by Jessica Beck
“This all may be a fuss about nothing. We don’t even know if it’s unlocked,” I said as I tried the handle.
It opened a little noisily, and I half expected to see Kyle jump out at me from within.
When he didn’t, I tried to slow my hammering heart rate, but I didn’t have much luck. The blood pounding in my ears was as loud as any marching band.
“Suzanne, you’ve got thirty seconds, and then we’re closing that door. Do you understand?”
“Okay. Whatever you say,” I said, without much conviction. I agreed with Jake’s desire to hurry, but I also wanted to see what Kyle might be hiding in his truck.
Jake kept his gaze firmly on the front of the diner as I snooped around in back of the van. It was mostly just a ragtag collection of gardening equipment, and there was not much there to attract my attention. I spotted a few faded canvas tarps, but no sheets, unless they’d been tucked under the canvas. I couldn’t reach the cloth to check without climbing completely into the back of the van, and even I wasn’t that crazy.
My time was nearly up when Jake said softly behind me, “That’s it.”
“Five more seconds,” I said, and then I spotted a battered old toolbox under a couple of beat-up old shovels. What caught my attention was that, though the box itself was clearly old, the lock on it was not. I shifted the shovels to one side and tugged on the lock. It stayed firm, but the hasp it was attached to did not, and it separated from the toolbox in one easy motion. Lifting the lid, I held my breath, but inside, all I found were a few files, an old pruning knife, and a couple of beat-up old pairs of work gloves. I was about to close the toolbox again when I noticed that there was a recessed tray on the top. What might be under that? In the cause of being thorough, I lifted it and peered underneath.
Jackpot.
In the hidden space, I found a dozen photos of Emma, all taken when she was clearly unaware that she was being photographed. There were shots of her coming in and going out of Donut Hearts, leaving her home, and one of her going into the Two Cows and a Moose newsstand. I grabbed my phone and took a quick photo of the collage just as I heard Jake speaking loudly up front.
“You’re Kyle Creasy, aren’t you?” he bellowed loud enough for me to hear in the back of the van.
Uh oh. I was about to be caught red-handed.
It was time to act fast.
I hurriedly rearranged the photos, jammed the tray back into place, and then I flipped the toolbox shut. I couldn’t repair the broken hasp, but I somehow managed to jam it back into place. Hopefully Kyle would assume that he broke it the next time he opened it. Slipping outside, I started to close the van door as gently as I could. Should I lock it before I closed it all of the way? If Kyle suspected me of spying on him, finding the door unlocked might be a dead giveaway. I pushed the rusted button on the handle down, but I wasn’t at all sure if it locked, and I couldn’t stall any longer as I quietly pushed the door completely shut.
I was about to join Jake when I heard a woman’s voice nearby call my name.
“Suzanne Hart, what are you doing?”
She’d almost given me a heart attack.
It was Gabby Williams, and from the way Kyle looked at me from the diner steps, I knew that I’d been busted.
Chapter 18
Maybe I could find a way to fix it, though. “Hey, Gabby. How are you? I was going to join Jake inside when I noticed that the back tire on this van was flat. Do you know who owns it?” I asked as innocently as possible.
“It belongs to Kyle Creasy,” she replied. “Can’t you see his name printed all over the side of it?” Gabby studied the tire critically before she spoke again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. That tire looks fine to me.”
Great. Now I had no choice but to continue to try to sell the idea. “Really? I could have sworn it was going flat.” I pretended to study the tire myself, counting three seconds under my breath before I spoke again. “You know what? I think you’re right. My eyes must be playing tricks on me.”
“Of course I’m right. You should probably get your vision checked,” Gabby said, and then she walked past me and headed into the diner.
Kyle was on his way coming down the steps toward me, and not even Jake could slow him down. “Suzanne, what are you doing near my van?” he asked in an accusing manner.
“Hey, Kyle,” I said brightly, pretending not to be scared that I’d just been caught snooping around his van. “Did you happen to hear what I told Gabby? I thought you had a flat tire, but it must have just been the shadows.”
Kyle studied the tire in question carefully himself before he replied, and then, almost as an afterthought, he tried the door handle to the back door.
It was all I could do not to let out a loud sigh when I saw that it was locked! I did my best not to let my relief show as I shrugged. “Do you have a second, Kyle? We’d like to talk to you about Rick Hastings, if you have the time.”
“No, thanks,” Kyle said as he searched for his van keys. “I’ve got a job to do over in Union Square, and I’m going to be late as it is.”
“Would you like some company?” I asked spontaneously. “I could always ride over there with you. I have a few errands to run there myself.”
I wasn’t sure which one of them gave me the more disbelieving look, Kyle or Jake, when I made my offer.
“I don’t think so,” Kyle replied warily, and then he got into the van and left the parking lot as fast as he could manage it without being airborne.
“You weren’t serious about going with him, were you?” Jake asked me when I joined him.
“Of course not. I just wanted to see how he would react to my offer.”
“Well, he might have left quicker if you’d set his shoes on fire, but that’s about the only scenario I can imagine.”
