“Well, where do you want to go? I’m game.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know I’m renting the apartment month to month. It isn’t like we can’t just pick up and take off. I can do what I’m doing anywhere. I wouldn’t mind a change.”
“But where? Moving takes money. I have to be careful with my savings until I get settled.” Silently, they each considered the possibilities.
Jeff had reached his apartment door and was unlocking it when the girls arrived at their door. He was thankful he’d left the front window open, which meant he could continue listening to their conversation without having to open it and make them suspicious.
After walking inside the apartment and closing the door behind him, he heard Angie say, “I know what we can do!”
“What?” Lexi asked, still standing outside their apartment; they hadn’t yet unlocked the door.
“Remember when I told you, the other day, about the snowbirds who rented Mom and Dad’s house in Havasu each winter, that they had to cancel at the last minute because of a family emergency?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it was too late to find another renter, and I bet Mom and Dad would let us use the house. All we would need to do is pay for the utilities, and this time of year we won’t need the air conditioner, so that shouldn’t be a big deal. It’ll be cheaper than staying here.”
“I doubt I could find the kind of job I’m looking for in Lake Havasu City.”
“I know that, but it would be a safe haven while you regroup, away from your meddling grandfather. There’s no way he’ll ever know where you went. You can go ahead and get that 30 day free version of the software, get some freelance stuff going. It’s possible to live anywhere and do that. I love the weather in Havasu this time of the year. Not really swimming weather, but we can get out, do some hiking, take some great photographs.
“Hell, Lexi, we haven’t even been out of college for a month, and we should do something like this before you settle down in a job. Maybe you’ll decide you want to join me in the ranks of the fulltime freelancer.”
“I might as well; I’m not making any progress here.”
When the girls went into the apartment, and shut the door behind them, Jeff could no longer hear their conversation. They didn’t open their window.
By what he’d overheard, however, it looked as if his stint as private detective was coming to an end. If Lexi went to Lake Havasu City, he could go home to his own apartment and back to his regular job.
After putting his groceries away, he went into his bedroom to call Beaumont. Knowing how sound traveled, he felt it was easier to simply talk in the bedroom with the door closed, rather than shutting the front window every time he wanted privacy on the phone.
“What do you mean she’s leaving town?” Beaumont asked after Jeff told him some of what he overheard.
“Apparently, she’s been having a hard time finding a job. She can’t get any interviews.” To that bit of news, Beaumont chuckled, as if he already knew.
“Angie offered to go with her, since she does freelance work.”
“Where are they going?”
Jeff didn’t answer immediately. There was only so much he was willing to tell his employer. If Lexi wanted to get away from her controlling grandfather, he felt she was entitled.
“I don’t know, they never said,” he lied.
“Then get that surveillance equipment installed immediately. I wanted you to do that days ago. Barnett, if my granddaughter disappears, it’s going to be your ass. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Jeff answered, feeling sick inside.
When the phone conversation ended, Jeff fell back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, questioning what he should do. If he didn’t give Beaumont want he wanted, he was out of a job, and someone else would be spying on Lexi and Angie. He didn’t know why he felt a sense of responsibility for the girl, but he did.
When Jeff finally went back into his living room, he peeked outside and noticed they had opened their window. Quietly he sat inside the apartment, his eyes closed, listening and feeling like a jerk.
“They said yes!” Jeff heard Angie squeal from inside the apartment. “We can use the Havasu house!”
“Woohoo!” Lexi cheered. “When do you want to leave?”
“I told Mom I’d pick up the keys in the morning. Help me pack, and we can leave some of the boxes at their house. I don’t really care about staying at this crummy apartment for the rest of the month.”
Jeff picked up his cell phone and went into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he considered his options before calling his employer. If he failed to give Beaumont what he wanted, he would be out of a job. He was fairly certain Beaumont would hire a professional to follow Lexi, someone who could easily track her to Havasu through Angie and would be willing to install invasive cameras in the girl’s house. Ever since he purchased the surveillance cameras, Jeff couldn’t stop thinking of his own sister,and how violated she would feel if some man installed hidden cameras in her apartment.
Another option was to tell Lexi what her grandfather was up to, but he had no idea how she would react. If Lexi stormed to her grandfather in outrage, he would undoubtedly find himself in the unemployment line by morning.
There was a chance Beaumont would want Jeff to continue the surveillance in Havasu. If that was the case, it would give Jeff time to find another job while still collecting a paycheck.
“Lake Havasu City?” Beaumont shouted after Jeff told him where Lexi was going. “Isn’t that were they have the London Bridge?”
“Yes, sir. I looked it up online before calling you. It’s located on the border of Arizona and California, on a portion of the Colorado River.”
“Spring breakers. I remember now. I saw a travel show about it. It’s where all those wild college kids go on spring break.”
“I believe that’s around Easter, sir. From what I read, this time of year it’s more a place for snowbirds.”
“Snowbirds?”
“Snowbirds, winter visitors. Retirees who want to get out of the colder parts of the country and stay for a few months.”
“What in the hell is she going to do there?”
