Almost Dead (9 page)

CHAPTER 19

The next morning, Lizzy poured herself a cup of coffee and then took a seat at the kitchen table, where she’d already placed her notebook. Hayley was hunting for leftovers in the refrigerator while Kitally stood at the stove, whipping up omelets for anyone interested.

“We’ve got another case,” Lizzy announced.

“Another workers’ comp case?” Kitally asked.

Lizzy shook her head. “Our first missing dog case.”

“Seriously? Someone wants to pay you to find their dog?”

Lizzy nodded. “It’s a purebred. A pug.”

Hayley grunted.

“I can do it,” Kitally said. “I just sent in the completed file for that Baxter woman with the supposedly debilitating back and neck injuries from her spill in the ladies’ room. I got some great pictures of her jumping her horse.”

“Good job,” Lizzy said. “All the information you need to get started on the missing dog case is in the office under PUG. The woman is frantic and she’s convinced that someone took him right out of her backyard. She said he’s an indoor dog that never leaves her sight except to do his business in the yard once in the morning and once at night. If that’s true, then whoever it was had a very short time frame in which to take the dog.”

“Maybe the dog just dug his way right under the fence.”

“No,” Lizzy said. “The woman told me she has a sturdy iron fence and her dog is too fat to fit through the rails.”

“Why would somebody go to all that bother to steal a dog?”

“People are crazy,” Hayley told Kitally. “You know that.”

“Take a turn through the neighborhood,” Lizzy suggested. “Talk to a few neighbors. See if anything smells suspicious.”

“Find out more about the owner, too,” Hayley said into the open refrigerator. “See if you can flush out any enemies. Maybe an ex-husband or disgruntled boyfriend took the thing.”

Lizzy looked at her notebook and then lifted her chin toward Hayley. “Any leads yet on Pam Middleton’s daughter?”

Hayley straightened and shut the refrigerator, empty-handed. “I forgot to tell you guys. As you know, Dan and Barbara Blatt adopted Pam Middleton’s baby. Kitally and I did find Mr. Blatt, but it’s a sad story. They named the little girl Debra. When she was four, her mom, Barbara Blatt, died of cancer. Dan Blatt was so overcome with grief he couldn’t take care of his daughter, so he offered to pay Barbara’s mother to watch her for a while.”

“He had to
pay
his mother-in-law?”

“You bet. It gets worse. The mother-in-law is an old lady who had nothing good to say about her granddaughter. After watching Debra for two years, she turned the little girl over to Child Services.”

“Why?” Kitally asked.

“She didn’t like the kid bothering her cats, for one thing. When Debra began to wet the bed, she’d had enough. And it turns out Dan Blatt never paid her, which is a good thing.”

“Why is that a good thing?” Lizzy asked.

“Because the old bat might have kept Debra, and that would have been a shame.”

Lizzy shook her head. “Have you talked to Child Services to find out what happened to the little girl?”

“I’ve called twice. No response yet, which means I’ll have to pay them a visit.”

“Keep me updated.” Lizzy turned again to her notes and heaved a sigh. “OK, I got a call recently from Beverly Dow. She sounded upset. Do either of you know anything about that?”

Kitally looked at Hayley.

“She hired us to follow her husband,” Hayley said. “She wanted to know if he was cheating.”

“I saw the file,” Lizzy said. “I know what we were doing for her. I just don’t know why. We don’t do infidelity cases.”

“That’s what I thought,” Hayley answered. “That’s why I was a little surprised when Mrs. Dow came to the office and you drew up a contract right then and there.”

Lizzy sank back in the chair. “I do sort of remember that. Was that the woman who wore a bottle of perfume?”

Hayley nodded. “That’s the one.”

“I could hardly breathe. She’s going to stop by the office next week. I want you both to be there.”

Hayley and Kitally caught eyes, then both looked away.

“Is that a problem?” Lizzy asked.

“Nope,” Hayley said. “Let us know when she’ll be coming and we’ll be there.”

Lizzy nodded. “Moving on . . . I’ll be out all this week visiting schools, giving kids the usual safety spiel.”

