by Rose Pressey
I motioned toward the door, letting Dorothy know I was about to open the door. Slowly I inched open the door. The couple were on the sofa with their lips locked. I slipped down to the floor and gestured for Dorothy to do the same. Kevan and his friend still hadn’t stopped long enough to see us. I kept my gaze focused on them while Dorothy and I crawled across the floor toward the door. It was filthy down here. I needed a shower after this. Thank goodness we made it to the door. I reached up and grabbed the doorknob. Holding my breath, I twisted and pushed open the door. Dorothy and I had escaped. Freedom at last!
“That was a close one,” Dorothy said breathlessly as we rushed toward the car.
Chapter 17
I’d given the note to Jake, but he said they’d still need to locate the murder weapon or secure a confession. A confession? Was that all he needed? No problem. Well, kind of no problem. In the meantime, I’d looked over the surveillance video again. The man I’d seen with Penelope was actually Roland Bailey. Okay, I wasn’t sure of that, but based on his large stature, I had my suspicions.
Yes, the Roland Bailey from the surf shop where we were taking the surf lessons. Needless to say, that definitely give him the opportunity for murder. He had moved way to the top of my list of suspects. Now I needed to talk with him. We didn’t have a surf lesson today, but this couldn’t wait until then. I had to go there right away.
“Okay, Maggie, we’re going to do this before we get in there. This time we’re going to have a plan. We can’t just go willy-nilly asking questions.” She waved her hand.
“Oh, is that right?” I said. “So what’s your plan?”
“Well… good question. Okay, so I don’t have a plan,” she said. “But we need to think of one before we go in there.”
Cranking the engine and pulling out onto the road, I headed in the direction of the surf shop. “We can discuss this on the way.”
“All right, but just don’t let us go in there without a plan.”
“Got it,” I said, turning left at the light. “We could do the simple thing.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Tell him the truth. That I’m a private investigator looking into this murder and I want to ask him questions.”
“Just as easy as that?” she said.
“Just as easy as that.” I snapped my fingers.
“I suppose the other way hasn’t been working so well. We could give it a shot,” Dorothy said.
“I think it’s best,” I said.
Soon I pulled into the parking lot and Dorothy and I got out of the car. We headed toward the shop. My confidence was high that this was going to work for once. I was just going to get to the point and ask the man the questions. I opened the door and stepped into the shop. Dorothy was right behind me. I didn’t see anyone around.
Roland wasn’t behind the counter like usual. It was just my luck he wouldn’t be here today. Someone had to be here and I would ask anyone who showed up questions. Forget the surfing lessons or any other ruse. The sound of squeaky footsteps came from the back room. I was relieved when Roland walked out from the back of the shop.
He looked at us and right away said, “The surf lessons aren’t today.”
“Yes, I’m aware, but we’re not here for surf lessons.”
“Well, what can I do for you?” he asked, looking at me suspiciously.
I had a feeling he wasn’t going to like where this conversation was headed, but I marched over to the counter and prepared myself to ask the questions.
“Well, you know we’ve been coming here for lessons.”
I exchanged a look with Dorothy. She had that look that said, Oh, no, this isn’t going to end well.
“But I’m also a private investigator and I just have some questions for you about a murder that I am investigating. I found out that you might know the victim.”
His face turned red and fury flashed in his eyes. I wondered how fast I could get to the exit door while simultaneously shoving Dorothy outside with me. He didn’t speak so I knew it was up to me to keep this going.
“Would you answer a few questions for me?” I asked.
“I don’t know about any murder,” he said.
“Well, that’s the thing, you may think you don’t know, but there might be somebody who could possibly lead me to the killer. If you’d be so kind as to answer the questions it might help me a lot.”
This was the move that Jake called ‘good cop.’ Yes, I was using some of his tactics and I wouldn’t want him to find out about it.
“Fine, what do you want to know?” he asked with hostility in his voice.
“The murder victim is Henry Archer and I heard that you know him.”
“Who told you that?”
He didn’t deny it. That didn’t bring him down off the top of my list at all.
“So you do know him?” I asked.
“No, I’ve never met anyone by that name,” Roland said.
Maybe he didn’t even know Henry’s name.
“What about Penelope Clark?”
His expression changed. He knew Penelope. I could tell by the look on his face.
“Don’t know Penelope either.” His words were matter-of-fact.
I knew he was lying.
Roland moved from around the counter and I wondered if he was getting ready to attack us. His black flip-flops squeaked with each step. He picked up one of the surfboards. He seemed nonchalant about my question. However, he wasn’t offering to answer it. He reached over my head, like he was going to hang the surfboard. That was when it flipped from his hands and came crashing down on me. I fell to the ground with a thud.
Dorothy screamed out. “Are you all right, Maggie?”
Roland didn’t get in any hurry to pull the thing off of me either. I managed to throw myself out from under it. If I didn’t know better I’d say that he’d dropped it on me on purpose. Maybe this telling him the truth thing wasn’t such a good idea after all. Dorothy touched my arms, legs, and head, checking me over as if she was looking for any broken bones, cuts, or bruises.
