by Boone, Lisa
A few seconds later, Jamie crawled up over the top of the booth while the two men laughed.
Madison caught Sarah’s sad expression as Jamie slunk out into the night. She stood on her tiptoes and signaled to her sister.
“What’s with you and that guy you were just talking to?” she asked when Sarah approached.
“Nothing, he was just pestering me about something.” Her blue eyes lit up. “So, how was the date?”
Madison tilted her head to the side as she watched Jamie linger around outside the window. “Wonderful,” she said distractedly.
Sarah frowned. “It doesn’t sound like it by the tone of your voice. What went wrong?”
“Nothing. It was perfect. Well, except for a client’s husband deciding to make his unhappiness with his divorce known.”
“Oh no.”
“Speaking of which, if you see any balding men with big round glasses hanging around outside our apartment, do let me know.”
“Will do,” Sarah said, starting to turn away.
Madison grabbed her sister by the arm. ‘Hey, wait a second.”
“Maddy,” she said in with an amused laugh, “I’m working.”
“This will only take a second. Are you mad at me?”
“No, of course not,” Sarah said still smiling. “Why?”
“You slammed the door when you left today.”
“I did?”
“Then there was the dress you picked out.”
Sarah looked down at Madison’s dress. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing, but when I finished drying my hair, I found it hanging back in the closet. I was just wondering why you put it back.”
Sarah’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t hang your dress back up.”
Madison bit her lip. “You didn’t?”
“No, of course not.”
“You have been awfully absentminded lately,” she reminded her sister gently.
Sarah’s forehead furrowed in response as a wary look came into her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You left the stove on the other day. I came out of the bedroom and—”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. The fire alarm went off while I was in the shower.”
A look of panic entered Sarah’s eyes. Madison rushed to reassure her. “Nothing was damaged. Well, except the pan that was on the stove.”
“Why didn’t you say something then?”
“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” she said mildly.
“Madison, I didn’t leave the stove on the other day and I didn’t put your dress back up tonight.”
Madison tilted her head to the side as a worried knot began to grow in her stomach. “Then who did?”
“I don’t know.” Sarah took a deep breath and smiled reassuringly. “You were excited about your date. Maybe you put it back without thinking.”
Madison felt her hands clench into fists. Someone had been in her apartment. While she was drying her hair, someone had walked into her bedroom and messed with her things. If Sarah was to be believed, it hadn’t been the first time. “I think we should change our locks.”
“Why would someone break in just to straighten up your bedroom?” Sarah asked with a nervous laugh.
The bell at the door jangled and Madison felt a gust of cold air hit her back. She looked over her shoulder. Jamie stood in the doorway. He took one look at the men at the booth and stepped back outside.
Madison and Sarah watched through the bay window as Jamie blew into his hands while walking to the lamppost a few feet away. Once there, he leaned a shoulder against the post and clutched his worn leather coat closer to his body.
Sarah reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of dollars, which she then handed to the bartender. Less than a minute later, she returned with a to-go cup filled with coffee. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. You must have just forgotten and put the dress up,” she said as she passed her sister.
Madison touched Sarah’s arm. “What are you doing?”
Sarah nodded to the lone figure by the lamppost. “He’s cold.”
Madison bit her lip in concern. “Sarah, what were you two arguing about a few minutes ago?”
“I told you. It was nothing,” Sarah began before blowing out her breath. “He’s being a bit possessive.”
“Possessive?” Madison asked sharply.
“It’s okay. He’s just concerned about me.”
Warning bells started to go off in Madison’s head. “Why?”
“Because he doesn’t want me walking home alone either,” Sarah said with a grin. “Don’t worry. He’s harmless.”
“Remember that squirrel you took in when you were ten? You said he was harmless too.”
“He was.”
“He had rabies.”
“Oh, he did not. He was sweet.”
“Uncle Jack had to get stitches and a couple of shots. One of these days, one of your pets is going to bite you.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly.” She held up the to-go cup. “This is getting cold. I’ll be right back.”
Madison leaned against the bar and waited until her sister returned. She glanced over her shoulder at the TV set.
A picture of a large man in his sixties with ink black hair and a weather beaten haggard face stared back at her.
Her lips parted in recognition. She motioned to the bartender. “Can you turn that up, please?”
“It’s getting cold outside,” Sarah said from behind her as she returned from outside. “I hope we get snow for Christmas.”
Madison watched as the nightly news anchor replaced the picture of Quincy Sullivan.
“Hey, isn’t that the detective you guys used to use before you hired Ethan?” Sarah asked. “I liked him. He was so funny.”
Madison nodded absentminded as she tried to focus on what the news anchor was saying. All she could make out over the noise in the bar and Sarah’s chatter was that the giant crumbling building behind the reporter had been abandoned for years, and was now in the process of being condemned.
“Why did you all switch from him to Ethan?” Sarah asked.
“Quincy picked up and left. Retired or something. He must be back in town.”
“That’s nice,” Sarah said as she returned to her duties.
