by Marja McGraw
“Oh? I wonder why.”
Jolly might have hit on something. Traci left the party before the police could talk to her. Maybe there was something to that.
The front door opened. Pete and Chris walked in looking quite self-satisfied. They’d obviously come to some sort of agreement, or made a plan, or something. Whatever it was, I didn’t think I’d like it.
Pete turned to Jolly. “Sorry to hear about the burglary, man, but fortunately for you they didn’t take any of your equipment. Could have been worse.”
Jolly shrugged. “Yeah, it could have been. I can’t believe someone would go to all that trouble for a bunch of costume party pictures. They weren’t even my professional work, just fun stuff.”
“Dude,” Chris said, forgetting his Bogey persona, “there must be something in one of the photos. Something important.”
“Must have been, but I sure can’t think of anything.” Jolly stood. “That’s why I came to see Sandi. I thought that between the two of us we might come up with something.”
“And did you?” Pete asked.
“Not a thing. Well, I’d better be on my way. I have a shoot this afternoon. I needed to wait for twilight for this setup.”
“Thanks for trying,” I said. “And you did remember a few things that might help. It gives me a little more direction.”
The men shook hands with Jolly and he left, telling me he’d call if he thought of anything else.
Turning to Pete, I frowned. “So what did you guys come up with? Are you planning on making my life miserable?”
“Only if you consider spending some time with me to be miserable,” Pete said.
“I don’t want a watchdog, Pete. I’ve already got Bubba. I want to curl up with a good book. Maybe watch some television. There’s a good old movie on tonight.”
“What movie?” Pete asked.
Chris was watching our exchange with a gleeful look. He seemed to be enjoying the fact that Pete was a match for me.
“The African Queen with – ”
“Humphrey Bogart,” Chris said. “One of my favorites, even though he’s not a gumshoe in that one.”
“Sandi, let me take you out to dinner. We can talk about some safety issues while we eat.” Pete didn’t always know how to be low key about things.
“Safety issues? Like you think you’re moving in until the killer with a red pen is caught? I don’t think so.”
“No, that’s not it at all,” Pete said.
“Then what is it?”
Pete and Chris looked at each other and Chris lowered his head, studying his shoes.
“Uh oh. What did you two come up with?” They were making me nervous and I began to pace.
Pete took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. “Now don’t get mad at me, but I called someone earlier and made arrangements for you to have a houseguest.”
“Who?” Who would make me angry with Pete?
“Your mother.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “My mother?”
Chapter Twenty-six
“My mother?” I repeated. “Have you completely lost your mind?” Pete was right. I was angry.
He held up his hands, palms facing me. “Now, Sandi, I knew you wouldn’t be happy about it, but you need someone to stay with you. And I’m going to be busy trying to find whoever left that picture taped to your door.”
“We could do that together. Did you ever think of that? Hmmm?”
“Chris and Stan are going to work with me. I’d like you to be as invisible as possible for the next few days. Lay low for a change.”
“What about Felicity?” I asked. “Couldn’t she stay with me?”
“I thought about that, and I talked to Stan.” Pete chuckled, an odd sound. “If you think I’m protective, you should hear Stan. But it doesn’t matter. Felicity is going to be out of town for a few days, doing some modeling job. Fortunately, her face and her black eye won’t be in the pictures. He says she’s going to do something different, and she’ll be modeling shoes.”
I started pacing again. My mother was coming, and I was in trouble. I worried about her more than whoever left the picture on my door.
Oh Lord, I prayed. Please don’t let her forget her hormone pills. Menopause can be a killer.
I stopped mid-pace. “When is she arriving?”
“She’ll be here tomorrow. And I told her everything that’s been going on.” Pete sounded like a kid who’d tattled on a friend, and was now studying his shoes, seemingly having taken the cue from Chris.
“In the meantime,” Chris said, looking up, “between Pete, Stan and me, we’ll have your back covered all the time.”
I sighed, and I have to admit, it was one of my better sighs. It was a loud and disgusted sound.
“There haven’t been any threats,” I said, “only that stupid photograph.”
“That was a threat, Sandi.” Pete switched over to his no-nonsense attitude. “And don’t sigh again. I don’t want to hear it. We’re going to see that nothing happens to you. Understand?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” I knew they were worried about me, but I’m an independent woman. They just didn’t get it.
The phone rang. “That’ll be my mother. Thanks a lot. You wanted to take me out to dinner? Forget it. I’m staying home for dinner. Alone.”
I picked up the receiver, knowing I wouldn’t hang up feeling happy.
“Sandi, this is your mother calling.”
“Yes, Mother, I recognize your voice.”
Pete waved at me, a look of relief on his face, and he and Chris left. I figured he was relieved because with my mother tying me up on the phone, I couldn’t give him any trouble.
“I should be there around noon tomorrow. Is there anything I can bring? Oh, and Frank won’t be coming with me. He’s got a few days of boating and fishing with a friend lined up.” She sounded relatively cheerful, a good sign.
But still, Frank would have been a buffer between my mother and me.
“You don’t need to bring anything, Mother. I’ll run to the store in the morning and make sure we’ve got plenty to eat and snack on. We’ll have a good time.”
