“Well, the good news is that he is going to Germany to visit his son. I think moving when he’s gone is the best plan of action,” Charlie chimed in.
“I’m concerned that he might track us down. He seems to know my schedule very well,” Kate said, shaking her head. “But you’re right, we can’t live here like this. We’re going to have to move and I’m going to have to transfer to another store so he can’t find me at work.”
“Do you know what else is a problem?” Mitch asked. “Roger knows where Charlie works from her rental application. He could just follow Charlie home from her office and find you.”
“That’s true. He really could do anything. Hopefully, the police find some evidence so that they can arrest him. I’m not sure we’re going to be safe if he’s not put away. All I can do is find out what they know and go from there.”
“Well, we’re going with you and I’ll explain to Neil that you should stay put until things settle a little bit,” Mitch said assertively.
“That would be great. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course. You know we’ve got your back,” he said putting one arm around Kate and the other around Charlie.
***
On the drive to the station, Kate thought about how unaffected Roger seemed that Rose was dead. Her gut told her that he had killed Rose. She wanted to find out everything that she could about the case. All she had to go on was what Roger had told her. Somehow she didn’t think that information was very reliable. Roger had likely left out vital information that she needed to know. Information she was becoming terrified to find out.
They pulled into the parking lot at the police station and parked in the first available spot. Neil was waiting outside the door. Even under all of this stress, she still noticed how handsome he was. She wanted him to take her in his arms and make everything go away. He had a knack for doing just that. He greeted her with a kiss on the lips and then shook Mitch’s hand and greeted Charlie.
“I’m glad that you two came with Kate,” he said, smiling at Mitch and Charlie.
“We thought that it was important that we all hear firsthand what the police have to say,” Charlie responded.
“Well, shall we go in?” Neil replied.
As they walked in the front door, they were welcomed by the front desk clerk. “How may I help you?” he asked.
“We’re here to see Detective Jameson. My name is Kate Simmons. He is expecting me,” she said. The officer called Detective Jameson on the phone.
“Kate Simmons and friends are here to see you. Yes, I’ll tell them,” he said and then hung up the phone. “He’ll be right out to meet you.”
“Thank you,” Kate said, taking Neil’s hand. She was beginning to shake from her nerves.
Detective Jameson appeared a moment later. Kate stepped forward when she saw him.
“You must be Miss Simmons. I am Detective Jameson.” He reached out to shake hands with Kate.
“It’s nice to meet you, detective. Please call me Kate. This is my roommate Charlie, her boyfriend Mitch, and my boyfriend Neil,” she said as she motioned toward her entourage.
“It’s nice to meet all of you. Sorry that it’s under such unfortunate circumstances,” Detective Jameson said. He had kind eyes and a bright smile. “Please follow me. We are going to the conference room at the end of the hall.”
They all followed the detective. As they entered the room, he said, “Please take a seat.”
“Is it okay with you all if I record our conversation? It is easier for me than taking notes while you talk,” he explained.
“Absolutely,” Kate said, feeling a little unsteady. She wasn’t eager to rehash the events that had taken place earlier that day.
“Why don’t we start with what happened this evening with Roger?”
“Okay,” Kate agreed. She told the detective about Roger coming over to tell her about Rose’s death, his leaving for Germany, and asking her to hold onto his possessions. She expressed her concern about being considered an accomplice since she was keeping items that he needed to leave the country.
“Nothing that he asked you to hold onto makes you an accomplice. He has not been arrested and is free to come and go as he pleases. We do not have any evidence linking him to Rose’s death. We’re hoping to find some, but so far we have nothing.”
Kate nodded. She felt relieved that she couldn’t be considered an accomplice after the fact.
“Please go ahead and tell me for the record what happened on the day that Mark Baxter followed you home.”
Kate told the detective everything that she could remember about that day.
“Did you see Roger leave his apartment after Mark left?”
“No, I didn’t, but I wasn’t looking either. I had an appointment to get ready for, so I have no idea what Roger was doing.”
Kate frowned and looked down at the floor. Detective Jameson leaned forward. “Has something come to mind?” he asked.
Kate looked at the detective. “Come to think of it, his car wasn’t there when I left for my appointment and he wasn’t home when I returned.”
Charlie chimed in. “Roger wasn’t home for the next couple of days. I didn’t see him again until Thursday night when I got home from work.”
“Did he happen to mention where he had been?”
“No, he just asked about Kate and her whereabouts. When I told him that she was staying with her mom for a couple of days, he ended our conversation by asking when she would be back. I told him Friday night after work.”
“Has he shown the same kind of interest in you that he does in Kate?”
“No, but he met my boyfriend Mitch,” she said motioning to him, “on the day that we moved in. He didn’t seem too happy to meet Mitch and he hasn’t given me the attention he has given Kate.
“What kind of attention?”
“Roger goes out of his way to invite Kate over to hang out and he greets her when she is leaving the apartment and coming home. She can’t come and go without seeing him and having a conversation with him.”
