by Dale Mayer
Back in his own place, he waited for Mercy to text him that she was ready. In his head though, he was making plans …
Chapter 11
Stepping from the shower, Mercy dressed quickly. She didn’t have much in the way of changes of clothes, but she put on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She’d had a decent day, although a hardworking day. She knew Michael would fight her about staying another night, but she wanted to. And, once she told Michael about the bloody sheet and a guest sleeping during the day, he’d understand too. These were some worrisome events, and they might find more clues related to the deaths of Sammy and Anna.
Speaking of which, she texted the detective as promised. Then turned her attention to her personal belongings. Not that she had many …
Deliberately Mercy left the last of her possessions packed in her bag and on the bed. Ready to grab if in a hurry. She didn’t want anybody to see her walking out with the bag on the off chance they were watching her. But she certainly was not one for hauling all her clothing around. With any luck she should be back tonight with no problems.
She locked her door behind her, went downstairs and outside. It was about six o’clock. She walked across to Michael’s apartment and knocked on his door. No answer. She frowned. She had said she would be here in a few minutes. She couldn’t imagine he’d go anywhere in the meantime. She stepped back and looked up toward his window and knocked a second time. Still no answer.
One of the security men came around the corner. He stopped when he saw her and frowned.
Hurriedly she asked, “Is Michael around?”
He shrugged. “The last I saw, he was over by the vehicles.”
She brightened. “Okay. That makes sense.” She quickly passed him, heading for the driveway and garage. She didn’t see Michael out front, neither did she see his truck anywhere close by. She pulled her phone from her purse and texted him.
Where are you?
There was no response. Disturbed, she spun around in a slow circle, looking for him. He had to be somewhere. He wouldn’t have left without her.
Feeling that horrible sense of unease coming back again, she turned to find a different security man. “I’m looking for Michael.”
He nodded and smiled. “He said he might ask you out for dinner tonight.”
She smiled. “Yes, he invited me, but I can’t find him.”
“He’s been doing errands all day, so he should be around.”
She glanced at Michael’s apartment. “I knocked, but he’s not there.”
He retreated a few steps, his hand on his hips.
She frowned and walked away. “I’ll try again. He’s probably in the shower.” Turning, she confirmed nobody was watching her this time. She raced back to his apartment. She pounded on the door hard. Still no answer, so she tried the doorknob and pushed it open. It wasn’t locked. She raced upstairs to another door. She pounded on that one too. When she didn’t get an answer, she tried the doorknob, but it was locked. So he was either locked inside, or someone had walked up behind him and … Under her breath she muttered, “Shit.”
She pulled out her phone and called him. It rang and rang.
Getting really worried now, she slowly made her way back downstairs, figuring out her options. Maybe ten minutes has passed. But obviously he’d either been sent somewhere or had taken an opportunity to find out something. Of course a more horrible sensation that something had happened to him wouldn’t let her go. She didn’t want to take her thoughts down that path. It was tough enough as it was. The last thing she wanted was to be constantly worried about where he was. Then again he said that’s how he felt about her.
She sat on the stairs between the two doors and waited. After a few more minutes she picked up the phone and called again. Still no answer. As she hung up, a text came through. It was from Michael. With relief she read his question,
Where are you?
Outside your apartment.
Be there in two.
She stayed put, hoping he meant it. When the bottom door opened, she jumped to her feet and raced to meet him. It was a sign of how nervous she’d been when she threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. “I was so worried about you. I texted you multiple times, phoned you several times, and nobody seemed to know anything.”
“I had to go on another errand. It took a little bit longer than I thought.”
She nodded. “I thought, when you asked me about dinner, you were off duty.”
He shrugged. “I was, but I am supposed to do what I’m told.”
She glanced around nervously and asked, “Can we leave now?”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to the side of the building. “We’ll take my truck and head into town.”
They passed several security men. She called out cheerfully, “I found him.”
No one said a word; they just watched as the couple walked past. He helped her into the passenger side of his truck, walked around it and got in. He turned on the engine, and, in silence, they drove through the gates.
She started to speak, but he held up a finger to his lips as if to silence her. He hit the button on the small remote in his pocket and did a quick sweep of the cab with his arm. When there was no sound, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“Sweeping the truck for bugs.”
He turned the machine off, dropped it beside him and said, “It’s all clear.”
She sank back in the seat. “I can’t believe you think like that all the time. How could you do this job as a career?”
“I used to do this. I’m out now. Except for this special case.”
She glanced at him. “I’m sure there’s more to the story than that.”
He shook his head. “Not really. I did a number of years in the US Navy. After an injury, I stepped out and didn’t return. The last year I have been ranching, generally doing physical jobs a long way from anybody.”
“Right. I guess that makes sense.”
“I’m only back in action because of Sammy’s disappearance.”
