Leave Me Breathless

by HelenKay Dimon

  “Figured that out, too.” Ben thought about running around the neighborhood trying to find the guy, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Condominiums lined the block. Anyone looking to hide would have about a thousand places to do it.

  “Makes me sorry I didn’t wake up earlier.”

  That made one of them. The idea of Callie running into the stalker unarmed and lazy from sleep chilled him. “I guess it’s too much to hope that you have surveillance cameras hidden around this place.”

  “I could barely afford the building with the underground garage. The high-security one was out.” She tapped her fingernails against the counter. “Mark is going to shit over this.”

  “Not if we don’t tell him.”

  “We can do that.”

  Ben waited for the punch line. “Okay.”

  “But only if you have some big ol’ desire to get killed.”

  “Not really.”

  “Then the note goes to Mark.”

  Ben didn’t bother fighting her on this; he’d never win, and wasting time didn’t strike him as particularly prudent at the moment. The stalker was already two steps ahead.

  “Be warned, I’m going to open it.” When he picked it up she slapped his hand. “Come on, Callie. Not this again.”

  “Exercise some of that impressive patience of yours.” She opened the cabinet under her sink and took out a pair of yellow plastic gloves. The things were big enough to cover her skin up to her elbows. Once they were on, she held her hands up like a surgeon preparing for an operation. “There.”

  “Are you kidding with those?”

  “They’re practical.”

  “Do you get a lot of forensic emergencies in your house?”

  “I use them to clean. These are new.” She flipped her hands around. “Never been used.”

  “Got it.”

  “I doubt that.” She grabbed a steak knife out of the drawer. “You know, for a judge you aren’t all that astute about forensics.”

  Because he had already done the assessment in his head. “It’s a cheap envelope you could buy anywhere.”

  “So?”

  “We won’t find any fingerprints or identifying marks.”

  “And you know this how?” She picked the paper up by the edge and cut open the top seal. Nothing fell out or exploded.

  That was a triumph.

  “I read the report from the last time around,” he said.

  “The stalker could have gotten sloppy. For your information, that’s how we catch the bad guys. They make a dumb mistake and we swoop.” She dumped the note onto the counter.

  “We both know that’s not true with this guy.”

  “Well, he certainly hasn’t gotten any more chatty.” They both stared at the writing. “What does ‘Time to pay’ mean?” she asked.

  “Seems kind of obvious to me.”

  She drummed her fingers again. With the gloves on, the sound amounted to a dull thud. “Is it too much to hope you owe someone money? Someone with a strange sense of humor and significant boundary issues.”

  “I wish it were that easy.” Ben pushed away from the counter. “I think we can agree that my stalker isn’t a fan and wants revenge for something.”

  Looking at the note was only going to piss him off. He knew it would only be a minute or two before the hammering started in his head. Everything about this situation gave him a headache.

  “You know what’s next, right?” She peeled off the gloves and threw them in the sink. “I’ll give you one guess and it starts with an M.”

  “Right. We go find my badass brother.” Ben hated when that turned out to be the answer.

  “And then we watch him stomp around, swearing like a madman.” Callie did a quick impression of his brother’s storming. “Can’t hear enough of that. If I’m really lucky he’ll blame me for not staying awake all night staring through my peephole.”

  “He’s going to demand I take a vacation. That will set off another round of arguing and…what?”

  She bit her lower lip. “Well.”

  That headache came on full force, thumping and pounding until Ben could barely hear. “Not you, too.”

  “This person is following you. Knows your habits and where you’re sleeping, which you have to admit is disconcerting. This isn’t a time for a testosterone rush or to lead with your overpumped ego.”

  “My what?”

  “You need to be smart.”

  “I generally am.”

  “You’re a stubborn bonehead. That’s not the same thing.”

  Ben glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. “On that note, we need to get to work.”

  “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were ignoring me.”

  “That doesn’t sound like me.”

