A Killer's Watch (22 page)

“Who lives here?” Ethan asked as they pulled up to an
attractive bungalow.

“Ellen Starks, she’s expecting us,” Jeri told him, getting
out of the car.

“You realize that this is a longshot,” Ethan joined her at
the walkway.

“It’s the best idea I’ve got, at the moment. May as well
give it a try.”

“Of course, I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
Ethan rang the doorbell.

Soon, a petite blond woman opened the door, her face smiling
with welcome.

“You must be the EJB people, how lovely. Do come in.” Ellen
didn’t wait for them to confirm before she pushed open the storm door, allowing
them to enter.

“Thank you, Mrs. Starks. I’m Jeri Forbes, this is Ethan
Barnes.” Jeri made the introductions as she entered the home.

“Please, call me Ellen. Come in, come in. Sit down. I’ve
made coffee, and a bundt cake. We can have a bite, while we visit.”

Ellen led them to a chintz sofa, piled with pillows. On the
coffee table sat a tray, beautifully arranged with china, a coffee pot, and
slices of cake.

Jeri felt her stomach rumble. They’d come back to the hotel
to shower this morning, after a night of keeping watch over the Grants. 
Breakfast consisted of coffee and a power bar to go. This looked much better.

“Thank you, Ellen,” Jeri smiled at her hostess. “You
shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”

“But we’re so glad that you did,” Ethan gave Ellen one of
his drop-dead gorgeous smiles. He was already salivating at the thought of
homemade cake.

“Well, it’s nothing, really,” Ellen said, patting her hair
as she sat across from them. The man sitting on her sofa was arguably the best
looking thing she had ever seen. Shaking herself before her thoughts could take
her away, she fell back into hostess mode, offering them both a plate. “How do
you take your coffee?”

Jeri waited until the niceties were over, until they all had
steaming mugs, and empty cake plates, before launching into the reasons for
their visit. So far, Ellen had seemed content to tell them about Clevestone,
about her family, and about the church bazaar, later that day. The woman did
love to talk.

“It sounds like a lot of fun,” she smiled, placing the plate
on the table. “If this is an example of the baked goods they’ll be selling,
we’ll have to stop by.”

“Oh, you should, definitely. But something tells me that you
didn’t drop by to hear about the bazaar. What is it that I can do for you
folks?”

“Maybe nothing,” Jeri told her. “But you may be able to help
us catch a killer.”

Oh, my, how exciting!” Ellen gushed, then sobered as she
thought of the young girl they’d found in Clevestone two days ago. “Is this
about the girl who was killed? And the prostitutes?” She whispered the word
‘prostitutes.’

“Yes. More so the girl. You may have heard on the news that
two other girls who were kidnapped were found yesterday.”

“Yes, I did hear that. It’s wonderful. Were you two involved
with that?”

“Yes, we were. All three teenagers, the girl who was killed,
and the two who were rescued, bear a strong resemblance to you, when you were
in high school. That’s why we’re here.”

For the first time since inviting them into her home, Ellen
was shocked into silence. She looked at Jeri, then at Ethan, saw that they were
serious. Then she found her voice.

“You think that poor girl’s murder had something to do with
me?” Her voice was weak, barely audible.

“We’re not sure, it’s just a theory, at this point. It’s
possible that you may have known the killer, back when you were a teenager. I’d
like to show you some pictures, see if you recognize anyone.” Jeri pulled out
the enlarged photos of Graham Grant and Thomas, one current and one from back
in the day. She laid them side-by-side on the coffee table.

Ellen removed a pair of glasses from a case on the side
table. Sliding them into place, she studied the images. Jeri and Ethan remained
silent as she did so.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen these gentlemen, not once in
my life. I can pretty much tell you for sure that they didn’t attend Clevestone
High. Back then, the school only had about two hundred students, and I knew
most of them, at least by sight.”

“Thank you, Ellen. We appreciate your taking the time to meet
with us.” Jeri began stacking the photos, preparing to leave.

“Of course, it’s been my pleasure. I only wish I could have
helped you.”

