The Point Guardian

by Liza Brown

  “Whatever!” said Steve as he started heading back to the shop.

  “Steve, I really wanted to talk to you and Bonnie. Can you meet me in my office in five?” I asked.

  “Not a problem,” he said without turning around. I had made him mad. The yard and garages were his domain and I didn’t mess with either unless absolutely necessary. However, when your gut says ‘no’ it’s best to follow it.

  As we walked back to the shop, Millard appeared out of nowhere looking bedraggled.

  “Mr. Benjamin, this place is a security nightmare. Your girlfriend is screwed!”

  “What the hell, dude?” asked Elsu.

  “I’m not sugar coating anything here. There are so many places a person could hide, you could bring in the entire population of China and no one would even know!”

  “He’s right. In fact on more than one occasion we’ve had homeless people hiding out in the warehouse overnight. Before we put in the security system it was a regular occurrence. They’d come in while we were open, hide out until we closed and then find a place to sleep. It doesn’t happen as much now but it does happen.”

  Have you ever seen someone literally lose their mind? I’d heard it said, heck, I’d said it, but to actually watch another human being’s mind mentally implode? I can say now, I have.

  Elsu grabbed his hair with both hands, closed his eyes and started to pace in front of me. “You’ve what?”

  “Homeless people seem to like sleeping on old dusty car seats. It’s better than the concrete sidewalks.”

  “Oh my God, Mae!” He started walking toward the building again then suddenly turned around. “You seem so calm about this, too!” He was yelling, I didn’t like being yelled at.

  “What can I do? You saw the warehouse. It’s a huge space! Every tiny little nook and cranny can’t be checked, it’s impossible. I’ve never been in any real danger. When I come in, I turn the lights on in there before I go in so hopefully it wakes them up and they can escape when I’m not by the front door. A few times I’ve found them sleeping and then I wait for one of the guys to come in and get them up.”

  “You are too nice, Mae. We need to work on your shell,” said Elsu.

  “I don’t want a shell. One of my mechanics was one of those homeless men. He came back a few months after he got kicked out, said he’d like a job. Now he’s one of my most reliable guys. Feet back on the ground and everything. I’m not going to become a hard bitch. They’re just car parts. They’re not going to hurt anything.”

  “Oh my God, Mae! It’s not the ‘stuff’ I’m worried about! It’s you! What if one of those guys wasn’t so friendly? What if one of those guys was Bart or Jeremy?” Ok, he had me. What if?

  “So…what? You want me to close the shop down because it’s not safe? Not happening!”

  “I don’t want you to close it down, I want you to be safe! Millard, make a list of everything that needs done, inside and out. You can stay here when I go tomorrow. Make it safe. Whatever it takes.”

  “Elsu, I can’t afford that! I have to hire a new assistant, two new warehouse guys and I’m thinking about adding a new mechanic. And don’t say you’re paying for it!”

  “It won’t cost too much, Miss Mae. We just need to rearrange stuff in that warehouse. No nooks. No crannies. No garage doors standing wide open for the world to come and go through as they please. NO secret napping holes,” said Millard. “I’ll get it taken care of. I’ll bring some guys in tomorrow to get things started.” He walked away as quickly as he had appeared.

  “I have a headache,” I finally said.

  “Come on, let’s go to your meeting,” said Elsu as he took my hand and we went into the shop.

  After a briefing of the situation, Steve and Bonnie asked the expected questions. I explained that I would be following Elsu to various games and that I planned to hire a part time assistant to cover in my absences. I also mentioned the three new employees I planned for the warehouse and garage. I had placed the ads that morning. Steve seemed ok with the additional help and agreed to assist with the hiring process. We were getting way behind and I wanted to concentrate more on our classic restoration end. Once we were done, Steve went to tell the mechanics and warehouse guys. He was armed with a picture of Bart and Jeremy and Millard promised to explain what to do if they should show up.