The bartender stepped in front her holding out a phone. “Hey, Madison, they asked for you.”
“For me?” she asked in surprise as she took the phone. Keeping one eye on the TV screen, she said, “Hello.”
There was no response.
“Hello?” This time, however, she thought she heard something.
Suddenly, a man’s ragged heavy breathing came through the line loud and clear.
The man let out a long and painful gasp and then the word, “Nine” before going deathly quiet.
“Who is this?” she demanded. “How did you know I was here?”
There was a resounding click as the line disconnected. Unnerved, she handed the phone back to the bartender.
CHAPTER FIVE
EIGHT
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24TH
4:47 P.M.
Spotting a suddenly empty bench next to the Santa’s Village located in the center of the mall, Madison hurried over and slid into the seat before anyone else could nab it. She set the shopping bags she was carrying next to the bench before reaching for her phone and navigating to her email.
Three shopping bags hit the ground next to her feet.
Sarah balled her hands on her hips and looked down at her sister in exasperation. “What are you doing? It’s Christmas. Can’t you take a break from your phone for one minute?”
“What do you think I’ve been doing? We’ve been shopping for hours.”
“I’ve been shopping. You’ve been complaining.”
“Speaking of which, are we done yet?”
Sarah smiled as she gently chided her sister. “Don’t be silly.” She reached into the pocket of her p
retty pink suede coat and brought out her list. “There’s still Grandpa and my friend Hannah to buy for.”
“I thought you bought Hannah a sweater last week?”
“I did, but I realized it was all wrong for her.”
Madison’s eyes narrowed. “You kept it for yourself, didn’t you?”
Sarah stuffed the piece of paper back into her pocket. “I refuse to answer that.” She sat down next to her sister. “Why are you in such a mood today? I figured you’d be over the moon today after your date with Ethan.”
“I was. I mean, I am.” She sighed in frustration as she began typing out an email. She should be dancing through the mall right now, but between Paul Harris’ little meeting, the strange phone calls and Quincy’s picture being plastered across the nightly news, her giddiness was somewhat dimmed.
“Who are you texting?”
“I’m not texting. I’m emailing.”
“Thank you. That’s an important distinction. Who are you emailing?”
“Quincy Sullivan.” She hit send. “Now I’m sending one to Ethan.”
“Oooh. Madison’s in love,” Sarah cooed as she sat down next to Madison. Smiling, she linked her arm through Madison’s arm and looked down at the email. Her smile fell as she read the text. “That doesn’t sound very romantic.”
“It’s not meant to be. I want him to find Quincy for me.”
“Why?”
“You know those weird phone calls I’ve been getting?” At Sarah’s nod, she added, “I’ve been thinking about it all night. I’m not quite sure—the guy was breathing so hard—but I think it might be Quincy whose been calling me.”
“Why would he be calling you just to say a number and hang up?”
“I have no idea.”
“Didn’t you used to say that Quincy was a practical joker? Maybe this is his way of telling you he’s back in town.”
Madison grimaced. “These phone calls are weird and creepy. Quincy was not weird and creepy.”
Sarah’s arm tightened around her sister. “Don’t worry. To tell you the truth, I actually feel a bit relieved.”
Madison turned from her email to stare at her sister. “Why?”
“Quincy was a really good friend, wasn’t he?”
“I worked with Quincy. I liked him but I don’t know if I would call him a really good friend.”
“You trusted him, didn’t you?”
Madison nodded. “Yeah, of course. He was a good man.”
“Well, there you go. If he’s the one calling—”
“I said he might be the person calling. I wouldn’t swear to it.”
“Well, this isn’t a court of law so you don’t have to. Considering the fact that you barely slept last night—”
“How do you know?”
“I could hear you moving about the apartment all night last night.”
“You’re imagining things,” Madison said returning to her email. “I wasn’t moving around all night.”
“Are you saying you slept well?”
“No, I’m not saying that, but I wasn’t up and down all night.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever. The point is, you’ve obviously put a lot of thought to it and you recognized the voice as Quincy’s. Since you trust him and he’s a good man, I sincerely doubt he’s trying to hurt you. Like you said, he’s just playing a joke on you or something. Nothing to worry about.” She released Madison’s arm and stood up. “Actually, I feel much better about it now.”
“Well, I’m glad one of us does.” Madison frowned. “I’m still having the locks changed after Christmas.”
“Fine,” Sarah said smoothing back her hair. “So, what are you going to get Ethan? You’re running out of time, you know.”
“I really don’t know. We’ve only known each other for a few months. I don’t want to scare him away by getting him something too big. Best to keep it casual at this point. After all, we’ve only had a few dates.”
“What do you mean by a few dates? Your first one was last night.”
Madison’s lips quirked up. “That depends on which one of us you ask.”
Sarah tilted her head as she gazed at her sister with a quizzical expression on her face. “Huh?”
