Random Acts of Deceit (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries Book 2) Page 6

  He tilted his head, as if he hadn’t considered that idea. “You think?”

  I nodded, probably a little too hard. “I can’t imagine it would be a problem. But you definitely don’t want to be around that drywall stuff. It can have nasty side effects. That’s what they were saying on the news a few weeks ago, at least. Asthma, coughing, and who knows what other kinds of long-terms effects haven’t even been diagnosed yet?”

  “I was thinking another week or two probably wouldn’t make a difference. I’ve been living in the house for six months already, and I haven’t had any problems.”

  “You had a cold a couple of weeks ago . . . or so you thought. Maybe it was the drywall.” I’d thought all of this through.

  He shrugged, still appearing uncertain. “Maybe.”

  “I really think you should get out now. Better safe than sorry.” I really hoped my plan worked. If Chase was out of his house, he’d be away from that bomb and then away from danger—at least, some of the danger.

  He studied me for a moment, his blue eyes warm and intelligent. “You feel strongly about this, don’t you?”

  I nodded, trying to tamp down my excitement that my plan might actually work. “You’ve got to take care of your health. Sometimes you only have one chance to get it right.”

  “I guess that’s true. Talk to Ralph for me and let me know what he says, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  He sighed and looked at the curtain as another group of paramedics rushed past. Police radios beeped, and feet hurried quickly across the floor. “Holly, I don’t want to leave you here.”

  “You’ve got stuff to do,” I told him. “I totally understand. Go.”

  He kissed my hand, gratitude evident in his eyes. “If you need me, call. Okay?”

  “I will. Don’t worry about me. The doctors just want to make sure everything is stabilized. I’m good.”

  “I’ll check in with you later, then. Stay out of trouble.”

  He’d only been gone for five minutes when I got a text from an unlisted number. I immediately knew it was the Shadow Man.

  Sorry about your injury. I guess I just got a little carried away.

  ***

  That night, Mom had picked me up and insisted for the rest of the evening that I take it easy. Then she and Alex had run off to meet with the wedding coordinator. As I lay in bed, I picked up my Bible and began reading Isaiah 43:2. The verse gave me another anchor of hope to hold on to.

  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

  I prayed that those words would be true for my life, as I felt wedged between this unending rock and hard place.

  Today, however, I had a new perspective. In fact, I was nearly skipping. I actually would have been skipping except my body hurt too much to move like that.

  No, I was overjoyed because Chase had temporarily moved in with Ralph. That meant the threat of Chase’s house exploding while he was inside was off the table. And his every move was no longer being watched by hidden cameras. Meanwhile, I’d held up my end of the bargain, and I hadn’t told Chase anything.

  Maybe I really could outsmart the man who’d threatened me. I held my head higher at the thought. I wasn’t usually big on one-upping people, but it felt surprisingly good.

  Ralph’s office downtown was closed today. Though the riots had ended, at least temporarily, the whole area was a mess, and people were being cautioned before heading that way.

  Instead, Ralph’s staff had set up a temporary office in a building owned by one of Ralph’s staunch—and wealthy—supporters who happened to have some recently vacated real estate. I’d made it to work, even though I still felt like I’d been stabbed and kicked, which, come to think of it, I had.

  When I glanced at the time and saw it was 1:30, I grabbed my purse and a sweater.

  “In a hurry?” Henry asked.

  “I have a task force meeting to get to.”

  “A task force, huh? Interesting.”

  I nodded, not sure why he was suddenly trying to be all nicey-nice with me. He hadn’t given me the time of the day when I first started. He probably decided being my friend might be a good way for him to get ahead here in the office, since I was Ralph’s sister and all.

  “Hope you can solve the world’s problems,” he muttered.

  I scowled. Now that sounded more like Henry. Honestly, I wished I could solve all of the world’s problems too. I’d settle at this point for just solving my own problems, but that was probably wishing for too much.

  Rather than respond, I hurried downstairs, hopped in Chase’s car, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “What was that for?” He wasn’t arguing. In fact, he looked rather pleased based on the warm glimmer in his eyes.

  I shrugged. “Just because. I’m glad you’re okay and that you’re here.”

  “I’ll take that explanation. You ready for this meeting?” he asked.

  “I suppose. I’m interested in seeing what this is like, at least.” I glanced at him as we took off down the road. “So, did you stay with Ralph last night?”

  “The small amount of time I had to actually sleep, I was at Ralph’s. I’m thankful that he’s okay with me being his temporary roommate. In the meantime, I put in a call to the previous owner of my house.”

  My stomach clenched. “Really? Why?”

  “Something just didn’t ring true about that letter from the city. I mean, how did the city find out about the drywall before me? I’m going to need to find some contractors to do the remediation work and call my insurance company to see if they cover this. There are a lot of loose ends.”

  I hadn’t thought about any of that. Dread filled me. Talks with the previous owner? Calls with the insurance company?

  My brilliant plan might not have been so brilliant after all.

  “Any updates on the car bomb?” I asked, trying to appear normal and not frazzled by Chase’s last revelation.

