by Rose Pressey
“What do you think is going on, Dorothy?” I asked.
“I’d say he is looking for something. Maybe he lost his cat,” she said.
That was a possibility, but maybe he was looking for someone. Within a couple minutes, the light show stopped. After the lights stopped, the garage door opened and the silhouette of a man appeared. He was moving around in the garage for a few seconds, then finally got into the car and backed out.
We hunkered down in the seat as he pulled out. Maybe Dorothy’s idea of wearing all black wasn’t all that bad an idea after all. At least I would have been less visible if I’d dressed in the same getup.
After a second, I peeked up and saw that the person I assumed was Sam was headed down the street. I cranked the engine and eased down the street, keeping a safe distance. Where was he headed and what had he been looking for?
“Did you bring your equipment with you?” Dorothy asked.
“Yeah, it’s in the case in the backseat.” I gestured.
I doubted anything in that silver case was going to help me tonight though. Would I be able to get close enough to eavesdrop? He could be going out for a late-night snack for all I knew.
I’d stayed back a few car lengths as we moved down the highway. He turned a few times and I made sure to try to stay back, but not lose him at the same time. It wasn’t as easy as it looked when they did it in the movies. Just as I’d made a right onto the next street, he sped up. I had to punch the gas in order to keep up. Sam was onto me, but did he know that it was me? Regardless, he knew that someone was following him. I’d blown my cover and this was not good.
It seemed as if he was just driving in circles. He turned left, and then right, then left again. Once I turned down Water Street, he was nowhere in sight.
I pounded the steering wheel. “Damn it. We lost him.”
“You gave it your best shot, dear,” Dorothy said in a sweet voice.
Releasing a sigh, I stepped on the gas and drove a couple blocks. I turned onto Main Street again and traveled a few more blocks when his car came into view again. It was a miracle. I may not have been able to keep up, but I had him now and I didn’t intend to let him out of my sight this time.
He wasn’t driving as fast this time. Could it be possible that he hadn’t noticed me following him again? There was more traffic on the main street, but I figured he’d look into his rearview mirror again soon and spot me. After a few more blocks, I followed his car to the public beach entrance. I parked my car across the street and cut the lights. He pulled into the parking lot, stopping his car near a small bench by the entrance to the beach. So far he hadn’t looked in our direction. If only I could keep it that way.
After a minute, Sam stepped out of his car and walked near the beach. He stood there with his back to us for at least a minute. He never turned around as he looked out at the water. Maybe he’d just wanted to watch the water and I’d followed him like some kind of crazy woman. I was surprised that he hadn’t called the police to report me. Another minute went by and then he turned around. I hunkered down in the seat, but continued to watch him. He looked to his left and right, then sat on the bench next to him.
As he waited on the park bench, he continued to survey his surroundings. Luckily, the area where I’d parked was dark and at an angle that I didn’t think he could see. Although if there was one thing I remembered learning from Uncle Griffin it was: if you can see them, they can see you. It made sense.
What did I have to lose though? If Sam saw me, I’d just take off. If not, then I could continue to snoop on him. Dorothy pulled out a peppermint candy and pushed it toward me. She had a knack of pulling those things out at the most inopportune times.
Dorothy shifted in her seat and I knew she was getting restless. Just when I was ready to give up and go home, a black SUV pulled up and parked right beside Sam’s car. They cut their headlights right away. A tall man stepped out from the vehicle right away and walked over to Sam. So he had been meeting someone here after all. My instincts had been right.
Without wasting any time, I pulled out my camera and snapped a few photos. Maybe I’d be able to identify the person he was talking to. It was dark though and odds were not in my favor. All I could do was watch from a distance and try to read their body language.
“Sam doesn’t know me. I could walk by and try to hear what they were saying,” Dorothy offered.
“That’s sweet, Dorothy, but I don’t want to put you in any danger. It’s just not worth it,” I said.
She shrugged. “You know I’m not afraid.”
“I know and that is probably not a good thing,” I pointed out.
We watched in silence as the men had a conversation. I’d rolled the window down hoping to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation, but the sound of the surf had made it impossible to hear what they’d said. They seemed to remain calm. Their talk didn’t seem heated and no one appeared on the verge of punching the other one. The tall guy handed Sam something. It looked like a file folder, but I couldn’t be sure.
After a few moments, the men stopped and got back into their vehicles. They cranked their engines and pulled out onto the street. Dorothy and I hunkered down again. It was probably useless in trying to follow them, but I’d come this far I had to at least give it a shot.
Just as I peeked up from my hunkered-down position, Sam’s car had turned around and was headed down the street opposite of the way he’d turned out of the lot. For some reason, he’d turned around. That was good for me though because my car was already pointed in his direction. I sat up straight and pulled the car out onto the road. I followed Sam down the highway again, but this time the car that had pulled up to talk with him was behind me. He hadn’t been there a moment ago. Headlights glimmered, reflecting off my rearview mirror.
