Valentine Wishes (Baxter Academy Book 1)

by Jane Charles

  “The explosion?”

  She nodded.

  “So, when people don’t show when they are supposed to or are late, you assume the worst.”

  “Not exactly.” She took another drink.

  It sure seemed that way to me. Or maybe I’m just special.

  “Only people I care about.”

  Care about?

  “It didn’t bother me so much with the guys I dated in high school and college. I just got irritated at their inconsideration and eventually, I just broke up with them if it became a habit. I wasn’t really invested and didn’t really care one way or the other.” She looked up, meeting my eyes. “I was scared when I couldn’t reach you and you didn’t show.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I know, and you explained and I am being unreasonable.”

  I was kind of surprised she admitted it.

  “But what really scared me was how much I worried and how much I cared about you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone and I only met you a week and a half ago.”

  Whew. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one falling fast.

  “It’s too fast. I don’t even know you, but my heart didn’t seem to care.”

  She takes another drink and then blows out a sigh. I’m not sure what to say.

  “I can’t be involved with someone who has no consideration for my feelings, or my time, and would keep me worrying and guessing. I don’t want to be hurt and I was hurt and scared, and pissed.”

  “I’m sorry. Next time I think I may be late or not make something because of work I’ll call. Even if it is four in the morning.”

  Her sad eyes look up at me. “Promise.”

  “I swear.”

  “I still think we moved too fast. Or my heart did, not that I should tell you that.”

  “No,” I cut her off. “Mine has done the same. Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered to keep calling and would have relegated you a list of someone I had dated, but there’s something about you, Jackie. I’m not done.”

  A small smile comes to her lips and I finally relax. We both care and it’s too damn quick for two people who want to proceed cautiously.

  “Can we slow down a bit, so I can breathe and figure this out?”

  “Yep.” I have to agree with her. I’m not even sure what my feelings are, but they run deep and I’m just getting to know her. “When does your grandmother come home?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “I’ll wait until the weekend, then give you a call to see how things are going and take it from there.”

  “I’d like that,” she says before biting her lip.

  I take our now empty bottles and throw them in the trash, then grab her hand. “Walk me to my car.”

  “I guess I could do that,” she gives me a quirky smile.

  We stop at the side of my car and let go of her hand before pulling her close. “I was afraid if I kissed you back there I’d drag you up to your room.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “That’s not slowing down.”

  Jackie wrinkles her nose. “I guess you are right.”

  I give her a quick kiss. “Until this weekend.”

  “Until this weekend,” she says as she steps back so I can get in my car. She watches me as I drive away. I look in my rearview mirror one last time before pulling onto the highway, but she’s looking down at her phone.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I grab my phone from my back pocket when it dings. I’ve kept the phone with me constantly in case the hospital tries to get a hold of me.

  How can I turn your love to me?

  It’s a strange number again. None of the telephone numbers have been the same and the messages are odd.

  The phone dings again and I read.

  You would be queen to me.

  “Not wife,” I finish the lyrics not texted and my blood runs cold.

  Why would someone text song lyrics?

  My heart skips a beat. That’s why all the messages were a bit familiar. On their own they meant nothing, but… Grandma keeps a pad of paper by the telephone in the kitchen and I grab it and start writing down the texts from the beginning then sit back and read them again.

  Dream girl unimpressed - Everybody’s Got the Right - Assassins.

  Such a Pretty face, such a pretty dress, such a pretty smile – I Feel Pretty - West Side Story

  I would do anything for you – Unworthy of Your Love – Assassins

  Everybody’s got a right to some sun shine – Everybody’s Got the Right - Assassins

  It’s only just out of reach – Cool – West Side Story

  Some men have everything and some have none – Ballad of Czolgosz – Assassins

  A boy like that wants one thing only – song same name – West Side Story

  How can I turn your love to me? – Unworthy of Your Love - Assassins

  You would be queen to me – Unworthy of Your Love - Assassins

  My heart is pounding. I know my musicals. Lyrics to most of them. Why the hell didn’t I pick up on this before? Each text is a lyric from a song in either West Side Story or Assassins. The last two shows I performed in.

  But, who is sending them to me and why?

  Why the hell is someone texting me song lyrics? This isn’t random. It’s intentional.

  The hair stands up on the back of my neck and I slowly turn. Theo is at the camp, my uncles have gone home and Brett just left. I’m all alone in a huge house, away from everyone and I start remembering every murder mystery and horror movie I’ve ever seen.

  Slowly I walk out of the house and toward the camp where there are lots and lots of people, constantly looking around while I punch in Brett’s number.

  My phone rings as I’m pulling into my uncle’s drive. I cut the engine and grab my phone, surprised to see that it’s Jackie.

  “Hey,” I answer. We weren’t going to talk until this weekend, but I’m not going to complain.

