Your Eyes Don't Lie

by Branton, Rachel

  Before long, Lenny turned north, apparently heading home, but he didn’t make the turn on his street. Yawning, she followed. There were fewer cars on the street this late on a Monday night, and she’d have to be more careful. He kept driving until she wondered if he was planning to leave Phoenix altogether, but at last he stopped his car against a curb. Three upscale apartment buildings flanked one side, and smaller residential homes filled the other.

  Makay drove past him and pulled to the curb, watching in her rearview mirror. Was this his destination or had he recognized her car and stopped to confront her? So far he hadn’t emerged. She grabbed her camera, her hands shaking. And waited.

  Ten minutes later, he started across the street to the apartments, a folded paper in his hands. She took a bit of video before exiting her car and hurrying across the street as he turned a corner. Can’t lose him. She sprinted to the corner and peered around, only to see a parking lot with rows of covered parking. Wide spaces, not like the crunched ones where she lived. Everything about the lot and the apartments shouted money, even to the palms growing from perfectly symmetrical landscaping arrangements. The lighting was adequate, which came as a surprise.

  She caught sight of Lenny walking down a row of cars and took more video. He seemed to be walking casually, as if out for a stroll with nothing on his mind but a little fresh air. Come on. Do something I can use.

  Makay hesitated in following him for fear of being seen, but he was getting too far away for the camera, even with all the light in the parking lot. Leaving the edge of the building, she hurried toward the second row of cars. Maybe if she used the cars as a cover.

  Wait. Where did he go? Frantically, she scanned the parking lot, but Lenny was nowhere to be seen.

  “Looking for something?”

  Makay whirled, her hand going to the gun in her jacket pocket. “Oh, Lenny, you scared me.”

  “What are you doing here? Are you following me?”

  “No, I’m looking for a Laundromat.”

  He smirked. “That’s what I thought. How long you been on my tail? I only noticed you when you passed my car over there.” He jerked his head in the direction of the streets that were hidden from their view. “Did you see my date? Huh? Were you interested in what we were doing?” He moved uncomfortably close to Makay. “I’ve always been willing to show you that.”

  Makay stepped back. “You know what I want.”

  “What?” he sneered. “For Mommy to welcome you back with open arms?”

  “To be out of it. I have Nate to think about.”

  “That’s exactly why you should be glad to work for me.” He shook his head. “This is how you can feed that kid.”

  “I have a job.”

  He snorted. “Making minimum wage. Go ahead. Waste your life. You do these three jobs for me and we’ll see.” Even as he spoke, his eyes mocked her. “That reminds me. We’ll have one of the pickups on Thursday night if not before, and another one even sooner. I’ll let you know the day.”

  “I can’t miss school or work.”

  He shrugged, and Makay knew he didn’t really care. “You might have to.”

  Makay looked past him at the expensive cars. “Just tell me her name. Please.” It cost her to say it.

  “Is that why you’re following me? To see if you can find her? Good luck. Anyway, you’ll know soon enough—after the pickup.”

  Makay gritted her teeth and said nothing.

  “Why don’t you just go home to your kid?” Lenny said.

  “Does she live here?”

  He laughed. “Hardly. These people have money, but not that much money. No, I’m here for another reason altogether.” He gave her a lewd grin. “You know, uptown girl and all that.” He licked his lips. “So different from my downtown girl.”

  Ew and ew and ew! Makay took several more steps back. “Fine.”

  “I think I’ll walk you to your car. Make sure nothing happens to you.”

  Makay was tempted to take out her gun and show him just how protected she was, but if she’d learned anything over the years, it was not to threaten anyone unless she was prepared to follow through. “No, thanks.” Her eyes fell to the yellow paper in his hand. On that hand he wore a clear plastic glove that hadn’t been noticeable at a distance.

  “Love note,” he said. “Women love them.”

