She frowned at the text message and read it twice through.
Two sets of numbers – what had to be coordinates – followed by the term SOS.
Her heart clenched. She didn’t recognize the number at the top of the screen, either, so it wasn’t one of her contacts. Could it be a trap of some kind? Or was it a legitimate plea for help?
Olivia forwarded the text to Jake, then exited her messages and scrolled through her contacts until she landed on his number.
She dialed and pressed her cell to her ear.
“Hello?” Jake was as sharp as a tack, voice clear. It was only 8 pm, after all. Normal, non-chocolatier folks didn’t go to bed before the setting of the sun.
“I just sent you a text. Did you read it?”
“No,” Jake replied. “Give me a sec.” A rustle of fabric and movement, then dull thuds as Jake fiddled with his touchscreen.
Olivia tapped her fingers on the edge of the sofa.
“What is this?” Jake asked.
“It’s a set of coordinates. I have a feeling it might be from Fat Joe. He’s the only one who’s missing.”
“That we know of,” Jake replied. “And this might not even be from him. I don’t have his number, shoot. I wish I could identify this. I could send it to the police station and ask –”
“No,” Olivia said, and rose from her seat.
Dodger hopped up and padded off to the corner in high dudgeon – how dare Olivia disturb his rest?
“No, Jake, we need to go to wherever this is and save him.”
“Olivia.”
“We have to!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. This could be dangerous. It’s reckless. We should let the police handle it.”
“What police? They’re all busy eating donuts or –”
“I hear they’ve got a replacement for Keane,” Jake said.
Olivia couldn’t take another second of this. There might be someone in danger out there and they didn’t have time for the Chester PD to trace the number and send out some of their finest – ahem, their worst – to the distress call.
It was now or never, and heaven knew she couldn’t stand another second of wondering out loud or internally. This was her shot to get another lead, and possibly save someone from harm.
“I’m going, Jake,” she cut off another of his overprotective rants. “I’m going, and either you come with me or I go it alone. I’m doing this.”
Jake inhaled and held it. “Fine,” he said. “Fine.” He exhaled and wind blasted the earpiece. “Okay, I’ll pick you up outside in five minutes. Wear something inconspicuous. And Olivia, I’m only doing this because I know you’ll get into trouble without me there. I’ll be watching your every move.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She hung up, anticipation mixing the hot chocolate in her belly to a froth.
Gosh, this might be it. This might be a real lead.
“Don’t wait up, Dodger,” she said.
The dog huffed and twiddled his expressive yellow eyebrows. When in doubt, Dodger slept. What a life that had to be.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“N ever a dull moment with Olivia Cloud,” Jake muttered.
“Are you really complaining?” They’d entered suburbia shortly after leaving the chocolate store, Jake grumbling all the way and Olivia’s eyes bright as they could be. This had to be the answer to…well, to something.
The GPS in Jake’s car directed them left again at the end of the road, then another right, and further out until they reached the edge of town and the start of Chester’s forest.
“This is the same place we stopped Lulu,” Olivia said. “The exact same place. What does that mean?”
“Nothing yet.” Jake reached over and clicked off the GPS. “This is the last turnoff.” He parked next to the entrance of a long, winding dirt track that led into the forest. “I think it’s time we call the cops.”
“No,” Olivia said. “Not until we’ve found out what’s going on.”
“Olivia –”
“What if it’s a false alarm? What if we call them out here and it was just some stupid prank?”
“Who would pull a prank like this?” He asked.
“Kids? People who don’t like me?” Olivia didn’t exactly have a short list of enemies thanks to her recent adventures in Chester.
“All the more reason to call them.”
Olivia clunked open the passenger side door, then slipped out into the night. The scent of trees and the gentle sounds of nighttime nature filled the space around her. Crickets chirping, a rustle in the underbrush, then silence. Not a hint of a breeze nor the distant rumble of an engine.
They were totally alone.
