Temporary Intrigue (26 page)

“Hi, Dave.” He smiled automatically. “How’s it going?”

“Fine. But I’m glad I saw you. I think I must have got the wrong number from the lady who owns the car I towed for you on Saturday. I’ve been trying to ring her all afternoon, but I can’t get through. I was going to check with you tomorrow if I still couldn’t reach her.”

“Her phone’s been off, but I’ve got her number.” The redhead trailed after the group while they compared numbers. Dave shrugged.

“It’s the right one. I’ll try her again in the morning.” He nodded and walked away.

On an impulse, Josh followed.

“You’ll let us know about the car as soon as you can, won’t you?”

“That’s the thing.” Dave looked worried. “I had time to look at it today after all, and I wanted to tell you about it.”

Josh made a sudden decision. “I’m going to see her now. I can pass on anything she needs to know.”

“Okay.” Dave seemed relieved to have the decision taken for him. “She might need to be more careful about where she parks in future. There’s a puncture in the hose connecting the brake cylinder to the rigid part of the hydraulic system. It doesn’t look like wear and tear or an accident. It looks as if it was done deliberately.”

Josh let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“Would it have taken a lot of time?” he asked.

Dave shook his head.

“They’d just need to get under the car with something like a sharp metal skewer, and punch a hole in the hose.”

There had been pieces of fruit on sharp, metal skewers on the food trays that Shane had prepared for the reception.

“The brakes seemed all right when we left town,” Josh said. “I didn’t notice anything until we started to go down the hill.”

“That’s how it would work,” Dave agreed. “From the size of the hole, it looks as if you’d have been able to go for about ten or twelve kilometres without noticing anything, but you’d be losing brake fluid all the time. Then all of a sudden the brake pedal would hit the floor when you tried to use it.”

“It sure did.” Remembering the hair-raising drive, Josh experienced a surge of anger combined with fear for Dimity.

“If the car was parked outside, anyone could have got at it,” Dave said. “Probably kids being smart, something like that.”

“Could be what happened.” With an effort, Josh kept his tone casual. “Thanks, Dave, I’ll let her know. We’ll be in touch about picking up the car.”

Taking the steps to the underground car park three at a time, he drove the now-familiar road with a growing sense of anxiety gnawing at him. It was almost nine o’clock. Surely she was home by now.

He had to knock twice before Leigh answered, wearing a long, pink floral dressing gown.

“She’s just gone,” she said, before Josh could speak. “She took the dog for a walk.”

“With Sandra?”

“No, on her own. She should be back in about half an hour.”

The thought of inviting him in didn’t seem to occur to her.

Josh turned away. It would be easier to wait in the car. Then a thought hit him.

“Is Shane here?”

About to shut the door, Leigh rolled her eyes in irritation.

“He’s out too. Why?”

“No reason,” said Josh, unable to think of any except the one he didn’t want to contemplate.

“I’m going to bed,” Leigh said.

The door shut with an inhospitable bang.

Josh got out his phone and tried Dimity’s number again, with no success.

He’d have to find her.

He set off at a fast pace, mentally reviewing the route they had followed on Saturday night.

We always go the same way.

He hoped this would not be the one night she decided to vary her routine.

As he passed the street where the car had almost hit her, he could see the reserve ahead, dark, silent, with no sign of life.

He likes the same places, the same smells.

Noting the wind was getting up, he quickened his pace. Would she have gone across the reserve alone? He peered ahead, hoping against hope to see her, but the oncoming headlights of a lone car blinded him.

When it had passed there was nothing but night. No sound but his own strained breathing and the rapidly rising wind.

For a couple of seconds, he paused.

Maybe she hadn’t come this way after all.

Or maybe she had.

Maybe somewhere, on that deserted patch of ground–

His heart gave a lurch of fear.

He strode forward, driven by an increasing sense of urgency.

****

It should have been so simple.

Mouth twisted in frustration, the watcher crouched beside a fence as the tall figure blurred into darkness ahead and disappeared.

There was no way now that the plan would work.

Or maybe there was.

The shadow beside the fence stirred.

There was usually another way.

It was just a matter of finding it.

And then ending things. Quickly.

****

There was no moon, and the reserve looked unpleasantly dark. Dimity felt a twinge of uneasiness. Apart from last Saturday night, when Josh had been with her, she usually walked Bert earlier. But tonight she had felt unbearably restless.

