Forever Mine (4 page)

“Up to his
cojones
,” Sutter mumbled.

Allie shivered.

Lt. Chase pulled out his cell phone. A few seconds later he addressed someone as Captain. The call lasted a few minutes and was all about Jimmy and Dave and the connection they’d made with Allie. Also, they discussed the new plan to put detectives inside the house. A few nods of the head and Chase closed his phone.

“The captain went for it. However, if they’re not apprehended within a certain amount of time, another adjustment will have to be considered.”

Allie wondered what constituted “a certain amount of time” in order for the police to catch up with the men. When she asked, Sutter said, “What do you think? They’re zipping down here on a Greyhound bus? Barnett is a wanted man, and he will take every precaution to stay away from populated areas.”

Allie bit down on her bottom lip. Possibly two or more weeks with detectives in her house? Her stomach clenched.

“So here’s how it’s going to shake out,” Chase said. “Ben, Ed, you’ll each take a twelve-hour shift. Ed, you’re on midnight to noon. Ben you take noon to midnight.”

Thompson groaned. “My wife’s not gonna be happy. And when Sandra’s not happy…”

“Every police force between here and Seattle has men on the lookout. We might get lucky.” The lieutenant used a mollifying tone. “Especially if Ms. Nash plays her part well.”

Allie gave herself a mental kick in the rear for spotting the stakeout. The distraction was going to shoot her inspiration all to hell, to say nothing about a man wanted by the police and who was zeroing in on her.

The office, once considered generously proportioned, seemed to have shrunk in size. Although it only held the antique French table and an off-white and gold trimmed straight-backed chair, two beige-upholstered client chairs and a small wooden rack containing several recent issues of
Bride Magazine
, the room now closed in on her. A ray of sun slipped through the large picture window fronting onto the street. It did little to alleviate the cramped atmosphere.

“I won’t have time to sit by a phone.”

“Do whatever you want in the house,” Sutter said. “Just remember when Barnett calls back, it’s your job to make nice.”

“Nice? I don’t even know him. What did he do anyway?”

“There are two young women missing in the Seattle area,” Chase said. “I don’t wish to alarm you, but the authorities up there are certain Barnett had a connection to both. A lot more seriously, he’s tied to the murder of two other women. The authorities are also looking at him for other unsolved murders. It may turn out those are the tip of a very big iceberg. The Seattle police only connected the dots after the men skipped town.”

An ominous thought jumped into Allie’s head. She was about to voice it when the shrill ringing of a phone cut it dead.

Chapter Three

Allie froze. Her heart seemed to have suddenly jumped from her chest into her throat. Then, when she realized the sound came from the landline in the back room, she sucked in several deep, calming breaths and headed there. The detectives plowed after her. Once through the doorway, Lt. Chase cut her off and clamped his hand onto the phone receiver.

Before she had a chance to tell them this phone was unlisted and not the one Dave and Jimmy had used, Chase said, “If it’s Barnett, and he mentions wanting to get together, encourage him. Lead him to believe you’re interested. Stay calm. Take your time. Try to find out where he’s calling from.” He picked up the receiver, noticed the speaker component, activated it and handed her the phone.

She checked the caller ID then said, “Hello, Sarah.” She glared at the detectives then looked up at the ceiling.

“Hi. I won’t keep you long.” Sarah’s breathy voice filled the room. “I’m just double checking about this Saturday, Jen’s thirtieth birthday lunch. You put it on the calendar. Right?”

“Yes, of course.” Allie shot Lt. Chase a glance. He shrugged.

“I know you’re busy with the clothes for the competition. I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten. We’re working around your schedule. You said you could spare two hours.”

When Allie got really busy and faced a tight deadline, social engagements sometimes slipped her mind. Aware of her forgetfulness, her family and friends phoned with reminders.

“No, no, I remember the date. One o’clock at the Beach Chalet. I have Jen’s birthday gift right here.”

“Okay. Everything’s on schedule. I baked my special cake and Michaela’s bringing the balloons. I’ll see you Saturday at the restaurant. Don’t be late.”

