by Amber Crewes
“I was almost mugged, Jack,” Meghan wept, crumpling at the sound of her boyfriend’s voice. “A man came out of nowhere and started fighting with me for my purse. He almost took it, but then, I got mad. I tried to fight him off, but he almost got me.”
“Meghan,” Jack muttered. “Are you serious? Are you okay? I’m walking out of my seminar now. Do I need to come home?”
Meghan thought of the man and how terrified she had been, and she wanted nothing more than for Jack to come home. “I miss you, Babe,” Meghan whimpered. “I was so scared.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Jack whispered as the wail of police sirens grew closer to Meghan. “Did you see who the man was? Did you notice any details? Are the police on their way?”
“It’s so dark out here,” Meghan said. “If Dash hadn’t bit him on his leg, he would have run off with my bag.”
“I don’t care about your bag,” Jack said. “I care about you. You should have just let him take it.”
“I couldn’t help myself,” Meghan insisted.
“Well, think hard, Babe. Did you see anything? Any distinguishing features?”
Meghan thought for a moment, and then, she noticed a broken silver bracelet on the ground. She bent down to pick it up, wincing as she felt the large scrape on her knee from where her leg had hit the concrete.
“I think he dropped a bracelet,” Meghan told Jack, examining the trinket. “It’s a silver braided bracelet, and it sure isn’t mine.”
“Show the police,” Jack ordered Meghan as a squad car sidled up to the curb beside her. “Tell them everything you remember. With that Thomas woman being killed, and this mugging epidemic, I want this guy off the streets as soon as possible.”
“I’ll tell them everything I know,” Meghan assured Jack. “I just hope they can catch him soon. I don’t feel safe in Sandy Bay with someone that malicious on the loose.”
9
“Meghan? Are you alright?”
Meghan looked up as Lawrence stepped out of the police car. “Jack,” she said into the phone. “Lawrence just pulled up.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Jack said in relief. “You’re in good hands. Can I talk to him for a second?”
Meghan handed the phone to Lawrence. “It’s Jack,” she explained.”
Lawrence nodded and spoke to Jack, his voice hushed as people began to pour from their houses to see what was going on. “Okay, I will make sure I take her in. Yes, I will ask Chief Nunan for protection for her until you get back. No problem. Talk soon, buddy.”
Lawrence gave the phone back to Meghan. “Lawrence is going to take care of things,” Jack explained to Meghan. “I’m going to try to get home tomorrow, if possible, but for now, Lawrence will make sure you are safe. Go with him to the police station to give your statement.”
“I will, Babe,” Meghan told Jack. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“I’m just grateful Dash was there to help you,” Jack said. “For now, stick with Lawrence and keep your eyes open. I will be home soon. I love you. I am so sorry this happened.”
“I love you too,” Meghan said softly.
Meghan hung up the phone. She looked down at her leg and gasped; she had blood pouring from the scrape on her knee, and her hands were torn as well.
“We’ll need to fix you up,” Lawrence told Meghan, seeing the horrified look on her face. “Would you prefer to go to the hospital?”
“No,” Meghan said. “Just take me to the station to file the report. I would rather sit in Jack’s familiar office there than in the hospital.”
“Your wish is my command,” Lawrence told Meghan. He gathered the three dogs together and shepherded them into the back of his squad car. “You can sit up front,” he told Meghan, helping her to open the door of the front passenger seat. “Let me help you.”
Meghan’s legs quivered as she bent down to sit in the police car. Lawrence gently held her hand as she climbed in, careful to avoid touching the bruises and scrapes. “We’ll have someone come clean you up when we get to the station,” he assured Meghan. “I’m sure we have some spare clothes around, too. Your jeans look like they’ve seen their last day.”
Meghan looked down at her legs, embarrassed that the blood from her knee was dripping onto Lawrence’s seat. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I’m so gross right now.”
“Shhhhh,” Lawrence said as he buckled his seatbelt and turned on the engine. “I’m just glad that you are safe right now. Gross is better than dead, Meghan.”
At the station, Lawrence escorted Meghan to Jack’s office. “I’ll have Chief Nunan interview you in here,” he told her. “It’s kind of like home turf for you, isn’t it?”
Meghan nodded. “Thank you, Lawrence,” she whispered.
Lawrence smiled at Meghan and tipped his hat as he left. Five minutes later, Chief Nunan entered Jack’s office, her face dark.
“Meghan,” Chief Nunan began. “I’m so sorry to hear that you were mugged.”
“Well, it was an attempted mugging,” Meghan said as she held up her purse. “He didn’t get away with my things.”
Chief Nunan nodded. “Do you mind if I sit down? I need to take some notes.”
Meghan gestured at the chair beside her. “Please,” she said. “Let’s just begin. All I want now is to get home to my dogs. Lawrence said another officer is going to drop them off at my place?”
Chief Nunan nodded. “Yes, they are on the way to your place,” she confirmed. “And we will have an officer stationed outside of your place until Jack gets home. It’s the least we can do. Anyway, let me hear from you just exactly what happened.”
