Caffeine & Killers (A Roasted Love Cozy Mystery Book 3) (19 page)

"There’s more," said Daniel. "Traces
of sleeping pills were in his system, too, among other drugs."

"Do a lot of street people take sleeping
pills?" I asked. It seemed to be a common drug when the subject
of the homeless came up.

"Sure," he said. "When somebody is
in pain – whether emotional or physical, or both – they'll take
anything they can get their hands on."

"Yeah, I guess you EMTs would know that,"
I murmured. Then I tried to keep thinking. "It's pretty
interesting that John and Ricky died in exactly the same way, isn't
it?"

"Yes. It is." Daniel picked up our empty
coffee cups and took them to the kitchen. I heard him rinsing them
and setting them in the sink. I felt he was playing for time until
ready to say something to me.

"Laila, please," he said, sitting down
again. "Please don’t go back down there. Things are really
starting to look serious. Not accidental. Not suicide. Deliberate.
And now you have a phone stalker who's become a real stalker. You are
in danger, whether you want to admit it or not."

I was shaken by the day's events – enough to
look up at Daniel and nod. "Okay," I whispered. "I
won't go back to Skid Row." I hated giving my stalker the
satisfaction of scaring me off, but for right now – the stalker had
won.

Chapter Twenty Five

In the following days, I kept my eyes open for
Licorice Billy to return to his old spot in front of Roasted Love.
And I kept my promise to Daniel and did not return to Skid Row.

Whenever I was at work, I found myself watching
the street off and on throughout the day. We weren’t very busy and
mostly just saw our regulars. Lily chatted with me about the things
that had gone on in the coffee house during my two days off.

"You asked me about Linda Henson," said
Lily. "She came in alone yesterday looking for you. I told her
you had the day off. I asked her if she wanted me to give you a
message – "

"What did she say?"

Lily spread her arms out and shrugged her
shoulders. "She just turned and walked out."

After that, business picked up for a while. At
about one in the afternoon, it was time for my lunch. The day was
sunny and warm and I really wanted to get out for some fresh air. I
told Jacob I was going out for lunch.

I headed for Sam’s Sandwiches and hoped my
favorite spot wasn’t taken. "It’s about time you came back,"
said Sam. I smiled at him and saw the empty table in the back. "Do
you want your usual?"

"Sure. And a few chips with it." It felt
like a watercress sandwich kind of day, along with raspberry iced
tea.

I sat down at my table. Gazing through the wide
windows of the café, I watched the people strolling along outside.

I thought about Linda Henson and what she could
possibly have wanted. Daniel had to work into the evening, so I
debated whether or not to call Linda when I got off work, though I
knew that the more I thought about it, the more curious I would get.

That was it. A call to her was in order.

# # #

When I finished work later that afternoon, Jacob
and I walked out together. He was on his way to the post office and
planned to return to the coffee house to finish up. As I backed out
of my parking space in the lot, I suddenly thought I saw the familiar
stocky form of Licorice Billy.

My tires squealed as I came to an abrupt stop. I
swung open my car door and dashed to the back alley behind Roasted
Love. Nothing moved in either direction. If it had been Billy, he'd
successfully made his escape.

On my way back to my car, I looked everywhere with
no results. I was sure it was Billy that I had seen, but he was
apparently quite the escape artist because there was no sign of him
anywhere.

I drove home knowing Thor would be happy to see
me. He tried to wag what little tail he had, and then ran ahead of me
into the living room and back again. Nothing like a sincere welcome
home, I thought.

I went outside with the dog so he could run off
some of his energy, and sat down in the lawn chair to watch him play.

Suddenly a shiver went through me. At the same
moment Thor stopped and stared at the tree line at the end of the
back yard. I called to him softly and he quickly came to me, even
though he turned back to look at whatever had caught his attention.

The short line of Bluebeard shrubs stood still in
the windless air. Leaves on the various sizes of assorted trees hung
suspended. As for me, the uneasy feeling remained that someone was
watching us.

I called softly again to Thor, and he reluctantly
came inside with me. I double-locked the back door behind us.

