by David Archer
I gritted my mental teeth and forced my mouth to give me back control. It was all I could do, but it finally opened, and this time I wasn’t going to let it shut without saying what was clinging to my tongue like a man hanging from a single branch on the edge of a cliff.
“I—I think so, yeah.”
NINETEEN
After that, you’d think there would be this exciting moment when we’d rush into each other’s arms and crush our lips together in a kiss that we’d remember for the rest of our lives, right?
We just sat there and stared at each other. Neither one of us said a word, neither of us moved, we just sat there with our eyes locked onto each other. We probably sat like that for another three minutes before I happened to glance down and see that my plate was still empty. I had gotten distracted about calling Alfie, then Alicia, which led to all of the long discussion we’d just had, and we’d forgotten all about our dinner.
I broke the trance by putting some turkey and potatoes and green beans onto Dex’s plate, and then onto my own, and we started eating.
“So, where does this put us?” Dex asked, and I looked up at him suddenly. I had been about to ask the exact same question.
“I don’t actually know,” I said. “I guess we need to let ourselves get used to the idea first, and then see what develops.”
He nodded. “So, we just leave things alone for right now, right?”
“I think that might be best for now,” I said. “Give ourselves time to adjust, you know? Dex, I’ve been so scared of letting anyone get close for so long, I—I just don’t know how long it’ll take, you know, to get used to the idea that I...” I swallowed. The words had to come out, no matter how hard it was going to be. “That I love you.”
That was when the strongest, toughest man I’ve ever known suddenly had a tear on his cheek. I pretended not to see it, of course, because that’s what a woman does when her knight in shining armor suddenly turns out to be human, after all. She ignores that fact, because she knows that he’s still the hero, still the superman she always knew he was. A simple little thing like a tear wasn’t going to interfere with my certainty that Dexter Tate was my own personal hero.
“Cassie,” he said slowly. “An old man I know once told me that the way to know if you really love someone is to ask yourself three questions. One, are you willing to cut every other woman out of your life completely? Because any man who continues to have other women in his life once he finds his one true love is only risking the possibility of a temptation that can destroy what he’s got. Two, are you willing to deal with it when she gets tired and cranky and mad and jealous? Because she may be the most wonderful woman in the world, but she’s still a woman, and they can feel all of those things. And three, do you have to know that she’s happy before you can even think about your own happiness? Because if you don’t, then you aren’t giving her the respect she deserves for putting up with the headaches and heartaches that you are certain to bring into her life, and if you don’t have that much respect for her, then eventually she’ll lose respect for you, too.”
He got up out of his chair and walked around the table. “I deleted all my female friends from Facebook six weeks ago, and I won’t even talk to another woman on any kind of personal level. I decided about then that I want to be the guy you come to when you need to cry, or need to vent, or when you just need a break, and I think that’s been going pretty well, so far. And as for that last question? If you’re unhappy, Cassie, I can’t handle anything until I see you smile again. I’m pretty sure that old guy would say we’ve got something pretty good here.”
I couldn’t even speak. Luckily, he kissed me right then, so I didn’t have to think of anything to say.
We finally finished our dinner a bit later, after we came back into the kitchen, and then we did the dishes together again before going to the living room to look for something to watch on the TV. We settled for a movie, something about a guy who finds out he has a special magical ability and ends up fighting to save the world from some galactic bad guy. It had some great special effects, and while I can’t remember the actor’s name—it’s long and complicated—he’s one of my favorites.
We sat and talked softly for a bit after it ended, mostly about what to do the next day. Stan the Strangler was supposed to come by in the morning, and Dex had worked out a plan to be a block away by the time he was supposed to show up. I’d be wearing that awful turtle, and if I really did get a surprise visitor, then I’d squeeze it to let him know.
He had also spoken with Alicia and Jerry Niles, and both of them planned to be close by. If I sent that signal, they would move their cars into position so that at least one of them would able to see Stan when he left. The idea wasn’t to capture him, but to follow him and find out where he went.
“With any luck,” he said, “he’ll lead them straight to the place where he’s holding the women, but they’ll at the very least know where he’s staying. They can keep surveillance on him, then, so that when he does decide to move on you or anyone else, they can find out where he takes his victims.”
“Of course,” I said, “all that depends on him actually showing up when he said he would, and we all know that isn’t likely. He’s too smart to ever let anyone know when and where he’ll be, because that would make him vulnerable. He’s done this at least four other times, and he’s never even been a suspect. I can’t see him making a mistake like that now.”
“Yeah, Niles says the same thing,” he said, “but he also said it’s stupid to not try, just in case he’s going senile or something.”
“Senile? He claims to only be around forty, and the voice fits that. I don’t see senility being a factor.”
Dex shrugged. “Worth any shot we get, right? I’d rather have them here and not need them than to need them and not have them close by. We know there are two of these guys, and I’m just one. I’d come after you, but I sure wouldn’t mind having backup.”
I chuckled. “You forget, I had you checked out once,” I said. “You’re the guy who punched out six gang members a year ago, and you’re nervous about two guys?”
