Sugar Rush (3 page)

He grabbed something to
eat before packing his overnight bag. Jeff didn’t see a reason to rush back to
the Hillcrest complex, considering the girls had gone to the mall. Women, he
knew, could spend hours shopping. Several hours later, he reluctantly picked up
his suitcase and left his apartment to fulfill his assignment.

On the drive back to the
Hillcrest Apartments, Jeff spied the red Volkswagen. He wasn’t positive it was
Angie’s. The VW was parked in front of a Salvation Army thrift store, several
miles from the mall.

Jeff drove into the
parking lot and pulled into a space several cars away from the VW and turned
off his ignition. He was about to get out of his vehicle and have a closer look
at the license plate on the red car when the front door to the Salvation Army
store opened, and out walked Angie and Lexi, carrying several plastic bags
filled with clothes.

He knew they were
clothes because Lexi tripped when stepping off the sidewalk, dropping the bag
to the pavement. In her haste to come to her friend’s aid, Angie dropped the
bags she carried. Second hand clothing littered the pavement. The two girls
quickly scooped up the merchandise and shoved it back in the plastic bags.

Before they reached their
car, he turned on his ignition and drove out of the parking lot, heading back
to the apartment complex before the two young women.

After parking at the
Hillcrest Apartments, Jeff opened his trunk to retrieve his overnight bag and
groceries. With the overnight bag hanging from a strap over his right shoulder
and his arms filled with two grocery sacks, Jeff looked at the remaining bag in
his trunk. In held the surveillance equipment he’d purchased earlier that day.

“Shit,” Jeff said
aloud. “Sorry Beaumont, I’ll keep an eye on her for you, but I’ll be damned if
I’ll invade her privacy like that.” Shifting the sacks in his arm, he awkwardly
shut the trunk and walked to the rented unit.

In the apartment, Jeff
left the front window open but the blinds closed. It was thirty minutes later
before the girls returned to the apartment. When he heard them walking by the
window he peeked out through the blinds and noticed that Angie was carrying a
pizza box. After they went into Angie’s unit, he called Beaumont to tell him it
looked as if the girls would be at the apartment for a while.

Jeff grabbed a can a
beer from a six-pack he’d put in the refrigerator earlier and sat on the couch,
trying to figure out what he was going to do about finding a new job.

* * *

“Okay, you were right Lexi.
You can get some cute stuff at the Salvation Army.” Angie said after coming
into the apartment.  She placed the pizza box on the kitchen counter, then
grabbed a roll of paper towels and set it next to the food before washing her
hands in the kitchen sink.

Lexi dumped the sacks
she’d been carrying on the couch and started pulling items from the bags,
inspecting each article of clothing. “I know, really. Look at all the clothes I
got, for less than fifty bucks. Quite a score. But I need to wash this stuff
before I wear it.”

 “Yeah, I noticed, it
smells kinda funny. I’ll take you down to the laundry room when we’re done
eating.”

After looking at her
purchases for a moment, Lexi scooped up the clothes and shoved them back in the
bags. Leaving them on the couch, she walked to the kitchen sink and washed her
hands for dinner.

“Looks like someone
moved into the vacant apartment across the way. I noticed the window was open
and the blinds shut,” Angie commented as she opened the pizza box and picked up
a slice of the pie, using a piece of paper towel as a plate.

“I noticed that, too. I
was going to mention it, but I had a feeling someone was watching us when we
walked by the window.”

“That’s a little
creepy.”

“I wonder who our new
neighbors are.”

“I never heard anyone
move in. It’s a furnished unit, like this one, but you’d think we would’ve
heard them bring in boxes or something.”

“I guess they moved in
when we were shopping.”

“Speaking of shopping…
you still don’t have anything nice to wear on a job interview.”

“I just didn’t like
anything they had at the mall. But at least I got my underwear!”

Both girls laughed.

Thirty minutes later,
after they’d finished eating, a knock came at the door. Angie tossed some trash
in the can under the kitchen sink and peeked out the window before answering it.

“It’s the cops,” Angie
said.

“Really? I wonder what
they want.”

“I don’t know.” Angie shrugged
and then went to open the door. She came face to face with two uniformed
officers.