“Apparently, Angie’s parents have a house in Havasu that they normally rent to snowbirds. But for some reason, they didn’t make it this year, so the place is vacant. I imagine they are house-sitting.”
“Well, you know what this means, Barnett?”
“Um, no, sir. What?”
“You’re going to Havasu.”
“Excuse me?” Jeff smiled to himself.
“You heard me. Keep an eye on them and let me know if there’s been a change of plans. Meanwhile, I’ll arrange a place for you to say, someplace close to their house. It should be fairly easy to get their house’s address, now that I know it belongs to Angie’s parents.”
“Are you sure you want me to go?”
“Certainly. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a generous expense account. At this point, I wouldn’t feel comfortable having someone else take over.” Beaumont paused a moment, as if considering something, then asked, “Has she seen you yet? You’ve been living across from her for over a week now. I don’t know why I didn’t consider that. If she’s seen you, I’ll have to get someone else.”
“No, she hasn’t seen me,” he lied. Jeff was confident Lexi wouldn’t recognize him once he shaved, but he didn’t feel compelled to share that with his boss.
“Good. Let me know when they’re planning to leave. When you get to Havasu, I expect you to find a way to meet her, become her friend. Keep tabs on her. I’ll be damned if I’ll let her spoil my plans.”
Chapter Six
January’s brief heat spell ended, and the mid-morning temperatures hovered in the upper forties. Dark clouds hid the once-blue sky. It wasn’t ideal weather for moving or traveling, but Lexi and Angie refused to postpone their hastily made plans. It was just sta
rting to drizzle, which made them move faster when transporting the boxes from the apartment to the van they borrowed from Angie’s older brother. Since the apartment came furnished, they didn’t have to worry about moving furniture.
Most of the boxes would be left at Angie’s parents, as the Havasu house was fully furnished and there was limited space in the Volkswagen. Jeff silently watched the girls from his apartment, peeking out through the blinds. He was certain they had no idea he was spying on them.
“One reason I’ll be glad to leave is that creepy new neighbor.” Lexi said as she shoved another box into the back of the van.
“You mean the guy with the beard?” Angie asked, as she glanced toward the apartment building.
“Yeah, what’s up with that guy? He never seems to go anyplace. Doesn’t he have a job? And it’s creepy how he has been watching us all morning.”
“I know what you mean. His blinds are always closed, yet he leaves his windows open, even when it’s cold. And he’s always peeking through his blinds, like we aren’t supposed to know he’s there. He’s weird.”
An hour later, Jeff watched as the landlord went into Angie’s apartment with her; Lexi waited in the van. Less than fifteen minutes later, the two exited the apartment, and Angie handed the landlord a set of keys. She walked to the van while the landlord locked the door to the apartment.
“They’ve moved out,” Jeff told his employer on the phone a few minutes later.
“Are they on their way to Havasu?”
“From what I overheard, they’re taking most of Angie’s things to her parents to store, and then the two are heading to Havasu this afternoon. It’s barely sprinkling now, but according to the weather reports, we’re in for a heavy storm tomorrow. I checked the reports for Havasu, and it looks clear there. So, if they checked the weather forecast, I imagine they’ll stick to their initial plans and leave today, before they run into some nastier weather along the way.”
“When you check out of the apartment, I want you to stop by my house and switch cars. I had a new one brought over.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your car’s been parked in front of my granddaughter’s apartment for over a week now. When you meet her in Havasu, you don’t want her or her friend to recognize it. You’re sure she hasn’t seen you, right?”
“No, she hasn’t seen me. She won’t recognize me.” Jeff promised, hoping that was true. He hadn’t considered his car might be an issue down the way, but now that Beaumont mentioned it, he had to admit his employer had a point.
“After I get settled here, I’ll go to my place and pack. I’ll just leave my car at home, and catch a taxi over to your house to pick up the other vehicle.”
“Fine. I’ll see you then.”
* * *
Lexi fell asleep within an hour after leaving for Havasu. Angie listened to music as she drove from Southern California to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The red VW bug was traveling east on Highway 40 and had just passed the Needles off-ramp when it hit a bump in the road, waking Lexi.
“Where are we?” Lexi asked sleepily, looking out the window. It was dark outside.
“Just passed Needles. We should be in Havasu within the hour. You’ve been sleeping for a couple of hours.”
“I’m sorry, Angie. I should have taken a turn driving, or at least kept you company.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I figured you needed your rest. You’ve had a crazy few weeks.”
Lexi sat up straighter in her seat and tried to stretch as best as she could in such a confined space. Once again settling back in the seat, she looked out the front window.
“I wonder when Grandfather will realize I left.”
“Do you think you’ll eventually call him?”
“I don’t know. We’ve never been close. I always felt so guilty, like I needed to be grateful to him for taking me in, for paying for my education. But this thing about marrying Jerome Peters, and if Grandfather really was sabotaging my efforts at finding a job… Well, I just don’t know what to think. I don’t need someone in my life who is trying to manipulate and control me. I just wish I understood why my parents wanted me to live with him, especially considering Dad’s relationship with my grandfather.”
