Evil Never Dies (The Lizzy Gardner Series Book 6) (13 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Hayley had been surprised to hear from Kitally that Salma was still in the hospital after having a caesarean. Standing right outside Salma’s room, she waited for a young man to exit before she headed inside. Salma looked over at her and gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about making a mess of your car.”

“No big deal.” Hayley gestured toward the exit. “Was that your boyfriend?”

“No. That was my brother. He wanted me to know that my family will not accept my baby unless I agree to never see my boyfriend again.”

“Their loss,” she said. “I saw your daughter in the nursery. She looks healthy.”

Salma’s eyes welled with tears. “I don’t know why I’m getting all emotional,” she said, clearly embarrassed, “but I want to thank you guys for everything you’ve done for me and my baby.”

“Not a problem,” Hayley said, antsy now. Too much praise and way too many emotions. Back to solid ground. “Have you chosen a name?”

“Not yet. I’m going to wait until the perfect one comes to me. I know you’re not a mom, but how old was your mom when she had you?”

“My mom?” Hayley had to think. “She was young . . . maybe seventeen.”

“What was it like for the two of you?”

Snippets of her life with her mom came flooding into her mind’s eye, but Hayley stopped the flow. “You know what?” she said. “I loved my mom more than anyone in this world, but if you’re looking for advice, all I can say is think of your kid when you make decisions. She didn’t ask to be brought into this world. It was you and your boyfriend’s doing. Don’t be selfish. Put your daughter first.”

“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure my daughter has the best life possible.”

Hayley wished her mom had vowed to do the same and hadn’t let outside forces intervene, but such was life. “I know you must be scared,” she said. “As a single mom, it’s not going to be easy for either of you, but the best thing you can do for your daughter is to be there for her when she needs you.”

“I think that’s good advice.”

Kitally came into the room just then, out of breath. “You didn’t give her the gift yet, did you?”

“Nope.”

Kitally snatched the bag from Hayley’s hand and gave it to Salma.

Salma reached inside and pulled out a pink frilly baby dress. There were other clothes in the bag, too—soft cotton bodysuits and booties. “Oh, the dress is darling. Thank you so much for everything.”

“So,” Kitally said, “are we ever going to meet the father of the baby?”

Salma blushed. “I can’t say. In my culture, women don’t really even date men, let alone men outside their religion. And they definitely don’t get pregnant by them.”

“Did he know you were pregnant?”

“Of course. But I haven’t told him where I’m staying. My brothers have threatened to do him harm if they find out who he is, so I’m not telling anyone his name, either.”

“I see. That’s too bad.”

Silence hovered over them like a dark cloud until Kitally said, “Have you named your daughter yet?”

“She doesn’t want to force it,” Hayley said.

“I feel as if I’ll know what her name is after I’ve spent more time with her,” Salma said. “Does that make sense?”

Kitally screwed up her face. “Not at all. I think Lucy would be a cute name.”

“God no,” Hayley said, “not Lucy.” Then again, what did it matter? After looking through the wall of glass at all the babies, Hayley didn’t understand why women gushed over them. With their big heads, nonexistent necks, and wrinkly skin, not one of them was the least bit attractive.

Kitally kept at it. “How about something different, like Hermione or Minerva?”

Hayley rolled her eyes.

Salma merely ignored her, and then said, “Have you two had any luck locating the Ghost?”

“Not so far.”

“I tried calling the girl I lived with, the one who was evicted from her apartment, but she hasn’t returned my calls. I wish I could remember her name.”

“If it comes to you, let us know,” Kitally said. “I’ll be back tomorrow to visit.”

“We better go,” Hayley told Kitally. “We have work to do.”

“Yeah, we need to hurry so we can get back in time for your date.”

“You have a date?” Salma asked Hayley.

“No. I’m just going to a concert with Tommy. He’s just a friend.”

Kitally looked at Salma and winked.

Hayley couldn’t remember the last time she’d been inside a mall. The Fashion Plus store where Miriam Walters worked before she disappeared was lit up with fluorescent lights so bright she squinted.

