by Rose Pressey
Even when I turned into the restaurant’s parking lot the van stayed with me. What the heck? I was about to let someone have it. Something was definitely wrong. Viewing the van through my rearview mirror I soon realized the local television news station letters were painted on the side. Oh no. A news station had followed me? Why would they be after me? What would I do now? I supposed I would just get out of my car and make a run for the restaurant. I’d hope that they didn’t catch me on the way.
As soon as I got out of the car, the woman dressed in a red skirt, white blouse, and dangerously high heels stormed toward me. How did she move so quickly and with such balance in those things? Her red lipstick was as bright as Rudolph’s nose when he guided Santa’s sleigh. The woman was about an inch away from me now. The microphone in her hand looked like a sword as she rushed me. Another guy was with her. He had a large camera balancing on his shoulder as he hurried behind her. What were they doing here?
“Excuse me,” she said.
I knew I looked a complete mess. Not to mention the look of horror and shock on my face to have that camera directed at me. She shoved the microphone in my face.
“I understand that you were on the scene of a murder this afternoon. What can you tell us about that?” She pointed the microphone at me again.
The woman stared at me patiently waiting for my answer. Wow I was actually on TV. This would no doubt freak Jake out. I knew enough that I wouldn’t comment. I’d just repeat what I’d heard Jake say when faced with this situation.
“I can’t comment on that since it’s an active investigation,” I said.
I thought I sounded pretty good and completely professional. Though the woman who asked the question didn’t seem thrilled about my answer based on her frown.
“Is it true that you were arrested for this crime?” she asked.
My eyes widened. How the heck had she heard about that?
“Yes,” I said. “I mean no,” I answered quickly. “Of course, not. If I had been arrested would I be going into this restaurant?”
Okay, I needed to stop talking. The more I talked, the worse it looked for me. I was just digging a big hole for myself. And I wasn’t about to jump in.
“Someone else has been arrested for that.” I covered my mouth with my hand.
I was still talking. Why was I still talking? The camera was making me nervous and do things that I normally wouldn’t do.
“Can you tell us who was arrested?”
“Absolutely not. I really have no further comments.” I waved my hands.
I sure hoped that was true. What if I opened my mouth again? Walk away, Maggie, walk away.
When I finally stopped staring at the reporter I managed to head toward the restaurant. Unfortunately, they were on my trail, bombarding me with more questions. But that was it. I’d finally broken the trance and I wasn’t answering any other questions.
“No comment,” I said over my shoulder.
Jake would be unhappy when he saw this. Even when I reached the restaurant’s door she was still asking questions. They were relentless. I rushed inside and hoped they didn’t follow. Couldn’t they take no for an answer? Thank goodness they’d hadn’t entered the restaurant.
A few people looked at me strangely after the way I’d rushed inside the place. I moved over to the window to make sure the reporter and cameraman were gone. They walked back to their van and climbed inside. I released a deep breath as they pulled out of the parking lot. I wouldn’t tell anyone about this. Not even Dorothy. With any luck no one would watch the news.
My eyes took a moment to adjust when I stepped inside the dimly lit restaurant. Even though the place was right near the beach it was awfully dark in there. Maybe it was the wooden plank walls and the fact that all the windows were at the back of the restaurant. They should’ve added more wraparound windows or something. Regardless, the dark room was making it hard for me to spot Dorothy.
All of a sudden, I heard, “Maggie, Maggie, over here.”
I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Dorothy frantically waving her arms. Everyone was watching me. And now everyone knew my name was Maggie. I headed across the floor toward the table, weaving around a waitress who almost ran into me with a tray full of drinks.
Dorothy was sitting at a table by the window. At least we had a good view. She had a giant margarita glass in front of her. The thing was almost as big as her head.
She pointed at the straw. “I got the big one so that you can share with me.”
I had hoped she didn’t want to drink the whole thing herself. I’d have to carry her out of here. I might need a stretcher for myself if I helped her with that thing. I wasn’t much on drinking and only a couple of sips would probably make me tipsy, not to mention the fact that I had driven here.
I took a seat across from Dorothy. “I didn’t know we were having cocktails. Did you drive here, Dorothy?”
Just the thought of her driving sent a shiver down my spine.
When she finished her sip, she said, “Oh, no, Morty’s in the men’s room. He’ll be right back. He drove.”
I leaned back in my chair. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“So tell me everything that happened today,” Dorothy said.
Just then Morty approached the table. I waited until he was seated and then I explained everything that had taken place.
“Oh, my goodness. I just can’t believe Jake handcuffed you,” Dorothy said. “How terrible for you. See, this is why you need me with you. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
Dorothy and Morty’s orders arrived. I decided I really wasn’t that hungry, so I skipped the food. I’d have a few sips of my water and maybe a few French fries from Morty’s plate. And a few nibbles of shrimp from Dorothy’s plate. Other than that, I wasn’t hungry. As we sat there, I kept looking over my shoulder because I just had a weird sensation.
