Death Comes in Threes Read online

  “He said I wouldn’t be able to make it to my wedding because I’d be dead.”

  Rick studied me, arms folded across his chest and feet spread slightly apart. He knew I was holding something back and waited patiently. He was good at that. He knew his silence would make me spill the beans.

  “I challenged him.” I could feel defiance bubbling to the surface of my being.

  When I didn’t elaborate, Rick finally spoke. “And?”

  “I invited him to bring it on. I told him I was ready for him and that I’ve become the hunter, not the hunted.”

  Rick’s lips rolled under tightly, one against the other, before he spoke. “You invited him to bring it on,” he mimicked. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Probably, but I refuse to let him dictate the rules in this cat and mouse game.”

  “This ain’t no game, lady!” Rick was angry.

  I understood.

  “No, it’s not. This is my life we’re talking about, and I’m going to set the rules. I refuse to let him have the upper hand.”

  Rick was quiet for a moment, seeming to calm himself down. “So you’re the so-called hunter. How do plan to run down your prey? Do you think he’s going to come out of hiding because you challenged him? I doubt it. He’s only letting you think you’re in charge. He’ll let you get comfortable and then he’ll come down on you like a tornado. You’ll never know what hit you.”

  It was my turn to be quiet. I knew Rick was right. I was fooling myself. David was still in charge. I’d have to change that, and I wasn’t going to let Rick know what I was planning. He’d probably throw me in the slammer, hoping I’d come to my senses. My thoughts were coming too fast to keep up with; I needed to think without interruptions.

  “We’re done here.” I turned and headed for my house.

  “Sandi,” Rick called.

  Ignoring him, I climbed up the porch steps and unlocked the front door. I slammed it firmly behind me and locked it. I picked up the phone and called Dolly’s house. When she answered I told her I didn’t want any of them to disturb me and hung up before she could reply.

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I felt my headache coming on fast and strong. I hurried to the kitchen and found a pain reliever. After taking two tablets I headed back to the living room.

  Sitting on the couch, I tried to concentrate. My mind was a jumble of thoughts and ideas. I stood up and paced across the living room, stopping by the stairs. Dolly had handed me a package when my mother and I first came home. I’d placed it on the table by the stairs and forgotten about it. I stiffened, wondering if it was another of David’s games. Approaching it stealthily, half expecting it to explode, I looked at the return address. I didn’t recognize it, but at least there was one.

  Picking it up carefully, I carried it out to the kitchen and set it on the counter. Staring at it didn’t do a thing for me. I took a deep breath and opened it, and sighed deeply before I smiled. It contained four used books; murder mysteries I’d ordered over the Internet.

  Carrying the books, I returned to the living room and sat on the couch, glancing at the titles and the authors’ names. “What would you ladies do in my situation? You could write all kinds of crazy scenarios and make them work. I’m a private eye – the real deal – I should be able to do the same thing. Right?”

  I set the books on the coffee table and realized that I’d begun to relax. Why couldn’t I think like a writer? Because this was life, not fiction. An author could make things come out the way they wanted them to. I couldn’t.

  Hearing a thump at the back door, I walked to the kitchen and glanced out the window. Bubba sat on the porch grinning at me. I let him in. He had a habit of thumping against the door with his huge paw when he wanted in. It was a familiar sound, and a welcome one.

  “Okay, Bubba, if I could control things, how would I go about doing that?”

  His tail smacked the floor and he woofed when I spoke to him.

  “You’re absolutely right.” I patted his head. “I can make a plan, but once that’s done all I can do is play it by ear and hope for the best.”

  Bubba tipped his head to the side, listening to me.

  “We’ll start with my original plan. Tonight we’ll make a show of the women leaving and they can sneak back after dark. At least I won’t be alone for more than an hour or so – probably less. Stanley will be parked down the street, so I won’t be totally by myself. Not really.”