“Oh, but you did,” Ethan grinned at her. “Your hospitality,
and your lemon cake, is something we’ll both remember.”

“Mmmm, aren’t you the charmer,” Ellen blushed at his
compliments.

“He speaks the truth,” Jeri told her, standing. “Thank you,
Ellen, for everything. We do appreciate your time.”

“Remember to come on by the bazaar later, if you can. It
starts at noon, and there’ll be enough baked goods there to satisfy any sweet
tooth.

“We’ll try,” Ethan promised as they walked to the door.

~~~

“Jessie, your dad’s waiting in the car, get a move on!”
Aubrey yelled up the stairs. “You’ll be late for the game.”

“Coming, Mom,” Jessie clattered down the stairs, dressed for
soccer. “See, I’m ready.”

“Did you bring a change of clothes for the bazaar?”

“Yep, jeans and a tee.”

“Did you bring a change of shoes?”

“Shoot, no. I’ll be right back.” Jessie raced back up the
stairs.

Shaking her head, Aubrey checked the contents of the duffle
bag, then nodded approvingly.

“I grabbed socks, too,” Jessie held them up proudly, before
her mother had a chance to ask.

“Good girl,” Aubrey kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry I’ll
miss the game, but I have to get to the church early, and help them set up.”

“That’s okay, Mom. You come to all of the games. You’re
allowed to miss one, every now and then. See ya!” Jessie zipped the bag, and
ran for the door.

“I wish I had half of her energy,” Aubrey said aloud, making
her way to the kitchen.

She heard the car door slam, heard Joe toot the horn quickly
in goodbye, then heard the car drive away. The house suddenly became quiet. No
kids, no television, the only noise was the tick tock of the grandfather clock,
sitting in the hallway.

Glancing at her watch, Aubrey realized that she had an hour
before she had to be at the church. A whole hour to herself, to do whatever she
liked. It was such a rarity, that she had to think of a way to spend it.

“Coffee on the porch with that book I’ve been wanting to
read,” she decided with a contented sigh. “What a luxury.”

~~~

Graham stopped at the end of his driveway, looked to the
left and to the right. He knew they must be watching him, and he had the
perfect plan to lose the tail. Turning the truck in the direction of Topeka, he
watched the rearview mirror, waiting for someone to fall in behind him.

He didn’t have to wait long.

~~~

“He’s on the move,” Monique texted Jeri. “He’s headed for
Topeka, we’ll stay with him.”

“Don’t lose him, keep us informed,” Jeri texted back.

“Right,” Monique answered. “Any luck in Clevestone?”

“Not yet, we’re on to the second on the list. Stay safe!”

“You, too.”

“The first lady was a bust, they’re going to the second,”
Monique told Chloe, after the exchange.

“Do you think he knows we’re following him? There are so few
cars on the road, and he’s not stupid.” Chloe was more focused on keeping Grant
in her sights, than on what Monique was saying.

“If he does, then he’ll know better than to do something
stupid. If he doesn’t, then we may catch him doing something stupid. It’s a
win-win.”

~~~

Graham made certain that he kept to the speed limit, and
drove like a model citizen, all the way in to the city. Once there, he turned
into a parking garage adjacent to his attorney’s office building. The garage
sat squarely on the corner of an intersection, with an entrance from each
street. It was the perfect solution to relieving himself of his shadow.

After parking the truck, he casually strolled to the
elevator, careful not to look directly at the black SUV, now parked a few rows
over.

“Such incompetent women,” he breathed, stepping into the
elevator.

~~~

“What do we do now?” Chloe asked as they watched Graham
Grant walk past the car.

“I follow him, you stay with the truck,” Monique told her as
she opened the door. “If he comes back, and I don’t, stay with him.”

“But…” Chloe started, but Monique was already halfway to the
elevator. “I thought we weren’t supposed to split up,” she finished, to
herself. Shrugging, she watched as Monique studied the numerals on top of the elevator,
before pressing the button.

~~~

Graham left the elevator on the third floor. Being Saturday,
he knew that the office building would be sparsely populated, giving him the
advantage. Not that he needed it. He was, by far, superior to the lady agents,
or whatever they were, in every way.