“Is everything all right?” Dorothy asked.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.” I grabbed a fry from Morty’s plate.
“Well, obviously something is bothering you, but after what happened, it’s understandable,” she said.
“Okay, I don’t want to worry you, but it just seems as if someone is watching me.” I scanned the restaurant again.
Everyone was eating and talking. No one seemed interested in us.
“After everything that happened your nerves are on edge.” Morty pointed at his plate. “Do you want more fries? How about a piece of fish?”
I waved my hands. “No, I’m good.”
“A margarita?” Morty asked. “I can drive you home.”
Morty driving me in his big Cadillac and cataracts? No, thank you. Why did he have such a ginormous car? The feeling was still there and this time when I glanced across the room I saw her. It was the neighbor from Brigette’s house. I still didn’t even know her name. She watched me like a hawk. First the news reporter and now the neighbor. There was no way the neighbor’s presence was a coincidence. She had followed me here. Why would she do that? That was so strange. I had to ask her why.
“What’s wrong?” Dorothy asked.
“I’ll be right back,” I said as I stood from the table.
“Maggie, what’s going on?” Dorothy got up and followed me.
I knew Dorothy would be curious and wouldn’t wait around for me to return. She just left Morty sitting at the table. Poor Morty looked so confused.
The woman apparently realized that I was headed her way. She took off for the door. Of course, another waiter walked in front of me and I almost tripped again. I lost sight of the woman as she walked out the door. I wouldn’t give up that easily though. I was going after her. When I made it to the door, I opened it up and spilled out into the parking lot. Unfortunately, the woman was nowhere in sight. How did she get away so quickly?
“What was that all about?”
I jumped and checked over my shoulder. I’d forgotten that Dorothy had followed me out here.
�
�That woman was Brigette’s neighbor. I think she followed me here. Apparently, she still thinks I’m the murderer.”
Dorothy groaned. “That’s not good. Have you talked to this woman?”
“Only when she was accusing me of being a murderer. I think I should pay her a visit,” I said.
“I don’t know about that. She could be dangerous. This woman could be crazy.” Dorothy said.
“Well, I’ve dealt with a lot of crazy people in my time, Dorothy, so it won’t be anything new. It’s just something that has to be done. But I suppose I will wait until tomorrow. It’s getting late now.”
“Perhaps you should tell Jake about this,” Dorothy said.
“Dorothy, I think we both know that’s not going to happen.”
She shook her head. “Let’s go have more shrimp.”
“I’m just going to head out and go home. I need to get some rest. Are you and Morty all right?”
“Oh, we’re fine.” She waved her hand. “I haven’t had that much to drink, and he’s had nothing but water.”
“I worry about you, Dorothy.”
“I think I should be worried about you. You’re the one who has people following you.”
“We don’t know that she was for sure following me. And until I do there’s no reason to tell Jake about this. There’s nothing he can do. Plus, I have nothing to prove that she did anything wrong.”
“But it is very odd,” Dorothy said.
“Yes, it is weird, but maybe she just likes this restaurant.”
“All right, dear, I’ll see you in the morning,” Dorothy said as she headed back toward the door.
I had just closed the car door when my phone rang. Jake was calling again. Now I had yet another thing to hide from him. I wasn’t ready to tell him just yet about the strange encounter with the neighbor. He’d be suspicious though. The tone in my voice would give me away. Stress would be evident. Maybe he’d think it was still from the Whitmore incident. I couldn’t give him too much grief for the handcuffs.
“Hello,” I said in the cheeriest voice possible.
Okay, that was too much. I needed to tone it down.
“Well, you sound much happier,” he said. “What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean what’s wrong? Can’t a girl be happy?”
“After her boyfriend put her in handcuffs for murder? Probably not.”
“You had to do it. I understand.”
“Okay, now I really know something’s up,” he said. “You’re already investigating this case, aren’t you?”
“No, of course not,” I said.
Would I be doing that tomorrow? Yes, but right now, no. It had been a long day and I was ready to just go home and relax.
“Unfortunately, I have a few things to wrap up, so it might be late before I can actually go anywhere tonight,” he said.
“That’s all right. I’ve decided I should probably just go home and get some rest anyway.”
He paused. I knew he was contemplating what I’d said and probably not believing me.
“It’s the truth. Maybe I’ll go for a swim.”
“Well, now I’m really upset. I’m going to miss out on that,” he said.
Silence settled between us.
“Are you sure everything’s all right?” he asked.
I was so close to telling him about what had just happened, but I decided to wait and figure it out on my own. After all, I was a private investigator. Plus, I’d failed to mention my television debut. Maybe Jake was busy so maybe he wouldn’t watch the news tonight.
“Everything is much better now,” I said. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to you soon.”
As luck would have it, when I made it back to my apartment building I found the exact same parking spot. Maybe my luck was actually turning around and things would go in my favor. I certainly needed it with this case.
I got out of the car and headed toward the courtyard. The tree fronds blew lightly with the wind. The blue pool water sparkled and shimmered under the light. Luckily, no one was there, which was even more of a lure for me to get in the water.