  Pulling the drapes back, I looked outside. Mrs. Connelly was across the street watering her lawn, watching my house. I knew the lawn was an excuse to keep an eye on things because of the patrol cars in the area. The neighbors knew if there was trouble on our street it usually originated at my house. I waved and she waved back. Dolly would probably fill her in on the details later.

  A car drove by but David’s face didn’t stare out of the driver’s side window. It was Mr. and Mrs. Clemmons, probably on their way to do their weekly shopping. Was it Tuesday? That’s their regular day. No, it was Wednesday. Oops. It was Thursday. I’d lost track of time.

  I stepped out on the porch and turned toward Dolly’s house. My mother and two friends sat on the porch, looking in my direction. I waved and motioned them over.

  Three smiling faces hurried to my porch.

  “We were worried, Sandi.” Dolly was moving faster than the younger women. “We thought you were mad at us, but you’re smiling, so I guess you’re not.”

  I laughed. “No, I’m not angry with anyone. Well, except David, that dirty rotten son-of-a…” I stopped myself. I didn’t normally use profanity and I wasn’t going to let him make me start now. “I just needed a few minutes to figure things out.”

  “What are you going to do?” Mother stood behind Dolly with her hand on the older woman’s shoulder.

  “Exactly what we already planned. Tonight you’re all going to leave and then sneak back in through the kitchen door. David can’t watch the front and back at the same time, and I’m counting on him to watch the front. He’ll figure if he watches the front he can see who comes and goes.

  “And then we wait.”

  “And then we wait,” I echoed.

  “What if he doesn’t show up tonight?” Felicity asked.

  “We’ll do the same thing tomorrow night and every night after that until he makes his move.” I was so sure of myself and how David would react to me being alone. I hoped I was right. What if he decided to come during the day? I wouldn’t be prepared.

  “What if he doesn’t come at night?” Was my mother reading minds now?

  “I guess my plan needs a little more work, but I’ll figure it out.”

  “I called all the neighbors and everyone on the block is going to be keeping an eye on your house, Sandi.” Leave it to Dolly.

  “I just hope they’re not obvious. I don’t want to scare him off. I want to pick the place where we have a showdown. I may not be able to pick the time, but… Yes, I can pick the place, because I won’t be alone anywhere else.” I smiled. Maybe I was smarter than I realized.

  “Oh, I told them to be careful. I saw Mrs. Connelly wave at you. She was watering so she could watch the house. Did you see the Clemmons drive by? They were watching, too.”

  “I didn’t know the neighbors cared so much.” A warm feeling spread through my chest and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Between you and Bubba, we all feel pretty safe around here. Of course I’ve told them all how you helped my granddaughter when she was in trouble. I don’t think there’s a person on this block that wouldn’t go out of their way to help you. You’ve been so kind to everyone.” Dolly had her finger on the pulse of the neighborhood, so I believed her. Besides, I could just about hear her singing my praises. She was my Number One Fan, so to speak.

  “Sandi’s been kind?” My mother didn’t really sound skeptical, and yet there was a hint of surprise in her voice.

  “Oh, yes. When Odelle O’Reilly injured her back, Sandi took her trash cans out and back i
n every week for a month, and she picked up her newspaper every morning and put it up on the porch railing where Odelle could reach it without bending over.

  “Chester Reed got laid off from his job and Sandi made calls to some of the people she knows until she found a job he could qualify for, and she made cookies for his kids while he was out of work. She even took over a casserole one night.

  “Then there was Mrs. – ”

  “Enough,” I said. “I’m no saint. I just do what anyone else would do under the same circumstances.”

  Dolly raised her eyebrows in my direction. “You did what other people only talk about doing.”

  My mother’s face softened and she smiled. “Sandi is a product of her environment. I raised her right. I always wondered if I did the right things, and now I know.”

  “Yes, I’m such a wonderful person that I’ve got a killer coming after me. Sheesh. You make me sound like Mother Theresa, Dolly. Quit it or people will expect it all the time.” There were several elderly people in my neighborhood, and yes, they sometimes needed help with things. It wasn’t a big deal.

