I shook my head. “I just still can’t believe that he had anything to do with Angelica’s death. If you had seen his expression today, you’d be thinking the same thing. He was tortured over her death. I think he really loved her.”
He nodded and pursed his lips. “And there’s the fact that if he did kill her, why would he do it with cyanide, which would automatically make him appear guilty?” He turned his head toward mine. “It almost seems like the two of them are bouncing you back and forth like a yo-yo.”
“Which is exactly how I feel right now,” I admitted. “It’s like the two of them are playing some deadly game, and I’m caught in the middle.”
Justin leaned back and placed his hands under his head. “But if we are right about this, and the two of them are in on this together, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. For example, why didn’t Michael Black try something when you were at his house this afternoon? Let’s face it. You were a sitting duck while you were there all alone.”
I swallowed hard. I’d been wondering the same thing. “Maybe he was afraid I had told someone where I was going. Maybe he thought it was a setup.”
Justin turned his head toward me, his eyes blazing. “Luckily for you!” he said.
I knew I deserved that. “Okay,” I said, “point taken. So it wasn’t the smartest move I’ve made.” I considered reminding him that I carried a weapon with me at all times, but I was pretty sure he wouldn’t appreciate the flip remark.
He turned his head around to stare at the ceiling again. “Another thing that we’re both having trouble with right now is probably the most obvious question of all.”
I spoke the words for him. “Why would Michael Black want to kill his fiancée?”
“Exactly.” I heard Justin’s heavy sigh.
That was definitely the major question, I thought. And right now Justin and I were in hiding, possibly fighting for our lives. I wasn’t sure how much we could do to help ourselves at the moment. Someone in a red Toyota was stalking us.
There was only one person who could help us now, I realized.
“Justin,” I said. “Maybe it’s time to bring Uncle Bob up to date.” I bit my lower lip, realizing that my uncle’s help might not be the best thing right now. But what choice did we have?
Justin rose into a seated position. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Be my guest,” he said. He stretched out his legs. “While you’re doing that, I’ll sneak out and find us something to eat and drink.” He tossed me a wink. “All this investigating is making me hungry.”
I smiled back and took his phone. “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day,” I joked.
While Justin went off in search of nourishment, I punched in the number for Uncle Bob. I just hoped he’d be able to help. From what I’d seen of his investigative skills so far, I had serious doubts. But we knew for sure now that someone was watching us. We just weren’t sure who it was. Hopefully, Uncle Bob could handle things from his end, while Justin and I concentrated on solving the mystery of why Michael Black would want to cover up his fiancée’s murder. There had to be a reason we were missing.
And this time, neither Michael Black nor Harry Winslow would be considered innocent until proven guilty.
“Denise, I insist you tell me where you are right this minute!”
I sat cross-legged against the bare wall with Justin’s cell phone to my ear. I knew Uncle Bob would be furious when I called him, but recent circumstances had left me no other choice.
I swallowed hard, sucking in the stale musty air. Although Justin had turned on the air conditioner, the house still reeked from being closed up for so long.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I told him. I sneezed from the dust particles that swirled around the empty room. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Harry Winslow and Michael Black are watching you right now. If you come here, you might inadvertently lead them to me.”
I knew that statement would create a reaction. As mad as I knew he was right now, I was still convinced that my uncle wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my safety.
There was a long pause before he said anything. “You do realize that your parents will kill both of us when they find out what’s been going on while they’ve been away, don’t you?”
He was probably right, but how was I to know I had landed a job with a killer?
“Uncle Bob,” I said through a long breath. “We know that there’s a connection between Michael Black and Harry Winslow now. It’s no coincidence that his first wife, as well as his fiancée, both died from cyanide poisoning. Can you check and see if there was ever an investigation into the death of his wife?” I could only hope and pray he had the resources to do what I asked of him.
I heard his heavy sigh at the other end of the line. “But what possible reason could he have for wanting his fiancée dead?” he asked.
I sneezed again. “I don’t know the answer to that yet,” I admitted. But I knew there had to be a logical one. “Can you please just check and see what you can come up with?”
