Experiment in Terror (Koehler Brothers Book 1) (3 page)

“I would feel guilty if I said I was fine after hearing about that poor girl from the University,” Amanda replied.

“I wonder when they’re going to catch the killer,” Diane mused, as she rang up Amanda’s deposit. “Every woman in Boulder is probably frightened to be out after dark.”

“I hope they catch him before he kills again,” Amanda said, taking her receipt from Diane and putting it into the empty pouch.

“You ride the Boulder Creek Path to work, don’t you?” Diane asked.

“Sometimes I do, but the three girls who have been raped and murdered were all found near the same spot by the library. I get off the path the block before Broadway, and I only ride in the daytime.”

“Please, be careful.”

“I will.” As Amanda said the two words, she thought of the homeless man and she wondered again what his story was. Her plan to try and see him again on her lunch hour certainly wasn’t playing it safe. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by romantic notions, particularly about a homeless man. Not with a killer on the loose.

Trying to escape her thoughts, she hurried out of the bank. She glanced at her watch and realized it was just a few minutes until her first appointment. Letting herself in the back door, she saw there were already customers in the store and she went to see if any of them needed assistance.

Matt told the men he had to find a pay phone and make a telephone call.

“There’s several in the library by the front door,” one of them said.

“Looking for a job?” another one asked, and the others laughed.

He smiled, but didn’t comment.

As he left, he heard one of the men say, “He’ll need some better clothes and a shave and a haircut if he’s going for an interview.”

Again the laughter.

At least they haven’t lost their sense of humor.
Maybe they enjoy this lifestyle. It would drive me crazy.

He found the pay phones inside the front door of the library as he had been told. He was put through to the Police Chief immediately.

“Heller, were you aware the yellow tape is still cordoning off the area where those girls were found?”

“The tape should have been removed,” Heller said “I’m afraid that was an oversight on the part of my department.”

“I’ve had an idea,” Matt said. “How about using a policewoman as a decoy?”

“Great idea.”

Matt gave the chief the information for Karen Goodrich in Denver and he promised Matt he would call her as soon as he hung up.

“Hopefully, she’ll be available. If she agrees, have her find me when she arrives in town. We need to work out a clear plan of attack. I’ll be somewhere on the Creek Path and if she has to look for me, it will help her become familiar with the area,” Matt said, before ending the conversation. “I’ve worked with her several times in the past, but you may have to describe me to her.”

The Chief chuckled. “It will be my pleasure.”

When Matt returned to the stone bench, he sat down on the grass and made an attempt to take part in the conversation. They all appeared to have more stories to tell the newcomer and by the time he had listened to them, the morning had passed.

“What do you guys do for lunch?” he asked when his stomach told him it was coming up on that time of day.

“We go over to the picnic tables in the park across the street and a man comes by with a sandwich cart. You can buy a hotdog and a drink,” one of them volunteered.

“Well, I think I’m about ready,” Matt told them. “I went without breakfast this morning.”

They all stood and started shuffling down the path toward the narrow tunnel. Matt was a head taller than all of them, but he knew with his dirty clothes, shaggy hair and beard, he blended right in.

They had no sooner reached the park when the bell on the sandwich cart announced it was approaching. The men lined up at the curb and waited to give their order.

After they had received their food, they strode together to one of the picnic tables. Matt was ravenous and he hoped two hotdogs and a drink would fill him up.

Maybe he should make some other arrangement for eating
. But he didn’t know what he could do without raising suspicion. He knew as a homeless man, he should have very little money.

As Matt ate his lunch, he remembered the blonde he had seen riding her bike that morning. A disturbing thought struck him. She resembled the three girls who had been raped and killed. Blond hair and approximately the same height. A wave of apprehension swept through his body. Would she become a target for the Boulder Creek Killer?

Chapter 3

When Amanda returned from the bank, Jenessa was ringing a greeting card up for a lady. The other employee she had scheduled to work on the floor had not yet arrived. The two other customers told Amanda they were browsing and she went into her office to put the bank pouch in a desk drawer and the deposit receipt into a file.

She heard the buzzer on the front door ring, signifying someone had entered the store, and a moment later, Jenessa called her on the intercom to let her know her first appointment had arrived.

“I’ll be right out,” Amanda told her.

When she went out into the store, she saw Jenessa flirting with a man in his early thirties, who she assumed was her first appointment.

Amanda gave her a stern look and the manager immediately moved behind the register to ring up a sale for a customer.

“You must be Dennis Hamilton,” she greeted him, holding out a welcoming hand. “Have you had a chance to look around our store?”

Dennis took her hand, holding it in both of his for longer than she felt necessary. His photographs were going to have to be superb in order for her to put them on display here in her store, she thought, as she gave her hand a slight pull.

He immediately released his grip.

“I’ve been in your store before, which is why I thought my work might be appropriate,” he said.

“Come into my office and let’s have a look at what you have there in your portfolio.” Turning to Jenessa, she added, “If Justin is in, why you don’t come with us? I would like your opinion.”