  An hour later, Callie and Ben sat next to each other on one side of Emma’s small conference room table. Emma and Mark picked the other. From what Callie could tell, Mark turned out to be even less charming and understanding than predicted. He had bagged the note and called his office for a forensic team to show up at her house. Two seconds after that he launched into his lecture on how Ben needed to leave town, which Ben promptly ignored in his usual “me can stop bullet with my hand” way.

  Callie wished they’d all disappear. She wanted to crawl back into bed with Ben and forget all about the notes and Mark’s foul mood and Emma’s concerned frown. She wasn’t afraid, because she didn’t really believe any of this was about her. The note was a message for Ben. But a woman should be able to have a little postcoital downtime.

  Emma picked up the baggie with her perfectly manicured fingers. She looked at both sides of the envelope through the plastic. “Anyone notice anything unusual about these threats?”

  Ben glanced at the note and then looked away just as fast. “Other than the fact they’re all aimed at me.”

  “I’m talking about the wording. The comments are like a dare. Almost childish,” Emma said.

  “Have any five-year-olds who might be carrying a grudge?” Callie asked, hoping to lighten the mood. Only Ben smiled. Emma was too busy studying the few pieces of evidence to respond.

  Mark snapped his cell phone shut. “This is serious. Let’s stay focused.”

  Callie ignored the brief dressing-down. Long or short, Mark was famous for them. Didn’t make them any less annoying. Just meant they weren’t a surprise when they came at you with the force of machine-gun fire.

  Even though she planned to ignore Mark, she wasn’t ready to let Emma’s insight drop. “This guy, toddler or not, is hard to follow.”

  Mark looked at his cell when it vibrated against the tabletop but didn’t get it. “Meaning?”

  “The strategy here is incomprehensible.” Callie decided to lay out the concerns spinning around in her mind. “The guy goes from blowing things up to playground taunts. I agree with Emma. The age or maturity level seems wrong. It’s as if he’s in a state of arrested development. I half expect the next note to be written in crayon.”

  “Exactly,” Emma said. “This is strangely personal but not particularly adult in execution.”

  Mark shook his head. “But the bombing had professional overtones and the guy never leaves any forensics behind. That suggests a high level of competence. Information about bomb making is available to anyone with the Internet and a wallet, but putting it all together takes time and focus.”

  “Yet his reactions are more like those a teen would have. Running around behind people leaving cryptic notes. If he’s smart and violent, why change strategy and leave threats?” The more she spoke, the more Callie sensed she was right. They were not looking for an unhinged radical or a person with a record. This was someone with a vendetta but limited experience with actual warfare. “Why take the risk if you know how to build a bomb that gets the job done from a distance? Why crawl right up close and risk detection?”

  Mark slipped a pen out of his inside jacket pocket and grabbed for a yellow legal pad. “Now put all of those thoughts toget
her. What do they suggest to you?”

  The facts came back to the same place for Callie. “The person is already close to Ben. He’s someone—and I do think it’s a he—with a working knowledge of the legal system and access to the same.”

  “You mean someone at the courthouse? One of our colleagues?” Ben asked, suddenly interested in the conversation playing out in front of him.

  About time.

  “I’m thinking a lawyer or a person who studies the law. Maybe a guy who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else and can’t possibly get caught.” Like a certain little pisher she knew and despised.

  “We’re going through your old cases.” Mark pointed his pen at Ben and Emma. “Both of you. We’re looking for anyone who could be holding on to anger and searching for a way to get even. That includes your time on the bench and when you practiced.”

  “But up until now you’ve been focusing on parties to the case, correct? If Callie is right, you need to add in the legal community as well.” Emma blew out a breath. “That’s a long list. It’s also pretty upsetting to think that someone who appears before us could act like this. I just don’t understand why that would be.”

