Deadly Neighbors (18 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

“What happened to your hair?” Mom
glanced up from where she sat watching a movie. “When did you have time to get it cut? And whoever you hired needs to be fired.”

“I didn’t
go to have it cut.” I plunked my purse on the coffee table. “The Corner Store was held up. I got my hair stuck in a rack of chips, and when I couldn’t move when the burglar wanted me to, he cut me free.”

Leroy laughed so hard, tears sprang to his eyes. “A robber with a conscience. I would’ve loved to have seen that.”

The big doofus! Maybe I wouldn’t let him marry my mom after all. “I don’t see anything funny about losing my hair. I probably look like a poodle!”

Duane wrapped his arms around me from behind. “I like it. Makes her look sassy.
Now her hair matches her personality.”

Cleo bounded down the hall and planted her front feet on my chest. She stared into my eyes as if checking to see whether I was really me. She gave a huff, and apparently satisfied, padded to lie down by the window.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” I wiggled free from Duane’s hold and shuffled down the hall. Once inside the guest restroom, I stared into the mirror. The new do, shorter in some places than others, made me look younger as the tighter curls framed my face and highlighted my eyes. A visit to the beauty parlor would fix the unevenness. I did like it, and since Duane agreed, almost everything was right with my world again.

Cleo barked from the front room. The click of her nails against the wood floor as she dashed to the backdoor
compelled me to follow. She scratched and whined until I let her out. I followed with Duane close on my heels.

“Cleo, what is it
, girl?” I sprinted after her as she made a beeline toward my new home. She growled and disappeared into the trees. I skidded to a halt. Running into the woods at night without a flashlight wasn’t wise; especially with my habit of getting into trouble. “Cleo, come!” She responded with a bark and stayed out of sight. As I turned to leave, a flash of white caught my eye.

Tacked to the front door of the former guest house was a sheet of copy paper. I climbed the stairs and pulled it free from its tack.

Stop trying to figure out what’s going on in
River Valley. Cutting your hair was minor compared to what can happen. Look at Kyle Anderson.

Ice water ran through my veins. I’d faced a murderer today; someone who was prepared to kill again. And they had their eye on me.

Duane caught me as my knees buckled
, and he lowered me to the top step before taking the warning from me. “We need to call Bruce. He’s going to be mad that we took the note off the door.”

Was calling Bruce
the answer to everything? Handling this on our own had merit. Seeing that man more than once a day was my equivalent of torture, but then, again, I’d been threatened. Something I most likely couldn’t handle alone.

I nodded. At least the note might re
move some of the suspicion off Lindsey. “Cleo went into the woods after whoever left this. I need to find her.”

“Oh, no, you don’t. They have a gun and already admitted to one murder.”

“I must be getting close to figuring this out if the person responsible has resorted to leaving notes.” If only I knew what the thief thought I did.

“And now you’re finished.” Duane grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. “No more sleuthing for you.”

“You promised to help me.”

“That was before your life was threatened.”

I couldn’t stop now. Not when I was so close. The thief thought I knew something and wouldn’t stop now unless my investigating halted permanently. Caution was the key here. I needed time to sit and process the last two weeks. Something lurked in the murky recesses of my mind. I just needed to dig it up.

One look
at Duane’s stern face told me I’d have to do so without his knowledge. The thought sent a stab of pain through my gut. Going against his wishes left a sour taste in my mouth. But, I needed to find this threat of a person before they confronted me. Or worse, I found myself with a hammer in the back of my head.

Before we entered the house, Duane turned me to face him. His gaze bore into mine. “I know what you’re thinking, and I realize you’re going to do what you want to. But do my wishes count in this
at all?”

“Of course they do, but I’ve started something I have to finish.
” I beseeched him with my eyes, pleading for him to understand. “That person could’ve killed me today, and chose not to. I don’t think they feel
that
threatened by me.” I hoped. Halting me under the pretense of armed robbery would’ve made murdering me easy. Deep down, I didn’t feel the person really wanted me dead. Just out of their business.

Duane sighed and ran his hands through his hair
. The strands stood up like the blond tail feathers of a chicken. He’d never looked cuter. “Okay. Please promise me you won’t go anywhere without someone knowing where you are at all times. Keep your phone and your Tazer with you. Always.”