“I’m fine. Just a little bit of the wind knocked out of me, that’s all.” I shot a dirty look at the man.
“Sorry about that,” he finally managed to say.
Did he think if he killed me I would stop asking questions? Okay, that was a reasonable assumption since I’d be dead. I would keep asking until he answered me. He could keep hitting me with that surfboard and I would still keep asking. Had he really released the board on purpose? Now I really was thinking he had done it on purpose.
“So about those questions,” I continued. “How do you know Penelope?”
“Look, I already talked to the cops.”
So Jake had been here asking about the murder. He hadn’t mentioned it to me.
“Well, I’m a private investigator who has been hired to solve this case, so I don’t care if you talked to the cops. I want an answer now.”
Dorothy’s eyes widened. Yeah, I couldn’t believe I’d said that either. Roland seemed shocked too. After all, he was much bigger than me. His face turned even redder. If he wasn’t careful he would pass out or have a stroke.
“I meet a lot of people here at the shop. Maybe she’s been in.”
“Can you tell me where you were at eight forty-five in the morning last Thursday?”
“I was right here in my shop.”
“Do you have any proof of that?” I asked.
“The alarm company can tell you what time I turned off the alarm,” he said.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t prove that you turned it off. What about the surveillance video? Did you turn it on?”
I should confront him with the video I’d recorded with my phone. That might be too much for right now. I didn’t want to spook him from talking too much.
“It’s not working.”
“How convenient,” Dorothy answered.
He glared at her. I didn’t like the way he was looking at her. There was something about this gu
y that rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps because he’d tossed a surfboard on me.
“Look, I got to get back to work. I don’t have any more answers for you. You’ll have to talk with my lawyer if you want to arrest me.”
What part of being a private investigator did this guy not understand? I couldn’t arrest him. I might have reason to have him arrested if he assaulted me with a surfboard again.
“We’ll be back for the surf lessons and with my questions,” I said.
I stared at him for a moment as if that was going to be some sort of intimidation for him. He didn’t act scared as he reciprocated with the same glare. I wasn’t scared of him either. Okay, maybe a little bit because he was bigger than me.
Chapter 18
It was kind of funny how people came into your life. One minute you were going along just fine and then bam, you met a gorgeous hunk of a man. Next, you couldn’t stop thinking about him. At times I couldn’t stop thinking of the kiss from Jake, and other times thinking about him just made me furious. Those were the times when I wanted nothing to do with him. Yes, that was how I felt about Jake.
Mostly, he made me angry. Well, the only reason why I was angry with him was because he felt I wasn’t a good private investigator. Okay, he hadn’t said as much, but I just got that feeling. It could be my own insecurities making me think that way, and he really didn’t feel bad at all. After all, he had kissed me. Now I didn’t know what to think. I was so confused about my emotions. I had better figure out something though because he was on his way into my office.
Jake stepped into the room and before either of us said a word Dorothy got up and walked right toward the door. Now Jake and I were alone. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I thought Jake was looking at me with longing in his eyes. However, he could possibly just hungry for lunch. His blue eyes practically had me mesmerized. I thought I was doing a good job of playing it cool though.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” she said with a wink.
She was just trying to embarrass me even more. Jake walked over to my desk and took a seat right in front of me.
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
This was so awkward. I didn’t know what to say. Should I just reach over the desk and kiss him right then and there? Was it getting hotter in here or was it just me? That sexy smile of his drove me crazy and his body… don’t even get me started with his body. I wanted to rip his clothes off…
“Maggie, are you listening to me?” he said. “So what do you think?”
I got carried away and now I had no idea what he’d asked.
“Absolutely, I’m going to continue this case. I was hired to solve the case and that’s what I’m going to do,” I said.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Actually, I was just asking if you’d like to go out to dinner with me tonight.” He looked at his watch. “I’m kind of getting hungry. Are you finished soon?”
I knew my face was red. That was what I got for daydreaming and not listening. Now I had to make a decision quickly. Should I say yes and go out to dinner with him and most likely end up in a situation that I’d regret because I’d be too occupied thinking about his gorgeous body? Or say no and focus on my work like I should? It was too early on in this agency for me to get distracted. But with the way he was staring at me I would have to give him an answer soon.
“There’s a new restaurant down the street I’ve been wanting to check out,” he said with a sexy curve of his lips.
That was it. I couldn’t say no to that. All he had to do was flash a smile.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to answer, my cell phone rang. Mere seconds later, his phone rang. We looked at each other and picked up our phones.
“Maggie, P.I.,” I said.
“Detective Jake Jackson.” His stare remained on me.
We watched each other as we listened to the other person on the other line.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” I said.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said.
Jake had almost said the same sentence.
We both hung up the phone, staring at each other.
“Something came up,” I said. “Actually, I have to go.”