“Okay, it sounds like Roger may view you as a love interest. If that’s the case, he might want to get anyone that he considers a threat out of the way to have you to himself.”
“So you think that Kate is in danger?” Neil interjected.
“It’s a strong possibility. Have you had any romantic relations with Roger?” the detective asked.
All eyes were on Kate waiting for her answer. “Not at all. I have just behaved like a neighbor. I was friendly, but I have never kissed him or held his hand or anything of the sort. I did however hug him this evening as a way to console him when he told me about Rose. Other than that hug, I have not encouraged him in the least. I thought that he and Rose were in love and in a committed relationship.”
“By our estimations, Roger is a very dangerous man. What makes him particularly treacherous is that he comes across so normal. He has a job, follows societal norms, and looks like a nice guy. But I can assure you that it is a façade. He has devised a clever mask to cover up what he really is — a killer. We may not have sufficient evidence, but I have been doing this job for twenty years and I’m convinced that he is guilty. So you need to take whatever precautions necessary to be safe. Since he has keys to your apartment, you should barricade the door with a chair underneath it at night.”
“See, honey. That’s why you need to stay with me right now!” Neil exclaimed.
“Well, Mitch brought up a good point after we spoke. He thinks that if I am suddenly gone it might make Roger suspicious that I think he is guilty. I don’t want to cause Roger to be alarmed. He’s going to Germany soon, so we are going to move then.”
Neil’s furrowed brow gave away his frustration. “Detective, what do you think about the idea of Kate staying with me right now to get away from Roger?” he asked.
“If Roger is really obsessed with Kate, then it might be a mistake to make any sudden changes at the moment. He has most likely killed two peo
ple who were very close to him. We don’t know why. So far, we don’t know what his motive is. Kate needs to be extremely careful. I do like the idea of you two young ladies moving when he goes to Germany. You need to do whatever it takes to not be found by him.”
“So what are the police doing to get Roger off the streets?” Neil inquired.
“Until we come across some evidence, there is nothing we can do. Just like we didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him for the murder of Rick Holloway,” the detective stated. Kate recognized Rick’s name when she heard it. Roger had talked to her about Rick.
“Roger told me that he was missing and he thought that Rick had taken off. What happened to Rick?” she asked hesitantly.
“Roger was having an affair with Rick’s wife Darcy. Rick knew that she was cheating, but he didn’t know it was with Roger. We have no idea if Rick found out it was Roger or not. The last time Rick was seen alive was at Roger’s apartment. Unfortunately, we have never found Rick’s body, so we can’t prove even that he is dead, let alone that Roger killed him.”
Kate sank into the chair. There were three potential murders. Could there be more? Was Roger actually capable of killing people he was close to and making them disappear? Her head hurt from all of the events of this day. She didn’t want to believe that this was happening or that she was in danger.
“What should I do now, detective? Should I keep the money and ticket or give the items back? I don’t want to be in the middle of this,” she said softly.
“That’s completely up to you. If you want to hold onto his stuff then do so. If you want to give it back to him then give it back. Quite frankly, it isn’t safe for you to keep $2,000 in cash in your apartment,” he said.
Detective Jameson handed out his business card to the whole clan. “If you think of anything else or need my help in any way, please give me a call,” he said.
“Thank you. If anything comes up, I will be in touch.”
They all got up simultaneously to leave and shook hands with Detective Jameson as they walked out.
Once they were outside, Mitch asked, “Do you guys want to go get a drink?”
“Sure, that sounds good. I think we could all use a drink after today’s events,” Neil said.
Chapter 16
Kate and Neil agreed to keep their communication to phone calls and texts for the next few days. She knew that Neil wasn’t happy about the situation, but he respected her decision. She was worried that if Neil came over, he could become Roger’s next target. It had been five days since Roger had asked her to hold onto his airline ticket and money. She knew that the time was rapidly approaching when Roger would need his stuff since he would be traveling to Germany. She had managed to avoid him entirely for a couple of days, which was quite a feat. The times when she saw him on the way to campus gave her a perfect excuse not to hang out or talk.
She had been trying to think of a good excuse to return his things. What would sound benign and innocent? She finally came up with her plan and decided to execute it after work when she got home. He would most likely have his front door open. As she bound up the stairs, he opened his door as if he was Pavlov’s dog and she was ringing his bell.
“Hey, Kate, what are you doing tonight?” he asked.
“I have studying to do, but I was hoping you could come over for a minute.”
“I can come over right now,” he said a little too eagerly.
“Good,” she replied. Roger followed her inside her apartment. She didn’t shut the door behind him. She walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer, taking out the Ziploc bag containing his belongings. She strolled back over to him and extended her hand which held his things. “Listen, I want to give back your airline ticket, money, and other items. I don’t feel comfortable keeping this much cash in my apartment. If we were robbed, I wouldn’t be able to replace it,” Kate said.
She looked at him intently, unwilling to back down. This was her chance to take back some control.
“Oh, I’m sure that won’t happen,” he said.
