The Fan

by Velvet Vaughn

  Logan drew back to look at her face. “Whoa, back up. He killed him? How do you know?”

  Her look said, “Well, duh, the finger.”

  “How do you know he sent this? There's no return address.”

  “He left a message on my cell.”

  “Did you erase it?”

  She shook her head and handed the phone over when he requested it. He listened to the message, his face set with concentration. A siren wailed in the distance and kicked off as it neared the house.

  “I’m glad you're here,” she said honestly. “You know exactly what to do.”

  He pinned her with a hard stare. “This is my job.”

  “Comforting hysterical women?”

  “A private investigator.”

  It suddenly occurred to Jade that she didn’t know what he did for a living. She'd never asked. How sad was that? She slept with him and didn’t even know how he spent his days, how he earned a living. He'd asked her, but she never asked him, afraid the conversation would turn back to her job and she didn’t want to add more lies to her growing list. He teased her and said he was a fuse electrician, so she just assumed he must be a real electrician.

  “I’m going to let the authorities inside.” Logan jogged downstairs to meet the police.

  Jade retreated to a rocking chair by the window as the crime team swept in and surveyed the scene led by Logan. His commanding presence drew her eyes like a moth to a flame. Completely in charge, he was a compelling figure.

  As much as he must hate her right now, he came running when she needed him. He was her white knight.

  “Jade?”

  She jerked at the sound of her name. She didn’t hear him approach. He knelt down beside her and brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She loved this man.

  “Detective Hurley would like to ask you a few questions. Do you feel up to answering?”

  She nodded, wanting to get this over with.

  The detective asked her a battery of questions and she did her best to recall all the notes and messages the man had left for her. She still had the one he sent with a picture of the wedding dress and she retrieved it for him. Then she remembered the card that arrived with the flowers before her appearance on Frankly Speaking. It was still in her purse. She dug it out and gave it to him as well. The crime scene personnel bagged the evidence and removed the box with Kyle’s finger. She heard one of the techs say it had been preserved with formaldehyde.

  “You need to go down to the station to give a statement. Would you rather go tonight or tomorrow morning?”

  She wanted to get this over as soon as possible. “Tonight.”

  Nodding, he spoke to Detective Hurley who stepped forward to grasp her arm and lead her from the room. Turning panicked eyes on Logan, she reached for his hand. “Aren’t you coming with me?”

  He glanced away, unable to sustain eye contact. “I’ll arrange for Luke to meet you there.”

  “But I want you to come with me, Logan. Please,” she begged. “I need you.”

  #

  Detective Hurley raised an amused eyebrow at Jade’s request. Logan’s old drinking buddy had been shocked to hear that Juliet LaRue was visiting Bloomington. Logan insisted that they keep a tight lid on her presence and to use her real name in all the reports. He trusted Hurley and knew he would keep his promise.

  Scrubbing a palm across his forehead, Logan sighed, feeling trapped. He didn’t want to go anywhere with her. She lied to him, dammit.

  He didn’t even know this woman, the world famous movie star. He knew the sweet schoolteacher Jade, whom Bella adored and he was rapidly growing fond of, against his better judgment.

  He looked at her pretty face masked with fear and knew he would go with her. Man, he was such a sucker.

  “I’ll meet you there,” he grumbled.

  Jade clutched tighter. “Please, can I ride with you?” Her watery eyes pleaded with him, reaching deep in his soul.

  Just like that, he gave in again. Nodding briskly, he informed Hurley they would meet him at the station.

  He took off downstairs, unable to stand looking at her beautiful, traitorous face a moment longer. Footsteps sounded behind him but he didn’t slow his stride. Jade struggled to match his pace.

  “Thank you.”

  Choosing not to answer, he jogged down the stairs and out the door. She followed behind, thankfully quiet. When they reached his house, he punched in the alarm code and entered the garage.

  “I’m sorry.”

  The words were uttered no louder than a whisper and sparked his temper. Did she think she could say those two words and all would be forgiven? He spun around to face her and backed her against the door. Her startled intake of breath didn’t faze him as he loomed over her.

  “Let’s get something straight. I will take you to the police station to give your statement and bring you home but that’s it. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

  “I know you're mad and I understand Logan but—”

  She reached for him but he waved her off. “Don’t touch me, don’t speak to me, don’t even so much as look at me.”

  “But I—”

  “Don’t you get it? I don’t want anything to do with you.”

  She nodded, her eyes wide with despair and they instantly filled with tears. Ah, no.

  “I understand…sorry I bothered you,” she whispered, blinking rapidly. She grabbed for the door handle but couldn’t find it, probably because of the tears blurring her vision. Once she latched on, she couldn’t unlock it and she pulled and tugged frantically, a sob escaping.

  He grasped her shoulders and turned her into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he said gruffly, rocking her. “You’ve had quite a scare tonight and don’t need me adding to your troubles.”

  He waited until the sobs stopped and tilted her head back. “Better?” He wiped the tears away with his thumbs.