Allie hung up and swallowed a groan. Too much had happened all at once: the approaching semi-finals, Saturday’s lunch and now three detectives had her surrounded, two of whom would be encroaching on her space. Worst of all, someone dangerous was on his way here, intending to shack up with her or worse. She bit down on her tongue. There was no way she could relocate. Winning the competition could mean a life-changing experience. She had to go along with the agenda proposed by the police. Did “making nice” with Dave scare her? You bet, but she had no other option.

Chase folded his arms across his chest. “About Saturday…”

He was wrong if he expected her to cancel the date. “I plan to meet my friends at the Beach Chalet.”

He gave a sympathetic nod. “No one wants to keep you a prisoner. However, we’ll have to severely limit your time outdoors. You’re our only link to Barnett. Also, we need to protect you.”

Great. Days or maybe weeks might pass before the police captured him and Jimmy. At least, according to Lt. Chase, no law enforcement agency had yet connected Jimmy with a criminal act. Maybe his worst offense would add up to tagging along with Dave. Until that sicko was apprehended, her concentration, which needed to stay sharp if she was to have any chance to advance to the finals, would shred like parade confetti.

“It’s paramount we ensure your safety,” Chase continued. “That’s best done inside the house and away from crowded venues. We need to know your activities for the next week or so. We’ll start there. Wherever you go, from now on, you’ll have a detective with you.”

Allie felt like beating herself up. Obviously, her good citizenship carried a vicious downside. It had caused her nothing but trouble. In the future, no matter what suspicions she had, she planned to keep her mouth shut.

“I don’t remember offhand what dates are on my calendar. Let me check.”

Breaking through the circle of cops, she led them back to her office and opened the table’s center drawer where she kept a bound, black leather datebook. It took a few seconds to flip through it and locate the day’s date and checked events for the next two weeks. She refused to consider her house arrest could stretch beyond that.

On June fourteenth, the Designorama sponsors planned to erect the tent behind City Hall, readying it for showing each contestant’s collection. The following night, the models would parade down the runway. Not much time for her to make any necessary adjustments to the garments. With luck, her model, Fiona, had stayed the same weight as when Allie had taken measurements two months prior.

The second Saturday jumped right off the page at her.
Uh oh
. If today was rain, that party promised a monsoon.

“I’m expected at my mother and stepfather’s twentieth anniversary party. It’s a big blowout, and unless I get mashed by a bus in the next nine days, I have to make an appearance.”

She kept her gaze away from Sutter. Crap. Wouldn’t you know it? The party fell on his noon to midnight watch. How would she ever explain him to her mother and Hamilton?

Chase asked the location of the party. When she told him a penthouse on Nob Hill, he and the other two detectives performed what might have passed for a double take. Then Sutter shrugged and said, “Works for me. Just remember, Cinderella, we have to be home by midnight.”

Allie’s jaw clenched. She wondered if he even owned a decent suit, dress shirt and tie. She couldn’t remember if the party was formal, but probably so. All her parents’ male friends owned multiple tuxedos. Each time they appeared in the
San Francisco
Chronicle,
for an event like opening night at the opera or a special museum exhibit at the De Young, the men were always pictured in formal wear.

She scanned the page again. “Nothing else is important.” She slammed the book closed and returned it to the drawer.

“Okay, then.” Lt. Chase nodded. “We have two outings, both in enclosed venues. Neither should pose a problem. Let’s concentrate now on what to do when Barnett calls again.”

Allie’s stomach did an elevator-quick zip-up, zip-down flip-flop. Talk about committing suicide, however unintended.

“Ms. Nash,” the lieutenant continued, “what we’ve found out about Dave, from the authorities in Seattle, is he seems very smart, shrewd. He’ll pick up any nuances in your tone, so keep it friendly. Don’t think of him as a threat. He isn’t to you nor will he ever become one. Remember, it’s important you find out his location. Also, try to pin him down as to exactly when he’ll arrive in the city. Lead him to believe you’re very interested in meeting him.”

“Really?” Allie shivered at the thought of another conversation with him, especially if he got too personal. “And what do you suggest I say if he should ask what I’m wearing. Or wants to have telephone sex?”

“Nah,” Sutter chimed in. “He won’t jeopardize his plan to become close to you. He’ll keep the calls social.”