  Bonnie stayed behind and looked between Elsu and me. “Mae, I’ve been contemplating things lately. I’m 65 years old. I love this job, you know that, right? My health isn’t what it used to be and I’d like to spend some time with my grand babies before I don’t have that privilege anymore. So,” she left the office quickly and pulled a sealed envelope from her purse and brought it to me. “This is my letter of resignation.”

  Elsu, who had been leaning on the back wall of the office so Steve and Bonnie could have the chairs across from me quickly put his hand on my shoulder.

  “Resignation,” I said as I stared at the envelope that laid on my desk.

  “That letter says I will stay until the end of the year, but if things with Bart, and now Jeremy, are going to heat up again, I want to get out of here. It’s too much for this old lady to take. I’d like to officially augment that to two weeks.”

  “Two weeks.” I was numb.

  “Mae, breathe.” Elsu’s voice sounded like it was coming through a tunnel. I felt both hands on my shoulders. If any other person had tried that I’d have clocked them immediately.

  “But…who will…how will…I can’t go…” Those were the only words that would come out, but a million more questions were swirling in my head.

  “Please Mae, don’t be angry with me. This Bart and Jeremy thing really put the nail in the lid for me. I didn’t feel safe the last time, if he and his brother are being this aggressive already, I fear for you my dear. But I also fear for me. I need to take care of myself, too.”

  I knew deep down I couldn’t be angry with her. She was 65, she deserved to retire. But she sure picked one hell of a time to do it. I put my elbows on the desk and buried my head in my hands. The front door rang and a customer came in so Elsu silently slipped out to take care of them. “Bonnie, I’m not mad. Disappointed in the timing, as you can imagine, but I’m not mad at you. You’ve been like an aunt to me. I just need to regroup and think about how to proceed from here.”

  Elsu returned to the door and stuck his head in. “Someone is here to see you,” he half smiled.

  I looked up and saw Aaron, my friend from college who I had last seen at the basketball game on Saturday night. He had a smile that could light up the room smeared across his smug face. Ok, not smug, happy. He was happy. But I wasn’t and therefore no one else should be allowed to be.

  “Will you help me hire and train your replacement?” I asked Bonnie.

  “Of course, Mae!” she said.

  I stood up and gave her a hug. Lots of hugs today. So much touchy feely I was starting to feel really uncomfortable.

  Once near Aaron, I gave him a hug, too. At this point, why not? I tried so hard to fake my happiness at seeing him, but apparently I was doing a stinky job. “What’s wrong, Mae?”

  “The list is too long, Aaron. Way too long!” I sat down on the couch in the customer area.

  “Ok, well I’m here to take you to lunch because I have to thank you for Saturday!”

  “Saturday? I just took you to a basketball game. No big deal! But you’re welcome.”

  “No! I was leaving after the game and that body guard who was standing at the VIP lounge? Remember?”

  “Yeah…what was his name? Jason?”

  “Yes! Jason! Guess what, Mae! No, you’ll never guess, just guess!”

  I stared at him. “I don’t know what to guess. I’m not sure where this is coming from. He likes to sculpt?”

  “No! Even better!”

  “I don’t know, Aaron. What?”

  “He’s gay!”

  I sat back on the couch. The man we were talking about was a big burly black man. When I had
met him he was wearing all black and sunglasses. After talking to him briefly I learned he wasn’t as tough as his appearance might have suggested, but not in a million years would I have pegged him as gay. “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, I’m a million percent sure, Mae!”

  “So…?”

  “So…! He asked me to get a drink with him after the game. We went out and had a fabulous time! I stayed the night at his place and we spent all day yesterday together until he had to go to work. Then he came and picked me up and I went to his place again last night. He just dropped me back off at my uncle’s and I came here to thank you! He’s amazing, Mae!” He sat down next to me and I could feel the excitement pouring off of him. My bad mood made part of me want to smack him, part of me want to congratulate him, and a third part wanted to take Elsu and drag him back to the classic garage and dance in the dark again.

