Mr. And Miss Anonymous

by Fern Michaels

  Pete laughed so loud Winston woke up, then looked around and went back to sleep. “I went once for the grand opening. Stayed a day and a half. The decorator and builder were a little miffed at me, but I had to get back to work. Oh, did I tell you it has its own helicopter pad? I have one of those, do you?” He made it sound like he was bragging about a new vacuum cleaner.

  Lily giggled. “You’re just showing off. Don’t want one of those, the rotors mess up your hair when they’re twirling around. Nope, I just have a company plane.”

  “Winston loves going up in the twirly bird. He can even buckle his seat belt. He’s going to love living out there in God’s country. Do you know how to bake pies, Lily?”

  “Doesn’t everyone? The short answer is yes. What’s your favorite?”

  “Banana cream, followed by strawberry rhubarb and after that blackberry, and I really love blueberry.”

  “So, most any kind of pie will do, is that it?”

  Pete chuckled. “That pretty much sums it up. What’s your favorite food?”

  “Anything Italian. I make a pretty mean lasagna. Well, I used to. I haven’t cooked much lately.”

  “No kidding. Anytime I have a choice, I pick Italian food, and second, Japanese.”

  Lily sat upright. “No kidding! I love Japanese food.”

  “God Almighty, do you have any idea how lucky we are that we found each other?” Awe rang in Pete’s voice.

  “I know. I think about it every second. We should go to bed, Pete. It’s late. What’s on our agenda for tomorrow?”

  “I don’t have a clue. I guess it pretty much depends on what Tessie comes up with. Now that the boy is gone, I don’t have a clue where he might go. He’s probably hitchhiking to Outer Mongolia. Kids today are fearless. He could be lost to me, Lily.”

  “Don’t even think that, Pete. That kid isn’t going anywhere far. He’s going to stick around to see how this all plays out. He’s gone to ground. That means he has survival skills of some kind. I think in the end, he’s going to find us, not the other way around. It’s a gut feeling, but it feels right to me.”

  “Let’s go for a walk, Lily. I always like to walk around my yard at home before I go to bed. Looking at the stars relaxes me.”

  “Do you make a wish?” Lily teased.

  “Always. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wished that I would find the right person to spend my life with. I always wish that I can be as happy as my parents. I think you’ll like my mom and dad. I know they’ll love you. They’re simple people, Lily. Stuff, big bank accounts, fancy cars—none of that means a thing to them. My mom lives for the county fair where she can enter her quilts and jam. She always wins. My dad’s passion in life is fixing tractors and tinkering with his pickup truck. Growing up, I remember how his dream was to someday own a John Deere tractor. You know what, Lily, he cried the day I showed up with one. My dad cried. This great big guy who looks like a bear, hugged me and cried. Jesus, in that one minute, I would have tried to climb to the heavens to get him the moon and the stars if I could have.

  “When I had a car dealer deliver a brand-new truck, he sent it back and called me up to tell me I shouldn’t waste my money like that. It was the fact that he called long-distance that made me sit up and take notice. My parents do not, ever, ever, make long-distance calls, so I had to bite the bullet and accept his decision. Mom, now, that’s a different story. She didn’t have one bit of trouble accepting the Ford Thunderbird so she wouldn’t have to depend on my dad to drive her around. She wears her apron when she drives it. Don’t ask!” Pete laughed.

  “I love them already. You said something about a walk…”

  Josh backtracked his way to town as he kept up a running conversation with Tom.

  “I have to find a telephone book. I know that Mr. Dickey lived in the Castle Gate Apartments, but that’s all I remember. Maybe I should take a taxi if I can find the address.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t. Never leave a trail if you can help it, Josh. Taxi drivers log their trips. You’re going to have to hoof it. Look for an all-night fast-food joint. There’s bound to be a phone booth with a phone book. Someone inside will probably be able to give you directions. You have to do this in the dark, buddy. Once it gets light out, you’re a sitting duck.”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. I’m really tired, Tom. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re whining, Josh. Knock it off. Look, there’s a hot dog stand. C’mon, look smart now, pick up your feet, and move. Stop shuffling. Get some hot food, coffee. That’ll wake you up. You need to be alert from here on in.”

