“He is. I could tell by the shine in his eyes.” She reached across the table and gave my hand an encouraging squeeze. “You’ve found your someone.”
A smile spread across my face. “I hope so.”
We continued our chatting while finishing up our meal.
“That was delicious,” I said, pushing my plate back a bit.
“It truly was, but my tea has hit my bladder,” Amy announced after having her third refill. “Let me run to the restroom.”
While she scurried to the rear of the diner, the group of eight scraped their chairs across the black and white tiles, gathered their things and made their way out. For a moment, everything was much quieter once the table was cleared and wiped for the next party. It was then I was able to hear a familiar voice coming from behind me. Lisa. She was talking to a higher-pitched female, so I knew she wasn’t with Carter.
To be sure, I craned my neck and pushed up in my seat to the point my butt left the bench. Leaning out the booth, I tried my best to get a good look. She was on the backside from me so all I managed seeing was a head of black hair, which Lisa had. But I caught a glimpse of the pretty bleached-blonde girl seated across from her and immediately recognized her fake eyelashes and long red fingernails. Angela. How did those two know each other?
Pushing back in my seat, my ears tuned in just in time to hear Lisa say something about watching me have a cow when they deleted my data input. Anger simmered my insides, realizing she was the reason I had lost my hard work. And when she considered deleting it again, I almost came unglued. Just when I was about to confront her, I heard Lisa reminding Angela to check the cameras at my place. My place! My brain spun like a tilt-a-whirl. How in the world did they have access to my office and my home too? And why?
While my stunned brain tried to process what my ears had just overheard, I saw Amy returning from the restroom. At the same time, Lisa and Angela shifted their rears out of their booth and headed for the door. Not wanting to cause a public scene, I ducked my head and concentrated on an empty plate.
“You’re not going to believe what I just overheard,” I told Amy when she returned to her seat.
After relaying the conversation, she suggested we go over to my apartment and locate the cameras. “We’re ready for the ticket,” she requested when the waiter asked if we’d like dessert.
Amy followed behind me in her own vehicle. On our way to my apartment, one thing kept rolling through my head … was Lisa with me and Julie in the stairwell? If so, then she was the killer.
Chapter Forty-Six
The Girlfriend & Lisa Harris
“Do you think Amy saw us? Or what if Paige was listening in?” Lisa asked worriedly.
Angela carefully considered the possibility. “No, the table next to us was too loud. And your back was to Amy so she couldn’t have seen you, and Amy’s never met me before. We’re perfectly okay. All we need to do is remove the cameras. Paige will never know we’ve been inside her house or her office. The cameras would be the only indication we’re involved. Once they’re removed, David will take the fall for everything.”
“Step on it, just in case,” Lisa urged.
“Don’t be paranoid,” Angela assured her. But at the urging of Lisa, Angela drove like an Indy 500 racer.
With perfect timing they didn’t have to stop for a single light and arrived in no time at Paige’s apartment.
“Grab the gloves,” Angela reminded Lisa, gesturing toward the console compartment while she dug the keys from the bottom of her purse.
“Let’s go,” Lisa urged, handing her a pair while they crawled out of the car.
They had to wait for an old lady to get through the side door. But as soon as they passed her, they headed up the stairwell to avoid the lobby cameras and hurried to Paige’s unit.
As soon as they were inside, Angela barked orders. “You get the living room and dining. I’ll grab the ones from the bedroom and over the security pad.”
“Damn cat,” Lisa screeched when the feline jumped off the couch and scared her to death. It went running toward the kitchen. She noticed it was on the fridge when she plucked the camera from above the dinette set. “Stupid cat,” she called out to it.
The women took a quick moment to admire David’s handiwork on the bear. “I can’t wait until he does the same to Paige,” Angela commented.
Lisa nodded with a smug grin on her face. “Come on, we need to head over to the office.”
After setting the alarm and locking the door, they headed downtown to Harrington Oil & Gas. They took the freight elevator to avoid passing by the guard’s desk. Then they switched to the elevator on the second floor.
“I work here, which gives me every right to be here,” Lisa commented. “But it would be best if no one saw us coming and going.”
As quickly as they could, they removed the cameras from Paige’s office, as well as Paul’s.
“What about the fitness center?” Lisa brought up.
“I can’t go down there now,” Angela said, looking down at her black dress pants and bright pink top. “I’m not dressed to be in the equipment room. I wouldn’t blend.”
“I’ll do it,” Lisa offered. “Not only am I on a diet, I’ve been working out a couple times a week. I’ll go down and change into my workout gear and snatch the cameras.”
Once Angela apprised her where to look for the devices, Lisa set off on a mission. “I’ll wait for you in the car,” Angela told her.
It was forty-five minutes later before Lisa emerged from the building and joined Angela with a handful of electronics. “I had to wait for some dude on the treadmill before I could make a move. But I got ’em,” she declared, shoving the devices into Angela’s glove compartment.
Finally, in an act of greater precaution, they removed the cameras from both Paul and Carter’s residences. “This is irritating,” Angela growled. “Now I can’t keep track of Paul anymore.”
“Don’t worry about it. As soon as David kills Paige, you can put them back.”