“Yeah, something came up for me too,” he said.
Was this something that came up related to the case like it was for me? And if so, what was it? I really wanted to know if he had information that I didn’t. Solving this case was my top priority so that I could get paid for the job. They weren’t going to let me live in that apartment for free. I had bills to pay. Plus, I had my eye on a new handbag. It had a matching gun case for it as well, but I digress.
“Can I get a rain check?” he asked.
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.” I wrapped my hands around my car keys.
He glanced back at the door. I looked at it too. I was in a hurry to get out of here. He wanted to say something else.
“You want to tell me what that phone call was about? You get a call and now you have to leave?” he asked.
He wanted the details of my call? I wouldn’t tell him if he wasn’t going to tell me about his call. We stared at each other in a showdown. Jake was really stubborn, but not as stubborn as me.
I got up from behind my desk and grabbed my bag. “Yes, I suppose I should be taking off now. I will take that rain check. Just give me a call, okay?”
He stood and walked to the door. As he brushed by me I smelled his wonderful scent and my knees went weak. I stepped out into the warm sunshine with the breeze coming off the ocean, drifting across my skin. The next thing I knew, without saying a word, Jake grabbed me up. He planted his lips on mine. My eyelids fluttered shut as I melted into his arms. Instead of moving away, I pressed my body closer. A blaze of desire erupted through me. I really was about to collapse now. He was such a great kisser. Just when I thought my legs might give out on me he released me from the kiss and turned around. Acting completely cool and confident, he walked toward his car.
Momentarily a daze took over. Thank goodness after a second I snapped out of it. A simple kiss. That was all it was and nothing more. I guess I showed him. At least now Jake knew that I had ways of finding info about this case too. I wasn’t totally clueless. Seagulls swooped down toward my head. I shooed them away. Thank goodness Jake didn’t ask where I was going. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make up something believable. Dorothy was standing right there with her mouth hung open.
“Wow, now that was one hell of a kiss. Where do you think you’re going? Go after him.” She motioned.
“I have more important things to do right now.”
“Like what?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
I didn’t want to let Jake get out of there faster than me so I dashed for my car.
“Where are you going?” she asked. “That’s not the right way.”
“I have somewhere to go. Watch the office for me. I’ll be back soon,” I said, tossing my hand up in a wave.
I practically jumped into my car and cranked the engine. Jake was pulling out at the same time and we almost ran into each other. I managed to steer my little car around his big one and over to the exit. He hadn’t even pulled out onto the highway yet. When I glanced in the rearview mirror he was there. Dammit. Why was he right behind me? Was he following me? I thought he’d said he had somewhere to go? This wasn’t nice. When I made the right turn onto the highway, he followed along too. I should pull over and ask what he was doing.
I tried to speed up, but there was too much traffic—it made it difficult. When I switched a lane, he got into that same lane. I was so going to give him a piece of my mind when I got out of this car. If it wasn’t unsafe while driving I would text him right now and tell him to back off. When I looked back he wasn’t there anymore. Where had he gone? No matter how much I tried to look around I didn’t see him. He must have gotten off. Well, good for him, because it was a bad idea to continue following me. I could go on with my business and not have to worry about him. Though I
was still thinking about that kiss.
Chapter 19
A short time later, I turned onto the right street and looked for the house number. At least Jake was no longer following me. I still wondered what he was up to. It looked as if this house would be located at the end of the street. After counting down I arrived at three twenty-five. The house was a two-story white stucco. There was no car in the driveway. However, there was a car parked along the curb in front of the house. I recognized the car right away. I couldn’t believe what I saw. What was he doing here?
Jake was already there. So he was coming to the same place. Who had called him? It couldn’t have been Henry’s sister Angela. She’d been the one who called me. Since we were on the phone at the same time, it couldn’t have been her.
Jake was getting out of his car when I pulled up behind him. Our eyes met and he had a devilish grin on his face. How had he gotten here so quickly? Obviously he knew a shortcut. After all, I had only been in town for a short time. He thought he was so slick. I wasn’t going to let him go to the door without me.
I hurried out from behind the steering wheel and around to the driveway. I quickened my steps, practically running to catch up with him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I could ask the same of you,” he said as he walked up the path toward the front door.
“You know that I got the phone call too. See, I have skills.” I placed my hands on my hips.
“This is an official police investigation.”
“I am investigating too. Are you asking me to leave?”
He glanced over at me. “This could be dangerous.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I can handle myself.”
Jake had just placed a foot on the first step on his way to the front door when the shots pierced through the air. He grabbed me and shoved me behind a nearby bush, as if he was tossing a beach ball into the water. Next, he was back there with me. He pulled out his gun and I followed along, grabbing mine from its holder. Our eyes met and I was shocked at how cool and collected he seemed. We had no idea if the person firing the gun was still around and if they would shoot again once we came out from behind our hiding spot. Jake motioned, indicating that he was going to peek out.