by Rose Pressey
I walked out the back door and over to the Dumpster. After tossing in the bag I turned to see someone going in the back door of Heath’s office. The person was dressed in black and wore a hoodie. Could it be the killer? My anxiety spiked. Should I call out and ask the person what they were doing? This seemed highly suspicious. I was almost sure it wasn’t Heath. But what if it was him?
“Heath, is that you?” I called out.
If it was the killer what if he turned and fired a gun at me? I ran back into my shop. I didn’t like the looks of this and I had to get to the bottom of it. That meant I needed to go into Heath’s office. I suppose a peek inside wouldn’t do any harm. As far as I knew Heath wasn’t even there right now. Was this person breaking into his office?
I raced back into my shop. Mary Jane’s eyes widened when she saw the look on my face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I just saw someone going into Heath’s office. He was dressed all in black and had on a hood. I couldn’t see his face, but I’m wondering if it was the killer,” I said breathlessly.
“Oh, my gosh. This is terrible.” Mary Jane raced over to me. “What should we do now?”
“I think we have to go in there and see if he’s all right.”
“Do you think he’s there?” Mary Jane asked.
“I didn’t think he was, but now I’m worried. If that was a killer, then this is serious.” I rushed over to the back door.
“Do you really want to go confront the killer,” she said. “You should call the detective and tell him.”
“It’ll take them a while to get here. What if something happened to Heath in theh meantime? I would feel terrible if anything happens to him.”
“I will feel terrible if anything happens to all of us,” she said.
“We can just take a little look. If we think it’s dangerous then we don’t have to go in.” I motioned.
“Okay, I guess that would be all right,” she said with hesitation.
We rushed out the door, almost bumping into each other as we tried to get out at the same time. Mary Jane and I raced out the door and into the alleyway. I was really panicking and freaking out. What if we did encounter the killer? This was dangerous. Nevertheless, I pushed on toward Heath’s office.
“What’s going on?”
I realized that was my mother‘s voice right over my shoulder.
I spun around. “What are you doing here?”
“We’d like to know why y’all are racing down the alleyway,” my mother said.
“Why are you in the alleyway?” I asked.
Grandma Honey wanted to put something in the trash and then we were going to come in the back door. We saw you acting crazy.” She booked from me to Mary Jane.
“We’re going to go check it out a suspicious person at the dentist’s office.” I gestured.
Grandma Honey headed toward the dentist’s office door.
“No, Grandma Honey. I grabbed her arm. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea for you to go in there.”
“Oh, I’m fine.” She wiggled away from my grasp, moving over to the door.
“Well, at least let me go at first,” I said, stepping in front of her.
I couldn’t believe Grandma Honey and my mother were here. Please don’t let anything happen to them. The door squeaked as I pushed it open a bit more. I motioned for the others to hold back for just a moment while I poked my head in to have a look around. Everything was quiet though there were lights on in the office. Maybe Heath was in here after all. I wasn’t going to take the chance of calling out to find out.
I gestured for Mary Jane, Grandma Honey, and my mother to follow me inside. We tiptoed down the hallway that lead to the front part of the office space. At the end, stairs went up to more exam rooms. Since no one appeared to be downstairs we moved up the stairs to see if we could find anyone.
“There’s no one around,” Mary Jane said.
“Are you sure you saw someone?” my mother asked.
“I’m positive,” I said maybe he went out the front door.
“Well, I guess he’s not here now, so the fun’s over,” Grandma Honey said.
Was Grandma Honey hoping to find someone in the office so we’d have something exciting happen? I was just glad that Heath wasn’t in danger, but I was still curious of who I’d seen.
“Thank goodness no one is there,” Mary Jane said. “I guess we can go back to the candy shop now.”
I blew the hair out of my eyes. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
“Oh, look. Some pictures of the dentist.” Grandma Honey moved over to the far wall for a closer look.
“I don’t think we should be in here looking at photos. This is really crazy.” My mother placed her hands on her hips.
“You’re crazy,” Grandma Honey said.
“Okay, that’s it. Let’s get out of here,” I said.
We were just getting ready to make our way down the steps again when a noise sounded from somewhere downstairs. We froze on the spot.
“What was that?” Grandma Honey asked.
“I heard it too,” Mary Jane said.
It sounded as if someone was walking down the hallway and they were probably coming up the stairs any second.
“We have to hide,” I whispered.
We rushed back up the steps, trying to be as quiet as possible so that our presence wouldn’t be known. I was pretty sure that the person heard us. We couldn’t be that light on our feet. We had to find a place to hide. I opened the first door I saw. Unfortunately, it was a closet full of dental supplies. We’d have to make do though. It was a tight space, but I thought we could all squeeze in there. I ushered everyone in and then squeezed myself in as well. I pulled the door shut. This brought flashbacks of hiding in the closet in my shop when we were trying to go unnoticed by the killer. Now we were doing this all over again.
What if this was the killer this time too? He might have better luck finding us this time. I held my breath and waited for the discovery. The sound of footsteps echoed across the treads as the person came up the steps. I pictured the person moving around the around the corner. Now he headed right for the closet door.