  She pulled away and nodded, brushing the remaining drops with her fingertips. “We’d better go,” she murmured, her voice husky from crying.

  Opening the passenger door, he helped her inside with a hand to her elbow. She smiled sadly and fastened her seatbelt. Slamming the door, he rounded the SUV and climbed inside.

  “Bella?”

  “Dan’s with her.”

  She swung her gaze out the window. He sighed, punched the garage door open and drove to the police station.

  #

  The ride home was tense and filled with silence, much like the trip to the station. They spent two hours going over everything with Detective Hurley. He took pages of notes, promised to contact the authorities in LA and issued stern warnings to call if this man tried to contact Jade again. She passed it off as a crazed fan.

  Logan deemed it a stalker.

  The garage door lifted and he eased inside. Jade shot out the door before he turned the car off.

  “Thanks again. I’ll leave you alone, now.”

  Logan rolled his eyes. Darn infuriating woman. He caught up with her as she was fumbling with her key. He grabbed her arm and spun her around. “You can’t pretend this didn’t happen, Jade.”

  “I’m not. But I’m not going to let some sick fan scare me.”

  “Jade, he possibly killed a man. For you.”

  She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’ll worry about it when I go back. He doesn’t know where I am so maybe he'll forget about me.”

  “Stalkers don’t work that way. If anything, he'll only grow more determined when he can’t find you.” He ran a hand through his hair and massaged his neck. Knowing he would probably regret it, he offered, “Listen, I’ll have someone from my office come by tomorrow and go over some security issues with you, just in case.”

  She stared at him, disappointment clear in her sea green eyes. Finally, she spoke softly. “Thanks for the offer, but no. I can take care of myself.”

  Logan wanted to grab her and
shake some sense into her. She thought this was all something that would just blow over.

  “I don’t think you seem to grasp the concept here. This man is obsessed with you. He most likely killed your ex-husband. If he wants to find you bad enough, he'll figure out a way.”

  She shook her stubborn red head. “The only people who know where I am are dead, and I don’t think they'll be telling him unless he channels his inner psychic.”

  Sarcasm. Wonderful. She really didn’t get it. “You aren’t safe—”

  “Stop.” She held up a hand to accompany her command. “It's late, it’s been a rough evening and I just want to go inside and try to sleep.”

  There was only so much a man could do. “Fine.” He spun around and stalked to his house. “At least lock the damn door,” he ordered over his shoulder.

  He didn’t hear her whispered “good night” or the small sob that escaped with it.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The sun was up by the time Jade awoke the next morning. She had trouble falling asleep and then her dreams were hampered by troubling nightmares. She dreamed of a faceless man chopping off Kyle’s finger, but when she ran to his side, it was Logan lying dead instead of Kyle and she held the bloody knife in her hand.

  Rising, she swung her legs off the side of the bed. A dream analyst wouldn’t have a hard time figuring out the reason she pictured Logan dead was because she killed any hope of a relationship with him.

  After a quick shower, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and headed downstairs to eat. Once she finished, she grabbed a straw hat, jumped in the car and headed for the local farmer’s market for fresh vegetables. She needed something to take her mind off of the package and Logan and all her troubles.

  Shopping for groceries didn’t help. All she could think about was Logan and the look of betrayal on his face—the look she put there. How would she ever convince him that her intentions were honest? She never set out to mislead him.

  When she couldn’t concentrate on her task anymore, she returned home. She pulled into the driveway and her brows dipped. Where did that box come from?

  She parked in the garage and ducked under the door before it closed. Navigating the stairs to the porch, she ambled closer to the brown package and froze. Her name was inked in bold black print, but no address.

  Her head whipped up to scan the area. She didn’t see any suspicious characters, no movement of any kind except for the slight sway of trees in the warm breeze. She unlocked the front door and using her foot, scooted the box inside. With a frantic push, she slammed and locked the heavy oak door. With one hand wrapped around her waist and the other covering her mouth, she paced back and forth. No return address, she noted on one of her passes by the box. Chewing her thumbnail, she debated what to do: call Logan or open the box.

  An image of Logan’s glowering face, etched with disappointment flashed in her mind. He hated her. She couldn’t ask him for help.

  Could Nora have sent it before she died? Maybe it took a few days to arrive. That had to be it.

  Breathing deeply, she gathered her courage. A quick trip to the kitchen for a pair of scissors and she plopped down on the floor.

  “Here goes nothing.” The blade pierced the tape and she sliced through the tacky material. Using the tips of the scissors, she flipped the sides of the box out of the way and moved the tissue paper aside. She inhaled deeply before peering inside. Two white boxes, both wrapped with a red ribbon—just like the one containing Kyle’s ring finger.

  She lifted the boxes out by sliding the scissors under the string and placed them side by side. Time passed slowly as she stared at the inauspicious boxes, gathering up the courage to open them.

  “Just do it, Jade.” Without giving herself time to think, she snipped through both red ribbons and flicked the lids off.

  The scissors clamored to the floor and Jade scooted back, a hysterical shriek bubbling up her throat.