Panic ran through me. Was this car following me now or was it just a coincidence? That question was answered soon enough when I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the SUV riding my bumper. They were trying to intimidate me. And to be honest it was working a little bit. I had to remain calm. It was time for me to get out of this situation. I’d turn down the next street and let the two of them drive off into the night.
When I turned onto the next right, the SUV followed me. So now the chaser was the chased. This wasn’t how I’d envisioned this scene turning out.
“That car is following us,” Dorothy said as she turned around.
“Don’t look at them,” I said.
I stomped on the gas, but the speed limit was twenty-five and I couldn’t drive much faster since there were other cars on the road. This car didn’t seem to mind if they caused an accident though. As a matter of fact, I think they wanted me to have an accident.
After a couple more turns, I was able to pull into a parking lot. I managed to hide out and waited for the car to pass. The person behind the wheel must be new at this following cars stuff. Heck, I was an old pro at this point. He hadn’t even looked over toward the parking lot. That was like Car Chase 101. I had him right where I wanted him now.
“What are you doing?” Dorothy whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” I asked.
She grinned. “Old habit, I guess.”
When I felt that it was safe, I pulled the car out onto the street.
“I’m going to follow this jackass, that’s what I’m doing,” I said with determination in my voice.
Now I was behind the guy. The chaser became the chased. He wasn’t speeding or driving erratically, so that led me to believe that he had no idea I was behind him now. He was probably scratching his head wondering how I’d gotten away.
He made a left onto Main Street. I eased through the green light and was able to follow him. As far as I could tell, he was head toward the water. Was he going back to the beach or over to the boat docks? My adrenaline spiked as I navigated the streets behind him.
“Don’t forget to write down his license plate number,” I told Dorothy. “Just in case we have to report h
im.”
“Report him for what?” Dorothy asked in a panicked tone.
I didn’t bother to answer because I wasn’t entirely sure.
“How long are you going to follow him?” Dorothy asked.
“Until he leads me somewhere we want to go,” I said.
“I don’t think he’ll take us anywhere we’d want to go.”
“You know what I mean,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Maybe he’ll take us to who’s behind the murders.”
“Yeah, and maybe pigs will fly someday,” she said.
I scowled at her but didn’t offer a comeback. When he turned left onto the next street, I knew that he was headed to the boat docks. If he jumped on a boat and took off I’d be out of luck.
The car pulled up to the boat docks and I hung back waiting to see his next move. He circled around a couple times and I figured he was looking for someone or something. But finally he pulled his car into a spot and cut the engine.
“Maybe he’s waiting for someone,” Dorothy offered.
“Yeah, maybe he’s waiting for the killer,” I said.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t respond. No words were necessary. I pulled out my binoculars to take a look, but all I could see was the back of his head.
After a couple more minutes, his car door opened and I held my breath. Would he look back and spot my car. I’d parked behind another car and hoped that it would offer enough cover for us. We watched as the man climbed out from behind the wheel. He glanced around, but never looked in our direction. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, then headed toward the docks.
“Where is he going now?” Dorothy asked.
I shrugged. “I guess to the boats. Maybe he owns one of them.”
“We may never know.” Dorothy frowned.
“That’s not likely,” I said opening my car door. “I’m going to follow him.”
Dorothy grabbed my arm as I started to get out of the car. “No, Maggie, I don’t want you to do that.”
“It’s my job,” I said with a cluck of my tongue.
“It’s dark out there and you don’t know who this man is.” She looked around in a panic.
“I can protect myself.” I tried to reassure her. “Now, lock the car doors and I’ll be back in a couple minutes. Call my phone if anything suspicious happens. Definitely call me if anyone else drives up.”
She reluctantly nodded. “Just be careful.”
I slipped across the parking lot, praying that the night sky offered me some cover. I had no idea what I was walking into. As I approached the docks, I looked over my shoulder. Dorothy was watching me. She gave a little wave, and for a second, I thought about turning back. But I knew I had to push forward. A collection of masts lined the dock, their pennants fluttering in the wind.
I headed down the pier, watching the boats bob up and down in the water. Soft waves shifted along the top of the water. I knew I’d seen him come this way, so he had to be in one of these boats. Only one boat had lights on, so I assumed that was the one I wanted.
I inched my way over, hoping that he wasn’t hiding, ready to attack me. When I reached the boat that was lit up, I walked around the boat, trying to peek in. Finally, I spotted the man. He was sitting inside the boat across from another man. I got a good look at his face. He was probably in his mid-thirties with dark hair and five o’clock shadow. I couldn’t get a good look at the other man. All I saw were his legs. They both wore jeans and sneakers.
Would they see me peeking in? Since they had the lights on, I assumed they couldn’t see me peeking in. My mother had always warned me about shutting my blinds so that people couldn’t watch me at night. I’m glad these guys weren’t so concerned about that. What were they talking about? Were they discussing me? Was one of them the killer? Was I next on the killer’s list? If so, then I was making it easy for them to find me. I’d never seen the guy who’d followed me before.
My pursuer was a big guy with muscles. Since I couldn’t hear their conversation, there was no point in hanging around. I’d have to find out more information about this boat.
