Totally relaxed, I turned to face him. He began nipping at that sensitive area on my neck. Then he trailed kisses along my jaw to finally capture my lips. After a long kiss that left me breathless, he pulled away and groaned out some of my favorite words.
“Oh baby, oh baby.”
As I walked up the steps into the precinct, the morning sunshine warmed my skin. It was another beautiful day in June, and I was determined to enjoy it. Today I was in charge, and I was going to find my stalker and put an end to his plans.
Dimples sat at his desk, and relief coursed through me. It was time to tell him what was going on and see what he could do to help. Chris had convinced me that Dimples needed to know his wedding could be a target, so I tried not to let guilt that I was ruining his day change my mind.
Sure, I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but what else could I do? Before I got to his desk, my gaze landed on the floral arrangement sitting on my desk in the corner. Just looking at it firmed my resolve to tell Dimples. It wasn’t my fault some crazy person was stalking me.
“Hey Shelby,” Dimples said. “Did you come for the flowers?”
I jerked my attention to Dimples and nodded. “You might say that. But I’m afraid it’s more complicated.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
I slumped into the chair beside his desk. “Somebody’s stalking me, and I need your help.” His surprised gaze caught mine, and I tried not to flinch. “I think it’s all because of the article in the paper yesterday.”
I told him everything that had happened, only leaving out the part where I’d gone to Ramos and Uncle Joey for help. After I told him about the threat to his wedding, Dimples’s brows drew together, and a blanket of anger fell over his face. “So you think he’s setting you up?”
“I don’t know what to think. He doesn’t like me, that’s for sure. I just wish I knew why.”
Dimples nodded. “I wonder if it’s someone we’ve dealt with, maybe even one of our old cases. He’s obviously planned this for longer than a few days, right?”
“Yeah. I was thinking it might be someone I knew from my consulting business, but you’re right. It could be something we’ve worked on together.” This opened a whole new world of possibilities, and gave me hope, since nothing from my files had clicked.
“We need to get into that apartment the plant came from and take a look around,” Dimples said. “We can look at the police report, too, and see if they found anything.” He was wishing I’d called him right after it happened, so we could have done that yesterday. Why hadn’t I talked to him before now?
“You were gone, remember?” I said, answering his thoughts. “You had to go interview someone at the prison.”
He nodded, thinking he would have come back right away if I’d called. Didn’t I know we were partners? And I could count on him?
My heart sank. I’d let him down, and dismay caught my breath. “Uh… I didn’t think… what happened threw me. And then… you’re getting married, and I didn’t want to spring this on you.”
Dimples shook his head, his lips twisting into a frown. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. Don’t worry about it.”
It hit me that he wasn’t the first person who’d said that to me recently. Hadn’t Chris and Uncle Joey both thought the same thing? I needed to toughen up or quit listening to their thoughts.
“Here’s the police report,” Dimples said, motioning to his computer. “It looks like the condo owner is Tim Kitley, but they didn’t find him at home.”
“Yeah, he’s out of town.”
Dimples’s left brow rose. “How do you know that?”
Oops. “Uh… I went over there later and met with Jerry… the guy who was with me when the pot fell? He lives there and let me in. We talked to the lady who lives next door, and she said he was gone.”
“Huh,” he said, rubbing his chin. “So, if you already did that, what else did you do?”
“I went back to the office at the Randolph Tower where he left the note. But I couldn’t find anything.”
Dimples narrowed his eyes, thinking that was pretty brave of me to go there all alone unless… someone went with me. Who was it? Ramos?
Not wanting to answer that, I kept talking. “I also spoke to the girl who took the food order to see if she remembered what he looked like, but she didn’t have anything. Then I checked out the florist shop, like you suggested, but he paid in cash, so that was a dead end, too. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”
Dimples’s lips twisted. He knew me well enough to know that I would have denied going with Ramos, if it weren’t true.