  “We think it happened in relation to the riots. Someone wanted to make a point.”

  I nodded, feeling rather numb. I knew better. I knew why someone had really set off that bomb. But the riots would be a perfect cover for the crime, and I’d bet anything that the perpetrator knew just that.

  “There’s one other thing I should tell you, Holly. I wanted you to hear it from me.”

  I instantly tensed. “Okay.”

  “There’s a hit out on local cops. We don’t think anything will come of it, but it’s a possibility that some young, not-so-smart kids might take it seriously.”

  That news didn’t exactly brighten my day or ease my worries.

  The office building where the task force was meeting was only five minutes away, so we barely had time to talk before we pulled up.

  Before I’d quit my job as a social worker, I’d been asked to join the Missing Persons Task Force that the mayor had put together. Various people in the community—from the police to social services to the DA’s office—were meeting in the community services building once a month to dissect various cases.

  As I walked from the car, a little kid who was probably eight years old ran up to me. Chase began talking to someone he knew by the front door as I turned toward the approaching boy.

  “Someone told me to give you this.” He stuck a piece of paper in my hands and then ran back toward the playground in the distance.

  I looked back at Chase, but he was still absorbed in conversation. I quickly unfolded the square of paper. The words I read there made my blood go cold.

  “You didn’t think your little plan would work that easily, did you? I have other ways of killing your boyfriend. Back off or else.”

  CHAPTER 8

  I shoved the paper into my pocket and glanced around me. That man was here somewhere. Was he watching me right now? Did he see me with Chase?

  “Holly? Are yo
u okay?”

  I pulled my gaze up toward Chase and forced myself to nod. “Yeah, of course.”

  He squinted, evidently not believing me. “Who was that boy?”

  “I may have met him through my social work,” I said, my throat tight. It wasn’t the truth, and I hated lies. Hated them. But I didn’t know what to do. The lines suddenly seemed much more blurry than I would like.

  “I see.”

  “Look, go on upstairs to the meeting,” I told him. “I’ll be right there. I want to ask that boy a question, okay?”

  “As you wish,” he said. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  Chase was a detective. He knew the cues when someone was lying. Certainly he knew me well enough to pinpoint when something wasn’t quite right. At least he hadn’t challenged me on it yet.

  I took a step toward the park when Chase said, “Holly?”

  I paused and turned toward him, certain he was going to call me out on my deceit. My blood pressure surged until I felt light-headed.

  “Yes?” I kept my voice light, pretending everything was fine.

  “You sure you’re okay?”

  I nodded and attempted to offer a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

  I released my breath as I turned away from him. I didn’t have any more time to waste. The longer I stayed here, the more likely it was that the man threatening me would get away.

  I quickened my steps across the parking lot until I reached the playground. It was separated from the business area with a simple wooden fence, and a neighborhood backed up to the other side of the space.

  I searched for the boy among the children there, but I didn’t see him. As I looked, I also kept an eye out for the man who was tormenting me.

  I had no idea what he looked like. I only had the impression that he was tall and large. As my gaze surveyed everyone, no one appeared menacing. In fact, I saw mostly moms and preschoolers. There were a few older kids. Maybe they were homeschooled, because otherwise they should have been in class. There were two dads talking over by a water fountain.

  Finally, I spotted the boy who’d given me the note. He was running with two younger boys through a mazelike portion of the play set. I waited at the end for him to emerge, knowing I’d have to choose my words and actions carefully. The last thing I wanted was to scare the boy or have his mom call the police on me. Especially when considering that I was supposed to be meeting with the Missing Persons Task Force at the moment. Wouldn’t that be ironic?

  Finally he emerged from a twirly tunnel slide. His eyes widened when he saw me standing there, and he stopped in his tracks.

  “Excuse me!” I called, keeping my voice light and friendly. “Who gave you that note?”

  He shrugged and looked around him. “I dunno.”

  “Please, it’s very important. Is he still here?”

  The boy looked around and shrugged again. “I don’t see him.”

  “What did he look like? Can you tell me that?” I knew I was wading through sticky territory. Stranger danger was real, and I was a stranger.

  The boy squinted against the sun. “He was wearing a coat and sunglasses. He was in a car.”

  “You went up to a stranger in a car? You shouldn’t do that. Do you hear me?”

  His eyes dulled before brightening. “He paid me five dollars, though.”

  “Excuse me, ma’am. Can I help you?” A woman rushed over toward me. As she did, the boy scrambled away.

  “Is he your son?” I nodded toward the young courier.

  “Yes, he is.” The young mom put her hands on her hips and looked ready to go all mama bear on me.

  “A stranger just approached him and paid him money to give me a note.”

  Her nostrils flared. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but tell your secret admirer to find other ways to send you love notes.”

  I wanted to sigh, but I didn’t. Her concerns were valid. Then again, so were mine.

  “He wasn’t a secret admirer,” I explained. “He’s a dangerous man who was using your son to advance his own agenda.”

  The woman didn’t seem to care. She raised her nose and turned around. “Stay away from my son. Next time, I’m calling the police.”

