Dear Maggie

by Brenda Novak

  “We know from his letters that it’s extremely important to Dr. Dan to appear smart and elusive, but we also know he’s already been caught by the law once and done some hard time, so he’s not as brilliant as he thinks he is. Anyway, if you print everything we just told you about him and take special care to make him look as weak and pathetic as possible, we think his anger will override his caution. He’s recently been fired. He hasn’t been able to get close to you because of our protection. He’s got to be frustrated as hell. In the same article, we want you to say there’s been another woman murdered, this time in Los Angeles, and that police are linking her slaying to suspect Daniel Murrill. Authorities believe he’s left the city, etc., etc. We’ll pull back on our surveillance around this house to make it believable—”

  “You’ll what?” Maggie cried.

  Mendez held up a hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll still be here. As a matter of fact, I’m going to—” he shifted and glowered at Nick “—dress up as a woman, as your friend Darla, and come over this Sunday night.”

  Maggie wondered, fleetingly, if he somehow held Nick responsible for something. It didn’t make sense that a photographer from the Trib, or a wedding photographer, for that matter, would have anything to do with Mendez, but there was some kind of tension between the two men. They certainly didn’t behave like complete strangers. Had they met?

  “And you think you’re going to make a believable woman?” she asked.

  “From a distance, I will. I’ll have the wig, the makeup, the whole get-up.”

  “And you’re coming next Sunday because it’s my night off.”

  “Right. Dr. Dan will be angry and eager, but he’ll need the cover of darkness, so he’ll most likely strike the first night you’re off.”

  “I’m off tonight. I work Tuesday through Saturday.”

  “But we need some time to make a believable show of it, to back off the security, etc. On Sunday, we’ll have the lady who watches Zach come and get him and the dog, so Dr. Dan will think you’re here alone with Darla. Two women won’t frighten him. He’ll think you’re vulnerable.”

  As far as Maggie was concerned, she would be vulnerable. What if Dr. Dan overpowered Mendez? What if he brought a gun instead of a knife and simply shot them both? Or what if he decided to hurt her by following Mrs. Gruber and going for Zach instead? “How do we know he won’t hurt Zach? If he feels I’m too risky he—”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be taking Zach and Mrs. Gruber somewhere safe.”

  “How would we notify your friends on the force if we need help?” she asked Mendez.

  “They’ll know because they’ll be watching from a few discreet locations. And I’ll have my gun under my, um, dress.”

  Every time Mendez mentioned wearing a dress, Hurley smiled. When Maggie sent him a questioning look, he shrugged and said, “I’m too big to be a woman. There isn’t a dress or a wig that would convince anyone.”

  Judging by his smugness, he was happy about that fact. “So that’s the plan?” she asked. “What about all the things that could go wrong?”

  “If you get into trouble, flip the lights off and on a couple of times,” Nick said, breaking his silence. “The police won’t be able to see everything. That should help notify them that there’s a problem.”

  Maggie twisted to face him. He’d said, “that should help notify them that there’s a problem,” but it sounded more authoritative than she would have expected. “What stake do you have in this?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

  He looked uncomfortable. “I just think it’s the safest way to stop him, Maggie. If Dr. Dan can’t get to you, he’ll go after someone else. The police have no idea who that someone will be, so another life could be lost. But if they can draw him here, they can get him off the streets once and for all.”

  Suddenly Maggie’s unease turned to suspicion. Was she crazy, or was Nick somehow involved in this investigation?

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  WITH BEN’S APPROVAL, Maggie wrote the article Mendez and Hurley had told her to write, but waited until Saturday night to print it. The detectives wanted it to appear in Sunday’s paper, so Dr. Dan’s anger would be fresh and fierce that night, and Maggie had no doubt it would be. The story she’d written would make the front page and would chronicle a troubled little boy who’d grown into a social outcast, making Daniel Murrill appear as pathetic and pitiable as he probably was.

  Through the week, Nick continued to be vague about his activities and whereabouts. When she asked whether or not he’d ever met Mendez before last Monday, he said he’d seen him around town once or twice. When she pressed him about his other job, he clammed up. Maggie was becoming more and more convinced that he played some part in the investigation, but she wasn’t sure exactly what. He could be involving himself because he cared about her. Or he could be a more important player.

  Maggie wanted to believe the former because the alternative was so painful—that everything between them was a lie—but Nick’s behavior was quickly eroding her confidence. He hadn’t shown up at the office all week, hadn’t made love to her since the morning he’d announced he was buying her an air conditioner and whenever she spoke about their plans for Dr. Dan, he always took the side of the police.

  Sunday came quickly, far sooner than Maggie wished, although she longed desperately for the whole thing to be over. She was tired of feeling frightened, tired of listening to every creak or noise as though Dr. Dan was trying to break in. And now that she had central air and no longer needed to open her windows at night, she wanted to take off all the bars so she could paint the outside. She wanted to wallpaper, too, and live like a normal human being again.

  Maggie spent Sunday afternoon playing with Zach, but she couldn’t stop herself from watching the clock. The whole idea of leaving herself so vulnerable to a man who’d be crawling into her house with a knife terrified Maggie. And she hated how remote Nick had become. He seemed more focused on what they were about to do than she was. He spoke with the police, worked out details, lent them his support—which only confirmed what she didn’t want to believe in the first place: he was a cop.