“Hey, those gangbangers were drunk and unarmed, and they weren’t expecting me to be able to do them any damage, so they didn’t see a lot of it coming. These two are known killers; they’ll be armed, most likely, and they won’t even hesitate to use a weapon, even if we confront them in the middle of a day care center. If I can’t take them both down fast, one of them might get a shot off, and I don’t want either of us to get shot. Copy that?”
His words sobered me. “I understand. And I agree. I’d much rather you let the police come in first, Dex.” I took a deep breath. “Dex, do you want to go and get my gun?”
“No, because I’m not permitted for it. If I ended up using it, I could be in trouble, even if there was a reason. Niles and I already had that conversation, but if you decide to keep taking cases like this, I can guarantee I’m taking the concealed carry course.”
We talked about a few more things, then we went to bed. He reached for me, and I was in the arms of the man I finally admitted to loving, and all was just right with the world.
Dex had set an alarm for earlier than usual, because he wanted time to get across town and make sure he wasn’t being watched before he came back and got into position. He’d arranged with Alfie to get a different car, an older Buick, and had it waiting in a parking lot a few miles away. He’d switch them out as soon as he was sure he wasn’t being followed, then double back and sit down the street with a hat on.
And then he’d just wait. If the turtle alarm went off, he’d call Niles and give him the word, then keep his eyes on the parking lot of the building. Niles would be watching it as well, and he’d notify Alicia, who would be watching the back. Between the three of them, plus one other detective—a guy named Bob Knowles, who happened to be in Niles’ section—they hoped to be able to play leapfrog and follow Stan back to where the victims were being held.
I got
up with him and made coffee while he got dressed, even though I didn’t need to go anywhere that morning. It was a Saturday, and I was officially “off” on my job at Marcus Brothers, but I was as “on” as it was possible to be as an investigator. My nerves were on edge, and when I spilled some coffee grounds onto the floor, I actually uttered a four letter word that I rarely use other than in—let’s just say, in moments of passion.
Dex caught me as I got up from wiping up the mess and pulled me into his arms. “Breathe,” he said. “Just take a deep breath and try to relax. If we’re lucky, this will all be over today, and we can get back to deciding what to do about our own mess.”
That made me chuckle. “Mess? Is that what you call it?”
“Well, I was afraid you might get upset if I said anything about our relationship,” he said. “I’m not sure what it is, yet, but I didn’t want to jinx anything by using a word you might take exception to.”
“Calling it a mess is probably close to the truth,” I said with a grin. “And messes are made to be cleaned up, but I’m pretty sure whatever we have is gonna take longer than wiping up a spill.” I gave him a quick kiss and twisted free so I could rinse coffee grounds out of the rag and off my hand.
By the time the coffee was done, Dex was dressed and ready to go. He’d put his work clothes on over a light jogging suit, so he could strip it off when he switched cars, and he had stashed another coat in the Buick so he wouldn’t have to wear the same one he’d left the apartment in. The hat he would wear was already there, too.
“I need to get going,” he said after we’d had a cup together. “I want to be in place long before eight, so that if he does show up I’ll be ready.”
“Well, he won’t,” I said. “But I understand. On that small chance he might, we need to be ready. Just don’t worry if nothing happens, okay? We’ve still got the main plan in place, and it has the best shot at finding those women. It’ll just mean waiting till he’s ready to make his move, that’s all.”
He started to say something, then seemed to think better of it. He kissed me instead, and then he opened the door and said, loudly enough to be heard through the halls, “I want this place clean when I get home tonight, Emily. Clean, you got that?”
He slammed the door behind himself without waiting for me to answer, and I hurried to the bedroom to start getting myself dressed. The one thing we’d worried about if Stan were to actually show up was my left hand, but Dex had come up with the idea of wrapping it in a bandage. I could say I’d burned it while I was making dinner the night before, and had wrapped it up so the burn cream could do its job. Hopefully, he wouldn’t insist on checking it out. If he did, then my game was probably up and I’d have to tell him he was surrounded and being watched.
The clock ticked slowly toward eight, and I sat at the table watching it, so it seemed to move even more slowly. I was mentally following Dex as he drove across town a couple of miles, watching carefully to be sure he didn’t see the same car around him for long, or more than once. He wouldn’t cut into the parking lot where the Buick was waiting unless he was confident that no one had followed him there, so I visualized him making a couple of circuits around the block to watch for any familiar vehicles before he finally pulled in and stopped.
Of course, by the time I imagined him switching cars, he was probably already well on the way back. It’s almost impossible to imagine a drive block-by-block and get it timed right. You either take far longer than it really does, or you end up skipping parts of the route because you can’t remember every foot of it, no matter how familiar it may seem.
Finally the clock got to eight, and I sat there sipping another cup of coffee. I had tried to imagine what Stan would want to talk about if he did show up, whether he’d try to keep up the pretense that we were flirting with one another or if he’d try to force me to go with him right away, but there was no way to even guess. Just in case he did show and wanted to keep the game on, I had another cup sitting beside the coffee maker so I could offer him one.
