by Cam Larson
Daniel was silent as I continued to think. "I know only a couple of the cops by name. But – seriously. Would a cop do something like that? I mean, why? It would be a huge risk to his career. Imagine what jail would be like for a cop who'd murdered a homeless guy."
"Or who had framed an innocent person and put them away." said Daniel.
"Yeah." I looked up at him. "I'd never thought about cops being criminals before."
"By the way," Daniel said, "my cop friend Leo Swenson did not give me a copy of Ricky Thomas’ autopsy report. He did, however, did give me some information. He said it was a self-inflicted overdose of heroin. The needle was still in Thomas's arm."
"Just like John," I said.
"There’s more," said Daniel. "Traces of sleeping pills were in his system, too, among other drugs."
"Do a lot of street people take sleeping pills?" I asked. It seemed to be a common drug when the subject of the homeless came up.
"Sure," he said. "When somebody is in pain – whether emotional or physical, or both – they'll take anything they can get their hands on."
"Yeah, I guess you EMTs would know that," I murmured. Then I tried to keep thinking. "It's pretty interesting that John and Ricky died in exactly the same way, isn't it?"
"Yes. It is." Daniel picked up our empty coffee cups and took them to the kitchen. I heard him rinsing them and setting them in the sink. I felt he was playing for time until ready to say something to me.
"Laila, please," he said, sitting down again. "Please don’t go back down there. Things are really starting to look serious. Not accidental. Not suicide. Deliberate. And now you have a phone stalker who's become a real stalker. You are in danger, whether you want to admit it or not."
I was shaken by the day's events – enough to look up at Daniel and nod. "Okay," I whispered. "I won't go back to Skid Row." I hated giving my stalker the satisfaction of scaring me off, but for right now – the stalker had won.
Chapter Twenty Five
In the following days, I kept my eyes open for Licorice Billy to return to his old spot in front of Roasted Love. And I kept my promise to Daniel and did not return to Skid Row.
Whenever I was at work, I found myself watching the street off and on throughout the day. We weren’t very busy and mostly just saw our regulars. Lily chatted with me about the things that had gone on in the coffee house during my two days off.
"You asked me about Linda Henson," said Lily. "She came in alone yesterday looking for you. I told her you had the day off. I asked her if she wanted me to give you a message – "
"What did she say?"
Lily spread her arms out and shrugged her shoulders. "She just turned and walked out."
After that, business picked up for a while. At about one in the afternoon, it was time for my lunch. The day was sunny and warm and I really wanted to get out for some fresh air. I told Jacob I was going out for lunch.
I headed for Sam’s Sandwiches and hoped my favorite spot wasn’t taken. "It’s about time you came back," said Sam. I smiled at him and saw the empty table in the back. "Do you want your usual?"
"Sure. And a few chips with it." It felt like a watercress sandwich kind of day, along with raspberry iced tea.
I sat down at my table. Gazing through the wide windows of the café, I watched the people strolling along outside.
I thought about Linda Henson and what she could possibly have wanted. Daniel had to work into the evening, so I debated whether or not to call Linda when I got off work, though I knew that the more I thought about it, the more curious I would get.
That was it. A call to her was in order.
# # #
When I finished work later that afternoon, Jacob and I walked out together. He was on his way to the post office and planned to return to the coffee house to finish up. As I backed out of my parking space in the lot, I suddenly thought I saw the familiar stocky form of Licorice Billy.
My tires squealed as I came to an abrupt stop. I swung open my car door and dashed to the back alley behind Roasted Love. Nothing moved in either direction. If it had been Billy, he'd successfully made his escape.
On my way back to my car, I looked everywhere with no results. I was sure it was Billy that I had seen, but he was apparently quite the escape artist because there was no sign of him anywhere.
I drove home knowing Thor would be happy to see me. He tried to wag what little tail he had, and then ran ahead of me into the living room and back again. Nothing like a sincere welcome home, I thought.
I went outside with the dog so he could run off some of his energy, and sat down in the lawn chair to watch him play.
Suddenly a shiver went through me. At the same moment Thor stopped and stared at the tree line at the end of the back yard. I called to him softly and he quickly came to me, even though he turned back to look at whatever had caught his attention.
The short line of Bluebeard shrubs stood still in the windless air. Leaves on the various sizes of assorted trees hung suspended. As for me, the uneasy feeling remained that someone was watching us.
I called softly again to Thor, and he reluctantly came inside with me. I double-locked the back door behind us.
Hands sweaty, I stood to the side of my kitchen window and looked out. I saw no one. Then I closed the curtain over the window, feeling like a prisoner in my own apartment.
Fumbling for my cell phone, I called Daniel. It rang and rang, even while my hands shook more and more. Finally, he answered. "Laila. What’s up?"
I told him what had happened out in the yard. "I didn’t see anyone, but I felt sure someone was out there watching me. Even Thor was on instant alert." I could hear my voice was starting to shake..
"Hang up and call the police right now. They already have you on record as having a stalker. I’m going to hang up and let you do that."
"Okay." I pressed the button and then punched 9-1-1.