Just when I turned around to leave, I spotted a card on the deck by the boat’s door. I reached down to get it, but slipped forward. I landed on my knees, catching myself with the palms of my hands. My tumble didn’t stop me from grabbing that card though. I hurried up and glanced back at the boat.
I saw into the boat’s cabin and watched the men jump up. I knew they’d heard the loud thud of me hitting the deck, although it had probably been a faint noise inside the boat. Nonetheless, they were definitely coming to check it out and I didn’t want to be anywhere around when they rushed out from that boat. I ran faster than I’d ever run before.
I practically fell onto the car when I reached it. Dorothy looked on in fear. She was looking behind me, so I figured that she’d spotted the men. There was no time for me to look back. I had no idea how close they were. For all I knew they were ready to grab me from behind at any second. Without wasting another second, I yanked on the car door and jumped in. As I cranked the engine, I glanced up. Thank goodness the men were still standing up by the docks looking around, clueless. They hadn’t spotted me, and for that I was thankful. I whipped the car into reverse, then shoved it into drive and took off. If they spotted me pulling off, I didn’t even want to know. I didn’t look back. I just wanted to get the heck out of there. I still had the card that I’d found.
I shoved it toward Dorothy. “What does this say?”
“There are two addresses. One only has the street though, no number,” Dorothy said.
When I looked in the rearview mirror, police lights were flashing. Oh crap. What had I done? Other than sneaking around a boat dock and spying on a few men? That wasn’t illegal, was it? For all they knew I could have been admiring their boat. I pulled the car over to the side of the road.
“Oh, this is just great. We’re going to jail and they’ll throw away the key,” Dorothy said in despair.
“Just try to stay calm and let me do the talking.”
When I glanced in my car’s side mirror, I spotted Jake Jackson approaching. Damn. This guy just wouldn’t leave me alone.
Chapter Thirteen
Sunlight from the one tiny apartment window splashed across my face as an annoying noise chirped in the background. I managed to force my eyelids open and looked around. After a couple more loud rings, I woke up enough to realize my phone was responsible for disturbing my sleep. I shielded my eyes from the bright sunshine and grabbed the phone with my other hand. I didn’t bother to glance at the screen to see who was calling. It didn’t matter. Whoever it was had better have a good excuse for waking me this early.
“Maggie Thomas,” I answered in a groggy, less-than-professional voice.
“Where are you? I’ve been worried sick,” the soft female voice said.
“Mom, is that you?” I asked.
“It’s Dorothy and you’re late for work,” she barked.
I blinked away the blurriness and looked at the clock. It was after nine. How the heck had I slept so late?
“I’m on my way,” I said.
Memories of the night before came floating back. After Jake finally allowed me to leave, I’d eaten cookie dough ice cream right out of the cartoon while I’d spent the late evening hours researching the case, then moving on to my father’s unsolved murder case. Unfortunately, I’d learned nothing new about either one. Jake had gone back to the boat docks, but apparently the men had already taken off. I wasn’t sure if Jake had actually believed me.
I stumbled out of bed and after showering, slipped into blue shorts and a white tank. My professional attire had only lasted a few days. Since I was my own boss, I’d officially declared every day casual Friday.
On my way to the office, I stopped by the little bakery around the corner. They had the best doughnuts. They practically melted in your mouth. As much as I wanted one of the chocolate-glazed ones, I opted for a bran muffin instead. It was no fun, b
ut my waist would thank me later. I decided I needed a little energy pick-me-up after all that I’d been through. The huge sign hung above the door with reminders of the delicious doughnuts. I locked my car and made my way across the parking lot.
The feeling of being watched came over me. When I glanced over my shoulder, I noticed an SUV that looked a lot like the one from last night. It couldn’t be the same vehicle again, could it? Who was I kidding? Of course it could be the same one. They’d probably had my address and followed me here this morning. I needed to be more aware of my surroundings. I was letting my guard down and it was going to get me into deep trouble. I hurried into the shop. I’d see if this person followed me inside. I walked up to the counter and placed my order, then handed the woman behind the register my cash.
“Do you come here often?” the male voice asked.
I whirled around, ready to defend myself. A little scream slipped from my lips, which after the fact was very embarrassing. I was supposed to be a professional. That was far from professional behavior. I clutched my chest, trying to calm down from the scare.
“I can’t believe it’s you again,” I said with an exasperated tone.
Jake flashed his sexy smile. He even looked great early in the morning with his rugged good looks wearing jeans and faded blue t-shirt.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, blowing my bangs out of my eyes.
He looked over my shoulder toward the baked goods and pointed. “A glazed donut.”
I stared at him for a moment. He thought he was so clever.
“Why are you following me?” I demanded.
“I can’t help it if we live close to each other.” He flashed his gorgeous smile.
Yeah, that was what he claimed, but still, it was a big city and I wasn’t buying his excuse that it was just a coincidence. The woman handed me the bag with my cardboard-flavored muffin and skinny cinnamon dolce latte. When Jake began placing his order, I started to walk away. I’d barely moved when Jake grabbed my arm. I glared up at him.