After hurrying inside my apartment, I switched on the TV. I was home just in time to catch the news. After a couple stories and the weather, the reporter popped up on the screen. Just the sight of her gave me heart palpitations.
“This is Vanessa Carl with an exclusive interview about the murder today on Collins Ave. I interviewed a woman who was initially detained for questioning but ultimately released.”
Ugh. She had to mention that part? It made it seem as if I was guilty. Next, I appeared on the screen. Oh heavens. Why did I have that wild look in my eyes? It was painful to watch, but at the same time, looking away was virtually impossible. Thank goodness Dorothy hadn’t seen this. She’d never let me forget it. I knew she hadn’t watched the news because she would have already called. What if one of her bingo friends saw? I’d deal with that when it happened.
Flipping off the television, I got into my swimsuit, grabbed a towel, and then headed for the pool. Still no one was there but me. This was my lucky night. After everything that happened today I deserved it. I left my towel on one of the lounge chairs and then walked down the pool steps into the water.
I dove under the water, swimming to the other side. Just as I came up to get a breath, I thought for sure I saw a dark shadow cast over the top of the water. I splashed my head out of the water and looked around, wiping the water out of my eyes and pushing my hair away from my face. No one was around. I was sure someone had been standing there. Maybe someone had been there watching me and they’d just walked away.
Nevertheless, it was kind of spooky being by myself in the dark with a strange person looking around while I was under the water. Maybe swimming alone at night wasn’t such a great idea. I kept my head above water this time as I swam back across the pool. The water had felt good across my hot skin, but it was time for me to get out of there.
Once out of the water I hurried for my towel, wrapping it around my wet body. I paused and scanned the area. No one was in sight, yet it felt as if someone was watching me. It could be that I was just a little paranoid after everything that has gone on, but I couldn’t be sure.
I left the pool area, exiting the gate, and headed for my apartment. Just as I reached my apartment door I paused and looked over my shoulder. For a fleeting moment out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw that shadow again. It was definitely a person. Maybe it was just some creep or maybe it was Brigette’s neighbor. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had found my home address.
Chapter 7
I hurried back into my apartment and locked the door. After releasing a deep breath, I moved over to the small window, opened the blind just a bit and looked out for any sign of anyone around. No one was there. That was a bit creepy. Could it have been Jake trying to scare me? No, he would never be that stupid. If I caught him doing that I would surely let him have it.
I closed the blinds and tried to push the thought to the back of my head. If I let it get to me I’d lie awake thinking about some creepy person all night long. Then I wouldn’t be able to sleep. That was the last thing I needed. Lack of sleep would not help me with the case.
Moving over to the tiny fridge that was in my makeshift kitchen area, I grabbed a blueberry yogurt and spoon. A sad feeling came over me as I stated eating the yogurt. I wasn’t sure why exactly. Sometimes I got this way at night when I was all alone in this tiny apartment. During the day it didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I liked this place during the day, but at night it felt lonely.
I plopped down in front of my computer that sat on the desk right below the window and next to the door. Of course, with such a tiny space, everything was crammed next to each other. There just wasn’t a lot of space for everything.
My computer screen lit up and I clicked on my email. I wanted to check my messages because I was expecting something from a detective back in Kentucky. My father had been murdered there years ago while working as a
police officer.
As I scrolled through so far there was nothing from the detective. I hoped to get something in the next few days. It might mean a trip to Kentucky. I’d been trying to track down my father’s murderer for a long time now. I had a feeling I was getting close.
A few more minutes on the computer and I decided it was time for bed. It had been a long day, what with being almost arrested at all. After shutting off my computer I went through my nightly routine of washing my face and brushing my teeth. I slipped into my sleep shorts and tank and then crawled under the sheet.
The air-conditioner in my place didn’t exactly put out the coldest air. I had to make do with the heat. I closed my eyes and willed myself to fall asleep. But it wasn’t happening. I tossed to the left and then I flipped to the right. There was just so much on my mind that I couldn’t stop thinking. A strange feeling clutched me that I couldn’t shake. I got out of bed, dragged the chair that I used for my desk over to the door and shoved it under the door knob. I had two locks on the door, but I could never be too safe. I had my gun, but I’d rather not have to use it.
I hurried back over to the bed as if there was a monster underneath and it would pop out to get me at any moment. I had reverted back to six years old. Except there was no one to come to my aid now. It was all me. Nevertheless, I could handle myself. I was an adult now. Of course, that didn’t mean I didn’t have apprehension and nervousness, but I would take care of things if need be.
Settling back down, I left the sheet off this time and again tried to drift off into dreamland. I even tried counting sheep, but then my mind went to things like peppermint candies and knitting needles.
My eyelids had just started to get droopy when my phone rang. I jumped up and hurried over to retrieve the phone that I’d left on the desk. The number was listed as unknown. That was odd. Maybe it was just a wrong number. I contemplated not answering and letting it go to voicemail. But what if it was Jake?