Deadly Communications (9 page)

“I’m not sure, but it appears she was scared about something. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Sandra wiped away tears. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“I need you to tell me the truth. Why did you really have me stop seeing Ella?”

Sandra was silent for a moment. “Because she was going to the resort. We already explained that to you. It wasn’t personal. She wanted to regain her strength and her endurance. We thought this would be a great way to do that.”

“That doesn’t explain why I wasn’t allowed to see her before she left.”

With her gaze still focused on her lap, Sandra shook her head. “It wasn’t like that. We were busy, we just never found the right time.”

“It sure seemed that way to me. Every time I called, she was unavailable. I know she was home one of the times I was told she was out shopping with you.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Sandra repeated, her voice barely a whisper.

“I think it was just like that. Why didn’t you want her to see me?” Maven’s temper rose. Ella’s mother was hiding something. “Sandra, what’s going on? Is Ella in danger?”

Sandra looked up. “Of course not. Nothing is going on. Really.” The words were right; the tone was wrong.

Maven didn’t believe Sandra for a moment. She stood. “I think Ella’s in trouble and you know more than you’re saying. If you can live with that, then so be it. I can’t live with it. I’m going to find out what’s going on with or without your help.”

Sandra’s tears turned into sobs.

Maven found her way out of the house. At the door, she heard a rustle. When she turned towards the noise, the foyer was empty. A chill went up her spine.

21

Maven walked into her condo, exhausted from her day’s travel and the confrontation with Sandra Decker. She dumped her purse on the table and then wheeled her luggage into her bedroom. That was as much unpacking as she was doing. It could wait until the next day. Donning pajamas, she fell into bed.



Maven’s eye flew open. Her heart was rapid-firing, but she wasn’t sure why. It must have been a nightmare.

No. Someone was walking…in her house…

Struggling to keep calm, she listened. She must be imagining things. Nobody would break into her house. There was nothing worth stealing.

A loud
thunk
sounded as something fell. A low curse was muttered. Someone was definitely inside.

Her mind froze. She took several deep breaths. Her cell phone was in her purse in the living room. Why had she cancelled her land line? Quietly, she slid out of bed and to the floor. They wouldn’t expect her to be on the floor, would they?

Maybe she should try to crawl out the window and get to Paul’s. He had a gun, and he knew how to use it, but the window seemed a mile away.

She didn’t want someone killed over anything she owned. Let them take whatever they wanted and leave. As long as they left her alone, she didn’t care.

Another bump and a soft curse. Whoever was out there edged closer than before.

Maybe she should confront the thief? Her stomach quaked at the possibility. Instead, she rolled under her bed. She prayed and waited in the dark.

The footsteps came into her bedroom.

Maven’s eyes had adjusted to the dark. The person stood just inside the doorway. He moved closer to the bed. She held her breath. Any moment he would bend over and find her.

Maven prayed.

His hand thumped on the mattress above her head. He was searching for her.

Please God, don’t let him find me. I don’t want to die. Please, God.

“Look, I know you’re somewhere around here.” The voice was low and guttural. Certainly, not his normal voice. “Mind your own business and you get to keep breathing.” He paused. “Don’t move a muscle for the next fifteen minutes, or you’ll regret it.”

Maven was good at recognizing voices, a by-product of being a speech pathologist for so long, but a whisper was hard to recognize—almost impossible. She needed to see his face, but she couldn’t move—she could barely breathe.

He thumped the mattress again. “I mean it. Mind your own business and don’t move.”

22

“Why are you on my doorstep in the middle of the night in your pajamas?” Paul looked like he’d hastily dressed, his T-shirt was askew and he was still pulling on it.

“Someone just broke into my house.” Her teeth chattered and her body shook. She told herself it was from the cold—not the terror.

“Get in here.” Paul’s reaction was everything she desired, instant and with a calm that soothed her fear. “It’s freezing, and it’s not safe if the person is still out there somewhere.” His arms went around her.

Maven could breathe again.

