Deception (7 page)

She raced back toward the square, passing the same darkened storefronts and doorways she had walked by a moment earlier. She tried to scream, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out.

Flying feet pounded after her. Her breath heaving, Jill ran faster, her arms and legs pumping hard. The single light at the end of the street was like a beacon, spurring her on. Only a couple more blocks and… She never had a chance to finish her thought. A hand seized a handful of her hair and yanked her back. With a gasp, she fell to the ground, and in a split second the man was straddling her.

To her horror, his gloved hands gripped her throat and began to squeeze.

In spite of her rising panic, Jill fought him hard, hooking her fingers around his and trying to loosen his grip while her legs kicked wildly. She could feel the blood rushing to her ears in a loud roar and knew she was losing the battle. She tried to see the man’s face but it was smeared with something that resembled black polish.

She was going to die at the hands of a faceless killer.

“Hey, you!” a voice called out. “Let her go.”

The warning caught the attacker by surprise. Though his face was still in shadows, Jill sensed a moment of hesitation on his part, as if he was debating between finishing the job he had started or running to safety.

His grip relaxed. Instantly, Jill splayed her hands against her assailant’s chest and shoved with all the strength she could muster. Caught off guard, the man jerked back, then quickly scrambled to his feet and took off down MacDougal, away from the square.

“Are you all right?” The male voice sounded young. A second later, the man to whom she owed her life crouched beside her.

“Miss? You okay?”

Pulling herself to a sitting position, Jill took huge gulps of air. Her hand went to her throat. “I think so.” She tried to sit up.

“Hey, take it easy,” the stranger cautioned. Slipping an arm around her waist, he helped her up. “Did you get a look at him? Can you identify him?”

Jill shook her head. “Too dark. And his face was covered with something… a black paste.”

A light in an upstairs window suddenly came on, casting a pale glow on the street below. Her breathing now under control, Jill took another look at her rescuer. And had another shock.

He was young, probably not yet out of his teens, and very thin. He wore black jeans, a black leather jacket and had a small gold ring in his right nostril. His hair, dyed an alarming shade of purple, rose straight above his head in dozens of heavily sprayed spikes. Five minutes ago, the mere sight of him would have been enough to send her running for cover. But now he was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

When she found her voice again, she extended her hand. “I’m Jill Bennett,” she said.

His grip was remarkably firm. “Jerry Kranski.”

“I owe you a big debt, Jerry. if you hadn’t come to my rescue when you did…” She glanced down the street, but her attacker had long since disappeared. “I don’t know what he would have done.” She had started to say, “I’d be dead right now,” but couldn’t quite get the words out.

Her gratitude seemed to make the teenager ill at ease. “You sure you’re okay? You should probably call the cops.”

“I will when I get home.” She had little hope the police would catch her assailant, but at the very least the incident might prompt the city to replace those burned-out lights.

“What were you doing out alone?”

Aware she was still shaking, Jill pushed her hair back with both hands. “I was on my way home from work.”

“My mother’s boss always gives her cab fare when she works late.”

Jill almost laughed. The irony of the situation—a dangerous-looking teenager dispensing advice on street safety—didn’t escape her. “I did take a cab, but we were held up in traffic, so I decided to walk the rest of the way.”

Jerry looked around him. “So,” he said hesitantly, “you want me to walk you home? In case this guy comes back?”

Jill wasn’t in the habit of letting perfect strangers know where she lived. But in spite of his appearance, there was something trustworthy about the boy. And he had saved her life.

As if he had read her mind, Jerry gestured behind him, in the direction of Broadway. “I live a couple of blocks from here, over on Jones Street. My mother works at City Hall.”

Jill smiled. She was definitely beginning to like this guy. “I’d like very much for you to walk me home, Jerry. As I said, I owe you a big debt and I intend to repay it.”

“Hey, forget Il We’re cool here. I just happened to be around, you know.”

Her purse was still where she had dropped it, in the middle of the sidewalk. She started to bend down to pick it up but Jerry beat her to it.