“We’re looking for Lexi
Beaumont and understand she is here,” one officer said.

“I’m Lexi. What’s this
about?” Lexi stepped up to the door while Angie moved to the side.

“An Ethan Beaumont has
filed a complaint against you,” the second officer explained.

“My grandfather? What
are you talking about?”

“It involves the theft
of a laptop computer, camera, and cell phone.”

Lexi started to laugh.
She couldn’t help it. While she had expected her grandfather to do something,
she’d never expected this.

“So, are you telling me
you’re going to throw me in jail over birthday gifts my grandfather gave me—which,
apparently, he is now ungiving me? Really?  You’re wasting tax payer’s dollars
over this?”

“We don’t know anything
about birthday gifts,” the first officer said tersely. “But we have to follow
up on this complaint, and if the serial numbers match the receipts Mr. Beaumont
has given us, to show proof of ownership, then you have a problem. The courts
can sort out any claims you have on the property.”

“Really? He wants to
have me thrown in jail on this trumped-up charge?” Lexi found herself getting
angry.

“Of course,” the second
officer chimed in, “if you say this is just a misunderstanding, and give Mr.
Beaumont his property back, he has agreed to drop all charges.”

“Fine!” Lexi shouted.
She turned around, marched to the kitchen table, and opened her leather bag and
pulled out the camera and cell phone. Roughly snatching the laptop computer from
the table, she took all three items to the officers, who continued to stand in
the doorway.

“I expect some sort of
receipt. I don’t trust that old man, and I want some proof you took
his
property.”
After the police officers left, Lexi slammed the apartment door and shouted, “He
sent the cops after me? What is wrong with that man?”

“He’s a prick. We
always knew that. Just didn’t know the extent of his prickiness.”

“Ah, hell,” Lexi chuckled,
letting the anger subside. “The computer was four years old anyway; that is a
fricking dinosaur.”

“True, you needed a new
one,” Angie agreed. She grabbed a bottle of wine from the refrigerator. It had
already been opened, so she easily pulled off its stopper and poured them each
a glass of Chablis.

“But it does make me
sick to lose my Adobe software.”

“Yeah, that does suck.”
Angie handed Lexi a glass of wine. The two friends went to the couch and sat
down, propping their bare feet on the coffee table.

“I will also miss my
camera. That was a nice camera.” Lexi took a sip of wine.

“You can use one of mine
until you can get a new one.”

“Thanks, Angie, but you
need those for your business.”

“I wouldn’t make that
offer to just anyone. I know how you treat cameras. The offer stays open.”

“Thanks. You’re a good
friend.” Lexi took another sip of wine. “I won’t miss the cell phone.”

“No kidding, since your
grandfather was the only one you ever called on that!” Angie laughed.

“As much as I hate
losing my software, it is liberating knowing he’s out of my life.”

“Now what?”

“Well, I guess I need
to get a new computer. Maybe I can’t afford another Mac right now, but I need
to get something.”

“Lexi, how much do you
have in your savings?”

“A little under
$15,000. I’ve been putting my microstock money directly in my savings each
month, and the same for any side jobs I did. But until I can replace my
computer and my software, I won’t be able to do any freelance work.”

“You have enough money
to replace your equipment.”

“I know, but I’m a
little nervous about dipping into my nest egg until I have a regular job lined
up. Now that I think about it, I no longer have medical insurance. Grandfather
always paid for it.  I suppose I could marry Jerome Peters. I bet he’ll pay for
my insurance.”

“Oh, gross!” Both girls
laughed.

* * *

Jeff grabbed another
beer from the refrigerator, returned to the couch, and sat down. He had managed
to hear the entire conversation between the police officers and Lexi Beaumont
through the open window. He wondered how far Ethan Beaumont planned to take
this thing. It was obvious Lexi wouldn’t be rushing back to her grandfather in
the near future, if ever.

So far, the Lexi
Beaumont he was seeing didn’t match the picture her grandfather portrayed. When
leaving the Beaumont house earlier that day, he’d run into the housekeeper. She
had seemed a little upset and confided in Jeff that their boss instructed her
to box up all Lexi’s belongings and throw them out if she didn’t return within
a specific timeframe. Apparently, Lexi Beaumont left her grandfather’s house with
only her handbag.

