“It’s from . . . him.” She reached over and picked up the sheet that had fallen to the floor. Wordlessly, she handed it to Nick. She watched as his eyes went stormy.
He stared at her with a fierce protectiveness. Something stirred inside her. A calm washed over her. She wouldn’t have to face this alone.
She had Nick.
She pulled in a cleansing yoga breath and expelled it slowly. She glanced over and smiled weakly at her aunt and Essie, still hovering in the doorway.
“I’m fine. But we’ve really got to start locking our doors.”
Nick observed that Callie’s eyes were almost back to normal. Some color returned. He stood and pulled her to her feet.
“Don’t touch anything. Let’s go to Miz C’s sitting room and call the police.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He stroked her hair in a soothing motion, all the while fighting the bile that churned in fury inside him.
Who left the note? He was well versed in the Lipstick Larry murders. He’d followed them as he did any unusual crime, always sifting for details that he might one day incorporate into one of his novels. He’d scoured the news stories even more closely when he’d Googled Callie. No other similar murders had occurred since he was taken into custody.
But the note said Larry was still out there. And he had his eye on Callie. Nick remembered reading one article that said the man charged with her attack and the brutal series of murders of the girls that favored Callie denied his involvement with anything other than his stalking and attack on her.
Could he be telling the truth?
Nick guided Callie down the hallway. He had sat many a time in this room over the last three years as Miz C talked about the old days. He loved listening to her stories about Aurora’s past and all the changes she’d seen in her lifetime. The old lady had become a good friend to him. She helped him begin to mend and create a new, more normal life.
He led Callie to a floral love seat. As she sat down, Nick heard gravel crunching outside. It hit him that Eric must be bringing Gretchen home from the barbeque. He gave her hand a squeeze.
“I’ll be right back.” He hurried from the room, wanting to catch Eric before he left.
As he hit the bottom of the stairs, he stumbled and caught himself. He flicked on a nearby light switch, only to have his stomach turn inside out.
Callie’s fluffy white dog lay on the marble entryway, his throat slashed. Nick remembered how friendly the dog had been. Despite his guard-like stature, the pooch probably never met a stranger.
He opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. He spied Eric and Gretchen and didn’t hesitate to interrupt them.
“We could use a little help in here.”
The kissing couple pulled apart quickly. Both heads turned at the same time. He motioned them up to the porch. As they hurried up the walk, Gretchen broke into a trot.
“Callie?” she called out worriedly.
He nodded. “Wait.” He reached out to stop her from rushing inside.
Nick glanced from his cousin to Gretchen. “Callie’s fine, but she’s had a fright. We were about to call the police when you arrived.” He took a deep breath. “Lipstick Larry left her a note in her bedroom.”
Gretchen gasped, her hand going to her throat. “How did he escape?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think he had to. Come on up. Callie needs a good looking over. And then we need to talk about this.” He stopped before he opened the door.
“Prepare yourself. Wolf is right inside. It isn’t pretty.”
The trio met Essie sitting on the floor next to the still dog, stroking his fur, shaking her head.
“I’m puttin’ on tea and coffee. I suspect we’ll be wanting both.” She bit her lip. “Mr. Eric, you call somebody to come get Wolf here so’s I can clean up the floor. I don’t want Miss Callie seeing her baby this way.”
Eric was already lifting his cell phone from his belt to call the station. Those gathered waited as he spat out instructions before they continued upstairs to the sitting room.
Gretchen flew to Callie’s side, immediately grabbing her wrist to check her pulse.
“It’s fast.” She did a quick once-over and seemed satisfied. She sat down next to Callie on the love seat. “Try to take some yoga breaths.”
She did as Gretchen instructed. She leaned back into the sofa’s cushions and closed her eyes, not wanting to think about everything but knowing she needed to confront things head on. She’d never wimped out before. She wasn’t going to start now, especially with all the support around her. She braced herself and opened her eyes.
“Better?” Eric asked. When she nodded, he said, “Tell me everything. Don’t leave out any detail. You never know what’s important.
“I went up to my room. There was a light on. I assumed Essie left it on. Maybe. I’m not sure now.”
“She did,” her aunt confirmed. “She said she would as she left my room after she settled me for the night.”
“Okay. Good to know. Anyway, I walked in and spied a rose lying on my pillow. I couldn’t imagine why Essie would leave it there and not place it in a vase. It seemed so . . . odd. I went and picked it up.
“That’s when I noticed the envelope.”
She bit her lip to stop its trembling. Nick came and perched on the arm of the sofa. He gently massaged the back of her neck. Some of the tension eased.
She continued, ignoring the questioning glance Gretchen threw her way. “No name was on the front. It was unsealed.” She watched Eric and Nick exchange a look. “I removed the sheet of paper inside and unfolded it.”
Nick’s arm went around her shoulder. She drew strength from that. “I opened it. It was addressed to Jessica.”
The room grew unnaturally quiet. She broke the silence.
“It was from Lipstick Larry. It said something like it was from the real Larry and not the fool I’d encountered.”