“How long do you think it’ll take him to kill her?” Angela mused.
“I’ll egg him on at work,” Lisa proposed. “I’ll be willing to bet that after a few comments on how in love Paige is with Paul, it won’t take him long at all.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
My anxiousness grew, as we hit every freaking red light in town in our quest to get to my apartment. I couldn’t wait to see what was captured on those cameras … like a balloon, I imagined. But what had they hoped to accomplish with such a childish act? Were they merely trying to make me appear crazy? I supposed if I came across as hallucinating and losing work entries at the office it would be grounds for getting fired. Still, you would’ve thought murdering me, like someone did to Julie and Penny, would be more likely.
Amy and I entered my complex, took the elevator and headed down the hall to my front door. Inserting the key, I noted the alarm was set, and as I gazed across my living quarters, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“I’ll search the living room,” Amy offered. “You look in the kitchen and dining.”
“What are we looking for?” I asked. “Hidden camera can be … hidden. How will we spot them?”
“I don’t know. Just start looking … maybe a flashing light or something.”
Callie heard my voice and came bounding toward me from the kitchen. “Oh sweetie, did you miss me?” It was only on rare occasions when I spent the night somewhere else. My poor cat looked practically traumatized. Bending down, I smoothed my hand through her soft fur. “It’s okay, Mommy’s here.” She rubbed against my hand, wanting more petting. Callie was a quiet pet and rarely meowed. But the way she pushed her head against my hand and softly purred let me know she was extremely happy to see her momma.
After looking around the living room and kitchen, we made our way down the hallway and into my bedroom.
“Holy shit!” I yelped when I saw my bedspread had been sliced into pieces and a bear was pinne
d to the rumpled linens with a huge butcher knife. Stuffing was everywhere, not only from the bear, but also from my mattress.
“Jesus Christ!” Amy screeched. “Call the police. Now!”
In a flash, I had my phone out and was dialing 911. “Someone’s been in my apartment,” I yipped out.
“Are they still there?” a female dispatcher asked.
“No.”
“How did they gain entry?”
“With a key.”
“Is anything missing?” she asked.
“No, I … I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to look around.”
“So, no forced entry, no one’s there and you don’t think anything is missing? How do you know someone has been there?”
“My bear … it’s been … killed.”
“Was this a live bear … as in a wild animal!” I noted her voice ramped up several octaves.
“No, it was a stuffed teddy bear.”
“Okay,” she responded, all concern now gone. “We’ll send someone over and you can file a report.”
“How long will this take?” I asked noting the droll voice had made it quite clear that I wasn’t a priority.
“You’re not an emergency. It’ll be at least four to five hours.”
Amy’s face turned into a frown as soon as I was off the phone. “What are we going to do? I don’t want to wait four or five hours.”
“I’ll call the detective who’s been handling the case. He’ll know what to do.”
“Tell him there’s been a murder and body parts are laying everywhere,” Amy suggested, gazing at the carnage covering my bed.
“I’m sorry about your bear,” I apologized, glaring at the broken remains from her thoughtful gift.
“Don’t worry about it,” Amy comforted. “But make sure he brings camera detecting equipment with him.”
Surprisingly, Detective Sutton agreed to come over. Worried about meeting the detective without my attorney being present, I called Paul.
“Don’t say anything until I get there,” Paul warned. “Detectives can be clever. He might twist his questions around and get you to say something incriminating.”
Paul arrived before the detective, giving him a chance to gawk at what remained of my poor, dismembered bear. We each took a series of pictures before Detective Sutton arrived to make his own inspection.
“Alright, everyone out,” the detective directed, shooing a hand at us. “My forensic guy is on his way over. He’s bringing a camera detection device. Until then, you three need to wait in the hallway.”
Paul, Amy and I were ushered outside my apartment. We ended up leaning against the wall while the detective delved into a deeper investigation. Some thirty-something minutes later, a man wearing booties and gloves entered my apartment with a black case, carrying what I presumed to be camera detecting equipment. After another length of time, we all tired of standing and slid our butts to the soft carpeted floor.
“It sounded like they have cameras in your place too … and Carter’s,” I said after repeating the conversation to Paul.
He shook his head in disbelief. “But how could she have a key to your office and apartment?”
“It was Angela who had the key because Lisa asked for a set. She’s bound to have accessed your gym locker. Remember when my purse wasn’t how I left it the other day? She must’ve made copies while we were working out.”
Paul shook his head, giving me a doubtful look. “How could she have gained access to my locker?”
“Lisa, as an employee in the building, has an access card. Angela must’ve used hers.”
“But Paige, that only explains entry into the facility. How would either of them known the combination?” Paul’s skeptical look stayed firmly planted on his face.
“There must be a camera over the dial. I’ll bet there’s one over my office computer. They probably gained access to the combinations by watching us.”
“You’re onto something, Paige,” Amy agreed. “It would also explain how a balloon got in your bedroom.”
I nodded at the realization. “And it’s the reason why Callie knocked the plant off the fridge. If we’re right, it means they’ve been in my apartment more than once.”
