by Boone, Lisa
“Some bodyguard,” Keith said, trying to keep his voice light. “Hey, give me a few minutes to collect my things and I’ll give you a ride home.”
“Did your downstairs neighbor call you about a leak too?” Becca asked. “You just came back from a two hour lunch.”
“It was a working lunch, okay?” He gestured to the snow falling outside the window. “Besides, I’m getting out of here while the getting is good. I can work from home if necessary. Come on, Madison, I’ll be your protector and drive you home.”
Madison shook her head as she entered the elevator. “Thanks, Keith, but I’ll be fine.”
“Madison,” Becca chided gently, “remember that story I told you about my friend.”
“I haven’t forgotten. I’ve already called security and they’re going to walk me to my car. If Ethan calls tell him I’m on my way home.” She waved goodbye as she entered the elevator.
Keith reached out and held open the elevator door. “Are you sure you don’t want some company? Paul could…”
“The police are looking for him. I doubt he’s going to try anything right now. Don’t worry; I’ll be fine,” she said with a confident nod as the elevator doors closed. She sagged against the wall as the elevator carried her to the lobby where a security guard was waiting for her.
She smiled gratefully as he entered. “Seen Paul Harris today?”
Ted Franks, a burly six feet two, man with a head of white hair, shook his head. “Not today, but don’t worry, we’re watching for him.”
“That’s good to know,” she said as they exited the elevator and walked to her car.
She drove home almost in a daze as she thought about Quincy and about what he must have gone through. It was still so surreal. Paul Harris didn’t seem like a psychopath to her. He seemed like a jerk who would cheat on his wife with anyone in a skirt. Vanessa even called him a coward, yet he didn’t seem so cowardly to Madison when he confronted her a couple of days ago.
Her mind still focused on Paul, she automatically turned into the Waverly Hotel parking lot on her way home. The Waverly was a four story dingy little hotel that probably had been quite nice half a century ago, but it had now fallen into disrepair. Why did he decide to stay here? Was it because she lived only a block away?
A police car was parked under the green awning. Two police officers stood nearby staring up at the second floor as they talked to one another. She drove passed and pulled into the nearest parking spot. Placing the car in park, she followed their gaze to the second floor.
It took a while, but eventually she saw Detective Kim look out of one of the windows, and then a few seconds later, Paul came into view.
Good, she thought breathing a small sigh of relief. At least the police were questioning him and with any luck, he’s confessing and this nightmare will be over soon.
She started to put her car in reverse when she glanced down the street.
Her heart skipped a beat as the same dirty blue sedan she saw the night before turned down the street and passed the Waverly.
“If Paul’s up there talking to the police, who’s driving the car?” she muttered to herself. An accomplice, maybe? The helpful psychic that told the media where to find Quincy’s body?
She tried to get a glimpse of the driver as the car slowly rolled passed her, but like before, the dust and dirt on the windows prevented her from seeing anything more than a dark shape behind the wheel of the car.
She did notice that the car had a couple of new features as it drove away. A black trash bag covered its busted out rear window and one of its taillights appeared to be broken.
She turned her attention back to the Waverly just in time to see the cop car pull away from the curb and exit the parking lot. A few seconds later, Paul Harris emerged from the hotel with an angry scowl across his face. He made a right out of the building and took off down the street on foot.
Madison backed out of her parking spot and drove to her apartment quickly. She pulled into the parking garage and instead of taking the elevator to her apartment, stepped out and looked around.
She spotted the car instantly.
It was just sitting across the street near the entrance to the park.
Determined to see who the driver was, she hesitantly stepped off the curb and began to trudge toward the car, making sure to come in from behind. With any luck, she hoped, all of the dust and grime on the windows would prevent the driver from seeing her approach, she thought, pulling out the knit cap from her coat and pulling it down over her head.
She was only a few feet away from the car’s bumper when the car began to reverse slowly. She hopped back onto the curb hurriedly, as it continued to backup. She took a step back and then another. She was just about to turn and run inside when she felt her back collide with someone.
She whirled around, surprised to see Paul Harris down on the ground.
“What are you doing?” she asked, turning to look over her shoulder at the blue car.
“Me? I’m just trying to walk down the street. You are the one that ran into me.”
“Why are you in front of my building?”
He stood up, sneering as he shook the snow off his pants. “I told you. I was taking a walk.”
“In this weather?” she asked as the snow fell around them.
“Oh, you’re talking to me now? I thought you couldn’t talk to me. I thought it was unethical.”
“Yeah, but we’re not going to talk about the divorce, are we? So, I think it will be okay. Why are you here?”
Paul lifted his hands into the air. “Finally. At least you’re now willing actually to speak to me like another human being.”
“I asked you a question.”
“I think a better question is why you were in front of my building?” he asked as he advanced toward her. “Were you waiting for the police to haul me off in handcuffs? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Madison backed up a step and then stopped. She glanced back at the blue car waiting just a few feet away.