Halfway across the store, she lost Kitally to a striped sequined dress. The mannequin had drawn her as if it were a magnet. Leaving her behind, Hayley walked to the back of the store where customers could pay for their merchandise. Apparently it was a slow night. There were three people behind the counter, shooting the breeze.

“My name is Hayley Hansen. Is there anyone here I can talk to about Miriam Walters?”

A tall girl with black hair and straight-cut bangs looked Hay
ley over before she asked, “Why?”

“I work for Lizzy Gardner Investigations. We’re looking for Miriam.”

“Is she missing?” another girl asked, this one wearing a purple leather miniskirt and boots.

The other cashier, a skinny guy with a long pointy nose, said to Hayley, “She’s new here. Don’t pay her any mind.”

“Hey, don’t be rude. Is Miriam the short geeky girl with—”

“That’s Monica. She quit. This lady is talking about Miriam, a tall gorgeous girl who sold tons of clothes just by wearing something in the store.”

“Oh.”

“Miriam and I were close,” the black-haired girl said. “What do you need to know?”

Kitally joined them, and Hayley introduced her before continuing. “We need to know if Miriam ever talked about going away for a while.”

“You think she might be hiding out somewhere?” the skinny boy asked.

Hayley shrugged. “Anything’s possible.”

“She liked her life here,” the black-haired girl said. “She was a hard worker, and she was excited when she got into that program for brainy teenagers, whatever it’s called.”

“Opportunity Knocks,” Kitally said.

The boy nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. After she was accepted into the program, that’s pretty much all she talked about. I don’t remember hearing one word from her about leaving the area.” He saw a group of girls enter the store. “Excuse me while I help these people.”

The other employee, the one in the miniskirt, pulled her cell out of her pocket and wandered into the back room, texting as she went.

The black-haired girl leaned forward and said in a low voice, “There is no way Miriam left town without kicking and screaming.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because Miriam was pregnant and in love with some ultrahot guy she’d just met.”

“Pregnant?” Kitally asked. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t have any proof. I just know what she told me.”

“So, you never saw an older man named Wayne Bennett come around here?” Hayley asked.

“Oh, sure,” she said. “You already know about him? He came around for Miriam before the hot young guy. The old guy would pretend to be shopping around for his wife. We all knew it was a lie. I never understood what Miriam saw in him. I don’t care how much money he had—the man was way too old for her, and there was something skanky about him, too.”

“So when did the other man—the hot guy—come into the picture?”

She tilted her head as she thought about it for a second. “I would say she met the hot guy about six weeks before she disappeared. They were perfect for each other. They were both good-looking and smart—a perfect match.”

“So you think Miriam was pregnant with the hot guy’s baby?”

She nodded. “Miriam told me it was
definitely
hot guy’s baby.”

“How could she be so sure?”

“With the old guy, she used protection with a capital
P
.”

“So you don’t know the hot guy’s name?”

“Sorry. No idea. I don’t even know if she ever told me his name.”

“Did the police ever question you about Miriam?”

She shook her head. “I heard they came in to the store, but I only work here three days a week, and I certainly wasn’t going to go out of my way to call them.”

“Could I get your name and number in case we have more questions later?”

The girl found a business card, scribbled down the information, and handed the card to Hayley. “There you go.”

“Thanks a lot.”

As they exited the store, Kitally said, “I wonder if Bennett was jealous and so he killed her?”

“Who knows?”

As they walked, every store window with a set of four-inch heels or a gaudy jewelry display sidetracked Kitally. It was like a disease. Hayley was dying for a smoke, but she really did want to quit, so she tried to think about something else. And that’s when she saw a girl with white spiky hair walk into the shoe store across the way.

It was the Ghost. It had to be.

“Kitally, come on.”

“Just a minute, I want to—”

“We’ve got to go
right now
. I just saw the Ghost walk into that shoe store over there.”

Kitally turned and looked to see where she pointed. “Are you sure?”

“Yep.”

“What should we do?”

“Let’s make sure it’s her first, then we’ll call the cops. After that, I’m not letting her out of my sight until they get here. I’ll make a citizen’s arrest if I have to.”

