Eye of the Beholder (20 page)

Ellen closed her eyes and allowed the profound sadness to permeate her. What if she and Guy were never able to get past this without doing irreparable harm to their marriage? Ellen hated that she was losing respect for him but couldn’t bring herself to tell him so. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him.

“Ellen?”

Ellen looked up and saw Hailey standing in the doorway. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“I need to leave for my job interview,” Hailey said. “Will you be all right here by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine, honey. It helps knowing the security guard is outside. Are you nervous about the interview?”

“I must be. I actually lost my breakfast. I’m not even going to try to eat anything else till I get back.”

“You really want this job, don’t you?”

Hailey nodded. “I’m going crazy at home. I miss the people contact.”

“I can certainly relate to that.”

Guy pulled his Mercedes into a parking space at Holbrook Park and turned off the motor. He sat for a moment and observed his surroundings. The neighborhood park was a lush paradise of blooming shrubs, leafy shade trees, and towering pines. Multicolored flowers dotted the ground around a rustic sign that marked the starting point of Eva Holbrook Nature Trail. An arrow pointed to a path that had been carved through the thick ground cover and snaked into the woods.

He counted four cars in the parking lot and made a mental note of each: green GMC Suburban, blue Chevy Impala, white Dodge Caravan, burgundy Ford Taurus. In the rearview mirror, he saw a playground. Three young women were pushing toddlers
on the swings, and two little blond boys were climbing a giant yellow tube slide.

An elderly couple sat holding hands on a park bench and appeared to be watching the two little boys. He wondered if he and Ellen would make it to old age together.

A silver Camry pulled into a nearby parking space, and the driver nodded at him.

Guy looked at his watch just as it beeped 2:00.
Okay, Kinsey. Let’s get on with it
.

He got out of the car and locked it, then began walking down the nature trail, suddenly wishing he’d worn his Rockports instead of wingtips. He wound his way down the path and deeper into the woods, trying to keep his pant legs from snagging on the thistly branches that seemed to grab at him.

Finally the path widened, and he was able to stroll under a green canopy that opened up enough to allow only glimpses of blue sky. The rich, earthy smell of the woods took him back to his Boy Scout days, but the cawing of a crow gave him an eerie feeling, and he questioned whether he should’ve agreed to do this.

Guy trudged about a hundred yards down the nature trail and stopped.
Come on, Kinsey. I don’t have time for this
.

Up ahead, he saw restroom facilities and a man wearing dark glasses and a ball cap leaning against the building. He stopped, his heart seeming to pound out of his chest. The man in the dark glasses unfolded his arms and stepped away from the building, motioning for him to come.

Guy thought about running, but how fast could he move in these shoes? Plus he didn’t relish the thought of a bullet in his back.
Lord, what have I done? Please protect me
.

Guy walked over to the restrooms, weak-kneed, and realized he was at least a half-foot taller than the guy who stood outside. He didn’t see a weapon.

“Are you waiting for me?” Guy asked him.

“Quick, let’s go inside,” said a familiar voice.

In the next instant, Guy stood in the men’s room and pulled the sunglasses off Kinsey’s face. “Was all this really necessary?”

“You have no idea.” Kinsey’s voice was shaking.

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“Did anyone follow you? This has nothing to do with Brinkmont, and I don’t want to involve the police.”

“I didn’t tell the police. But I think I need my head examined. You’re obviously in some kind of trouble.”

Kinsey’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I need to borrow money. My credit cards are maxed out and I can’t get a loan.”

“For cryin’ out loud, Kinsey, why didn’t you just meet me for lunch instead of running me all over—”

“I need fifteen thousand dollars—fast.”

Guy stared at her dumbfounded. “That’s a lot of money.”

“I borrowed some money from a loan shark and if I don’t pay it back … well, I don’t dare think about it.”

“A loan shark? You know better than that!”

“I have a gambling problem, okay? I got in over my head and thought I could dig out, but I can’t. Please, Guy. I don’t know where else to turn.”

He searched her eyes, suddenly wishing he had Ellen’s ability to read people. “Did the break-ins have anything to do with this?”

“No. Why would you think that?”

“It’s odd that you decided to disappear and take two-weeks’ vacation at the same time someone threatened me.”

“The threat just gave me a convenient excuse to hide till I can scrape up the money. Please, Guy. I’ll pay it back as soon as I can. I promise to go to Gamblers Anonymous and get myself straightened out. But if you don’t lend me the money, someone’s going to really hurt me. This isn’t going to go away.”

Guy shook his head and started pacing, his hands in his pockets. “Good grief, Kinsey. You’re too smart for this!”

“Keep your voice down.” She went over to the door and
peeked outside, then came back and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Are you going to help me or not?”

Guy hiked back to where the nature trail had started and stopped to catch his breath. He scanned the playground and parking lot, noting that everything appeared exactly as he had left it. If someone had followed Kinsey, there was no evidence of it.

Guy walked over to the man in the silver Camry. “She’s dressed like a man, dark glasses, red ball cap. She should be about five minutes behind me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been a PI as long as you’ve been a lawyer. I’ll call you when she’s on the move.”

Guy got in his car and headed for the office, his mind racing with every conceivable way this could go wrong.

