Obsession (27 page)

Slowly Toni brought her thoughts into focus. She had been watching April and had heard her speaking but had not been concentrating on her words. “I… I'm sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you're all right. Obviously you're not. What is it? What happened?”

“I… had another phone call.”

April raised her eyebrows. “A phone call? From whom?”

Toni shook her head. “I don't know. He's called several times over the last couple of weeks. He doesn't identify himself, but… his voice is vaguely familiar. I just wish I could place it, but I can't. He keeps warning me to mind my own business. I kept hoping it was just some sort of prank caller, but today he said that if I don't listen to him and do what he says, someone… close to me… could get hurt.”

“Oh, my dear. What do the police think about it?”

“I… haven't told them. I'm afraid if I do, he might—”

April looked shocked. “Toni, you must tell them. You can't handle this alone, and you can't assume this caller isn't serious. Why, if it were just some sort of prank, I wouldn't think it would amount to more than a call or two, but repeated calls over a couple of weeks? You simply can't ignore this. Let the police check it out. If there's nothing to it, then you needn't worry, but you can't just keep it to yourself. That's exactly what he's counting on.”

“April, what if… what if I call the police and he finds out? He might follow through on his threat and hurt someone… maybe even Melissa. I just can't take that chance.”

April pursed her lips and squinted her eyes, as if she were thinking. Finally she said, “Then you must tell Abe. If you won't tell anyone else, tell him. You can trust him, can't you?”

Toni caught her breath. “Abe? Oh, April, I don't know….”

“You have to tell someone, my dear.”

Closing her eyes, Toni weighed her options. Up until now she had kept the phone calls to herself, choosing to ignore them and hoping they would stop. They hadn't though, and now he was threatening people she cared about. April was right; she could no longer handle this alone, but she was too frightened to risk bringing the police into it. That left only one option that she could think of, one that filled her with very mixed emotions.

“I'll call him,” she said softly. “It will be easier to tell him on the phone than… in person.”

“Good. I'll go sit outside on the porch swing and give you some privacy.”

She got through to him right away. Even the sound of his voice brought tears to her eyes, but she determined to focus on nothing but the purpose of her call. “Abe, it's… me, Toni. I'm sorry to bother you, but…” She took a deep breath. “Something has happened.”

The surprise and concern in his voice were evident. Yet Toni couldn't help but notice that she didn't hear the familiar tone of hopefulness that had always before marked his conversation when she surprised him with a phone call. “Toni, are you all right? What do you mean, something has happened? Do you want me to come over?”

“No. No, really. It's not necessary. It's just… Abe, I've been getting some phone calls. Anonymous calls. Threats, really. I… don't know who it is, although the voice is somewhat familiar. He warned me not to tell the police, but I—”

He interrupted her before she could finish. “I'm on my way. I'll be there in ten minutes.”

“But—”

The phone clicked in her ear, and he was gone.

Abe rubbed his eyes. It was getting late and he was tired. Sitting in his car in the dark, hidden in the shadows but just close enough to see her house, he was in an uncomfortable position in more ways than one. He shifted in the seat and checked his watch. Ten-thirty He wondered how late he should stay. It was Friday night and Toni's car wasn't parked in its usual place in the driveway. Because he hadn't seen anyone in or around the house since he had parked there an hour earlier, he assumed that Toni, April, and Melissa had all gone out somewhere together.

The previous nights, ever since Toni had told him on Monday of the threatening phone calls she had been receiving, he had driven by her house several times after dark and then had gone on home once he was satisfied that everything seemed to be OK. Tonight was different though. It was Friday, and as no one was home, he decided to stick around a while and keep an eye on things. He wondered if the three of them had gone out alone or if Brad was with them. Because Brad's Lexus wasn't parked in the driveway or in front of the house, he doubted it, but it was possible that they had picked him up at his place. The thought pained him, but he was determined to push past it. After all, Toni had made it perfectly clear that regardless of her feelings for him, she intended to go through with her marriage to Brad. Even on Monday, when he had gone to her home to discuss the phone calls, she had given him no indication that her intentions had changed. And he had certainly not broached the subject, particularly with April Lippincott there. Even had Toni been alone, he had already decided, before he ever set foot in her house that day, that he would
never again speak to her of his feelings—unless, of course, she brought up the subject first. He had served the ball into her court, and she had been adamant about not playing the game. So it was settled. Now all he could do was hover in the shadows, ready to protect her if she needed him.

A car approached from the left, and Abe watched it closely. It appeared to be a late-model Taurus, so maybe they were coming home. That would be a relief, although he would probably still stay awhile, just to be sure everything was all right. He felt his shoulders relax as the car turned into Toni's driveway and stopped. Disappointment swept over him when he realized that April was driving, with Melissa in the passenger seat. Toni was not with them. April and Melissa got out of the car, talking and laughing, and went inside the house. Abe had not been able to make out what they were saying, even with his window down, but now he had to reconcile himself to the fact that Toni was undoubtedly off somewhere with Brad.

Meshugga. Is that what Uncle Sol calls me? Crazy. He's probably right. I must be, to sit here like this, waiting for her to come home while she's out with her fiancé. She's got him to protect her. She doesn't need me. And April and Melissa are here now, so when she comes home, it won't be to an empty house. Why don't I just leave?