Jenessa raised questioning eyebrows, but Amanda ignored her.

“Justin is here,” Jenessa said. “Let me tell him if it gets busy, I’ll be in your office.”

Amanda didn’t really care about having Jenessa’s opinion. She never asked for anyone’s input if it was something she liked and thought would sell in Creations For You. But there was something about Dennis that made her feel a little uncomfortable. Was it because he had held her hand a little too long or was it the way he had looked her up and down as she approached him?

Amanda was tired of that look. She had been told often enough she had a good figure, and with her blond hair and striking blue eyes, she was aware she was attractive. She had seen the same look too many times in her ex-husband’s eyes as he met a good-looking woman. It had usually been followed up with a flirtatious comment and it wasn’t long until she heard rumors of him being seen around town with another woman.

Thanks to her attorney, Sloan Harrison, she was rid of Eric, she thought as she led Dennis and Jenessa into her office. She sat down behind her desk, telling Jenessa to pull up a couple of chairs. When the two were seated, Amanda invited Dennis to place his photos on the surface of her large desk.

As he spread them out for their review, she felt Jenessa’s eyes on her. She was aware her manager was wondering why she had invited her into the meeting. She would have to explain later.

Amanda had to admit his photography was spectacular. He had caught the majesty of the Rocky Mountains in all their moods
—sunrise, sunset, jagged lighting coming out of the sky over a mountain side covered with green trees, winter snow on rugged peaks.

“Tell me a little bit about yourself, Dennis,” she invited.

“I went to CSU in Ft. Collins. I majored in liberal arts, but became fascinated by photography. I have been selling some of my work to various galleries around the state. When I heard about your store, I came in last week and had a look around and decided to call for an appointment. I like your concept of marketing local artists’ work.”

“We do have some out-of-state artists,” Amanda informed him. “But for the most part, we cater to the artists who are located here in the general area. Boulder, Longmont, Denver, Colorado Springs, Estes Park, Greeley, Ft. Collins.”

“Could you tell me how your program works?”

“We assign you a space and charge a monthly fee according to the size of it. Then when your product sells, we take a forty-percent commission and write you a check once a month for the other sixty percent less your space fee. In addition, there is a fifty dollar one-time setup fee.”

“We cover all the expenses of the building lease, payroll, utilities, etcetera.” Jenessa spoke for the first time.

“You also have the advantage of the exposure of your art here on the Pearl Street Mall,” Amanda added. “Besides the locals and the University students who come here to shop for gifts, our store draws tourists from all over the world during the summer months and in the winter months, the skiers often stop on their way to the mountains.”

“You’ve sold me.” Dennis smiled. “Do you have a contract for me to sign, or is this a verbal agreement?”

“No, we have a contract, but before we have you sign anything, Jenessa and I will discuss the feasibility of adding another photographer to our store. As you probably noticed, we do have several already on display.”

“But nothing quite like mine,” Dennis said. “Let me show you my line of greeting cards, taken from my photographs.”

The intercom on Amanda’s desk buzzed. She picked up the telephone and spoke briefly. “I’ll be right out,” she said, placing the receiver back in its cradle.

“Jenessa, do you mind finishing up here? I have to attend to something in the store.”

Jenessa gave her a curious look but nodded and turned toward Dennis as he took out several boxes of greeting cards from the bottom of his case.

Amanda stood and left her office. Justin had told her it was getting busy and he needed some help on the register. Not wanting to be alone with Dennis, she had chosen to be the one to help out in the store. She knew she was in for a grilling from Jenessa after Dennis left.

She glanced at her watch. Her second appointment would be arriving in fifteen minutes. Thank goodness it was a woman. She didn’t think she could handle another flirtatious man today. Once again, the homeless man flashed into her mind. She couldn’t help wonder if he had been as attracted to her as she had been to him.

Amanda went to help the customer waiting at the register. After she had rung up the purchase and the lady had left the store, she made her decision.

She’d do it. She’d ride her bike home at the lunch hour on the excuse of needing something she had left at her house. She was probably courting disappointment. The man had probably already left along with the group of homeless men. They moved around during the day and sometimes she had seen them lounging on the large open area of grass in front of the library.

She was too restless to remain at work for the remainder of the day without seeing him. If she had to, she would go to the library and check out a book. But she must see him again today. She had to know if the attraction that had been there earlier was still there or if it had been a momentary thing.

After Jenessa had finished up with Dennis, Amanda watched her accompany him to the front door. Then Jenessa turned and headed straight for her, but before she could begin the interrogation Amanda knew she had coming, a woman stepped up to the register and informed her she had an appointment with Amanda Barton.

“That would be me.” Amanda smiled. “You must be Kathy Chambers.”

The young woman nodded.

“Have you had a chance to look around the store?”

“Yes, I came in and viewed your inventory before I called you for an appointment,” Kathy said.

“Let’s go back to my office,” Amanda suggested.

