by Dale Mayer
Laszlo shook his head. “Typical, right? We’re focused on one, and they get up and leave in a different one.”
“And it could be that he had nothing to do with it.”
Laszlo nodded. “But somebody drove the truck.”
“I’m pretty sure he just deserted it and walked away. It was enough that she knew he’d followed her. He wouldn’t stick around to be identified.”
“Scare tactics?”
Geir nodded. “Sounds like it to me.”
“That’s not helpful. If those antics don’t stop her from going to the police again tomorrow, he’ll just change his tack and come back.”
“I know.” Geir walked over to the truck, hopped in and said out the open window, “Have a good night.” He flashed Laszlo a big grin and drove away.
Laszlo walked back to the apartment, his gaze studying the floor above. He couldn’t see anything inside as it was dark. She’d said nobody was staying there at the moment, but it would be a perfect cover for anybody wanting to torment her, or worse, attack her. He’d already taken a walk around the block to get an idea of where she lived. It was low- to middle-class suburbia. Lots of rental units but then everybody had to have a way to pay the mortgage.
Back at her door he knocked on the wood and waited until she opened it. It took her a minute. He wondered if he needed to rap again when she pulled it open. She was dressed in pajamas, wearing a bathrobe. He smiled broadly. She stepped aside and let him in.
He walked back in, taking his shoes off at the door. “Tired?”
“Very. There’s nothing like the aftermath of fear and shock to take the stuffing out of me.”
“It’s a normal reaction for everyone,” he said.
She shrugged. “The trouble is, I’m not everyone. For a long time, I lived in that state. But I’ve been out of it too long. I don’t want to go back into it either.”
He nodded. “It sounds like you had some pretty close calls.”
“A couple in particular, and it was always Mouse who saved me. That’s why it was so hard when he left. I was just hitting puberty, and I knew I was in more danger than ever. A lot of my mother’s boyfriends didn’t like children. And that was something to be grateful for. But a lot of them wouldn’t have known the difference between a fourteen-year-old and an eighteen-year-old, and most of them wouldn’t have cared.”
He winced.
She nodded. “Some of us had shitty beginnings.”
“But you escaped it. You got an education and changed your life,” he reminded her. He looked at the teakettle. “Can I change my mind on that cup of tea?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. Help yourself.”
He walked into the kitchen, shook the electric teakettle to find water was still inside and pushed the button to start heating it up again. “Where would I find tea and a cup?”
He followed her directions and soon had a hot cup of tea. He moved back to the living room, sitting down. He assessed the length of the couch and realized it would probably be more comfortable if he crashed on the floor.
“I don’t have much to offer in the way of bedding,” she said. “When I said this place came complete, I meant it. I brought a suitcase of my belongings, and that’s it.”
He shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
“Let me see if I have an extra blanket.” She headed into her bedroom and came back out with a blanket that had been on her bed. “It’s not like it’s cold. I don’t need the comforter and the blanket, so you can have this for the night.”
“Good enough.” He stretched out on the couch, while she sat in the armchair. “I don’t know if you wanted to go straight to bed. If so, go ahead, get some sleep. Just be aware, I’ll get up every couple hours and take a walk around, make sure everything’s okay.”
“Outside?”
He shook his head. “Inside.”
She nodded, but it was obvious she wanted to leave. He motioned to her bedroom. “Go. I don’t need you here to entertain me. I’ve got my laptop. I’ll get some work done.”
She stopped on her way to the bedroom and looked back at him.
He already had his laptop open and his feet up on the coffee table. He took off his glove and quickly started flicking through emails. “Have a good night.”
She hesitated another long moment, then said, “Good night.”
He waited until she went into her room and closed the door. Then he relaxed. She was wary, very wary. And that was okay. He had no designs on her. He just wanted to keep her safe. After that, … well, … who knew? Still, he wasn’t staying in town, so it wasn’t likely to go anywhere. Besides, two years after his accident, he wasn’t looking to jump into a serious relationship. Not yet.
He felt rusty. Unsure. Even more considering his less-than-stellar physical condition. But he was more than happy to look at her and after her.
That Mouse had spent a lot of time and effort looking after her said a lot about who Mouse was. That whole terrified-of-water thing was odd. Some of the BUD/S training they went through was extreme. He didn’t understand how bad Mouse’s fear of water was, but Laszlo knew, in many cases, it was not something people could get over quickly. He wondered if it would be possible to talk to the BUD/S instructors about Mouse’s performance. Then what could he ask—Mouse had passed and water trials were some of the most grueling in the training. So he had to have done well.
He did a bit of research on getting over the fear, but nothing changed his attitude on the process. It was really just a matter of face your fears and carry on. But, of course, they wanted you to do it in a safe environment. But, if you couldn’t even think of getting into a swimming pool or walking past a creek, then how did one get past that?
Just then he got an email from Geir.
Back at the hotel, checking in with everyone. So far nothing new popping up. Still researching Mouse’s family. And you?