Exiting the elevator, he walked a short distance to the main
hallway. There, he made sure that no one was milling about, before plastering
himself against the wall.

~~~

Monique landed on the third floor only moments after Graham.
Holding the doors open with one hand, she carefully peeked out to look for
Grant. He was nowhere to be seen. But then, the elevator was set off from the
main hallway, so there was no reason for him to be standing in the alcove.

Stepping out, she listened for sounds of activity, but the
building was unusually quiet.

“It’s Saturday,” she reminded herself softly. Not as many
people at work today.

Walking swiftly to the open hallway, she stopped at the
entrance, to look both ways.

It was the last thing she remembered.

~~~

“That was too easy,” Graham chuckled as he rode the elevator
down. He’d left the woman lying on the floor, knocked out cold with one quick
punch. She’d never seen it coming.

Losing the second one would be just as simple, especially as
he didn’t look like the same man she had seen enter the elevator, only moments
before. He’d changed his shirt, and his jacket, along with adding a Stetson,
glasses, and a mustache for good measure.

When the elevator door opened, he turned left, rather than
go straight to his truck. She would not be expecting the stranger, dressed like
a cowboy, to circle around behind her.

Graham removed the knife from his pocket. Walking between
the cars, he made a wide arc to the back of the SUV. The parking lot served
many of the downtown stores, so there were enough cars to camouflage his route.

Once he reached the cars parked two rows over from the SUV,
he crouched down and made his way to the large, black car.

~~~

Chloe checked her watch and noted that Monique had only been
gone for eight minutes. Feeling a tickle on the back of her neck, she quickly
checked the mirrors in the car, but saw nothing. The only person to exit the
elevator a moment ago had already disappeared.

“Somebody must be walking over my grave,” she said aloud,
repeating a phrase she’d heard all of her life.

~~~

Graham eased the knife into the rear tire, then gradually
drew it upward. Repeating the action on the second back tire, he folded the
knife, then duck-walked his way out of the woman’s line of sight.

Once he was well away, he stood into a crouch, then worked
his way to the passenger side of his truck. By the time the ridiculous woman
realized that his truck was moving, she would have no way to chase him.

~~~

Watching the elevator intently, Chloe was surprised to hear
an engine start, to her right. Glancing quickly at the truck, she saw the man
in the Stetson back Grant’s truck out of the parking space, then drive swiftly
away.

“Crap,” she started the car, shifting it into gear before
she remembered Monique. “She told me to stay with him,” Chloe said between
gritted teeth as she drove while reaching for her phone. She’d only gotten a
few feet before realizing that the back end of the car was riding low.

“He didn’t,” she said, shoving the car into park, then jumping
out. But he did. Both back tires were sinking fast, making it impossible for
her to follow Grant.

“Dammit!” Jumping back into the cab, she reached for her
phone. She had to find Monique.

The phone rang until it went to voicemail, telling Chloe
that Monique was not on a call, nor was she able to answer. Racing for the
elevator, she dialed Jeri.

“He got away,” she said quickly, as soon as she heard Jeri’s
voice. “Monique followed him into an office building while I stayed with the
truck. A few minutes later, a man dressed like a cowboy came out. It must have
been Grant, because he managed to slash both back tires of the SUV. I saw him
drive away in Grant’s truck, not two minutes ago.” She was out of breath by the
time she finished.

“Where’s Monique?” Jeri asked sharply.

“Somewhere in the building. She’s not answering her phone.
I’m looking for her now.” Chloe pressed the button marked ‘One’. She had no
idea which floor Monique had gotten off on.

“Find her. Call me when you do.”

Graham tossed the Stetson onto the seat beside him, ripped
off the fake mustache, threw his head back, and laughed.

That had actually been fun.

Now he could focus on his true objective, capturing his
beloved, Aubrey. In a few hours, she would be his. And there was nothing that
anyone could do about it.

He drove the truck straight to the same dealer he’d
purchased it from, only a few months ago. He had pre-ordered the newest model,
a green one this time, not red like the one he drove.