“That I can promise.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my cheek on his chest. His heart beat a steady rhythm
. A reassuring thump thump that helped keep me cemented to Planet Earth.

He
returned my hug and squeezed. “As much as I’d like to stay this way, it’s time to make that phone call.”

I frowned. “You’re right.”

We walked to the main house. While Duane placed the call, I strolled to the living room and handed the note to my mother. She fished her reading glasses from the end table and perched them on her nose. Her eyes widened as she read. “Where did you get this?”

“Tacked to the door of my
house.” I plopped on the sofa next to her. “Duane is calling Bruce.”

“That little man might as well move in here.” She tossed the note toward the coffee table. It missed and fluttered to the floral area rug
like a wounded moth. “This has got to end. We should put a notice in the paper or something. Flush this character out.”

“Setting a trap might not be a bad idea.” I crossed my ankles on the table.
“They’re very interested in me. All I’d have to do was stand in the middle of the road with a ‘come and get me’ sign around my neck.”

“It’s a horrible idea.” Duane squeezed in between Mom
and me. “You aren’t the police. Leave it alone.”

“Party pooper.”

“Nope. Just trying to keep the woman I love alive.”

“I’m thinking the
women might be onto something, Duane.” Leroy’s feet clunked the floor. “Except, I’ll be the bait. I’ll spread it around town that I’ve made a withdrawal for repairs around the house. I’m an old man. Folks won’t think anything odd about it. Look at Melvin. He kept his money in a shoebox.”

“I don’t want you in harm’s way.” Mom leaned forward and patted his arm.
“And fifty-five isn’t old.”

“But it’s okay for a couple of women?”

“Don’t get your dander up, Leroy. Watch your blood pressure.”

“It’s a bad idea all around.” Duane laid his arm around my shoulder. “Let the police handle it.”

“Are you afraid, son?” Leroy peered at Duane over the rim of his glasses.

“Not for me.” Duane returned the stare.
“If y’all want to set a trap, I’ll set it.” You could almost smell the testosterone.

“Good grief. You two roosters stop prancing around the living room before someone gets clawed. We won’t set up a sting.”
No matter how much fun it sounded. I rose. “We’ll keep going along with our little lives and let Lindsey keep getting blamed for anything that goes wrong in this town.” With a tilt of my chin, I stormed into the kitchen.

Life had dealt me bad hands before. This was mild, comparatively. So, what had my bloomers in a wad? I planted my hands flat on the kitchen counter and stared into the deepening dusk toward my cozy little house. Where was Cleo? Please, Lord, don’t let her be hurt.

“Marsha? Bruce is here.” Mom’s voice rang from the front room, disrupting my thoughts. “Make some coffee.”

I shook my head and reached to fill the pot. One of my friends
, or close acquaintances, was a thief and murderer. The realization churned the acid in my stomach. Someone in a peaceful, country town had committed the unthinkable.

Sure, we’ve had our share of deaths. Hunting accidents
or drownings, mostly. And that one husband who killed his wife in a jealous rage. But that was years ago. Evil didn’t have a handhold here. A few trains had run over cars until they installed the new guard over the tracks. We had the occasional drunken driver. All in all, life drifted along in peaceful tranquility. What could make someone kill in order to steal? What could they want so badly? I couldn’t imagine resorting to murder for money or for anything, actually.

There were other ways of getting what you want. If you need cash, get a job. If you insist on taking something that isn’t yours, you don’t have to take a life in order to get it.

I measured out the coffee grounds and started the java brewing. As soon as the aroma wafted from the pot, the others drifted into the kitchen. To my relief, Cleo scratched at the door. I let her in, taking a moment to scratch under her chin. “Did you catch that nasty person? No? Well, better luck next time, you ferocious beast. Don’t take off like that again. You had me worried.”

Bruce was the first to drop his skinny body into a chair. He shook his head at me. “A record in this town, Marsha. Twice in one day. Remarkable.
You would probably qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records. I’ll send a photographer over tomorrow to take your picture.”

“Ha ha.” I handed everyone a mug.

“Duane gave me the note.” Bruce leaned back on the chair’s hind legs and folded his arms. “Leave it where you find it next time. Now your finger prints are all over it. I don’t think anyone is playing games here.”