“I’m hungry. Are you hungry? Let’s grab something to eat.”
Jake glanced at his watch. “Suzanne, need I remind you that we’re going to be eating pizza with Grace and Chief Grant in an hour?” Jake asked me patiently.
“I wasn’t talking about a full meal, but we could have some cake or maybe even some pie. I know you like dessert, so don’t try to deny it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Jake said.
“Then a treat is in order,” I said as I started for the door.
“Suzanne, you can have pie, cake, cobbler, or chocolate truffles for all I care, but I want to know what you found in the back of that van before you get one bite of anything to eat.”
I grinned at Jake as I started to dig my cellphone out of my pocket.
At least I tried to.
That’s when I realized that it was gone.
It must have still been in the back of Kyle’s van.
Chapter 19
“Jake, I don’t have my phone,” I said frantically as I continued to pat my limited number of pockets over and over again.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s probably still in the Jeep,” he said.
“You don’t understand. I had it with me in the back of Kyle’s van. I took a quick photo, and I must have dropped it in there while I was putting it away.”
“Suzanne, that’s not good,” he said grimly. “If Kyle is the killer, he now knows that you’re onto him, and if he’s not, he’s got grounds to have you arrested for criminal trespass and a host of other things.”
“Either way, I need to get that phone back,” I said as I started for the Jeep.
“What are you going to do, flag him down?” Jake asked me as he reached out for my keys.
“What choice do I have?” I asked him frantically.
We were still arguing about what to do when Grace drove up and rolled down her window. “Suzanne, why aren’t you answering your phone? I’ve been calling you for the last five minutes.”
I felt my heart sink at the news.
Now Kyle knew that I’d been spying on him after all. If my cellphone was indeed in the back of his van, he had to be well aware of its presence by no
w.
Jake wasn’t ready to concede anything yet, though. I saw him reach into his pocket and pull his own phone out. He punched in a number as I asked him, “What are you doing?”
“I have a new theory, so I’m calling you,” Jake said as he started walking over to where the van had been parked.
“What good is that going to do?” I asked, but he just held his hand up in the air, silencing me. I wasn’t crazy about the gesture, but then I heard it. “Grace already said that she’s been trying to reach me without success.”
Then faintly, almost in a whisper, I heard my phone ringing. Hurrying across the parking lot, I looked down in the grass near where I’d been standing earlier and I spotted a sight that nearly made me cry.
My phone was lying there on the edge of the pavement, ringing its little heart out.
I’d dodged a bullet, and I knew it.
Grace looked at the happy tears in my eyes as I retrieved my cellphone, brushed it off, and then kissed it. “Did I just miss something?”
“We’ll explain over dessert,” I said as I kissed Jake’s cheek. “You, sir, are a genius.”
“Don’t give me too much credit,” he said, though I noticed that he was smiling.
“Nonsense. All is right in my world again.”
“Did you find the killer?” Grace asked me excitedly as we headed for the steps yet again.
“No, but I managed to track down my cellphone,” I said.
“I suppose under certain conditions that’s almost as good,” Grace said skeptically. “Now, what’s this about dessert?”
“Come on in and I’ll tell you all about it,” I said as I locked one arm in hers and the other in Jake’s. I’d just narrowly avoided something that could have been a catastrophe, and I felt like celebrating.
Unfortunately, Jake’s cellphone rang before we could get in the door.
“You’re not on duty any more, or really, ever again. Let it go to voicemail,” I urged him.
“This could be important,” Jake said. “Go on in, and I’ll be right with you.”
“Come on, Grace. I know from long experience that there’s no use arguing with him.”
“I just hope there’s enough dessert left over for him after we get finished,” she answered with a grin, but it was already lost on Jake, since he was now in the middle of what appeared to be a deep conversation.
“Who do you suppose is calling him?” Grace asked me as she opened the door for me.
“Don’t know, and don’t care,” I answered with a grin. “All I know is that I feel like a piece of peach pie. Or maybe some apple turnover cake, since Momma’s been making me pies like crazy lately. That’s it. I’ve made up my mind. Cake it is. Or pie. I do really love pie.”
“That’s the girl we all know and love,” Grace said happily.
“Suzanne, were your ears just burning?” Trish asked me as we approached her position up front at the cash register.
“No, why? Is someone taking my name in vain again?”
“It’s not that,” Trish said in a softer voice. “Emma was just in here, and I was nearly ready to call you.”
“What happened?” I asked, my good mood suddenly gone.
“Kyle Creasy, that’s what,” Trish said with a frown.
“What was he doing, Trish? Was he harassing Emma?” Grace asked her. She was nearly as overprotective of my assistant as I was, and that was saying something.
“No, but that’s the odd thing. Emma was in here eating, and then Kyle came in a few seconds later. He got a table close to hers, but he never said a single word to her. He more than made up for that by watching her, though.” Trish shivered for a moment before she added, “He really gave me the creeps, and I’m not afraid to admit it.”
I couldn’t blame her one bit. After what I’d seen in Kyle’s toolbox, nothing would surprise me.
At least I didn’t think it would.
“Well, as long as he didn’t approach her, we’re probably okay,” I said.
