Rose Pressey - Chase Charley 02 - Seems Like Old Crimes (22 page)

As long as I knew that I was going to be let go soon, I was fine with the handcuffs. I hoped that they realized I wasn’t the criminal here.

Kristine began to explain to the cops what had happened. After a minute, the officer motioned for the other one standing next to us to let us go. I wiggled my hands when he released my wrists from the restraints. Courtney stood beside me taking in all the action. She seemed as if she was stunned silent. I was glad I wouldn’t have to explain to my parents why I was in the slammer.

“I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come back,” I said.

“I think you had everything under control,” Courtney said.

The police put the men in the back of the police cars and left with them. Now it was just us. My adrenaline was still pumping.

“What do we do now?” Courtney asked.

I brushed the hair out of my eyes. “I have no idea.”

“It is late and I am exhausted. I don’t think I can drive all the way back tonight,” she said.

I couldn’t argue with that either. The adrenaline was flowing out of my body now, and I was drained. The gravity of the situation was now hitting me and my legs felt like rubber. The strength that had held me together like glue through this whole ordeal was now fading. I could only keep it together for so long. I wrapped my arms in front of my chest, giving myself a hug.

“We should just stay the night here,” I said. “I have a room already.”

Courtney stepped closer. “Did you get a room with Dangerfield?”

I shook my head. “No, we have separate rooms.”

“Too bad for you.” She sighed.

Dangerfield pushed hair from my face. “Are you okay now?”

I nodded. “I may have panic attacks for a long time, but other than that, I’m okay.”

“You were great. Courtney should have seen you take control of the situation,” he said with a smile.

“I’m not surprised,” Courtney said. “That’s my cousin. Our family has always been a little crazy.”

“A little?” I quirked an eyebrow. “We wear that crazy like a badge of honor.”

A friend picked up Kristine to drive her to New Orleans in the morning. I was glad that she had a friend to help her at a time like this.

When Courtney and I stepped into my room, my cell was ringing. I pulled out my phone and answered.

“Chase, I just heard what happened. I talked with Kristine. Are you okay?” Haley asked.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“I am so glad you are okay. I am stunned at what happened,” Haley said.

“I can imagine it is a shock to you. I was surprised too.”

“By the way, the detective I spoke with a minute ago said Dean admitted that he was the man who broke into my friend’s house and tried to attack me. He really was trying to kill me.”

“Thank goodness he didn’t get to you,” I said.

Emotion filled her voice. “Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome, Haley.”

“Are you coming back to New Orleans now?” she asked.

“We’re staying here and coming back tomorrow,” I said.

“Just please be careful and call me when you can.”

“I’ll call you soon,” I said.

She was being strong under the circumstances. It took me forever to fall asleep. I just kept playing over the night’s events in my mind. Plus, I went over the pros and cons for Marc and Dangerfield. Both men had a check mark in almost every category. I hoped that I’d soon sort out my feelings for them. I tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling. Finally, I forced my eyes shut
.
In a blink of an eye, sunlight was streaming into the room.

Before we left the next morning, Kristine called to thank me again.

“I don’t think I need to be thanked. We should have caught on to your hints when we were at your home,” I said.

“Dean was threatening me then, so it was hard to act natural.”

“That’s understandable.”

“He had been making my brother move money from his trust to mine and I never even knew until recently. I suspect he hired the person who tried to run me off the road.”

That explained the bank ledger that Dangerfield and I had found.

“I’ll be thinking of you, Kristine.”

“Thank you again for everything.”

I could tell by her voice that she had been crying a lot, and I couldn’t blame her. The amount of stress she must be under was astounding.

After I hung up with her, Courtney and I headed out to my car. Dangerfield was leaning next to my door when I approached. At least I had lip gloss in my purse so that I didn’t frighten him with my not-enough-sleep look.

Dangerfield had stubble of hair along his strong jawline. “Are you headed back?”

I brushed hair out of my eyes. “Yes, I guess it’s time to go.”

“Thanks for being so strong. You were a lot tougher than me,” he said.

I shook my head. “That’s not true, but thank you.”

“Do you mind if I follow you all back?” He gestured.

I opened the car door. “I don’t mind.”

He flashed that movie star smile and headed toward his car.

“Don’t speed,” I called after him.

“I’m following, remember?” He waved over his shoulder.

We pulled out onto the highway with Dangerfield behind us.

“You two seem close,” Courtney said.

“I guess when you’re almost killed together it bonds you,” I said.

“What about Marc?” she asked.

I sighed. “I have no idea. I guess I’ll see what happens. I’m not one to rush into things.”

“You married your first husband after two months.”

“Exactly. I learned my lesson.”

“I tried to warn you about him.”

She had, but I hadn’t listened.

When we reached my place, Dangerfield honked and drove on past. I was a little disappointed he hadn’t come inside. That was something I would have to work out in my mind later. Right now, I needed to hop in the shower. Courtney came inside. She was going to fix us lunch. She was a much better cook than I was.

“Do you want cheese?” she called out.

“Of course. Always have cheese,” I said.