“Really? I thought after Kyle’s death and all the robberies, that we were having a party.” How did the man ever get a badge?
“You really think it’ll happen again?”

“Your store was robbed twice.
” Bruce held up two fingers. “Then we have Sharon’s necklace, Melvin’s money, Harvey’s wallet, those Chihuahua pups, and the women ministry’s money.” He put down his fingers to accept the cup of coffee then banged all four chair legs back to the floor. “Now, the convenience store. I have to admit, I don’t think your daughter is guilty of these crimes. Not anymore.”

“Well, thank you very much.”

Duane gave me a ‘cut-it-out’ look.

I pulled up the only vacant chair. “Half of the crimes took place with the victim not recalling what happened
during the time the stealing took place. How is that possible?”

“Drugs.” Mom slapped the table. “It’s always drugs.
Just watch any crime drama.”

“Don’t jump to any conclusions, Marsha,” Bruce said. “There’s a reasonable explanation for all this. We haven’t figured it out yet.”

“You’re running out of time. Somebody else will die, I just know it.” And I didn’t want it to be me.

Chapter Thirty-Five

I tossed and turned. Grit coated the back of my eyelids. Instead of sleep, visions of my day flicked across my mind like the words of a stuck phonograph. Over and over I saw the burglar, the words of the note, and piles of money. How much was the stolen total anyway? A few hundred here and there, but it all added up, and in today’s economy, who didn’t need cash? But desperate enough to steal? It was hard to imagine anyone I knew stooping to such lengths.

Lindsey’s voice drifted through the wall as she talked on the phone. I glanced at the clock. Midnight. Ugh! I wrapped
the pillow around my head to block her conversation and Cleo’s snores out of my head. How many times had I told her no phone calls after nine o’clock on week nights?

“Lindsey, enough!”

I removed the pillow to blessed silence. Thank you, Lord. Mom always told me a sure fire way to get to sleep was to pray for other people. Where did I start? With thanking God no one had been harmed in the day’s robbery. Then I prayed for Melvin and his heartbreak. For Marilyn and Stephanie’s dreams, for Mom and Leroy’s future happiness, for Karen Anderson. Surely the day’s events would help clear her name. For. . .

“Mom?”

My eyes popped open from my short slumber to peer through the dark at Lindsey’s wide eyes. “What?”

“Shhh.” Her gaze darted to the window. “Someone’s outside.”

I sat up and took another look at the clock. Two a.m. Cleo growled deep in her throat, her paws on the windowsill. Had the thief returned? Flinging off the sheet, I stood, the wood floor cool on my bare feet.

“Get behind me.” I searched the dark for a weapon. Idiot! I’d left my purse on the kitchen table, along with my Tazer. A quick check of the bedroom phone revealed silence
on the other end.

“Does the phone in your room work?”

“No. It cut off while I was talking to Billy.”

“What could you possibly have to talk about this late?” I rolled my eyes. Teenagers.

“Mom, I’m scared.” Lindsey clutched my arm.

So was I. But a mother must be brave for her child. I straightened my shoulders. “Stay beside me. We’ll make a run for the big house.”

“Are you crazy? They might have a gun.” Lindsey’s nails dug into my flesh.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“We could hide in the closet. If they don’t find anything, they’ll leave.”

Cleo let out a sharp bark
. Lindsey and I screamed. If our visitor didn’t know we were awake before, they did now.

“Let the dog out. She’ll scare them away.”

“Or get shot.” I didn’t want that to happen. My furry friend was important to me.

“Why’d you buy her then?”

I shrugged. “Protection. I feel safer with her by us.”

Cleo’s barks increased in intensity
, and she clawed at the window. I turned. Eyes shone by the moon’s glow as someone peered in at us. My heart leaped into my throat, and I choked back a shriek. The intruder tapped the window with the barrel of a pistol. Last time, I’d been tangled in the phone cord. Not this time.

Lindsey’s sobs spurred me to action. I shoved her through the bathroom door. “Lock it!”

“Mom.”

“Now.” I grabbed Cleo’s collar in one hand and the base of my crystal lamp with the other. Not much of a shield against a bullet, but
the action raised my confidence. “Come, Cleo.” I pulled her from the room and into the kitchen where I traded my ridiculous weapon for the Tazer.

