In Too Deep

by Rose Pressey

  Dorothy was talking to David Calloway. He was waving his hands around. He looked extremely mad, which upset me because I didn’t want Dorothy to have to deal with this situation. She’d been through too much as it was. His eyes widened when he saw me headed back his way. Then he narrowed his eyes, ready for a fight, I supposed.

  “Excuse me, but it’s not her fault. I was the one going after this guy. It was imperative that I find him right away.”

  “You can’t do that on your own. I called the police,” David said.

  “Good,” I said. “I need them here so they can find the killer.”

  “What killer?” he asked with a frown.

  “Your friend’s killer.” I had to come out with the truth so he wouldn’t report me for theft. “I’m a private investigator and I’m looking into your friend’s murderer.”

  “You know Justin Cisco?” David asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, I do. Well, I didn’t know him, but I just happened to be on the scene of the crime when he was murdered. I saw the whole thing. And now I have to find the killer. I believe it’s somehow linked with another murder. Do you know Vivian Klein?”

  “Yes, I know her,” he said.

  That didn’t sound good, as if he didn’t like her.

  “What can you tell me about her?” I asked.

  “She was having an affair with some guy Justin knew. I think his name was Billy. Didn’t like the guy. I told Justin not to have anything to do with him, but he wouldn’t listen. I think Billy only wanted to be with Vivian because she was rich.”

  “I see,” I said. “Why do you think Justin was killed?”

  “I have no clue,” David said.

  “Do you happen to know where Billy lives?”

  “He’d been living at the other house that Justin owned.”

  “Really?” I said in surprise. “Do you know that address?”

  “Sorry. I’m not sure. It might be on Kendall.”

  At least he’d given me a name. That was better than nothing.

  “Do you know Kayla Carmichael?” I pressed.

  He furrowed his brow. “The name sounds familiar, but I’m not sure. Maybe she works at a salon?”

  “Thanks for the info. If you think of anything else can you give me a call?” I handed him my business card. “Sorry again about the mix-up.”

  He examined my card. “No problem. I’ll call if I think of anything.”

  Soon the police had descended on the area. Of course a lot of attention was now focused on Dorothy and me, since David had told the police over the phone that we had taken off on the Segways. I hoped they believed me when I said it was just a minor misunderstanding.

  Dorothy and I watched nervously as the officer spoke with David. They looked over at us every few seconds. Going to jail right now really wasn’t in my plans. A couple minutes later I spotted Jake headed my way. I wished I could hide behind the nearby surfboard propped up against the side of the wall behind us.

  “Maggie,” Jake said when he approached.

  The tone in his voice meant he wanted to know what I’d gotten into this time.

  I held my hands up. “I didn’t take the thing on purpose.”

  “Me either,” Dorothy said.

  “Never mind that. I want to know why you were chasing the killer without me,” he said.

  “I told you the killer from last night was right here enjoying lunch.” I pointed out the spot. “I couldn’t just let him get away. Of course he got away, but that’s neither here nor there now.”

  “Are you sure it was him?” Jake asked.

  “As sure as Dorothy will soon take a peppermint candy from her pocket.” I pointed over my shoulder without looking at Dorothy.

  She had taken an interest in the police activity and was no longer listening to my conversation with Jake. Within seconds, Dorothy pulled a wrapped candy from her pocket, unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth.

  “Fair enough,” he said. “We have police searching, but he’s likely long gone by now.”

  “Are you on the case now?” Dorothy asked, suddenly interested in our conversation again.

  I knew this was a sore subject for Jake. Just like me, Jake lived for being on the case. Now to be practically accused of murder was exceptionally hard on him. I understood how he felt. We were in the same sinking boat.

  “What’s this I hear about you stealing a Segway?” Jake asked.

  “I thought you said you weren’t interested in that?”

  “I changed my mind,” he said.

  “Dorothy and I just simply borrowed them to go after the killer. I was going to bring it back,” I said. “And we did.”

  “I guess David doesn’t know you like I know you,” Jake said.

  “Obviously,” Dorothy said around a snort.

  I rolled my eyes. “I talked to him and it’s all worked out.”

  “You’d better hope so,” Jake said.

  “So what now?” I asked. “How do we find this guy?”

  “I guess we’re back to square one,” he said in a defeated voice.

  “That’s impossible,” I said. “Don’t say such things.”

  “Stay right here and I’ll find out what David says about his stolen property,” Jake said.

  “It’s not stolen,” I called out as he walked away.

  “Oh, Maggie, I don’t want to go to jail,” Dorothy said. “But in case we do, do you think they have bingo there?”

  After returning the riding devices, Jake insisted on having dinner and taking a relaxing stroll along the beach. He said I was completely out of hand and needed to calm down. I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by that. I thought my actions were completely acceptable. No harm done. The guy had gotten his Segway back. Unfortunately, I hadn’t caught the perpetrator yet though. That was why I felt it was imperative that I stay on top of this case.