She reached up to her shoulder. Nick covered her hand with his.
“We left the note on the floor,” he told Eric. “Obviously, Callie touched it. She handed it to me, so my prints are on it, as well. We left after that. I didn’t want anything disturbed. There could even be something else he left behind in the room that we didn’t see.”
“I’m going to go do a preliminary once-over in Callie’s bedroom,” Eric said. “I’ll have two men here in a few minutes. I want all y’all to stay put. I’m also going to check over the rest of the house before they get here.”
“Essie!” Callie cried out. “She’s downstairs. What if he’s still—”
“I doubt it,” Eric reassured her. “You would’ve known if he’d stayed around. I’m just looking for an open window. That kind of thing. How he got in.”
Nick spoke up. “The back door to the kitchen was unlocked tonight. Callie went in that way when we came home. I don’t know if anything else is unlocked.”
Gretchen’s eyebrows shot up as she looked from Callie to Nick and back again. Callie sensed a guilty blush creep up her neck.
“Stay here, everybody,” Eric reiterated. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Gretchen stood. “Miz C, would you mind if I took your blood pressure and pulse? You look a little peaked.” She walked over to her hostess.
“Why, certainly, dear. I’m all right, though. Just a little worn out by all this excitement.”
Nick slipped across Callie and sat next to her. She grasped his hands tightly.
“Miz C, I think it’s about time you not only started locking up, but you need to look into an alarm system.”
“Oh, dear. That sounds complicated, Nick. And who in Aurora would install such a thing? I suppose we’ll have to go into New Orleans for that.”
“I’ll take care of it in t
he morning. I’m sure Eric can help us put a rush on things.”
“I’m sorry, Aunt C. I don’t want you or Essie in any danger. Maybe I should go back to New York. They had me under—”
“No,” Nick cut in. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
Gretchen shot Callie a satisfied smile. The redhead then looked over at Nick. “I agree. We need to find out what’s going on here before she goes traipsing off.”
“Traipsing?” Callie laughed. “I think a little Southern is creeping into you, Gretchen.”
The nurse nodded. “I do like it here. Not the heat. And the humidity is wreaking havoc with my hair. Other than that, this is a good place. Good people. Good food.” She paused a beat. “I could see staying here. Permanently.”
“Especially for the good men?” Callandra threw in, a teasing light in her eyes.
Gretchen flushed bright crimson to her roots. “Oh, hell,” she muttered. “Why not admit it?” She turned to Nick. “I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks. I am absolutely, one hundred and ten percent crazy in love with your silly cousin,” she proclaimed. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. One look at him would’ve done it, but when that lazy drawl slides out of those sexy lips, I am a goner. That and all the opening my doors and helping me from the car—it’s amazing. And don’t any of you go telling him. I don’t want to scare him off.”
Callandra patted Gretchen’s hand. “A Southern man is a true gentleman, Gretchen. He definitely knows how to treat a lady. And Eric has always been such a good boy. Nice looking, full of fun, very respectful. You can’t go wrong with our wonderful chief of police.”
Essie walked in carrying a tray, Eric following behind her, trying to smother a grin behind his hand. Callie wondered just how long he’d been standing there. Essie poured out coffee and tea for everyone as Eric spoke.
“Everything else was secure, so our perp must’ve come in that open back door.”
“Miz C has agreed to let me arrange for an alarm system to be installed first thing tomorrow,” Nick shared.
Eric nodded, pleased. “That’s a terrific idea, Miz C. I have a buddy from college who has his own place over to New Orleans. He does good work, and his rates are reasonable.”
“Then give Nick the information, dear.” She sighed. “I suppose it’s something I should have done a long time ago.”
Eric took a sip of his coffee as the doorbell rang. “That’ll be my boys. Nick, if you’ll let them in? Cal, I’d like to do a formal interview with you now.”
He stood as Nick left the room. “Ladies, if you’ll stay here and out of harm’s way, we’ll be about our business. In fact, if you’d like to go back to bed, Miz C, I won’t be needing to talk to you anymore tonight. I’ll pick your brain tomorrow after you’ve gotten some rest.”
“I don’t know what I could contribute, Eric. Both Essie and I went to bed quite early tonight.”
He patted her shoulder. “You never know, Miz C. Sometimes it’s the little things that we tend to overlook that help us catch a break in a case. I’ll swing by tomorrow morning and visit with you and Essie together.”
“I’ll take you to your room and get you settled, Miz C,” Gretchen volunteered, guiding the old woman through the door to her bedroom on one side as Essie took the other.
Callie stood. “We could go downstairs, Eric.”
“Sure thing, honey. Why don’t we take the back stairs and go sit in the kitchen?” He let her lead the way.
She noticed the entire bottom floor was brightly lit as she entered the kitchen. She could hear the low murmur of voices coming from the front part of the house. She sat at the oval oak table in the breakfast nook, smoothing her hand across the crocheted place mat in front of her.