They walked over to the store, Hayley leading the way. “Pretend you’re looking for a pair of running shoes,” she said.

“I would never buy a pair of running shoes. They’re ugly.”

“This is pretend, Kitally. Pretend you love running shoes for two minutes. Do you think you can handle that?”

“OK, OK. Chill.”

They headed inside. The store wasn’t very wide, but it was deep. For a second or two, Hayley worried that the girl had already escaped unnoticed.

Kitally picked up a shoe on the display rack and pretended to admire it. “This is the ugliest sneaker I’ve ever seen.”

Hayley looked around. A mother and her son were rummaging through shoes nearby, left to their own devices by the gaggle of teenage clerks gathered at the back of the store.

The tall spiky-haired girl they were looking for was hard to miss. She wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“I like that shoe over there,” Kitally said as she headed to another display and then picked up one of the shoes. “Genuine leather, and look at the cool zipper on the side.”

“Those are men’s shoes,” Hayley pointed out.

“Cool.” Kitally’s smile disappeared. “I see the Ghost,” she told Hayley. “It’s definitely her, straight across from us, right along the far wall. Don’t turn around.”

“Can I help you?”

Perfect
, Hayley thought. Now
you take an interest in us.

“No, thanks,” Hayley said, using the clerk’s appearance as an excuse to turn toward the Ghost. There she was, just as Kitally had said. “We’re just looking around.”

The Ghost looked up just then. There was a flash of recognition in her eyes, and then she was tearing for the front of the store.

“Shit!”

Hayley took off after her. No way would she let her get away. She’d tackle the skinny bitch if she had to and then grab her wallet and take a look at her ID. At least then she would have a name. Maybe an address, too.

“Hey, you!” Hayley shouted as she ran out of the store and down the middle of the mall. “Stop right there!”

The Ghost could fly; Hayley had to give her that. She took an escalator up, two stairs at a time. Hayley did the same.

The Ghost disappeared inside a dimly lit shop, the kind that sells lava lamps and posters.

Kitally caught up to Hayley before she stepped inside and muttered something about needing a pair of those running shoes she’d just been looking at. Gasping for breath, Kitally told her she’d wait outside the store in case the Ghost got by her.

Hayley stepped inside. The shop was dark and had long strings of neon-colored beads hanging at the start of each aisle. It was annoying. She’d made her way down two aisles when she heard a woman scream and then a string of curses right outside the store. She ran that way. A couple of people were helping Kitally and another woman from the floor.

“She shoved this lady right into me,” Kitally said. Then she pointed to her left. “She went that way!”

Hayley took off again, running at full speed, weaving in and out of shoppers.

She almost knocked a kid over. Someone shouted at her to slow down. Up ahead, she caught a glimpse of white hair right before the girl cut to the right.

The moment she made the same right, she spotted the Ghost standing at the railing, looking down to the bottom floor of the mall.

Finally.
Hayley had her right where she wanted her.

The Ghost turned toward her.

“It’s over,” Hayley said.

The Ghost smiled, gave her the finger, then swiveled around and leaped over the barrier. She flew out of sight with her arms extended outward as if she had wings.

Stunned, Hayley ran to the railing and saw what the Ghost had done. That chick had balls. The clever piece of shit had easily landed on a giant Easter Bunny display that should have been taken down long ago. It was made of soft, squeezable foam and yellow fur. When the Ghost got as far as the bunny’s hind leg, she jumped to the floor and disappeared.

By the time Kitally caught up to her, Hayley was livid.

“It’s OK,” Kitally said. “We almost had her. We’ll find her again.”

“That bitch flipped me the bird. I should have jumped on her ass the moment we walked into that shoe store.” She threw her arms up in disgust.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. That girl has obviously been making herself scarce for a very long time. She’s good at this.”

“I’ve been chasing criminals for a while myself.”

“Well, I guess you’ve finally met your match.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Dinner had been a quick affair at Skip’s Kitchen, where Tommy and Hayley both ordered big juicy hamburgers and sweet potato fries. The concert didn’t start until nine o’clock.

