Asking For Trouble (15 page)

“What are we doing here?” Melanie asked.

“You’ll see. Come on.”

He came around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. He took her hand and led her onto the pier, then guided her toward the streetlamp at the end of it.

“I know we haven’t been dating long,” Nick began, “but I feel I’ve known you all my life.”

She squeezed his hand. “You’re very sweet.”

With every step they took, he cataloged his affection for her. His outpourings left her speechless. She didn’t interrupt. She just listened, and that was good. Her silence gave him the courage for what he had to do. When they reached the end of the pier, he released her hand and turned to face her. He looked into her eyes and his throat closed up.

“C’mon. Don’t stop now,” she encouraged. “What is it?”

Out in the bay, a buoy chimed. The water slapped against the pier.

He needed encouragement to finish this, to go all the way, and he got it. A racing engine and squealing tires cut through the calm. Jamie had caught up with him. Nick thought he’d spotted Jamie’s Acura on the freeway. He’d hoped for a longer lead. It didn’t matter. Jamie was too late.

“Melanie, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“That’s why I wanted to give you this.”

Nick reached inside his pocket. A distant voice cried out, but he and Melanie ignored it. The moment was all that counted. He produced his gift, a small box containing a ring. He fell to one knee.

“Will you marry me?”

“Stop,” Jamie cried out. His feet pounded on the wooden planking.

“Oh, Nick, you shouldn’t have.”

“Why?” Nick asked.

“I can’t.”

“You can. Forget Jamie. Forget everything he’s done. Just think about us.”

“I’m sorry, Nick.” Melanie turned away from him.

Jamie cried out again.

Damn him
, Nick thought. That son of a bitch wouldn’t win. He jumped to his feet and grabbed Melanie’s arm to prevent her from leaving. She whirled on him. He didn’t see the
switchblade she’d removed from her purse until she plunged it into his stomach. Confusion dulled his pain. She jerked the blade free, and his legs went out from under him.

“Why?” Nick asked, his words weak in his throat.

Jamie caught up a moment later. He fell to his knees at Nick’s side to examine the wound. “Not again,” he murmured.

“Not again?”

Nick looked straight at Melanie. Her gaze was glassy, absent, and a stiffness had overcome her. She was a million miles away from this.

“Nick, why didn’t you listen to me?” Jamie said. “I tried to warn you. I did everything I could to protect you.”

“You made me think it was you.”

“It was easier that way. I didn’t want you thinking it was her. She’s not a bad person, Nick. She’s just damaged.”

“What are you talking about?” Nick tried to move, but the pain in his abdomen stopped him cold.

“Our father.” Jamie tried to apply pressure to the wound, but blood oozed between his fingers, and Nick groaned. “He loved her. Loved her too much. Loved her so much he ruined her. You must have noticed she never talks about him, and she has no pictures of him in the condo...”

It started sinking in. “She killed Mikey Pryce.”

“And all the others. Father was the first.”

The pain in his heart matched the pain in his stomach. “I don’t understand. What did I do wrong?”

“I can’t explain it. It doesn’t make sense to anyone except her. You crossed the line for her.”

“I just wanted to love her.”

“You can love her. You just can’t love her all the way.”

It made a twisted kind of sense. Nick pictured the day at the watering hole where Mikey Pryce had promised to love Melanie forever, even promising to marry her. Unwittingly, he’d triggered Melanie’s murderous reflex, which she repeated with Matthew Warner, Miles Talbot, and now him. They’d all promised their undying love only to see it die.

“God, you’re bleeding bad.” Jamie took his hands away. Blood pulsed from the wound, and Nick felt his strength drain from him with every pulse. “There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry, Nick. Truly, I am.”

Jamie rose to his feet and hugged his sister. “It’s okay. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll make this all go away.”

“Call nine one one,” Nick pleaded.

“I wish I could, but I can’t let the police take her,” Jamie said and turned to Melanie. “It’s okay. You’re safe. Now, go back to the car, and I’ll take care of this.”

Seemingly under a hypnotic trance, Melanie followed Jamie’s command and ambled back to the car. Nick screamed out to her, but she was lost to him.