In a matter of minutes, two policemen were at my door. They combed the backyard and the perimeter of my apartment building. Once they were satisfied with the report I gave them, they left with advice to secure my doors. They'd found nothing sinister outside and I had to be satisfied with that. Whoever it had been left no tracks to tell the cops anything of importance.
I called Daniel back to let him know what had happened – that the cops had found nothing.
"At least they have the report," said Daniel. "I’ll ask Chief Hayes if they can have someone patrol around your area for the next few days."
"Okay. Yeah, that sounds good." I couldn't help but feel relieved.
We talked a while longer until I realized Thor had not been fed yet. My appetite had vanished, but not his. I thanked Daniel and assured him I would be fine. Both doors were secure, as well as all the windows.
It wasn’t until almost nine that I remembered Linda Henson – but she would have to wait. I just wanted to relax for now.
At ten, Thor and I were ready to turn in when the phone rang. The caller I.D. showed "unknown." At first, I thought I wouldn't answer – I knew I shouldn't answer –
But I had to know. I couldn't sit here like a scared bunny rabbit. I just had to know.
I picked up the phone. "Hello."
"I see you didn’t play ball with your dog tonight," said the gravelly voice.
And then the phone went dead.
I hit the call back button, but got the message that the call could not be completed. Probably because it was blocked. I took a deep breath, hoping my heart would slow down, and then I turned the phone off.
I had a restless night until I finally fell asleep around three a.m. My alarm awoke me at seven, even though I wasn't scheduled at Roasted Love until eleven.
When I let Thor outside, I searched the area for any signs of my stalker. From the phone call, he had obviously been watching us.
But the early morning was quiet. Dew scattered like diamonds across the grass. I brought Thor back in and sat down in my kitchen to drink a strong cup of coffee.
> An hour later, I still had not taken my dog out for his usual brisk morning walk. I realized that I was allowing this creepy stranger to rule my routine and I started to feel more annoyed than scared.
Thor bounded toward the front door when I reached for his leash. I took him outside onto the sidewalk where life seemed perfectly normal. The other residents of the apartment building were getting into cars or were out walking. In the houses along the street, activity was going on as usual, too.
I breathed deeply and felt better. I had to do what I needed to do and not let some sleaze-bag criminal keep me prisoner.
When Thor and I returned home, my cell rang. I glanced at it, saw a regular phone number, and took the call.
"Laila, this is Linda Henson," said the voice. "I tried to find you the other day at Roasted Love but the server told me you weren’t working that day. Do you have a few minutes?"
I glanced quickly at my watch. "I have to be at work in about forty-five minutes. Do you have some information on what we talked about earlier?"
"I have something I think you'll be interested in hearing. I don’t want to tell you on the phone. Can we meet someplace?"
I thought for a minute. "No. Not today. It will have to be tomorrow. I work late today and I have plans for tonight."
Daniel didn't know it yet, but my plans were to see him. Linda and I agreed to meet the next afternoon at three, as soon as I was off work. We chose Sam’s Sandwiches for the meeting place.
The truth was, I sure wanted to see Linda right away – but something told me to be more cautious, and for once I listened to it. I wanted to talk with Daniel first and let him know about Linda and her call. Whatever she had to say would have to wait.
It occurred to me that she could have gone to the police with the information she had, but she'd called me instead. I was a bit leery of what she needed to share with me and why.
Chapter Twenty Six
As soon as things slowed down at work, I called Daniel.
"Hey Laila, what's up?"
"Nothing much. Mind if I stop by after work?"
"Of course not, but maybe it'd be better if I meet you at your place just to make sure it's safe and clear," he suggested.
"OK. That works too" I smiled.
"Great. Call or text me when you're leaving work so I can meet you."
"Will do. Thanks Daniel!"
The day was like most, busy for a while, slow for a while, then another rush in the evening, and then slow before closing. Whenever I had a free moment, my mind wandered and thought about all the things that have been going on. I couldn't wait for my shift to end and to see Daniel.
I closed with Lily and together we walked to our cars. As soon as I go in, I texted Daniel, and then started the engine. My stomach was a bit nervous and I couldn't wait to get out of the parking lot with Lily. I didn't want to take any chances.
As I arrived, I saw Daniel in my driveway leaning on his car. That was fast.
"Hiya," I exclaimed as I got out of my car next to his.
"Hi. I took a walk around, but I didn't see anything," he told me.
"Thanks. Come on in."
Daniel came in and went through the apartment and then took Thor out back and explored the yard. "OK, as far as I can tell, it's all clear."
"Thanks Daniel. I appreciate that. I haven't had any calls today. Hopefully, whoever it is, knows I got the message."
Daniel and I continued talking about a whole lot of everything – my stalker, Linda Henson and her phone call to me, and my certainty that both homeless men had been murdered.
Daniel cautioned me to be careful. "I’m not trying to make you nervous, Laila, but I’m beginning to believe your theory of murder. You've sure ruffled someone’s feathers with your investigating."
I grinned at him, and finally started to relax. We were finally on the same page and I decided to take advantage of it. "I’d like to ask a favor of you."
"Ask away," he said. "You know I'd do anything for you. Well –anything that won’t land me in jail."