“Okay, girl. I’m going to open the door
, and you rush out. Be ferocious, put the fear of God into that intruder, and don’t get shot, please.” I shoved the door open and flattened myself against the wall to peer through the window. Cleo burst outside, her barks strident in the night.

Lights flicked on in Mom’s house. Her silhouette
showed dark against the glow from her kitchen. “Cleo! Stop that racket.”

“Mom, call the police!” Please let her hear me. “There’s an intruder.”

Cleo yelped, then her barks turned to a high pitched yip. She needed me. I bolted through the open door, finger on the trigger of my Tazer. Dew coated my feet as I raced around the corner of the house, my nightgown flapping around my legs. The light from the bathroom where Lindsey hid highlighted a narrow swatch in the yard. Cleo stared into the trees bordering the property; the hair on her neck bristled. Mom joined me. The moon’s rays glinted off the butcher knife in her hand. “What do you plan on doing with that?”

“Defend myself. Who is it?”

“I don’t know. They stared through my bedroom window.”

“Pervert.”
Mom raised her knife and clutched the neckline of her robe closer around her throat. “Isn’t the first Peeping Tom we’ve had in this town.”

“It’s not a Peeping Tom.”
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. “I was sleeping, not getting dressed. I’m pretty sure it was the burglar from The Corner Store. He, or she, wore the same type black nylon jacket. Come on. They’re gone and we shouldn’t be standing out here if they come back.” Snapping my fingers for Cleo to follow, I led Mom back to my humble abode.

“Whoever that was is playing with me.” I dropped the Tazer back in my purse and grabbed my cell phone.

“What do you mean?” Mom slumped in a chair.

“That’s twice they could’ve shot me. Instead,
they’re playing some sort of silly game.” I shuddered and punched in Bruce’s private number. It became obvious the thief knew me and knew me well.

“This better be good.” Bruce grumbled in a sleepy voice.

“Hello to you too. Someone was here. They cut my phone lines and waved a pistol at me through the window.” I slammed cabinet doors looking for my M&Ms. Surely I didn’t leave them at Mom’s. “I’m pretty sure it’s the same person from earlier today. They didn’t wear the mask. Their face was covered by a one of those ski beanie things.”

Bruce’s growl rivaled a bear’s. “This can
not
be happening. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Click.

“Mom?”

Lindsey! “You can come out now, sweetheart.”

Her bare feet slapped the floor boards as she sprinted to my side. “I’ve never been more frightened. We could’ve been killed.” She wrapped her arms around me. “I’ll never take life for granted again.”

Teenage dramatics. At least they were good for a smile. I patted her back. “Sit down, and I’ll make some hot chocolate while we wait for Bruce.”

“That man is going to have a coronary.” Mom giggled. “Bet he wished he worked in a different precinct.
Are you going to call Duane?”

“Later. I don’t want to disturb his sleep.” He’d want to camp on my doorstep after tonight’s adventure.
Not that I would mind too much, but Mom would have a fit and the ladies at church would have gossip fodder for years.

Right on time, Bruce barged into the house without bothering to knock. “Which window were they looking in?”

“My bedroom. West side of the house.”

“Y’all stay here.” With a hand on the butt of his weapon, Bruce headed back outside.

Mom, Lindsey, and I sipped hot chocolate and waited for Bruce to return. Ten minutes later, he strutted back in. “Shoe prints outside the window. Looks like a man’s shoe, but the soil is wet and the print not deep. Could be a woman wearing a man’s sneaker.”

“So, we’re no closer to finding the suspect then we were before.”

“Not really, but I suggest you and your daughter move back into your mom’s house until this perp is caught.”

“Do we have to?” I so dearly wanted my own place.
Would I ever be allowed to grow up and be independent? Maybe I shouldn’t wait for Duane to propose. I could do it myself. After all, it’s the twenty-first century. It wasn’t unheard of.

“I can’t make you, but I strongly advise you not to stay out here.”
He gave us a nod and left the way he’d come.

“I don’t think
this town has had this much excitement since the tornado five years ago.” Mom rose and placed her cup in the sink. “Might as well try to get some sleep. There’s clean sheets on your old beds. Come on. Work comes mighty early.”

She wasn’t kidding. By the time I finally closed my eyes against visions of the black-robed demon, Mom knocked on the door to let me know it was time to wake up. Could a person call in sick when
they were one of the owners?