slip something into his food.

  Eventually we all met in the living room.

  “Are we still going with the original plan?” Felicity asked.

  “What plan is that?” Glenna sat forward on the couch.

  Dolly sat next to her and explained. “We’re all going to make a big production out of leaving, and then we’re going to sneak back inside. That way David will think Sandi’s alone.”

  “Why would you want him to think she’s alone?” Glenna looked shocked. “Won’t he come after her?”

  I nodded. “That’s the idea. If he comes after me, I want it to be on my terms, not his. I think it’s the best chance we have of catching him.”

  “Maybe I should have stayed home.” Glenna looked petrified. “Ronald is enough to deal with, and maybe I shouldn’t be here.”

  It was time for the truth. “Glenna, I don’t want to scare you. Heaven knows, you’re frightened enough already.” I looked into her eyes, not blinking. “There’s a possibility, although very slight, that Ronald and David are one and the same man. I think you’ll be safer with all of us around you.”

  She jumped off the couch. “What?”

  “I’m probably wrong,” I said, my words tumbling out in a hurry. “It’s just that Ronald and David fit the same description, and the timing is too perfect. There’s also the fact that out of all the P.I.’s in Los Angeles, you called me. Coincidence? Or could Ronald, or David, have mentioned my name? I’d rather not leave you by yourself. I don’t want to endanger you, but at the same time I think you’ll be safer with all of us.”

  “I wish you’d said something before.” She returned my look, but she was blinking rapidly, maybe holding back tears. “What did you get me into?”

  “Safety in numbers.” My mother took hold of Glenna’s hand, but the young woman pulled it away. “You could be sitting home by yourself with the axe murderer lurking outside your window, you know.”

  “Mother!” What was she thinking?

  “Don’t worry, dear. I know self-defense, and Felicity has a gun.” Dolly wasn’t helping an already dicey situation.

  Glenna looked at each of us in turn before squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head. “I think you people might be lunatics, but I’m probably safer here than I would be at home. At least you’re not axe murderers. Just don’t leave me by myself while I’m here. Ever. Not for one minute. Or even a second.”

  Felicity tipped her head to the side and watched Glenna. “I have a question. Whatever made you start calling Ronald an axe murderer?”

  “That’s a good question,” Dolly said.

  “It was something he said when he was explaining how he killed defenseless little animals.” Glenna rubbed her chest and I wondered if the muscles were tightening up again. “He said that most animal killers graduated from knives to axes. I didn’t know if he meant it as a joke or not, but he smiled when he said it. Maybe he just made it up.”

  “Oh, this man is a real piece of work.” Mother folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips.

  “Can’t we change the subject? Talking about it is kind of making me sick to my stomach.” Glenna quit rubbing her chest and held her stomach.

  “How about more Stan stories?” Felicity asked. “I still want to know why Stan won’t talk about when he met you.”

  I narrowed my eyes and thought back. “First, let me tell you about when Pete and I decided to search Al Draper’s room. We were trying to figure out why he wouldn’t leave Stanley alone, and we thought maybe there was something in his room. The name Beck had come up and it appeared that’s who Draper was working for, but we couldn’t figure out who he was. Actually, it was the night Stanley met David that we learned about Beck, but I’ll back up to that part of the story later. You need to remember that Pete and I had only known each other for a few days when we searched Draper’s room. So anyway…”

  ~ * ~

  “It would help if we could figure out who Beck is,” Pete said.

  “I think we need to find out where Draper is staying and do a search.” I had a gut feeling we might find something of interest.

  “He’s living in a cheap hotel.”

  “Figures. Okay, then we should search his room. It’s worth a try.” I was pleased that Pete had taken it upon himself to figure out where Draper was staying. This work relationship just might work out.

  “I’ve been thinking about Draper and Beck.” Pete looked up at the ceiling before turning his gaze to me. “I think the only reason Draper has been following Hawks is to scare him. I don’t think he’s as careless as I had him pegged for. I think he wants Hawks to know he’s being followed. He’s trying to intimidate him.”

  “That makes sense. Beck, whoever he is, has been deliberately trying to scare Stanley through harassment.” Suddenly the pieces began to fall into place.