“Who’s breathing so heavy?” my mother whispered.
It was Mary Jane. She was probably close to hyperventilating. I needed to get her out of there before she fainted.
“No talking,” I said, keeping my voice low.
I had to know who was in the room. Though I knew there was a chance that I would be caught if I looked out from the closet. If I moved stealthily I could take a quick peek. Easing the door open just a bit, I peeked outside. No one was there. I’d heard the footsteps though.
“Who is it?” my mother whispered.
I wasn’t sure I should take the chance of answering her. I’d already talked too much. What if the person we’d heard was hiding from us? They could be just waiting for us to step out of the closet so they could attack. Movement caught my attention. Heath was walking out from a room at the back of the space. He hadn’t seen me. At least I was almost sure he hadn’t seen me. I eased the door shut. I’d been holding my breath so I exhaled before I was the one who hyperventilated.
“It’s Heath,” I whispered into my mother’s ear.
She whispered to Grandma Honey. Mary Jane was in her catatonic state again. She didn’t seem worried about who was out there, just that we were stuck in the closet. There was no way I could explain to Heath why I was hiding in his closet. Add the fact that my mother, grandmother, and Mary Jane were crammed in there with me, and he would be convinced that we were crazy. I had to think of a plan. Perhaps Heath wouldn’t be here long. Though if he left then surely he would make sure the doors were locked and the alarm armed.
Footsteps sounded again. Heath was headed our way. It sounded as if he’d stopped right in front of the closet door. I was worried that Mary Jane would faint at any moment. Who was I kidding? I was worried that I would faint at any moment. I should just step out from the
closet and tell Heath the truth. That was the best, right? He would undoubtedly never speak to me again.
After a few seconds, the footsteps started again. This time it sounded as if they were headed away from the closet. That was a small relief. I couldn’t allow Heath to leave us there with the alarm on though. I had to get us out of this tiny space right now. I eased the door open again, peeking out into the hallway. Thank goodness Heath wasn’t there. Though that meant we had to move quickly.
“We have to get out of here,” I said.
“What will we do with the statue?” Grandma Honey pointed.
“You take one arm, mom, and I’ll take the other.” I pointed.
My mother grabbed Mary Jane’s right arm. I took her left arm. We guided her out of the confined space and Grandma Honey followed us out.
“Try to be light on your feet,” I said.
“Yeah, right,” Grandma Honey said sarcastically.
We lead Mary Jane down the hallway. She was as stiff as a board. We reached the stairs and started down. I hoped Mary Jane didn’t trip. What if she came to once we were half way down. She might freak out. So far there was no sign of Heath. There was no beeping sound from an alarm either. A bad feeling settled in my stomach that we would run into Heath once we were at the bottom of the stairs. If it happened I’d have to do some quick thinking and deal with it. I’d suck it up and explain the situation like a mature adult. Okay, like an adult. Maybe not so mature.
We reached the bottom and I hurried Mary Jane over to the hallway. Grandma Honey was behind us. I looked over at the reception desk. Heath wasn’t there either. At the end of the hallway the door we’d entered was closed. It had been open when we left it. My mother and I practically dragged Mary Jane down that hallway. It was the only way. Clearly, she wasn’t interested in using her legs. I prayed that the door wasn’t locked.
I wrapped my hand around the doorknob. My anxiety was through the roof. I twisted the knob and thank goodness it turned. As I opened the door a noise sounded from somewhere behind us. For a moment I forgot to breath. I looked over my shoulder, but no one was back there. We rushed Mary Jane out the door. Grandma Honey hurried out next. I closed the door behind us. Thank goodness we’d made it out of there.
“Wow, can you believe that?” my mother asked.
“That was fun,” Grandma Honey said.
“We almost got caught. I don’t know how I would have explained that to Heath,” I said.
“Luckily, you don’t have to,” my mother said.
We quickened our steps as we headed toward the candy shop. I’d left the door unlocked when we’d rushed out. I shouldn’t have done that. Not with a killer around. When we reached the back door, we led Mary Jane inside. Hunter was standing in the kitchen with his back facing us.
He whipped around. With widened eyes he stared at us as if he’d been caught with his hand in the candy jar.
“Oh, you startled me,” he said.
“Sorry,” I said.
“What’s wrong with her?” Hunter asked.
I waved my hand in front of Mary Jane’s face. “Snap out of it, Mary Jane. It’s over now. We’re out of there. He didn’t see us.”
“He? Where were you?” Hunter asked.
He asked too many questions and I wasn’t about to answer. He didn’t need to know what we’d been up to in the dentist’s office.
“Reese thought she saw the killer go into the dentist’s office,” my mother said.
I glared at her.
“But it wasn’t him,” she said in almost a whisper.
Grandma Honey shook her head disapprovingly.
Mary Jane looked around. “Oh, we’re back.”
“Yes, we’re back,” I said.
The bell chimed at the front of the store alerting me to a customer. For heaven’s sake, I had left the store unattended. Was this any way to run a business? I had to get ahold of myself. I rushed toward the kitchen door and burst through the other side into the store. Heath was headed my way.