  I let out the sigh I’d been holding back. Communication was so difficult sometimes.

  As I stepped away, I scanned the parking lot for anyone lingering in a car. Every vehicle looked empty. Which left me right back where I was before.

  ***

  “So what do you think, Holly?”

  I snapped my head toward my sister, Alex, and saw her expectant look. I’d been absorbed with my own life and had mentally checked out. We were sampling cakes at a local bakery that had been featured on a national TV show. Since then, this “cake artist’s” work was now sought after and expensive. We’d come to see what all the hype was about.

  I set my empty plate and fork on the table and swallowed. Everything tasted like sawdust lately.

  “It’s great,” I finally said.

  Alex narrowed her eyes and leaned toward me, lowering her voice. “I think it’s terrible. A chocolate-and-bacon-flavored wedding cake?”

  I blinked several times, certain I hadn’t heard her correctly. “What?”

  I looked at the placard in front of the cake and saw the description. Sure enough, it was a chocolate-and-bacon-flavored cake.

  “It’s the latest trend,” the baker said. He scowled, obviously the uptight type who considered food an art. Even his name, Jean Claude, which he pronounced with what sounded like a fake French accent, sounded snooty.

  I was all for creativity, but his disposition and nose-raised attitude zapped any fun from the room.

  “I’m not into trends,” Alex muttered. “I’m more traditional and classic.”

  “Then let’s move to the mango-and-chili . . .”

  Mango-and-chili-flavored wedding cakes were more traditional? What planet was this man from? Despite my doubts, we followed him down the line.

  Alex’s original baker had unexpectedly gone out of business, and now she was scrambling to find a replacement. Her wedding was coming up soon—as in, next Friday soon—and being behind was so unlike Alex.

  My sister was everything I wasn’t. In fact, I called her Alex the Great because there was nothing she’d ever failed at. Now my perfect sister was marrying her perfect match: a surgeon. Together, they’d begin to live their perfect life together.

  Honestly, my mom, brother, and sister were all very similar. They were overachievers who continued to reach higher and higher. I was like my dad. We liked things simple. We found contentment in doing what we’d felt called to do, whether that meant looking successful in the world’s eyes or not. I knew I wanted to be the person I was created to be, but being around the rest of my family somehow made me feel not good enough.

  “So why do you look so distracted?” Alex asked, licking icing off a fork as we sampled the mango-and-chili cake.

  The mango icing was delicious—if I was at an exotic resort for a weekend getaway.

  I shrugged. “Just life, I suppose.”

  How I would love to have her opinion about how I should proceed. An assistant district attorney and smarter than a whip, she’d probably have some great ideas on how to handle this insane mess.

  “Things are getting crazy at work,” she said before I could formulate my thoughts or contemplate spilling everything. She moved on to the next sample: blue cheese and apple. “I think I’m getting married at the absolute worst possible time.”

  “What’s going on?” Alex had my attention now, much more so than the cake.

  She stuck a bite in her mouth and practically gagged. Jean Claude did not appreciate her reaction. “It’s the trial for Arnold Pegman. Remember him?”

  I shook my head, mentally reviewing any recent news stories I’d heard. I didn’t even bother to sample the blue-cheese-and-apple concoction, and instead set my plate back onto the table. “I can’t say I do.”<
br />
  “He killed his girlfriend.”

  “That sounds vaguely familiar.”

  “His trial got moved up to next week. Can you believe it? Right before the wedding.”

  She moved on to the next cake. I read the label: sweet potato and marshmallow. Really? Where were the good old white cakes with buttercream icing? Or, for a step up, maybe he could even have almond cake with fondant?

  I shoved a forkful in my mouth and forced myself to swallow. “I take it you’re on the prosecution?”

  “Exactly. I’m not lead, but I’ve been very involved. Get this: William and I have to delay our honeymoon.”

  My jaw dropped. She might as well have said she was wearing a black dress on her wedding day. “No. They can’t do that, can they?”

  “They can and they did. The media is going to be all over this trial. Everything we say and do will be scrutinized by commentators wanting to make a name for themselves and people who think they’re more important than they actually are.”

  “Why is this so hot?”

  “Basically, all the people involved look like they’re from Hollywood. Very camera-friendly faces, and the media love that. I’d like to say there’s no bias toward pretty people, but there is. Other than that, the whole trial is based on circumstantial evidence. The defense knows it, and so do we.”

  “That stinks.” I actually did feel sorry for Alex. Her career controlled her life at the moment. Then again, her job was arguably the first priority in her life, so maybe this was just par for the course.

  “Holly, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that it isn’t fair. Never forget that.”

  If only I could.

  ***

  Somehow, Alex ended up hating all the cakes and convinced me to make her wedding cake. Tasting her choices, I couldn’t say no. All the other bakers around who were available were either overpriced or no good.

  I did like to bake, but I’d never done a wedding cake before. Alex insisted she wanted something simple, so I’d try to give her one that matched her expectations. She hadn’t really left any room to say no.

  But as I sat on my couch that night, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Really overwhelmed.