  Of course I could only congratulate him. “I’m so happy for you, Aaron! He seemed like a really nice guy,” I accepted his second hug and a kiss on the cheek as Elsu stood taller, reminding me that he was there.

  “He is so nice, Mae! We’re going to see each other tonight and probably tomorrow, too! I can’t get enough of him!”

  Now there was a feeling I knew well. I smiled at Elsu who seemed to relax a bit. “I’ll do lunch with you, if Elsu can come.”

  “Hmm, spend an hour staring at hunky basketball meat? If I must!” he was so flamboyant it made me giggle.

  “Just keep your hands to yourself!” I said as I stood up.

  “Oh, believe me, the only place I want to put my hands is back on Jason!”

  Elsu and I laughed at him. Elsu found Millard and the four of us quickly left the shop together.

  I spent the entire trip to Meldrum’s Diner explaining why Little José wasn’t there and why Millard was driving. Aaron’s eyes were nearly as big as his face by the time we got to the restaurant.

  CHAPTER 7

  Once we found a seat at Meldrum’s, Aaron told me all about his weekend with his new man and I couldn’t begrudge him anything. He was so happy. “Just don’t screw this up like your last guy,” I said sternly.

  “Yes mom,” he said as he threw a fry at me.

  Elsu leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. “Remember that reporter from last week?”

  “The one who was innocently having lunch at the same time we were?” I asked.

  “You sure are snarky when you’re in a bad mood, Miss Mae.” He nudged me with his elbow.

  “I guess I am,” I said as I threw Aaron’s thrown fry at him.

  “Well, he’s sitting over there in the corner behind the newspaper. He’s been watching us again.”

  This time, Millard was with us and he turned to look just in time to see the man ‘turning the page’ of the paper as he glanced over. “That’s the guy from the locker room,” said Millard.

  “From the locker room?” asked Aaron.

  “Stop it!” I glared at him. “Apparently this guy makes himself a pest trying to get the scoop on the team by sneaking into the locker room during practices.”

  “Oh. Never mind.”

  “Has he been at the games?” I asked.

  “I haven’t seen him since we were here last week,” said Elsu.

  The guy folded his paper and placed it on the table when his bill arrived. He made no secret of the fact that he was looking at us now. “He’s not even trying to be subtle,” I said.

  “Nope,” said Elsu.

  I’d had it! Being interrupted by fans was one thing, but being stared at by some weird reporter wasn’t cool and was just downright creepy. I stood up and before I could be stopped I walked over to the man and sat down across from him in the booth.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “Excuse me?” He was definitely not expecting me to show up at his table.

  “This is the second time you’ve stared at Elsu while he tried to eat. You’re being rude. What do you want?”

  He sat forward and looked me straight in the eye. “I’m not looking at him, Mae.” He grabbed his bill, stood, and walked to the counter to pay. After he placed his bill and payment near the cashier at the register, he started toward the door of the diner to leave.

  Oh, hell no! I went after him and I heard the scratching sound of two chairs being scooted back quickly. I knew I was being followed. “You don’t just say that and walk out on someone. Are you staring at me? Because after the week I’ve had you’re staring at the wrong chick, mister!”

  I could feel Elsu standing behind me and knew Millard couldn’t be far behind. “Fine, can we sit? We’re making a scene.”

  “Fine,” I motioned for him to go first. We walked back to our table and pulled a fifth chair up. I sat down, glared at the man, and said “What?”

  He looked around the room nervously as if he didn’t want to be seen with us. “Mae, I’m a private investigator. I’ve been hired to find out some information about you, but I’m quitting him. I can’t do it.”

  “Him who?” we all asked in unison.

  “I don’t know, he’s never said his name. He’s requested that I let him know where you are on different occasions.”

  “Is his name Bart?” I asked.

  “Bart? Bartholomew Bradford? No.”

  I glared at him. “How do you know about Bart?”

  “Because I’ve done my research. I know who Bartholomew is. Or who he was to you and what a horrible thing it was that he did to you. I confronted him after my initial contact and told him I wasn’t working for him. He was honestly confused. It wasn’t him.”

