“It’s not him I’m worried about.”
“I understand,” I said, leaning back in my chair.“Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
Chapter 26
When Max left Gabby’s house, I noticed a text from Gabby. She’d booked an appointment for me for three o’clock. My shoulders slumped as I texted an acknowledgment. It was the last thing I wanted to do.
I finally woke Brian and I got our things together. We stopped at Burger King on the way home. He ordered a cheeseburger and fries; I ordered a vanilla shake.
“I have an appointment today, but I’ll be home for dinner,” I said, as we pulled into the driveway.
“Don’t forget, Dad’s coming home tonight,” Brian said through a mouthful of fries.
“Oh shit, that’s right,” I said, giving Brian an apologetic look. He just laughed and jumped out of the car.
I took a shower, did my hair, and slipped into my usual work attire, khaki slacks and a white t-shirt. I almost called and asked Gabby to reschedule the appointment, but then remembered I’d maxed out my credit cards on the shopping spree the day before. Bills had to be paid, so I had to work.
Gabby’s client was just leaving as I walked into the office. She met me with a look of regret.
“I know it’s your day off,” she said. “But this guy specifically requested you.”
“Did you screen him?” I asked, looking down at the appointment book.
“He said he was referred by one of your other clients, so I figured he was okay.”
“Gabby, you can take him if you want. I know you could use the money. I’m just not in the mood to work today,” I said, massaging the back of my neck.
“I would have, but he was adamant. He wants you.”
“What’s his name?”
“I wrote it down. Neal or something.”
“Wonderful,” I muttered as I went to get the room ready.
Half an hour later, as I was sitting at the front desk, I noticed a guy wearing faded jeans and a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up standing just outside the office. He checked himself out in the window as he came through the door.
I got up and extended a hand as I stepped around the desk to greet him. He looked me up and down before taking my hand.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, nodding as if in approval of me. “I’m Neal James.”
“Hi, Neal. You told my associate you were referred to me?” I inquired, withdrawing my hand as quickly as possible without being obvious.
“A buddy from work. Don’t know him very well. His name’s John.”
Some people just give me the creeps from the start, and there was definitely something weird about this guy. Against my better judgment, I handed him the client intake form. I showed him around, then led him back to the massage room, handed him a towel, and asked him to take a quick rinse in the shower before we began the session.
Five minutes later, I entered the room to find him lying face up on the table, buck naked.
“I’m sorry, Neal,” I said, grabbing the sheet he’d left on the edge of the table and pulling it over, and tucking it in under, him. “It’s our policy to drape all of our clients.” I was struggling to remain cool and collected. The last thing I wanted to see was his genitalia staring me in the face. No, thank you very much.
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Sarah. I’m fine without the sheet. Won’t tell a soul,” he said, placing his index finger over his lips.
“I don’t think you understand,” I said, striving to keep my response unemotional. “It’s our policy. I hope you’ll respect it.”
“Aw. Okay, then,” he said dejectedly, and closed his eyes.
Pouring the oil in my hands, I looked at the clock on the wall. I knew the next sixty minutes were going to pass very slowly. I clasped my hands under his ankles and pulled gently to align his body with the table. I asked him to take a few deep breaths. He seemed to relax, so I made my way to the front of the table, slid my oiled hands under his neck, and began to work the muscles.
“Actually, Sarah, my neck is fine. There is, however, another area that needs attention,” he said, opening his eyes.
As I stood back, he glanced down at his groin and my eyes followed to the huge tent in the middle of the table.
“How charming,” I said, with surprising restraint.
“Oh, yes it is. Is there something you can do about that? It’s a wild animal that needs to be tamed,” he said, clearly impressed with himself. When he reached around my waist and squeezed one of my butt cheeks, something inside me just snapped. A rage completely foreign to me surged up my spine.
“You know what, Neal? I’d be happy to do something about that,” I said, and without thinking, slipped the oil bottle from its holster and swung it like a bat, with all the strength I had in me, right into his crotch.
“Fucking bitch!” he screamed, rolling onto his side and clutching his groin with both hands.
“What’s the matter? You told me to do something about it. The wild animal needed to be tamed, right?”
“I was just having some fun, you stupid cock tease,” he hissed, still clasping his injured member.
“You slime are all the same,” I said calmly. “Now hurry up and get your ass off my table and out of my office before I call the cops.”
I pulled the door closed gently behind me as I left the room.
The adrenaline coursing through my body must have been in evidence because the expression on Gabby’s face was one of shock.
“What the hell happened in there?” she asked.
“Asshole wanted some action, so he got some,” I said, in complete control of my emotions.
“What did you do?”
“I whacked him off,” I said, with mock seriousness.
Gabby stood there for a long moment staring. The door down the hall slammed open against the outside wall and Neal came limping down the hall, trying to zip up his fly.
“Stupid whores,” he muttered as he flew past us and out the door.
It wasn’t often Gabby was left speechless. It was a moment to cherish.