  No one came running this time when she screamed.

  #

  The first thing that flashed through Jade’s mind was Logan. He'd take care of it…he would know what to do. Scrambling to her feet, she gave the boxes a wide berth and dashed for her cell. She started to dial and realized she didn’t know his number at work. She didn’t even know the name of his company. She sank to the floor in defeat.

  Moments passed, the images inside the boxes swirling in her head. She couldn’t sit here and do nothing. Logan said he handled situations like this, he was a private investigator. Climbing to her feet, she raced upstairs for the phone book. Pages ripped as she thumbed through, looking for the number. Finding the section, she ran a finger down the listings. Nothing jumped out so she tried again, going slower this time. Bingo. COBRA Securities. She remembered seeing a piece of mail in Logan's house with that name.

  She had to hang up twice and redial when her shaky fingers refused to cooperate and she punched the wrong number. Finally she got it right.

  “COBRA Securities, how may I direct your call?”

  “Logan Bradley. Please,” she added as an afterthought.

  “One moment while I transfer you to his secretary.”

  “Thank you.” Jade paced while hold music played, acid burning a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in her gut.

  “Mr. Bradley’s office, this is Karen, how may I help you?”

  “I need to speak to Log…Mr. Bradley immediately.”

  “He's in a meeting. May I take a message?”

  “No, it is imperative I talk to him…it’s a matter of life or death.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but—”

  Jade interrupted. “Please, can you just stick your head in and tell him it's Jade on the phone?”

  “I can’t do that, but I can have him call you back.”

  A terrified whimper escaped before Jade could stop it. “Please. I know it's unfair to ask you to do this, but I wouldn’t bother him if it wasn’t an emergency.”

  The secretary paused. “Are you the Jade Isabella kept mentioning didn’t attend her play?”

  Ouch. That hurt. She swallowed. “Yes.”

  Another pause. Then Karen briskly said, “Hold a moment.”

  Jade concentrated on controlling her breathing while Enya sang in the background.

  “Jade?”

  Expecting to hear his secretary, Logan’s deep voice startled her speechless. He interrupted his meeting for her, after the way she treated him. She let out a sob.

  “Jade? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  A dam broke and she couldn’t stop babbling. “I’m so sorry for everything Logan. I should have told you who I was from the beginning. I never wanted to deceive you and I meant it when I said I fell in love with you. I don’t blame you for hating m—”

  “Jade!”

  Startled, she stopped.

  “Did you guilt my secretary into pulling me from an important meeting by telling her it was an emergency, a matter of life and death, for this?”

  “No,” she whispered. “I just wanted you to know.”

  “Look, I’ve got to go…”

  “Wait, Logan. A package. I got another package. He knows, Logan.”

  “What?”

  “He knows where I am.”

  “Slow down and tell me exactly what happened.”

  She relayed details on her trip to the market and finding the package on her porch when she returned.

  “Are you at home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Lock the doors. I’m on my way.” His tone was commanding, authoritative.

  “Thank you,” she mouthed to an empty phone. He'd already disconnected.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Logan weaved in and out of traffic, speeding through the streets on the way to Jade’s house. He felt guilty for leaving in the middle of a meeting but knew Luke could handle it by himself. He called his partner from the car and explained the situation. Luke assured him not to worry and said he'd explain to the clients that Logan had a family emerg
ency. Logan suggested a physically impossible feat for calling Jade family and then fumed when Luke burst out laughing.

  Wanting to check out the scene first, he waited until he pulled into Jade’s driveway before phoning Detective Hurley. He jumped out of the SUV and leaped up the stairs to her porch two at a time. The door swung wide before he could knock and Jade flew into his arms. He reeled back from the force of her hit and wrapped his arms around her, feeling the overwhelming need to protect her even after her crushing betrayal.

  He couldn’t let himself get dragged in again. He couldn’t trust her and he couldn’t trust himself around her. Her arms were wrapped tight against his waist. He tried to pry them off without hurting her but she just clutched harder.

  “Jade, I need you to show me the delivery.”

  “He knows where I am, Logan. He found me.”

  “The police are on their way.”

  “But how could he know where I am? How?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s take this one step at a time. Can you show me the packages you received today?”

  Without letting go, she led him in the house and pointed to the two white boxes on the floor. Carefully disengaging her arms, he guided her to a chair. Picking up the discarded scissors, he fished out an item from one of the boxes: a pair of tortoise shell frames.

  “Glasses?”

  Jade averted her gaze, clearly uncomfortable. “They were Nora’s, my assistant.”

  “Were?”

  Closing her eyes, she nodded. “Remember when I told you two friends of mine were killed right after my husband?” She didn’t look to him for his agreement, nor wait. “My assistant Nora and my agent, Sid.”

  Logan deposited the glasses back in the box and extracted the other item. He held it aloft. “I take it this is Sid’s pocket watch?”

  “Yes."

  Jeez. Logan dropped the watch and stood. They were dealing with one sick, twisted individual. Three people were dead because of one man’s obsession with Jade.