He pounded the steering wheel with his palms. How could a woman as educated, bright, and talented as Kinsey even consider borrowing money from a loan shark? And how had he missed the signs of her gambling problem? He knew she enjoyed playing the slots, but she had never seemed obsessed with it. He had thought her recent weekend in Biloxi was merely a getaway with some guy she’d met.

Guy had to think of a way to get his hands on that much cash without involving Ellen. It was just a loan, but she’d never agree to this. Besides, why would he want to give her an opportunity to criticize Kinsey the way she had Brent?

His cell phone vibrated and he took it out of his pocket. “Duncan?”

“Yeah, she’s driving the burgundy Taurus,” Duncan Manning said.

“Be careful she doesn’t spot you. As paranoid as she was about being followed, I’m sure she must’ve noticed your Camry in the parking lot.”

“Hey, give me a little credit. I moved the car where she
couldn’t see me and followed her when she pulled out of the park. By the way, there’s a Hertz sticker on the car window.”

“After what she just told me, I wonder how she can afford to rent a car?”

“What’d she say?”

“That she couldn’t pay a gambling debt and borrowed money from a loan shark and can’t pay it back. She needs to borrow fifteen thousand dollars ASAP or someone’s going to hurt her.”

“You believe her?”

“She’s never lied to me before … I don’t think, anyway. And she wasn’t faking the terror on her face.”

“You gonna lend her the money?”

“Just see if you can find out where she’s staying.”

“Okay, I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something.”

Guy drove several blocks, letting the hard reality of Kinsey’s circumstances sink in. Was it wise to get involved in this? But if something awful happened to her because he chose not to help her, could he ever forgive himself?

Guy could still picture the fear on Kinsey’s face. Her circumstances had made him acutely aware of his own. Was he being foolish not to do everything possible to protect himself from whoever had threatened him?

He thought back on the devastation in his apartment and the words written on the mirror. He blinked away the image, filled again with dread. He took the phone out of his pocket and hit the autodial.

“Hello.”

“Hailey, it’s Guy. How’d the interview go?”

“Okay, I think. They never tell you anything.”

“Well, let’s hope it pans out. Let me talk to Ellen, please.”

“Hang on. She’s out on the porch.”

Guy reached over and turned up the fan on the air conditioner and angled the vent to blow air on his face.

“Hi, how’s your day going?” Ellen said. “I’ve been praying for you.”

“I’m fine. Other than being stuck with some way-too-serious temp for the next two weeks.”

“Is she that bad?”

“Oh, probably not. I’m just spoiled. How are things there?”

“Good. The insurance company already has the cleanup crew at the house. The painters should be there tomorrow. We’ll have to shop for new couches, chairs, lamps, and another oil painting, but I can pick out everything else. I went ahead and ordered the exact same mattress and box springs. I don’t see us getting back in the house till late next week.”

Guy stopped at a red light and glanced at the patrol car next to him. “So tell me how the security guard is working out.”

“Fine, as long as I don’t have to share the house with him.”

“But you feel safer?”

“A little. But you’re the one I’m worried about.”

“Well, I’m half tempted to take your advice and hire a bodyguard.”

There was a long pause.

“What changed your mind?” Ellen said.

“I don’t know. It can’t hurt—just till the police figure out who’s behind the threat.”

“Do the police have any leads?”

“Not yet. They’ve talked to several of the plaintiffs, but no one stands out. Truthfully, I don’t know how much manpower they’re willing to spare for something like this. I imagine it’s going to take time.”

“Meanwhile, we’re left hanging by our thumbs.” Ellen sighed. “Did you have time to talk to the landlord?”

“Uh-huh. My new apartment will be ready tomorrow afternoon, and the rental furniture will be delivered at four. I don’t have to be there for that. The manager said he’d take care of it.”

“Aren’t you scared to go back there?”

“No more than anywhere else. If someone’s determined to get to me, it won’t matter where I am.”

“Thanks for reminding me. Guy, why won’t you ask Brent if you can work here for a while?”

“It’s not practical, honey, even if I had an office. With Kinsey out, I need to be up here, especially since we both already missed a day. I’ll probably work through the weekend. Let’s play it by ear. I’ll call you tonight. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Guy disconnected the call and stopped for another red light. He spotted his bank up ahead, and it suddenly occurred to him that he could withdraw the money he had put into a special account for an anniversary cruise he was planning for Ellen. She didn’t know anything about it so withdrawing the money would be easy and discreet. When Kinsey paid him back, he would just deposit the money back into the account.

He had about twelve thousand dollars saved and could make a cash withdrawal on his credit card for the other three thousand. It’s not as though he were doing anything wrong. It was just a loan to help a desperate friend out of a tight spot.

Guy felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders tighten like a drawstring. Deceiving Ellen was getting too easy.

The light turned green and he drove past the bank and turned the car onto Madison and headed for the office. Brent was probably wondering where he was.

 20
 

P
olice Chief Will Seevers pushed open the side door of the police station and headed down the hall toward his office, thinking an hour from now he’d be feasting on Margaret’s Thursday night meatloaf. He heard footsteps, and in the next second Investigator Al Backus was walking beside him.

“I’ve been waiting for you to come back from your meeting with the mayor,” Al said. “We have a situation in the Muslim neighborhood.”