Paul would keep her safe.

“It’s OK. The man left. Or at least I think he did.”

He moved back to look at her, his arms still on her shoulders. “Are you hurt? What did they do to you? I didn’t hear anything.”

“I’m fine, Paul. I—I decided to wake you up instead of calling 911.”

“I would hope so. Why didn’t you start yelling?”

“I was terrified. You—you’re always telling me not to confront bad guys. W—w—wait for the cops. So I hid under my bed and waited until I was sure they were gone.”

He picked up the receiver of his landline. “Good. How long ago did they leave?”

“I’m not sure. I’d say at least ten minutes ago. M—

m—maybe longer.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Nodding, she wished she was back in his arms. Those few seconds had made her feel safe and…she shook the word away. Just safe. Paul was her friend. Nothing more.

“Stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I assess the situation.”

“D—d—don’t go.”

“I’ll be fine, Maven. You said the person left.”

“Shouldn’t you wait for the police?”

“I am the police.” He pulled his gun from his back waistband.

“You—you sleep with your gun? Her voice rose in a squeak.

“No, it’s in a drawer next to the bed. When you knocked, I had no idea who it could be.”

The gun made everything real. Her body started to shake once again. She had to fight telling him not to go. Instead, she sat down on the couch.

A few minutes later, sirens approached.

Sometime later, Paul walked back into his house.

She fought the urge to hug him. What was wrong with her? He was just a friend…a good friend.

“Looks like they stole your computer, TV, and sound system. Probably a few other items, but you’ll need to check it out yourself. You can file a complete report tomorrow. For now, they’re dusting for prints. It will take a few more minutes, and then they’ll leave. They’ll want to talk to you, make sure of what was stolen.”

“They can take as long as they want. I won’t be sleeping anymore tonight.”

“They’ll notify the local pawn shops, but chances are, you won’t get your stuff back. Sorry, but you can file an insurance claim.”

“Doesn’t matter. This wasn’t about a robbery, anyway. It was about Ella Decker.”

“Ella Decker? Why would you say that?”

She explained where she’d been the past few days and why. “And Ella Decker is missing.”

“I can’t believe you did all that. I had no idea you were even out of town. Some detective I am. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”

“I was afraid I was being foolish and that I was overreacting.”

His brows rose. “And were you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Why do you think the robbery is about Ella?”

“Because he told me to mind my own business. What else could he be talking about?”

“If that was the case, they wouldn’t have risked stealing anything. It would only have given you more time to call the police. And for them to get caught. “

“Well, I don’t know why, but…”

“Plus, now they have your things, which would be evidence connecting them to you and the break-in. What were his exact words?”

“Mind your own business, and you get to keep breathing. Stay there and don’t move a muscle.”

Paul thought for a moment. “Sounds like a warning to me. He wanted to keep you under the bed long enough to get away. I don’t see how you can link him to Ella without him saying her name.”

“You think it was a coincidence that this happened right after I came back from Arizona and went over to the Deckers?” Her mind flashed back to the foyer. She’d thought someone else was there with them. Not just Sandra.

“You have no proof otherwise.”

“You didn’t see Sandra Decker tonight. She was hiding something. I know it.”

“The police want to talk with you. I don’t think it’s a good idea to mention the Deckers, and Ella being missing.”

“Why?”

“It will only complicate matters.”

“Complicate matters? What do you mean?”

Paul sighed. “I know you’re worried about Ella, but you can’t accuse the Deckers of being involved in her disappearance. She’s their—”

The door opened and a uniformed officer walked in. “Mrs. Morris?”

Maven nodded.

“I’m so sorry about this. We took some fingerprints. Are there any persons who come here often that we can eliminate, besides yourself?”

“Well, Paul, for one.”

“We have his on file. Anyone else?”

“Just my friend, Lizzie.” Maven gave him Lizzie’s information.