Sweat trickled down her spine, but she wouldn’t let a little apprehension stop her. “Are you coming?” She whispered back at Jake, who’d already exited the car but hovered near it.
“I don’t like this.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find out what’s going on.”
“Yeah, that’s not what I’m worried about at all.”
Olivia crooked a finger, then hurried up the long dirt path between the trees. More rustling, and the occasional hoot of an owl or another call she didn’t recognize. It was a peaceful night, but the serenity didn’t settle around them.
This was business. Or it was danger.
Finally, they rounded a bend and a small shack appeared up ahead – wooden with two windows at the front, both framed by curtains parted to reveal a brief view of a bare cabin wall opposite. The lights were on.
They crept closer. Jake placed a hand on Olivia’s forearm, but she didn’t stop. They dropped into a crouch.
“See anything?” He whispered.
“No – wait, there. Look!” It was the blue flicker of light against the wall. “A TV.”
A shadow moved across the wall opposite. A silhouette appeared, and was illuminated.
“Lulu,” Olivia gasped. “It’s Lulu, all right. Just as I suspected.”
“Oh really? You suspected it was her out here?” Jake’s tone dripped skepticism.
“Well, no, not exactly. But I did have a gut feeling that she might’ve been involved somehow,” Olivia whispered. “Well, that’s it. There’s only one thing for it.”
“For what?”
But Olivia didn’t answer. She rose from the crouch and stumped over the scraggly grass to the front steps of the cabin. She thundered up them, then knocked three times on the door.
“What the heck are you doing?” Jake hissed, and rushed up behind her. “Have you lost your mind?”
The door creaked open and Lulu’s eye appeared in the crack. “Hello?”
“Hi Lulu, it’s me, Olivia.”
“Oh. What are you doing here?”
“You wanted me to investigate Tina’s death, remember? You wanted me to clear Joe’s name.”
“You told me you wouldn’t do it,” Lulu said, but she opened the door a smidge wider. “And it’s too late for that now, anyway. I mean, it’s just – yeah, you can let the police handle that. I’m sure they’ll have it under control.”
“It’s too late? What do you mean?” Olivia asked.
“Nothin’.”
“Look, Lulu, I’m sitting on a lot of really important information I’d like to share with you. Do you think we could come inside and talk about it? I’m sure you recognize my colleague, Jake.”
“At least she doesn’t call me an assistant anymore,” Jake muttered. “Hi, Jake Morgan. You’ve probably heard –”
“I said I don’t want to talk about that,” Lulu replied. “Good day.” She swung the door shut, but Olivia placed her foot in the gap, and the wooden edge slammed into her pump.
“Ma’am, it’s of the utmost importance –”
“How did you find me out here, anyway?” Lulu asked. “You been stalking me?”
A muffled thump cut across the last of her question, followed by a groan.
“What was that?” Olivia asked. “Is there someone else in ther
e with you, Lulu?”
“No.”
“Malllp!” A man yelled.
“Malp?” Jake asked.
“I think he’s trying to say help,” Olivia replied, conversationally. “I think that he’s saying it around a gag.”
Lulu’s bottom lip quivered.
“I think that Lulu has a hostage, and I’d bet anything that it’s her boyfriend, Fat Joe.”
“Don’t call him that!” Lulu growled, and pushed the door into Olivia’s foot. It hurt like crazy, but she didn’t move a muscle. She wouldn’t let Lulu get away with this.
“Jake, please call the police.”
“No, please, they – I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I was just afraid that Joe would leave me. The cops, they acted like we were both guilty and I thought that if he disappeared they couldn’t blame us anymore – I –”
“So you kidnapped him?” Olivia asked, and her jaw dropped. Of all the crazy things to do…
“I had to. He wouldn’t come with me. I just wanted to protect him, Miss Cloud. Please, you can understand that, can’t you?”
