It's A Shame (21 page)

“I
did first think you two were moving too fast, but after seeing how happy he is, how in love with you he is, I changed my mind.” She watched me, waiting for my reaction.

I stood up and yanked her to her feet and hugged her.

“I love you Shelle. I seriously don’t know what I would do without you.” I was so relieved.

“I know you do. How could you help yourself? Besides I’m sure as hell not about to let you find out!
” she laughed. The sound of her laughing was music to my ears, and I joined in laughing, feeling a little of the tension subside.

“What do you think?” I splayed my fingers so she could get a good look at it on my finger.

“I think it’s absolutely gorgeous. Gotta say, the man’s got great taste. After all he picked you! I think you’re going to make a wonderful wife! You already got the best friend thing sewn up.” I hugged her again, a little tighter this time.

“I hope so, I hope so
,” I repeated a little frightened.

I pulled the note
book back over to me and wrote a few notes next to the various items on the list.

“Time to get back to work.”
I said.

“I’ll make
you another cup.”

Michelle and I walked into the Asbury, wearing our finest suits, trying to give
off an air of total professionalism, when we were anything but.

I
strolled up to the receptionist, just as I had that day when I thought my life was over,
okay so I’m being a little dramatic
, and asked to see James.  He came right away, looking a little nervous after my insane outburst the last time I saw him.

“Grace.” He extended his hand to me and turned his head to Michelle, “and?”

“Oh, excuse my manners, or lack thereof…this is my friend Michelle Maloney.”

“Ms. Maloney, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Michelle beamed her brightest smile and said, “The pleasure is mine.”

James cleared his throat.
  “What can I do for you ladies today?”

“We, well I, was wondering if it would be possible to see security footage from the day I was here…Cole and I already viewed it, but I wanted to see it again.”

He looked at me quizzically, than nodded.

“Follow me,
I’ll take you to the security room.” He led and we followed.

James introduced us to
Tim, the security guard who mans the monitors for the Asbury. He was the one who had set up the tape for Cole and I to view, right after Lauren put on her little charade. Tim took one look at Michelle, and was more than happy to do the same for us today.  After explaining in detail how to move the tape forward and backwards, as well as slow down or speed up, we were set.  I have to admit my nerves, at this point, were shot.

I let Michelle do all the technical work and we both sat there staring at the screen, looking for anything that
may be of some help to Cole.

We played that tape forward and backward for
what seemed like a decade, over and over and in three hours we didn’t see anything that could help us. I was rubbing my tired eyes when Michelle jumped out of her chair.

“What…what did you see?”

“I’m not sure it’s anything…but look in this area.” She pointed to the monitor. “I’m going to rewind a little, but then you have to watch closely.” Her excitement was contagious and I sat up straight in the chair and focused directly on the area she had pointed to.

At first I saw nothing, just people leaving and entering. Then I saw Lauren walk in…ok, we got to this point...
lots of people entered and exited. Then Michelle pointed to a man that walked in, nothing unusual there. He was an average guy, medium height, wearing sunglasses and a hoodie. He stood looking in Lauren’s direction the entire time she was there.  When she moved towards the elevator bank, to put on her award winning performance, he followed her towards the back, keeping his distance. Forty-eight minutes and seventeen seconds later she left, and when she left, he waited a fifty-three seconds, then followed her. There was something about this man that was familiar, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Go back…go back Shelle, play it again and stop when he stands by the planter
,” I commanded as I pointed to the screen.

We watched it again and again;
that nagging suspicion getting stronger and stronger…there was something about him.

“Make the camera go in close…No, closer.
A little more.”

“Grace…” I could tell she was getting a little tired of me barking orders a
t her, but I had no other choice but to do whatever I could to help Cole.

“THERE
!” I was finding it hard to contain my excitement.

Michelle used the toggle handle and made the camera zoom
in closer.

“There, see?” I pointed.

“Shit….”

The camera
lens was focused directly on the man’s head. But no matter how close the camera zoomed in, the sunglasses and baseball cap blocked his face. We could barely make out a slight outline of a tattoo visible over the top of his tee shirt. It was bizarre. The image wasn’t perfectly clear but from what I could make out...it was familiar…very familiar. I asked the security officer to print out a few copies of the man, the tattoo, and his head. After thanking him, we took them and left the Asbury, both of us exhausted.