  I glanced at Felicity and her expression told me she knew Dolly was embarrassing me. “Let’s get back to business,” she said.

  “Yes. Let’s decide what Sandi can do if Smith shows up in the morning or during the daytime hours instead at night.” Stanley stood at the bottom of the steps.

  We hadn’t heard him approach and his sudden appearance made me realize just how vulnerable I was.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Stan, why did you sneak up on us?” Felicity sounded put out.

  “I didn’t. I just strolled right up the walkway. You ladies were so intent on what you were discussing that you didn’t see me coming. It appears I taught you a good lesson without meaning to.” Stanley had the same expression on his face that I saw on Pete’s every so often. Without saying another word, he was telling us that we’d better pay closer attention to our surroundings.

  Of course, that made me miss Pete. At that moment I could have used one of his bear hugs. As much as I didn’t want to count on him, Stanley made me realize I felt more secure with Pete around. I’d never admit it to him though. I knew I could take care of myself, but it was easier when I knew Pete was nearby.

  “For starters, let’s get off this porch and into the house.” I turned and pushed the front door open. “I’m a sitting duck out here.”

  Everyone followed me inside, almost too casually. I had a feeling they were trying to calm me down. It wasn’t working, if that was their intention.

  My mother sat on the couch and picked up the mysteries I’d ordered, reading the descriptions of the stories on the back covers. “Sandi, this one book is about a woman who’s being stalked. That’s kind of what you’re going through. Maybe I should read it and see if I come up with any ideas.”

  “Good idea, Mother. I just hope her stalker doesn’t catch up to her. Now, are we going to work on wedding plans?” I still thought the plans were a good distraction for all of us.

  “You never got to eat lunch. I’ll go to the kitchen and fix something for you, along with a cup of tea.” Dolly was one of those people who figured food and tea could cure anything, including stress.

  “Can you make a chocolate sandwich?” I asked.

  “Oh, you!” She smiled and hurried out to the kitchen.

  “Stan,” I said, “Felicity said there was something you wanted to talk about. Something about a message on the answering machine at the office?”

  “Right. A woman called and left a message. I couldn’t understand most of what she said, but she sounded frantic so I called her back. I think you’re going to want to help her.”

  “What’s the problem?” I was surprised Stanley would want me to become involved in a case considering what was going on in my life. However, he was right. I couldn’t let things slide or the agency might lose its credibility.

  “It seems she met a man in a chat room on the Internet – ”

  “Uh oh,” Dolly interrupted. “I’ve read stories about this kind of thing.” She frequently bought magazines she found at the checkout counter at the store. The kind that held stories about aliens invading small towns, or movie stars doing things no mortal human being could do.

  Stanley nodded at her. “She invited him to come to Los Angeles to meet her. She said they’d corresponded for a long period of time and he was shy and seemed like a sweetheart. Those are her words, not mine. Anyway, he flew here from somewhere back east, she’s seen him about three times, and she’s pretty sure he’s an axe murderer or something along those lines. Again, her words, not mine. She said he’s not shy after all, and he’s trying to insinuate himself into her life. She can’t get him to leave and go home. She said she felt threatened by him.”

  “Uh oh, is right.” I didn’t like the sound of this. Stanley knew me well. This was definitely something I’d want to help with, although I doubted the man was an axe murderer. “What did you tell her?”

  “I said I’d talk to you and call her back as soon as I could.”

  “What’s her name? Did you bring her phone number with you?”

  “Her name is Glenna Tate, and I have the number right here. She sounded like an elderly woman. Can you imagine someone scaring an old woman like that? Although, it’s difficult to imagine an elderly woman using a chat room to begin with.” He pulled a notebook out of his pocket.

  “I’ll call her back right now.” I borrowed Stanley’s notebook and headed for the kitchen where I could talk without interruption. Unfortunately, everyone followed me.