For a moment, she wondered if he was going to take off with it. She felt foolish when he handed it to her.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Together they walked back toward Jill’s building. The streets seemed less threatening now that she was no longer alone, but the raw fear she had experienced a few moments earlier clung to her like a bad odor. She could still feel the man’s powerful hands around her throat, hear her gasping breath.

She turned, worried he might still be lurking nearby, but didn’t see anything.

Back in the small lobby of her apartment building, she flipped a switch on the wall. In full light, Jerry

Kranski wasn’t quite as frightening as he had seemed in the dark street. Except for the blond fuzz on his right cheek, proving he was old enough to shave, his face was almost childlike, with baby blue eyes, a small mouth and a pimple on his chin. The look was a sharp contrast to the purple spikes and the nose ring, but maybe that mixture of tough guy and sweet kid was what Jill found so appealing about him.

“Well…” Under her stare he seemed to grow even more self-conscious. “If you’re sure you’re okay, I’d better go. My mom doesn’t like it when I break curfew.”

Jill pulled a business card from her purse. “Will your mother be home tomorrow morning?”

“I don’t know. Why?” He looked suddenly suspicious.

“Because I’d like to stop by and tell her what a brave young man she has for a son. And because I want to do something for you,” she added gently.

His chin went up a fraction of an inch. “I said we’re cool with this. And I don’t want any money.”

“You saved my life, Jerry. That’s not something I can ignore. Or ever forget.” When he remained silent, Jill reached inside her purse again and pulled out a small address book. She handed it to him with a silver Cross pen. “Would you write down your address for me?”

She watched him as he wrote, noting his concentration as he formed each letter. “Thank you,” she said when he was done. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

After locking the door behind him, Jill stepped into the elevator and punched the third-floor button. As the car began its slow ascent, she leaned against the mahogany panel and took a long breath. Her hands were shaking from her recent ordeal and she felt a pain in her tailbone where she had fallen.

But as images of the attack kept replaying in her head, what she began to realize was even more frightening than the attack itself.

What had happened to her was no accident. Someone had just tried to kill her.

Six

Jerry Kranski turned out to be exactly who he claimed to be, an eighteen-year-old high-school graduate with a mother who worked at City Hall and a nine-year-old sister named Ginny.

While Carol Kranski was very proud of her son’s good deed, she had been adamant in her refusal to take money from Jill. Over coffee and thick slices of freshly baked raisin bread, the three of them had finally agreed that Jill’s offer of a job at Bennett & Associates was a perfect compromise and couldn’t have come at a better time. The electronics shop where Jerry had worked since graduation was closing down, leaving the teenager without a job.

“Don’t worry about the hair,” Carol told Jill as she walked her to the door an hour later. “Or the nose ring. As you can see, both come out during the day.”

She glanced at her son, who was clearing away the coffee cups, and sighed. “He’s a good boy, but sometimes it’s hard for a single parent to compete with a teenager’s peers. That’s why I’m so happy about the job you just offered. It will give him an opportunity to make new friends.”

Jill didn’t know anything about parenting, but it wasn’t so long since she had been a teenager herself—a rather rebellious teenager. “I wasn’t worried, Carol, and neither should you. Jerry seems to have some good, strong values and I know he’ll do a fine job for us.”

“Thanks for saying that. Oh, and by the way, I’ll see what I can do about those burned-out streetlights My boss works closely with the mayor and is always bragging he can get him to do anything he wants.” She grinned. “I’ll put him to the test first thing Monday morning.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Jill hadn’t been home more than five minutes when the doorbell rang.

“Jill, it’s Ashley. Don’t you dare hide from me.”

Surprised at the simmering anger in her friend’s voice, Jill hurried to open the door. Jill had never seen

Ashley so upset. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes ” bright with an expression that was a cross between fury and fear. A pincushion was strapped to her right wrist, suggesting she had left her shop in a hurry.

“Why would I hide from you?” Jill asked.

“Oh, don’t play the innocent. I’m talking about you almost getting killed last night.” She rested two tiny fists on her hips. “You weren’t going to tell me, were you?”

Jill closed the door. “Frankly, no. I didn’t want to worry you. You have enough on your mind with that crazy wedding. And if it makes you feel any better, I haven’t told anyone else, except the police. Not even my mother.”