  Dorothy was now home. Night had settled on Miami. Warmth still surrounded us. Jake and I were now walking along the shore. The tepid water lapped at our ankles. We were hand in hand, but at the moment, walking in silence. Both of us were lost in thought and taking in the beauty of our surroundings. I knew at some point we would have to discuss what had happened today. Plus, the rest of the case.

  “I feel terrible that I let that guy get away today. It was so close yet so far,” I said.

  “What?” Jake asked. “You couldn’t do anything else to catch him. What you did was dangerous too.”

  “You always say that,” I said.

  “That’s because it’s always true.”

  The sand squished under my feet as we walked along in silence again. He usually had a lot more to say. This case had changed him. I didn’t like it one bit. I hoped solving this case would snap him out of his funk. I couldn’t help but think this was all my fault. I had a way of pulling people into the trouble around me. If it was my fault, then I had to fix it. No matter how dangerous.

  “So Vivian was having an affair,” I continued. “I can’t seem to track down this guy though.”

  “This is such a romantic setting. How about we not discuss the case right now?” Jake asked.

  Jake didn’t want to talk about the case? This was a first.

  Jake and I sat on the sand. The moon’s silver light shimmered across the surface of the water. The crash of the waves was the only sound until Jake posed a question.

  “Have you ever thought about a little Maggie? Or a little Jake?” he asked.

  I glanced at him. Without words, my stunned expression said it all.

  “You know, a baby? Have you ever thought about the future?”

  Was he asking me if I wanted to have a baby with him? I wasn’t sure what to make of this conversation. It had come out of the blue. I was thinking about a couple of murder cases and he was thinking about the future. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about babies much, but every now and then the thought of having a family crossed my mind. How would that work? I couldn’t exactly take a baby into a dangerous situation. “He
y, bad guy, hold on while I give the baby his sippy cup.” How would all of that work? Would I have to wait until the baby was in kindergarten before I started working again? On the plus side, Dorothy would keep the baby supplied with knitted booties. This was all too much for me.

  “I… I… hadn’t thought of it lately,” I stammered.

  “Just thinking out loud, I suppose,” Jake said around a sigh.

  Silence settled between us again. I wasn’t quite sure what to say after that. The next thing I knew, Jake leaned closer and kissed me passionately. I certainly wasn’t ready to make a baby here on the sand.

  I pulled away. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Never better,” he said as he caressed my cheek.

  Chapter 18

  The next day I decided I needed to head back over to the spa and confront Alicia. Dorothy had an appointment with the podiatrist, so I thought I’d use this opportunity to go without her. She wanted me to wait, but I figured it was better if I did this alone. The more times I could keep Dorothy from a dangerous situation the better off we’d both be.

  After dressing in my white shorts, blue tank top, and white flip flops, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. On my way toward the car, I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye. Ugh. I’d just try to ignore him. Not that I wanted to be a bad neighbor, but this guy was seriously a creep. My neighbor from A2. He wore skimpy swimwear and liked to oil up his skin like a greased pig at the county fair.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he called out.

  I’d pretend like I hadn’t heard him. Though I was pretty sure they’d heard him all the way in Daytona Beach. He called out again, even louder this time. I glanced over. He had jumped up from the lounge chair by the pool and was headed my way. I quickened my steps, almost losing my flip flop in the process. Why did I continue to wear these shoes? They weren’t exactly good for running for my life. Okay, that was dramatic. My life wasn’t in danger. At least I hoped not. Even though he was extremely annoying, I assumed he would do no harm.

  “Where are you going in such a hurry, pretty girl?”

  “Just need to get to work,” I said, gesturing toward the street.

  “Oh, you work too much. You should come and sit with me by the pool. We can talk.”

  “Maybe some other time,” I called out over my shoulder.

  Why did I say that? I didn’t want to encourage him to ask again. There was no way I’d sit with him and chat. He was too creepy. I suppose I wanted to be polite though. I should be more assertive and tell him no.

  My gait was practically at a run now. Just a bit more and I’d be in the safety of my car. I rushed behind the wheel and locked the door. Not that he’d yank me out of the car, but it was more of a symbol. The locking of the door meant the conversation was finally over. Now on to my mission of speaking with the woman at the spa.

  A short time later, I arrived at the spa. I parked in the same spot where Dorothy and I had been the other day. I sat there for a few moments surveying the area. I had no idea what type of car the woman drove, so I wasn’t sure if she was here. I’d have to go in and ask.

  Getting out of the car I hurried toward the building. Once inside I spotted the woman behind the desk. She didn’t look up when I entered. Even when I stood in front of the desk she still didn’t look at me.

  I tapped on the counter. “Hey.”

  She snapped to attention and glared at me. “We don’t have any appointments available.”

  “I don’t want an appointment,” I said. “I want to speak with Alicia.”

  “She’s not here right now.”

  I noticed the receptionist glance at something behind me. When I turned around, I spotted Alicia hurrying down the hallway. What a liar. I dashed away from the desk and down the hallway toward Alicia.

  “Hey, I want to speak with you,” I said.