  Makay didn’t ask about the glove, knowing he’d only lie. She turned and hurried back the way she had come. Before she could entertain thoughts of sneaking around the apartment building to see if Lenny was telling the truth, she realized he was trailing her. He stopped at the sidewalk, but watched until she climbed into her car.

  Tears bit at her eyes. More and more it was looking like she’d need to snatch the money at the next pickup and run. Harrison had said the note had asked for fifty thousand dollars. If his mother was Lenny’s target, how long could that keep her and Nate? But of course if she met Harrison for a payoff, he’d never give her the money.

  The tears finally skidded down her cheek. Sometimes depending only on yourself stank big time. Because right now she had failed utterly.

  Makay’s thoughts went back to Harrison. Could she tell him about Lenny? Self-preservation said no. There was nothing for it but to go home. Even so, she drove around the block, and as she approached again, she noticed that Lenny’s car was gone. Should she search the parking lot for a note? What if there was one? She drove around the lot again and when Lenny’s car was still nowhere in sight, she drove into the parking lot, slowly going up and down the rows and studying the cars.

  There it was, on a Volkswagen Beetle, whose color was indeterminate at night. At least it wasn’t Harrison’s car. That was a relief, though now that she thought about it, he’d said the notes had appeared on his mother’s car. Was she the type to drive a Beetle?

  Makay was tempted to get out and read the note, but she was too worried that Lenny was still nearby, and she was finished being brave. Besides, what would the note prove? Nothing. Just that Lenny was targeting someone here. It would be a demand for money and perhaps a threat and a date. Nothing she could use to track down the victim. It would be more useful to return in the day and try to learn the identity of the car’s owner. She took a picture of the car with the note and another of the license plate, though the camera didn’t do justice to either.

  Coldness filled Makay as she steered out of the parking lot and drove home. All the way there, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Harrison awoke in the dark to the sound of a radio blasting from a passing car. He sat up in his Sebring and swiped the sleep from his eyes. Last night he’d planned to take just a brief nap, but somehow he’d drifted into a deep sleep and the video camera he’d left pointed at his mother’s car had run out of space hours ago. His phone told him it was four o’clock in the morning. Well, he might not have missed the drop, or if he had, at least this might narrow the time for when the notes were placed.

  He blinked to make his eyes focus, fairly certain he could see a note on the Beetle. Shoving his feet into a pair of flip-flops, he opened the door and hurried across the lot. The darkness felt heavy and deserted, and not even the stray cat was anywhere to be seen. He walked quietly, his heart beating out a rhythm that made him wish he had some kind of weapon.

  Sure enough, there was a note. He picked it up and opened it. The same printed script as before. Careful and almost too neat. A woman’s handwriting? Probably.

  So you want to meet? Fine. I will bring a copy of my birth certificate for proof, but you need to bring me the money. Let’s make it Friday. Will our mother be there to see her long lost daughter? Of course not. She shook me off her hands like so much gunk years ago. How would you feel if the situation were reversed? You know what? I don’t really care. I just want the money. Then you can both forget I ever existed. Don’t short me or yank me around. Otherwise, I may have a nice chat with Eli or maybe Tianna. I bet she would welcome me. />
  Short sentences, the word gunk, another threat. Nothing else really stood out to him. Maybe in person he’d have better luck. Or maybe he’d convince his mother to call the police. What if the police agreed to keep his mother out of it? One thing Harrison didn’t believe was that whoever wrote the note would simply walk away. Why should they? His mother would do anything to hide her secret. Next, Harrison would be pawning her jewelry, or using his own meager savings.

  His mother had always taught him that they should help people when they could, and if this was his sister, maybe he should help her. But how could he when she seemed bent only on revenge?

  Feeling discouraged, he went inside to shower. On the way, he saw his neighbor, Gregg, who looked like he was heading to his gym to play racquetball. The guy was a little crazy about racquetball, as the hour testified, but Harrison liked him. He’d invited Harrison to play the first week he moved in, and they’d had an enjoyable time. Since then, Gregg and his wife had him over to their place for dinner twice, and they’d talked about double-dating sometime. Harrison wondered if Makay would like them as much as he did.