Hands sweaty, I stood to the side of my kitchen
window and looked out. I saw no one. Then I closed the curtain over
the window, feeling like a prisoner in my own apartment.

Fumbling for my cell phone, I called Daniel. It
rang and rang, even while my hands shook more and more. Finally, he
answered. "Laila. What’s up?"

I told him what had happened out in the yard. "I
didn’t see anyone, but I felt sure someone was out there watching
me. Even Thor was on instant alert." I could hear my voice was
starting to shake..

"Hang up and call the police right now. They
already have you on record as having a stalker. I’m going to hang
up and let you do that."

"Okay." I pressed the button and then
punched 9-1-1.

In a matter of minutes, two policemen were at my
door. They combed the backyard and the perimeter of my apartment
building. Once they were satisfied with the report I gave them, they
left with advice to secure my doors. They'd found nothing sinister
outside and I had to be satisfied with that. Whoever it had been left
no tracks to tell the cops anything of importance.

I called Daniel back to let him know what had
happened – that the cops had found nothing.

"At least they have the report," said
Daniel. "I’ll ask Chief Hayes if they can have someone patrol
around your area for the next few days."

"Okay. Yeah, that sounds good." I
couldn't help but feel relieved.

We talked a while longer until I realized Thor had
not been fed yet. My appetite had vanished, but not his. I thanked
Daniel and assured him I would be fine. Both doors were secure, as
well as all the windows.

It wasn’t until almost nine that I remembered
Linda Henson – but she would have to wait. I just wanted to relax
for now.

At ten, Thor and I were ready to turn in when the
phone rang. The caller I.D. showed "unknown." At first, I
thought I wouldn't answer – I knew I shouldn't answer –

But I had to know. I couldn't sit here like a
scared bunny rabbit. I just had to know.

I picked up the phone. "Hello."

"I see you didn’t play ball with your dog
tonight," said the gravelly voice.

And then the phone went dead.

I hit the call back button, but got the message
that the call could not be completed. Probably because it was
blocked. I took a deep breath, hoping my heart would slow down, and
then I turned the phone off.

I had a restless night until I finally fell asleep
around three a.m. My alarm awoke me at seven, even though I wasn't
scheduled at Roasted Love until eleven.

When I let Thor outside, I searched the area for
any signs of my stalker. From the phone call, he had obviously been
watching us.

But the early morning was quiet. Dew scattered
like diamonds across the grass. I brought Thor back in and sat down
in my kitchen to drink a strong cup of coffee.

An hour later, I still had not taken my dog out
for his usual brisk morning walk. I realized that I was allowing this
creepy stranger to rule my routine and I started to feel more annoyed
than scared.

Thor bounded toward the front door when I reached
for his leash. I took him outside onto the sidewalk where life seemed
perfectly normal. The other residents of the apartment building were
getting into cars or were out walking. In the houses along the
street, activity was going on as usual, too.

I breathed deeply and felt better. I had to do
what I needed to do and not let some sleaze-bag criminal keep me
prisoner.

When Thor and I returned home, my cell rang. I
glanced at it, saw a regular phone number, and took the call.

"Laila, this is Linda Henson," said the
voice. "I tried to find you the other day at Roasted Love but
the server told me you weren’t working that day. Do you have a few
minutes?"

I glanced quickly at my watch. "I have to be
at work in about forty-five minutes. Do you have some information on
what we talked about earlier?"

"I have something I think you'll be
interested in hearing. I don’t want to tell you on the phone. Can
we meet someplace?"

I thought for a minute. "No. Not today. It
will have to be tomorrow. I work late today and I have plans for
tonight."

Daniel didn't know it yet, but my plans were to
see him. Linda and I agreed to meet the next afternoon at three, as
soon as I was off work. We chose Sam’s Sandwiches for the meeting
place.

The truth was, I sure wanted to see Linda right
away – but something told me to be more cautious, and for once I
listened to it. I wanted to talk with Daniel first and let him know
about Linda and her call. Whatever she had to say would have to wait.