Meghan dove into her story, telling the Chief about her walk home, hearing the mugger’s footsteps, and how he ran away after Dash bit him in the leg. “I think I could have made it without Dash,” Meghan said. “The man didn’t seem too intimidating; I was just scared.”
“Duly noted,” Chief Nunan said. “Tell me what else happened.”
She told the Chief that the mugger dropped a silver bracelet, and she pulled the trinket out of her pocket to show the Chief. “He dropped this, too. Jack told me to bring it in.”
“May I see?” asked the Chief.
Meghan gave her the bracelet. “I’m going to have this sent off to the lab to collect DNA, if possible,” the Chief told Meghan. “Do you have any more details regarding the attack that you would like to be noted, Meghan?”
Meghan shook her head. “No, that’s all I remember,” she said.
The Chief nodded. “It sounds like this is the same guy who has been committing the other muggings,” she informed Meghan, her blue eyes dark with concern. “Your description of the attack, as well as your interaction with the attacker, makes me wonder if this guy also has something to do with Cathy Thomas’ death.”
“I wondered that myself,” Meghan admitted. “The attacker seemed so cold and heartless, and I could just imagine him attacking poor Cathy.”
Chief Nunan tucked a stray blonde hair back into her sleek bun. “Well, thank you for sharing your information,” she told Meghan. “I am going to see to it that you are well protected. Now, let me drive you home.”
In Chief Nunan’s squad car, Meghan leaned against the seat, exhausted by the events of the evening.
“You doing okay?” Chief Nunan asked.
“Just tired,” Meghan replied. “If I’m exhausted, you must be so tired, Chief. This is just a single incident for me, but this is your entire job.”
Chief Nunan laughed. “It’s my life,” she agreed. “I love this field. Has Jack ever mentioned to you how I got into the force to begin with?”
Meghan shook her head. “No, he hasn’t.”
“When I was a young woman,” Chief Nunan began. “I was in school to become an engineer. I always liked numbers and science, and it seemed like a perfect fit for me. I was doing well in my classes, too. I was at the top of my class at Stanford, and I had been accepted to a graduate program to specialize in industrial engin
eering.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. “You were going to be an engineer? I can’t imagine you sitting behind a desk.”
Chief Nunan shrugged as she guided the car toward Meghan’s apartment. “It seemed like the right fit at the time. Anyway, one night, as I was walking home from my advisor’s office at Stanford, I was mugged. Two men stole my purse. It was pretty ugly. I was torn up about it.”
Meghan shook her head. “That sounds so scary,” she said.
Chief Nunan frowned. “It was scary, but the worse part was that they took my purse, and in my purse was a photograph of my dad. He passed away in the war when I was a baby, and I carried his picture in my purse for luck.”
Meghan felt the tears brim in her dark eyes. “That’s terrible,” she whispered.
“They took my purse, but they left me with two things,” Chief Nunan declared. “The first thing they left me with was this scar.” Chief Nunan pulled back her hat to reveal a long, thin white scar on her neck.
“Chief Nunan,” Meghan shrieked. “They did that to you?”
Chief Nunan nodded. “They did. They left me with a scar, but they also left me with a dream. The mugging incident inspired me to leave Stanford and become a police officer. I wanted to protect people--especially young women. I wanted to feel empowered to protect myself and to protect others. I wanted to fight for justice, and I wanted to use my experience to help others.”
A single tear fell from Meghan’s eyes. “That is so beautiful,” she told the Chief as they pulled up to Meghan’s apartment. “Thank you for sharing your story with me.”
“Of course,” Chief Nunan said. “I want you to know that you are not alone. It can be terrifying to be a young woman in this world, but I am here for you if you ever need anything.”
“Thank you,” Meghan murmured.
“I am going to personally see to it that this mugger is caught,” the Chief declared. “I can’t say for certain yet if the murder and the muggings are connected, but I will be looking into that as well. Sometimes, those freelance muggers can become desperate, but I feel like this was planned. The blow to her head was on the back, and it looked like she didn’t expect it. But, I will continue to investigate. You just hang in there, Meghan. Take good care of yourself.”
“I will,” Meghan told the Chief as she hoisted herself out of the police car, wondering if the mugger would come back for her. “I will.”
10
The next afternoon, Meghan was still shaken from the attack. Her hands were jittery, her heart pounded when she heard footsteps, and she could not shake the tight, stifling grip of anxiety on her heart. She didn’t want to go to work; with her quivering hands and nervous breath, Meghan could hardly tie her apron around her neck as she prepared to start her day.
“You look like you need a rest, Meghan,” Trudy firmly told her as she entered the kitchen, the dark circles under her eyes evident to all who saw her. “Pamela and I can take care of things today. You went through something terrible last night. Let us do the work around here, Meghan.”
