Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (15 page)

As I carried my empty glass to the kitchen sink, a loud knocking on the glass of my sliding door startled me. Cautiously, I pulled back the curtain to find Chloe standing there shivering and wide-eyed. Unlocking the door, I quickly pushed it open and ushered her inside. “What’s happened? Are you okay?”

“Yeah...I’m okay now.” Her small frame shook. “He came to the house...but I got away before he saw me.”

Dread tightened my stomach. “Who came?”

“The cop! He was there at the house!”

“What? Where’s Holly? Is she all right?” My heart pounded with fear that something bad had happened to her.

“She left...the school called. She said she’d be right back, but I got nervous...and then...” She swallowed, and her eyes filled with tears.

“It’s okay,” I said, rubbing her arms. “You’re safe now. Come in and sit down, and start from the beginning.” I grabbed a blanket off my chair and wrapped it around her, then ushered her into the living room and got her comfortable on the couch. I got some tissues out of the box and handed them to her and waited while she blew her nose. “Better?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “Thanks.” She took a moment to compose herself and began. “Holly got a call from the school asking her to come. I don’t know why, but it sounded like an emergency.

“I watched her drive off and, as soon as she left, a man got out of a car that was parked down the street. His jacket collar was up around his neck, and he kept his face down, but when he looked toward the house...I knew it was the cop. I got a better look at him this time, so I know for sure which cop it is.”

“That’s good,” I said. “So what happened?”

“I had all the doors bolted, but I was afraid if he broke through a window or something, I was a sitting duck, so I watched him to see where he’d go. He came right up to the front door and rang the bell!”

“What?” I exclaimed. “Did he think he could just waltz in and grab you?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I didn’t wait around to find out. I ran out the back door and climbed the fence. Then I went through the neighbor’s yard to your street and made my way around to your backyard. I don’t think he ever saw me.”

“Oh Chloe! I’m so sorry that happened. But you did great. Leaving like that was really smart. I think I’ve still got that book around here somewhere. Do you mind taking a look at the pictures again and showing me which one it is?”

She nodded, and I ran to the office to get it, grateful I hadn’t turned it back into the chief. I grabbed it and hurried back to Chloe. I’d marked the page with Pete’s photo and pulled it open. “Here’s the first one. What do you think?”

Chloe glanced at the photo and nodded. “Yes...that’s him.” She swallowed and closed her eyes. “I’m sure it was him this time.”

“That’s a huge help. Now we can stop him.” I closed the book and set it aside. “I should probably call Holly first and tell her you’re here, or she’ll freak out when she gets home.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Um...is it okay if I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, go on upstairs and use Savannah’s.” I pulled my phone out, but before I could call Holly, it started ringing. I expected to see Holly’s picture, but the number wasn’t readily familiar.

“Hello?”

“Shelby, this is Pete. I got your message, and I think we need to talk.”

My heart started to race, and I could barely get my mouth to work. “Um...yeah...okay. When?”

“Are you at home?” he asked. “I’m not too far away. I could stop by your house.”

“Oh...uh...not at the moment,” I said, my stomach clenching with alarm. “I’m...at the hospital visiting a friend, but I could meet you. In fact...there’s a diner right across the street. How about that? Say...in about twenty minutes to half an hour?”

He sighed, pausing to think about it. “Yeah...okay. What’s the name of the place?”

“Uh...the Dragon Diner...just on thirteenth and forty-fifth.”

“Right...I know the place,” he said. “Okay. I’ll meet you there. See you soon.”

We disconnected, and I took a deep breath. What had I just done? Was this a trap? Was he watching my house? Was he really the bad guy? I had my doubts before he’d showed up at Holly’s, but now I didn’t know what to expect. I glanced up and down the street from my living room window, but there wasn’t any sign of a strange car that I could see. Still, I locked all the doors just in case.

Meeting him was taking a risk, but it would help me know what was going on. As long as Chloe was safe, it should work. Besides, it was a public place. Nothing would happen to me, and I needed to find out what he was thinking. This might be my only chance.

My phone rang again. This time it was Holly.

“Chloe’s gone!” she shouted. “I had to leave for a minute and she’s not here!”

“Stop! It’s okay. She’s here at my house and she’s fine. I was just going to call you, but you beat me to it. Listen, she went out your back door and climbed the fence, then went through the block to my house. So nothing’s wrong. She’s fine.”

Holly made some strangled choking sounds before she got under control. “What the hell! Why did she do that?”

“Someone came to the door and it scared her, so she ran.” I didn’t want to freak her out too much, so I tried to break it to her slow. “Uh...it might have been the cop. Look...I think she should stay here for a bit just in case. Is that okay?”

“What? Oh my gosh! Really? It was him?”

“I think so...but I have a plan. What happened anyway?”

“Oh no,” she groaned. “This is bad. He must have found out she was here. How did that happen? Who could have told him? This is terrible.”

“Holly...what happened? Why did you leave?”

“Now it all makes sense,” she continued. “I got a phone call from the principal at the school saying Isabell had been hurt and I should come and take a look. When I got to the school, the secretary said she didn’t know anything about it. The principal had left for the day, which seemed a little strange, so we checked with the teacher to see if Isabell was okay.

“I guess she had scraped her knee on the playground, so they thought the principal must have called me before he left. I didn’t think anything of it until I got home and realized Chloe wasn’t here.” She took a few deep breaths, clearly struggling with the situation. “What’s going on? Should we call the police?”

“I’ll call Dimples and let him know,” I said, checking the time. “Josh should be home from school anytime now, so he can keep Chloe company while I...um...check something out.”

“Should I call Scott and Kira and tell them what happened?”

“No. I don’t want anyone to know until I’ve talked with Dimples. Someone leaked her location, and I want to find out who it was before we tell anyone where she is now. Okay?”