“You can’t keep protecting her, Jamie,” Nick said as Jamie bent toward him.

“I know,” Jamie said with genuine regret, “but I can this time.” Jamie lifted Nick over the pier railing and rolled him into the bay.

L
eah was in the kitchen making coffee when she heard someone try the front door.
It must be Bryan coming home after his business trip
, she told herself. How she would have loved to believe that fantasy, but Bryan wasn’t due home until Thursday, and the person who twisted the handle and tested the lock did so with a predator’s stealth and caution. Fear pounded in her chest with every accelerated heartbeat. Run. Yes, she should run. Get away. But how far would she get? Not far enough, that was for sure. This wasn’t a time for flight, but a time to fight. Leah picked up the best weapon close to hand to combat the person at the door—the cordless phone.

She grabbed it off the charger to punch in 911, but held off hitting the final digit. What if she was wrong? She didn’t want to be seen as some hysterical woman who couldn’t handle being alone in the house. If there were a burglar or rapist outside, she’d be damn sure about it before she called the cops. She ventured into the living room, heavy with the knowledge she was acting like every dumb blonde in every dumb horror movie she’d seen. Pride might just prove to be her deadly sin.

The door handle was still. She put her head to the door and heard nothing.

Footfalls raced around to the side of the house. Something clanged against a windowpane. Leah didn’t hesitate and punched in the final digit to 911.

“Come on, come on, come on,” Leah said over and over as the phone rang but no one answered.

The predator’s footfalls edged around the house to the bedrooms. Had she locked all the windows? Was the master bedroom door locked? She thought everything was locked, but doubt crept in. Although she wanted to check, she fought off the urge. Checking the doors and windows would take her to the waiting arms of the person trying to get in. Even if this son of bitch got in through the bedroom, she was in the living room. She had a head start—a chance to escape. She moved to the middle of the room until she had a clear view of the kitchen, family room, and the hallway leading to the bedrooms. If he came after her, she’d be out the front door before he reached the living room.

“Nine one one. Please state the nature of your emergency.”

Leah started at the sound of the voice. The shakes took over and she clung to the phone like it was a life preserver.

“There’s an intruder trying to break into my home.”

“What’s your address?”

The operator’s calm voice did little for Leah’s nerves. If calm was meant to breed calm, it served only to do the opposite. It was easy to be calm when you were miles away from danger. She didn’t want calm from this person. She wanted empathy. She wanted to hear the same panic in that person’s voice that she felt in her heart.

“Ma’am, your address?”

Leah gave it.

“I’ve dispatched officers. They should be with you in five to eight minutes. I’m going to stay on the line with you until they arrive.” The operator paused for Leah to speak. “Ma’am, are you there? Where is the intruder now? Do you know?”

Leah couldn’t speak. She knew exactly where the intruder was. He was at the kitchen sliding door. He pressed his dark face against the glass. He reached for the handle, and Leah froze.

***

“And he just ran away?” Officer Jago asked.

“Yes. I screamed at him and told him I had the cops on the line.” Leah ran a hand through her hair. Repeating her words, she recalled how stupid she had sounded, but regardless of how hysterical she’d been, it had worked. Her would-be intruder, rapist, burglar, or whatever he was, simply ran. She smiled up at the policeman in her living room. “I know how ridiculous it all sounds.”

“It doesn’t sound ridiculous, Mrs. Doubleday. It worked,” Jago said. “You say the man was a dark man. Do you mean African American?”

“No, he was wearing black ski mask like a terrorist.” She outlined the man’s description, although she didn’t have much to tell. Besides his clothes, she couldn’t give them any details about his description.

The front door opened and Jago’s partner, Hernandez, let himself in. “He’s not out there now,” he commented. “You can see where this guy tried to gain entry. The crime techs are on their way. They might get lucky and pick up a print.”

“I don’t think you’ll be hearing from this guy again,” Jago said.

“How can you be so sure?” Leah tried to stop her hands from shaking.

“A serious perp wouldn’t have been warned away by a simple scream. Now, I don’t say this to scare you, but if this guy was serious he would have forced his way in and brutalized you or even killed you if he saw fit.”