Kate kept her hand extended. “Also, the police can’t charge you with a crime you didn’t commit. You really don’t have anything to worry about,” she said.
Roger reluctantly took back his stuff. He looked defeated.
“I guess you’re right, Kate. I just overreacted when the police questioned me. I’m sure you can understand. I couldn’t believe that they thought I would do anything to hurt Rose. I loved her very much. I was planning on asking her to marry me since she was pregnant with my child,” he stated with very little emotion.
Kate’s heart sank. She held back tears for Rose and her unborn child. She was conscious of her facial expression and did everything in her power to soften it. But she couldn’t bring herself to believe him, even though she pretended that she did.
“I’m so sorry that you have to go through this terrible situation. I can’t imagine what a huge loss this is for you. I know how much you loved her,” she said, hoping her acting was good enough.
“Thanks,” said Roger.
“Well, I probably should eat dinner and get to studying. I have a big exam to prepare for. I hope you have a wonderful time visiting Jacob. I bet he will be very excited to see you.”
“I’m sure we’ll see each other before I leave. I was hoping that we could hang out and talk over a glass of wine. It would be good to have a friend to talk to about Rose,” he said with a hopeful expression.
If she didn’t believe that he was the killer she would have consoled him, made some tea, been there for him.
“Oh, I’m sure we will see each other. I’m just super busy right now. It’s difficult going to school full-time and working,” she said, managing a weak smile.
Roger nodded. He looked like a beaten man as she walked him toward the door. She wouldn’t give in to what he wanted. They said good night and she closed her door.
***
Roger crossed over to his apartment. He was very frustrated that Kate wasn’t following his plan. Why the hell isn’t this working out the way that he wanted it to? Didn’t she realize how much he wanted her? He was going to have to tell her soon. Before his trip seemed like an appropriate time. She needed to know that he had feelings for her. She must be holding back because she thought he was grieving over Rose. That made sense. He was due to leave in less than a week. He decided that he would tell her how he felt about her. He’d make her listen and understand.
Chapter 17
It was Thursday. Kate and Neil had made plans to meet at his place for lunch. Neil had scheduled a three-hour break from the office. He picked up takeout and set the scene for their afternoon tryst.
Kate knocked on the beautiful oak door. She had been eager to see Neil all day. Going to her classes had practically been a waste of time. It was hard to concentrate when she knew she was going to see him.
Neil opened the door. He looked debonair in his black suit and grey tie. Drawing her to him, her body melted into his. “Hi, my beauty,” he whispered to her. “I’ve missed you so much these past few days.” He began kissing her hair and slowly made his way to her mouth. Once he found his target, he began kissing her with intense passion while his hands roamed her body. He moved her inside his apartment and shut the door while kissing her. He took her breath away.
He stopped for a brief moment to say, “Let’s go upstairs. I have a surprise for you.” She followed him upstairs to his master bathroom. It was lit with candles and he had drawn them a bath. He had added bath salts and bubbles to their bath, creating an idyllic setting.
“Oh, Neil, you’re so romantic. I love taking baths. I have a feeling I’m really going to love this bath in particular.”
“I hope so, my beauty. I just want you to relax and shut out everything in this world but you and me.”
“That’s an idea that I can completely embrace.”
Neil began undressing her. He started with the peach knit top that clung so nicely to her curves. He then unhooked h
er bra, freeing her beautiful breasts, and then slid her jeans and panties down her legs. In no time, he had her totally naked, just the way he liked it. Kate helped him take off his clothes and they entered the extra-large bathtub. Neil got in first, then Kate got in so she could lean against his body, her back lying on his chest. The aroma from the tub was familiar. It took her back to their shopping adventure in Seaport Village.
“Neil, you used the bath products from Sinfullicious, didn’t you?” she asked with a glint in her eyes.
“Yes, I did,” he said kissing her shoulder.
“I love that you are so thoughtful,” she said, holding onto his arms, which were wrapped around her.
“Well, I enjoy pleasing you. I want to make you happy.”
“Happy? You make me more than happy. I love that you are so attentive. You make me feel very special.”
“You are very special to me, Kate. I’m over the moon for you. You have captured me and I don’t want to be released,” he said turning her body over so that she now faced him. Her chest was pressed against his. “I know that everything has happened very rapidly. I just can’t help myself. I’ve fallen in love with you and…”
Kate put her fingers to his lips. “I’ve fallen in love with you too, Neil. I’ve tried to make sense of all of this over the last couple of days, but I’ve concluded that love doesn’t make sense. It just is.”
He kissed her reverently on the lips. “Sweetheart, I have something to ask you,” he said.
“Okay.”
“When you and Charlie move out, I want you to move in with me. I want us to live together. I know it is soon, but please don’t refuse me,” he said, looking adoringly into her eyes.
“I have found you very difficult to refuse since I helped you carry your packages out to your car and you pulled me close and whispered in my ear. You’ve pretty much had me since then.”
Fallen for You Page 19