“That’s just it. As soon as she was gone, he grabbed her dirty napkins and the straw she’d been using. Don’t try to tell me that’s nothing to worry about. The man is clearly obsessed with her, and you need to warn her about what he’s up to.”
I realized that was exactly what I should be doing. When I’d mentioned Kyle’s fascination to her earlier, there was a great deal that I hadn’t known about the man’s level of infatuation that I knew now. “You’re right. I’ll call her.”
“When?” Trish asked pointedly.
“You really are rattled, aren’t you?” I asked my friend gently.
“Not many folks know about it, but I had a stalker of my own in high school. The guy seemed harmless enough, at least until I found him in my bedroom in the middle of the night going through my journal.”
“What happened?” Grace asked her gently.
“I screamed for my dad, who happened to be downstairs cleaning his shotgun at the time. It wasn’t loaded, and he swore afterwards that he hadn’t even realized that he’d been holding it in his hands. Anyway, he rushed into my room, and my stalker rushed out. Through the window. From the second floor. He broke his leg in three places, but he still managed to get out of there before my dad could catch up with him.”
“Did that teach him to leave you alone?” I asked her.
“Suzanne, you clearly don’t know a true stalker’s mentality. After he had his leg set, he went to the cops and told them that my dad had threatened to kill him.”
I was outraged, but sadly, not all that surprised. “How did I never hear about any of this?”
“It was kept quiet because of who the boy’s father was,” she said.
“Was your dad actually arrested?” Grace asked her.
“No, Chief Martin knew it was a load of hogwash the second he heard it. He refused to do anything about it, and the boy eventually withdrew the charges.”
Wow. I’d known the chief of police for a long time; shoot, I was even his stepdaughter, but I’d had no idea that he’d done that for my friend. He got some real credit in my mind when I heard about it, and just maybe I was starting to see a little of what Momma saw in him.
“Anyway,” Trish continued, “you’ve got to tell Emma that she can’t be too careful.”
“I’ll call her right now,” I said.
“I’ll grab us a table,” Grace said, and then she turned to Trish. “Three slices of your favorite dessert, please. Suzanne is leaning toward either cake or pie, but she’s still not sure exactly what she wants, so why don’t you surprise us?”
“I’d be honored to join you,” Trish said. “Thanks for including me.”
“Happy to do it,” Grace said as she glanced over at me. I decided it was time to step in and save face for Trish. “You know what? Jake is supposed to be in the area. Why don’t I call him and have him join us? We’ll make it a party. What do you say?”
“Go ahead and call him, but phone Emma first,” Trish said.
I stepped outside and saw that Jake was still in deep conversation with whoever had called him. What was that about? I really wanted to know, but I had a call of my own to make first.
“Emma, are you home yet?”
“I just got back,” she said. “What’s up, boss? How did you know that I’d just been out?”
I decided to ignore the question. “Did you see Kyle Creasy today?”
“I think he came into the diner while I was there earlier, but I can’t be sure.”
“He was there, all right. In fact, he grabbed a couple of souvenirs after you left.”
“Souvenirs? Like what?” Emma asked, clearly a little unsettled by the thought of it.
“Your napkins and your straw,” I said.
“Eww. That’s just wrong,” Emma answered.
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” I remembered Trish’s story of how her stalker had broken into her house, and I wouldn’t put it past Kyle to emulate the act. “Emma, how would you like to come stay with me
for a few days at the cottage?”
“Suzanne, what’s going on?”
“Let’s just say that I’d rather be safe than sorry,” I replied. “What do you say? It’ll be fun; I promise.”
Emma hesitated, and then she asked, “Jake’s staying there with you now though, isn’t he?”
“He’s got the upstairs to himself, but I have the master suite downstairs. You can bunk with me, or I’ll take the couch and you can have the suite all to yourself.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” Emma answered.
“Listen, I know it’s not in your nature to run away like this, but do it for me, would you?”
There was such a long pause on the other end that I worried that she’d forgotten about me altogether when she finally asked, “How about if I stay with Emily instead?”
I doubted that the stalker would even look for her at Emily’s place. “Are you sure that she wouldn’t mind the company?”
“Are you kidding? She’d love it. It’ll be like old times when we used to have slumber parties at each other’s houses when we were younger. Let me call her just to be sure, but I’m pretty sure that it will be fine.”
“If she can’t host you, then you’re coming to my place, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Suzanne,” she said, letting the last syllable stretch out.
“Emma,” I said, repeating the pattern.
“Okay. I’ll give her a call right now.”
“Good,” I said, pleased that she was taking this seriously. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you, so call me as soon as you know.”
“Sure thing, Mom,” Emma said, the smile clear in her voice even though I couldn’t see her face.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said.
“Good, because that’s exactly how it was intended. That reminds me. What am I going to tell my folks?”
“You could always tell them the truth about Kyle,” I suggested.
“No, thanks. I don’t want to give my father an excuse to go after him.”
“Would Ray really do that?” I asked her. I knew the newspaperman was relentless at times, but I’d never heard of him resorting to physical violence.