Rose Pressey - Chase Charley 02 - Seems Like Old Crimes (15 page)

As I stood at the counter of Courtney’s shop, I watched her sort through invoices. Not exactly an exciting event, but I was trying to decide what to do next. I peered around the store at her inventory. I had no idea what any of it was for even though she’d told me in the past. I spotted a few voodoo dolls. I knew what those were for. I picked up a necklace from the display at the register. After studying the gemstones, I placed it back.

“You’re not going to start asking what everything is for again, are you?” Courtney asked.

“Of course not,” I said.

I had thought about it, but since she asked, I would bite my tongue.

Courtney’s gaze was focused on me as she sorted through invoices. “Tell me what’s going on between you, Dangerfield, and Marc.”

I stared at my pink fingernails. “What do you mean? Both men are hot, okay? I can’t decide, so I think I shouldn’t date either one. I’ll just be alone.”

She scoffed. “Don’t make me set up online dating for you.”

I glared at her. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I? Try me. Why don’t you make a pros and cons list for them?”

“Actually that might not be a bad idea… Marc said he likes eighties movies.”

Courtney quirked an eyebrow in suspicion. “Did he say he likes chick flicks? If yes, don’t fall for it. It’s a trap. Once you get serious he’ll be on the sofa drinking beer and watching prison movies or ten hours of football.”

“Won’t he still watch prison movies and football if he says he doesn’t like chick flicks?”

“Well yeah, but at least he’s honest.”

“Touché.”

The door opened and we both looked up. My stomach flipped when I saw who had entered. It was Anthony Knight. I hadn’t expected to see him. 

I whispered, “Find out what he wants.”

I ran to the back room so that he wouldn’t see me. Maybe he’d already seen me. Now I worried about leaving Courtney alone with him. He may answer her questions if he didn’t see me there. Would he recognize her from the other night at Harbor Market? I’d watch her from the back room. One wrong move, and I’d let him have it. I rushed behind the curtain leading to the back room and peeked out.

I studied Anthony as he looked around her shop. It was him all right. Was he looking for me? Maybe he’d watched me come in. Courtney looked at me and shrugged. She didn’t know why he was there either.

Now that his back was facing us, she motioned that she was going to walk over to him. I nodded and waited for her to approach. I pulled the curtain closed a little more, hoping that he wouldn’t notice me watching him. He would probably feel my stare though. I knew that if I could see him then he could see me.

Courtney walked over to Anthony. “May I help you?”

He glanced over at her. “I guess I’m looking.”

So far he didn’t act as if he recognized her.

“Let me know if I can help with anything.” She glanced at me.

I motioned for her to ask more. She shrugged.

When he caught her still watching him, he said, “Do you have any other voodoo dolls?”

She pointed at the other side of the room. “I do have some over there.”

He followed her pointing finger and I ducked behind the curtain.

“Do you like to use the voodoo dolls or are they for looks only?” she asked.

He watched her for a moment and then said, “I use them.”

Who was he using them on?

He picked up a couple of dolls. “These are nice.”

“Have you been practicing long?” Courtney asked.

I had to hand it to her, she was being calm and trying to ask questions, even though she knew this guy could potentially be a killer. I waited with bated breath for his answer.

He placed a few of the dolls on the counter. “I guess for a couple years. I used to work at a voodoo tour,” he said.

Courtney stepped behind the counter. She didn’t look in my direction this time because he probably would have noticed. She was really good at this.

“Which tour?” she asked.

“The one on Bourbon Street. The owner was recently killed,” Anthony said.

Her eyes widened as if this was news. “Really? What happened to him?”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I guess it was murder.” He sounded nonchalant.

“Do they know who did it?” Courtney asked.

Now I really was listening. He shrugged and took the bag she had just handed him.

“I don’t know. The guy had a lot of enemies, I guess. I didn’t keep up.” Anthony laughed. “I made a doll of him.”

“Wow, I guess he was a bad boss.” Courtney remained calm, but I knew she was freaking out inside. Rightly so because I was too.

“I didn’t like him,” Anthony said.

That was kind of obvious. Now I just needed to know why.

“Why didn’t you like him?” she asked.

I hoped he didn’t think she was asking too many questions.

“He made me mad. He wouldn’t give me a promotion. I guess he got what was coming to him, didn’t he?” Anthony flashed an evil grin that sent a chill down my spine.

Anthony walked toward the door. With his hand on the knob, he turned and a slow forced smile spread across his face.

“Thanks for shopping,” Courtney said.

I knew she was at a loss for words. The guy turned and walked out the door.