“I doubt that John Brown is his real name,” I said, wanting to stop Dimples’s thoughts of Ramos. “But it wouldn’t hurt to look him up on the police database, right? Maybe you could help me get set up on my new computer and we can check it out?”
“Sure.”
We stepped over to my desk, and I contemplated throwing the flowers into the waste basket, but I couldn’t do it. They were still beautiful, even if a crazy person sent them.
Dimples slid into my chair. The seat sank and tipped to the side, nearly throwing him off. He grabbed at my desk to keep from falling on the floor, and sat sideways before he managed to straighten up. The chair was still listing to the side, but at least he wasn’t on the floor.
“Are you okay?” I asked, doing my best to hold back a chuckle. “I thought I was getting a new chair.”
“Uh… yeah, you did, but someone switched it.” Dimples stood, surprised and embarrassed that he’d forgotten about the switch.
“So who took it?”
“I told him to put it back,” Dimples said, glancing over at Detective Bates’s desk. “I guess he forgot.”
Angry, Dimples pushed my broken chair to Bates’s desk and traded for the new one. I noticed a few smiles directed our way. One of the guys even looked forward to watching Bates sit down when he came back. That brought a smile to my lips, and I hoped he came in before I left so I could watch it myself.
Dimples sat down and turned on my computer. He went through the prompts with me and, soon, I was inside the police database. He entered “John Brown.” There were several hits, and I studied each photo that came up, but none of them looked familiar.
Dimples was thinking the same thing. “I think we should look over some of the cases we’ve worked together and see if anything pops up.”
“Do you have time to do that?” I asked.
“Actually, I do. The chief hasn’t given me anything new because of the wedding, and I’m just finishing up some paperwork. So I’ve got time, unless something big happens.”
“Great. Then let’s get started.”
He led me to a filing cabinet. “These are all my cases. As you go through them, just look at the ones you helped me with.” I took several files to my desk, and he took a few others.
I lost track of time perusing the files. After separating the ones I’d been involved with from the ones I hadn’t, the stack shrank to only seven. Out of those, most of the perpetrators had ended up in jail, or been exonerated because they were innocent. Not one of them would be out to get me. Maybe Dimples would have more luck.
Before I could take the files back, my phone rang, sending a chill down my spine. I relaxed to find the caller ID had a phone number, so I quickly answered. “Hello?”
“Hi Shelby. This is Claire. My mom and I are meeting with Ethan, and I wondered if there was a chance you were going to be there.”
“When are you meeting with him?”
“We just got here, but it’s not for another ten minutes.”
“Okay. I’m not far, so I’ll come over. Just don’t wait for me to get started because I might be late.”
“Great. Thanks Shelby. See you soon.”
I didn’t think Claire needed me there to talk with Ethan, but since I wanted to know if Ethan had taken care of the problem with Strickland, it gave me a good excuse to go.
Picking up the files, I took them to
Dimples. “The files on top are the ones I helped with, and nothing stood out to me. Have you found anything?”
“Not yet. But I’ve got a few more to look at.”
“I’d stay and help, but I have to go to Chris’s office to meet with Claire and Ethan. Will you call me if you find anything?”
“Sure, as long as you call me if you hear from him, or if you remember anything. This involves me now, and I don’t want to be left out.” This time, he wanted me to call him before I called Ramos.
“I know. I’ll call. I promise.”
He nodded, appeased that I was serious about his involvement, and wished me luck.
Inside Chris’s building, I took the elevator to the fourth floor, deciding I’d stop by Chris’s office before finding Ethan.
I walked around the corner and froze. A beautiful flower arrangement, just like the others, sat on Elisa’s desk. My heart picked up speed, but I tried to shake it off. I’d known this might happen, but why now?
Elisa caught sight of me and jumped up with enthusiasm. “Hi Shelby. Look what just came for you!”
“Wow. Have they been here long?”