“Do me a favor, and don’t say anything about this to Dean
, at least not until we find something big,” she pleaded.

“I wouldn’t, but why?”

“He hates when I try to play cop and gives me a ton of shit about it,” she said sheepishly.

“I know what you mean
. Cole would get angry if he thought we were up to something that could get us…well…you get the point.”

She nodded.

In bed that night, after we had crazy insane sex, I lay awake listening to Cole’s even breaths as I thought about the man with the tattoo. My thoughts were all over the place. I knew there was something, but until it became clear, it was nothing but a thought.

Chapter
20

The next morning I dressed in jeans and a tank top and went to the shop
. I had to get out of my apartment and Michelle was working, so I thought I would do the adult thing and check on my business.

I was tired of trying
to remember something I wasn’t even positive I knew in the first place, even though
I knew
I knew. My thoughts were going around in my head at lightning speed with no finish line in sight and it was getting me very frustrated to say the least.

After I greeted everyone, I walke
d to my office and sat down. I pulled out the envelope full of pictures I had in my briefcase, which I hid from Cole, and strategically lay them out on my desk. 

Karen walked i
nto the office. I looked up, panicked for a second, but didn’t bother to try to hide them.

“Here you go boss lady
,” she said as she handed me a much-needed cup of coffee. I took one sip and closed my eyes and moaned in ecstasy.

“Mmm, that’s good coffee…Terry’s?” I asked already knowing the answer.

“Yup… nothing but the best for you.” She smirked then let out a laugh.

She stood
over my desk looking down at the pictures I’d laid out.

“What…is that crazy SOB bothering you again
?” she looked directly at me, her mouth was hanging open, and I could see she was shocked and getting angry. “If he is, you should tell the police and get his sorry ass arrested again.”

I grabbed
up the pictures as if my life depended on it…
it did actually.

“You know this man? Karen
, you know him?”

“Looks like the crazy bastard who harassed you, remember?”

“No, when, when did he harass me?”

“Right after the whole Jonathan
-Golden Hair shit show.  You really don’t remember?”

“I
f I did would I be asking you?” I immediately regretted my tone of voice. “I’m so sorry Karen, I apologize…I’m just really stressed. I’m sorry I took it out on you.”

“No worries
.” She stood there staring at me expecting me to have a full meltdown. “He’s the guy who grabbed you…remember… the guy who grabbed your arm when you were trying to get in the car outside. The really strange looking one.”

I lifted the
image closer to my eyes, under the light. “I seem to be a magnet for psychopaths,” I answered, as I looked at the picture closely, frustrated with myself for not remembering.

“At least that’s who he looks like anyway,” she glanced quickly at the pictures.
“Remember him now? Cole went ballistic on his ass.  After he grabbed you Cole dove on him. His guys had to pull him off. Come to think of it, from what I remember one of his guys grabbed you and threw you into the back of the car.” She looked at me as though I were senile. “You seriously don’t remember?”

I didn’t remember and I did. I remembered a scuffle, but there were so many scuffles during that time of my life, one just blended in
to the next. Between the news people, the onlookers, the maniacs and bystanders, everything was a blur. I did, however, remember Cole getting into the back of the car with his face red and his knuckles bloodied. When I asked him what happened, he told me he pushed a few reporters out of the way and he thinks he hit the guy who tried to grab me. Like I said, that time was total chaos, and I don’ remember any one particular incident.

“C
ome to think of it, I think, I think I actually saw him recently…” she trailed off. “It was odd, like it didn’t make sense…weird.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Where Karen…think.” I pleaded
. I could feel the adrenaline building inside; my heart was racing.

“
Shit….shit. Oh yeah,” she said matter of factly, “I saw him the day I went to bring you the checks to sign…or I
thought
I saw him.” She rubbed her forehead. “If I’m not mistaken, I think I saw him in your building.” She literally scratched her head. “But that would be weird huh?” She looked at the ceiling then back at me, “I mean, from what I remember, there was a restraining order or something like that.”

A soft moan and
sudden intake of air escaped me as my body reacted to what Karen said.

“My building.” My senses shifted to hyper alert. “My building?”

“Yeah, I think that was where I saw him…” she took another sip of her iced coffee. “I could be wrong, but I think that’s where it was. Figured he must’ve straightened his ass out.”