If what the housekeeper
told him was true, that would explain the shopping trip to the Salvation Army. Jeff
asked himself,
Would a spoiled fashion diva replenish her wardrobe at a
thrift store?
The way Beaumont described his granddaughter, she was not a
discount shopper.

Jeff began wondering
how truthful Beaumont had been regarding the situation with Lexi. Had she once
agreed to marry Jerome Peters or was that Beaumont’s fantasy? Was the old man
seriously worried about someone taking advantage of Lexi or was he trying to
manipulate the girl? Considering how she talked to the police officers, she
certainly didn’t seem like someone who was easily intimidated or manipulated.

For a brief moment,
Jeff considered calling Beaumont and telling the man to shove the spy
assignment. When he realized that would only mean the loss of his job, and
someone else would be hired to watch Lexi—someone who would be willing to
actually install the invasive spy equipment—he reconsidered.

While pondering his
options, his cell phone began to ring. Setting the beer on the coffee table, he
picked up the phone and looked to see who was calling. It was Beaumont.

“Hello,” Jeff answered.

“I understand the
police were there. Were you able to hear what went on?”

“Yes. They told her if
she handed over the items, she wouldn’t be arrested.”

“Was she upset?”

“Upset?”

“Did she cry, throw
some sort of fit?”

“No, she didn’t cry.
She seemed annoyed. She asked for a receipt for the items, but other than that,
she didn’t seem particularly upset.”

“Let’s see how she
feels in a couple of days. Keep an eye on her. I expect a daily report. If she does
anything noteworthy, I want to know immediately.”

“What about my other
job?”

“Other job? This is
your job for now. When I hired you, I explained you needed to be flexible, and
do what needed to be done. Is there a problem?”

“No, sir. No problem.”

If it hadn’t been for
his iPad, which he’d wisely put in his overnight bag when preparing for this
misadventure, he would have gone insane being cooped up in the dismal little
apartment for over a week. Since he didn’t have a television at the Hillcrest
unit, he watched the videos he’d downloaded for his flight to Europe, which he
hadn’t ever gotten around to viewing on the trip.  The tablet was a 3G version,
enabling him to surf the Internet and look for employment opportunities.

Fortunately, he’d been
able to supply Beaumont with significant tidbits each day, and thus far, had
avoided another conversation regarding installing the surveillance equipment
he’d purchased. Beaumont brought it up once, but Jeff managed to come up with a
plausible excuse as to why it hadn’t yet been done.

The unseasonably warm
January weather proved advantageous. When home, the girls kept their front
window wide open to let in the fresh air. He doubted they knew how easily sound
carried in the corridor of their complex. It seemed most of the residents were
gone during the day, which meant the other apartments stayed closed up most of
the time.

He learned Angie was a
freelance photographer, and occasionally she would take Lexi along on a photo
shoot to help out. Lexi replaced her computer the day after the visit from the
police officers, a tidbit he failed to share with Beaumont. By the conversation
he overheard, it wasn’t a Mac, nor did it have the software necessary for her
to take on freelance jobs. He heard her discussing the possibility of
downloading a trial version—which she could use free for thirty days—along with
the fact that she had the money to purchase software. Apparently, Lexi Beaumont
had a secret cash stash her grandfather wasn’t aware of. That was another
tidbit he withheld from his employer.

Jeff still hadn’t
shaved, and by the end of the week, he doubted his own mother would recognize
him. He had been a little concerned about coming face to face with Lexi, in
case she eventually went back to her grandfather. As the days progressed, that
didn’t matter as much to him, since he was looking for another job. Yet, if he stayed
with her grandfather, he doubted she’d recognize his clean-cut version as the
scruffy neighbor from the Hillcrest Apartments.

From the conversations
he was overhearing, he knew Lexi was also actively looking for employment. By her
tone, she was becoming discouraged. Apparently, some companies who’d indicated
an interest in her prior to graduation now would not give her an interview. He
knew Beaumont dealt with several of the larger marketing firms in the area, and
wondered if the old man was sabotaging his granddaughter’s efforts.