“You mean, his murder,” she corrected him softly. “Yeah, while I understand your reason for doing this, this is the only time I’ve ever done anything like this.”
He pulled onto the main road and headed into town.
She relaxed, opened the window slightly and said, “How did your day go?”
It sounded like a stupid old-married-couple question, but, given the situation, she’d love to know if he found out anything.
“Busy. I was given a bodyguard early on, and he stuck with me the entire day.”
She gasped. “Really? Why? Do they know what you are doing?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so, but I presume something is going on that they didn’t want me to accidentally see. Every time I went to the garage today, I was stopped. When I headed out in the back, behind a certain section of the garden, I was also stopped.”
“That sounds very suspicious.”
He shrugged. “Who’s to say? For all I know, they’re blending a new form of wine from the estate’s vineyards and didn’t want anyone to know the special formula.” His lips quirked in her direction. “Or there may be bodies they don’t want anyone to see.”
She shivered. “It’s nothing to joke about.”
He sobered. “Sorry, I’ve always used humor to deal with the dark issues in my life.”
“And that’s the way it should be,” she said quietly. “It’s hard for me to remember that my sister was one of those dead bodies.”
That killed the conversation until they reached town. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“To a nice little Italian restaurant around the corner.”
She nodded. “That sounds lovely. I have something I need to tell you. I guess I’m a little scared. Maybe I’ll tell you inside.”
He nodded. “Good enough.”
He pulled into a parking lot and hopped out, took off his jacket and laid it on the seat then opened the passenger door f
or her. Together they walked into the restaurant and were given a table under a beautiful stained-glass lamp in the back.
Once settled, she watched him gauge the other customers before he leaned forward. “What did you see?”
The waitress walked over then. They ordered coffee as she delivered menus. When she disappeared again, Mercy leaned forward. “I was in the laundry today after changing the beds. Oh, that reminds me …” She stopped for a moment and shook her head. “So there are two things. First I was told to change all four guest bedrooms. I did three, realized belongings were in two of them, so there were guests at the estate that I didn’t know about. At the fourth door, I knocked and opened it up when there was no answer. A man was sleeping on his stomach, his head turned to the side, and the bedding down at his waist. He’s a local politician I think. I backed out of the room and came up against Martha, who was really angry that I went in.”
“That’s understandable. We don’t want to disturb the guests, now do we?” he said in a sarcastic tone.
She nodded. “Then I went to the laundry room with all the bedding I had switched out, starting one load, folding others. When I had put it all away, I went to the sink and found it was full of bloody water.”
Now she had his interest. She glanced around the restaurant to make sure nobody could hear and added, “A sheet was soaking in there with a very large bloodstain in the center, at least two by three feet. However, the water had a heavy bleach smell and several other chemicals you spray on for stain removal. So I imagine, whatever it had been, it was thoroughly degraded as far as a forensic analysis goes,” she said. “I left soon afterward and went to get some coffee. Martha came into the kitchen. She seemed angry I’d been at the laundry but kept it in control. When I went back to pull out the rest of laundry from the washer and the dryer, the sink was completely empty but the bleach smell was strong.” She leaned closer. “And she warned me about not seeing things that weren’t my business.”
He settled back and studied her. In a low voice he said, “Then maybe my joke about dead bodies wasn’t far off.”
She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. As she set down the cup, she said, “That’s what I was thinking of when you said it.”
“Was the man alive or dead that you saw sleeping?”
She winced. “I heard him and he moved slightly, so I’m presuming he was alive and well. There was no sign of blood.”
He nodded. “Good enough.”
She bit her lip as she stared at him. “But now I can’t get that thought out of my mind.”
“Sorry. That question had to be asked.”
“Shit,” she groaned and stared around the restaurant. “I never even had a chance to check. I walked in, ready to change the bedding, saw him and quickly left.”
“What about the other people in the other rooms?”
She shrugged. “The bedding had been pulled back as if someone had just gotten out of bed. One had a suitcase on the bed as if they’d pulled some clothing from it.”
“And all the rooms had male guests?”
“I didn’t see much, but the bag in the one room looked masculine. The clothes were men’s too.”
“Well, don’t worry about it for now. I haven’t seen any cars, although a lot of extra security is around, so I’m not sure, but maybe some of the people staying in the house are part of his security detail.”
Her face brightened. “That would make sense, wouldn’t it?”
“Only if you’ve got something special planned, or he’s particularly worried about something.”
She nodded.
Then the waitress returned, asking if they were ready to order.
They looked at each other and down at the menus they hadn’t even opened and shook their heads. As the waitress left to give them another few minutes Mercy opened the menu and saw the dinner special.
“The special looks good,” Michael said to Mercy.
She nodded, closed her menu and said, “Order two of the same. I can’t say I care at the moment.”