Another long pause ensued. I could tell from the silence that he was contemplating what his next move should be. I could only pray he wouldn’t do anything as foolish as alert the police.
“Please, Uncle Bob,” I said again. “I really need your help on this.”
That seemed to do the trick. “All right,” he finally agreed. “I’ll see what I can find out. But,” he added, his tone more forceful. “I want you to keep me updated on what’s going on. I won’t allow you to put yourself in any more danger.”
“I promise,” I said.
“I’m not kidding, Denise. If I don’t hear from you first thing in the morning, I’m calling the police.”
“I’ll call,” I promised, “as soon as we figure out our next move.”
I disconnected before he could say anything else. My head was beginning to hurt from all the questions crowding my mind. I placed the phone on the floor beside me, then leaned my head into my hands, massaging my scalp.
My eyes opened suddenly at the sound of footsteps on the front porch. Instinctively, I lunged for my purse and wrapped my hands around my gun. My finger on the trigger, I was almost to my feet when Justin entered the door.
His body stiffened. “Whoa,” he said, holding the bags of food in the air. “Put that thing down.”
I exhaled a deep breath, then lowered the gun to the floor. “Sorry,” I said, rushing to his side. I locked the door behind him and took a bag from his hand. “Guess I’m a little jumpy.”
He relaxed, lowering the bags to his side. “I guess so,” he said. “I guess you’ve got a good reason to be, though.”
We placed the bags on the floor and started unloading them. “I just picked up a couple of packaged sandwiches from the gas station down the street,” he said. “There’s also some chips and a six-pack of soda.”
I reached for a soda and popped the tab. “Sounds great to me,” I said. “I’m hungry enough to eat anything right now.”
Justin bit into his sandwich and took a drink of his soda. “I also noticed a small café just a few blocks from the gas station. We can go there in the morning for coffee and breakfast. I think we’re far enough away from your house that Winslow and Michael Black won’t find us.”
I hoped so. I was tired of running. All I wanted was to solve this mystery and get back to my normal, boring life.
Justin raised an eyebrow. “Did you call your uncle?”
I nodded. “He was furious we didn’t call him sooner. I tried to explain to him that we didn’t have a lot of warning.”
“That’s for sure,” Justin said between bites. “Michael Black must have phoned your boss right after you left his house.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But if that’s true, then I still can’t figure out why he didn’t just kill me right then and there.”
Justin closed his eyes and blew out a long breath. “Maybe it’s like you said earlier. Maybe he was afraid someone else knew where you were.”
“You mean like you?” I hadn’t thought of that before, but now I was beginning to wonder. It would also make sense that they waited to stalk me once they knew I was with Justin. That way they’d get both of us.
I glanced at Justin, my mind reeling with remorse. I hated thinking that I’d managed to put Justin’s life in danger as well as my own. He didn’t deserve that.
“I’m so sorry about all of this,” I told him. “I never meant for you to get so involved in something so dangerous.”
He wadded up his sandwich wrapper and tossed it onto the floor. “It’s not your fault,” he said, sincerity in his warm blue eyes. “None of this is your fault. Someone had this planned all along. You were set up from the very beginning. There’s nothing you could have done that would have prevented any of this from happening.”
Except go to the police when I first found Angelica’s body, I thought. I wondered what would have happened if I had simply called the police and stuck around long enough for them to arrive. Had I only imagined that someone was upstairs while I was there? I wondered.
Then I remembered Angelica. Her body was not in the house when the police arrived only a few minutes later. Someone had to have been inside that house in order to have removed the body so quickly. It was the only explanation that made any sense.
My appetite suddenly gone, I wadded up what was left of my sandwich into the wrapper and tossed it next to Justin’s. I glanced around the room. “Do you think it’s safe to sleep on this old carpet?”
He wrinkled his nose. “I guess we have to try,” he said. “We’ll need to have clear minds in order to develop some sort of plan tomorrow.”
I reached for my gun and placed it next to me. Rolling onto my side, I curled my arms together and lowered my head.