On Sunday, nine days
after Lexi’s exile, Jeff pulled into the parking lot of the Hillcrest Apartment
complex, returning from the grocery store. Dressed casually, wearing denims,
sweatshirt, baseball cap and dark sunglasses, he was just getting out of his
car when Angie’s VW pulled up next to him and parked. When he glanced down at
the other end of the lot, where she normally parked, he noticed most of the
spaces were already taken.

He silently lifted his
sacks out of the trunk and listened to Lexi and Angie as they got out of their vehicle.

“Hello,” Lexi greeted
him as she shut the car door. Jeff gave a nod of greeting, then turned and quietly
made his way to his apartment.

“I think that’s our new
neighbor,” Angie whispered. Lexi watched Jeff for a moment then lost interest,
resuming the conversation they had started in the car.  

“I’ll never understand
my grandfather and why he does the things he does,” Lexi was saying as she and
Angie walked on the sidewalk toward their unit. Jeff was walking in the same
direction, about five feet in front of them, and listened carefully to their
every word.

“I think it’s pretty
crappy he doesn’t want you to find a job.”

“Well, he can’t control
me if I’m financially independent. I always got the idea he never got over the
fact my father went off on his own and married someone that didn’t fit into
Grandfather’s plans.”

“Like you marrying his
creepy business partner?”

“Exactly. You know,
Angie, after this business with my Grandfather and not having any luck getting
a job interview, I just wish I could leave town. Move somewhere else. Start
someplace fresh without dealing with all this bullshit.”

“Well, where do you
want to go? I’m game.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know I’m renting
the apartment month to month. It isn’t like we can’t just pick up and take off.
I can do what I’m doing anywhere. I wouldn’t mind a change.”

“But where? Moving
takes money. I have to be careful with my savings until I get settled.”  Silently,
they each considered the possibilities.

Jeff had reached his
apartment door and was unlocking it when the girls arrived at their door. He
was thankful he’d left the front window open, which meant he could continue
listening to their conversation without having to open it and make them
suspicious.

After walking inside
the apartment and closing the door behind him, he heard Angie say, “I know what
we can do!”

“What?” Lexi asked,
still standing outside their apartment; they hadn’t yet unlocked the door.

“Remember when I told
you, the other day, about the snowbirds who rented Mom and Dad’s house in
Havasu each winter, that they had to cancel at the last minute because of a
family emergency?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it was too late
to find another renter, and I bet Mom and Dad would let us use the house. All
we would need to do is pay for the utilities, and this time of year we won’t
need the air conditioner, so that shouldn’t be a big deal. It’ll be cheaper
than staying here.”

“I doubt I could find
the kind of job I’m looking for in Lake Havasu City.”

“I know that, but it would
be a safe haven while you regroup, away from your meddling grandfather. There’s
no way he’ll ever know where you went. You can go ahead and get that 30 day
free version of the software, get some freelance stuff going. It’s possible to
live anywhere and do that. I love the weather in Havasu this time of the year.
Not really swimming weather, but we can get out, do some hiking, take some
great photographs.

“Hell, Lexi, we haven’t
even been out of college for a month, and we should do something like this
before you settle down in a job. Maybe you’ll decide you want to join me in the
ranks of the fulltime freelancer.”

“I might as well; I’m
not making any progress here.”

When the girls went
into the apartment, and shut the door behind them, Jeff could no longer hear
their conversation. They didn’t open their window.

By what he’d overheard,
however, it looked as if his stint as private detective was coming to an end.
If Lexi went to Lake Havasu City, he could go home to his own apartment and
back to his regular job.

After putting his
groceries away, he went into his bedroom to call Beaumont. Knowing how sound
traveled, he felt it was easier to simply talk in the bedroom with the door
closed, rather than shutting the front window every time he wanted privacy on
the phone.

“What do you mean she’s
leaving town?” Beaumont asked after Jeff told him some of what he overheard.

“Apparently, she’s been
having a hard time finding a job. She can’t get any interviews.” To that bit of
news, Beaumont chuckled, as if he already knew.

