Chasing My Shadow (11 page)

“According to the report, Selina knew about you receiving it, Stone, and told the police it was money made from drug deals.”

“Oh no! Was it?”

“I don’t
know
, but I don’t think so. I had left for the studio the first of April when I got that role and I was busy with that, and you were taking care of the books and dissolving the business—we were both busy. We did manage to talk occasionally by phone, but not for long. I know I was always in a rush and had to leave. Darn! Wish we could have talked longer and I’m sure you would have told me. You never mentioned such a sum of money, nor did you say anything about paying Selina that large sum of money. I can’t imagine why you would give her that money, even if you did have it, and that seems to be the big question now. Selina told them you gave it to her just before she left. Probably let them think it was to buy more drugs in France, and of course they want to talk with you.”

“And I haven’t a clue about any of it. It looks worse than bad, doesn’t it?”

“Right now, yes! But there has to be an explanation. Selina told the police that you were involved with her and Newberry from the start. I don’t believe it for a minute as she seems too vindictive—and I got the impression the police didn’t buy it either. At least they don’t seem to be pushing it. They just want to talk with you.”

“I guess I should go in and tell them about having amnesia and not remembering.”He thought for a minute,then said, “Apparently this Selina did leave for France soon after I wrote that check to her….Oh boy….”

“If you could just receive your mail,” said Tara Lee, “it might give you some answers.”

“I wish I knew what to do,” said Stone. “Apparently I have an address somewhere in New York where my mail is going. I don’t know if anyone is there to receive it, or if it is piling up somewhere. That mail might explain some of it, but I don’t know where the place is or how I got it. I must have been on my way there when the plane crashed. I can’t go there now as, with my picture in the papers, someone would be bound to recognize me. It would really look like running away from the police then. I’d rather go in now and tell them that I can’t remember than to have them find me.” He looked like a beaten man, and Tara Lee instantly went to sit beside him on the sofa and put her arms around him.

Chelsea could now see what he had suspected from the first that these two people were very much in love. “You can stop pretending you are patient and nurse,” he said, “at least, around Clem and me. I can see how things are with you two and I just wish I could help you straighten this mess out so you could get on with your lives. I also hope I haven’t made things worse by talking you into this.”

The three of them sat in deep thought for a minute, then Tara Lee suddenly asked Chelsea, “You would know if Stone was married, wouldn’t you?”

“I would hope he’d tell me something like that,” he said, “even if we didn’t talk much. No, he’s not married.”

“I asked Clem, and he said Stone wasn’t married the last he knew. I wondered if there was some question.”

“I remember Clem saw Stone with some woman a couple of times and wondered who she was. So I suppose he couldn’t be really positive since he hadn’t seen as much of Stone after we started the Collectibles Store.”

“You don’t know who the woman was?” asked Stone, instantly attentive.

“No, I didn’t see her. Clem saw you going into the Rainbow one….”

“The Rainbow?” asked Stone and Tara Lee in unison.

“Yeah, a rather fancy restaurant on Jasmine Street. He said she had dark, short hair, was maybe a little younger than we are, quite pretty, he said. But heck, we’ve always taken girls out to dinner, but we didn’t marry them.”

Stone said, “Then we still don’t know. We just know that Selina isn’t the dollar sign.”

Chelsea looked at him in bewilderment. “Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”

“Not important,” said Stone. “Just one more puzzle like my new home in Patterson, New York. That information would
really
help.”

“Wait a minute,” Chelsea suddenly grinned and said, “I may be able to help you after all. I’m not needed for another “Take” until a week from Wednesday, so why don’t I just go to that address in New York and find out what I can. Okay with you? You said you have the address?”

“Yes, I do,” he said excitedly, “It was stamped on the mail we picked up at the post office, and you bet it’s OK with me.” “I’ll pay all expenses of course,” he hesitated, “or Tara Lee will. I haven’t any checks, yet. That would sure be a load off my mind, and if you could manage to pick up any mail that might have come, I’d sure be obliged.”

“Write me a note showing the address and asking me to pick it up,” said Chelsea, “just in case I need to go to the post office.”