It occurred to me that she could have gone to the
police with the information she had, but she'd called me instead. I
was a bit leery of what she needed to share with me and why.

Chapter Twenty Six

As soon as things slowed down at work, I called
Daniel.

"Hey Laila, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Mind if I stop by after work?"

"Of course not, but maybe it'd be better if I
meet you at your place just to make sure it's safe and clear,"
he suggested.

"OK. That works too" I smiled.

"Great. Call or text me when you're leaving
work so I can meet you."

"Will do. Thanks Daniel!"

The day was like most, busy for a while, slow for
a while, then another rush in the evening, and then slow before
closing. Whenever I had a free moment, my mind wandered and thought
about all the things that have been going on. I couldn't wait for my
shift to end and to see Daniel.

I closed with Lily and together we walked to our
cars. As soon as I go in, I texted Daniel, and then started the
engine. My stomach was a bit nervous and I couldn't wait to get out
of the parking lot with Lily. I didn't want to take any chances.

As I arrived, I saw Daniel in my driveway leaning
on his car. That was fast.

"Hiya," I exclaimed as I got out of my
car next to his.

"Hi. I took a walk around, but I didn't see
anything," he told me.

"Thanks. Come on in."

Daniel came in and went through the apartment and
then took Thor out back and explored the yard. "OK, as far as I
can tell, it's all clear."

"Thanks Daniel. I appreciate that. I haven't
had any calls today. Hopefully, whoever it is, knows I got the
message."

Daniel and I continued talking about a whole lot
of everything – my stalker, Linda Henson and her phone call to me,
and my certainty that both homeless men had been murdered.

Daniel cautioned me to be careful. "I’m not
trying to make you nervous, Laila, but I’m beginning to believe
your theory of murder. You've sure ruffled someone’s feathers with
your investigating."

I grinned at him, and finally started to relax.
We were finally on the same page and I decided to take advantage of
it. "I’d like to ask a favor of you."

"Ask away," he said. "You know I'd
do anything for you. Well –anything that won’t land me in jail."

"Oh, it probably won't. It's just that – I
have to admit I’m a little nervous about meeting Linda Henson
tomorrow. I’m not sure why I feel so skittish about it. I'm just
wondering if you could be nearby. We’re supposed to meet at Sam’s."

"It might be a good idea to pick a different
spot with more people."

We agreed that I would call Linda and change the
meeting to Little Italy Pizza at the mall – the same place where
I'd met her the first time. Daniel could be inside there at another
table, or just window shopping somewhere near the west entrance.

# # #

The next day, I met Linda at Little Italy Pizza
and we walked to our table. I started to take a seat facing the
doorway to the mall, but Linda stopped me.

"If you don't mind," she said quietly,
"I'm not really comfortable sitting my back to the mall."

"Oh. Sure. Here, we'll switch places."

So we did. I managed to look over my shoulder for
a second and saw Daniel browsing in a gift store just across the way.

We sat down after getting sodas. "What do you
want to say, Linda?" I said.

She twisted her hands together. I noticed two
rings on her slender fingers, though neither ring was on a ring
finger. One was a rather large opal and the other was made up of tiny
colorful stones that looked like varied semi-precious gems –
amethyst, turquoise, and things like that.

Linda tossed her head and flipped her long blonde
hair unnecessarily from her ivory skin. I decided it must be a habit
for her to do that, whether her hair was falling over her eyes or
not.

Then she sat very still, looking down at her
drink. "I wasn’t totally truthful with you the last time we
met," she whispered.

If she expected a comment from me, she was
mistaken. She picked up her drink, but then put it back down. I took
a drink of mine while quietly waiting.

"Ronald never told me he planted drugs in
Steven Wilkins’s apartment. In fact, he's someone who wouldn’t be
caught dead in an area like that. He’s too particular about
cleanliness and not terribly brave."

I nodded. "Maybe he wouldn’t be caught dead
down there as you say, but now two homeless men are dead. And both of
them did spend time in the downtown area you are speaking of."