But he didn’t show, of course. As we’d expected, there was no knock on my door, and by a quarter of nine there was no point in waiting any longer. I checked to be sure the door was locked, then went to the bathroom and called Dex.
“It was a long shot, anyway,” I said. “Too bad he didn’t take it.”
“Yeah. Niles just called and said he was going to give it up for now, and I’m sure Alicia and Knowles are, too. I’ll hang out for a while longer, just in case.”
“There’s no point,” I said. “It’s all on when he decides to come after me, now, and we can’t risk him seeing anyone watching over me then, or he’ll bolt and we’ll never get another chance. Go hang out with Alfie, Dex. I’m gonna go out and play bait in a little while, just act normal. I seriously doubt today’s the day because it would still break his pattern, but it’s possible he’s watching the building right now. If he comes after me, if anything happens, I’ll signal you with the stupid turtle.”
He argued for a minute or two, but he knew I was right. Even if Stan was watching for me to pull out and followed me, Dex couldn’t follow him without running the risk of scaring him off. We couldn’t afford to take that chance, not with lives at stake. I was ready, I assured him; we had to work the plan, that was all there was to it.
“I love you, Cassie,” he said. “I know you’re not really ready for that to start, but I just had to say it this once. I’ll be waiting for the signal if it comes, and I’ve got all three of the cops set so I can send them all a text at once. If it goes off, we’ll all be moving. I’ll keep them posted on where you go.”
“Now, that’s the best plan yet,” I said, smiling into the phone. “And, Dex—I love you, too. Just sayin’, that’s all.”
I ended the call and sat back to wait a little longer. My phone rang only a few seconds later, and I saw that it was Alicia calling.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry it was a waste of time.”
“It’s never a waste of time to run a stakeout, Cassie,” she said. “I didn’t really believe he’d show up this morning, and neither did Niles, but we couldn’t afford to ignore the small chance he might. I’m more worried now that he might be watching you, waiting for a chance to grab you, and you should be, too.”
“I think about it,” I admitted, “but he’s got a pattern. He always waits three days after the last call, and he just talked to me yesterday. I don’t think he’s going to break that pattern. I think I’m safe for the moment, but I’d bet he’s watching me. If he’s going to come after me, it’ll be on Monday.”
She sighed. “I wish we had the manpower to put surveillance on you,” she said, “but Niles is right about the fact that you’re a civilian. The chief would go nuts if he knew what we’re doing, so we don’t dare try to bring the department into it in any kind of official capacity. Even afterward, if we get him, it’s going to have to be something you decided to do to bait him, and we didn’t know about it until Dex called us.”
“I understood that, it’s okay. I have to do this, Alicia. I just have to.”
“I know, Cass,” she said. “By the way, I talked to Pima County. They don’t have any actual description of the guy who was supposed to be Ronald Orloff’s uncle Charles, and no photos. The deputies who went to talk to him didn’t have any reason to doubt who he was, and they got called to a multi-car accident that was pretty gory right after, so they don’t even remember the conversation.”
“Well, it was worth a try,” I said.
We said goodbye and I settled back again, drinking my coffee and wishing there was a way I could contact Stan and try to make him come after me then. As soon as I thought about that, it struck me that, if I really were attracted to him, I’d probably try calling him. I grabbed out the cheapie phone that was Emily’s and dialed the hotline number again.
It rang six times, and then a recorded voice said, “We’re sorry. All of our operators are currently busy. Please try calling again at a later time.”
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br /> I hung up and set the phone down, wondering if he’d know I tried to call. It seemed to me that he’d probably expect me to try, so I was glad I did, but it didn’t help me at the moment. I sat there a minute more, still half thinking about Alicia and the elusive Uncle Charlie Orloff, and that made me think of Juanita.
Had anyone ever told her she was right about Ronald? I checked my phone and found the number to Freedom Landing and dialed it. Some other woman answered, but when I asked for Juanita, she only told me to wait a moment and put me on hold.
“This is Juanita,” I heard a moment later.
“Juanita, it’s Cassie McGraw,” I said. “How are you doing out there?”
“Oh, Cassie, hello! I’m doing well, and you?”
“I’m still working on the case, but I wanted to give you a quick call. Did anyone ever get back to you about the guy who worked for you? Ronald Orloff?”
“Ronald? No, why?”
I smiled into the phone. “Because your instincts were dead on the money. I found out that he was an impostor. The real Ronald Orloff has been dead for more than a year, and so has his uncle. Remember when you had the cops check Ronald out? They just went and talked to his supposed uncle, but it turns out that man was also an impostor, and they found the real uncle dead a few months back. He was also dead more than a year.”
“Omigod!” she said suddenly. “That’s it! Remember when you played the tape for me, I said I knew that voice, yes? It was the uncle! He came here a couple of times to see Ronald, and that was where I know that voice from! It was the uncle!”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yes, we figured it probably was him. Is there any chance you could give a good description of him? We haven’t been able to get one.”
“Oh, yes,” she said, “I can! I have a good memory for faces, I never forget them.”