Sometime later, the forensic guy came out and headed toward the elevator without so much as a nod in our direction. Detective Sutton appeared at the door. “Okay, come inside and let’s have a chat.”
“What did you find?” I asked as soon as we crowded around my small kitchen table.
“Nothing. Nothing at all Paige. There weren’t any cameras.”
“No cameras?” I asked in a bewildered tone. “Then they must have removed them.”
He shook his head and turned down the corner on one side of his mouth. “No, you know what I think? I think you stabbed the bear yourself.”
My brows pinched together. “No, you’re wrong. Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know … maybe you wanted to take the heat off yourself and point the finger at someone else.”
“No. No. Look, they might have only put cameras in my place for a short period of time. Go check the office … or Paul’s office, or his condo … or the fitness center. There must cameras elsewhere. You once told me you were a thorough detective and would leave no stone unturned. Well, I’m asking you to turn over some stones.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and put on an irritated scowl. “Fine,” he said, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I’ll get my guy over to your office first. You’ll have to follow me over there to let him inside.”
Hours later, after a search of my office, Paul’s office, the fitness center, Paul’s condo, and even Carter’s home, not one single camera turned up. We ended up at Paul’s kitchen table where, once again, Detective Sutton gave me an unbelieving look.
“Well, Paige, I don’t think I could’ve possibly humored you any further. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I … I don’t know. I know I heard what I heard.”
“Okay, let’s back up a step. Amy, what did you hear?”
Amy gave me a sad face. “Nothing. I had gone to the restroom.”
“Are you kidding me!” Detective Sutton growled. “Paige, am I really supposed to believe you heard all this stuff about cameras at a time when your friend just happened to be in the ladies’ room? It’s far too convenient. Don’t you think?”
“But it is what happened. I’m telling the truth.” I swallowed hard at his unconvinced glare.
“Can you give me one good reason why Lisa and Angela would go to all the trouble to put cameras in a fitness center – at a time when you had never worked out there, not even once – and they knew exactly when you’d be there, knew the combination, and went into Paul’s locker to get your keys so they could put a balloon in your bedroom. Then they came back and removed it.” He let out an exasperated breath. “Then, they sneaked into your office during a small window of opportunity and deleted some files. And all of this was followed by them removing the cameras within minutes of you overhearing this incredible conversation.” He briefly paused. “I’m sorry. I’m not buying it.”
“But what if I’m telling the truth? I think Angela thought Paul gave me the bear and she went into a jealous rage and stabbed it. She’s the jealous type … isn’t she Paul?” I looked at Paul for reinforcement.
“She has texted, called and emailed me an inordinate amount of times,” Paul confirmed.
Detective Sutton’s gaze went from Paul back to me. “Okay, so she’s jealous and wants Paul back. Even so, it doesn’t make any sense for her revenge to be entering your apartment, leaving you a balloon, and then coming back to get it, both times while you were in bed, asleep in the very room as the balloon. And, to top it off, you didn’t hear a thing either time.” He shook his head. “Then, at a separate time, she came back and attacked a stuffed animal.” He did the head shake thing again before carrying on. “This is the craziest story I’ve ever heard.”
“But what about at
the office? My data was deleted. Paul saw that it was gone.” My eyes flicked to Paul, seeking his support.
“It was missing,” he confirmed.
“Can you verify it was there, before it was deleted?” Detective Sutton asked of Paul.
“She was working on it all morning before we went to lunch. I saw her inputting something. Then she said it was gone. I saw the last entry date as being the day before the stairwell incident.”
“But you can’t confirm what she was entering?” Detective Sutton pointedly questioned.
“No,” Paul admitted. “I was preparing for trial while she was working at her desk.”
“So, for all you know, she could’ve been writing a Dear Santa letter.”
“I don’t think so,” Paul said in a harsh tone. “I believe Paige. And she was truly upset when she realized she was going to have to reenter the data.”
“What if this is all true?” I posed. “We know Lisa wanted the promotion. What if Lisa was in the stairwell that day? She may have killed Julie and tried to kill me. Maybe she came to my apartment to kill me and when I wasn’t here, she took her anger out on the bear.”
“So now it was Lisa who stabbed the bear? Only a moment ago, you thought it was Paul’s ex-girlfriend.”
“I don’t know,” I barked. “They both have agendas. Lisa wants my job and Angela wants my bo … wants Paul back.” I couldn’t really claim Paul was my boyfriend. We’d never even kissed, and he wanted to keep our relationship at an attorney/client arm’s length. “Look, I know this whole camera thing sounds ridiculous. There must be some explanation.” I sighed, looking into the detective’s unbelieving eyes. The fire inside me died out and I lost the will to defend myself. “Just forget it. You don’t believe a word I’m saying. My life could be in danger and you’re not taking me seriously.”
“Paige, I am taking you seriously. I know you believe what you think you heard Angela and Lisa discussing. I’m only saying it might have been a hallucination. Your doctor said the hallucinations could manifest themselves in seeing things, hearing things, and smelling things, all of which simply weren’t there.” Detective Sutton’s face softened. “I simply want you to consider it as a possibility. Maybe you should talk to your doctor.”
A Deadly Promotion Page 19