I was glad that he was gone because he gave me the creeps. As soon as I thought for sure he wasn’t coming back in, I would come out.

After a few more seconds, I stepped out from behind the curtain.

Courtney looked at me. “Well, that was weird.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” I said.

“What do you think of him?” she asked.

I reached the counter and moved on to the front window. I wanted to make sure that Anthony was really gone. “I don’t know,” I said.

“Do you think he had something to do with the murder?” she asked.

I looked down the street both ways, but didn’t see him. Then I turned to face Courtney again. I didn’t want him to see me in case he came back in.

“I wish I knew what he meant, but I may never know. I should ask Haley more about Anthony’s relationship with Tim. Anthony acted as if he really hated him.”

“That would be enough for suspicion of murder,” Courtney said.

“Yes, it would. I wonder what he’s doing with those other dolls.”

Courtney’s expression darkened. “I’d hate to be on the receiving end of that.”

Of course I didn’t believe in voodoo stuff, but that had nothing to do with the fact that he could possibly kill someone. A voodoo doll could be his way of keeping track of his victims.

The door opened and I jumped. When I spun around, I was expecting to see Anthony again. To my surprise, Dangerfield stood in front of me.

“Did I scare you?” He smiled. Dangerfield waved at Courtney.

“Kind of,” I said, trying to calm myself again.

“What’s going on? Why am I scary?” he asked as he moved further into the shop.

“It isn’t you,” I said. “It was that guy Anthony. He was just in here.”

“What happened?” Dangerfield asked.

“He didn’t like Tim,” I said.

“So that’s reason enough to be suspicious?”

My eyes widened. “Don’t you think so?”

Dangerfield picked up a voodoo doll. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

When he flashed his smile at me, I realized having Dangerfield here wasn’t a normal occurrence. In fact, as far as I knew it was the first time he’d ever been here. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

He placed the doll back on the shelf. “Glad you asked. I have news.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “What kind of news?”

“I was able to speak with a former friend of Haley and Tim’s.”

I motioned for him to hurry. “And what did you find out?”

“I found out that Tim had a fight with Haley right before he was murdered,” he said.

I stared at him. “A lot of couples fight.”

“But the fact that they fought right before he was murdered might mean something,” Courtney said.

Dangerfield smiled at her.

“How soon before he was murdered?” I asked.

“The day before.”

“Do you know what they were fighting over?”

“I heard it was money,” he said.

I quirked an eyebrow. “Any more specifics?”

“Haley could have discovered his other account. Maybe he moved the money from one bank account to another because of their money problems. Possibly it had to do with her spending habits.”

“As in she was spending more than they had?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Something like that, I guess.” 

“This could just be hearsay,” I said.

“Yes, it could,” he said. “But the source seemed reliable.”

“If it is an ex-friend then how can we be sure? This person could say anything if they are mad at one of them,” I said.

Dangerfield leaned against the counter. “I’m just telling you what I heard. It’s something to go on.”

I nodded. “You’re right. Good job, Dangerfield.”

When I glanced at Courtney, she had that look on her face. I knew what she was thinking. She thought I was being nice to Dangerfield because I liked him. That was neither here nor there at the moment.

“So we should talk with Haley,” he said.

I nodded. “Yes, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask her about it, but I feel bad because she did just lose her husband.”

“But she asked us to look into this,” Dangerfield reminded me.

“When do you want to do this?” I asked.

“Later this evening?”

“I’ll call you.”

“Sure, that will be okay. Bye, Courtney.” Dangerfield waved. He turned and gave me a long look before walking out the door. My stomach did a little flip when he smiled. He turned and walked out the door. “See you later, Charley.”

I felt Courtney’s eyes on me. “Well, that was something.”

“I know. Can you believe Tim and Haley were fighting? And Dangerfield came in here right after Anthony left. He could have passed Anthony on the street,” I said.

“That is not what I meant,” she said.

I avoided her stare. “I know what you meant.”

“What’s going on with you two?”

“He’s hot, okay? I won’t deny that, but don’t you think we are like oil and water?” I asked.

“Sometimes that’s the best combination,” Courtney said.

“I don’t know about that. Anyway, enough talk about him.” I waved off the thought. At least I tried to erase him from my mind. “I should get home.”

Courtney stared for a moment as if she wasn’t finished with the conversation. I knew she wanted to ask about Marc too.

Finally she said, “Call me later. Be careful out there.”

I waved as I walked over to the door. “I promise I will,” I said over my shoulder.