“I ought to have you arrested,” Paul said coming within inches of her face.
“For what?”
“Assault.” He gestured to the snow caked on his pant legs. “Here I was taking an innocent stroll down the street when you suddenly pushed me to the ground.” He pressed his hand to his back. “In fact, I think I may be seriously injured.”
Madison gritted her teeth. “I didn’t push you. I stepped back and you ran into me.”
Shaking his finger in the air, he stepped back. “You lawyers. You’re always twisting things around.”
Madison swung around slowly as he circled her. Her eyes flew open wide as the blue car’s engine revved.
“You know what?” he asked almost gleeful. “Perhaps I should forget the cops. Maybe I’ll just make a formal complaint to the bar. I’ll have your law license taken away. Ruin your life like you’re trying to ruin mine.” His round face broke out into a huge grin. “I think that would be fitting.” He grimaced in pain as he clutched his back. “Ow. You know I probably won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”
It came to her suddenly as she stared from Paul to the blue sedan that Paul didn’t kill Quincy and he wasn’t going to kill her. He was nothing more than a perpetual plaintiff, settling his scores by complaining to the courts. Realizing she had nothing to fear from Paul, she ignored him as she stared at the blue sedan.
“Are you even listening to me?” Paul asked as he stepped in front of her, blocking her view.
Madison angled her head to the side. If she could get the license plate, then maybe…
Paul yanked on her arm bringing her around to face him. Releasing her arm almost immediately, he held up his hands in surrender.
“Don’t touch me again,” Madison said, her eyes flashing.
“Look, sweetheart, I’m a nice guy, so I’m going to do you a favor. I’ll forget about this little incident on one condition. I want you to talk some sense into my wife.”
Madi
son crossed her arms. “First of all, I’m not your sweetheart. Second of all, your wife has made up her mind. Go ahead and call the police. Call the bar for all I care. Call whoever you want. It’s not going to make a bit of difference. If you want some helpful advice, you should go talk to your attorney. Hopefully she can talk some sense into you.” She glanced back towards the sedan.
“Who is that?” Paul asked, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sleeve. He squinted, trying to get a good look at the car. “Is that your boyfriend in there? Is he going to swoop in and save you from me?”
“No, he’s not. I have no idea who that is.”
Paul smiled brightly. “Well, I know who that is.”
She whipped her head back towards him. “Who?”
“He’s a witness. I bet he saw you push me down. Even if he didn’t, he’s watched you talk to me, which,”—he looked around conspiratorially as he lowered his voice—“is completely unethical by the way.”
“You are just not going to let that go, are you?” When he started to approach the car, she lightly touched his arm. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“Oh, you would like that, wouldn’t you?” He jerked his arm away before starting for the car. “Hey, Mister,” he called out as he neared the driver’s door.
The sedan pulled away from the curb and continued down the street while Paul waved his hands in the air, yelling stop.
Madison waited until the car had disappeared around the corner before she crossed the street.
“This isn’t over,” Paul shouted as she walked away. “Do yourself a favor, talk to my wife. Otherwise, I’ll call the bar. I’ll tell them that you assaulted me. You’ll lose your license.”
Madison pulled her card out of her purse and inserted it into the lock. As soon as the door closed behind her, she dashed up her stairs.
Madison glanced up with a frown as the sound of classical music filling the hallway greeted her.
She hurried down the hallway, surprised to find the door to her apartment wide open. Anxious to turn off the music, she rushed inside. However, once in her apartment, her attention shifted immediately to the kitchen and the water that was spilling over the sink and cascading down the cabinet to the floor.
“Sarah!” she called out as she raced toward the sink and shut off the faucet. She ignored the puddle of water on the floor and walked into the living room.
Her mouth fell open as she looked around. Scattered around the room were the remains of the Christmas decorations they had put up. Her gaze flew to the corner of the room where the Christmas tree had been. The only thing that remained was their gold embroidered tree skirt. In the center was the shattered frame Becca had given her for her birthday and the torn scraps of Ethan’s picture.
She slapped her hand against the CD player, shutting off the music and whirled around.
“Sarah!”
There was no answer.
She started for her sister’s room but jerked to a stop.
In the center of the door was a giant red number six.
A sense of dread began to fill her as she pushed open her sister’s bedroom door.
She picked up the cordless phone in her sister’s bedroom and dialed nine one one.
She swung her attention to the door as the sound of boots hitting the hardwood floor echoed through the apartment.
She froze in fear as her heart started hammering against her chest.
He was inside the apartment.
He was coming for her.
She dropped the cordless phone to the floor and looked around the room in a panic, frantically searching for a weapon to use. Spotting the cane Sarah had used a few months before, standing in the corner of the room, she leapt for it before dashing behind the door. She wrapped her fingers around the end of the cane, waited behind the door as the footsteps came closer, and then stopped just outside of the bedroom.
Hoping that surprise was on her side, Madison slammed the door against the intruder and raised the cane above her head.