“Maybe it wasn’t a matter of your parents appointing him as your guardian; maybe they just never had a will. They weren’t that old when they died. Perhaps they just hadn’t gotten around to writing a will and making those types of plans.”
“No, there was a will. Of course, I never saw it, but the subject of the will was brought up when I asked my grandfather what happened to my parents’ money. The ironic thing is that, when I was a kid, I knew about my grandfather. I mean, I knew he and my father didn’t have a relationship. I remember once… we drove down my grandfather’s street, and Dad pointed out the estate. I was so impressed. It looked like this big old haunted mansion. Like something out of a movie. I wanted so bad to meet him.”
“You mean, you hadn’t met him back then?”
“No. I met Grandfather after my parents died. But I always wanted to meet him. I used to fantasize about it. I imagined he was this mysterious character who secretly missed me and wanted me in his life. All my friends had grandparents, but I never had one. Mom’s parents died long before I was born, and so did Dad’s mom.”
“Wow, I bet you were disappointed when you finally met him. Not exactly what you pictured.”
“I didn’t understand that right away. Grandfather is an imposing figure, and he has always been a handsome man. I just never realized how ruthless he could be. Not until later. Later, I experienced guilt.”
“Guilt? I don’t understand, Lexi.”
“For as long as I can recall, I had this secret fantasy about my mystery grandfather. After my parents died, I met with the judge in his chambers. I remember he asked me who I would rather live with, my grandfather or Joe and Carolyn Manning.”
“Your parents’ best friends?”
“Yes. I assume they probably came forward and asked to take me after my parents were killed.”
“What did you say?”
“At the time, I don’t think I fully understood the finality of my parent’s death. But here the judge was offering up my long time fantasy of getting to know my grandfather, so I naturally said I wanted to live with him, even though I really didn’t know him.”
“When did you realize you picked the wrong guardian?”
“Not right away. I was still dealing with the loss of my parents, and Grandfather wasn’t really around much. He was always away on business, and I was left with various servants. When he was home, I tried desperately to get his attention. I think I was about twelve when I realized the grandfather of my fantasies was nothing like the reality.”
“Well, even if you had said you wanted to live with the Mannings, I bet the judge would have still picked your grandfather. Courts like to keep kids with family, and considering his money, that would probably influence the court.”
“True. Plus the fact that, according to my grandfather, my parents selected him as guardian.”
“Then why would the judge ask the question?”
“Oh, I figure the Mannings offered to take me in, and since they’re old friends of my parents and I knew them, and didn’t know my grandfather, the judge felt he needed to explore the options.”
“Well, all that’s in the past. If your grandfather thinks he can actually manipulate you into marrying his partner by taking away your car and computer, then he has a lot to learn about you!”
“Since I lost the computer anyway, I wish I would have grabbed the boxes in my closet before leaving my Grandfather’s house. I don’t think he could have really stopped me from taking them. But I didn’t think about it until it was too late.”
“Didn’t you say it was mostly pictures you’d scanned anyway?”
“Yes, but still, there was some sentimental stuff I would have liked to have kept. But I’m grateful for the scanner and the fact
I saved all my files online. Speaking of which, when sorting through my saved files, I came across something we need to try out.”
“Try out?”
“I came across my dad’s recipe for homemade hot fudge. It’s awesome.”
“Yum, hot fudge. You know me and chocolate!”
“It’s Dad’s own recipe. Mom once told me he took a fudge recipe from one of his grandmother’s cookbooks, and with some tweaking, came up with homemade hot fudge for ice cream. When I was growing up, Dad’s homemade hot fudge sundaes were a special treat.”
“So, how come you’ve never made them for me? You know how I love chocolate!”
“When we go grocery shopping, I’ll buy the ingredients to make you one. Promise.”
“So, what makes it different than the jars of hot fudge you can buy in the store?”
“Difference in flavor and texture. The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets. If cooked too long, it becomes caramel-like. That was Mom’s favorite way to eat it. Sometimes she would overcook it on purpose, and when she poured it on the ice cream it would immediately harden, like chewy chocolate. Dad said she ruined it, but he always ate it all!” Lexi laughed at the memory. “It’s important to stir it with a wooden spoon, so it doesn’t sugar. It’s cooked to softball stage.”
“Softball?”
“That’s when you drop a bit of the chocolate into a glass of cold water, and the drop stays together, yet is still soft and flexible. If you remove it from the water, it flattens in your fingers.”
“Sounds like a lot of work.”
“My first year in the dorm, my roommate had a little portable microwave. I figured out how to cook hot fudge in it instead of on the stove. It actually worked out pretty well, and once I figured out the cooking time, it was fairly easy to whip up a batch. I could kick myself for not remembering how many minutes that was exactly.”
“Microwave hot fudge… That sounds dangerous to me!”
“True. It’s not terrific for the diet, that’s for sure. And it can make a mess in the microwave. The stuff boils over if you try to nuke it in a bowl that’s too small. I learned that mistake the hard way, and really pissed my roommate off.”
Sugar Rush Page 4