“Just a few minutes. You probably passed the delivery guy in the hall.”
With a rush of anticipation, I hurried back to the elevator doors. As they slid shut, I turned to the fourth floor receptionist. “Did a delivery guy just get on the elevator?”
“You mean the guy who brought the flowers?” At my nod, she continued, “Yeah.”
I pounced on the call button, pushing it like a crazy person. Why hadn’t I noticed the guy? Several people had gotten off the elevator with me, but I didn’t remember passing a delivery guy.
The other set of elevator doors finally opened, and I jumped inside, then waited forever before the doors closed. As the doors swished open in the lobby, I ran out and turned toward the exit, hoping to catch sight of him.
I looked for a man wearing a brown shirt and a baseball cap that I’d picked up from Elisa’s mind, but no one matched that description in the lobby. Pushing open the outside doors, I glanced up and down the sidewalk, then across the street. Nothing.
Opening my mind, I listened real close for any thoughts about me, but no one even glanced my way. Dang! Of course it probably wasn’t my stalker anyway, but it would have been nice to question the delivery person.
Discouraged, I headed back inside. Reaching Elisa’s desk, she sent me a quick smile, wondering why I’d run after him, but she was too polite to ask. Still, she was excited about the flowers. It occurred to me that, after this, I would never feel the same about getting flowers again. Sudden anger filled my heart. I held onto that anger so I could deal with the fear and stepped toward them.
“I wonder who they’re from,” I said, mostly to appease Elisa. She was thinking that she’d already looked, but had to act surprised so I wouldn’t know.
“Yeah, me too,” she said, playing her part. “Open the card and let’s see.”
I kept from rolling my eyes, but it was a stretch. All at once, I wanted to tell her I knew she’d already opened it. Then maybe yell at her for lying, and then end by telling her off for a few other things she’d done.
Instead, I plucked the card from the arrangement and opened it up. “Dear Shelby,” it read. “You are my hero. XOXO, Your Secret Admirer.”
Whoa, he was getting a lot bolder with the XO stuff. I glanced at the envelope, finding the same “Brown Floral” name as the others. Elisa gazed at me expectantly. Letting out a huff, I read it to her so she’d back off.
“I guess it’s not Chris, so who do you think it is?” she asked. “Do you have any idea?”
“Nope.” I figured since she was lying, I could do it too. Chris wasn’t in his office, and a fresh wave of disappointment rushed over me. “Where’s Chris?”
“He left for lunch to meet a new client.”
“Oh yeah? Who’s the new client?”
“Let me look.” She brought up the calendar on her computer. “Someone named John Sizemore. He’s the CEO of JB Sizemore. I think they’re an accounting firm or something.”
A chill ran down my spine. JB Sizemore was the name of John Brown’s supposed company. Why hadn’t I mentioned that to Chris? “When did Chris set it up?”
“It was just yesterday. Kind of a sudden thing, but Chris had an hour for lunch, so we scheduled it in.”
“Do you know where they went?”
She glanced back at the calendar. “Yeah. They’re at that fancy Italian restaurant. Lugano’s.”
I felt the blood drain from my head. The last time Chris and I had been there, he’d nearly died from strychnine poisoning. What the freak!
“I’ve got to go.”
Once more, I hurried out of the building. This time I wasn’t going to let a chance to find out what was going on slip through my fingers. This person, whoever he was, had to be tied to John Brown somehow. The only way I’d know for sure was to show up at the restaurant and find out.
CHAPTER 7
I took a deep breath and stepped inside the crowded restaurant. After the hostess greeted me, I told her my husband was already there, and I’d find him.
I wound around the seats down one side of the restaurant, then circled to the back. There wasn’t an empty table in sight, and nervous tension filled my stomach. I finally spotted Chris at the other end of the diner.
He sat alone at a side table next to the window, glancing between his watch and the crowded room, obviously waiting for someone to approach him. That had to mean my stalker hadn’t made it yet, and relief coursed through me.