  “Up for more racquetball?” Gregg asked.

  “Yeah, but not today. I’m beat.” Harrison paused before rushing on, “Hey, Gregg, have you seen anyone around here that doesn’t belong? Anything suspicious?”

  Gregg’s eyes widened. “You in some kind of trouble?”

  Harrison sighed and shook his head. “No, there’s just been some odd things going on with my Beetle that I parked in one of the visitor stalls. I was wondering if you’d seen anything out of the ordinary.”

  “Nope. Can’t say that I have. Is something missing?”

  What could Harrison say? Certainly not that someone was leaving him blackmail notes. Gregg worked as a contractor, so it wasn’t as if he could give legal advice. “Not that I can tell, but the windshield wipers have been moved, and the mirror.” Harrison felt a twinge of guilt as he lied, but he didn’t want to bring the guy into it any more than that.

  “Haven’t seen anyone. Maybe it’s some kid’s prank. Those things can turn ugly, though. You might ask the manager to look at the surveillance footage.”

  “Surveillance footage?” Wait, he vaguely remembered something about that in the manager’s spiel when he was signing his contract. “Next to no crime in this area,” he’d said. “Criminals know I live onsite. But just in case they’re feeling lucky, we have hidden cameras. You find that only in the most exclusive apartment buildings.”

  “Yep.” Gregg twirled the covered racket in his hand. “The recordings might be able to tell you what happened. I think they store the stuff for a whole month or more. It’s easier these days with digital recordings.”

  “Thanks. I’ll look into it.”

  “Okay.” Gregg reached for the lobby door. “Let me know when you’re ready for a rematch.”

  “How about next week?”

  “Sure, I’ll text you.” Gregg disappeared into the blackness of the early morning.

  Harrison showered, dressed, and went to work two hours before his usual time. Better than sitting around worrying. At nine he called the manager of his apartment building. “I’ll be glad to send you a copy of what I have,” the manager said. “Exactly what date and time are you looking at?”

  “Last night. And Saturday night, too, if it’s possible. Say midnight to four in the morning.”

  “Give me an email address, and I’ll send you a zip file with the footage sometime today. Please let us know if there was a problem with your car. We can definitely send a copy to the police, if we need to.”

  “Thanks.” Harrison was feeling a little better as he returned to his work. Of course, he’d still have to call his mother and tell her about the new note. Fresh rage burned in him at the thought. Eli, he thought. This is all his fault. Eli was the reason his mother had succumbed to blackmail. Yet even as the thoughts came, Harrison knew he wasn’t being fair. Eli might not be the ideal husband or stepfather, but at least he was honest about where he stood on issues. His mother was the one making her choices.

  Harrison worked energetically until close to one o’clock when the requested files arrived in his inbox and he stopped working to take a peek. What he learned changed everything. On the footage, Makay stood in his parking lot in the middle of the night, chatting with the rat-faced man Harrison had seen her talking to outside the hairdressing place, the same man who put the note on the Beetle moments later. They seemed to be together, though Makay appeared later and left early. Wait, no, there she was again in her car this time. Was she checking to see if the man had placed the note? If so, that would mean she was in charge and not the other way around.

  Hurt rushed through Harrison in a single engulfing wave. Her involvement would explain everything, from their first encounter at that particular Albertsons to her interest in his mother’s case. And even how well things had clicked between them. It had been a setup from the start. She’d lobbed those cans at him on purpose—probably after picking up the money from his mother’s car.

  He watched the footage again and then a third time to make sure. Bile rose in his throat. I’ve been such a fool, he thought, his head dropping to his hands. How Makay could have known his mother would call him to the store so she could pretend to “meet” him was completely beside the fact. Somehow she’d manipulated the entire situation.