“What about the man who’s watching you?” Kitally asked. “Maybe we should have Tommy place a couple of surveillance cameras in the front and back of the house.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Kitally said.

Lizzy pointed at Hayley. “Let me know the second you learn anything about Debra Blatt’s whereabouts. Her sister is back in the hospital, and it’s crucial we find her as soon as possible.”

“Will do.”

CHAPTER 20

The moment Jenny Pickett opened the door, regret slithered up her spine. She should have stayed in the kitchen until whoever was at the door went away.

The man standing on her front porch looked familiar. Under the glow of the outside light, she guessed him to be in his thirties. He wore khaki pants and a newly ironed buttoned-up dress shirt. His dark hair was thinning, but there was something glimmering within his blue eyes that told her he’d been a charmer in his day. Grasped in his hands was a letter-sized envelope.

He looked at her with sorrowful eyes. “Sorry to bother you. I was told that Jenny Pickett lived here.”

“I’m Jenny Pickett.”

He looked hopeful and doubtful all at once. “Jenny?”

“Who gave you my address?”

“Your mother.”

“Should I know you?”

“I’m not surprised you don’t recognize me. It seems like a lifetime ago that we graduated high school. I’m Dean Newman.”

The name rattled something deep within, something foul. Dean Newman. Quarterback.

The boy who raped her and then held her down for his friends to take turns.

Her instincts screamed for her to slam the door on him, but the voice in her head demanded otherwise.

Let him in. Now!

“I came to tell you how sorry I am, Jenny,” he said, his voice hoarse, “and to ask for your forgiveness.”

Dean Newman, on her doorstep. It was dizzying. He wasn’t just on her kill list; he was one of its unquestioned stars. Close to the bottom of the list because she’d been saving the worst for last. As she peered into his eyes, she had a difficult time swallowing. Memories of her time with Dean Newman had been buried deeper than most.

“Can I come in? Just for a moment?”

She glanced past him and saw his black SUV parked in front of her house. It was past nine and already dark.

She didn’t want to hear one word of what he had to say to her. What would she do? Listen to his bullshit and then forgive him?

Don’t even think about it. You’ve got him right where you want him. Let him in and then take care of business.

How? What will I use? I can’t keep him here and—

What about the muscle relaxant in the refrigerator? Use that.

Not a bad idea. It would only last for another five days. She’d planned on using it on the next victim on her list . . . but she just wasn’t prepared for Dean Newman. Was she? She needed to think for a minute.

“Are you all right?” Dean asked.

“Um, no, not really. I’m a bit stunned to see you, actually.”

“I understand. I can’t believe I expected you to invite me into your home. If I could leave this envelope with you, though, it would mean a lot. If you—”

Get him in the house now!

“I was just about to eat dinner,” Jenny blurted. “If you agree to come inside and have some chicken and rice, I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. It’s cold out. Come on in.”

As soon as he stepped inside, she shut the door behind him and then led him into the kitchen nook, insisting he take a seat in one of the four chairs surrounding the glass table.

He slid the envelope back into his pocket and did as she said.

Jenny quickly set the table for two. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to grab my sweater from the other room.”

In her office, she unlocked her desk drawer and looked through the different bottles of pills she’d been collecting over the past few weeks. She needed something strong. Something that would knock him out fast so she could figure out what to do next. The muscle relaxant would be used later.

The Rohypnol caught her eye.

That should do it.

Then what? This is crazy. I need more time.

Feed him to the eight-hundred-pound boar.

No.
Jenny took in a breath. And then it came to her. “I’ll slip him the Rohypnol,” she muttered, “then pull his car into the garage and lead him out to it. Get him into the passenger side and then inject him with halothane. That should give me about forty minutes to get to the canal. I’ll make it looked like he drove into the water on purpose. I’ve got a bottle of whiskey that I’ll leave with him. Everyone will think he fell off the wagon and just couldn’t live with himself.”

I still like the boar.

“The pig’s not happening. Mom or Dad sees me, then what?”

No reply.

With the pills she needed in her possession, Jenny was halfway down the hall before she remembered what she’d gone to the back of the house to get in the first place. Her sweater.