  Josh did as ordered. He tripped up to the Hotdog Haven and headed straight for the phone booth at the end of the building. He cussed under his breath when he realized the lightbulb was burned out in the booth.

  “Look alive here, buddy, it’s not the end of the world. You have the penlight in your pocket. Did you forget that?”

  “Yeah, I did forget.” Within minutes, Josh had the tattered book up on the skimpy shelf and was leafing through the pages. He sucked in his breath as he rolled the little light down the pages. He almost blacked out when he saw the name he was looking for: Dickey, A, 9 Castle Gate Apartments.

  “Got it, Tom. Boy, what a relief. What time is it?”

  “I don’t know, Josh. I told you, time here is irrelevant. Go get some food and coffee. Looks like an older man behind the counter. He can probably give you directions. You have to keep moving. Hey, get the works on the hot dog. Relish, onions, mustard, sauerkraut, and chili.”

  In spite of himself, Josh laughed. “I’ll keel over if I eat that.”

  “Humor me, buddy. Sheila wants one, too.”

  The hot dog stand was almost deserted except for two men who Josh thought might be hobos or street people. He stepped up to the counter and ordered two dogs with the works and a large black coffee.

  Josh watched the older man with the crippled hands as he fixed the hot dogs and handed them over. Why was such an old man working in the middle of the night? He made a mental note to ask Tom, who knew everything. Josh paid for his food and waited for his change.

  The man’s hands shook as he counted out Josh’s change. He looked like a grandfather. “Sir, do you know where Castle Gate Apartments are?”

  The man’s voice shook almost as much as his hands. “Sure do, young fella. I live there. In the cheap seats. Two sections, one for people with more money, then the other one for people like me on a limited income. What number are you looking for?”

  “Apartment 9.”

  “That’s where I live. I’m in 16. I can make you a map while you eat your food. It’s not far. Did your car break down or something?”

  “No, I don’t have a car. I’m looking for a friend to spend a few days with. How far is ‘not far’?”

  “Maybe three miles. A young fella like you can get there in no time. Eat your food before it gets cold. I just cooked those wieners a few minutes ago, so they’re fresh.”

  Josh savored every bite of food in front of him while Tom kept up a running commentary about everything and nothing. The coffee was so strong and bitter, he felt as if his eyeballs were about to stand at attention.

  The two homeless people shuffled toward the counter, where Josh could hear them thanking the man behind the counter. They called him Charlie. Somehow or other, Josh thought the man named Charlie gave the two men free food. He hoped he was right.

  Josh finished his coffee and carried his trash to the container by the front door. He walked back to the counter and waited patiently until Charlie handed over the map that would take him to Adam Dickey’s apartment.

  “Thank you very much, sir.”

  “You’re welcome, young fella. We had some excitement at the Gate a while back. One of the tenants was shot and killed at the school where he worked. The FBI came out and talked to all of us. The manager was pretty upset. She said she wouldn’t be able to rent out the apartment if people foun
d that out. Those fancy boys told her she couldn’t rent it out anyway because, while it wasn’t a crime scene exactly, it had to do with a crime scene. At least that’s what I think he said,” Charlie said fretfully.

  “So, it’s not rented?”

  “No, one of my neighbors told me the man who lived there was paid up for six months, and the FBI knows that. They told Clarissa, she’s the manager, if she tried renting the apartment before the rent ran out, they’d throw her in jail. They had that yellow tape all over the place. It’s not there anymore, though. Don’t know if kids took it down or if the FBI took it down.”

  Six months. He could hide out for six months. Not likely. Josh thanked the man for the information and the map. At the last second, he handed over a dollar for a tip.

  Outside in the dark, Josh looked down at the map and started off.

  “Sometimes you just step in a bucket of luck, right, buddy?”

  “Yeah. But three miles is a hike in the middle of the night. Cops are patrolling like crazy,” Josh said.