Amanda couldn’t help but smile as she informed Jenessa her next appointment was here. She’d take the temporary reprieve from the questions Jenessa had in store for her as to why she had asked her to sit in on the previous interview. They both knew that never happened.

As they entered her office, Amanda invited Kathy to spread her jewelry out on her desktop. Since it was similar to another artist’s jewelry already in the store, Amanda was sure she wouldn’t be inviting her to display her products.

Unfortunately, it would be a disappointment to the young woman. It wasn’t personal. Just a smart business decision. She was careful about giving the artists who were already in the store any competition by allowing more products in that were too similar.

Amanda gave her the courtesy of listening to her presentation and then explained to her why she wouldn’t be asking her to sign a contract at this time.

“But if you have a business card, I would like to have it,” Amanda told her. “I never know when an artist might decide for one reason or another to pull out of the store. If that happens, I would be happy to call you.”

Kathy reached in her bag for a card and handed it to Amanda. Then she carefully put all her jewelry back into the case she had brought it in. Thanking Amanda for her time, she left the office.

Amanda leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She could tell Kathy had obviously put a lot of time into the creation of her jewelry and she hated to tell her she didn’t have a place for her at the moment.

Jenessa entered Amanda’s office and without any ceremony plopped down into a chair.

“I noticed you didn’t need me in here for the last interview,” she said, smiling.

“No, I felt able to handle it myself.” Amanda smiled back.

“All right, tell me what the interview with Dennis was all about.”

“I just don’t care for his type.”

“What is his type?”

“I don’t know, but it’s something about the way he stared at me.”

“Well, you
are
very attractive.”

“I saw enough of that when my ex-husband met a woman for the first time.”

“I understand, but it’s strange, he didn’t give me that kind of treatment. Of course, I have to admit, I can’t hold a candle to you.”

“It was probably because he knew I was the owner and not because of my looks. You know how some people will try and make up to someone they feel is important.”

“Since you feel that way about him, are you going to have him sign a contract?”

“I’ll have to think about it. I must admit his photography is different from anything in the store. And I’m not about to cut off my nose to spite my face, if you know what I mean.”

“I know. For you it’s all about the bottom line. I must admit you are one shrewd businesswoman. How else could you have stayed in business for six years? You had an amazing concept when you started this store right out of college.”

“I was lucky to have a father who believed in me and put up the initial capital to get me started.”

“Well, I had better get back out in the store before Justin buzzes for my help.”

“Okay. I think I’ll run home and pick up those papers I forgot,” Amanda said as Jenessa stood up.

She should feel guilty for lying to Jenessa, but she would find something to bring back to work with her so it wouldn’t be a total lie.

If the homeless men weren’t in the area where they had been that morning, she would turn around and ride to the library and check out a book instead. She knew they often lounged on the lawn in front of the library.

Just the thought of seeing the man again excited her. Her driving need to see him shocked her. What was so special about him? When she had first seen him, she had experienced a feeling that she had thought long since dead.

Amanda went into the private restroom off her office and brushed her hair and touched up her lipstick. Putting on her riding helmet, she stared into the mirror, wondering what the homeless man had seen when he saw her.

Her blond hair and blue eyes, which tilted up slightly at the outer edges giving her a slightly exotic look, and a faint sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose fading at her upper cheeks.

Stepping back out into her office, she grabbed the bag containing her wallet, keys, and riding gloves. As she strolled through the store to retrieve her bike, she glanced around. Justin and Jenessa were both waiting on customers, and she felt comfortable leaving the store in their competent hands.

She rode the block to the Boulder Creek Path. When she saw there were no homeless men sitting on the stone bench, she stopped on the pretense of getting a drink of water out of the fountain. Then she turned her bike around and headed in the direction of the library.

The bike path curved down and under Arapahoe Street and then up again and through a small park with a few picnic tables. She had forgotten that homeless men sometimes sat there and ate their lunch as they were doing now.

She didn’t see the man she was looking for unless he was sitting with his back toward her. They all looked alike from behind with their dirty clothes and shaggy hair. She slowed down, her eyes studying each one.

Then she saw him. His back was toward her, but as he stood up, wadding a paper into a tight ball, he turned to toss it into a nearby trashcan as though he were attempting to throw a basketball through the hoop.

His hand stopped in midair as he saw her. Her breath caught. Never taking his eyes from hers, his hand continued its upward motion and he released the paper into the air where it dropped into the trash barrel.

Her bike began to wobble, and Amanda knew if she slowed down anymore, she would tip it over. She hated to break eye contact, but there was nothing else to do. She had to ride on. There was no reason for her to stop. She would go into the library and check out a couple of books. Any books. If she hurried, the group of homeless men would still be sitting at the picnic tables.

Reluctantly, she looked ahead and biked on down the path, through the tunnel that ran under the main street of Broadway, and up the wide sidewalk to the library.

Locking her bike to the rack placed beside the library door for that purpose, she hurried inside. She grabbed a couple of books from the first section she came to and rushed to check them out. Without looking at them, she stuck them into her bag, and hurried out to her bike.