“Sorry about that,” she said when she finally returned. She went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

“Not a problem,” Dean said. He came to his feet. “Can I help you with anything?”

“No,” she snapped.

He looked taken aback.

She smiled. “I want to do this. You’re my guest.”

He took his seat again and seemed to relax. “I can’t thank you enough for allowing me inside your home. It’s beautiful. From the look of things, you’ve done well for yourself.”

“I can’t complain,” she said as she crushed the pills and mixed them into a small portion of rice. “How about you? What are you up to these days?”

“The truth is I’m doing better now. I’ve been sober for a few years now.”

She brought him a cup of hot tea and set it in front of him. “Well, good for you.” Back in the kitchen, she pulled out two plates, used the tongs to grab a chicken breast from the pan in the oven. Next came the rice, topped off with a mushroom sauce. “Here you go—chicken and rice with my famous mushroom sauce.” She set the plate in front of him.

“I really can’t let you feed me. It doesn’t seem right.”

“If you don’t eat every bite on your plate,” she stated firmly, “I’ll never forgive you.
Ever.
”

Convinced, once she joined him at the table he didn’t waste any time devouring everything on his plate. When he finished, he said, “That was the best meal I’ve had in a very long time.”

“You’re being too kind.”

“I’m serious. And you look amazing, Jenny. You really do.”

She didn’t care what he thought, but she said playfully, “Stop it now. You’re just trying to make me blush.”

He put his napkin on the table. “I hate to ruin this wonderful evening, but I need to tell you, Jenny, that a day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t thought about what I did to you.”

“It’s in the past,” she said, praying the pills would soon take effect so she wouldn’t have to listen to his half-assed apologies.

He used his napkin to wipe perspiration from his brow.

He looked flushed.
Thank God.

“Are you all right?”

“Just a little dizzy. I must have eaten too quickly. And sitting here with you . . . I don’t think you understand how much I appreciate you inviting me inside and then feeding me. I’m overwhelmed by your generosity.”

She stood. “Why don’t we have a seat in the living room where you’ll be more comfortable?”

“I should probably go.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Not before you have a seat in the living room and tell me what you came here to say. It’s important that I hear it.”

He made it to the other room without trouble, but then all but toppled into a seat on one end of the couch. His body sank into the cushions. He wasn’t going to last five minutes. If she couldn’t lead him into the car, maybe she could at least find a way to get him closer to the garage.

“I’ve got an idea,” she said cheerfully. She held out her hand. “Give me the keys to your car.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to pull your car into the garage, and then I’m going to drive you home. You don’t look well.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

He could hardly move. She just hoped she hadn’t put too many pills in his rice. He couldn’t die yet. She had bigger plans for him, and they had a lot to talk about. She reached into his jacket pocket, retrieved his keys, and held them up for him to see. “I insist.”

CHAPTER 21

For over ten years now, Lizzy had been volunteering her time teaching defense strategies to young girls and boys. High schools in Placer and Sacramento Counties were accommodating, opening up their gyms and cafeterias after school for a few hours a month. No charge.

Tommy had been a regular volunteer for the last couple of years. He was fantastic with the kids—super energetic, with an infectious passion for self-defense. They loved him. He’d turned twenty-five last week. He owned his own karate school, which is where he could be found most days. No matter how busy Tommy got, he always took the time to help Lizzy out. As far as Lizzy was concerned, he was one of the good guys.

A good guy with tough romantic instincts, though. Tommy had a thing for Hayley. Everyone knew that. The part that surprised Lizzy, though, was that he hadn’t given up yet. Hayley wasn’t an easy person to gauge, or get along with, for that matter. It was true that since Brian Rosie’s death, Hayley seemed different. She was still far from chatty, but not as silent as she used to be. Still, if you looked close enough, it was easy to see that a subtle darkness continued to simmer and brew just beneath the surface.

Today’s class had been held at Crestmont High, not far from her office on J Street. Lizzy had been holding self-defense classes at this particular school for years, so she knew most of the regulars. Her class size had grown from an average of seven kids to double that in the past few years. Some of the kids invited her to birthday parties and other family events.