The burgers proved to be the evening’s high point. By ten thirty they were walking out to the fairgrounds parking lot in search of Tommy’s car. They weren’t the only ones leaving early. The band was a new one called Poetic Justice, and apparently they still needed some seasoning. At this point, they were basically a thunderous set of drums with some occasional screeching feedback whenever the lead singer tried to sing. Hayley could still feel the drummer doing his thing through the soles of her shoes as they crossed the blacktop.

Tommy opened Hayley’s door for her and then went around the front of the car and climbed in behind the wheel. She clicked her seatbelt into place. When she looked over at Tommy, he made a face and said, “Sorry about that. Epic fail.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” she said. And then they both burst out laughing.

“That was the worst band I’ve ever heard,” Tommy said.

“Agreed.”

He looked over his shoulder as he backed out of the gravelly parking lot. Once they were on the road heading home, he said, “Those were some bizarre sounds coming off that stage. My ears still hurt.”

“The best part,” she said, “was when they finished the first song and the lead singer gave his ten-minute rant about politics and everyone threw their glow sticks at him.”

“You’re right. That was the highlight of the night. I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I had fun.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “I really did.”

“I’ll do better next time. I promise.”

“Next time?”

He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road as he talked. “I like you, Hayley—you know that. I always have.”

She said nothing.

“What’s going on inside that head of yours these days?”

She snorted. “A whole lot of nothing.”

“I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re always up to something. Do you ever think about the future?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“The future is for dreamers.”

“You don’t have dreams?”

“I can’t say that I do. How about you?”

“I have a few.”

“Tell me.”

“All right.” He took a deep breath as if gathering himself, then let it out. “In my future, I imagine my girl and me living in a quaint house far from the city life. When you step outside the back door, you can hear the lazy trickle of the river. We have two wooden chairs that we keep by the river’s edge. Sometimes you—I mean, my girl—watches me fish and makes fun of me when I finally catch a trout and manage to let it slip right out of my grasp when I go to remove the hook. We watch the fish swim down the river, happy, glad to be free to live another day.” He grinned at her. “Should I go on?”

“Go for it.”

“On occasion, we share a glass of cabernet after dinner and talk about having kids someday, but we’re having too much fun living day to day to make it a reality just then. If it’s meant to be, it will happen.”

The long stretch of silence was too much. Hayley turned his way. “And then what happens?”

Tommy laughed. “And then we live happily ever after.”

“That’s it?”

“What else do you want to know?”

“The ending. I need to know what happens to you and your girl at the end.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“We go on to have four children. Two boys and two girls. It’s not easy raising four kids, especially after the economy spirals downward and my business goes under. My girl and me aren’t asking for much, but we refuse to give up our home by the river. So we start a little farm. You know, one of those organic farms, because we want to be together 24-7. At first, she’s a little worried about that arrangement, being that she’s sort of a loner and likes her space, but it isn’t long before she realizes how easygoing I am.”

“So, that’s what you and your girl do all day? Grow fruit and vegetables?”

“Well, my girl, it turns out, has quite the green thumb. People come from all over to pick up some of her amazing banana peppers and lemon basil. Over the next few years, organic everything grows wildly popular. It’s crazy. My girl and me work hard enough to put all four kids through college, and those kids all go on to live amazing lives of their own. You want to know the best part of it all?”

“You can’t stop now,” Hayley said.

“The best part is that through it all, we always take time to sit on the porch or go down by the river and talk. Before you know it, we’re in our nineties, and that’s when you lean close and tell me for the very first time that you love me. And guess what I say?”

“I don’t have a clue,” she said.

“I say, ‘I know.’ ” Tommy glanced her way. “And that’s it. That’s the end.”

“Hmm.”

“So what do you think?”

“I think you’re a starry-eyed dreamer.”

“ ‘I may be a dreamer,’ ” he sang, “ ‘but I’m not the only one.’ ”

She rolled her eyes and then laid her head back and listened to him sing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” His voice had a nice tone. She had no idea he could sing. Tommy, she realized, was turning out to be full of surprises.