Experiment in Terror (Koehler Brothers Book 1) (4 page)

Riding back through the tunnel, she was soon into the park. At that moment a young child ran out in front of her. Heart pounding, she slammed on her brakes and swerved to miss the youngster. She heard a woman’s voice screaming from a short distance away.

Amanda skidded and in the next instant, she had lost control and knew she was headed for a fall. She put her hands out to catch herself as she went down. Her bag flew out of the basket attached to the bike and the two library books landed on the grass beside the path.

“Are you hurt, miss?” a deep voice asked her, and she stared up into steel-gray eyes.

“Only my pride,” she replied.

He held out a grimy hand. “Let me help you up.”

Hard telling where that hand has been,
she thought, making no attempt to take it.

“It’s not the first time I’ve fallen,” she said. “Nor will it be the last. I think I can make it up by myself.”

“Then, let me see you get up. I want to make sure you’re not hurt.”

She pushed herself up and smiled. “See, I’m all in one piece.”

He smiled back. A heart-stopping smile, teeth gleaming white above the scraggly beard. He leaned to pick up her bag and the two library books that had fallen out on the grass.

“You must have young children,” he commented as he held the books out to her.

She glanced down and saw the titles.
Alex and the Talking Caterpillar
and
The Alphabet Cart
.

“Oh, I got those to read to my niece,” she lied, creating an imaginary one. “I don’t have children. I’m not married.” Now why had she felt it necessary to give him that last piece of information? It wasn’t as though she was ever going to date a homeless man.

Amanda took the books and stuck them in the bag. “Thanks. I had better get back to work. I just ran to the library on my lunch hour.”

He nodded and stood watching as she got on her bike. Before she could push on a pedal, he put his hand on the middle of the handlebars, holding her in place.

“Don’t ride the Creek Path after dark,” he said in a low voice, his steel-gray eyes holding hers in a hypnotic gaze. “It’s too dangerous.”

Dropping her eyes from his, Amanda pushed hard on one pedal. The unexpected movement caused him to lose his grip and he stepped back. She had a feeling he watched her until she was out of sight, but she didn’t turn around to look.

Her heart was beating fast, her throat was dry, and it wasn’t from peddling her bike. Why did this homeless man affect her in such a way? She knew her feelings had nothing to do with reason. His hands were dirty, his clothes were ragged and filthy, his hair could do with a good shampoo, and he definitely needed a shave.

This nonsense has to stop
. If her parents knew how ridiculous she was acting over an unkempt homeless man, they would be extremely upset with her. She adored her father, and the very thought of his disapproval was like an ice-cold shower.

As Amanda headed back to work, she resolved to do whatever she had to, to put the homeless man out of her mind. She remembered a saying her father had once quoted from Sharon Creech. It had to do with controlling one’s thoughts.
Somehow she had to find a way to stop thinking about the homeless man. It was a dead-end street and except for a moment’s pleasure when their eyes met, it could go no further. There was no way she would ever date a homeless man.

Walking into the store a few minutes later, she saw a friend who owned a store across the mall talking to Jenessa. Quickly, she pushed her bike into the back room and headed for the front of the store.

“Charlie, it’s good to see you,” she said as the young woman spotted her. “What brings you here today? Looking for a gift?”

“Actually I was looking for you. I was wondering if you had time to have lunch with me.”

“I’d love to. Let me put my helmet away and I’ll be right with you.”

Charlie followed her into her office and watched while Amanda removed her helmet and ran her fingers through her hair to fluff it up. Grabbing up her bag with her wallet inside, she followed Charlie out of the store. They strolled over to Paradise, one of their favorite restaurants because it was close to both their stores.

After they were seated at a table with their lunch in front of them, Amanda looked at Charlie. Since she had married Sloan Harrison, she was absolutely radiant.

“I can tell you’re still on your honeymoon,” Amanda commented a bit enviously.

“With Sloan, I’ll always be on a honeymoon.” Charlie smiled happily. “I can’t believe that I resisted him as long as I did. He’s not only a wonderful husband, he’s a wonderful father. Josh is absolutely crazy about him. Sometimes I’m a little jealous when Josh prefers to do something with Sloan rather than me.”