Meghan shook her head. “I have to be strong,” she told Trudy. “If I let a mugger ruin my day or affect my business, then I am letting him win,” she declared, her voice shaky, but sure. “I need to hold my head high and go about my day. I don’t want anyone to think that a mugger got the best of Meghan Truman.”
Trudy rolled her eyes. “That’s a nice speech,” she told Meghan. “But my dear, sometimes, in order to best take care of yourself, you have to take a step back. If you keep barreling on with work and your life as though nothing happened, you could break down. And breaking down is how you let him win, Meghan. You have to take care of yourself.”
Meghan shrugged. She crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest, and then, she realized that one of her newly-done nails had broken. “Ugh,” she groaned as she looked at her fingers. “The mugger must have broken one of my nails.”
“That’s it,” Trudy announced. “Meghan, I am going to step in and be the boss for a minute. You are going to work until noon today, and then, you are going to march yourself over to Jackie’s salon and get that nail taken care of. After you leave, I don’t want to see your face until tomorrow morning. You need some time to yourself. Do you understand?”
Meghan’s heart swelled as Trudy’s maternal side came out, and she reached to hug her. “Thank you,” Meghan whispered into Trudy’s ear. “I will give Jackie a call in a bit to see if she can squeeze me in for an appointment.”
“And if she can’t, I will just send you upstairs to your apartment for some rest and relaxation,” Trudy decided. “You need to take care of yourself.”
Seeing a group of well-dressed women enter the bakery, Meghan straightened her back and plastered a smile on her face. “Good morning, ladies,” she called out to the group, eying their expensive handbags, perfectly-positioned highlights, and knee-high leather boots. “Welcome to Truly Sweet.”
One of the young women approached Meghan at the counter. She was strikingly beautiful, with long raven hair, bright green eyes, and the highest cheekbones Meghan had ever seen. “Meghan Truman? Do you remember us? We were at Mariah Cooper’s little soiree.”
Meghan smiled. “Yes, I thought you all looked familiar,” she told the woman. “I’m glad to see you. I hope you are all doing okay; the loss of Cathy following the party was such a shock.”
The raven-haired woman nodded earnestly. “It was horrible,” she whispered to Meghan. “Tia, my friend over there, found a gray hair the morning after. A gray hair! The stress is getting to all of us, clearly.”
Meghan frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “I hope we can make your day a bit sweeter. What brings you ladies in today?”
The raven-haired woman batted her eyelashes. “We usually don’t do this,” she confessed to Meghan, leaning in. “But with the news of that mugger, as well as Cathy’s death, we decided to have a little cheat day.”
“A cheat day?” Meghan asked in confusion.
“A cheat day,” the woman confirmed. “We usually have healthy diets; I myself only eat organic chicken breast, spinach, and fresh raspberries. Today, though, the girls and I decided that we need some comfort food. We want to indulge a little, and Tia, my friend, remembered your treats from the event at the hotel.”
“Well, this is certainly a place to indulge,” Meghan said, gesturing to the many desserts in the display case. “We have some delightful German chocolate cake that was made fresh this morning, or some macaroons that will be out of the oven in only minutes. What do you think?”
The woman wrinkled her nose. “Those sound nice,” she said. “But one of the girls took a teensy bite of your King Cake at the event, and that’s all she has been talking about. Can we split one?”
Meghan nodded. “I have a fresh King Cake in the back,” she told her. “If you ladies want to seat yourselves, I’ll have someone bring tea and coffee out, and I will warm the cake for you.”
“Excellent,” the woman grinned. “We’ll sit right over there.”
Meghan sent Pamela over to serve the ladies, and when she returned to their table with a platter of King cake, their faces grew bright. “It looks even better than I remember!” Tia exclaimed.
“Let’s dig in, girls,” the raven-haired woman declared.
The women devoured the cake, and Meghan was thrilled when they left her a hefty tip at the end of their visit. “We’ll be back on our next cheat day,” the raven-haired woman assured Meghan. “Your cake was to die for.”
As the women left, Trudy intercepted Meghan. “It’s time for you to leave,” she told her. “It’s past noon, and you need to go get your nails done.”
“I haven’t had the chance to call Jackie yet,” Meghan protested. “And we have customers in the middle of eating. I can’t just leave.”
“Yes, you can,” Trudy insisted. “Go upstairs, change out of your work clothes, and call Jackie.”
Meghan obeyed Trudy, slipping her dirty apron over h
er head and trudging up the stairs. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Jackie’s number.
“I was just about to call you,” Jackie said in a hushed voice. “Meghan, I made a fool of myself.”
Meghan wrinkled her nose. “What do you mean, Jackie?”
“Chief Nunan called me to let me know that she was sending an officer over to the salon to interview me about the murder. She said that they had some questions about my whereabouts the night of the death, and they wanted to find out more about why I was at the hotel.”
“That sounds about right,” Meghan told Jackie. “They look at everyone’s whereabouts and stories when they deal with a murder. It sounds like Chief Nunan had some pretty standard questions. What did you say to her?”