  Gradually, he became accustomed to the hurt—which felt horribly familiar from his breakup in California—and anger began to grow in its place. Better that I find out now instead of later.

  Grabbing his keys, he left his tiny office and hurried down the hallway. No time like right now to let her know the game was over. No way would he allow her to continue hurting his family. He arrived at IHOP and had to wait thirty minutes for her to get off work, which ate up most of his lunch hour.

  She finally emerged from IHOP, looking as striking as ever, though obviously exhausted. Her shoulders hunched slightly, hair escaped in wisps from her ponytail, and the look on her face was almost haunted.

  Tossing his cell phone onto the passenger seat, he pushed open his car door and walked toward her, but she was angled away from him, heading to the parking spaces farthest from the building, so she didn’t notice his presence. “Makayla,” he said, his voice sounding more strangled than commanding.

  Her head swung in his direction, her solemn expression breaking into a shy smile. Her lips parted, and he could see the slight gap that somehow made him want to grab her and hold her tight. I am such a fool.

  “Hey, Harrison. I didn’t expect to see you. I—”

  “I know. I know everything.”

  She blinked slowly. “What exactly are you talking about?” Her voice was faint—which surely was an indication of her guilt.

  “I know what you’re doing with the help of that man—blackmailing my family. Pretending to be my half sister. How could you?” All the anger, betrayal, and disgust he felt seeped into his voice. “I can’t believe you’d do something like this when you know what it’s like to be adopted. Or was that all a lie?” He raised his hands in a warding-off motion. “I trusted you. I—” He shook his head, too furious—and hurt—to continue in that vein. He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, grabbing all the cash inside and throwing it at her. Bills scattered over the pavement. His coins followed. “There, take it all. What else do you want? My mother’s jewelry, my nephew’s college fund? My car? What?”

  She stared at him for what seemed a lifetime. Just stared, her lips pressed together. A couple came out of the restaurant and eyed them with interest, but Makay didn’t seem to notice. “You have no idea what I want,” she said at last, very quietly. “No idea at all.”

  “I know you’re a liar and a cheat,” he sneered. “A user. I never thought anything could be worse than my girlfriend cheating on me with my best friend, but I was wrong.”

  Her nostrils flared. Without a word, she turned, starting for her car again.

  He reache
d out and grabbed her bare arm. “Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”

  She looked down at his hand. He noticed that the bruises around her wrist were still there and a sinking feeling swept through him. Releasing her, he stepped back.

  “I think,” she said, “that you already have whatever explanation you need. I’m a liar, a cheat, and a user. You have made that very clear. What else is there after something like that?”

  She turned again and this time he let her go. A ten-dollar bill sailed on a breeze past his feet, and he watched it, hearing her door slam. Why did he feel like he’d been the one chastened? His gaze shifted toward her car, but all he saw was her profile as she drove away without looking back. His anger slipped away until all he felt was the hurt.

  Somehow he made it back to the car where his cell phone buzzed incessantly on the seat. It fell silent as he opened the door but began again as he started the car. He grabbed it and looked at the number. It was Tianna. Not now, he groaned internally. The phone fell silent, showing four missed calls.

  It buzzed again.

  He picked it up. “Yeah?” His voice came out roughly, but his sister didn’t notice.

  “Where have you been? I know you’re working, but something’s really wrong with Mom. Something to do with a phone call. But that’s all I know. I was at the house, but she wouldn’t tell me anything, and I had to leave. I’m worried. You have to talk to her.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Makay drove to her apartment, a lump of lead in her heart. She didn’t know how Harrison had found out about her, but apparently he was taking it badly—as he should. The betrayal part she understood only too well. She should have been better prepared for his reaction, but she felt as if a hole had been gouged in her heart, removing tissue that had once held all her nerves and feelings.

  She wondered how he’d found out and exactly how much he knew. His comment about her “pretending” to be his sister indicated that he didn’t know everything. I should have told him before. It didn’t matter that she’d tried or intended to. In the end those things meant nothing.