“You didn’t think I’d find out? In a neighborhood like this?”

“How did you find out?”

I opened the shop early to finish the Summerfield bridal gown and two beat cops were already there, waiting for me. They’d heard I worked late every night and wanted to know if I had noticed anyone suspicious around the neighborhood yesterday evening. When I asked them what was going on, they told me what had happened to you and advised me to be on my guard.” Jill climbed onto the kitchen stool. “I had no idea they’d go around the neighborhood questioning people When I filed the report last night, they said that without a description of the man, their chances of finding him were slim to none.”

Ashley was too softhearted to stay mad for long. Her eyes filled with worry. Closing the distance between her and Jill with two quick steps, she gave her friend a fierce hug. “Oh, Jill, I got so scared when I heard. Did that beast really try to strangle you?”

Yes, but I’m fine now.” Jill patted her pink turtleneck. “I only have a few scratches and some bruises on my neck and a sore behind. Nothing more.”

The police said a neighbor saved you?”

A teenager, a very brave teenager by the name of Jerry Kranski. If it hadn’t been for him, you’d be planning my funeral right now.” Her voice was shaky as she tried to laugh.

And knowing you, you offered this kid a fortune.”

“Couldn’t. Neither he nor his mother would take any money, so Jerry is now an employee of B&A, or will be by Monday.”

Ashley tried to smile and almost didn’t make it.

Tell me what happened, Jill. Everything.”

She listened quietly while Jill told her the details of her attack and rescue. “Are you sure he was after you?” she asked when Jill was finished. “You don’t think it could have been a random act of violence? Or a mugger?”

“That’s what I thought at first. But…” Jill shook her head. “A mugger would have taken my purse. This man was waiting for me, Ash. I even had the feeling…”

“What?”

Jill held her friend’s gaze. “That I knew him.” Ashley shivered. “Knew him from where?” Jill rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know” “I just don’t understand why somebody would want you dead. You’re no threat to anyone.” When Jill didn’t answer, Ashley frowned. “Are you?”

“Maybe.” Jill told her about her suspicions that someone had been listening outside her office door earlier.

“What were you and your mother talking about?”

Jill didn’t answer right away. As much as she trusted Ashley, she couldn’t bring herself to tell her that her father may have been having an affair. It was just too personal. Besides, she needed more answers.

“I can’t tell you, Ash. Not yet.”

“That’s fine.” Ashley waved her hand. “Just tell me this, will you at least tell Wally?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? You were almost killed, for God’s sake. if you think that incident is tied to your father’s death, Wally should know.”

“But don’t you see? I can’t prove the attacker wasn’t some kind of crazed mugger or a serial killer or some other maniac. Lord knows this city is full of them.”

“Then all the more reason for you to quit what you’re doing. Either that or hire a private detective.”

“I can’t do that, either. I can’t let a stranger turn my family’s lives upside down—especially my mother’s. She’s upset enough as it is without me adding to her anxieties by hiring a detective.”

Jill could tell by the look on Ashley’s face what she was going to say next. Before her friend had a chance to bring up Dan’s name again, Jill glanced at her watch. “Look, I hate to be rude but I’ve got to get to work. Ben Maitland agreed to look at my sketches, but if I keep goofing off, they’ll never be finished by Monday.”

“I’ve got to get back to work myself.” Ashley turned to leave. “Be careful.”

Jill smiled. “Yes, ma’ am.”

His arm and leg movements perfectly synchronized, Dan Santini kept his speed even as he ran along the jogging path of Lake Shore Drive on Saturday morning.

Although the early-morning temperature registered a wind chill factor of minus seven degrees, a handful of intrepid Chicagoans were already jogging up and down the famous drive, oblivious of the cold. A city for the hardy, Dan thought. That’s why he liked it.

Short of a crippling blizzard, Dan never missed a day. The brisk exercise kept his mind clear and his body fit. Not to mention that it afforded him one of the best views in the entire city of Chicago. With Lake Michigan flowing silver on one side and the glinting city skyline on the other, the hundred-and-twenty-four-block drive was enough to entice even the most dedicated couch potato into some form of outdoor activity.