Glass Towers, Shattered (Glass Towers Trilogy) (6 page)

“Ah yes. I will ask Garrin if they ever retrieved any video footage.
Apparently the footage at your building was missing when Frank went to retrieve it.”

“Oh of course it was!
Why am I not surprised?!”

Just as he starts to respond
, I hear the buzzer.

“Harrison” I breath, “Someone is at the door!”

“Ok, stay on the phone with me and answer it.”

I unlock the door with my right hand
, as I grip the phone with my left. I briskly walk through the dimly lit main room to the entryway. I notice that all the locks are engaged. How strange that the intruder would actually go as far as to relock them.

BUZZZZZZZZZZ

Argh! I hit answer, “Hello?”

“Dani, it’s me!
I’m freezing, let me in!”

I hit the button to let
Simone in.

“Harrison, its Simone, she’s here!”

“Ok, good. Once she is in there, I will hang up and follow up with you in a little while. I had hoped the police would be there by now.”

“Yeah me too!”

There’s a knock at the door.

“She’s at my door.
I am letting her in.” I don’t listen for his response. I gingerly open the door, so as to not smudge any possible prints. It is probably a long shot, but one never knows.

I open the door to Clarke
, and to my surprise, Detective Burke is standing behind her. “Look, I come bearing law enforcement.” She smiles brightly as she motions with her head toward the Detective.

“Ok
, so she is here as well as the detective. I will hang up now, and maybe I can text you when he leaves?”

“Alright
, Danielle. I’ll talk to you soon.”

The detective and Clarke enter my condo, and I attempt a smile but find one hard to conjure up. I take one look at Clarke and fight the tears welling up in my eyes. I swallow hard and fall into her arms. She gives me a big bear hug, then releases me to face Detective Burke.

“Miss Austen.
I am surprised to be back here. Tell me what happened this time?”

Oh
, how annoying! This time?

I
do not show them into the other room. Instead, we stand in the entryway, as I retell the story. I start with the time that Harrison had left my condo and move on to the lights going out while I was in the shower. I tell the detective about the black high-top tennis shoes that reminded me of the ones that guys used to wear back in the 50’s. I describe the black SUV and the three guys to the best of my ability, since it was already dark. I also point out that the locks were all engaged when I came out here to let Simone in.

“So what you are telling me is
that there was no forced entry, nothing has been taken and nothing was left?”

“No, I did not say that.
What I said was the front door was fully locked when I got out here a few minutes ago. I have not looked around for things missing or to see if something was left. I was too scared to leave my room.”

N
ervously, I look at Clarke, and she seems to be at a loss for words, as she has not said a thing. Not speaking is something that usually takes all of her energy to master.

The detective
scratches his head and turns in a circle in the spot he is standing. “Well, once the squad car gets here, we can see if there are any prints to pull. We have your prints on file already. Has anyone else been here recently whose prints we should get? My mouth is incredibly dry. As I begin to answer him, I walk toward the kitchen. I stop in my tracks, as I see the purpose this time for the invasion. With Detective Burke and Simone close behind me, they too stop where they are standing to take in the scene.

Sitting on my counter is a bottle of cheap Brut champagne, a bouquet of stinky red carnations, and a greeting card with a cat hanging from a tree branch on the front
. The caption on the card front reads: “Hang in there”. I start to reach out to pick up the card, but the detective pushes my hand away. Using his pen, he knocks the card over and opens it. Inside the card one line is scrawled in juvenile handwriting:
“Au Revoir Danielle”.

I turn to look at the detective
, who is scratching his head again. “Any of this mean anything to you?”

Shaking my head rapidly
, I mutter, “No!”  My insides are churning, and my heart begins to thump in my chest.

Clarke inches forward to get a better look at the items.
“What the hell does
Au Revoir
Danielle mean? Doesn’t that mean goodbye in French?”

We both turn to look at her.
I had almost forgotten that she was even here, she has been so quiet.

In unison
, the detective and I respond “Yes.”

The detective asks if he can take a further look around.
I nod in response and remain in the kitchen, staring at the odd items on my granite counter top.

Remembering that I am dying of thirst
, I open the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water, offering one to Clarke. She accepts the water without a word and proceeds to sip at her water, without taking her eyes off the ugly red carnations.

I throw back my head and guzzle the cool liquid
, like a frat boy downing a can of cheap beer.

I open my eyes and see Clarke staring at me with an amused look on her face.
“Thirsty?”

Blushing a few shades,
I nod in response and replace the lid on the water.  I set it down on the small island and follow Clarke’s gaze back on the odd assortment of items. “What do you make of all this Dani? Does any of it make any sense at all?”

“No
, not really.”

“Dani, why was Harrison Towers here today?
I am really surprised at you!”

“Oh Clarke, it
is
a really long story. I know that you have a lot of questions, but believe me, so do I. There are so many dimensions to this story that I don’t want to get into  just now.”

“Well, I guess I agree that now may not be the time
, but let me assure you that you will be spilling every bean while we are on the trip!”

Oh no! The trip! I don’t know if I will be feeling up to a trip now
, not with all of this craziness going on. But then again, maybe having another escape will allow me to hit the reset button. Again.

