Authors: Susan Behon
“Sure thing, boss.” It sounded nicer coming from Julie than it did when Kelly said it. Coming from Kelly it always sounded like a euphemism for bitch. That reminded Sarah that she had to get her ex-server’s last check tallied up. She was bound to come in there demanding it sooner or later. Most likely sooner, while she was still good and pissed off.
Josh knocked on the door. “You okay in there, sunshine?”
Julie grinned at the endearment. “What a sweetie.”
Sarah opened the door to find a concerned Josh hovering. “I brought you some ginger ale.”
Julie excused herself and moved past him on her way to the main floor. “Hello, Josh.”
Josh glanced down. “Oh, hi, Julie. Nice to meet you.”
She nodded in acknowledgment. “Likewise.” She whispered, “You’re a good guy for looking out for her.”
It was nice having a waitress who knew how to be nice without throwing herself at a guy. The girl was genuinely friendly.
When she was gone, Josh gave his verdict. “I like her. Sweet kid. She working out for you?”
Sarah accepted the ginger ale. “So far so good. Now I need to find another one exactly like her.”
“Come back to your office with me and drink that ginger ale.”
Sarah backed him out into the hallway and nudged her office door open. “Did you get a hold of Seth?”
“He’ll be here soon. I called Chris too. He’s comin’ later on, I think.”
“You think?”
“Chris said he was in the middle of somethin’. Guess he’s busy with work since he said the same thing last night.”
“Where’s my phone?”
“I’ve got it somewhere. Why don’t ya search me for it?”
He was joking to relax her. Sarah could play along to put his mind at ease. “Okay, but will you tell me if I’m getting warmer so I can find it?”
“No, you might have to pat me down a few times.”
She traced her fingers over his waist and down the front of his jeans. Sarah felt a definite bulge. “Is that a cell phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
“Both.” He winked. “I won’t hold it against you if you wanna search some more.”
“You better hold it against me.”
A throat cleared behind them. Seth stood in the doorway. “Did I come at a bad time?”
SARAH
didn’t know what it felt like not to be embarrassed in front of Seth.
“Any news on Richard?”
Seth came in the office and tried to close the door. It bounced back open. “No.” He stared at the broken doorjamb. “Speaking of your ex-husband, is this from the night of the attack?”
Josh answered, “I had to get to Sarah.”
“I’d do the same thing.” There was no judgment. He eyed the visitor’s chair. “Do you want to talk in here or take it outside?”
“Here’s fine.” Josh held out Sarah’s phone. “Like I said, Sarah got another harassing text. Hold on.” He held his thumb over the corner of the picture where Sarah was. “I’m not shy, but you understand…”
Seth cleared his throat. “Of course.” He took a swift glance at the picture, read the text, and looked away. “Looks like you two were trespassing.”
Josh handed the phone back to Sarah. “Seriously, Seth? Not the issue right now.”
“I know.” He gave a grim smile. “Poor attempt to lighten the mood.” He opened his ever-present notebook. “Do you still think it’s your ex-husband who did this? If it is, that means Richard could still be in the area.”
“I don’t think so. These are from an anonymous number. Why would he block his number now? Do you think you’ll find him?”
“All I can really say is that we haven’t found him yet, one way or another.”
“One way or…” Sarah’s stomach gave another lurch. “Do you think he might be dead?”
“I can’t really discuss it. How about you tell me about the laptop?”
Sarah explained Josh’s theory about Grant, the cameras, the cords, and the computer. She felt dirty even talking about it.
Seth took it all down in his report. “Is Grant due in to work today?”
“No, he has Mondays off. You might find him at home or…I don’t know if he has any friends.”
“I’ll look into it, Sarah. We have probable cause to search. We’ll need evidence if you’re going to press charges.”
Sarah hated the idea that Grant was doing this to her. “If he did this, do you think he did the rest? Why would he try to hurt me?”
Josh slipped his arm around her waist. “Why does anyone do anythin’? It’s not your fault. If he did do it, he needs punished, Sarah. Bein’ soft-hearted isn’t gonna help.”
Seth nodded. “There’s something else. We contacted the garage where you got your last oil change. The mechanic on duty, Nate Eades, no longer works there.” Seth held up a photo of a man with pointed features and a greasy dirty-blond ponytail. “Do you know him?”