Eric joined her and pulled out a pad and pen. He studied her a moment. “Before we get started, Cal, there’s something you need to know.” He hesitated.
“No,” she whispered. Without him voicing it, she instantly knew. Wolf hadn’t been in her room. And when they’d gone down to her aunt’s sitting room, the dog hadn’t appeared. That meant something had happened to him.
“Is he . . . gone?”
Eric nodded.
“Can I see him?”
“No,” he said firmly. “That wouldn’t be a good idea. I’ve taken care of Wolf.”
She swallowed hard, a lump filling her throat. “That sick bastard,” she got out. “He hurt my baby. Oh, God. Wolf.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she angrily brushed them away. She would mourn in private for her dog later. Right now, she needed to help her friend do everything he could to find this piece of shit.
She nodded at him, her resolve firm. “Let’s start. Ask away.”
“I’ll need a timeline, Cal. Everything from the moment you left Pam’s till you found the letter.” He gave her a crooked smile. “Since there seems to be a bit of a gap, I’ll need to know where you were and whom you were with.”
She swept back her hair and then crossed her arms. “I was with Nick the entire time. We came the long way home. There was a block party going on, so we went around by the park.”
She leaned forward, her elbows on the table, her fingers folded together, under her chin.
“We sat in the car for a while. Then we . . . had words. I got out and came around to the front door. I’d stomped off without my purse, and the door was locked, so I went back to get it.”
She sighed. “Nick . . . persuaded me to come into the cottage to talk.” She noticed Eric fighting a smile. She shrugged. “All you’re getting out of me, Eric La Rue, is that we spent some time making up.”
He nodded sagely. “Making up is fun to do.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, we were probably together at couple of hours at the cottage before he walked me home. The back door was closer, so I came in that way and went straight up to my room. You know the rest.”
He scribbled a few notes down and rested the pen atop his notepad. “I’ll need to contact NYPD, Cal. They may have someone come down here and check things out. Now it could be some crackpot, for all we know. Nothing to do with this Lipstick Larry fellow. But I’m sure you’re aware that the guy they have in custody has been making noises about how he didn’t kill anyone.”
“I know. The D.A.’s office told me they were going to try him first on the charges of my attack. Then they were going to go on to the murders, which would give them more time to prepare.”
“That’s still a good strategy. Especially if he’s only involved in your case. That would put him away and keep him away so you wouldn’t have to worry about him. But we have to give some credence to the nut who wrote this note to you.” Eric ran a hand through his hair. “He could be a nobody who wants to believe he’s Lipstick Larry.”
“Or he could be the real deal,” she said. “Either way, someone out there will probably pay me another visit.”
“I’ll put a man on the house immediately,” Eric assured her. “And I don’t want you going anywhere alone.”
“She won’t,” Nick said from the doorway. “As of this moment, Callie and I are Siamese twins.”
Chapter 22
Nick’s eyes sprang open at the creak in the hall. He slipped his hand underneath the pillow and rolled silently from the bed, gun in hand, and cracked open the door.
It was Essie coming down the hall. She carried a tray with coffee, toast, and a magnolia swimming in a small glass bowl. The morning newspaper was tucked under her arm. He slipped into the corridor and closed the door behind him, tucking the gun into the back of his waistband.
“Good morning, Mr. Nick,” she whispered. “I’m just bringing Miz Callandra her breakfast. She wakes pretty early, you know. Even with all those goings-on last night, she’ll be wanting her sports page and Dear Abby like usual.”
He took t
he tray and paper from the cook. “I’ll take it to her, Essie. I want to visit with her a spell.”
Essie shot him a mischievous look. “You know she don’t succumb to sweet talk, Mr. Nick. I’d give it to her straight up, like a good soldier.”
He raised his brows. “And just what is it you think I’m going to talk to her about, Essie?”
She clucked her tongue. “Miss Callie’s an early riser, too. I expect you got about ten minutes ‘fore she starts stirring.”
He winked at her and continued down the hall. He tapped gently on the door before he entered. He found Callandra Chennault seated in her wheelchair already, staring out her window.
“Morning, Miz C,” he drawled. “Got your breakfast here. I’m sure the Saints are gonna lose that pre-season game tonight, so you can head straight to the funnies.”
“Set the tray here.” She returned her troubled gaze to the front lawn. He spotted the squad car in the drive.
“He’s here for Callie’s protection, Miz C.”
“Much good that’ll do if I can’t remember to lock a damn door and keep a madman out,” she snapped.
Nick rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You’ve never had cause to be safety conscious before. No one could’ve predicted this would happen. Not with the arrest and Callie’s ID of her attacker.”
Callandra dabbed her eyes with a lace handkerchief. “But she was doing so much better. She was learning to relax again. Now all this.” She lifted saddened eyes. “I was able to help her heal once, long ago. But I can’t protect her from . . . this monster.”
He sat opposite her. “We’ll do everything to keep her safe. Eric’s contacted NYPD. One of his patrolmen will be right outside at all times. And she’s got me.”
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