Olivia sighed. She didn’t quite understand it. Sure, Lulu had motivation to keep her dear boyfriend safe, she was obsessed with him after all, but could she truly comprehend the thought of taking someone against his will? No, not really.
Jake paced behind them on the porch, phone to his ear. “Yes, thank you. I’ll forward you the coordinates.”
“Malp!” That from the back of the house.
“Don’t worry, Joe, the police are on their way,” Olivia called out.
Lulu broke down, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I just wanted to protect him. To protect us.” Despite her ill-advised kidnapping attempt, Lulu didn’t seem volatile or dangerous.
But looks could be deceiving.
“I think it’s time we go inside and talk about this,” Olivia said, after a second. “And it’s time you let Joe go.”
“I can’t,” Lulu whispered, but she stepped back regardless and let Olivia and Jake into the house.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Y ou’re sure you don’t want to press charges, Mr. Kristin?” The new detective, the last person Olivia had expected to turn up, stood with his notepad out and his wireframe glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He examined Fat Joe over them, a small frown wrinkling his brow.
He had to be in his early twenties, fit and handsome, if in an unconventional way – he had quite a reedy face. The new cop oozed professionalism which Keane could never have emulated, or even attempted, for that matter.
Olivia studied the scene in silence, Jake at her side.
Fat Joe sat on the sofa, rubbing his chafed wrists. Lulu sat beside him, her head bowed.
“I won’t press charges against her. She was just doing what she thought was right.”
“I really was,” Lulu whispered. “I only tied him up when he tried to send a text. Before that I just locked all the doors and stuff.”
Apparently, Joe had managed to swipe Lulu’s phone when she was in the bathroom and text off the coordinates for help. Olivia’s number had been the first on her call list.
The new detective sniffed and made a note. He didn’t think much of Joe deciding to let Lulu off the hook. “All right,” he said. “Then we’re done here. Unless, you’d like an escort back to your home, Mr. Kristin?”
“No, I can make it on my own, thank you,” he replied, then turned to Lulu. “I need to be away from you for a while. Do you understand that?”
Lulu’s bottom lip quivered, along with her double chin.
“If you go see a psychiatrist then we can talk, okay?” Joe touched her shoulder, a gentle show of affection.
Finally, Lulu gave the barest of nods, but didn’t meet his gaze.
Olivia couldn’t fathom how she’d thought she’d get away with it. Sooner or later, the police would’ve tracked her down to question her about Tina’s murder, and then all of this would’ve imploded regardless.
Speaking of police, Ranch, the new detective, rose from his position in the armchair and walked over to Olivia and Jake. He halted right in front of them and tapped the end of his ballpoint on the notepad.
“Thanks for coming, Detective Ranch,” Olivia said, by way of breaking the ice.
“That’s my job,” he replied. “I’ve heard about you.” He pointed the pen at her. “Oh yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you, Miss Cloud. I hear you’re the reason Detective Keane didn’t work out at the PD.”
“I’m not entirely responsible for that,” she replied. Though, she’d had a small part. Okay, maybe a middling sized part. But that was it. She hadn’t pushed him out. She’d just done what she had to do to find the answers. If she hadn’t – ugh, she didn’t want to consider what might’ve happened. Murderers on the loose? Keane had been sloppy.
“No, you’re not,” Ranch said, and clicked the ballpoint. The pen’s nib hopped back inside the plastic tube, and he stowed it in his top pocket, along with his notepad. “I hear Keane had a personal grudge against you. You interfered in police business on multiple occasions, correct?”
“I wouldn’t call it interfering.”
“That’s exactly what it was,” Ranch said. “And I’m sure you’ve been warned off before. I don’t want to flog a dead horse, but Miss Cloud, I won’t stand for that kind of thing in my cases. Understand?”
She had heard it all before, but it was strange to have the warning delivered by such a young man, and in such a dispassionate tone to boot. Keane had always been sweaty, keening, and angry.
Ranch was as cold as a winter’s breeze. “Do you understand me, ma’am?”