"Oh, it probably won't. It's just that – I have to admit I’m a little nervous about meeting Linda Henson tomorrow. I’m not sure why I feel so skittish about it. I'm just wondering if you could be nearby. We’re supposed to meet at Sam’s."
"It might be a good idea to pick a different spot with more people."
We agreed that I would call Linda and change the meeting to Little Italy Pizza at the mall – the same place where I'd met her the first time. Daniel could be inside there at another table, or just window shopping somewhere near the west entrance.
# # #
The next day, I met Linda at Little Italy Pizza and we walked to our table. I started to take a seat facing the doorway to the mall, but Linda stopped me.
"If you don't mind," she said quietly, "I'm not really comfortable sitting my back to the mall."
"Oh. Sure. Here, we'll switch places."
So we did. I managed to look over my shoulder for a second and saw Daniel browsing in a gift store just across the way.
We sat down after getting sodas. "What do you want to say, Linda?" I said.
She twisted her hands together. I noticed two rings on her slender fingers, though neither ring was on a ring finger. One was a rather large opal and the other was made up of tiny colorful stones that looked like varied semi-precious gems – amethyst, turquoise, and things like that.
Linda tossed her head and flipped her long blonde hair unnecessarily from her ivory skin. I decided it must be a habit for her to do that, whether her hair was falling over her eyes or not.
Then she sat very still, looking down at her drink. "I wasn’t totally truthful with you the last time we met," she whispered.
If she expected a comment from me, she was mistaken. She picked up her drink, but then put it back down. I took a drink of mine while quietly waiting.
"Ronald never told me he planted drugs in Steven Wilkins’s apartment. In fact, he's someone who wouldn’t be caught dead in an area like that. He’s too particular about cleanliness and not terribly brave."
I nodded. "Maybe he wouldn’t be caught dead down there as you say, but now two homeless men are dead. And both of them did spend time in the downtown area you are speaking of."
From the expression on her face, she didn't seem to be too accustomed to frank discussion. "You're right. We have to focus on John, don’t we?" she said.
"Well, that's all I'm focused on. Now – you said you had some new information about John Wilkins?" I raised my arms in a stretch and turned my head back to the shop where I'd seen Daniel in earlier. I noticed then that he stood just inside the west door entrance, pretending to look at the menu posted above the counter.
"Look, Linda," I went on, "if you have anything to say, just say it. I have plans for this evening and can’t spend a lot of time here."
"I’m sorry. Yes, I’ll get to the point. Ronald and I have been back together again – at least, more than we've been for a while. I brought up John’s death and how there are doubts he died of a self-inflicted overdose of heroin.
"And he told me – " She paused, and glanced around the restaurant. "He told me the cops should be looking at one of their own."
I let that piece of information drop between us. "What made him say that?" I asked.
"Well – he said that there's someone on the inside who wants to get rid of the druggies down there even more than he and Calvin Carpenter do. I’m sure you know that Carpenter’s strongest campaign slogan has to do with ridding the city of the homeless. They mean to rid it of drug users and pushers once and for all.
"There's a dedicated group of West River police working towards that goal. They were even able to get the Drug Enforcement Agency to send agents to this small town. They must have convinced the DEA that it really was that serious out here."
Once again, my mind was racing. "Did Larch give you any names?"
Linda shook her head.
"Then maybe you should talk to Chief Hayes,
" I suggested. "If you expect me to take this to him, once again – it's hearsay. Plus the fact I'm getting it all second hand."
I sighed. "The best thing you could do would be to get real proof and then go to the chief. Better yet, convince Ronald to take solid information to the Chief. He's someone Chief Hayes would listen to."
Just then, Linda raised her head. She was staring at someone outside the café. When I looked around, trying to follow her gaze, I saw no one I recognized except for Daniel. He still sauntered along in the mall as if window shopping.
"What is it?" I asked Linda.
She sighed, and looked down again. "I’m sorry. I guess I’m just jittery. It’s nothing. " She looked up at me again. "All I know is that Ronald said something about a dirty cop."
Then Linda fumbled for her purse and got ready to stand up. Her hands shook when she reached for her Diet Coke, and instead of drinking it she set it back down on the table. She looked at me, and started to say something, but then turned and left Little Italy Pizza as fast as she could walk.
Well, something had happened to make her extremely nervous. I looked again through the store's doorway into the mall. A few people were going out through the mall's main exit, and a couple more walked inside the same way. But I saw no one who was familiar to me.
I quickly dialed Daniel. I watched him as he answered. "Do you see anyone out there you know?"
"The only person I recognized was Ronald Larch. He looked into the pizza place, but didn't go in."
Larch was here? "Do you see Linda? She just bolted like a scared rabbit."
Daniel looked towards me, and then up and down the wing of the mall where he stood. "She must have gotten out fast. Wait! Yeah, I see her now. She's with Larch. Aw, but they just turned onto the main part of the mall. I can't see them."
I walked out of the restaurant and joined him, quickly filling him in on what Linda had told me. "I wonder if Larch knew she was meeting with me. She got very nervous and left right away."
"Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he thought she was shopping. Maybe they had a designated time to meet and that’s why she left so fast."