  “Can you come back?” She sounds panicked.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Please, come back.”

  She sounds like she could be near hysterics. “What is wrong?”

  “It’s just…those texts aren’t random. I know what they are.”

  “Do you know who they are from?”

  “No.” Her voice cracks and I start the engine on the car. “They’ve all come from a different telephone number.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “I’m at the camp. I don’t want to be alone.”

  “I’ll find you.”

  I drive as quickly as I dare, but even the speed limit seems like a crawl. I don’t know if someone is messing with Jackie or she has a stalker. At the moment it doesn’t matter because she’s scared. I could hear it in her voice.

  After parking the car, I hurry past the house and down to the camp, looking for Jackie among the kids. She’s standing off with two adults that I don’t recognize. When she sees me, her shoulders drop and she hurries forward, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from everyone.

  “What are the texts?”

  She pulls a sheet of paper from her back pocket. “Lyrics from West Side Story or Assassins.”

  I take the list and look it over. I hadn’t realized she’d received so many. “Do these shows mean anything to you?”

  “I was in West Side Story last year and in Assassins the year before. I like to do community theatre but didn’t have time to audition for any of the summer shows this year.”

  “When would auditions have been?”

  She frowns for a minute. “End of May usually.”

  “And cast lists, when did they go up?”

  “For the season, they would have been posted the first week of June.”

  “About the time you started getting texts.”

  She swallows and nods.

  “Has there been anyone that was part of those productions that made you uncomfortable? Came on to you and you rejected? Anything like that.”

&nb
sp; She’s staring at me blankly. “Nobody.”

  It has to be someone connected with those shows or the theatre. Or, maybe someone who just saw her in those shows. Though I really hope it is someone connected, to make it easier. “Do you have a list of everyone involved in both productions?”

  “I have copies of the programs.” She glances up at the house. “In my room. There is a box on the top shelf in my closet next to a makeup case. They should be in there.”

  I nod. “I’ll be right back.”

  I find the box where she said it would be and take out the two programs.

  “Let’s make a list of the guys who were part of both productions,” I tell Jackie when I get back outside.

  She nods and walks me to a table. I read off of one and she checks the other. We mark the names that are in both programs and end of up with a list of fifteen guys. I’m assuming a girl isn’t doing this, but if the guys don’t check out, I’ll investigate the women.

  Jackie leans back and studies the names.

  “Does anyone stick out as having been odd, or maybe attached to you?”

  “No, but some of them I didn’t know that well.”

  “Like who?” Those are ones I’ll start with.

  “If they were on tech, but not part of the stage crew, I didn’t always meet them because they’d be at the back of the theatre with the lights or sound. They hardly ever came down to the stage and I didn’t really go back there.”

  “Tell me about the texts. Did they come in at the same time? Same day?” I hadn’t paid that close attention when she got them and now I wish I would have.

  She jots the time and dates behind each message and sits back and studies them. There is no set pattern.

  Except.

  I study them again. “You got these when you were with me or after I left you.”

  “I got one with I was with Ashley.”

  “Were you talking about me?”

  Her face blushes. Of course. Ashley probably wanted details since it was the Friday after that first weekend we were together.

  “Where were you?”

  “At the diner.”

  “Did you recognize anyone there?”

  She shakes her head and shrugs. “Just farmers, truck drivers. Nobody I remember or knew.” Then she winces. “I didn’t really pay attention to anyone else there.”

  “One of them you got when we were going into Sullivan’s, but the square was so crowded it’s hard to tell who was there.”

  “But, the first one came in when I found out you had a flat tire.”

  “Do you remember who was in the bar?”

  She closes her eyes and bits her bottom lip. Then slowly shakes her head again. “Sorry. I don’t.” Tears begin to fill her eyes.

  I pull her close. “It’s okay. We’ll figure out who it is.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Whoever this is knows where I live and has been watching me closely enough to know when Brett’s been around. The creep fucking texted me at my own home, twice, after Brett left. Do I even want to be here right now?

  My stomach rolls. What kind of person does that?

  Brett called my Uncle Gary to come up because he’s a cop and told him about the texts. He doesn’t want me or Theo staying here, or Grandma coming home. At least not until the guy’s been caught. I heard whispering that he isn’t escalating yet, but could be soon, and it would only get worse. I wasn’t supposed to hear them, but I did. It’s also the reason Brett hasn’t left. He’s not leaving me alone until this guy is caught.

  A part of me does feel like they are both overacting, but at the same time, I’m really glad Brett’s here. I feel safe with him and he does have a gun. But, he can’t be here indefinitely. Brett does have a job.

  “The campers cannot know what is going on,” I insist. “They have to deal with enough in their lives that they don’t need to worry about there being danger at the camp either.” Then again, are the kids safe? “Would keeping the camp open be dangerous for them?” I ask Brett.