“And I had better write another note, in case it’s rented, and have the landlord give you a key,” said Stone, “as I sure don’t have one.”

“And in case you bought it,” said Chelsea, “you had better write another asking me to get a key made from a locksmith as yours is lost.”

Tara Lee went to get her check book.“For how much?”she asked Stone.

“A thousand for a starter,” he replied as he started writing the notes. “No, make it fifteen hundred.”

“I won’t need that much,” said Chelsea.

“Well, we’ll see. Remember you’re wasting a lot of your time to help me too, and there will be air fare and meals—you’ll need that much.”

“In the meantime,” said Chelsea, “there’s no way anyone can trace you to this address, so just relax until you hear from me.” When he started out, he suddenly turned back and closed the door. “Maybe, though, you had better stay pretty close to home, Stone, just in case your picture appears in the paper again. You don’t want anyone to recognize you. You should have your phone connected by the time I get to that address, and I can get the number from information. If I can’t get it for any reason, I’ll reach you through Clem.” Then, to Tara Lee, “Remember the phone will be listed under your name. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Then he was on his way. “Stay close to home,” he called back.

“I guess this is home,” said Stone.

Tara Lee went out each day for the daily paper also picking up groceries, laundry, or whatever else they might need. She found these places as close to the apartment as possible to avoid getting lost. They scanned the papers, reading anything they could find about the drug case—which wasn’t much. At first it had occupied a good share of the front page of most of the papers. It seemed at first that anything related to drugs was front-page news here. Now they had to hunt for it—which made them feel more secure. They did find on the fourth page that Selina Avery was out on bail but Jonathon Newberry was being held.

Later in the week they were startled to see Stone’s picture on the front page again along with one of Selina. There were big headlines stating again that Stone Langston had given Selina $100,500. She had at first refused to tell them what it was for, but had later stated that it was to enable her to buy drugs for him in France.

“Oh,no,no,”they are printing that as fact,”cried Tara Lee. “They have no proof—just that woman’s word. They have no right….”

Stone’s face was white and he felt as though his legs wouldn’t hold him up any longer. He slumped down in the chair by the sofa. “But I can’t explain why I gave her that money, or where that nearly $550,000 deposit came from either, and neither Chelsea nor Clem have any ideas. If not from drug sales, where?” He closed his eyes for a minute then, suddenly alert, “They’ll be coming to arrest me won’t they?”

“I don’t see how they can find you. I just don’t know. It doesn’t seem fair when you can’t defend yourself just because you can’t remember. There has to be a perfectly logical explanation for everything.”

“Wishful thinking, Darling. I can’t see myself getting mixed up in anything like that—yet everything points to my doing just what she said.” I would have come to that same conclusion myself. Anyone would.”

That night Stone was having a nightmare. He seemed to be running and running trying to get somewhere—just somewhere else. He’d run for miles, then stop and ask someone if he was still in California. He just knew he had to get away as soon as possible. He tried to find someone who would drive him, if not out of the state, at least to an airport. He seemed to be very angry, and desperate to get away. He woke up exhausted but didn’t mention the dream to Tara Lee.

That afternoon when the phone rang they were both startled; sure the police had found him, but when Stone answered, it was Chelsea reporting back from New York. “This is a nice apartment in a good neighborhood,” he said, “obviously expensive. But here is a snag—the landlord knows Selina, and I got the impression that because of her he rented it to you. I don’t know what that means. You do have a bunch of mail here that I’ll bring back to you. Sorry I don’t have better news, but that’s it. Anything else you want me to do before I return?” he asked.

“Just a minute,” said Stone, “Hold on.” He quickly told Tara Lee what Chelsea had told him, then handed her the phone.

“It sounds bad, Chelsea,” she said, “everything seems to just connect him more and more with this Selena,” then she asked, “Do you have the name of the landlord—and does he live in the building?”

“He lives here in a down-stairs unit. His last name is Plourdon, or something like that, but he was leaving for a few days. If he hasn’t left yet and you’d like to talk to him, I’ll see if….”

“No, never mind—if he was leaving. Probably wouldn’t help anyway. And I can’t think of anything that would do any good now. Oh, by the way, remember when we mentioned ‘dollar sign’ and you didn’t know what we meant? Do you know of anyone who signs her name with a `dollar sign?’”

