The Marquesa's Necklace (Oak Grove Mysteries Book 1) (17 page)

His eyes were dark with concern for me—or was it something else? Wordlessly, I nodded, and his expression seemed to lighten. “We’ll get through this,” he said. “I sent a message to Jake—don’t ask me how—to see if he can give us any help. The sooner we find that necklace the sooner you will be safe.”

I wanted to believe him. I needed to believe him.

Chapter Twenty-One

I giggled as Lando adjusted the support stockings. They hid the thick bandages he had wrapped each leg with to make them appear fatter. “Luckily it’s getting chilly outside,” he said, handing me a heavy sweater. “The more layers of clothing you wear the less you resemble yourself.”

With the foam form strapped around my belly, I thought I had plenty of padding already. It was designed to give a man the concept of the extra weight women carry when they are pregnant, but mostly it made me look fat. The over-sized dress with the huge Hawaiian flower pattern exaggerated the effect. Under all the foam and extra layers of clothing, it wouldn’t be long before I started to sweat.

The gray wig was a nice touch too. It was hard getting all my hair to stay under it, and thank heavens the curly hair hid the lump my bun made. Lando worried the makeup he had applied didn’t fill my face out enough, but he did the best job possible with his limited supplies. He hoped the huge glasses he’d found would help. The plain thick glass meant I still needed my contacts. The ugly white nurse’s shoes were a size too big, but with the thick socks they fit just about right.

A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.

I smiled back and pointed the end of the cane at him. “That’s enough out of you, sonny.”

He got thoughtful. “I almost forgot!” He dug into one of the bags. “Teeth!” he said. They were some of those fake ones that slip on over real teeth. I put them in and ran my tongue over them. I wouldn’t be able to eat corn on the cob, but an ice cream sundae would a possibility. “Try talking now,” he said.

I tried but it wasn’t easy. It reminded me of when I lost both front teeth at the same time as a little girl. “It’ll take some practice,” Lando told me. “But in the meantime you don’t sound like you and that’s a good thing.” He crooked an arm. “Shall we go show Eli?”

Walking slightly bent over was harder than I anticipated so I appreciated the arm he offered for extra support. I shuffled more than walked to the far room.

“Aunt Martha, meet my friends Eli and Scotty. Guys, this is Aunt Martha.”

Both of them took a long look at me. Scotty stood and clapped. Elijah rubbed his chin and then nodded. “It’ll work,” he said. “I’d rather you stay here, but I can’t blame you for wanting a change of scenery.”

“Where are we going for supper?” Lando asked. “Aunt Martha is tired of fast food.”

“I don’t think I can climb into a van,” I said.

Lando grinned. “So we take Eli’s car. You know the town. Where’s a good place to eat?”

“Better not go anywhere you go on a regular basis,” Eli suggested.

Well, so much for the Pink Flamingo. It would be too crowded on a Saturday night anyway. I needed something soft to eat, and Italian sounded good. “Mama D’s?” I asked. I think it came out more like “Mama Zz’s.” I sighed. “But I don’t have my purse or any money. I am going to have to borrow some. And I really should cancel my credit cards.”

“This is my treat,” Eli said. “And the police have your purse. They found it in the restaurant you were snatched from. So I’m sure everything in it is safe.”

I hoped so. Still, I would worry until I got it back. Then, because I knew the police would have torn it apart looking for clues, I would need to get a different one. I would never be able to use it again, knowing how many people had touched it.

The booth we sat in at the restaurant was way in the back. That was a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it was darker and only the staff went by on a regular basis. Most of the patrons never saw us. Bad because the booths at Mama D’s are on the small side and I sat next to Elijah. And we couldn’t help touching. A lot.

I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Some of it seemed accidental, but some of it, well, let’s just say when his thigh rubbed against mine I wasn’t sure. I tried to ignore it, really I did. I tried my hardest to channel the imaginary Aunt Martha and pretend it wasn’t happening.