*
After the waitress took their orders and left, she came back with baskets of fresh warm sourdough bread and butter. He watched as Mercy’s eyes lit up. He nudged the basket toward her and said, “Give it a try. I’ve been here before and love the bread.” So saying, he grabbed two pieces to put on his plate. She was fast to follow. “Has the food improved at the estate?”
She nodded, not bothering to speak with her mouth full. When she finally swallowed, she said, “Today was much better. Plus, I got a couple muffins for my breaks.”
“Good. I was afraid you wouldn’t get any decent food today.”
She shook her head. “For some reason, they decided to feed me well.”
He snorted. “The Last Supper does come to mind.”
She shot him a look and then sneaked another piece of bread. How could he convince her to stay away tonight and never return to the estate? He wanted to explore without having to worry about her.
He turned his head as the front door opened, then back to her. In a low voice, he said, “Don’t look now.”
She froze, her gaze locked on his face. “Why not?”
Casually he glanced around the room as security men he’d seen on the estate passed. “Two of the men from the estate came in.”
She tilted her head to the side as if contemplating. “They could be just enjoying dinner?” she hazarded a guess.
He shook his head. “I highly doubt it. Security has been pretty darn tight all day.” He settled back in the chair and smiled at her, enjoying the way she licked her lips, like a cat that had just had a special treat. She was cleaning up the little smidgen of butter at the corner of her mouth. “Maybe they are still with me. Maybe they decided they couldn’t see anything from the parking lot and better come into the restaurant themselves.”
She frowned at him, reached across and patted his hand. “That’s okay. I’ll protect you,” she said in a cheerful voice.
He gave a half snort. “Really?”
She gave him an innocent baby-blue look and shrugged. “Nope, sorry. I’m pretty useless when it comes to self-defense.”
The waitress returned with heaping plates of food and quickly left them alone. Mercy’s eyes lit up at her dinner.
He was glad he had brought her here. After a few days on the estate where she hadn’t had enough food and had worked so hard, her body was in a constant state of hunger. “Maybe they’re worried about you.”
She grabbed the pepper grinder and proceeded to add pepper to her plate. Michael watched the waitress who talked with the security men. She took their orders and disappeared into the kitchen. “Well, they are staying to eat,” he muttered. “Of course that made their cover more solid.”
“It must be pretty irritating when you had one of them on your butt all day, but it could be an innocent visit.”
He raised his head and shot her a hard look. “Do you really believe that?”
Instantly the cheerful look on her face fell. After a moment she shook her head. “No, obviously I don’t. I was enjoying the fantasy of the moment.”
He felt like a heel. “And I’m sorry for blowing that. I don’t want you to get so wrapped up in the fact that you believe they’re good guys.”
“I also can’t get wrapped up in the fact they’re all bad guys either. They can’t all be guilty. For all I know, there is just one bad rogue among them.”
He didn’t bother answering. How could he? She didn’t know Sammy like he did. There was no way one guy could sneak up behind Sammy and take him out. Not like that. For all he knew, her sister had been involved in everything and then shot as a traitor. But this surely wasn’t the time and place to question her sister’s guilt.
Brusquely he said, “Don’t return.”
Chapter 12
Mercy appreciated when the conversation switched from work to something much different. She really liked Michael. That he was here to protect her, to find answers for his friend, endeared
her all the more to him. That this was what he had done as a job and was willing to step back into for his friend was even better. She loved a man who wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to helping a friend.
It’d been a long time since her last relationship. The breakup had been painful, and she hadn’t been willing to jump back into the arena. There were so many dating apps now, but she wasn’t interested and had removed them all from her phone. Even though her friends constantly asked her about her latest date, she’d been happy to just shake her head and say, “Hell no.”
Not one of them knew anything about where she was right now. If they thought she was having dinner with Michael, they’d be all over her, wondering what app she had found him on. The thing was, it wasn’t an app; it was real life. She wasn’t a fan of the new dating trend. At the same time, she knew the difficulties in meeting people locally. Still, she had met Michael accidentally. So, if she wanted to indulge in a fantasy right now, to think it was a date, just the two of them in a safe, secure little world, what harm would that do? That two security men from the estate who were at the same restaurant didn’t have to be all bad either. If she hadn’t ever heard about her sister and Sammy’s murders, she might wonder if the two security guards were best buddies, or maybe they were a gay couple, and this was their one and only chance to get out.
Immediately her mind glommed onto all these scenarios and went over a half dozen more. Maybe they were meeting because they planned to open up their own cupcake shop. She could feel herself grinning foolishly. And yet, it felt so great to add some humor to the moment. There’d been so much tension and strife and hard work these last few days. It felt good to laugh at something.
“What’s the smile for?”
She wasn’t sure if she should share or not but shrugged and explained.
His eyes widened. “Gay? Cupcake shop? What, like a butcher shop?”