  “What can we do?” my mother asked.

  “Nothing. Why don’t you all wait in the living room so I can talk with this woman in private? I’m sure she wouldn’t like to broadcast her problems to my family and friends.”

  “Sandi’s right. Let’s wait in the other room.” I watched Felicity herd everyone out of the room.

  “What’s going on?” Dolly set my sandwich in front of me, along with a steaming cup of tea.

  “I have to call a potential new client. Would you mind waiting in the living room?”

  “Not at all. But eat your sandwich while you talk. You need your strength.” She left the room, almost tiptoeing.

  I found myself smiling again. Only Dolly would relate calling a new client to keeping up my strength.

  While dialing the number, I took a bite of my sandwich. The phone rang three times before someone picked it up.

  “Hello?” The voice sounded older and nervous.

  “Is Glenna Tate in?”

  “This is Glenna. Who’s this?”

  “Glenna, my name is Sandi Webster of Webster and Goldberg Investigations. You spoke to my associate earlier about a problem you’re having. Would it be possible for you to meet me at our office to discuss the situation?”

  “Just say where and when. This dude is spooking me pretty good. I need your help, and I need it quick.” She spoke quickly and seemed agitated, which wasn’t surprising.

  What did surprise me was that although her voice sounded older, her words didn’t. I didn’t like surprises. “Forgive me for asking, but how old are you and how old is the man?”

  She was quiet for a moment. “I’m in my early thirties, and I know I sound like an old lady. I’d guess Ronald is in his late thirties or early forties. He’s not a geezer either.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to step on your toes, but in all honestly, you do sound older. I needed to get a feel for the people I’ll be dealing with if I take your case.”

  “You mean there’s a chance you won’t?” She sounded panic-stricken.

  “Calm down. Be at my office in an hour and we’ll talk.” I didn’t want to make any promises. I gave her the address and said I’d wait for her there.

  I returned to the living room. “Stan, I’d like you to come with me. The rest of you can wait at Dolly’s house, or better yet at Felicity’s. I’d feel more comfortable if you weren’t around my house for
a while.”

  “We’ll be at my house,” Felicity said. “Call us when you come home and we’ll drive back here.”

  I glanced at my watch. The day was getting away from me. Morning had become late afternoon.

  Stanley drove his car to the office. I decided I’d take my own car the next time I rode with him because he drove like a little old lady, barely driving the speed limit and being overly cautious. At least he drove in the outside lane instead of the fast lane. I noticed when we stopped at stop signs he’d come to a complete stop and then, it seemed, count to three before driving forward. I kept my sigh to myself on this occasion.

  Arriving at the office, I had him drive around the perimeter before parking. No sense in taking chances with David on the loose. Everything appeared to be just as we’d left it. No broken windows or strange cars. After parking, Stanley walked close enough to be my shadow. I noticed he continually looked around.

  “Thank you, Stan. Pete would be proud of you for taking such good care of me.”

  He beamed. “Just doing my job. It’s what you pay me for. Well, I’d do it anyway because you’re my friend.”

  Before entering the office, he checked the door lock to make sure no one had tried to break in. He unlocked the door and held it open, all the time looking around the area.

  “Glenna should be here in about half an hour.”

  Stanley carried a chair to the front of the office and parked himself near the door, still studying the scene outside. He wasn’t about to let anyone get past him.

  “By the way, don’t watch for an elderly woman. Glenna said she’s in her early thirties. You were right and she does sound older. I was surprised at her age after hearing her voice.”

  “Really? I never would have guessed. It just goes to show…” He turned back to the window and I missed the end of his comment.

  I sat down at my desk and pulled a pad of paper out of the drawer, and began jotting down questions I’d want to ask Glenna when she arrived. Number One on the list was what made her think of axe murderers when she thought of Ronald.

  Although he checked his watch several times, Stanley seemed to relax a little while we waited. “I wonder what Pete’s doing right now.”