“Ok, I will keep that in mind
, Clarke. Speaking of which, is there any chance I can stay with you for a while?”

She squeals
, “Oh yes! Of course, it will be so much fun to have you around. Oh wait, I am going to be out of town from mid next week until possibly the end of the month. I have another made-for-TV movie for which I have to oversee wardrobe!” 

“Wow!
That is great Clarke! I am so proud of you!” I give her a quick side hug.

“I am totally fine with being at your place by myself.
I just don’t want to be here alone and staying at Harrison’s is not an option. For that matter, neither is Bradley’s.”

She makes a loud snorting sound.
“Yeah I couldn’t agree more!” She crosses her arms as if she is taking a stance, from which she won’t back down.

I hear the detective on the phone in the front room.
He is talking in a hushed, official tone, so I can’t make out what he is saying. He rejoins us in the kitchen. “Well ladies, it seems there has been a multi car pile-up on the Terwilliger Curves. So, we have about another hour before one of my uniforms get here. Cranston and his sidekick are off tonight. I don’t suppose you have any coffee?”

Feeling frustrated
that this is going to be another late night, I begin to fret. I am so damned tired and emotionally zapped.

“I don’t have any coffee
, but I have some tea.”

He looks to ponder if for a moment, “Well
, I guess that will have to do. Is it caffeinated at least?”

“Let me check.
Clarke, do you want anything while I am at it?”

She shakes her head and holds up her half
-full water bottle.

“Oh
, Miss Austen, be sure to be mindful of what you are touching. I am still interested in lifting some prints.”

I nod.
I pick up the black Sharpie pen sitting on the top of a notepad, and used it to open the cupboard door. I peer in, “You are in luck detective --I have some Earl Grey tea.”

“Earl what?
Oh no matter, as long as it’s leaded, I’ll drink it.”

That comment actually brought a smile to my lips.
It reminded me of something my dad might say.

After serving the detective his refreshment, I ask him if I can pack a bag while we wait.
He says I can, as long as I am careful to not touch things, especially in the main room and the door knobs. I remind him that I know the drill by now. He looks at me crossly, and then with Clarke in tow, we make work of packing my bags. I decide to dig out a couple flattened boxes, so I can bring everything I will need for the next couple weeks. It is quite possible that I won’t return for that duration. The way I am feeling now, I may never want to return here. My haven has been turned into a place that evokes fear in me. Maybe it’s time to move. The thought of moving sets off a bitter taste in my mouth. The last time I moved, it was on the heels of my divorce. Unfortunately, this time would not be under any happier circumstances.

I grab the last bag
,  move it out to the main room, and return to my bedroom to look around. I love this room; it is pretty and always felt like a getaway. However, tonight it represents something dark and devious. It saddens me that I feel homeless. Again. It’s the same feeling I had when I drove to my parents home that weekend after my divorce papers were signed.  I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. That is how I feel at this precise moment. I wonder if now is the time to buy myself a home and make something more permanent for me. I smile to myself, thinking that maybe I have found one of the answers I was looking for. Now is the time that I need to put down my own roots. “Dani?”

Clarke pulls me out of my private thoughts.

I turn around to see my best friend standing there, wearing my giant sunhat. The hat is roughly the size of her entire torso. “Clarke, you do realize you still have my hat on, right?”

She giggles and
pulls the hat from her head. “Oh this old thing, I thought it would look great on me in the dessert!” She flings it at me like a Frisbee.

I reach up and grab it mid-air.
Laughing, I put it on my own head. She nods. “Much better on you. Hey, the other police guy is here to get the prints, and the detective wants to speak with you again.”

Feeling deflated
, I snap back to reality. I follow her back out to the main room. I see that the officer is busy dusting for fingerprints. The detective turns to me and directs me to sit down.

“So Miss Austen, your friend Miss Clarke here informs me that you are to be leaving town this weekend.
When Mr. Towers’ man contacted me this evening, they gave me this number.” He holds up his pad for me to see the number. “Is this the correct number to reach you?” I squint to decipher his writing and decide the number looks correct, so I nod.

“Good.
So, let’s talk about your timeline again and get into details about the intrusion, moment by moment.”

I take a large gulp of the water that Clarke hands me.
Taking a deep cleansing breath, I start from the top again.

About two hours later and almost midnight, the detective is satisfied with the information I have provided him. I give him my itinerary for the remainder of the week, and Clarke is asked to give her home address and a few more basic details about where we will be in Palm Springs. The detective explains that all the questions are just routine, so that he would know how to find me, if needed.

As I walk toward the door
, it occurs to me that I had a few questions of him about the
last
break in.

“Detective, before you leave, I was wondering if I could get an update from you about the last break in?”

He looks startled, which startles me in turn because he always seems so unshakeable. Why that reaction anyway?

“It’s late Miss Austen, perhaps we can talk later?
The misses is probably getting worried, and I have to be up early tomorrow morning for a shift meeting.”

“It will only take a minute detective.”
I am not letting him leave without clarifying a few things.

He gives me an exaggerated sigh.
“Okay, let’s make it quick though. Whatcha got?”

“Well
, did you ever get my information about the unknown caller? I emailed you, and I thought that Mr. Towers gave it to you as well.”