  John, at least, seemed sympathetic. He wrote her several times telling her how much she meant to him, how beautiful she was, how special. She’d confided in him and Darla, telling them what she was going to do, and they were the ones who pulled her through the week leading up to the big showdown. But on Sunday night, just before Nick left in anticipation of Mendez’s arrival as Darla, he took her in his arms and held her close.

  “Be careful,” he murmured in her hair. “Flash the lights if anything goes wrong. And no matter what happens—” he pulled back to gaze down at her “—no matter what happens, Maggie, remember this. I love you.”

  He kissed her before she could respond, then walked out of the house, leaving her to wonder at his strange behavior. She’d been thinking she’d lost him, that their whole relationship had been a front, a lie. And then, out of the blue, he announces that he loves her? Who was Nick Sorenson? Could she believe anything he said?

  Something clunked against the back of the house, causing Maggie’s nerves to tighten into what felt like a steel ball in her stomach. She was home alone now. Zach had left with Mrs. Gruber nearly an hour earlier, gone to whatever safe place the police had arranged. Nick had just left, and the patrol car that normally sat out front had disappeared, too. At Mendez’s request, she’d listened to her voice mail a few minutes ago to see if Dr. Dan had left a response to her article. But his eerie voice wasn’t among her messages.

  Daniel Murrill was being awfully quiet, she thought. She hadn’t heard a word from him since he’d called more than a week earlier to share his disappointment that she hadn’t printed his letter. Maybe she wouldn’t hear from him tonight.

  Wishful thinking…

  Another thunk drew Maggie to the kitchen, her eyes sharp and alert, her heart beating fast. What was that? Mendez hadn’t arrived yet. It wasn’t even dark. But someone was o
ut there…

  Please let it be the police, secreting themselves away.

  Maggie checked the doors and windows to make sure they were all locked, but that did very little to improve her sense of security. She’d inflated Dr. Dan’s fearful abilities in her mind and kept expecting him to pop up behind her.

  Foreboding descended on Maggie as she returned to the kitchen window and studied the backyard. She wished Mendez had let her keep Rambo home. Zach wasn’t the only one who’d grown fond of Nick’s dog. Despite her earlier reluctance, she was now glad to have him as part of the family and knew he would’ve been an asset tonight. But Mendez—and Nick—didn’t want anything to frighten Dr. Dan away. They wanted him to fall quickly and easily into their trap.

  So did Maggie. Holding her breath, she listened carefully, her eyes affixed to the garage. She thought she saw a shadow pass behind its shiny window, but with the setting sun reflecting so brightly off the glass, she couldn’t be sure. Her anticipation of the night’s events was probably fueling her fear, causing her to interpret normal daily sounds as threats, to see things that weren’t there.

  The telephone rang and Maggie turned to answer it. Maybe Mendez was phoning to say he was on his way. Maybe Nick was calling to tell her to remain calm and safe. She longed to hear his voice even though he’d left her only minutes ago.

  But no one responded when she said hello. She waited several seconds, listening to the beating of her own heart, then finally hung up.

  Something was wrong. Where was Mendez? Nervous and impatient, she dialed his cell phone.

  “Detective Mendez here.”

  “Where are you?” she asked without bothering to identify herself.

  “Maggie?”

  “Do you have any other big dates tonight? I’m home alone here, and I’m terrified. What’s taking you so long?”

  There was a lengthy pause. “I can’t get these damn panty hose up,” he grumbled at last. “I think I bought the wrong size.”

  If she’d felt less threatened, Maggie would have laughed at the image his words created. Mendez was one of the least feminine men she’d ever met. But she was too agitated to laugh. “Then shave your legs and forget the panty hose, but get over here and don’t forget your gun.”

  “‘Don’t forget my gun.’ What do you think I am?”

  “A cop. So come over and start doing your cop thing.”

  “Give me fifteen minutes.”

  He hung up, leaving Maggie standing in her kitchen feeling as though fifteen minutes equated to an eternity. How long did it take to break a window and stab a woman?

  Remembering Mendez’s description of a diener’s job, she opened her utensil drawer and took out a butcher knife. She wasn’t sure she could use it, but she certainly wasn’t planning to stand in her kitchen and wait without a weapon.

  The phone rang again, and again no one answered when she said hello. Maggie hung up and thought about calling her mother. She wanted to make peace, in case things went badly tonight. Rosalyn hadn’t contacted her since learning about Nick, and Maggie didn’t want her feeling guilty if they were never able to speak again.

  But neither did she have any desire to hear “I told you so” if her fears and insecurities about Nick happened to come tumbling out. She and her mother needed to have a heart-to-heart. Before that, though, Maggie needed to decide what stand she wanted to take, regardless of Nick, and what she was willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it. So she called Darla instead. She didn’t want to notice the house noises. She didn’t want to see shadows outside in the garage. She didn’t want to answer the phone and hear only her own voice.

  “Darla? It’s me,” she said as soon as her friend picked up.