Justin lay next to me, his face just inches from mine. “Denise?” he said softly.
I opened my eyes. “What?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “I’m glad you have that gun.”
****
Sleep had not been very restful for Justin and me. While we managed to catch a few winks during the night, every noise we heard appeared magnified by the emptiness of the house. Several times, we’d awakened with a start, and with my weapon in hand, we’d checked each window and the doors for signs of tampering.
I stretched awake, my joints screaming in protest. The worn carpet had provided little support. The musty smell had only added to my discomfort.
I reached over and nudged Justin’s arm. “Wake up,” I said, wondering how he could possibly sleep in these accommodations. I slowly backed myself up against the wall and stretched my legs out in front. “I need coffee,” I complained.
Justin moaned, then opened his mouth wide and yawned. “I’m awake,” he said, stretching his long body. He rubbed his eyes, then flashed me a crooked smile. “Are you always this cheerful when you first wake up?” he teased.
I rolled my eyes, ignoring his remark. “Only when there’s a killer after me,” I shot back.
He stretched his back against the wall beside me and cupped my hand. “We’ll get him, Denise,” he assured me. “Once we get to the café and get some nourishment into our bodies, our minds will start flowing with ideas.”
I hoped he was right.
Since neither of us had a change of clothes, a hairbrush or a toothbrush, we combed our hands through our hair and smoothed out the wrinkles in our clothes with our hands. In the bathroom, I used a finger to rub away the excess mascara that had smudged beneath my eyes. It would have to do, I realized. The only makeup I carried in my purse was a compact and a lipstick.
As Justin and I walked hand in hand through the neighborhood, I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs with the fresh morning air. A slight breeze danced through my hair, but the warm air gave a promise of another hot day.
As Justin had promised, the café was only a couple of blocks from his new house. Justin opened the front door and ushered me inside. “Let’s hope the food is good,” he said.
“I don’t care what we eat as long as there’s coffee,” I replied.
I chose a booth near the front window and slid into the seat.
“I really don’t think you have to worry about the red Toyota here,” Justin said, reading my mind. “I’m sure we’d have known by now if they had a clue where we were.”
I tried my best to look reassured, but I wasn’t sure my expression reflected that sentiment. Hiding out in Justin’s new house was probably the smartest move, but being out in the open now made us an easy target.
“I hope so,” I answered, hoping my doubt wasn’t too obvious.
I glanced around the small café. Although smaller, the layout was similar to Winslow’s Diner. Six booths lined three walls, while two small tables filled out the middle of the room. Unlike Winslow’s Diner, most of the tables were filled with paying customers. Four construction workers crowded around one of the tables. A family of four occupied another. Three booths, including ours, were also occupied with customers.
I was just about to comment on the similarities, when a startling thought occurred to me. I slammed my hand on the table to capture Justin’s attention. “I’m supposed to work today,” I said.
He laughed out loud, causing several customers to glance our way. Leaning closer and lowering his voice, Justin said, “Somehow I doubt your boss is expecting you to show up.”
He was probably right. The diner was the last place Winslow would search for me today, which probably made going there the most logical decision. I started to tell Justin my plan when our waitress appeared with two menus.
“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked, placing a menu in front of each of us.
“Coffee,” we both answered at once.
She smiled and pulled out an order pad. “Coming right up. Do you know what you want to eat, or do you need a moment to look over the menu?”
I glanced at Justin. “I’ll just have pancakes,” I said.
“Sounds good to me,” Justin agreed. He handed his menu back to the waitress. “Make that two coffees and two orders of pancakes.”
She jotted down our orders and promised to return quickly. As soon as she walked away, I leaned across the table. “Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea for me to show up at the diner today.”
His jaw dropped.
But I refused to give in. “Look, you said yourself, it’s the last place they’d expect to find me. So what better place to be?” I knew going to the diner was a good idea, but Justin still appeared skeptical. “Besides,” I added, “whatever Angelica was killed for must have something to do with the diner. It must have something to do with the partnership.”