  “Carl?”

  “Carl?”

  “Carl Wickerman,” said Elsu.

  “The team’s public relations guy? No. At least I don’t think so.”

  “How do you know who Carl is?” I asked.

  “Mae,” the strange man sat forward as if to tell a secret. “I’ve never been proud of how I’ve acted while at the Whoopster’s practice facility. But I’ve met Carl a number of times. He’s a greasy little weasel with a Napoleon complex. He’s all talk and no bite. He’s threatened me a number of times to get out of there but every time I come back. He has never once told me to not come back. I think he likes feeling important when he escorts me out.”

  “And how does this person pay you to stalk Mae?” asked Aaron.

  “Cash.”

  “Where would Bart get cash?” I asked more for myself than for anyone to actually attempt to answer.

  “Mae, like I said, I’m pretty sure it’s not Bart.”

  “How do you get in contact with him?” asked Millard.

  “I don’t, he calls me. It’s a scrambled number. When I try to call back it rings busy.”

  “So why are you turning on him?” asked Millard.

  “After the elevator thing, I’ve had a change of heart. I don’t want to be part of someone getting killed. At first he told me he was investigating his girlfriend and wanted proof of her cheating on him. I didn’t have reasons to doubt his story.”

  “So your boss was responsible for the elevator?” I asked.

  “Yes, in some way or another. I don’t know the details. I just know he had me report when you weren’t there and apparently he went and did whatever he did. I wasn’t at the apartment when he did it. I just told him you were here. Last Tuesday.”

  “Tuesday? I didn’t see you on Tuesday.”

  “You were rather preoccupied with Elsu,” he said. “When I told this guy that you two were being so buddy-buddy he was none too thrilled.”

  “Then it can’t be Carl. Carl was with us,” said Elsu.

  “So you sit here all day every day and wait for me to come in?” I asked.

  “Mae, you are a creature of habit. You come here multiple times a week. It was just a matter of when, not where. I know what you order, I know how long it takes for you to eat it. Once you showed up, he called me and I told him you were here. When he calls, he always does it around the same time to check in. This is
a small town diner. Repeat customers aren’t abnormal. But if you didn’t show up by about 1:30, I could assume pretty well that you weren’t coming. Apparently this guy would schedule his lunch breaks around yours.”

  I briefly wondered who the actual stalker was, the mystery employer or this guy.

  “But I thought you were a reporter,” said Elsu.

  “I am that, too. But I’ve been dabbling in PI work for a few years now.”

  “So how much would you charge to find out information on your boss?”

  “I’d do it for free, ma’am. This ass needs stopped.”

  “What will happen to you if he finds out you’re talking to us?” I asked.

  He looked around the room again. “I have to admit that makes me a bit nervous. But I can’t have this kind of thing on my conscience.”

  “How did you know about the elevator? Did he tell you? It hasn’t been made public,” said Elsu.

  “He told me about it this morning. When he saw you at the game last night, he knew it didn’t go right. He was yelling at me about the bitch getting away. I didn’t know until this morning that that was what he had done last week. Honest.”

  “Ok, now what?” I asked.

  He reached into his wallet and handed me a business card. “If you give me your contact information, I will contact you when he contacts me. I’ll start turning the tables on him.”

  “Are you planning on taking this information to the cops?” asked Elsu.

  “And rat myself out to the cops? No. The less I spread myself out, the less chance this ass will know what I’m doing.”

  I picked up the business card and programmed ‘Harold Stevens, PI’ into my phone. I pulled one of my business cards from my purse and wrote my personal cell phone number on the back and handed it to him. Millard took Harold’s card from me and gave Harold one of his. “All contact will be between myself and another individual whose information I will send you tomorrow. You are not to contact Mae unless she contacts you first.”

  “Agreed,” said Harold.

  I looked at Elsu and sighed. “Thank you for putting the security in at the apartment. I thought it was silly, but now I’m not so sure.”