  “Just look like you know where you’re going. If anyone stops you, you have a destination in mind, 9 Castle Gate Apartments, or you could say 16 Castle Gate. You aren’t doing anything wrong, just walking to a destination. How were the hot dogs?”

  “Terrible. You wouldn’t have liked them. That coffee was so strong and bitter it curled the hair on my chest.”

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire—you don’t have any hair on your chest,” Tom said. “I’m up for a jog, how about you? Sheila is going to get there before us. Boy, can she run! You gonna let a girl beat us?”

  “Not likely!” Josh called on all his energy and sprinted off. Thirty minutes later he skidded to a stop, his breathing shallow, at the entrance to the Castle Gate Apartments.

  Even in the dark there was nothing appealing about the apartment complex. Dead brown grass could be seen under the halogen lighting. Rusted wagons, bicycles without wheels, and assorted broken-down toys littered the small patches of lawn in front of most of the apartments. Junkyard cars were everywhere, some minus doors. Most with flat tires. Josh just knew wild animals lived in these rat traps.

  “Okay, get the ice pick ready so you don’t have to hang out too long by the front door. Go in and don’t turn on any lights. I betcha if you just give the pick a few twists the door will fly open.”

  Tom was wrong. It took four twists of the pick and lots of jiggling before the door swung open. Josh was inside in a heartbeat. He thought he could smell Old Spice aftershave or cologne, something Mr. Dickey wore all the time.

  “Let your eyes get accustomed to the dark before you walk around. The walls in this place are probably paper-thin. You don’t want to make any noise. Get out your penlight and shine it downward. All the blinds are pulled, and I didn’t see anyone outside, so I think you’re probably safe. You can take a shower before you go to sleep. I like the fact that there’s a dead bolt on the inside of the door. Once you lock the door, no one can get in. Okay, okay, you can move now. Leave your shoes by the door so you don’t track in any dirt. Cops look for stuff like that.”

  Josh walked through the small apartment, surprised at how neat and tidy it was. The furniture in the living room, while there wasn’t much of it, was nice and looked comfortable. A big-screen television covered one wall and there was a DVD player. The bedroom surprised him. Bigger than the living room, it had a king-size bed, a large double dresser with a double mirror, a comfortable chair, and a second TV.

  Josh moved the penlight and was startled to see the framed picture on the double dresser. “Look at this, Tom. It’s Mr. Dickey and Miss Carmody. He has his arm around her. Do you think…?”

  “Yeah, he was sweet on her. Most everyone knew it. We talked about it, Josh. Didn’t you notice they were always making moon eyes at each other? You can look at all this later and think about it. Take a shower so the people sleeping next door don’t hear the water running. You don’t know who goes to work during the day and who stays home. I’m sure Mr. Dickey has some clothes that will fit you.”

  “Damn, Tom, I don’t think I can wear a dead guy’s clothes. Especially his underwear.”

  “Get over it. You’re in the outside world now. You have to adapt and do what you have to do. We’re talking about your survival, Josh.”

  “Okay, okay, but I don’t like it. I don’t know if I can sleep in his bed either. Jeez, what if they…you know…”

  “Had sex in the bed? It’s a given they did. Get over it. You need sleep, so move. Before you know it, the sun will be up.”

  “I really liked Mr. Dickey. I don’t feel right about any of this,” Josh muttered as he stepped into the shower. He lathered up, washed his hair and rinsed, then did it all over again. A towel wrapped around his middle, he padded out to the bedroom and started to go through Adam Dickey’s drawers. He found a pair of pajamas that smelled just like their former owner. He winced when he put them on, but when nothing happened, he shrugged. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

  Suddenly he wasn’t as sleepy as he’d been when he had first entered the apartment. He used the time to munch on the cheese in his bag as he rifled through the teacher’s drawers.

  “Hey, look at this, Tom. Mr. Dickey had a passport. He’d never used it. Do you think maybe he was going to go on a honeymoon?”

  “Maybe.”

  “There’s $260 in an envelope. I guess I have to steal it. For sure I’m going to go to hell for all this stuff I’m doing.” Josh moved on to the closet, where he checked the contents. A ring of heat spread around his neck when he recognized some of Miss Carmody’s clothes hanging next to Mr. Dickey’s.