“A dollar sign? That’s it?”

“Yes, someone who knows Stone signs her name as a dollar sign—in fact seems to know him very well.”

“She wrote to him?”

“Three messages, and in one of them wanted him to meet her at the Rainbow.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t any idea. Maybe the one Clem saw with Stone. Wish I could help. Probably just some joke that means nothing. And I’m sorry if we messed things up for you two. We really were trying to help. Maybe it would have been better if we had stayed out of it and you had gone in to the police station. At least they could check with the hospital Stone was in and they could verify that he has amnesia. They would know he wasn’t faking and….Well, anyway, maybe the mail will tell him something.”

Tara Lee didn’t see any point in telling Chelsea that the hospital records would show no signs of Stone having amnesia. She simply said, “Thanks for being his friend, and thank you for all of your help.”

Chelsea said, “Tell Stone that I’ll check on Jerry while I’m here too and be back just as soon as I can….Oh, and tell him there are a bunch of boxes here addressed to him—a lot of them. I picked them up at the post office with the notice that was here with the mail. The return address on all of them is Malsheba Rd. but it’s not his writing—I don’t know whose it is. Anyway, he’s got a lot of mail that I’ll have sent to my place.”

“Thanks for everything and we’ll see you when you get back.” She said goodby, and hung up.

The phone rang almost immediately and, being right there, and assuming Chelsea had thought of something else, she automatically picked it up and answered. She listened for a minute then said, “Yes, Miss Avery, I’ve certainly heard of you, and what did you mean by telling the police that Stone paid you money to buy drugs for him?” Then angrily, “You know that’s not true—and you must know we can prove it.” After another pause, “I’m Stone’s fiancee….Yes, and he’s having enough problems from the plane crash without hearing lies from you.” She slammed the phone down and collapsed onto the sofa. “Oh no, I hope I haven’t made things worse. I should have tried to get some information instead of getting mad. I’m sorry, Stone.”

“I liked your telling that woman that you are my fiancee,” he said.

“She wasn’t happy about that either. I wonder why, if she is so smitten with that Newberry man. I think she has a little crush on you too. I wish I hadn’t hung up like that. I might have learned something if I had kept my cool. And, too, she of course called to speak to you—and maybe if you had heard her voice….Who knows? I guess I blew it.”

“No, you didn’t. I wouldn’t have done any better. We are at a disadvantage because she knows exactly what happened and neither of us does—it’s like fighting in the dark, and I’m beginning to wonder if it will ever get light again.”

Suddenly Tara Lee jumped up and shouted in excitement, “How did she get this number? She knows where we are, Stone. How could she know that?”

He didn’t even try to answer her. Just sat shaking his head at a complete loss for words. He was thinking that the only ones who knew they were there were Chelsea and Clem—and all they knew about those two was what they had told them. Then he suddenly said, “If they knew me so well why was Clem surprised that I was wearing glasses? I’ve worn them since I was a teen-ager. Can’t see across the room without them. How well do they know me? What is going on? Let’s clear out of here, get rid of this car, and head for…for anywhere,” said Stone. “We’ve got to get away from here. I’ve had that feeling from the time I arrived out here and it’s stronger than ever now.”

“But it wouldn’t do any good to run anywhere. We can’t live like that,” then added “We can trust Chelsea. I know we can. That phone call just now—he’s your friend…and Stone, you did write him that check for $1200 and he told you what it was for. And he wouldn’t have known Jerry if not through you. And Clem rented that car in his name and left it for us to drive. Who but a good friend would do that?”

“Yeah, I know, I want to believe it too, but how could that woman know how to find us? Someone had to have told her. Remember this apartment is in your name and she obviously wouldn’t have known that unless someone had told her. I’m sure she had never heard of you.”

“Another thing,” Tara Lee told him, “Chelsea said you had a bunch of mail there, and you need that. It may explain some of the mess.” She thought for a minute then, “We’re in so much trouble already that it seems as though we may as well wait a while longer for Chelsea to show up with your mail. I want to believe you have friends here, and I do believe Chelsea and Clem are both your friends.”