I was counting on that friendly mood of hers to continue. Uh oh. It suddenly struck me that she hadn’t mentioned the trouble I was in.
“Sounds like fun, Sweetie. I’m dying to meet your Bogart friend. And we’ll have a long talk about what’s been going on. I can help out.”
I sighed. We’d have a long talk – the dreaded long talk. That meant my mother talking and me listening.
“Don’t sigh so much, Sandi. It’s not becoming.”
“Can’t help it, Mother. It’s just something I do.”
“Okay, well, I’m going to go pack. If you think of anything for me to bring, give me a call.”
We hung up and I sat down on the couch, thinking. It wasn’t going to be so bad. She was in a good mood. She wanted to meet Chris, and he could charm a snake, not that my mother was a snake. She thought she’d be helping me. We’d have a long talk. Frank wasn’t coming with her!
It was turning dark outside. I stood and wandered over to glance out the window. Pete’s car was parked down the street. Either Chris or Stanley would spell him at some point. I didn’t need to worry about a thing.
I’d bought a stack of books at a sale and sat down with a good mystery. That should take my mind off threats and my mother. And my movie was on at seven o’clock. Just what I needed. A Humphrey Bogart movie that would remind me of Chris. Not really. I wanted to forget life and people for a while.
I read for about an hour, but when I started to feel hungry, I put the book down while I fed Bubba and started my dinner.
At seven I turned on the movie and got so wrapped up in it that I forgot my problems for a couple of hours.
After the movie I looked out the window again. Pete’s car was gone and Stanley’s was in its place. I smiled to myself. These people really did care about me, and I was safe.
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br /> I decided to go to bed. I was tired and didn’t want to think anymore. Easier said than done. Bubba settled on his doggie bed on the floor next to me, and I turned out the light. That’s when the thoughts started.
I knew there must be something I was missing. Otherwise, why would someone have left the picture on my door? If I was coming close to the killer, I didn’t know it. I started replaying everything in my mind. Sometime during my thought processes, I fell into a troubled sleep.
Something woke me. Glancing at the clock, I thought it read two o’clock. My eyes weren’t quite focused. I sat up and looked around, letting my vision adjust to the dark. Bubba was sitting next to the bed, his ears laid back, growling. I patted his head and quietly climbed out of the bed, grabbing my robe and slippers and slipping them on.
Then I heard it. The sound of breaking glass coming from downstairs. Bubba growled louder and ran out the door, heading for the stairs. I followed, trying to be as quiet as I could. Maybe our killer was making his first mistake.
Bubba ran to the kitchen and barked loudly. I reached around the doorframe and turned on the light. It blinded me for a moment. Bubba was frantic by that time, barking and throwing himself against the back door. There was glass on the sink and floor where someone had broken a window. I thought I’d left the back porch light on when I went to bed, but now it was out. Maybe I’d forgotten.
“Bubba, back up. I can’t open the door with you in the way.” He didn’t move until I reached for the door handle.
I could hear yelling outside. It stopped abruptly as Bubba lunged down the steps. I heard running footsteps and a grunt as someone jumped over the fence.
Flipping the switch for the porch light, I discovered that it wouldn’t work. I grabbed my flashlight and started out the door.
Stopping abruptly, I heard a groaning sound and… A slurping noise? I aimed my flashlight under the kitchen window. Stanley was lying on the ground and Bubba was licking him, none too gently.
“Bubba, stop that,” I ordered. He gave Stanley one last lick before moving away.
Stanley sat up and wiped dog slobber off his face.
“What happened?” I asked.
“If this dumb mutt hadn’t started licking me, I could have chased that guy.”
“What guy? What happened?”
Stanley stood up, wiping off his jeans. Jeans? Stanley never wore anything but slacks, and he had on a t-shirt and athletic shoes.
“Stanley?”
“Would you please try to remember to call me Stan?”
I nodded. “Stan, what happened?”
“I was sitting in the car, watching your house. I thought I saw a shadow around the side of the house, so I got out to investigate. I heard a noise and your porch light went out, so I headed for the back of the house. That’s when I heard glass breaking. I ran around just in time to see a guy starting to climb up toward the window. I yelled at him and he jumped down. Before I could stop him, he clobbered me and took off. I was going to chase him, but that’s when this mangy mutt came flying out the back door.”
“Did you get a good look at the guy?” I asked. I reached up and turned the light bulb, and the backyard filled with light. It had been loosened.
“No, it was too dark. And he had something on his head, like a ski mask. I can’t even tell you if he was short or tall, because everything happened too fast.”
“Figures.”
“I did notice one thing though.” Stanley tilted his head and appeared thoughtful. “He had an odd odor, but it wasn’t like body odor. If you recall, Felicity said the same thing about her intruder.”
“Could you tell what the odor was?” I asked.
“No, but it was rather like a chemical smell.”
“Come in the house, Stanley. Let me fix some coffee and we’ll try to sort this out.”
Bubba stretched toward Stanley and licked his hand.
“Will you stop that?” Stanley was annoyed. He wiped his hand on his jeans.