“No. I’ve never met him before. Where is he now?”
“According to the manager he quit without giving notice.”
“Were you able to talk to him?”
“I was planning on it, but there was no one by that name at the address he listed on his employment application.”
“So he’s simply gone?”
“For now. We’re still investigating.”
Sarah knew Seth was doing all he could, but she wanted answers. Being out of control of a situation wasn’t her strong suit.
“What about Sarah’s safety?” Josh volleyed the first question to Seth. Then he took a step closer to her. “Do you want me to stay with you today?”
“Josh, you have work to do. No need to babysit me. Besides, I really want my car back.”
“I can send a car to patrol every hour while my deputies make the rounds. If you need anything, call my number. You still have it?”
“Is it still nine-one-one?”
“Funny. I meant my cell.”
“Got it.”
“Sarah, I want you to call me too, no matter what.”
“I will. Thanks, guys. You two go ahead and get going on your day jobs. I have plenty to keep me busy here.”
Seth said his goodbyes and headed out to do what Sarah assumed was more investigating. Josh lingered.
“I’m serious, sweetheart. You get the slightest inklin’ that there’s a problem, call me.”
“I will.” She gave him a scorching hot kiss that left them both breathing hard. “Why don’t you think about that while you’re at work?”
“Honey, if I think about that, I’ll never get any work done.” He gave her another swift kiss. “Hold that thought. We’ll pick up where we left off later.”
“We better.”
“Count on it.”
Josh closed the door behind him. It popped back open. Sarah made a mental note to call her brother-in-law so he could fix it. Having a man in the family who worked construction had its benefits.
Sarah crossed her office to close the door. She shouldn’t have bothered. Kelly was at the threshold. She was dressed to the nines, in a classic “look what you’re missing” ploy. Sarah didn’t feel like wasting her breath telling her ex-employee that that only worked for breakups, not getting fired. She couldn’t care less if the woman’s lipstick matched her nail polish. It took everything she had not to slam the door in her face.
“Wait there. I have your check.”
“What? I’m not allowed in the office now?”
“You’re lucky to be allowed in the bar. Hold on.”
Kelly opened her mouth to give a comeback, then thought better of it. She must have needed that check. Sarah signed it and pushed it into her hand. “Good luck.”
“Yeah, you too. You’re going to need it more than me.” With a smirk, Kelly pivoted on her heel and left.
Julie peeked her head in. “I know I’m supposed to wait at the bar. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
Sarah forced a smile. “Just peachy. Before the rest of the crew comes in, and we open for the day, how about we start with the fine art of taking inventory?”
Julie agreed, ready for anything. “Sure thing, boss. Lead the way.”
Sarah wished she could clone the girl and use her to fill Kelly’s empty spot. For the moment, she was grateful to have something normal to do.
An hour later, Sarah left Julie to work on her own while she took care of some more invoices in the office. She was at her desk, head bent over her paperwork when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door move a few inches, then slam shut. Her head jerked back, ready to tell Julie that slamming wouldn’t make it close any better.
It wasn’t Julie.
“Richard?”
* * * *
Josh spent the rest of the morning fixing Sarah’s broken tie-rod. Another day and her car would be almost as good as new. She still wasn’t driving it until he made sure everything was perfect from top to bottom.
He was adjusting the alignment when he smelled the perfume. It was strong enough to overpower the garage smells. Josh leaned his head out from under the car. A pair of open-toe, high-heeled sandals were at eye level. Glancing up he saw that the sandals were attached to the very long legs of Kelly.
Great
.
“Hey there, cowboy.”
Before Josh could answer, Kenny intercepted the trouble. “Somethin’ I can help you with, ma’am?”
“Ma’am?” Kelly looked around her. “Oh! You mean me. I’m not quite old enough to be called ma’am.” When neither man answered, she ventured further. “I mean, look at me.” She gestured at herself like she was the grand prize on a game show, making sure to pause at the long legs and abundance of cleavage. Kenny and Josh stared back at her with blank expressions.
Kelly huffed. “Anyway, I was stopping by to say hello to Josh.”
Josh and Kenny exchanged glances. Kenny stood in front of him. “Well, that’s downright friendly of you.”
“I’m a friendly person.”