Abe didn't leave though. Instead, he poured another cup of coffee from his thermos and sipped it, waiting and watching… and wondering. Where were they? What were they doing? What were they talking about? When she was with Brad, did her mind ever wander? Did she ever think of him the way he thought of her, day and night, until the pain forced him to pull his thoughts away and center them on something else, at least for a little while? How he had wanted to ask her those very questions on Monday as he sat in her house and listened to her explain about the phone calls. April had sat at Toni's side, watching him with a sadness that Abe assumed was due primarily to Julie's death but might also have had at least something to do with
what she sensed was going on—or not going on—between him and Toni.

Instead of asking Toni anything personal, he had asked only those questions that were pertinent to the phone calls she had been receiving. It struck him that the calls had begun right about the time Julie's body was discovered at the lake and that this last call—the one threatening those close to Toni—had come just after April had come to stay at Toni's home. It had been difficult, but Abe had finally made Toni understand that they could not keep this between themselves. It had to be reported, especially in light of Julie Greene's death and Toni's father's connection with her before his own death. Although the autopsy results on Paul Matthews tended to minimize the connection between the two, Abe felt the calls were suspicious enough to warrant a police report, a trace on Toni's phone, and a little extra surveillance on his part.

So, here he sat, waiting for the woman he loved to come home from what was more than likely a date with the other man who loved her—and with whom she planned to spend the remainder of her life. Uncle Sol was right. He was
meshugga,
no doubt about it.

Abe took another sip of coffee and thought again about their conversation on Monday. Toni had been so frightened at the idea of filing a police report and of putting a trace on the phone, concerned that the caller would find out, explaining that he had warned her not to go to the police. Abe had assured her that she was much safer with the police knowing exactly what was going on than trying to handle something like this on her own. Once he had explained to her that it simply wasn't an option for him not to report it, particularly now that he was part of the taskforce investigating Julie's death, she had finally agreed. Now if she would just get another phone call from this creep so they could try to get a lead on who he was….

He sat up straight. Another car was headed his way. He watched it closely until he could make it out. A silver Lexus pulled up and stopped in front of Toni's house. Abe groaned. He had known that
Toni was probably with Brad, but this was one time he would have liked to have been wrong.

Once again he glanced at his watch. Just after eleven. He supposed he should find some consolation in the fact that at least they weren't out late.

Brad got out of the car and hurried around to the passenger side to open the door. Toni climbed out, and as they walked toward the house together, Abe heard the clear sound of her laughter. At the front door, Brad pulled her close and kissed her, and then she went inside.

As Brad turned to walk back to his car, Abe slammed his fist on the steering wheel.
“Meshugga,”
he said. When Brad had driven away, Abe started his car and drove down the street in the opposite direction.

CHAPTER 13

W
hat a lovely idea,” April exclaimed as they sat around the picnic table in the Andersons' backyard. “Sunday brunch outside, and how nice of all of you to include me.”

“It's our pleasure,” Brad answered, smiling across at her.

“Absolutely,” Melissa chimed in. “Besides, you're practically family now.”

April turned to Melissa, who was seated to her right, and gave her a quick hug. “Thank you, my dear. That is quite a compliment.”

Toni sat at the end of the bench, next to Brad and across from Melissa, the late morning sun almost directly overhead. A light breeze kept the temperature comfortable as the six of them talked and laughed and munched on fresh fruit, pastries, muffins, and sliced ham. A large iced pitcher of orange juice and a carafe of coffee, which Barbara Anderson refilled each time they approached the half-empty
mark, sat on either end of the table. George and Barbara sat across from each other, on the opposite end from Melissa and Toni, ready to spring into action if anyone looked as if they needed anything, but with the bounty of food in front of them, Toni couldn't imagine what that could be.

She and Melissa had picked up April after church and brought her along with them, arriving just after eleven. Brad was already there, helping his parents with last-minute preparations. He had greeted them at the door, giving April a warm handshake, Melissa a kiss on the forehead, and Toni a brief hug and a tentative kiss, promising to do better when they were alone. Toni had responded to his kiss as best she could, hoping the opportunity to be alone with him would not materialize so that he could not follow through on his promise.

The topic of the day, from the moment they had arrived, had been the upcoming wedding. Even as Toni continued to remind them of her wish for a small, simple ceremony, the plans seemed to expand. It had already been decided that Melissa would be the maid of honor, and she was determined to wear a pale blue dress with matching heels and to carry a bouquet with tiny white roses and blue ribbons. So it was decided. The wedding colors would be blue and white. Now the big question was, where would Brad and Toni be registered? Although Toni insisted that registering wasn't necessary for such a small affair, Barbara would have none of it.

“Don't be silly,” she said, smiling as if she thought Toni were teasing. “Of course you must register somewhere. How will people know what you need if you aren't registered?”

“We don't need anything,” Toni protested. “Really. Melissa and I have a house full of things, and Brad has his own place too. We haven't decided where we'll live yet, but between us we have more than enough of everything.”

Barbara laughed. “Oh, Toni, surely you don't mean to start your married life with used towels and cracked plates. This is a momentous occasion, a once in a lifetime affair. You want to start fresh, with
everything new and chosen especially for the two of you.” She looked at her husband for support. “Isn't that right, George?”

George, who was about to pop a piece of pastry into his mouth, stopped and looked around. “If you say so,” he answered. “I'm afraid I'm not the one to ask about that. As far as I'm concerned, a package of paper plates and a couple of pillows, and you're ready to set up housekeeping.”

Everyone laughed as Barbara shook her head. “You're impossible.” She turned to April. “What do you think, Mrs. Lippincott?”