He turned and entered the house with Bubba on his heels. The dog’s tongue was hanging out of his mouth.
“Stan, what’s on your face and hands? Whatever it is, Bubba likes it.”
“I was consuming a turkey sandwich. Apparently I got some on my person. I need to use your facilities to cleanse my hands and face.” He sounded thoroughly disgusted, and yet proper, but at least the Stanley I was used to was back. Not only was he wearing jeans, but he hadn’t been speaking as formally as usual. Stanley was rocking my world, not a good thing to do in the early morning hours with a bad guy on the loose.
I put on a pot of coffee and set my cookie jar on the kitchen table. If I couldn’t get any sleep, at least I could munch. Munching is good in times of stress. I do it often.
Stanley disappeared and I could hear the water running in the bathroom. He returned shortly and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket.
“Who are you calling?”
“I’m calling Pete. He needs to know what happened.”
I opened my mouth to argue with Stanley.
He held up his hand and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t argue with me. I’m calling Pete.”
My mouth closed.
My mother was coming in a matter of hours, my life had been threatened, someone had broken my window and tried to break in, and I was probably about to receive an angry visitor who goes by the name of Pete.
What else could happen?
Chapter Twenty-seven
Pete arrived half an hour after Stanley called him. As independent as I am, I was actually glad to see him. If Stanley hadn’t been watching, someone would have broken into my house while I slept. Well, an intruder might have tried, but Bubba would have squelched the break in. Still, I felt safer when Pete walked into the kitchen. I had to admit, he wasn’t really an unwanted visitor.
Stanley left, and Pete stayed and had coffee with me. We talked for a long time, and he didn’t even lecture me. I figured he knew it would be useless. He was beginning to learn that to get along with me he occasionally needed to keep his thoughts to himself. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a fast learner in that area. We finally adjourned to the living room where we snuggled up on the couch, and I quickly fell asleep.
When I awoke, Pete still held me and he was wide awake. I doubted he’d ever drifted off.
The phone rang within moments. I glanced at Pete, hugged him, and disengaged myself from his arms to answer the insistent ringing. I saw him shake his left arm as though it had gone to sleep.
“Sandi?” My mother sounded funny. Her voice was shaky.
“Mom? What’s wrong?”
“I tried to call Pete before calling you, but he wasn’t home.”
“He’s right here, Mom.”
“Oh? This early in the morning? Hmm. Well, I don’t really need to talk to him. We’ve had a little emergency here. I’m at the hospital with Frank. He drove down to the lake to meet his fishing buddy, and apparently some kids had dug a hole and covered it with things they found on the beach. Frank stepped in it and they’re x-raying his ankle right now. He may have broken it.”
“Is he okay?” I asked. I knew it was a dumb question, but it’s one of those things that pops out of our mouths unbidden.
“As okay as anyone who may have broken an ankle, but the thing is that I might not be able to drive over to help you out. I may have to stay here and take care of Frank.”
“What happened?” Pete asked.
“Frank may have broken his ankle,” I whispered.
“Sandi? I want to drive over to Los Angeles, but – ”
“Oh, don’t worry about it, Mother. I’ll be fine. I’ve got Pete and Stanley and Chris to help me out.”
“But I feel so useless. I want to help. It’s not often that you even need me. If Frank’s ankle isn’t broken, I’ll still come.”
Time to be the sweet, loving daughter. “Mother, I always need you, and I was looking forward to your visit, but Frank is more important than I am right now.”
&n
bsp; “Someone should be staying with you. I’m worried about you. You’d be safer with two of us in the house.”
“I’ll find someone else, Mom. Frank’s ankle is the most important issue and you need to deal with that.”
“Maybe, and I can’t be in two places at once. I feel so guilty about not coming to – ”
“Now, don’t feel guilty. We’ll take care of things here. Pete wouldn’t let anything happen to me. You know that.”
“You’re right, Sweetie. I trust Pete completely. I’ll call you back as soon as we know anything for sure.”
“Okay, Mother. Now you go take care of your husband.”
“I could load him in the car and bring him with me,” she suggested.
“No!” I said, a little too quickly. “It would be too hard on him. I’ll be fine.”
We finished talking with her assuring me she’d call back as soon as she knew anything, and hung up. I let out a huge sigh of relief. I didn’t wish a broken ankle on Frank, but I also didn’t wish for a visit from my mother at the moment.
Pete leaned back on the couch, looking tired. He ran his hands through his hair and squinted, obviously thinking things over. I could read his face like a cheap dime novel.
“So your mother isn’t coming?”
“I don’t know yet. They’re taking x-rays and she’ll call me back.”
“Okay, I’ll work on a new plan, just in case she can’t come. Even though we’ll be watching the house, I don’t want you staying alone.”
“Oh, Pete, for crying out loud! With you guys hanging around I don’t have anything to worry about. In fact, I think I’ll sleep down here, on the couch. That way if this guy tries to break in again, I’ll hear the sounds right away.”
“Sandi, you should worry. I know you’ve been threatened before and you’re still here to talk about it, but that doesn’t mean this threat isn’t real. You need to take this seriously.”