She paused indecisively. With the nearest street light some distance away, the darkness ahead was almost impenetrable. It would make more sense to return via the streets, keeping close to the houses.

Bert tugged suddenly on the lead. His movement caught Dimity by surprise. The lead slipped through her fingers and Bert took off at a trot, heading for his favourite tree.

Dimity called him, but the wind snatched her voice away.

Perhaps if she stood here, Bert would return when he was tired of exploring. She had tried that before, and he usually came back.

A car passed, travelling back down the road. Glancing after it, Dimity felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind, or the rain that was beginning to sprinkle down. For an instant, in the car’s headlights, she had glimpsed someone advancing along the footpath, still some distance away but covering ground rapidly.

Probably just a law-abiding citizen out for an evening stroll.

But there was nothing leisurely about this person’s pace. Whoever it was seemed to have a definite mission in mind.

A snuffling noise nearby attracted her attention. Bert had returned. Reaching down, Dimity grabbed his trailing lead and urged him towards the reserve. In the street she would be easy to see. Here, the darkness that frightened her would also hide her.

They crossed the reserve in record time, Bert frustrated by Dimity’s refusal to let him stop and sniff along the way. Only when they were almost at the other side, once more close to houses and street lights, did she dare to look back.

Was that a shape following the direction she had taken, or was it her imagination? She didn’t wait to find out.

“Come on,” she whispered to Bert. “Along this street, round the corner then we’re there.”

Scenting home, Bert matched her brisk pace. Almost at the corner, where a van was parked, Dimity looked back to reassure herself that the street was as safe and serene as it had always been.

Her blood froze.

A tall figure was striding along the street towards her, breaking into a run even as she looked.

Panicking, knowing that in this well-lit area she could be seen quite clearly, Dimity hurtled down the street with Bert. At the same time a shadow broke away from the concealment of the van. Brandishing something, it lunged at her.

Dimity heard a high, thin scream rising through the air. Hardly realising it came from her, she threw herself to the ground. Something clattered onto the footpath. Vaguely aware of footsteps running away, she screamed again as strong hands gripped her, pulling her up into a sitting position.

“Sshh. Sshh. It’s all right. It’s me.”

Josh. Almost not believing it, she clung to him. He held her just as tightly.

“What are you
doing
here?” She was scarcely able to speak. He held her a little away from him at last, tracing a finger over her face as if checking for injuries.

“I went to see you. Leigh said you’d gone for a walk. I was worried.”

She stared towards the van.

“Someone was waiting. He attacked me.”

“I know. But then he must have seen me coming and decided to run for it. I could have chased him but I didn’t know if you were hurt.”

“He was going to hit me with something.” She shivered, aware suddenly that the rain was falling more heavily. “Nobody would have heard me with all this wind and rain.”

After helping her to her feet, Josh moved forward a few steps then gave an exclamation.

“Here it is.”

He picked up something and returned to her, holding it. “This could have done some nasty damage.” His voice was grim. “Hell, it could have killed you.”

Dimity stared down at Shane’s baseball bat.

It seemed hours before she looked up. Even then she couldn’t speak.

As if in a daze she moved towards her house, vaguely aware that Josh had retrieved Bert from someone’s garden and was walking with her. She was grateful for his supporting arm, grateful too that he didn’t speak until they were almost at her gate.

“My car’s around the corner,” he said then. “I’ll come in with you while you get whatever you need. You’re not staying here tonight. We’ll decide tomorrow what to do.”

Making no attempt to argue, she fumbled for her key in the pocket of her track pants and unlocked the door. Still moving as if in a dream she took Bert through to the back veranda and settled him in his kennel while Josh watched from the kitchen door.

Leigh heard them and emerged from her room in her floral dressing gown, hair standing on end.

“I thought it was Shane,” she said.

“Where is he?” Dimity’s voice was low, strained.

“He said Malcolm rang and asked him to help with some catering at the convention.” Leigh gave Dimity a speculative up and down. “You’ve got grass stains on your pants.” She shifted her eyes to Josh and smirked.

“She’s had a bit of a fright,” Josh told her.

Dimity wondered detachedly why he bothered. Leigh was unlikely to offer sympathy, as her next words confirmed.

“Lucky for you that Mr Wonderful appeared out of nowhere to frighten the baddie off,” she said.

“I’ll unlock the car while you get your things,” Josh said to Dimity. He sounded as if he were controlling his temper with difficulty.