Jilted (28 page)

The receptionist looked tense. “Uh, you have a visitor.”

Skylar grabbed her everything bagel. “I don’t have any appointments this morning.”

“Uh, he insisted that he wait.” She lowered her voice. “He’s over there.”

Skylar looked around the corner into the waiting room and froze when she saw Brady Solomon thumbing through a magazine.

“Mr. Solomon,” she greeted.

He was a tall and wiry man. His glasses were so thick they made his dark eyes look like tiny little raisins. Brady’s appearance was otherwise unremarkable. He seemed like an unassuming man but there was always something about him that made her feel a little uneasy.

“Miss Brown. I was waiting for you,” he stated the obvious.

“I’m just getting into the office. Would you mind very much if I go put my things down and grab some coffee?”

He smiled at her revealing large shark-like teeth. “Not at all. Why don’t you eat your bagel and do whatever you need to do. I don’t mind waiting. After all I’m disrupting your morning routine.”

“I’ll just be a few minutes. I don’t want to keep you waiting.” Skylar figured the sooner she could get him out of the office the better. Irving had warned her about taking his case when she’d first started working at this office but she’d been foolish and ambitious. She had been willing to look past Brady’s creepiness because she felt everyone deserved a fair trial.

She headed to her office and put down her things and saw a vase full of red roses. This was the third floral delivery this week. The first had been yellow roses, the second pink and they were all from Ashley. She didn’t know what he was playing at, but if he thought sending her flowers would make everything okay then he had another thing coming. She headed to the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee and toasted her bagel. As she was searching through the refrigerator for cream cheese, she had the strange sensation of being watched. She turned to see Brady standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She jumped in astonishment.

Her hand flew to her chest. “You surprised me.”

He grinned. “I’m sorry about that. I was looking for the restroom. Your lovely receptionist said that I could find it back this way.”

“Uh, yeah, just keep heading back. It’s the last door on the left.”

“Thank you, Skylar. I can always count on you.”

The way he said that sent a shiver up her spine. Whatever reason he was here, she decided in that moment that if he was seeking legal advice, she’d have to tell him to find other representation. There was something really off about the man. Not for the first time, she wondered if the person who’d got the blame for killing those women was the right guy. Brady’s alibis before had been airtight but the guy was wealthy. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that people had been paid off.

Suddenly an uneasy feeling settled over her. She grabbed her cell phone and pressed Irving’s number on her speed dial. Thankfully he picked up on the third ring.

“Irving Fine, here.”

“Hey Irving, its Skylar.”

“Is anything the matter?”

“I’m not sure, but I thought I’d give you a call to get your take on something real quick.”

“Is this something that can wait until I get to the office later this afternoon? I’m actually in my car right now headed to court and you know how I hate talking and driving. This damn earpiece is an annoyance.”

“Uh, well Brady Solomon is here and I’m just getting bad vibes.”

“Did he make an appointment with you?”

“No. he just showed up.”

“I feared something like this would happen.”

“What are you talking about? Feared what?”

“You haven’t been paying attention to the news like I’ve asked, have you?”

“No. I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life lately. Besides that, I’ve been in and out of court all week for my other clients. I haven’t really had time to catch up on the news.”

“Well, I should have mentioned this to you sooner but there have been more victims. It’s been all over the news. My contacts on the police force are very close to making an arrest.”

“You’re telling me this because they believe it’s Solomon?”

“Not only do they believe it, they think he may have paid his witnesses off the last time.”

“But the DNA expert…”

“Was paid off.”

“Shit. What am I supposed to do? It was one thing to defend him when I didn’t believe he was guilty but knowing this, I can’t be on my A game.”

“Is Gina there?”

“Yes.”

“Are you expecting any other clients today?”

“Besides a couple of phone consultations, I’m not expecting anyone.”

“Get him out the office as fast as you can, send Gina home and you leave. Lock up. Just work from home.”

“You’re scaring me. Is it really that serious?”