  “Now if we could just figure out why, we’d have the whole thing solved,” Pete said.

  “I still think Draper’s room holds the key. Let’s make sure he’s gone and go do that right now.”

  “Sure, let’s go.”

  We took Pete’s car, deciding to grab something to eat on the way to Draper’s place. We stopped at an In-N-Out – where else would we eat?

  Sitting in the car, we discussed our strategy. We wanted to get in and out of Draper’s room as fast as possible. Neither one of us knew if he might actually be dangerous or not, and we didn’t want to take the chance. If he found us in his room there was a distinct possibility he wouldn’t like it. I smiled to myself. Of course he wouldn’t like it. My hope was that he was still busy stalking Stanley Hawks.

  We finished eating and drove to a seedy hotel, one of many in the area, and parked a block away. It was corny, I knew, but I brought a large floppy hat along that I kept at the office. Draper had seen me the night before, so I pulled the hat forward to shadow my face, just in case we ran into him. I didn’t want to be recognized.

  Pete shook his head when I put the hat on.

  “Well, at least I didn’t bring a fake nose and mustache.”

  “Thank heaven for small favors,” Pete mumbled.

  We entered the hotel and after one look at the rickety old elevator, I stopped. “Let’s take the stairs. They’ve got to be safer than that thing.”

  Pete grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me through the doors without a word. We rode up to the third floor amidst a lot of noisy clanking and walked down the hallway, looking for Room 311.

  Pete knocked on the door when we found it, while I stood to the side. There was no answer, so he knocked again, a little louder. Still no answer.

  Pete nodded his head. “He’s probably out chasing Hawks.”

  “What would you have done if he’d answered the door?” I asked in a whisper, looking over my shoulder to be sure no one was watching us.

  “Never mind.” He pulled his credit card out of his pocket and slipped it into the door jamb beside the lock, fiddled around a bit, and the door opened to his touch.

  “You need to teach me how to do that,” I whispered.

  “It’s an old lock. It wouldn’t work on most doors.”

  “Oh.”

  With one last glan
ce over our shoulders, we entered Draper’s room. It was dusk by then and the room was filled with long, dark shadows. There was a gaudy sports jacket lying on the bed, a sort of red and black plaid thing, but nothing else was lying around. I hoped he wasn’t tidy about everything. We needed a lead, and we needed it fast. I had a feeling this was going to take some major searching on our part.

  “He’s tidy,” I commented, voicing my thoughts.

  “Yeah. This isn’t the type of place that provides maid service, is it?”

  An old double bed was in the far corner with a nightstand on each side. A straight-backed wooden chair sat against the wall opposite the bed. It looked terribly uncomfortable. There was a small table under the window with a hot plate and a radio on it.

  Across the small room from the bed, by the chair, there was a beat up, aging desk, criss-crossed with scratches and gouges, with another chair shoved under it. There were paper, pens and pencils neatly placed at the right corner. It appeared that Draper had been doing some writing. Next to the desk was a large chest of drawers.

  The walls were devoid of any type of decoration. In fact, the only decoration in the whole room was a large framed photo of an elderly woman, probably Draper’s mother, placed on the nightstand. Pete said there was a minor resemblance between the two. Poor lady, she had the same long eyebrow. She really needed a good tweeze.

  There was a narrow door between the bed and the wooden chair. I walked over and opened it, finding the bathroom. It was small, containing only a shower stall, toilet and sink. I closed the door after a brief look around, seeing only his shaving kit sitting on the edge of the sink. The sink and toilet bowl were stained a disgusting rust color. I’d actually never been in a seedy hotel before, and I didn’t like what I’d seen so far.

  There was another door located a short distance from the entrance to the room, on the other wall. Opening that one, I found a surprisingly large closet. I closed the door, deciding we’d get to that after we searched the rest of the room.

  Pete was already going through the desk, so I began checking the dresser. I tried to be careful, not wanting Draper to know anyone had been looking at his tighty whities. The only thing out of the ordinary that I found was, believe it or not, a ragged old Teddy bear. I picked it up and held it out towards Pete.