Leah winced.

“But that wasn’t our guy. I’d pin my reputation the fact that this guy was an opportunist. He saw the house out here and tried his luck. It didn’t pay off, and he left with his tail between his legs. That said, do you have somewhere you can stay tonight? Any friends or family?”

“Not close by.”

“I’ll take you down to the Bodega Inn. They’ll put you up for the night.”

Leah agreed, knowing it was the smartest thing to do under the circumstances. But she didn’t want to go; this was her home, and she shouldn’t be run out of it.

The phone rang. Hoping it was Bryan, she snatched it up.

“Leah?” Fear strangled his distorted his voice. “Thank God, you’re okay. I’m sorry I didn’t answer the phone. I didn’t have it switched on.”

“It’s okay, Bryan.” His fear settled her, and the tremor disappeared from her hands. “The police are here. Everything’s okay.”

“I’ve got the first flight out of Chicago in the morning. There wasn’t anything tonight. I’ll touch down in the afternoon.” His words came slick and fast. She shushed him, and he took a breath. She explained that she was going to stay at Bodega Inn for the night and told him she’d pick him up from the airport, but he reminded her that his car was in the long-term parking lot. It was ridiculous for them to drive up in two cars. It made sense, but she wanted to meet him at the airport and throw her arms around him the moment he emerged in the arrivals lounge. She conceded, though. They exchanged “I love yous” and hung up.

“Mr. Doubleday?” Jago asked.

“Yes. His work takes him away a lot.”

Jago and Hernandez waited around while Leah locked up. Leah tried to drive herself, but Jago insisted on driving her. He told her he’d pick her up in the morning to take her home. He came into the Bodega Inn to explain the situation. The couple that ran the place made her more than welcome. They offered her dinner on the house, but Leah declined. People were fussing. She wanted to be alone now. She needed to get over this ordeal without the awkward
interference of others. Jago showed her to her room. He opened the door for her but lingered in the doorway.

“If your husband is away a lot, can I suggest something?”

“Sure.”

“I think you should consider having a security system installed. It’s a good thing to have in any case, but you’re pretty isolated out there, and that’s all the more reason to have one.”

At first, she thought his suggestion was sexist; Jago seemed like an old-school kind of guy. On reflection, a security system did seem like a good idea.

“I’ll do that. Thank you for everything.”

Alone with nothing but the TV for company, the shock sank in, and Leah broke into tears. A braver intruder would surely have killed her. She took a bath and went to bed. Sleep came fitfully, but when Jago returned to pick her up, she felt fine. She wanted to go home, put this experience behind her, and move on.

Although Jago attempted to strike up a conversation, Leah remained quiet. The drive home took her back to when she and Bryan had first found the place. It had been a bright morning. The sun rose over the hills to illuminate her dream home. She fell in love with the place instantly. The house possessed the kind of “character” real estate agents always boasted about but few homes actually had. She’d never liked living in subdivisions—crushed up against neighbors like hens in a chicken coop. This place had land to roam and not a neighbor for miles. As Jago guided his cruiser up the winding access road, Leah felt the same rush of affection about this house. This was her home.

Jago took her keys and advised her to stay in the car while he checked out the house. “Just in case he came back,” he remarked.

As she watched him enter, a chill ran through her, causing her to shiver. Whether she liked it or not, the break-in had tarnished her home. The place always seemed to radiate warmth on the coldest of days, but not today. She’d make damn sure that glow came back.

“It’s all clear, Mrs. Doubleday,” Jago said when he returned to the car. He escorted her inside and left her with, “and don’t forget to call a security firm.”

***

“We’re moving.” Bryan’s tone left no room for discussion.

“I won’t be run off like this. This is our home, and we’re staying.”

“Are you crazy? You could have been killed last night. What more incentive do you need?”

“We can put in a security system.”

“What good is that going to do? That’ll just alert the cops where to pick up the body.”

“For God’s sake, Bryan.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s true. It’d be different if I were home more.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. If I was here, an attacker would be less likely to turn up.”

“Why? Because a big, strong man was in the house?” she said in a mocking Tarzan-like voice.