Amanda smiled, thinking about Charlie and Sloan’s romance.

“Sloan has taken Josh flying with him and Ross Avedon today,” Charlie said, breaking into Amanda’s thoughts.

“Speaking of Ross, there’s another couple who I understand is still on their honeymoon. Have they had their baby yet?”

“No, it’s due in October.”

“You say ‘it.’ Don’t they know what they’re having?”

“No. They made the decision not to find out.”

They ate in silence for a moment, then Charlie asked, “Anything new happening?”

Amanda immediately thought of the homeless man. Should she tell Charlie about the strange attraction she had felt?

Chapter 4

I should be embarrassed to even mention it to anyone
, Amanda thought. But she knew she could trust Charlie not to say anything, not even to Sloan if she asked her not to.

“I had two interviews with prospective artists today. One I will definitely not write a contract with. Her product is too similar to another artist in the store. But I’m debating on the other one. His photography is spectacular, different from anything I have in the store right now.”

“You sound like you have some reservations. What are they?”

“It’s his manner. He’s a little flirtatious like Eric and that really turns me off. I even had Jenessa come into the interview with me. You know I’m totally confident in my own judgment so I always do those interviews alone.”

“How was he with Jenessa?”

“Totally different. I was thinking I could turn him over to her and she could deal with him from here on out. Unless he just happened to drop into the store, I wouldn’t have to see him, because the artist does have to have an appointment when they bring in new merchandise or come in to restock.”

“If he’s good, and you think his photos will sell, why don’t you do that? Both you and I are in business to make money and there’s no reason to turn down an opportunity to do so.”

Amanda sighed. “You’re right, of course. I just don’t care to be even remotely connected to someone like that.”

“Well, there are a lot of them in this town, so maybe you should learn to deal,” Charlie suggested.

Amanda was silent, thinking over her friend’s advice.

“Charlie, you are probably the best friend I have,” she said, after a moment.

“Thank you. I consider that a real compliment.”

“I want to tell you something, but could you keep it in confidence? That means I don’t want you to say anything to anyone, not even Sloan. I’m embarrassed just thinking about it, let alone talking about it.”

Charlie raised her eyebrows and waited for Amanda to say more. When she didn’t, she said, “Of course, I won’t say anything to Sloan, if you ask me not to. Obviously, it’s nothing legal or you would be talking to him, not me.”

Amanda smiled. “No, it’s not legal.”

“Okay, let’s hear it. You have my curiosity aroused. I promise not to say a word to anyone, not even Sloan.”

“This is so embarrassing. But I would like your take on it.”

“I’m listening,” Charlie said, giving her friend a smile of encouragement.

“You know how I often ride my bike to work on the Boulder Creek Path?”

Charlie nodded, but said nothing.

“This morning when I came to the ‘Y’ in the path, you know, where you get off the path and go onto the street or you ride under Arapahoe and on through the park to the library?”

Charlie nodded again.

“What you may not know is that first thing in the morning there is usually a group of homeless men sitting on the stone bench near the water fountain. Everyone knows they are perfectly harmless. I always wave and call out ‘good morning’ and they always respond in the same way.”

Amanda paused in her narration and took a sip of her ice tea.

“This morning there was a new man with them. He was tall, and had the most remarkable gray eyes. I had gotten off my bike so I could cross the street and I was waiting for the signal light to turn green. When I saw him, I couldn’t quit staring. He was so different from the rest of them even though he had shaggy hair, with a scraggly beard, and ragged clothes. He stood straight and tall and didn’t have that hopeless look in his eyes that most of them have. In fact, he had a strange air of confidence about him. We stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time. Neither one of us looked away, until I realized the light had turned green.”

“That
is
interesting,” Charlie said, leaning her chin on her hand and staring at Amanda.

“There’s more,” Amanda said.

“Don’t tell me he followed you.”

“No, but all morning I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I wondered if he was a businessman who had lost everything and was now homeless.”