“Sure,” she said, subdued. “What are you checking out?”

Dang! I was hoping she’d forgotten that part. “Uh...I’ll explain it all later...oh...there’s Josh now. I’ll call you back.” I disconnected, cringing a little that I’d cut her off, but at least the carpool had just dropped Josh off, so I hadn’t told a lie. Besides, she’d probably want to go with me, and that wasn’t an option. I quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open.

“Hey mom,” Josh said, surprised I’d opened the door for him. “Sup?”

His happy nature, and the fact that he was so darn cute, always brought a smile to my face. “Well...there is something… Chloe’s here. Can you keep her company for a while? I have to meet someone, and I don’t want to leave her here alone.”

“Sure,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal, even though I knew he was pleased. “Why is she here?”

I took a deep breath and told him the truth. “The cop came by Holly’s house to pay her a visit, but she ran out the back door and climbed the fence.”

“Whoa! That’s sick.”

“Yeah...she’s pretty smart.” I hoped that was what he’d meant.

Chloe came into the kitchen, timing her entrance perfectly. She’d freshened up in Savannah’s bathroom and even borrowed a little make-up. The haunted look was gone from her eyes, especially when she glanced at Josh. Did I really want to leave those two alone? Nah. They’d be fine. Especially since Savannah would be arriving soon. Plus, they were still a little awkward around each other, so it was all good.

“Okay...well. I’ll be back soon. Keep the doors locked...and don’t let anyone in except for Savannah. Call me if something comes up, okay?”

“Sure,” Josh said.

I grabbed my purse and got in my car, hoping I wasn’t making a big mistake by leaving them alone at the house. I pulled to the end of the driveway, looking both ways for any sign of an unfamiliar car. I couldn’t see anything, but I decided to drive around the block just to make sure.

Passing my house a second time reassured me that everything was okay, so I began the drive to the hospital. The closer I got to the diner, the more my stomach hurt, and I worried that I might be giving myself ulcers. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Finally arriving, I pulled into the parking lot and tried to get my nerves under control, checking my purse to make sure my stun flashlight was handy.

With no reason left to stall, I got out and hurried inside the diner. A quick glance let me know Pete wasn’t there yet, and my shoulders sagged in relief. It was late afternoon, so the place was nearly empty, and I had my choice of spots. Naturally, I chose the booth in the far corner where I could watch for Pete.

The waitress brought a menu and some water. I sipped it while I waited, and tried not to fidget too much. After ten minutes, I called home. Josh answered and said they were fine, so I tried not to worry. The waitress came back and, since I hadn’t eaten lunch, I ordered some wontons and a diet soda. I checked my watch and calculated that it had been about thirty minutes since my chat with Pete, so there was still time for him to make it.

I called home again, this time to Savannah’s cell. She assured me they were fine and, from her voice, I could tell she thought I was going overboard with the phone calls. With no sign of Pete, I called his cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail, so I left a message that I was at the diner waiting for him.

Twenty long minutes later, I called Josh again.

“Mom...we’re fine. You don’t have to keep calling.”

“Okay...good. Um...you’d tell me if that cop was there, right? You’d say something like ‘pick up a pizza’...if he was there, right?”

“Mom...he’s not here. It’s just me, Chloe and Savannah. You don’t have to pick up a pizza...but...I wouldn’t complain if you wanted to anyway.”

I sighed. “So he’s not there?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Yes he’s there?” I squeaked.

“No! Yes he’s not here...that was your question...you asked if he was not here.”

“Okay, okay...I get it...Sorry...I’m just feeling a little paranoid. I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay. Don’t forget the pizza!” he chuckled.

Shaking my head, I disconnected and tried Pete again, but with no answer from his cell, it was time to call Dimples and let him know what was going on.

“Hey Shelby, what’s up?” he asked. Before I could answer, I heard someone in the background say my name. “Uh...Billie says hello. I’m at the hospital visiting for a minute.”

“Oh...that’s great. I’m not far. Is it okay if I swing by?”

“Sure,” he said.

I paid for my food and drove across the street to the hospital, wondering why Pete hadn’t shown up. Had he changed his mind, or had something happened to him? From the sound of his voice, I thought for sure he was anxious to talk to me, so it made no sense that he wouldn’t show up.

Unless he was luring me away like he did Holly, but every time I’d called home, Josh had assured me they were fine, and I knew from our last conversation that he was telling the truth. Something must have happened to change his mind. Maybe Dimples would know what it was.

I knocked on Billie’s door, and then pushed it open. Billie smiled a greeting. Her cheeks were flushed with color, and she looked even better than she had this morning. But the fact that Dimples stood next to her, holding her hand, made it easy to understand why.

“Hey Shelby,” Billie drawled. “Twice in one day. I’m honored.” She knew I was there to talk to Dimples and had decided to tease me about it.

“This is perfect timing since I have something to tell you both.” That caught her by surprise. “I had a little chat with your intern. He’s the one who took the thumb-drive from your desk...and you’ll never guess who he gave it to.”

“Who?” she asked.

“Anthony Kerby, an assistant state’s attorney under Grayson Sharp.”

“Son of a gun!” she exclaimed. “But...wait. I don’t remember telling you about the intern.”

“Yes, you did,” I said, realizing my mistake. “You were pretty out of it though, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember.”

“Yeah, that must be it. So what happened?”

I quickly described my interview with the intern and ended by giving Dimples the copy of the thumb-drive I’d made.

“Don’t worry,” I assured Billie. “I still have your copy.”

“I certainly hope so,” she said, then glanced at Dimples. “So what are you going to do now?”

“My job.” His gaze caught mine. “Do you think Anthony is behind the attack on Billie?”