  “Maggie, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Tonight’s the big night. What are you doing calling me? Have the police changed their minds?”

  “No, Mendez can’t get his panty hose on.”

  “What?”

  “It’s true. And Nick, Zach and Rambo have already left. So other than the policemen who are supposed to be hiding around the neighborhood, I’m alone.”

  “Jeez, what’s Mendez thinking?”

  “That he should have considered the size-grid on the back of the box.”

  “I wish he’d have let me help him,” Darla said. “He came over here to get a better idea of what I look like and what I’d wear, and I offered to get him ready, but he thought he had it dialed in.”

  Maggie’s call-waiting beeped, and she purposely ignored it. “I think someone’s in the garage,” she blurted out. “I’m hoping it’s a cop.”

  “What? You mean it might not be? I’m coming over,” Darla said. “I’ll leave when Mendez gets there, but I don’t want you—”

  “No,” Maggie interrupted. “You can’t do that. It’ll ruin everything if Dr. Dan sees two Darlas come to the house at the same time.”

  “So you think he’s watching.”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know?”

  Maggie shivered. “I can feel it.”

  The phone beeped again, indicating another incoming call, but Maggie let it go. “And I think he has a cell phone,” she went on, “and that he keeps calling me.”

  “You’re giving me the creeps,” Darla said. “I want you to phone Mendez and demand that he or someone else get over there right away. Call Nick and tell him you’ve decided not to cooperate with the police.”

  What if Nick was the police? Maggie backed away from that thought as quickly as she had all week. If he was the police, he’d gotten involved with her for only one reason—to further the investigation. And if he’d done that, he didn’t care about her. And if he didn’t care about her…

  Stop! “I don’t think he’d support me in calling it off,” she said, trying to simplify the situation, even in her own mind.

  Call-waiting intruded yet again. This time, Maggie told Darla to hold and switched over. She expected the silence she’d already experienced, but Nick’s voice came over the line.

  “Dammit, Maggie, why haven’t you been answering the phone?”

  “Because someone keeps calling me who doesn’t say anything! And it’s scaring me!”

  “That was me,” he said. “My cell phone’s been cutting out.”

  Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

  “I’m just down the alley in back, babe,” he responded. “I’m watching the house and the yard. I won’t let anything happen to you. I couldn’t live with myself if I did.”

  Nick’s words were intended to comfort her, but they made Maggie’s heart sink a little further. “You said you loved me,” she said, trying to hang on to that much.

  “I did.”

  “Do you mean it?”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “Then why have you been so secretive, Nick? When are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  He didn’t speak for a long minute. “Now’s not the time to go into it, babe. You’ll understand soon. Just promise me…”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  “We’ll talk about it later,” he said. “Hang on…”

  After a short pause, he said, “Mendez just pulled up in Darla’s car. He’s got her key to the house and he’ll let himself in, but I wanted you to know he was coming so you wouldn’t be frightened.”

  “Okay.”

  “It won’t be long now,” he said, and then he was gone and Maggie could hear a key in the lock out front. She switched back to Darla and told her she had to go just as Mendez came clunking into the living room, wearing high heels, a print dress, a long blond wig, and bright red lipstick. He looked like a prostitute on steroids.

  “It’s a good thing Darla isn’t here to see this,” Maggie said.

  A wounded expression claimed Mendez’s face. “What do you mean?”

  “Never mind. Looks like you got your panty hose on.”


  “I wasn’t about to shave my legs.”

  “Where’s your gun?”

  He hefted whatever padding filled the cups of his sizable bra. “Right here.”

  “That would explain why one’s lower than the other.”

  “Really?” He approached the mirror on the far wall and attempted to adjust himself. “Oh, well,” he said when all efforts proved futile. “Steel weighs more than toilet paper. Nothing I can do about that.”

  Maggie shrugged and put her butcher knife away before she cut herself. “Works for me. So what do we do now? Paint a big red target on my forehead?”

  He adjusted his panty hose. “That sounds like fun, but don’t distract me. I’ve got to open the back windows.”

  “Yeah, I can see that would require a great deal of mental energy,” she said, following him to the far wall and watching as he unlatched both windows.

  “Don’t you want my mind on my work?” he asked.

  “Don’t you think Dr. Dan’s a little too smart for this?” she replied. “I’ve kept the house locked up tight ever since he came on the scene. Why would I, all of a sudden, relax my security and unlock the windows without bars?”

  “It’s not all of a sudden. Darla’s here. You’re having a good time and feeling safe because you haven’t heard from him for a while. The police think he’s moved to L.A., where all good criminals eventually go. And you think you’re in the clear. What’s so unbelievable about that?” The windows squealed in protest as he lifted them partway. “Turn on some music, will ya?”

  Maggie had to admit she was feeling calmer by the moment. If Dr. Dan ever got a good look at Mendez, he’d run the other way, not come busting into her house.

  On the other hand, if he was hiding in the garage, as she feared, and hadn’t seen the detective lumber up to her front door, the costume might just work—if it was seen through the windows and from a distance…

  She looked at Mendez again. “Nah, I’m perfectly safe.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Just talking to myself,” Maggie said.