“So I hear.”
“Excuse me?”
“Look, Josh is busy fixin’ his girlfriend’s car so he’s not up for chattin’. Thanks for stoppin’ by.”
“But.”
“Have a good day now.”
“But.”
“Bye, ma’am.” Josh called out.
Kelly stood her ground. “I was trying to be nice, but I see where that gets me. So hey, I thought you should know…and this one surprised the hell out of me…you know, I thought you would get tired of Sarah first. It looks like she’s the one who’s already gone astray.”
“What do you mean?”
“I picked up my check at the bar. I was halfway home before I remembered I had to clean out my locker too.”
“So?”
“So, guess who I saw sneaking around the back door to the place?” Her malicious smirk was the personification of evil. Her meanness made her ugly.
“Just say it.”
“Richard Alan. I’m just saying, it looked like he was sneaking in to get a nooner from your girl.” The satisfaction didn’t have time to settle on her face.
Josh was out from under the car in no time. “You saw Richard outside the bar, today?”
“Sure did! He looked a little rough, but I’m pretty sure it was him.” Her bee-stung lips pursed into a fake pout. “Sorry Sarah did that to you. Want to take me to lunch, and we can talk about it?”
“Hell no.” He searched for his keys. “Dad?”
“Go on. I’ve got things here.”
“Thanks, Kelly.”
“Thanks for what?”
“By bein’ a bitch you actually did a good thing.” Josh was off like a shot.
* * * *
To merely say Richard looked like hell would be an understatement. That would be like saying you might want to take a sweater if you’re visiting the North Pole. From what Sarah could see, he had on the same clothes he’d worn since Friday. Blood was crusted in his nostrils, and both eyes were swollen almost all the way shut. He came closer to her, and that was when the smell hit her. Three days of unwashed body, morning breath on overdrive, and sour, musky sweat. She didn’t know how he could stand to smell like that.
“Sarah…”
“Jesus, Richard. What the hell happened to you? What the hell are you doing here? And why the hell are you letting everyone think you’re a missing person?” She had her phone in her hand, thumbing on the screen so she could call the cops. “By the way, there’s a restraining order against you. Don’t come near me.”
“Sarah! You have to listen to me.” Desperation oozed out of him, along with the acrid sweat. “You’ve gotta help me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“They’re after me!”
“Who? The cops?”
“No, you don’t get it.” He made a step toward her, then stilled at her quelling glance. “I need money.”
“I give you money. Once a month.”
“It’s not enough!” He rubbed some dirt from his mouth and began pacing. “I thought I had it under control, you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
The wild look in his eyes had her pushing the number keys. He held up a hand. “Wait! Don’t! Let me explain.”
“You have thirty seconds and then I’m kicking your ass out of here.”
“Okay! Okay! See, it’s like this. I got myself in some trouble. Gambling.” He met her eyes, and then his gaze skittered away. “I used your monthly checks to place the bets. At first, I couldn’t lose. Every time I placed a bet, I won.” He closed his eyes as if savoring the moment. “God, Sarah, it was such a high.” His red-rimmed eyes popped open and despair plagued his features again. “Then it wasn’t. I tried, but I couldn’t stop! The stakes got higher and so did my debt. I was doing okay paying a little at a time with your checks. That only lasted so long. I needed more than what you were giving me.”
“What did you do, Richard?”
“I borrowed off of some of the older insurance policies at work. Some premiums might have gotten a little delayed.”
“Whose?”
“A few people here and there.” He flicked a dismissive hand. “No one important. I figured I would borrow it and replace it once I got flush again. Problem is, I can’t get flush. The premiums are way overdue, and I owe the policyholders. That’s bad, Sarah.”
“No shit. That’s fraud and embezzlement.”
“That’s the least of my problems. The men I owe money are going to do worse than a knee to the face. They said if I don’t get their money, they’re going to start chopping off body parts.”
“I know where they can start.”
He lowered his hand over his junk in case she got ideas. “I’m serious, Sarah.”
“So am I.” Sarah narrowed her eyes, taking in his slovenly appearance and weak chin. The swollen nose didn’t do him any favors. It finally hit her why he had creeper texted all the YouTube videos. “
That’s
why you were trying to woo me back? You thought I would fall for it and then just hand over my money?”