  His head whirling and twirling, Josh headed over to the huge king-size bed and pulled down the covers. It looked like the sheets were clean and fresh. He sniffed them. They smelled like detergent. He sighed with relief as he settled himself between the covers. “Keep watch, Tom, okay?”

  “You know it, buddy. Sweet dreams.”

  Chapter 20

  Walking hand in hand, Pete and Lily, Winston at their side, walked past Zolly’s villa. Winston stopped when the big man loped down the path to confront the late-night strollers.

  “This is a no-no, boss.”

  Pete sighed. “Don’t you ever sleep, Zolly? We’re just strolling before turning in. Winston’s with us. It’s three thirty in the morning. You should be in bed.”

  The big man reached down to stroke Winston’s head. “The short answer is no, I don’t sleep. How can I when you keep breaking the rules? Will you be returning to your own villa or the one next door?”

  Lily grinned in the darkness as she waited for Pete’s reply.

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask me that. Good night, Zolly.”

  As they walked along, Lily sniffed at the fragrant evening. How lush all the flowers were, how deeply scented, how perfect everything seemed to be in the quiet of the night. The sky was star-spangled, some of the stars winking at her as she gazed upward. She searched for and found the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper and smiled to herself. A childhood thing. Almost perfect. She took a moment to wonder if things were ever actually perfect. Probably not, she decided.

  Pete waited till they were out of sight of the villa and Zolly before he said, “I don’t know how to tell Zolly he won’t be going to Montana with us. I put a retirement package in place for him, but he’s going to fight me. So will the board. Winston will miss him, that’s for sure. I just want to be John Q. Citizen again. God, if you only knew how anxious I am to get out there and start a new life.”

  “I think I know, Pete. Zolly will adapt. What’s that noise?”

  Winston backed up and raced off, leaving little clumps of grass in his wake. “Must be a rabbit or something,” Pete muttered. Seconds later when the noise grew louder, he added, “Or an elephant.”

  “I hear voices,” Lily whispered.

  Pete reached for Lily’s hand as they ran off, trampling through the flower beds. The grass was covered with dew, soaking t
hrough their sandals. Pete stopped short when he was within eyesight of the villa. He jerked Lily backward and hissed, “It’s Tessie. Listen.”

  Both Pete and Lily stepped deeper into the shrubbery as they unabashedly listened to the conversation.

  “So, big guy, what—are you some kind of vampire, or do you always walk around with a gun at three thirty in the morning?”

  “What are you doing here at this hour, Miz Dancer?”

  “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you. Where’s your boss?”

  “That’s NTK, in other words, need to know, Miz Dancer. The boss didn’t tell me he was expecting visitors. He always tells me when visitors are expected. That means you were not expected, so you need to leave. Like now.”

  This last was said so defensively, Pete found himself grinning. His money at the moment was on Tessie.

  “What are you? A nanny, a babysitter, a squatter, or just a royal pain in the ass? Get your boss and stop jerking my chain.”

  “Ladies shouldn’t talk like that. Ladies are supposed to be refined. And, for your information, I am a security guard. The board of directors of PAK Industries has entrusted the care of Mr. Kelly to me. I take my responsibilities very seriously. Now, get on your broom and fly off and come back after breakfast but be sure to call for an appointment.” Zolly waved his gun for emphasis.

  Lily clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Pete stomped his feet in the wet grass. Zolly had met his match.

  “Is that big old bad gun supposed to scare me? I could take you out right now and not even break a sweat. Wanna see me do it?”

  “You and what army?” Zolly sputtered.

  “No army. Just me. Well?”

  Tessie reached into her bag and brought out a cigarette. She stuck it between her lips, then talked around it. “See this cigarette? It isn’t really a cigarette, it’s a dart. If I blow it right at your privates, woo-hoo, you’re out for…like…a long time. And then you’ll never be the same again. In…uh…that area. What we have here is a stalemate. Now, where in the hell is your boss? My patience just ran out.”