“Uh oh,” Mary Jane said from over my shoulder.
Heath knew. He knew we’d been in his office and was now coming to confront me. I had to just admit what we’d done and try to explain. Maybe he would be happy to know that I’d been concerned about him.
Would he notice my fidgeting and the look of guilt on my face? It probably didn’t matter. He already knew what I’d done. When Heath smiled, I was surprised. I figured he would already be yelling at me.
“Hi, Reese,” he said as he approached.
Maybe he was giving me a false sense of security. Just when I thought it was safe he would confront me with what I’d done.
“How are you?” I asked cautiously.
He eyed me for a moment. “I just thought I’d stop in and say hello.”
He looked from me to Mary Jane and then Grandma Honey and my mother. I suppose he wondered why we were staring at him. We had guilty written all over our faces.
“You know, the strangest thing. I was just in my office.” Heather gestured over his shoulder.
Oh no. Here it was. Now was when he would tell me he knew everything.
“I was ready to leave, and I thought I saw the back door close. When I went over there and looked out I spotted the back door of your shop shut.”
I stared at him with wide eyes. Was this a set up? Surely, he knew and was just setting a trap for me. I stared at him. I was speechless, as if I’d lost the ability to talk.
After searching my eyes for a moment, he said, “Anyway, I just wanted to come over and make sure everything was okay. It just seemed odd.”
I had a decision to make. Tell the truth now or go along with this and see if he really knew.
“We’re okay,” I said with a smile.
Well, I suppose it was too late now. I’d made my choice.
“I took trash out and came back in,” Grandma Honey said. “That’s probably why you saw the door close. Though I have no idea why you saw your door close.”
Well, that was that. It was definitely too late to turn back now.
“You know what you need?” Grandma Honey hurried over to the table with the chocolate covered cherries. “You need chocolate.”
“Oh, I don’t…”
Grandma Honey cut Heath off by holding up her hand. “Nonsense. Everyone needs candy.”
Heath looked at me and I shrugged. I knew not to disagree with Grandma Honey. She shoved the candy into his hand. I had to give Grandma Honey credit she knew how to shift the focus of the conversation.
“Thank you,” Heath said with a confused smile.
“You’re welcome, dear. Well, I suppose we should get back to making the candy.” She winked at Heath.
That was his cue that the conversation was over. I should have been honest with him. After all, he was obviously the person I’d seen going into the back of the shop. If it hadn’t been so embarrassing I would have shared the truth with him. Maybe he would have even laughed.
Heath held the bag of candy up. “Thanks for the candy.” His voice was still full of confusion. “I’ll let you get back to the candy.”
He headed for the door.
“Bye,” I called out.
My mother shook her head. “What a mess.”
I watched the door for a few moments in his wake. The longer I stood there the worse I felt about what had happened. I turned to face the others. They were still standing there staring at me.
“Well, that’s it. He’ll never speak to me again.” I tossed my hands up.
“She always was one for dramatics,” my mother said.
Mary Jane nodded. “That’s true. Remember that time we were at the mall and that guy she liked saw her stuffing the pizza in her mouth. She swore she’d never eat pizza again.”
Grandma Honey shorted. “We know that didn’t last long.”
“I was in the eighth grade,” I said. “When are you all going to stop talking about that?”
Chapter 19
Grandma Honey
stood at the front of the shop looking out the window. After replacing gumballs in the jar, I placed the lid back on top, and then headed in her direction. Something had obviously captured her attention.
“Grandma Honey, what are you looking at?” I asked.
She jumped. “Oh, don’t sneak up on me like that.”
“Sorry, I thought you heard me.” I stood beside her. “You are seriously interested in something outside this window.”
I peered out the window to see if I spotted what had her interest. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Cars and pedestrians moved up and down the street and sidewalks.
Grandma Honey pointed. “You see that silver SUV across the street?”
I leaned in closer for a better look. “Yes, I see it.”
“That person has been sitting there for quite a while. They keep looking over here.”
“How do you know they’ve been sitting there for quite a while? How long is quite a while?”
“Well, I’ve been standing here for five minutes and they’ve been there the entire time.”
I glanced at her. “Five minutes? That’s not that long. Maybe they’re waiting on someone who’s shopping.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“The person keeps looking this way. Why are they doing that?” Grandma Honey focused her attention on the vehicle like a laser.
“There’s probably nothing to it. Just another innocent shopper.”
My grandmother was having no part of my explanation.
“There’s just something off about it. I think that’s a woman.”
I peered across the street again. It was hard to tell since the person was wearing a baseball cap. They were also wearing sunglasses. It did appear that the person’s hair was pulled back into a ponytail. It could have been a man with long hair.
“I should go out there and ask her what she’s doing,” Grandma Honey said.
“What? No, grandma, you can’t do that.” I touched her arm. “Why don’t you come back here with me and help with the candy?”
Grandma Honey pointed again. “Look, she’s staring right in here with binoculars.”
I frowned. “Wow, you’re right. It does appear that she’s looking at the candy shop.”