I’d just pulled on a clean t-shirt and jeans after my shower when my doorbell rang.

“Do you want me to get that?” Courtney asked.

I popped around the corner. “I’ll get it. You just keep working your magic.”

I wasn’t expecting anyone to show up. I wondered if it was Dangerfield again.

When I opened the door, Marc stood in front of me. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I’d never seen him look so casual. It was a good look for him. But then again so was the uniform.

He shook his head. “It’s a natural gift. That’s the only way to explain it.”

“What do you mean?” I quirked an eyebrow.

“How else could you solve this case?”

I grinned. “I didn’t solve it. I just helped a little.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I would have called you, but I was all the way in Gulf Shores,” I said.

“When you want to solve a mystery, you don’t stop until it’s done, do you?” he asked.

I nodded. “No, I don’t.”

Mrs. Perkins appeared behind Marc. “Chase, are you okay, dear?”

How in the world had she found out what had happened? “I’m fine, Mrs. Perkins, thank you for asking.”

She looked Marc up and down and then smiled at him. That was a first.

“Just let me know if you need anything,” she said as she turned to go back to her apartment.

“You do the same, Mrs. Perkins,” I said.

“And keep the noise down,” she snapped as she closed her apartment door.

Marc laughed. “She’s spunky. You two are a lot alike.”

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.

Just then the main door to the building opened and Dangerfield walked through the door. Now this was one awkward situation that I wouldn’t easily get out of.

“Good afternoon,” he said, looking at me and then to Marc.

Marc said, “I was just stopping by to make sure you’re okay. I need to get to work. Is it okay if I call you later for dinner?”

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. There was no easy way to answer that question. I nodded. “Sure.”

Marc smiled, then looked to Dangerfield and nodded. Then he walked out the door.

“Sorry I didn’t call first,” Dangerfield said.

“That’s okay. Would you like lunch? I’m sure that Courtney made more than enough.”

He smiled. “I’d love to, but I just came by to say that I was taking a new case.”

Another knock sounded on the door. I had no idea who it was this time. I hoped that it wasn’t bad news. I hopped up and went over to the door. I peeked out the peephole. Mrs. Perkins was standing in front of the door.

She leaned close to the hole. “Open this door right this minute.”

Oh, no. And I thought we’d called a truce. Now what had I done to make her mad? I’d have to open the door. She would wait out there all day and night if she had to.

I opened the door just enough to see her.

“Mrs. Perkins, what’s wrong?” I asked in my most pleasant voice.

She gestured over her shoulder. “I think you need to go outside and take care of that man.”

My eyes widened. “What man? Is there something wrong with someone?”

“You could say that.” She pointed with the red and white umbrella she held in her hand.

“Who is it? Was it the policeman who was here earlier?” I asked.

“I don’t know who he is, but he’s the one who has been coming around here looking for you,” she said.

Now I really had to know what was going on.

Dangerfield had joined me at the door now. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s something wrong with a man outside. At least that’s what Mrs. Perkins said.”

“Let’s see if he needs help.” Dangerfield motioned.

We followed Mrs. Perkins out the main door and down the steps. I didn’t spot anyone right away. I hoped she wasn’t playing a game.

“Where is he?” I asked.

She pointed to the sidewalk. That was when I spotted him lying on the ground. 

“Oh my gosh, Bill, over there.” I pointed.

Dangerfield glanced at me for a split second and then sprinted over to the man. I followed him. Mrs. Perkins came behind me.

The man groaned and sat up on the sidewalk.

“Are you okay, buddy?” Dangerfield leaned down.

The guy rubbed his head. “I guess so.”

After a second he looked over at me and I recognized him. “You!” I said. “You tried to kill us.”

Dangerfield grabbed the guy and pinned him to the ground. “Is this the guy who has been harassing you?”

“Yes, that’s him.” I couldn’t believe that he was right outside my apartment. “What do you want?” I asked.

Of course he didn’t answer me. I had to get someone to help Dangerfield.

“What happened, Mrs. Perkins?” I asked.

“I saw him trying to get in your door, so I called out to him. That was when he took off out the front door. I went after the bastard.” She pointed.

My eyes widened at Mrs. Perkins’ fearlessness.

“When I got out here, he turned around and acted as if he was going to attack me. I wasn’t having any of that, so I used the umbrella I’d brought outside with me.” She swung the umbrella through the air.

“You beat him with it?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s what he gets for trying to attack me.” She shook her fist at him.

I patted her arm. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I said.

I called the police with Dangerfield’s phone. It only took about a minute before a patrol car showed up. The police hopped out and helped Dangerfield with my stalker.

The guy looked me in the eyes. “Did you get my notes? I sent you a bunch of notes. I wasn’t sure if you got them. Since I couldn’t hand-deliver them, I had no way of knowing.”

I had no idea why he had done all of this. Why did he think he could communicate with me just by sending notes? Or placing weird phone calls?  

“So that was you? Why did you do that?” Rage bubbled in my blood. I leaned down and shook my finger in his face.

Dangerfield snickered
.
 