She didn’t need to tell me to be careful. I was fully aware that danger lurked around every corner. It was hard to know what to look for though when I didn’t know why the danger was there. If only I could fit all the clues together. Maybe a talk with Haley would lead to something. It would give me a chance to ask more about Jeff.

Haley’s number popped up on my phone so I picked up.

“Chase, I need your help. You have to come quick.”

I’d never heard her sound so frantic before. “What’s wrong, Haley?”

“There’s a man in the house and I know he’s trying to kill me,” she whispered.

“I’m hiding now, but I think he will find me soon.”

“You should call the police.”

“They won’t believe me. I’ve called them and nothing ever happened. Please don’t bother calling the police.”

I wasn’t sure I agreed with her, but it was her decision. It was kind of scary to think I would be walking into a house where there was a potential killer.   

“Okay. Try to stay calm and I’ll be right there. Where are you?” I asked.

She rattled off the address and I quickly wrote it on the palm of my hand. There was no time to find paper to write on. I tossed the phone back in my purse and rushed out to my car. I slipped behind the wheel of the Porsche and started the engine. Traffic might be heavy, so I didn’t know what I would do if I was stuck. It was too far to walk and it would take too long.

I dialed Dangerfield’s number.

“You’ve reached Bill Dangerfield. Leave a message and I’ll call you back.”

Great. Just when I needed him to answer the most. “Dangerfield, it’s Charley. Haley just called and needs help.” I left the address and hoped that he got the message soon.

I didn’t want to go in there by myself. The logical part of my brain said I should call the police. But since she insisted that I shouldn’t, I would go along with her request. If I felt it was dangerous when I got there I would have no choice.

I still didn’t understand why she didn’t want me to call the police. I understood that she felt they weren’t taking her seriously, but it was too dangerous to play around with this situation.

The street where the house was located was quiet. A couple cars drove by as I rushed out of my car. My anxiety was at an all-time high as I walked up the sidewalk to the house. It was a two-story home with a white porch on both the bottom and top stories.

When I reached the front door, I knocked. Of course no one was going to answer, but I had to do it just the same. I wouldn’t wait long for an answer before I would try to get into the house. I just hoped that the door was unlocked. I couldn’t break in through a window, or could I? I had never done anything like that before and I wasn’t sure I would even know how.

I eased the door open. I didn’t want to go in, but if Haley’s life was in danger, then I had to go into the house. I stepped inside the foyer. The space was dim and quiet. Eerily quiet. That spooked me out the most. I had no idea where to even start to look for Haley. Who was the man who was trying to get her? Was it the same man she thought was trying to kill her all along? The same man who had killed Tim?

I inched to my left and entered the living room. My senses were on high alert. So far I hadn’t seen a soul. I stayed close to the wall so that maybe the person wouldn’t see me. The space had a lot of furniture so I was praying that I didn’t knock anything over. After making it through the living room, I emerged into the kitchen. It was empty as well. I made my way through to the dining room and back to the foyer. Why did the house have to be so big? I peered up at the staircase. I supposed I need to look upstairs for her next.

I peeked in every room, but still couldn’t find her. The only places left were the closets and under the beds. I wasn’t sure if I should start calling out to her. What if the person heard me? I wouldn’t be able to help Haley if the person got to me before I got to her.

There were six doors on this floor. I assumed they were bedrooms and bathrooms. Maybe a closet or two. I stepped through the bedrooms looking under the beds and in the closets. 

I tiptoed down the hallway. I figured I would check the bedroom on the right first. I’d made it halfway to the door when the entire house went dark. Now panic really set in. Adrenaline rushed through me. I had to calm down. It was probably just a problem with the breaker. If I found the box I could just switch it back on. No problem.

I had to find a way to get to the door. All I had to guide my way was the light from my phone. It didn’t provide much light—just enough that if I pointed the light toward my feet, I might be able to keep from falling. It wouldn’t be easy to find Haley in the dark. I spotted a light switch on the wall to my left. I eased over to the wall and tried the switch. Of course nothing happened. I released a deep breath and prepared to head back down the stairs to find the electrical box.

A hand grabbed my face from behind. My phone fell from my hands and tumbled to the floor. So much for having a light now. All that was illuminated was a tiny corner of the floor.

The man pulled me to the floor. I had no idea what he wanted to do to me. Would he kill me right away? Or drag me to a different location? I had to stop thinking of all the terrible things that could happen. I had to remain positive. I shoved and yanked, trying to break free.

A force that felt like a tornado pulled the man from me. Groaning and grunts sounded along with a scuffle between two men. I scrambled over to my phone and picked it up off the floor. When I flashed the light in the direction of the two men, I realized that one of the men was Dangerfield. I’d never been happier to see Dangerfield. But would he be able to fight this guy off?  