It was almost five. Time to lock up. She was surprised to see Tommy still there, talking to a group of girls in the far corner of the room. He’d recently opened a second karate school and therefore he usually hurried to his car the moment class ended.

But not tonight.

One of the girls was crying. Something was wrong.

Lizzy joined their small circle, made eye contact with Tommy, and lifted a questioning brow.

“It’s Shelby,” he said as he stepped out of the group and pulled Lizzy with him. “She’s missing.”

“Since when?”

“According to her friends, Shelby was at school yesterday and everything seemed fine. Apparently Shelby tutors math and so when she didn’t come straight home from school, her mom figured she’d be home later. By dinnertime, her parents knew something was wrong. That’s really all I know. One of the girls over there said that all of Shelby’s friends were being questioned by authorities at school today. Rumor has it that they found her car on the side of the highway.”

“OK, thanks, Tommy.”

“Are you all right?”

“I don’t know,” Lizzy said. Her ears were buzzing. This couldn’t be happening. “I just can’t imagine Shelby putting herself in a situation where this could happen. She’s been coming to my classes for years. She’s smart, tough, and she’s a fighter.”

Tommy started to pull Lizzy into his arms, then backed off when she stiffened. “I’m sorry. You looked like you could use . . .” He trailed off.

Lizzy shook her head. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I didn’t mean to get all weird on you.”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I get it. You’ve been put through the wringer. No need to explain. You need time.” He waved a hand through the air. “Look around. You’re a decent person doing a decent thing by helping these kids. They look up to you. Hayley and Kitally do, too. So do I.”

“Thanks. I’m going to go talk to some of the girls, see what I can do to help. See you next week?”

“I’ll be here.”

After Tommy walked off, Lizzy talked to the remaining girls. They were all just as baffled as Lizzy. Shelby had just turned seventeen. She was a junior and had been dating the same boy for three years. A nice boy, they all said. Lizzy had met him a couple of times when he picked Shelby up from class.

Then Lizzy remembered. The buzzing in her ears was back. Last week—maybe the week before that, Lizzy wasn’t sure—Shelby had tried to talk to her after class. She’d asked a few questions about relationships and love, and Lizzy realized now that she hadn’t really listened to her. She’d been caught up in her own thoughts, could hardly remember a word of what Shelby had said.

After everyone left the gym, Lizzy locked up and then made her way across the parking lot, keeping an eye on her surroundings as she went.

Goose bumps crawled up her arms. He was out there . . . watching her.

She stopped. Looked at the row of windows in the building across the street. Shadows danced within. Her gaze roamed the area, darting from tree to tree, building to building, then to every car parked on the side of the road.

“Who are you?” she said out loud. “What do you want from me?”

There was no answer.

She got to her car, climbed in behind the wheel, locked the doors, and started the engine.
There’s nobody out there
, she told herself.

Nobody out there, in all the world.

“Jared,” she said suddenly, surprised by her own outburst. “Come back to me.”

She tried to imagine him sitting in the seat next to her, but no image of how things used to be came to her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember happier times. When she wasn’t sitting in the hospital with him, it was as if he’d never been. These non-feelings didn’t make any sense. And yet every once in a while, she would feel a glimmer of hope, and for a moment, never longer, she shut her eyes and dared to imagine that everything would be all right. It was pure insanity. She was living in a tornado of confusion, a constant war between logic and irrationality.

A white Volkswagen Passat rolled into the parking lot. Behind the wheel was a young man. Clearly not a threat. Lizzy watched him drive up close to her car, stop, and roll down his window. She cracked her own.

“Ms. Gardner? My name is Derek Murphy,” he said. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days.”

Before she could tell him to get lost, he said, “I work for
Channel 10 News
, and we want to do a human interest story on you. You know, the story behind the story.”

She hit the Roll-Up button on her window and drove off.

Forty-five minutes later, after being told she could go ahead and enter Detective Chase’s office, Lizzy opened the door, but then started to back out when she noticed he was on the phone.