She finally blinked a few times and said, “I’ve just witnessed one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
“What’s that, Gabby?”
“Sweet justice,” she replied.
Chapter 27
I needed to get out of the office. It felt like the walls were closing in on me and I was about to suffocate. “I’ve probably caused a shit storm with my actions today. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if tent man did something to retaliate. I have a feeling I’ll pay dearly for this.” I suddenly felt utterly drained.
“Whatever happens, Sarah, just know that you’re my hero,” Gabby said, smiling and starting down the hall to make good her thoughtful offer to clean my room and put the dirty laundry in the wash.
As proud as I was of myself for sticking it to the creep, I began to feel that perhaps I’d exacted more than an eye for an eye, more like taken off his head. Maybe if he hadn’t touched me I wouldn’t have lost mine. But what was done was done, and whatever the consequences, I was willing to face them. Which reminded me, what was I going to do about the photographs? I decided to just call Jeff and ask him. No more pussyfooting around. I needed answers. I searched my client list, found his number, and dialed it. I didn’t take time to think, just did it. When he answered, I began, innocuously, “Hi, Jeff. This is Sarah Woods.”
“Oh. Hi, Sarah. I’ve been meaning to call to see how you’re doing.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. Look, I have to ask you a question, so forgive me for being frank. But I’ve come across some photos taken in my massage room a few weeks ago while I was giving you a massage. Did you set a camera up in the room to take photos of me while I was working on you? I’m not upset; I just need you to be honest.” There. I’d done it. I held my breath.
“I beg your pardon? Photos? I don’t know anything about photos. You have photos of me getting a massage from
you?”
“Yes. Someone evidently set a camera up in my room without me noticing.”
“Wish I could help you, Sarah, but I haven’t a clue.”
He sounded distracted, and obviously not terribly concerned about what I’d just told him. “It’s probably nothing,” I said. “It’s not like we were doing anything wrong in the photos.”
“Right,” was all he said. I took the hint and ended the call so he could go back to doing whatever it was he was doing. I was a little surprised there was no mention of another appointment. But, then, I couldn’t blame him for wanting to stay as far away from me as possible.
Chapter 28
Having overcome Max’s reservations, I arrived at Barney’s Pub thirty minutes early for our rendezvous and waited for him. I wondered if Carter would even show up. It was all probably a waste of time. In the week since Beth had been murdered it seemed as if life had been moving in slow motion. So much had happened in the past week. Yet, there were still so many unanswered questions. Hopefully, Carter could help shed some light on things. My thoughts were interrupted by Max’s arrival. He joined me in my car.
“You still want to be part of this?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“I thought as much. Well, look, I’m thinking we should sit in back so when Carter comes in we’ll be able to spot him before he recognizes me.”
“That’s if he shows up.”
“Yeah, well, I guess we’ll see.”
We walked in, found a table and slid in on the same side facing the entrance. He patted my knee and leaned in close to me. His scent was intoxicating. Pine needles or some kind of wonderful woodsy scent. I closed my eyes for a brief moment. What was I doing? I needed to snap out of this. Max was off limits. Was I forgetting I was a married woman?
“Everything okay?” he asked.
I opened my eyes to find him looking at me. “Yeah, just recovering from a crazy afternoon.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Maybe later.”
The waitress came over and we ordered some drinks, coke for me, beer on tap for Max. She seemed to disappear and reappear almost within the same instant. We declined an offer of food and she left.
“I’m glad the place is empty,” Max said, keeping his eyes glued to the entrance, “just in case things get out of hand.”
I glanced at my watch. 4:06 p.m. Carter was running late. Probably wouldn’t show at all.
“What happens if he doesn’t come?” I asked.
“Then on to plan B.”
“And what’s plan B?”
“Not sure yet.”
I took a sip of coke and looked over at Max. I was angry with myself for feeling the way I did. He looked so cute and smelled so good it was hard to stay focused on the task at hand.
He smiled as if he knew what I was thinking. “By the way, Sarah. I’m sorry about the other night. You know. The kiss.”
I felt my cheeks flush as I looked away. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“It was selfish of me. I should have shown more restraint.”
“Seriously, I’m not upset.” His face was so close to mine I almost hoped he’d kiss me again. But something caught his attention and he looked away.
“Here he is. That’s Carter coming in now.” Max nodded towards the door.
The man who entered was tall and lanky, wearing jeans and a leather jacket. His hair was almost completely grey, but his face was that of a man in his mid forties. He glanced around the room, spotted us sitting in the back, and started to walk over.
“Let me handle this,” Max said, and patted my knee again.
The grey haired man walked right up to the table.
“Well, if it isn’t Max Stevens,” he said, with a slight laugh. “I had a funny feeling we’d run into each other again someday.” He extended his hand, but Max didn’t move.
“I have some news for you, Carter. Beth won’t be joining you today.” Max somehow managed to keep his voice low and controlled.