Why had I asked him that? He did it because he wasn’t all there. He somehow thought that it was acceptable to send letters to strangers and harass them with threatening messages.

“April Benson wanted me to follow you. But it was much more than that after your newscasts.” 

“April made you do this?”

“She paid me to do it,” he said. “I would have done it for free though.”

Well, that made me feel so much better. And I meant that in the most sarcastic way possible.

“I didn’t appreciate the things you said in the letters.”

He frowned as if he was shocked that I would say such a thing. “You wouldn’t talk to me, so I had to get your attention. I probably would have never done anything to you.”

“Probably,” I said. “That’s not encouraging.”

How could he say probably when he had tried to run over me?

“What about the flowers?” he asked.

“Yes, I got those too.” Was I supposed to thank my stalker for the flowers? I didn’t think so.

When I looked over at Dangerfield, he gave me a look as if to say,
Sorry I didn’t send flowers.
It was bad when the only flowers I got were from a stalker. I’d rather not have any at all.

“They were a pretty red and I thought that was your favorite color.” He struggled to get up and Dangerfield pushed him back down.

I wasn’t going to acknowledge any more of this conversation. I didn’t need to engage with him anymore. I should have known that he was the one behind the flowers. Actually, I had, but this just confirmed it.

“No more letters and flowers for you,” Dangerfield said.

“What? I hope I get flowers. Just not from him.”

They loaded my stalker into the back of the police car. He looked back at me one last time. His vacant eyes looked as if he wasn’t even there. When I glanced across the street, I spotted a woman watching us. She had blonde hair and wore a big black hat. Something about her seemed familiar. The woman noticed that I had spotted her and she whipped around to leave. When she did, her big black hat fell to the ground. She bent to pick it up, and the blonde wig dropped from her head. April Benson looked up at me at that moment. She was the one who had been with my stalker at the Harbor Market. The blonde wig had been a disguise. Now I knew why she had seemed so familiar. 

“It’s April Benson.” I pointed across the street.

When Dangerfield looked her way, she took off around the corner.

Dangerfield stepped closer to me. “Wow, I can’t believe that.”

I shook my head. “I know, this is crazy. April really was involved. I shouldn’t be surprised. I hope the guy will admit to her involvement. She shouldn’t get away with this. By the way, it’s great that you kept him down until the police got here though.” My built-up anxiety was making me frenzied.

Dangerfield stood a little taller, sticking out his chest. “That wasn’t what I was talking about. What I can’t believe is you called me Bill.” His sexy smile appeared.

My cheeks grew hot. “A one-time mistake,” I said, trying to hide my grin.

“Yeah, sure,” His mouth tipped up at the corners into a wide grin. “I know who that man is.”

“Who is it?” I asked.

“The man from the case that you helped me with. I suppose he teamed up with April Benson.”

“The case I helped you with earlier?” I asked.

Dangerfield ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah.”

“So April Benson recruited him to become my stalker. I thought we had taken care of both of them, but I guess not. I’m just glad that you and Mrs. Perkins were able to help me. You saved me from him,” I said.

Mrs. Perkins was standing next to me. I reached over and hugged her. She tried to escape my embrace at first, but finally relaxed a bit.

“Okay, that’s enough of that now,” she said as she lightly patted my back.

At least now the man was going to be arrested. The police pulled away with the man in the back of their car. I was glad to see that he was being taken away. Now what would be done with April? My job was getting more dangerous by the minute.

Mrs. Perkins said, “Well, I have to go inside now and finish my baking.”

Dangerfield whispered, “Do you think she’ll bake us chocolate chip cookies?” The corners of Dangerfield’s mouth turned up.

“Thank you again, Mrs. Perkins,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” she said with the slightest smile.

“I think she really likes you,” Dangerfield said.

I laughed. “She has a funny way of showing it, but I guess she does.”

I couldn’t believe that I had a stalker. I supposed that came with the job.

“Let’s get you back inside,” he said.

Dangerfield walked with me back toward my apartment. Marc would be surprised to hear about what had happened. It was something he had told me to take more seriously and I should have. I just hoped that the stalker never came back again.

I should be glad that Oscar watched those letters for me. If he hadn’t alerted me to the situation it might have been too late when I finally had figured it out. I would thank him later with a fruit basket or something. Everyone loves fruit baskets, right?

When we reached my door, I said, “I still don’t know the identity of the anonymous caller. Why did he tell me to go to the crime scene?”

Dangerfield looked down at his brown shoes. “The caller was me. I disguised my voice. I thought you would recognize that it was me.”

“Why did you do that?”

“When I arrived and a detective I know told me that the victim had your name, I knew you would obviously be pulled into the case. I wanted to help you solve it, but I figured unless we were linked to the case together that you would never work with me.”

I didn’t know whether to be mad or think it was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.

“Will you forgive me?” He flashed me a sad-eyed look.

I stared at Dangerfield, and then said, “I forgive you. I could have solved this on my own.”

“I never doubt your investigative abilities, Charley.”

“Now you should kiss and make up,” Mrs. Perkins said from over his shoulder.

My nosy neighbor had been listening the whole time.