  “Are you including Ben’s time hearing family law cases?” Callie dipped her toe into the nosy end of the pool. Scott’s comments on the issue had refused to leave her head. She had intended to ask Ben but then Rod walked in…and the sex. Mark and Emma likely knew the truth, but Callie didn’t want to take the risk and drag a private issue into the room.

  Emma jumped in her seat. “You think a divorcing parent is doing this? Maybe one who is also a lawyer? Several of them come through here, unfortunately. Lawyers are notorious for broken marriages.”

  Callie shrugged in what she hoped was a “no big deal” way, but she did note Emma’s odd reaction. “Just want to be thorough.”

  If Ben was concerned about something from his family law days, he sure didn’t show it. He slumped in his chair slipping into what looked like a boredom coma.

  “Still nothing on Jenner?” Ben asked.

  Mark’s gaze darted to Emma. After her slight nod, Mark continued. “When questioned Jenner took great satisfaction in telling us how Emma should be in danger for what she said about him and how someone was going to take her out. Not him, of course. He’s a law-abiding citizen who got framed by the police and ruined by Emma, in case you hadn’t heard.”

  Ben scoffed. “Sounds as if the sociopath hasn’t changed much in prison. Still blaming everyone else for the fact he got caught.”

  “He also wanted us to know that he saw the news and knew about the bombing. Went on to assure us that if he had built something to try to kill Emma it wouldn’t have missed her,” Mark said.

  “Charming. I can see why his wife sticks by him. He’s quite the prize.” Callie knew about Jenner only from what she had read in the paper. That was enough to make her hate him and worry for Emma’s safety.

  “Some women can’t figure out when to let go.” Emma’s statement earned a rough glance from Mark, but if she saw it she went out of her way to ignore it.

  Callie wondered if Emma was thinking about her own circumstance. Now that Callie knew about Emma’s feelings for Mark, Callie spent a lot of time trying to figure out why they weren’t together.

  “What is he waiting for?” Ben asked. “You’d think he would have made a move by now.”

  If she were into eye rolling, Callie would have done it right then. “You’d rather this Jenner monster go ahead and attack now?”

  Ben looked ready to engage in an eye move of his own. “No. I’m wondering why he doesn’t.”

  “I have a theory.” She almost hated to mention it because it would send Mark flying off on another tangent. One that could result in her being moved to protective custody.

  “What is it?” Mark asked.

  Callie chose her words carefully. There was enough tension pressing on the room without her adding a new level of panic. “What if this isn’t about Emma or Jenner at all? Let’s go back to the proposition that this is an inside job by someone who works with Ben, sees Ben every day, and is friendly with him in a way that Ben would never expect a problem.”

  Mark nodded. “I’m with you so far.”

  “What if that friendliness hides hatred?” She swallowed. “What if Ben is the primary target but not the intended victim?”

  “Wait, I’m confused. You still think it’s me?” Emma shook her head. “I know that was the original theory, but I don’t see it. I don’t have anything to do with your condo. I don’t even know where it is. It doesn’t make sense that the stalker would come after me there?”

  They all started talking at once. Make that yelling. Ben stuck to few words, not that Callie could actually hear them. Not with everyone rushing to shoot down her theory.

  “Uh, hello?” When the low rumble continued, Callie whistled.

  Three pairs of stunned eyes stared at her.

  Ben whistled back. “Nicely done.”

  “I have skills. And if you’d all shut up for two seconds, I can show them to you.” She let the scolding hang out there for a second. “I think the point is to test Ben. To keep him off balance and punish him for something we haven’t figured out yet. But the stalker has found a means to hurt him that has the potential to torture Ben the most.”

  Understanding settled on Mark’s face. Those intelligent eyes sparked to life. “By going after the women in his life.”

  Callie wasn’t a fan of being lumped into categories, but that one was okay with her. “Exactly.”

  Ben made a “T” with his hands. “Stop a second.”

  Now that everyone listened to her, Callie wanted to push forward. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Ben scratched the back of his head. “Well, honestly, I’m lost.”