He responded in kind.
Yes, working on that now. Still flummoxed over the fear-of-water thing.
I know. Any chance we have two Mouses?
I highly doubt it with a name like that.
Brother?
Possible, then what happened to the real Mouse? And why would you take over such a horrible life?
It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. We need to track down the family and talk to them.
I’m working on it, but there doesn’t appear to be a whole lot of information available.
Or on Mouse’s childhood. I can’t find any hospital records, no dental records, nothing about school.
Right? It’s almost as if he were a ghost. But I know, in many areas like this, people don’t have medical insurance. And can walk in, get treatment, pay cash, then walk out without leaving a trace.
Laszlo went back to his research at that point, trying to find what he could on Lance. And that meant the jewelry store family. Laszlo quickly started digging into that family history. The aged patriarch was old German and apparently hadn’t had much tolerance for his grandson’s sexual preferences. He had tried to get him to join the family business until he realized the life he was leading, and then he’d been dumped. Lance’s own father was part of the business, and, of course, it had been assumed his eldest son would go into it too. Lance had a younger brother, however, and he had stepped into the role instead. So Lance was allowed to lead his own life as long as it didn’t impact the family’s life.
There were lots of articles on him getting into trouble, but they were small incidences, never came with charges. Laszlo sent an email to Levi, asking if there was a way to check for a criminal record, explaining who Lance was in relation to Mouse. As it was still early, Levi came back fairly quickly with a copy of Lance’s criminal record. Shoplifting, drugs, and … Wow, look at that. … Prostitution. How did somebody with a relative like his grandfather and father end up with prostitution charges?
But then Laszlo read farther and realized the charges were dropped. He’d been caught up in a sting in a gay bar where they’d been
looking for a pimp using young boys, a twist on the old story. The family had managed to get the charges dropped, paid all the fines in every case except apparently a drunk-driving case. But it carried jail time of only thirty days. The family hadn’t been able to buy his way out of that one. And apparently drunk driving was more honorable than being caught in a drug or a prostitution sting.
But then many old families would have a problem with Lance’s lifestyle. Laszlo wasn’t shocked by any of it. So many of those with alternate lifestyles suffered persecution from those who didn’t understand. Fear was a major factor. It was too bad because the Mouse who Laszlo knew had been a hell of a man. Mouse didn’t deserve to be treated as anything less than an equal.
Laszlo kept clicking away on the keys as the bedroom door opened again. Minx walked out, looking frustrated and tired.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked gently. She looked like a disgruntled kitten. Albeit one with claws.
She shook her head, walked over to the teakettle and plugged it in again. “I’m hoping a hot lemon will help.”
“Anything in particular keeping you awake?”
She snorted. “There’s plenty to choose from. I’m just seriously surprised anybody even gives a damn about me.”
He stopped his research and took a look at her. “That brings up a good point then. Does your old boss care about his position? Is he so far away from retirement that he couldn’t take a retirement package to have all this swept under the carpet, or do you think something else is going on?”
She shot him a troubling look, turned to get the lemon juice out of the fridge. She came back with the teacup in her hand and sat on the nearby chair, placing the hot lemon carefully on the side table. “I don’t know. He was extremely blunt with me, as if he thought he had the right. As if this was his norm. That he wouldn’t get into trouble regardless of what I said. Maybe if he’d kept on, he thought I’d buckle.”
“Any chance he’s gone beyond sexual harassment?”
“What do you mean?”
“Any chance he’s raped somebody? Any chance he raped somebody under the legal age of consent?”
“How would I know? But he is slimy enough. And he’s certainly aggressive enough.” She frowned. “I just don’t know why he would.”
“Why he would what?”
“Put his career in jeopardy like that. But more than that, he’s very active in his community and his church. I think he thought he was someone going places.”
“Maybe it’s that code-of-silence thing,” he said. “A lot of women are too scared to fight back. They either quit or comply, leaving them likely to feel ashamed and angry. It’s possible you’re one of the few who hit back. What gets me is why he would have thought you wouldn’t have. Since I first met you, you’ve been …” He struggled to find the right word, knowing the wrong one would set her off. “Not abrasive but not exactly … It’s obvious you’re no pushover. That’s what puzzles me is that he must have thought otherwise.”
Chapter 9
She stared at him. “That’s true. But, when I first met you, I wasn’t exactly my normal self. I was angry and hating the neighborhood where I’d grown up,” she admitted. “I’m not always like that.”
“But are you subservient? Are you the kind of person who lets people walk all over you?” He shook his head. “I can’t fathom you would be so different in a work environment.”
“No, I’m not. But I’m careful. I’m cautious. I didn’t survive my childhood by being abrasive, and I didn’t survive my childhood by being stupid. I keep my nose down, and I do my work.”
“So maybe you were an unknown to him?” He appeared to think about that, then nodded. “That would make sense. He probably had already tested every other female in the office he could get his hands on, and you were something new. How long did you work there?”