“I can’t believe this. I’ve signed up to chat with a…a…” She couldn’t bring herself to say a homicidal maniac. “What happens if he shows up at my door?”

Chase reached into his coat pocket, withdrew an envelope and slid out a pencil sketch of a man in his mid-to-late twenties. Even features and a shock of hair—neither too long nor too short but very stylish—placed his looks in the above average category.

“The only actual picture Seattle authorities have of Barnett is from his driver’s license taken nine years ago when he was sixteen. The friend in Seattle, who tipped the authorities on Barnett’s plans to travel here, worked with a police artist. We believe this is more accurate, although it doesn’t show him with blond hair and blue eyes.” He gave her time to study the picture. “If he ever approaches your door, the detective on duty will notify the station, and we’ll have ten cops here in less than a minute. He’ll never step foot inside.”

He placed the sketch on Allie’s desk then withdrew another from the envelope. “Is this Jimmy Rix?”

Allie recognized Jimmy except the drawing had a couple small flaws. “The nose is too refined. It should be fleshier. And the ears are too big. His are flat against his head. Otherwise, it looks more or less as I remember Jimmy.”

“We’ll have the police artist make those adjustments,” Chase promised.

“Just as long as you recognize him if and when he shows up here.” Sutter addressed Allie.

“I’m sure I will.” Her tone indicated she was none too pleased at the prospect. Nor did she appreciate Sutter’s prompt.

“The way the building is constructed,” Sutter said, “anyone approaching the house can be seen from the upstairs front room. It’s best if you keep away from the windows. Also, whenever Barnett or Rix calls, answer the phone then immediately move from the office to one of the inside rooms.”

“You mean I can’t use my office?

“Not a good idea,” Thompson said. “Too much exposure. Just grab the phone and leave the room. Give the impression you’re in a hurry to get back to something in another area of the house. Do not look toward the windows. Those few minutes will give the detective on duty time to get into position.”

Allie’s shoulders slumped.

“Also, those crucial moments are important for when the detective calls for backup,” Chase said. “If you need to make a call, stick to the phone in the other room. Unless you have another phone in the house.”

“Yes, there’s one upstairs in the bedroom.” Allie glanced toward the upper story. Since graduating from fashion school and starting her bridal gown business, she’d reversed the home’s original floor plan. Her living room, bedroom and kitchen were now on the second floor. She’d fallen into the habit of not using the office phone for social calls, keeping it strictly for business.
And now for unwittingly consorting with criminals.
And, like a fly inadvertently blundering into a sticky web, there was nothing she could do to change the coming events except wait for them to ensnare her.

“We’ll put a trace on the phone Rix and Barnett contacted you on,” Chase said. “With your business on hold, one of them will more than likely be on the other end of the line when the phone rings.”

Allie grimaced.

“I guess we’ve covered everything.” Chase moved toward the front door, followed by Thompson. “Detective Sutter will take it from here. You’re in good hands, Ms. Nash.”

Allie didn’t want to find herself in anyone’s hands and certainly not in Detective Sutter’s.

Chapter Four

As soon as the two cops exited, Sutter made her call the head of the safety patrol and leave a message, scotching her earlier suspicions. Then he ambled to the picture window set into the façade of the house. “Do you have anything to cover this with, like a curtain or something?”

“I don’t use
curtains
.” She sidestepped around him and reached for a cord attached on one side to the semi-sheer white fabric bunched across the window top. She worked the cord, and the fabric floated down to the sill.

Sutter eyed it suspiciously. “What do you call that if it isn’t a curtain?”

“It’s a French shade.”

He looked at her and smiled without mirth. “French.” His tone made it sound like an insult.

Allie had worked hard to create a soothing environment for her clients. From the palest pink paint, she’d selected for the downstairs walls to the white moldings and trim. She sought to ease the stress, which often accompanied choosing a bridal gown. She’d strived to make the rooms where she consulted with clients bright and cheerful. The hardwood floors gleamed under a high gloss. Prospective brides usually arrived with a “concept” of what they envisioned in a bridal gown. Sometimes they had the merest idea, from which Allie must create the perfect dream dress. Preparing for a wedding was stressful for future brides, and Allie’s goal was to make this element of the process as smooth as possible.