“Of course she’s not coming. The reason I came is to see you, Max.” His smile faded and a remorseful expression appeared on his face.
“So you know?”
“Of course I know. Who do you think I am, anyway?”
“You came here to talk to me?”
“I knew you’d figure things out eventually, so I thought I’d save you the trouble and just tell you what you need to know now instead of you tracking me down like a dog.” He glanced over at me.
“I’m Sarah,” I volunteered. “Beth worked for me.”
“I know who you are. Mind if I have a seat?” He grabbed a chair and seated himself opposite us.
“What was Beth involved in?” Max asked, dispensing with pleasantries.
“Look, I’m gonna tell you everything I know. But I have a feeling you’re not gonna like what I’ve got to say.” He looked directly at me.
“What do you mean? Why are you looking at me?”
“Alright,” he began, turning back to face Max, “just listen before you get all uppity. Okay? I did ask Beth to help me out with a potentially lucrative job. This one was more involved, but Beth was a natural. She had a way about her that made everyone trust her.”
“Yeah, Carter, we know! Get on with it already,” Max snapped.
“Tell me, Sarah, why did you hire Beth?” Carter asked me. I looked at Max, wondering how we’d become the ones answering questions.
“Because I needed help running my business and managing clients,” I replied. “Why?”
“Because the day she started working for you is the same day she started her new assignment. You see, Sarah, you were the assignment. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Carter’s eyes were searching me, but my vision blurred for a moment. Had I heard him correctly?
“Carter, stop dicking us around. What are you getting at?” Max slammed his fist on the table.
“Okay, buddy, calm down. Here it is.” He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “My client had specific instructions. Hire someone to go into your massage therapy office and plant some hidden cameras in the private treatment rooms. Beth was willing to do that by posing as a massage client. She’d place the camera when the therapist left the room before the massage and remove it during her next visit. That was the plan. Beth had a better idea. She saw that you were looking for a receptionist. She applied, and low and behold, got the job. Now she had access not only to your therapy rooms, but to your office, files, and client list, not to mention a front row seat to all the action.” Carter took a deep breath, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair.
“So Beth was spying on me?” I asked, laughing at the preposterous notion. “What the hell was she expecting to find?”
“We were hoping to find proof that you were having sex with your clients, Sarah, one client in particular.”
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you. That was one of the main reasons I hired Beth, to keep those kinds of people out.”
“We know, Sarah. A few weeks into the job, Beth realized your business was legit. In fact, she respected you very much. She decided she liked working for you and wanted to stay on.”
“Who hired you to plant cameras? Why would they care so much to go to all this trouble?” Max asked.
“One person, actually. You understand I can’t give you her name, but she thought her husband was cheating on her with a massage therapist and hired me to get the proof. So, of course, I hired Beth. Beth confirmed a few weeks later that the woman’s beloved husband kept his hands to himself.”
Everything suddenly made perfect sense. Beth put the camera in my room. Jeff Gardner’s wife must have been the one who hired Carter.
“The woman was satisfied with the photos, paid me, and it was done.”
“But Beth is no longer with us,” Max interjected. “So where does that leave us now?”
“Let me finish, will ya? About a week and a half ago Beth sent me a card. As you f
igured out, that’s how we set up our meetings. She said she needed my advice about something. I sensed that she might be working on a little side job of her own.”
“And?” Max prodded.
“Well, I don’t know. She never showed up that night. And I never saw her again.” There was a brief silence before Carter continued. “When she didn’t show, I sent her another card, this time to the office.” He shifted his attention back to me. “At this point, I still wasn’t sure what had happened. But I did some digging and found out that Beth had been killed, apparently the same night she was supposed to meet me. But I’d already mailed the card, and I had a feeling that if it ever got into Max’s hands he’d somehow figure it out. So I decided to show up to see if I was right.”
“Actually, Sarah told me about the card, not the other way around.” Max gave me a quick smile.
A cell phone rang and Max quickly pushed away from the table, stood, and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He looked back as he started to walk away and raised the index finger of his free hand.
Carter looked across the table at me.
“How long have you known Max?”
“About a week. Why?”
“No reason. Just wondered.” He pointed a bony finger at me. “By the way, I’m impressed with you, Sarah. You have a good head on your shoulders, I can tell. If you ever want to make some extra money on the side I could really use someone like you.”
“No thanks, Carter. I’m all set. Really. I don’t think I’m cut out for your kind of work. Besides, look where it got Beth.”
“I’m still not convinced her working for me had anything to do with her death, Sarah.”
“Of course you’re not. Keep telling yourself that, Carter, and maybe the guilt will go away someday.” I glared at him.
“Ouch,” he said, looking surprised.
Max returned to the table and nodded to me. “Let’s go, Sarah, we’re done here,” he said, not even looking at Carter.
As I followed him out, I could tell he was distressed about something.
“Hold on a minute. What’s up with you, Max?”
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