“It’s me, Dangerfield,” he said.

I’d called him Dangerfield so many times that now he was calling himself that. The man flew down the stairs taking them two at a time. Dangerfield ran after him, but tumbled down the last two steps.

“Are you okay?” I called out.

Dangerfield jumped up from the door and hobbled across the floor in the direction the man had run.

“I’m fine,” he called out.

“I hardly think you are going to catch up with him now with that limp.”

Dangerfield came back around the corner. “He got away. Went right out the back door. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but I don’t know if Haley is here,” I said, brushing the hair out of my eyes.

Dangerfield reached out and touched my arms. “Did you get a look at him?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, he grabbed me from behind. The phone fell out of my hands. Plus, there was a mask on his face. That must have been who Haley had called me about. I hope there isn’t more than one of them.”

“Let’s not stand around and wait for someone else to find us,” he said.

“Where could she be?” I asked. “What if he took her out of the house before I even got here?”

“Haley?” Dangerfield called out.

There was no answer.

“I feel strange looking through someone else’s home,” I said.

“Let’s hurry and see if we can find her and then get out. We have to go back upstairs.”

I feared that the man had really killed her. What would I do if I found her body? No, I had to remain positive.

I walked with Dangerfield as we looked around the house. I wasn’t about to go through by myself this time. If the police happened to show up I had no idea how we would explain what we were doing. Marc would think I’d really lost it. If we didn’t find her soon I would have to call the police on my own.

We looked through all of the bedrooms and came to the last one. If she wasn’t in there then I had no idea where to look. We stepped into the last room. I hadn’t gotten a chance to look in there for Haley. If she wasn’t there then I didn’t know what to do.

When Dangerfield opened the closet door, a scream filled the room. Haley jumped out and started swinging her fists at Dangerfield.

Dangerfield grabbed her arms. “It’s okay, Haley, it’s Dangerfield.”

“I’m here too,” I said. “It’s me, Chase.”

Finally, she stopped swinging her arms. “Thank goodness you are here,” she said. “I thought I was going to die.”

“We’re here now, so there’s nothing to worry about.” I didn’t really believe that.

“All I can tell you is he had a mask on.” She wrapped her arms in front of her chest. There was a look of terror on her face. I didn’t blame her. “I was here watching the house for a friend. She will be back this afternoon. I told her I would feed her cat.”

“Is this person someone who was looking for her?” Dangerfield asked.

“I doubt that,” she said. “My friend doesn’t know anyone who would do that, and I doubt it was a random break-in.”

“Did this look like the person who has been after you?” I asked. “Were there any other clues that might help figure out who this man was?”

Haley sat on the edge of the sofa. “He was tall and dressed in black. Of course he wanted to blend in with the night, right? So no one would see him. He’d planned this for who knows how long. I don’t know why someone would do this to me,” she said as she placed her head into her hands.

I rubbed her arm. “We’ll keep trying to figure it out.”

She inhaled and blew out a deep breath. “I just can’t think right now.”

“It’s okay, maybe something will come to you later,” Dangerfield said.

“Wait. There was one thing that I remember about him,” she said. “There was a distinctive smell. A spicy scent. Like incense.”

I thought back to when I’d seen Anthony him with the incense. Maybe this all made sense now. Was he the one?

We helped Haley out of the house and over to Dangerfield’s car. She sat in the front seat.

“Don’t even think you are driving home alone,” he said with a warning stare.

“I’m in my car,” I said as I pointed toward the Porsche.

“I don’t care about that,” he said.

“I can’t just leave my car here,” I said.

“How about you let me follow you? Drive to Haley’s house first?” he asked.

“Okay, but I am sure I will be fine in my car.”

He watched as I walked back to my car and climbed in. A short time later we pulled up in front of Haley’s place. I waited in the car while Dangerfield walked her to her door. I worried about her being alone. Dangerfield had checked the house and she had an alarm system, but was that enough to keep this person away?

Dangerfield walked over to my window. “I’ll follow you back to your place now.”

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” I asked.

“I hope so.”

I sighed. “Me too.”

That didn’t instill much confidence, but I knew he was only telling the truth. Dangerfield pulled out onto the street behind me. I keep looking back to see if anyone was following us. It was almost like the calm before the storm.

After dropping Haley off at her house and making sure she would be okay, Dangerfield followed me back to my place. I thought about asking him inside. Tonight I didn’t want to be alone, but I ultimately decided against it.