Detective Chase waved her in, gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk.

Lizzy shut the door and took a seat. While he finished his conversation, she glanced around, taking note of the framed certificate on the wall. Apparently he’d graduated from George Washington University in Washington, DC.

If she were trying to figure out what sort of man he was, judging by the pictures, she would guess he liked to fish and golf with his buddies. A man’s man. Her gaze left the wall and settled on the bronze trophy sitting on the credenza to the right. Apparently Detective Chase received a Top Cop Award and was honored by the president of the United States. Shocker. She didn’t think Chase had it in him.

Chase hung up the phone and said, “Gardner.”

“Detective Chase.”

“How are you holding up?”

The big man was trying to come across as if he cared. “I’m doing OK.”

“You don’t look OK.”

“Thanks.”

“What brings you here today?”

She had two reasons for the visit, but she decided to start with, “Melony Reed.”

Blank face, no expression. “Haven’t heard the name.”

“She came to see you because she was scared.”

“About what?”

“All her friends from high school were dying. Does that ring a bell?”

“That happens, you know—people’s friends die.”

“Yes. I know. Thanks for the reminder.”

He shrugged.

“Melony Reed hired me to investigate why so many of her friends are disappearing.”

“So have you solved the case? It’s been at least a week, hasn’t it?”

“So you do remember.”

Another shrug.

“Did you know Melony died recently, slipped and fell on the knives sticking straight up out of her open dishwasher?”

No shrug this time. Instead Chase appeared a bit uneasy.

“You can’t deny that that’s a lot of accidents in a short period of time.”

“Quite a coincidence. I’ll give you that.”

“Why did you send her to me?” Lizzy asked.

“Because I know how you like to solve murder mysteries.”

Detective Chase, it seemed, was back to his old dickish self. Lizzy didn’t flinch. “You sent her to me because you thought she was a joke. You didn’t believe her.”

“You’re wrong. I believed her when she told me that her friends died. But as I said, people die all of the time. Melony Reed was going through a divorce. There were a lot of contested financial issues, and she ended up losing everything. It was easy enough to see that she was experiencing some kind of midlife crisis—”

“She was only thirty.”

Chase sighed. “Listen. If you add up all of the homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults, we’re talking thousands of crimes every year. And that’s just right here in Sacramento.”

“Ahh, you’re busy, so you just decided to brush her aside.”

“Not every death is a murder.”

“She came to you for help, and you did nothing.”

“Sounds like she went to you, too. What did you do to help Melony Reed?”

Lizzy didn’t have an answer.

“Am I supposed to drop everything anytime Lizzy Gardner walks into my office?” He leaned back in his chair. “Though you do seem to have some clout around here. I wouldn’t be surprised to get a call from Jimmy Martin any second now.”

“Stop being an ass.”

“Are we done here?”

“Not yet,” Lizzy said. “What do you know about Shelby Geitner?”

“Now I know we’re finished. There’s the door.” He leaned forward and began shuffling through the papers on his desk.

“I
know
Shelby personally. I’ve been to her house. She would never run away, let alone put herself in a position to be kidnapped.”

“Who said anything about being kidnapped?”

“I heard it through the grapevine, Detective. You should get out there, hit the pavement—you learn things that way.”

“Listen, Gardner. I don’t care if you and Shelby talked on the phone every day and had coffee on Sundays. Keep your nose out of my case.”

“Is that a threat?”

He took in a breath. “Listen. I want to find Shelby as badly as you do. I know Shelby’s father. We’ve played golf together. We’re in the process of locating and interviewing witnesses, re-canvassing the crime scene and booking evidence, searching criminal databases. In other words, we’ve got it covered. I’d appreciate it if you stayed out of my way.”

“Wow. Detective Chase is being polite and asking nicely.”

“Is it working?”

“Maybe. Answer four questions and I’ll think about backing off.”

He actually smiled. “Ask the questions and I’ll think about answering them.”

“Any suspects?”

“Not yet.”

“Did you find her car?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think someone was waiting for her in it after school?”

“Looks that way.”

“Did she put up a fight?”

“Absolutely.”