  Mark took over. “The stalker went after Emma because he thought she was your girlfriend. The bomb. Her guard. All attacks direct to Emma to either hurt her or scare her. Then the rumors started floating around about you and Callie.”

  “And the threats switched.” Callie warmed to the theory the more they dug around in it. “We haven’t experienced the personal attacks since. There is a detachment now, as if the stalker is trying to figure out what I mean to you. He’s modifying his plans and changing his aim.”

  Ben’s mouth dropped open. “You’re the target.”

  “Technically you’re still the target,” Callie said.

  Ben stood up. Anger pulled at every inch of his stiff body as he rounded on Mark. “Pull her off the case. Now.”

  “Wrong.” Callie tugged on Ben’s arm to get him to sit down.

  “If you are in danger because of me”—he looked between both women—“either of you, then I want you both out of here, as far away from me as possible.”

  Ben shifted into protective mode. He was using his best judge voice and making demands that would affect her life and potentially destroy her last chance at having a career. Cute and kind of endearing in a way, but not going to happen.

  “This isn’t your decision, Ben. Just because we’re sleeping together doesn’t mean you get to dictate to me.”

  Ben dropped back into his chair. “Is now the time for that discussion?”

  “Stop it,” Emma said in the nasty voice she had once used on Jenner. “We are grown women. We can make our own decisions.”

  Callie did not see that one coming. She almost spit when Emma jumped to the defense.

  “You are the same women who are in danger because of me.” Ben’s eyes pleaded with his brother to step in. “Mark, help me here.”

  Instead of joining Ben in panic mode, Mark started scribbling on the pad in front of him. “We could spin this to our advantage.”

  “How?” Emma asked, cutting off whatever Ben was about to say.

  “Callie is a trained operative. We can use her to draw out this guy.”

  Callie decided right then that Mark could yell all he liked. The guy knew when something had to be done and
did it. “Perfect.”

  “No fucking way.” Ben practically growled the words. “And that’s final.”

  “It’s a good solution, Ben. I’ll come up with a plan that keeps her safe. My men can—”

  Ben refused to listen. He shook his head. Even pounded on the table with his fist. “It’s too damned dangerous.”

  Rather than offending her, the fierce show of concern impressed her. Ben wasn’t questioning her skills. He was worried about her safety.

  That distinction was the only reason she didn’t kick him in the balls. “I carry a gun and know how to shoot it.”

  “That will be a great comfort when I’m calling your next of kin.”

  “I don’t have anyone to call.”

  Her flip response made Ben’s jaw tighten even more. “That’s your argument to me?” he asked.

  The vein in Ben’s forehead pumped hard enough for Callie to see it. She thought her joke would slow him down. Instead, his anger kicked up a notch…or twelve.

  Mark tapped his pen against his notepad. “Okay, let’s settle down.”

  “If the gossip is the key, then our pool of suspects might have gotten smaller. That’s a matter of internal politics,” Callie said, hoping to get the conversation off her and onto a plan of action. “My name isn’t in the paper. Ben and I haven’t gone out in public together. Emma’s right. This is someone who knows where I live, what hours you two keep, and how to get around the courthouse’s security system. That screams inside job.”

  Mark stared at Emma. “Scott. He delivered the first note.”

  “That would be kind of a stupid thing to do if he were the stalker, wouldn’t it?” Emma asked.

  Callie hated to break the sisterhood bond she had going on with Emma, but…“Or brilliant. It’s not as if he’s at the top of the suspect list right now.”

  Ben threw Emma an apologetic half smile. “I do see him every day. He comes over and talks with Callie.”

  Callie knew Ben wasn’t going to like it, but she had to say it anyway. “Well, if Scott is on the list you need to put Rod on there, too.”

  Ben sighed in that condescending way only Ben could do. “Hating the kid doesn’t make him a suspect.”