Sarah fell against the wall with a strangled cry. “Madison!” she yelled as she protectively covered her head with her arms.
Madison jerked the cane back. Relieved, she lowered the cane to the floor and took a couple of calming breaths.
Sarah climbed to her feet and took a cautious step forward. “What is going on?”
Madison pulled her sister into a hug. “I thought he had you. Where were you?”
“At work.” Sarah leaned back. “Why is there water on the floor and what happened to the Christmas tree?”
“I don’t know.” She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I called the police but I dropped the phone. Do you see it?” She swept her hair over to one side as she bent over, searching for the phone. “I walked in and the music was playing. The water was running—”
“Madison,” Sarah interrupted, her voice strained as her gaze swept along the floor.
Madison paused in her search to look up at her sister. “What?”
Sarah’s brow furrowed in concern. “Where’s Rory?”
Madison’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t know.”
The next thing they heard was the sound of someone screaming from outside.
They rushed to the window and looked out.
Paul Harris’ body lay, unmoving, in the middle of the street.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
5:15 P.M.
Madison stood in the lobby of her apartment building staring out the window as the police finished their investigation outside.
Sarah stood next to her wiping away tears. “What do you think happened to Rory?”
Madison ran her hand down her sister’s back. “Sarah, sweetie, I’m sure he’s fine.”
Sarah looked at her as if she was crazy. She sat down on the couch near the front door with a faraway look in her eyes. “Rory’s only a few months old. How could someone just take him like this?”
“He may not have been stolen.”
“Whoever did this,” Sarah said, tearfully gesturing to the police walking around, “must have taken him too.”
“We don’t know that. The door was wide open when I arrived. It’s possible that Rory ran outside. Let’s just try to think positively.”
Sarah shook her head. “The blood on the door…”
“It wasn’t blood.”
“Are you sure?”
“Detective Kim said that it was ketchup.” She looked back at Sarah as the younger girl slipped a pair of gloves and a knit cap out of her coat. “Where are you going?”
“The temperature’s dropping,” Sarah said, pushing the door open. “If you’re right and he got out, he’ll freeze to death tonight.”
“Sarah wait,” Madison yelled out as Sarah trudged through the snow. She started to open the door and run after her sister but stopped when Detective Kim stepped out of the elevator and called her name. He looked around the lobby. “Where did your sister go to?”
“She’s out there looking for her dog.”
“Do you have a safe place to stay tonight?”
She glanced up at the ceiling. “I guess this place is out of the question.”
“I think it would be best if you found someplace else.”
“Do you have any leads? Anything at all?”
“Not yet.”
“At least we can now rule Paul out.”
“We already did before he was murdered.”
“Why?
“Paul Harris was in a residential treatment facility two hundred miles away the entire months of August and September. There’s no way he could have killed Quincy. Now, what can you tell me about Paul’s wife?”
Madison’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “My client?” She crossed her arms. “Vanessa didn’t kill Paul.”
Detective Kim rubbed a hand across his jaw. “It wouldn’t be the first time a spouse went after her ex. There have even been cases where they’ve gone after the attorneys involved in the divorce.”
“Except in this case, I�
�m her attorney and she has absolutely no reason to come after me. She’s also not even in the state. She’s cruising the Caribbean as we speak.” She turned back to the window. “It’s someone else.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. I’m worried about my friend Ethan. Last time I saw him, he told me he was going to take Quincy’s things to you. Did he?”
The detective looked at his watch. “He left the police station about three hours ago.” At her crestfallen expression, his face softened. “He mentioned that he was going to nose around the old sanitarium where they found Quincy’s body.” He looked back at his notebook. “I don’t know what he thinks he’ll be able to find that we couldn’t.”
“I would figure you guys would have that blocked off.”
“We did. Ethan’s supposed to restrict his activities to the surrounding area. Not that there’s much to see. The sanitarium’s out in the middle of nowhere. I’m sure he’ll show up soon.” He placed his notebook back in his pocket. “We’re going to be here awhile. Where are you planning on staying?”
She lifted a hand to her head. “I don’t know. Possibly my grandfather’s in Winchester, but I’m not making any decisions until my sister comes back.”
“I understand.” He glanced outside with a grimace. “If I were you, I’d make a decision quick. The roads are getting pretty dangerous. They’re expecting over a foot of snow tonight.”
“Looks like Grandpa was off by a day,” she muttered under breath.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. Thank you, Detective, but I’m just going to wait here in the lobby until Sarah arrives.” She glanced towards the window and the growing pile of snow just outside the door. “I have a friend who lives near here. I’m sure she’d put us up for the night. When will you be done going over my apartment?”
He glanced out the door. “It’s really hard to say. It looks like it’s going to be really bad tonight.”
Madison nodded in agreement as the detective pushed the front door open.
She moved to the couch, trying to stay out of the way as crime scene investigators drifted in and out. She kept most of her focus on the front door, but occasionally her attention would drift towards the side window and the park across the street.