“Have her come to the station sometime tomorrow. If they left prints, then we might be able to identify them. If they didn’t, then chances are, we won’t.” He shrugged and gave her a grin. “Sorry, that’s just the way it is. We’ll notify the pawn shops in case the stolen property shows up there.”

“Thanks.”

“Not a problem. It’s our job. I’m just sorry it happened.”

Remembering the terror as she hid under the bed, Maven nodded. “So am I.”

23

“Can’t you see this is connected to Ella Decker and her disappearance?” Maven asked Paul after the others had left.

“If I thought there was a connection I’d check it out. I’m not a psychologist, but I think you’re grasping at straws to make this about Ella so you don’t have to think about the fact someone invaded your house. It might feel safer to think it’s about the girl.”

“What about the fact she’s missing? Doesn’t that worry you?”

“She’s twenty-one and has been under her parents’ watchful eyes since the accident. She’s probably letting off some steam. There’s no reason to assume foul play.”

“Something’s not right with the situation. I know it.”

“What I know is that I have to go to work in a few hours. A little more sleep would be a good thing. Want to sleep over here? The bed’s already made up in the guest room.”

Her face warmed as she thought about Paul and bed. “No. Might as well face it now. Or else you might have me as a permanent house guest.”

“That wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

Refusing to acknowledge the innuendo, she joked, “You say that now, but you wouldn’t say it after a few weeks. I’m a slob.”

“Let me walk you back over to your place.”

Her heart rate increased as they walked into her condo. Feeling unsafe and vulnerable was unusual for her. Even when Ken died, it hadn’t bothered her to live alone. She’d always felt safe—until now.

“Lock up.” Paul stepped out and closed her door.

Maven twisted the lock and threw the deadbolt.

“Good night, Maven.” His voice was soft as he waited, and then his footsteps moved away.

There was no way she would sleep any more that night. She went to her luggage and pulled out her electronic tablet. The thief had taken her desktop computer. She googled Ella once again, looking for anything she might have missed before. As she checked out the local Charlottesville newspaper, another article caught her eye. A few days after Ella’s accident, a body was found in the local dump.

There was nothing to connect the body to Ella. For the murder to happen the same week as Ella’s accident didn’t seem coincidental. The murder victim turned out to be a college student at UVA as well, but further investigation showed he was also a drug dealer, due to paraphernalia found in his home.

Ella involved with a drug dealer?

Of course, Maven only knew the post-accident Ella, but the girl had been an excellent athlete and an above-average student. Having a little fun was one thing but jeopardizing her dream of the Olympics was another. Ella being involved in drugs seemed unlikely.

Eventually, Maven’s mind slowed down and tiredness seeped in. She slouched down on the sofa to rest.

A knock woke her up.

She peeked through the window. Lizzie. She opened the door.

Lizzie threw her arms around Maven and hugged her. “Oh, my goodness. Are you OK?”

“How did you find out what happened?”

“Paul called me. He said you were still sleeping, so I waited a while, and then I came straight over here to make sure you’re OK. You must have been terrified.”

Maven stepped out of Lizzie’s embrace. “Get in here before we both freeze to death.”

Lizzie took off her coat. “I guess you were still sleeping. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Not a problem. What time is it anyway?”

“A few minutes after ten.”

“I can’t believe that, I slept long. Of course, it took me hours to get back to sleep.”

“I’m sure. It must have been terrifying.”

“It was. I wonder how Paul knew I was still sleeping.”

“Probably peeked in the window.”

Her gaze went to the closed curtains. “Well, I did give him a key awhile back.”

“Oh, really.” Lizzie grinned.

Remembering last night and how safe she’d felt in Paul’s arms, she smiled for a moment and then frowned at Lizzie. “We exchanged keys for emergency purposes only.”

“If you say so.” Lizzie gave her a smile that said she didn’t believe a word. “Why don’t you take a shower and get dressed and I’ll cook you breakfast.”

“Sounds like a plan. Then I can tell you what’s going on with Ella.”

“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that in all the other excitement. What did you find out on your trip?”

“After my shower.”