“I understand you. I’m not trying to interfere. Sometimes, I become aware of information and I go with it.”
Jake shifted beside her. He hadn’t said a word, but she could tell he was holding back laughter.
“You become aware of it?” Ranch’s lips twitched too. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to forget me should you become aware of other information. I believe it was you Mr. Kristin texted when times got tough.”
“It was a fluke,” she replied. “Lulu called me earlier in the week and my number was at the top of her recent calls list. I think he was in a rush. Ugh, you know he was. He already told you all of this.”
“And the fact that your number was at the top of that list means nothing? Why did Lulu call you, Miss Cloud?” Ranch narrowed his eyes, but at least he didn’t whip his pen out again.
“She wanted me to help her clear Fat Joe’s name,” Olivia said, and gritted her teeth. She couldn’t so much as bend the truth here – Detective Ranch would certainly check with Lulu, and unlike Keane, he looked like he knew what he was about.
“Clear his name?”
“Tina Hobb’s murder,” Olivia replied. “I assume you’re the one assigned to the case.”
“That’s right, ma’am. Called me down from Chicago to take care of this. You can bet that your services won’t be needed. I’ll be the one who gets to the bottom of this murder.” He moved to press past them, then hesitated and drew a square of white card from his top pocket. “In case you think of anything relevant. Stay safe, ma’am. Sir.” He nodded once to her, then to Jake before slipping out into the night.
Lulu sobbed from the sofa, and Joe had his arm around her. “You knew it would never work, Loo. You knew it.”
“I just wanted to keep you safe. I just wanted to make sure they couldn’t take you away or take me away or – I don’t know.”
Olivia considered them for a second, but it was no use talking to either of the pair now. They were wrapped up in their own affairs and likely to call Detective Ranch back if she interfered.
“Come on, hon,” Jake said, and took her hand. “Let’s get you back to the store.”
She followed Jake out into the night and down the dirt road, through the darkness and the soft sounds of critters in the forest. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this tale than met t
he eye, and now that Joe was back, she might actually get the opportunity to talk to him about it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
O livia sat in her tiny office in the Block-A-Choc Shoppe and went over the recipes she’d already collated into one file on her computer. The old dinosaur hummed and clicked on the office desk. She’d kept it because it’d come with the office space, and it’d seemed like a waste to throw it out at the time. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Everything took ages to load, and reading recipes would be so much easier on her laptop.
She’d spent all morning organizing new ideas for chocolates. The éclairs were such a huge hit, creating new chocolate baked goods might be an option. And there were always slabs to consider. Perhaps a brand of chocolate ice cream.
All the business thoughts barely kept her mind from the continued shake and jive around to the central melody – the murder case of Tina Hobb. Joe hadn’t run, he’d been abducted. Lulu was now in psychiatric care in the town over. If only she could speak with one of them.
Olivia reached for her office phone for the fifteenth time in the last half an hour, then rolled her eyes at herself and focused on the loading page on her computer screen.
“Oh, hurry up,” she said, and rat-tatted on the side of the box.
The computer clicked and spontaneously shut down.
“Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. You’ve got to be kidding me.” She punched the on button, but nothing happened. No whir and whine of fans. No blinking lights. “Way to go, Olivia. You’ve done it again,” she muttered.
It seemed that every computer she touched turned to mush beneath her fingertips. Or a useless box of fluff and sparks, at least.
Three sharp knocks rattled the door.
“Come in,” she called. Hopefully, that would be Alberta with a latté and a bit of gossip.
The brass knob turned, and Fat Joe Kristin shuffled into her office.
“Joe,” she said, and scraped her chair back.
“Please, don’t stand up. It’s all right.” He turned sideways to squeeze the rest of the way in, his stomach bulging out sideways from the pressure. He popped free, then shut the door behind him. “I need to speak with you, Miss Cloud.”
Fitness Witness Page 7