“WHO KAREN?  Who?” I tried like hell to keep the crazy out of my voice
, to no avail.

“He had a uniform on…” She looked at me, obviously terrified. More of me than the
man I was asking her about.

“A uniform…like delivery man?”
I was grasping at straws now.

“No
…no wasn’t a delivery guy…” she had me on pins and needles. I clasped my hand over my mouth to literally hold back the high-pitched scream that was dying to escape.

“He had on a bellman’s uniform…without the hat.”
She said decisively, very proud of herself.

“Bellman…like a hotel?” I asked, trying to keep the hysteria at a minimum.

“Yeah…like that.”

“Thanks
, Karen,” I said. “I’ve got to make some phone calls, close the door on your way out, please.”

She
looked relieved to be released from the intense interrogation I just put her through. I spilled my purse on the desk, it’s contents scattered on top of the pictures I so carefully laid out, and grabbed my cell.

“Hey
you!” I could tell by the sound of Michelle’s voice she was in a good mood.

“Hey
!  Guess what the fuck I just found out? Never mind, you’ll never guess. Meet me at home.”

“What the fuck
?” Typical Michelle.

“I need to talk to you…like in person…like now!” I was panicking.

“
Grace, I’m at work what’s wrong? You okay?” Michelle said in a low tone.

“I’m fucking
peachy, meet me at home, Shelle.”

“Hello…
Grace, I’m at work here.”
Attitude!

“Fuck that job. I’ll support you.
Quit if you have to but meet me in my apartment, like now.” I killed the call.

I was pacing in the hallway outside my apartment waiting for Michelle. I heard the elevator ring before the doors opened.

“Come on…move it. Come on
,” I yapped at her, I was very impatient and it showed.

“Grace…seriously, this is insane…leave my job?” She took a breath. “You
are
losing it girl.”

“Listen.”

I told her about the entire exchange between Karen and me, leaving nothing out. I knew I got her when her mouth dropped open.

“Close that trap before a fly lands
and takes a sh…” Her eyes widened, the look on her face shut me right up. I smiled triumphantly, reciting a childhood taunt we shared. It was times like these that I really missed those days.

She gave me an evil look as I dug in side my purse
for my keys. I shoved the pictures in her hands and watched as her smile faded.

I
finally got the door opened and pulled her by her arm inside.

“Holy shit
.”

“I agree
.”

“How the hell is he working
? Never mind working… how the fuck is he working
here
?” Her voice was actually shaky. She sounded as scared as I was.

“I don’t have a clue.”

She seemed to be a little shell shocked at the revelation.
Funny pun
.

“He could very well be the last person that saw her alive.
I mean he obviously followed her from the lobby at the Asbury. But why? Why would he
want
to see her? Were they working together…against Cole?” I was so happy that we found a piece of the puzzle, a clue, and still so mystified at the same time.

I opened the fridge and took out a water bottle and tossed one to Michelle.

We decided we would have fill Dean in on what we found.

Michelle was a little nervous knowing he’d find out about what we’ve been up to, but when weighed against Cole being
arrested for a murder he most definitely didn’t do, we really had no choice. After he calmed down, after the redness on his face subsided a little, and the pacing slowed a tad, we showed him the pictures we got from the Asbury security office today.

“Interesting
,” he said as he shuffled the pictures in his hands.

“
Interesting…
” I stood their staring at him, losing hold of my temper.

“Well, until we can find something more concrete, this is just a weird coincidence.”

“There is something seriously wrong with you,” I snapped.

“Grace, calm down. A picture of a man you
think you may, or may not, recognize was seen in a hotel lobby the same day Lauren Buckley was there.” He smiled his smarmy smile. “These pictures you got here,” he said, shaking the pictures in his hand, “are blown up so much… I can’t even make out the guys face. They’re not the best quality.” 

I wanted to smack him.

“He works
here
…as a doorman…packages…hello, any of this registering?” I had to calm down.

“Coincidence.” He folded his arms across his chest, digging in.
“Maybe he was visiting someone, maybe he had a relative staying at the Asbury.” He turned to look towards Michelle who was giving him the evil eye. “All the people that work in this building have been checked out, and were all cleared. So we know he’s not involved, in anyway, with the packages you both received.”

I could feel my face redden.

“Is it also a coincidence that he’s the same guy that let Lauren upstairs without announcing her?”