“Just do as I say. According to my contacts, the man has become increasingly unstable, liable to snap at any minute. He’s had a few altercations in public recently and one assault.”

“Why wasn’t he arrested?”

“No witnesses and the victim wasn’t willing to testify. Just get out of there okay?”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Thankfully their paralegal Karen was on vacation for the week and their admin Janice was off for the day so that was two less people to worry about. Skylar quickly hung up and turned around, her bagel and coffee forgotten. When she walked out of the kitchen, Brady was standing in the hall staring at one of the art pieces on the wall.

“Uh, Mr. Solomon, would you mind it very much if we reschedule for another time? An emergency came up and I won’t be much help to you today.”

He turned to face her. “But you’re my attorney. I need you.”

“Well that’s the thing, my hands are pretty full right now and I’m not sure if I can take on any more cases at the time. I would be more than happy to recommend a few other lawyers who may be better able to assist you.”

He took pulled the handkerchief from his breast pocket, removed his glasses and started to clean them. “Oh, that’s unfortunate to hear. And I thought you’d work out so well. You did such a good job the last time.” When he looked at her directly, she noticed for the first time that his eyes weren’t brown like she thought they were. Instead, they were a dark blue. She wasn’t sure why she’d never noticed that before. There was something sinister in that stare, something frightening. It suddenly occurred to her that he didn’t need those glasses and they were just part of a costume to him.

Skylar slowly started to back away. “Well, I’m terribly sorry. I can’t help you.”

“But you see, that’s where you’re wrong. You’re still my attorney because I haven’t fired you yet, so that still makes you my legal counsel.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I have the legal right to refuse a case.”

“Actually, Miss Brown, I know a little bit about the law. You can’t terminate your relationship with me because if you do, bad things could happen.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Now why would I do that? You have a beautiful family, by the way. Those triplets are adorable. There’s getting so big. And your sister is a sophomore now, isn’t she?” He smirked before putting his glasses back on.

“You bastard, get out of my office or I will call the police.”

“And tell them what exactly? That I complimented you on your family. Let’s call them up now and see what they say.”

If this guy didn’t want to leave then she would. She attempted to run to the front of the office but Brady grabbed her by the arm and slammed her against the wall. “Gina, call the police!” she yelled.

“Oh, she won’t be much help to you. She’s taking a little nap.”

“What have you done to her?”

“Why do you always think the worse of me? You’re just like my parents. They always thought I was up to no good too.”

“Just let me go, okay, and we can forget about this.”

“You’re a liar! You’ve been lying since you got here. I overheard that little conversation you just had on the phone, you bitch. Do you think you can get one over on me?”

Skylar was certain this man was a lunatic. And all she could think of in that moment was her family and how she’d never get to see them again if she didn’t do something. She brought her knee up as hard as she could, managing to connect with his stomach.

He let out a loud oomph. The move apparently surprised him enough to release the tight grip he had on her. She ran toward the reception desk to see Gina slumped over her desk; there was blood dripping down the side of her head. That bastard must have knocked her out. He probably had every intention of coming in here and hurting her. “Oh my God, Gina!”

Before she had a chance to react, she was tackled to the ground. “You fucking bitch. I actually liked you. But you played me for a fool just like the others. And now you’re going to pay.”

Skylar fought to break the hold he had on her but he punched her in the back of the head. That move stunned her, making Skylar see stars. Before she realized what was happening, she was flipped over and a pair of large hands circled her neck and squeezed, cutting off her oxygen.

Refusing to be his next victim she ripped his glasses off and pressed her thumbs into his eyeballs. It was a move she’d learned in a self-defense class she’d taken with her mother and Izzy. Thankfully the maneuver turned out to be effective because Brady howled in pain. His grip on her loosened enough to for her to wiggle out of his hold. Skylar kicked him in the head and ran for the exit, hoping she could flag down some help. As she raced out the door, she barreled into something hard.