  “I’m calling the police,” the receptionist called out.

  “Go right ahead,” I yelled. “Maybe they can find out why Alicia was trying to steal my car.”

  I caught up with Alicia and grabbed her arm. She spun around.

  “What are you up to?’ I asked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

  “Oh, please. Let’s not go through this. We both know that you were at my office yesterday. Now tell me what you want,” I said.

  She stared at me for a moment and then released a deep breath.

  In a loud voice, she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “What?” I snapped.

  She leaned closer to me and whispered, “I think someone is watching us.”

  I studied her face. Was she being serious?

  ‘What do you mean?” I asked in a low voice just in case she was being truthful.

  “I think the killer is stalking me.”

  “Do you know who the killer is? Is that why he’s stalking you?”

  Another long gaze and then she said, “I don’t know who he is.”

  “Is that why you were looking for me?”

  She nodded.

  “Why were you looking in my car?”

  “I wanted to leave you a note.”

  Okay, that seemed a bit strange, but I suppose I’d have to take her word for it. She’d gone to the trouble of tracking me down, so I had to assume that she was being honest with me. What other motive would she have?

  “Do you need my help?’ I asked.

  “I just worry that he might kill me too,” she said in a shaky voice.

  “You have to protect yourself. Don’t go places alone that will put you in danger. Remember to stay vigilant,” I said.

  She nodded. “I’ll be on the lookout.”

  “If anything else happens make sure to call me.”

  The receptionist watched us from the end of the hallway. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her waist.

  Alicia waved. “It’s okay.”

  “Thanks for calling her off. She’s pretty tough,” I said.

  She chuckled. “Yeah, I guess she’s good at intimidating people.”

  I wasn’t sure that was necessary at a salon, but whatever.

  “Thanks for letting me know about the killer,” I said.

  “Sorry if I startled you,” she said.

  “It’s okay, I’m used to it,” I said. “Where did you see this guy?”

  “It seems as if I’ve seen him everywhere. Here outside the salon. At the grocery store, the post office, and even my house.”

  “Your house?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Well, he drove down my street.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “He drove down the street?”

  “Yes, he was in a red Mustang.”

  “Oh, wow,” I said.

  Her eyes widened. “What? You said that like you know something else.”

  “All I know is that you have to be careful.”

  Another employee peeked out from one of the rooms. “Alicia, we’re ready for you.”

  “Listen, I have to go.” She motioned over her shoulder.

  I nodded. “I’ll do all I can to find the killer.”

  “You stay safe too,” she said with a frown.

  “Always,” I said.

  She turned and headed down the hallway. When I spun around, the receptionist was still standing there. I narrowed my eyes and placed my hands on my hips. She spun around and hurried away. I could give dirty looks when needed. I wouldn’t let anyone push me around. Not right now. I was too stressed to deal with that.

  At least now I knew why Alicia had been at my office. That didn’t explain why the killer would be harassing women at the salon. Unless he thought they knew his identity or that they were close to figuring it out. Why would they know him? Had he been around the salon? Could it be Vivian’s boyfriend? I had to track down Billy. Though wouldn’t Alicia recognize Billy? Regardless, it was necessary for me to speak with him. Anyone close to Vivian could be a suspect. So far, I’d had no luck finding Billy. W
as he hiding out?

  I made my way through the lobby. The receptionist sat at her desk. She held a Cosmo magazine up to her face, never even glancing my way. Just the way I liked it. As soon as I stepped out of the salon, my phone dinged alerting me to a text.

  What are you up to?

  I glanced around. Was Dorothy following me?

  Nothing much.

  Did you do something without me?

  Dorothy would figure out what I’d done eventually. For right now though, I’d pretend as if nothing had happened.

  Of course not.

  Liar.

  I looked around again. No sign of Dorothy. However, I noticed something else odd. A man had been standing beside the building across the way. He wore jeans, a white t-shirt, dark sunglasses, and a blue baseball cap. It was hard to see much else about his features. I thought for sure he had been watching me. Was that the man that Alicia had seen lurking around? He had turned and headed for the back of the building.

  I glanced around to see if anyone was watching. I noticed a couple people across the way getting into their cars, but they weren't paying attention to ask. I quickened my steps and hurried toward that building. I wanted to find out if this guy was getting into a car back there. Maybe I could get a description of it. I hoped he wasn’t waiting around back there to attack me when I came to look for him. Maybe this was his way of luring me back there. Then again, this could be totally unrelated.

  I made it to the side of the building and my apprehension increased about a hundred percent. What was I doing? Jake would not be happy about this. At least I had my gun at my side. I slowed my pace, keeping my body pressed against the building. When I reached the end, I paused, like I was some sort of ninja and would jump out from around the building and pounce on this guy.

  In reality, none of that would happen. Instead, I eased over just a teeny bit and peeked around the side of the building. There was no sign of the guy. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or disappointed. My heart rate slowed down at least. There were no cars back here. Just a trash bin. No other signs that anyone had been here.