  “I don’t think so. The person is fixated on you and your relationship with me. The kids aren’t a threat to him. I am.”

  My stomach clenches at this person thinking Brett is a threat. “Does that mean you are in danger?”

  He looks grim. “Possibly. It’s hard to know how much he perceives me to be a danger to what he wants.”

  “Then maybe you should go and we shouldn’t see each other until he’s caught.” The last thing I want is for Brett to be hurt because of some guy who’s fixated on me.

  Brett’s eyes harden and his jaw tightens. “I will not leave you unprotected.”

  Goodness, he’s intense.

  “Theo’s going to bunk at Mark and Emily’s,” Uncle Gary tells me.

  “Your grandmother will stay with me,” he continues. “Your Aunt Cheryl wanted her to anyway but your grandmother wanted to be in her own home. Now my wife won’t be living up here.”

  “Wait, Aunt Cheryl might know these names better than I do.”

  “Why?” Brett asks.

  “She manages the community theatre. She knows everyone.”

  “Let’s go.”

  “Can I get stuff from my room?” Theo asks.

  “I need clean clothes,” he points out.

  Brett pulls me close as Uncle Gary and Theo go into the house. I’m chilled and kind of shaky. It’s a beautiful night and I shouldn’t be cold but I am. Theo and Grandma already have a place to sleep. Where are they going to put me?

  As much as I love my aunts, uncles and their kids, I don’t want to be in those houses either. What if this creep tries to find me there?

  Besides, I think the only person who could make me feel safe is Brett. But, that’s well and good for tonight. What about tomorrow?

  This is my second experience of being at a Baxter meeting. Except this time, only one spouse from each family is gathered in Gary’s living room. The others remained home with their children, except for Mark and Emily, who have no kids.

  “So, the only person we need to worry about is Jackie?” Mark asks again.

  “I believe so. She’s who he’s fixated on.”

  “The camp is safe?” he clarifies.

  “I believe so.” I can’t make any guarantees but if they wanted to get to Jackie through the campers they could have by now.

  “I’m sorry, Jackie, but I don’t think you should be at the camp until this is over,” Emily says.

  “I thought I’d be safer if I was around a bunch of people,” Jackie says.

  I’d like to believe the same, but if this guy really wants to get to her, a bunch of teenagers isn’t going to be able to stop him.

  “We can’t have him coming to the camp,” Gary says.

  “You’re right,” she says a little defeated. “But what am I to do in the meantime.”

  “You’re coming to Albany,” I announce.

  “What?” She looks at me like I said I was taking her to Mars.

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight. My office is in Albany. You will be safe there.”

  “I’m supposed to sit around your office all day?”

  “It won’t be so bad and I’m not always in the office.” Besides, I’m sure my supervisors will understand why I need to keep her close and will probably take me off duty since I’m a likely target since I’ll be standing in the way of this guy’s prize. “We’ll get a hotel. See the sights.”

  “This isn’t a vacation,” she points out.

  “It is what we make it.”

  “Like I’ll be able to relax,” Jackie mutters and then sits down.

  “It’s for the best,” Gary points out.

  “I know.”

  I can tell she hates this but there isn’t much we can do because I sure as hell am not leaving her back here with just her family. Gary may be a cop, but even he has to go to work, which will leave her vulnerable. And, as I have to report tomorrow, she’s going with me.

  “I just need to go back u
p to the house and pack some things,” she finally says but I know she doesn’t like the idea of going away.

  “I’ll make sure every window and door is locked while you do that.” We don’t want to leave it open if the creep decides he wants to wander around her house when he can’t find her.

  After everyone leaves, we sit down with Cheryl and go over the list Jackie’s already prepared. She’s able to give us all kind of information because she knows everybody who’s ever had anything to do with the theatre. We then work through the list of names of the guys who worked on just one of the productions. I have a pretty good idea of who can be crossed off the list but that isn’t my call.

  “What are you going to do with that?” Cheryl finally asks.

  “We have a bunch of profilers. I’m going to send it to them and run background checks.

  “I hate the idea that one of our employees or volunteers may be sending Jackie texts. Stalking her.”

  “Just don’t say anything, but call me if you overhear something, or someone seems overly interested in what Jackie’s been doing.”

  She takes my card. “Will do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I’m in the shower forever. It’s as if I can’t get clean. I don’t even know who the guy is and he never came near me, but I feel violated all the same. The guy’s been watching me and knew when I was with Brett. It’s creepy.

  Well, so much for waiting until the weekend to talk again, not that I rather be anywhere else. I love my family but I feel safe with Brett. I don’t know if it’s because he’s an FBI agent or because he’s so protective of me. I just hope whoever has been texting me doesn’t try and hurt him. That I could not live with.