“Never mind. I hate waiting until the last minute. I wish I had known he’d be celebrating Christmas with us earlier. I’d already have his gift picked out and wrapped by now.” Crossing her legs, she leaned back against the bench. “Maybe I’ll get him cuff links.”
Sarah gave Madison an exaggerated eye roll. “That sounds inspired.”
“What’s wrong with cufflinks?”
“Nothing,” Sarah said rising to her feet. “I’m sure Grandpa is going to love his, so why wouldn’t Ethan. What would be better is if you could give them the exact same cufflinks.”
Madison pursed her lips together.
Sarah widened her eyes. “Hey, you know what? Why stop at cufflinks, how about a tie too? I saw a couple of novelty ones in Macy’s that just scream romance. There’s one in particular that I noticed with a big giant heart running across the bottom. It would be perfect for Ethan. It says I love you, but if you want to go, then feel free. No pressure.”
“Is this your way of telling me I need to be more romantic?”
“Yes, please, for once in your life, try to turn off that brain of yours and feel. Stop overthinking this. Be passionate. Be spontaneous.” She planted her hands on her hips as she examined her sister closely. “Surely, law school didn’t kill off all of your passion.”
Madison hid a smile as she adopted a serious tone. “There’s a fine line between passion and crazy.” Planting both of her feet firmly on the ground and sitting up straighter, she wagged her finger at Sarah. “There’s been many a sexual harassment suit—”
Sarah tipped her head back and let out a groan eliciting a few stares from some passersby. When she dropped her head back down, she sighed mournfully. “I have the feeling I’m going to be the first one of us to get married.”
Madison held up her hand. “Whoa. Who said anything about marriage? Mr. Parker and I have only just—”
Sarah looked at her sister as if she was crazy. “Mr. Parker? Who are you kidding? You’re head over heels for him. You’ve talked non-stop about him for the last couple of months.” She flipped out one hand and then another. “Ethan this and Ethan that. I haven’t even met the man yet and I feel like I know him.”
“Still, marriage is a very serious step,” Madison said seriously. “Why I don’t even know what his feelings on prenuptial agreements are yet.”
Sarah buried her head in her hands.
Madison grinned at her younger sister as she leaned back against the bench. “I’m just playing with you. I have plenty of passion, I’ll have you know, but that doesn’t mean I should throw all common sense to the wind.”
Sarah’s brows drew together as she tilted her head to the side. “Do you not understand what the word passion means?”
“I just don’t want to scare him away.”
“You’re not going to. He obviously likes you.”
“Oh, how do you know?”
“I spoke to Becca the other day. She says that he’s in love with you.”
Madison sat up straighter. “And how does she know that exactly? Did she talk to him? Is that what he said?”
Sarah made a face. “What do you want? A signed affidavit? He likes you. Get him something that tells him that you care about him.”
Madison bit her lip. “Like what?”
“What does he like to do when he’s not working?”
“He likes movies. What about a gift card to a theater?”
Sarah hung her head. “No, Madison, just no.”
“Why not? That’s what I got for my birthday. I was happy with it.”
“Think romantically. What kind of music does he like?” She held up her index finger. “And don’t even think about a gift card to iTunes.”
Madison thought back to a night a month a
go when he drove her to meet a witness he had tracked down for one of her cases. “Rock music.”
“Any particular bands he’s fond of? You could get him concert tickets. Two in fact. Hopefully, he’d invite you to go along with him.”
“Bands…” Madison looked up as she tried to remember if there were any bands in particular that he seemed to like. “Nope, not that I noticed.”
“Okay, what other hobbies does he have?”
“He likes sailing. I know he has a sailboat. He loves animals. Horses, especially.”
“Does he own a horse?”
“No.”
“What about sports? Most men love sports.” Sarah suddenly lifted her hands to her head. “A hat!”
“I don’t think he wears hats.”
“No, I just thought of what I could get Hannah for Christmas. She’s going to Cancun on her honeymoon and just the other day she said she wanted to get one of those straw hats before she left. I saw the perfect one…” She glanced around with a frown, “somewhere.”
Madison’s phone vibrated in her hand. “Oh, it’s Ethan,” she said excitedly. Funny, how just seeing his name appear on her phone returned that happy giddy feeling she had the night before.
Sarah picked up her bags and pointed toward herself and towards a boutique a few stores away.
Clearing her throat, Madison nodded as she answered the phone. “Hello.” She winced at the oddly breathless tone that popped out of her mouth. She cleared her throat again, as Ethan’s deep voice came over the phone.
“Hello to you too,” he said. “Did you get home okay?”
“Of course.”
“No problems with Paul Harris?”
“None whatsoever. Did you expect me too?”
“Not at all.”
Madison groaned. “What did you do?”
“Nothing,” he said a touch too innocently. “I just kept an eye on him for a while. Were you aware that he lives a block from where you live?”
Madison’s eyes went wide. “No. Where?”
“He checked into the Waverly hotel three nights ago. The night clerk says he takes a lot of walks and he saw Harris sitting on a bench in that park outside your apartment when he drove into work the other night and then again last night.”