“Angie offered to go
with her, since she does freelance work.”

“Where are they going?”

Jeff didn’t answer
immediately. There was only so much he was willing to tell his employer. If Lexi
wanted to get away from her controlling grandfather, he felt she was entitled.

“I don’t know, they
never said,” he lied.

“Then get that
surveillance equipment installed immediately. I wanted you to do that days ago.
Barnett, if my granddaughter disappears, it’s going to be your ass. Do you
understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Jeff
answered, feeling sick inside.

 When the phone
conversation ended, Jeff fell back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling,
questioning what he should do. If he didn’t give Beaumont want he wanted, he
was out of a job, and someone else would be spying on Lexi and Angie. He didn’t
know why he felt a sense of responsibility for the girl, but he did.

When Jeff finally went
back into his living room, he peeked outside and noticed they had opened their
window. Quietly he sat inside the apartment, his eyes closed, listening and
feeling like a jerk.

“They said yes!” Jeff
heard Angie squeal from inside the apartment. “We can use the Havasu house!”

“Woohoo!” Lexi cheered.
“When do you want to leave?”

“I told Mom I’d pick up
the keys in the morning. Help me pack, and we can leave some of the boxes at
their house. I don’t really care about staying at this crummy apartment for the
rest of the month.”

Jeff picked up his cell
phone and went into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Sitting on the
edge of the bed, he considered his options before calling his employer. If he
failed to give Beaumont what he wanted, he would be out of a job. He was fairly
certain Beaumont would hire a professional to follow Lexi, someone who could
easily track her to Havasu through Angie and would be willing to install
invasive cameras in the girl’s house. Ever since he purchased the surveillance
cameras, Jeff couldn’t stop thinking of his own sister,and how violated she
would feel if some man installed hidden cameras in her apartment.

Another option was to
tell Lexi what her grandfather was up to, but he had no idea how she would
react. If Lexi stormed to her grandfather in outrage, he would undoubtedly find
himself in the unemployment line by morning.

There was a chance
Beaumont would want Jeff to continue the surveillance in Havasu. If that was
the case, it would give Jeff time to find another job while still collecting a
paycheck.

 “Lake Havasu City?”
Beaumont shouted after Jeff told him where Lexi was going. “Isn’t that were
they have the London Bridge?”

“Yes, sir. I looked it
up online before calling you. It’s located on the border of Arizona and
California, on a portion of the Colorado River.”

“Spring breakers. I
remember now. I saw a travel show about it. It’s where all those wild college
kids go on spring break.”

“I believe that’s
around Easter, sir.  From what I read, this time of year it’s more a place for
snowbirds.”

“Snowbirds?”

“Snowbirds, winter
visitors. Retirees who want to get out of the colder parts of the country and
stay for a few months.”

“What in the hell is
she going to do there?”

“Apparently, Angie’s
parents have a house in Havasu that they normally rent to snowbirds. But for
some reason, they didn’t make it this year, so the place is vacant. I imagine
they are house-sitting.”

“Well, you know what
this means, Barnett?”

“Um, no, sir. What?”

“You’re going to
Havasu.”

“Excuse me?” Jeff
smiled to himself.

“You heard me. Keep an
eye on them and let me know if there’s been a change of plans. Meanwhile, I’ll
arrange a place for you to say, someplace close to their house. It should be
fairly easy to get their house’s address, now that I know it belongs to Angie’s
parents.”

“Are you sure you want
me to go?”

“Certainly. Don’t
worry, I’ll give you a generous expense account. At this point, I wouldn’t feel
comfortable having someone else take over.” Beaumont paused a moment, as if
considering something, then asked, “Has she seen you yet? You’ve been living
across from her for over a week now. I don’t know why I didn’t consider that.
If she’s seen you, I’ll have to get someone else.”

“No, she hasn’t seen
me,” he lied. Jeff was confident Lexi wouldn’t recognize him once he shaved,
but he didn’t feel compelled to share that with his boss.

“Good. Let me know when
they’re planning to leave. When you get to Havasu, I expect you to find a way
to meet her, become her friend. Keep tabs on her. I’ll be damned if I’ll let
her spoil my plans.”