“Skylar! What’s going on?” Ashley caught her in his arms.

“Thank God you’re here!”

Ashley had come by Skylar’s office to invite her and the children on an outing. He could have easily called to ask, but he wanted to see her face to face. He also wanted to see her reaction to the flowers he’d sent. They were his way of letting her know that he was thinking about her.

After parking he headed toward her office entrance and he heard screaming. Alarmed, he rushed to open the door, only to have a disheveled Skylar slam into him.

“Skylar? What’s the matter?”

“He’s in there? He hurt Gina! We need to get her help. Call 911.”

He took a moment to take in her disheveled appearance. Her clothes where eschew and there were marks on her neck. He reached into his pocket and handed Skylar his phone. “The code to unlock it is 0623. Call the police, I’m going inside.”

She grabbed his arm. “Don’t. He’s dangerous.”

“I have to go in. If Gina is still in there, you don’t want him to do any further damage. I can handle myself.”

“Just be careful.”

“I will.”

Ashley slowly opened the door. The first thing he noticed was Gina slumped over her desk. On the floor was a bloody paperweight. He hurried over to her and checked for a pulse and thankfully there was one. Hopefully an ambulance could get here fast enough to help the poor woman. Head injuries were nothing to mess with. The room was empty of anyone else. He scanned the area for potential weapons and zoomed in on the fireplace in the waiting room. There was a poker hanging beside it. Moving quickly, he armed himself with it and slowly went from room to room. He then headed upstairs, careful as he continued his inspection. There was no one else here. Then he remembered there had to be a back exit because Skylar had slipped out of it the last time he was here.

He hurried back downstairs and headed to the back of the office. Sure enough there was a door off to the side near the back that was slightly open. He headed outside to find a fenced-in yard. The gate was open. “Fuck.”

He returned to Gina to check on her. The bastard who did this must have hit her pretty damn hard. Ashley didn’t want to move her because he wasn’t sure what else was injured on her. There was a lot of blood on the back of her head and though he wasn’t a medical doctor, it looked like the blood flow had stopped, which he assumed was a good thing. Just then he heard sirens.

Skylar rushed into the building. “Ashley! What took you so long? Where is Brady?”

“He escaped through the back.”

“Oh no. So you mean he’s on the loose.”

“Who was that maniac?”

“Former client of mine. I got him off a year ago after he was arrested for a string of murders. At the time I thought he was innocent, but recently there have been more victims with the exact same MO. He’s been calling and leaving strange messages that have been a little creepy. He was waiting for me when I got in the office this morning. He mentioned the kids and Izzy. I’m scared. And look at what he’s done to Gina. Oh God, he’s still out there.” Skylar began to shake and he pulled her into his arms.

“Well until that psycho is found, you, the kids, Izzy and your mother are moving in with me.”

She opened her mouth, but he wasn’t sure what her reply would be because the police burst through the door.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Skylar didn’t know how she allowed herself to be talked into this but it seemed to be the only reasonable solution. As long as Brady Solomon was on the loose being in her house without any protection wasn’t an option. Though her house had a security system, it still worried her that someone could harm her or her family before help could arrive.

Moving in with Ashley as he suggested was out of the question. For one, she didn’t want to uproot the children and frighten them. She felt that if they could go on with their normal routine they would be oblivious to what was going on around them. So Ashley insisted that he stay with them. The police had already agreed to post someone outside of their house and at their kids’ and Izzy’s school but Ashley wasn’t satisfied with that solution. After what seemed like hours he’d worn her down. Now she had to break the news to her mother and Izzy. She wasn’t sure how they would handle having a house guest and Ashley in particular.

After being interviewed by the police and checked out by the paramedics Skylar was free to go home but she couldn’t, not until she went to the hospital to check in on Gina who was taken off by the ambulance. Too shaken up to drive, Ashley took her in his car.

“You’ve been quiet, how are you holding up?” Ashley asked on the way to the hospital.