Amanda went on to tell Charlie the details of their encounter when she had gone to the library on her lunch hour.

She finished her narration by telling how he had grabbed the handlebars of her bike and warned her not to ride the path after dark.

“What an interesting morning you’ve had,” Charlie said, staring at her though narrowed eyes. “What did you make of his warning?”

“The only thing I could think of was that he had heard of the three University girls who have been found, raped and murdered, near the library.”

“I’m sure that was it,” Charlie agreed.

“If my parents knew how attracted I was to a homeless man, they would absolutely die.”

“I must admit, he’s not your usual type.” Charlie smiled.

“Oh, Charlie,” Amanda wailed. “What am I going to do? I can’t stop thinking about him. I can’t wait to see him again.”

“This is only the first day,” Charlie said thoughtfully. “Maybe if you see him a few more times, the attraction will disappear.”

“You’re probably right.” Amanda found herself somewhat relieved at the thought.

Her friend looked thoughtful. “You don’t think he could be the Boulder Creek Killer?”

Amanda was startled. “I don’t think so. After all, he didn’t turn up until after the third girl was found.”

Charlie glanced at her watch. “I would like to talk more, but I have to get back to work. I have an appointment in a few minutes to help a lady pick out a dress for her son’s wedding.”

“I should go, too. I haven’t gotten a thing done in my office yet today.”

As they parted to go to their separate stores, Amanda gave Charlie a hug. “Thanks for listening,” she said.

“Keep me posted.”
About your homeless man
dangled unspoken in the air.

Amanda went back to Creations For You and headed directly to her office. She had been working only a short time on her financial records when Jenessa stuck her head in the door.

“Dennis called while you were at lunch and wanted to know if we had decided anything. I told him I would talk to you and one of us would get back to him as soon as we made a decision.”

“Jenessa, I’ve been thinking,” Amanda said. “If you will take the responsibility of having him sign the contract, collect the set-up fee, and have him make appointments with you when he needs to restock, you can tell him to come in and meet with you.”

Jenessa’s face lit up. “Should I give him a reason for meeting with me rather than you?”

“I don’t believe that’s necessary. He’s not going to know I usually do it. After all, you are the store manager, so it’s natural you might be involved in working with the artists.”

“Okay, I’ll call him right now. Thanks for giving me this opportunity.”

Jenessa left the office to make her telephone call, and Amanda turned back to the papers she had spread out on her desk. She immediately thought of the homeless man and wondered if she would see him on the way home. Glancing at her watch, she wondered how much longer before she could leave.

It was obvious her talk with Charlie hadn’t made her change her mind about wanting to see
him
. The afternoon seemed to crawl by. Her reports were finally finished and she decided to go home. She called Jenessa on the intercom and asked her to come into her office.

“How did it go with Dennis?” she asked her manager when she came to the door of her office.

“Great. He wants to come by about ten in the morning, sign the contract, and pay his set-up fee.”

“Could you ask him to come at nine, before the store opens at ten? That will give you time to take care of the paperwork and hopefully he can get his space set up with his art work. I don’t like artists setting up after the store opens. In the past, I’ve found they and the customers often get in each other’s way.”

“I’ll call him back,” Jenessa said. “If that’s not a good time for him tomorrow, he’ll have to make it another day.”

“Good. Let me know if he’s going to come in tomorrow. The timing will work for me. I’ll just come in a little later. Probably around ten-thirty. In the future, I want you to let me know when you schedule Dennis an appointment to restock.”

“I’ll do it. I’m sorry you’ve taken such a dislike to him. But of course, it’s to my advantage since I get to work with him.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my problem.”

As Jenessa left her office, Amanda’s thoughts went immediately to the homeless man. She decided there was only one way she could find out more about him. She would have to find someone else who could obtain the information she wanted.

Sloan, her attorney and Charlie’s husband, had a detective he used now and again. Amanda picked up her phone and dialed Sloan’s number. His assistant told her he was taking a deposition, but when he was finished, she would have him call.