“Under him, not long. Maybe four months. But I was in the building for quite a while.”
“Did you know him before you took that position?”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I would go to work, do my job and leave. One of the things my upbringing taught me was to keep my nose clean. But that also meant not sticking it into other people’s business. A lot of people are in that building, a couple hundred at least. And, over the years, I’d seen him, but I didn’t know who he was, what his position was. He had moved up the ranks, so his position changed all the time.” She shrugged. “Let’s be clear though. He’s big. His size could be intimidating. He’s burly, but he’s not pretty. He doesn’t dress terribly well. He’s much more of a trucker dressed up for an office job.”
“Interesting analogy,” he said. “I’m typing in his name to see if I can get an image of him.”
“You should be able to.” She got up, walked to the couch and sat down beside him.
He brought up the images that came with the name.
She reached over and tapped one photo. “That’s him.”
He clicked on the image and brought it up larger. “Isn’t that interesting?”
“What?”
He shook his head. “He’s got a hard edge to him. And arrogance. Almost as if he doesn’t care or thinks he’s too smart or thinks nobody will buck him. But there’s also a sleazy salesman look to him. Sleeker than I expected.”
“I just see the ugliness. He is arrogant,” she said. “He doesn’t think anybody has the guts to go against him.”
“And yet you said he’s well-loved?”
“He’s done a lot for the employees.”
“And is that also because management hasn’t bucked him?”
She laughed. “Maybe. But nobody working under him in the offices really cares. If you think about it, as long as he’s on their side, no employee will go against him.”
Laszlo nodded. “The thing about guys like this—intimidating women in an office environment—it’s all about power, and the guys don’t expect to get caught. In his head, he’s not doing anything a million other guys aren’t doing. I understand that he’s probably getting a thrill out of it. He’s getting whatever bits and pieces of sex he needs to make him feel like a big man, to make him feel like he can have whatever he wants without anybody crossing him, but that seems kind of small change in the overall power-mad-hungry point of view. I just wonder if he’s involved in something else. Those who are corrupt with power quite often would have other avenues that help them feel powerful too.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you.”
He looked at her. “You said you didn’t think he was married, but is he divorced with an ex? Does he have kids? Does he have other people he intimidates? Is anyone scared of him?”
“I don’t know if anyone is truly afraid of him. I know in the office there was a lot of adulation. It made me sick. I think I heard something about him being engaged,” she murmured, frowning. “I don’t know if he’s ever been married. I have no clue if he has kids. I can’t say I’d be surprised if he wasn’t divorced. I doubt he would know the meaning of the wedding vows because he’s a lecher. And, if he was married, then he probably abused her. Bullies are like that.”
He nodded. “Exactly. She probably stayed home, raised their kids and everybody toed the line because, if they didn’t, there would be a punishment. And now that I’ve seen his face, I can certainly understand he probably has hired whoever it was who tailed you today. Now whether that person would do anything other than keep track of your movements, I don’t know. But I can see this Andrew guy doing whatever it takes to get you out of the picture.”
She sank back in the couch and stared at him. “As in you think he might kill me?”
“Not likely. That type of action means desperation. I can’t say that he would or has before, but, if he’s going after you now, and you’re an unknown he can’t figure out, and he might have misjudged you initially, he’ll have to put a stop to it, won’t he?”
“Sure, intimidation is usually effective,” she said drily. “I mean, I’ve already lost my job and tran
sferred into a lower position. But he’s not seeing who I am on the inside. The one raised in a house beside Mouse.”
He nodded. “And what happens next? You could get laid off? You could be fired? And it could just spiral downward from there.”
“Meaning, if I don’t stop harassing him now, then he could take stronger measures to get rid of me.” She slowly let the breath out of her lungs. “Great. So my attempts to do right will just end up with me getting deeper into trouble.”
“Don’t suppose you have any proof, do you?”
She nodded. “I do actually.” She got up and walked to the kitchen counter. There was a cookie tin on the side. She opened it and pulled out a small recorder. “After the first couple times, I realized how bad he was getting. I thought I should do something about it.”
She sat down and played the tape. It was short, only two minutes. As Andrew’s crude voice filled the air, she was more concerned about watching Laszlo’s face to see his reaction than hearing the threats once more. They made her mad all over again.
“Wow, he’s pretty clear what he wants you to do with him.”
“Yeah, nice, huh? As if blow jobs go along with sorting the morning mail.”
He chuckled. “If that was the case, most men would sign up for sorting the morning mail.”
That startled a laugh out of her. “Now that may be. But it sure as hell isn’t in my job description. I know I never signed up for that.”
“Did you show this to the cops?”
She shook her head. “No. I can’t say I got a warm and fuzzy feeling from the cops at all.”
“No, it sounds like they were hoping you’d walk away from this and not proceed any further.”
She nodded. “And that’s not what I needed. I was really hoping somebody would be outraged and would want to go after this guy. Instead, I feel like I got a cop who didn’t want to buck the system.”