As I hurried toward Chris, he caught sight of me and his eyes widened. “Hey,” he said. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
I took the chair across from him and leaned forward. “I just came from your office.” I glanced around the restaurant, hoping to spot my stalker. Was he here, watching us? Had he set this up?
“What’s going on?” Chris asked.
“I guess I left this little detail out when I explained things last night, but my stalker said he worked for JB Sizemore. When Elisa told me you were out to lunch with a new client from JB Sizemore, I rushed over here as fast as I could.”
Chris swore under his breath. “Do you think he’s setting you up again, with me as bait? Is something going to happen now?”
“I don’t know, but if I had to guess, that’s what I’d think.”
“Maybe we should go.”
“Let me listen for a minute and see if I can pick anything up first. I really want to catch this guy.”
Against his better judgement, Chris nodded and sat quietly. Sitting back, I closed my eyes and focused on the minds around us. Sifting through all that noise was bound to give me a headache, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me.
The piercing sound of a fire alarm sent a jolt of fear through my heart. Several patrons jerked to their feet, looking for smoke or signs of trouble. A few others began leaving their seats. A loud pop, followed closely by a second one, sent people scrambling for cover. Screams began, along with a surge of bodies dashing for the doors.
I crouched in my chair, hoping to see what was going on. Chris grabbed my arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
As I nodded, I caught sight of a balloon floating to the ceiling. In my search for Chris I’d passed three balloons tied to a corner table. What had happened to the others? Was that what had popped?
Chris kept low and pushed me in front of him, but I wasn’t ready to leave yet. My stalker might still be here watching us, and I wanted to get a look at him. “Hang on,” I told Chris. “I think those pops were balloons and this is a sick prank.”
“We can’t take that chance. We’ve got to get out of here.”
An older couple a few feet ahead of us couldn’t move quite as fast as the people behind them. A passing man knocked the woman into her husband, and she went down to her knees. The husband lost his balance and flailed dangerously.
Chris rushed to his side
and steadied him before he fell. I reached the woman and put my arms around her to help her stand. She leaned on me, and I steadied her until she could get to her feet.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “Can you walk?”
She nodded, but she was too shaken up to speak. I kept my hold on her and helped her around the fallen chairs toward the exit. Chris and her husband followed behind. Soon, we stood outside the restaurant with most of the crowd. Several people were still running away, but most had stopped to see what was going on.
The sound of sirens eased the tension, and everyone watched as the police officers jumped out of their cars. I helped the woman to a bench outside the restaurant and lowered her onto the seat. The man Chris helped had recovered enough to hurry to her side. He put his arm around her and held her close while tears ran down her cheeks.
A surge of hot anger filled my chest. This was too much. Other people were getting hurt. It wasn’t just me anymore, and I wanted to rip this guy’s head off. Before I ran back inside like a crazy person, I tried to shut out the audible noise and focus on the inner dialogue of those in my vicinity.
I listened closely, trying to sort out the thoughts of the victims from those of my stalker. Wouldn’t he be thinking about me? I did my best, but nothing stood out. No one thought about the woman standing there as still as a rock with her eyes shut.
I let out a breath and opened my eyes to find Chris blocking me from view. He’d stood protectively beside me, knowing what I was trying to achieve. At the negative shake of my head, he enfolded me in his arms. From his mind, I picked up some of the same thoughts I’d had about the sick bastard, and it helped calm me down.
“Shelby?”
I pulled away to find Jimmy Falzone standing beside us. He was the owner of the restaurant, and one of Uncle Joey’s men. “Jimmy.” I threw my arms around him in an impromptu hug. He hadn’t expected that, but he hugged me back, grateful I wasn’t blaming him for this mess. “This is terrible. I’m so sorry.”
His brows drew together. What was I apologizing for? I had nothing to do with this.
“Do you know what happened?” I asked.
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