Amanda waited impatiently. How long did a deposition take? she wondered. It was past her usual quitting time and dusk was beginning to fall when he finally got back to her.

“Sherri said you called,” he said after they exchanged greetings.

Amanda was glad he didn’t question her as to why she would need a detective. She admired him for his ability to allow people their privacy unless it had something to do with one of his cases. He immediately gave her the name of the man he used, Gary Kaufmann, along with his telephone number.

Glancing at her watch, she decided she would wait until the next day to make the call. It was getting late and she didn’t want to be on the bike path after dark. She wondered if she should take the bus home and leave her bike at the store.

She didn’t want to miss a chance of seeing the homeless man in the morning, so she grabbed her helmet and gloves and hurried through the store to get her bike, calling goodnight to the two employees that would be working until closing time.

As Amanda reached the bike path, she saw the empty stone bench. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She didn’t think Charlie’s suggestion was going to work when she said the attraction might disappear after she had seen him a few times.

She was halfway home when a tall figure stepped out from behind a tree. Her heart slammed against her chest, feeling as though it was going to explode. She squeezed the hand brakes in order to avoid hitting him. In spite of her moment of fear, she felt happy when she recognized the man.

He stood in front of her, staring at her through narrowed eyes.

“I thought I told you not to ride this path after dark,” he said grimly, grabbing the handlebars in order to steady her.

“I was held up at work,” she said, cringing slightly at the weak excuse. He was right. She wasn’t using her head. But that was
his
fault. If she hadn’t wanted to find out about him, she wouldn’t have stayed late at work in order to wait for Sloan’s call. “Besides, it isn’t totally dark yet.”

“Maybe you just don’t like taking orders.”

“Orders?” She scrunched up her face. “Why would I want to take orders from the likes of you?” she asked with cold sarcasm, not understanding why she was suddenly so angry.

He stiffened as though she had struck him.

“Because if you had any sense, you would know I’m right. Three girls have been killed on this path in the last few weeks. Do you want to be the fourth one?”

“They were killed up by the library, not down here,” she rationalized, knowing he was right. Damn him.

“You don’t know that. They could have been killed anywhere and dumped off by the library.”

“If you will let go of my bike and step aside, I could get home before it gets any darker,” she said, glaring at him.

He moved away, raising both hands in the air as though to show her she was free to go.

Amanda pushed hard on one pedal and sent herself shooting down the path. She sailed down the pavement and across a wooden bridge and was soon making the turnoff to her house.

The ride along the creek was usually therapeutic for her. When she had gone through her divorce from Eric, the bike ride home had often been a lifesaver for her. That, and having Sloan Harrison for an attorney. He was the best divorce attorney in Boulder and she had been ecstatic when she had been able to retain him before Eric.

Charlie had been her best friend before she married Sloan. In fact, they had gone to high school together. Amanda was happy they had found each other. They were both such super people and Josh, Charlie’s son by her first marriage, was an adorable little boy.

As she rolled her bike into the garage, she couldn’t help but feel furious as she recalled the homeless man’s remarks.
How dare he accuse her of not having any sense?
Who did he think he was anyway
? Yet there was something about him. A strange air of authority. He’d said she hadn’t listened to his orders. Orders. Did that imply he’d been a boss at some point? Or maybe a total control freak like Eric.

What job had he had before he became homeless? Sloan had told her he had once met an attorney he knew panhandling down on Larimer Street in Denver. Sloan had explained the man had a bad drinking problem and had lost everything—his family, his home, his law practice.

Not feeling like she wanted to eat yet, Amanda decided to vacuum and dust. It had been a few days since she had done so, and it would keep her busy until time to start preparations for dinner.

Amanda put a CD on and turned it loud enough so she could hear it above the vacuum. She hummed along with the music until she heard the phone ringing.

It was her mother, calling to inquire how her day had gone. Amanda told her about the appointments with the two prospective artists and the decision she had made regarding them.

“I hope you had a good lunch.” Her mother always fussed over her as though, even at her age, she was unable to take care of herself.

“Actually, I did. I went to lunch with Charlie Harrison.”

“How’s she doing?”