After all, Aunt Martha would have laughed it off when we both reached for the Parmesan cheese at the same time and our hands collided, right? Although I think he let his linger on mine a little longer than necessary. And dear old Aunt Martha wouldn’t even have paid attention when his arm brushed against her breast as he put a sample of his lasagna on her plate. But I noticed. I have never claimed to be an actress. And when he rubbed me on the back when I swallowed wrong and started coughing, and chills ran down my spine, I noticed.

Trouble was, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Mostly because I wasn’t sure how he felt about me. And I wasn’t about to jump in and make a fool of myself if he didn’t really care. As far as I knew, he was doing all of this because Jake asked him to. Not because he liked me, not because he cared about me, but because Jake asked. Even Aunt Martha couldn’t ignore that.

Except I kept remembering my dreams. The ones where he kissed me. The ones that made my heart flutter just thinking about them.

The evening went well apart from that. No policeman rushing in, guns drawn, to rescue me or arrest me. No unknown mobsters drugging my soda. The evening went so well that the next day, when Elijah decided to go for a jog in the park, he let Aunt Martha go with him.

I adore fall in Oak Grove, with the maple and oak leaves dropping and carpeting the sidewalks in a kaleidoscope of colors. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved the sound of leaves crunching under my feet as I shuffled through them, and their musty earth-smell. Aunt Martha might not be able to get away with jumping into piles of leaves, but she could do her share of kicking them.

Walking with the cane slowed me down. Within a few minutes, Elijah was far ahead of me on the path that circled the lake. Besides, he was jogging and I wanted to take my time and enjoy the crisp fall air. I stopped and watched a V of geese headed south, their calls a distant omen of winter’s coming.

Only a few people were out enjoying the park. I suppose most of Oak Grove’s population was either eating a late Sunday lunch or watching the Steeler’s game. I avoided eye contact with anyone I passed by, pretending to be engrossed in the ducks that searched for bugs in the grass at the edge of the water. I relaxed for the first time in a long time.

So it came as a shock when I rounded a corner and caught Elijah deep in conversation with two men.

And more of a shock when I recognized Eric.

I hesitated for the briefest of moments as the feelings of anger and betrayal washed over me. They hadn’t seen me yet—could I make my getaway unnoticed? But before I turned to flee, I saw the light reflect off something in Eric’s hand. He had a gun, pointed at Elijah.

I should have run. Someone in the park would have had a cell phone to call 911 on since mine was still out of service. But I didn’t. I took a deep breath, leaned on the cane a little harder and shuffled forward. Because if that was Eric, chances were the other man was Rufus. I owed him, and not in a good way.

I’m sure Elijah about had a heart attack when he spotted me. He shook his head ever so slightly, and his eyes pleaded with me to leave. I ignored him, and channeled my best Aunt Martha.

“Any of you seen a little white terrier run by?” I huffed. “Darn dog got loose again.”

Eric half-turned around, hiding the gun from my sight. “No, no dog came by here.”

“You sure?” I even managed to get a quaver in my voice.

“We’re sure.”

I sighed deeply. “Where did he get to? Lousy dog’s more trouble than he’s worth.” I limped a couple of small steps closer, tightened my grip on the handle of the cane, and straightened slightly. “I shoudda got a German Shepherd,” I grumbled.

The other man turned around. As expected, it was Rufus. “We’re having a private discussion. Your dog’s not here. Now. Go.”

“This is a public park, young man,” I said, shaking the cane at him. “And I’m just catching my breath. I will stand here as long as I need to.”

Rufus and Eric exchanged a glance, Eric turned all the way around, and flashed the gun. “I suggest you leave.”

“Humph.” I drew myself up. “Some people have no respect for their elders.” I faked as if I was going to walk away, but at the last moment, whirled around, cane raised, and with all the power I could muster, brought it down on Eric’s arm.

He yelped and the gun clattered on the sidewalk. I banged the cane against his kneecaps and he fell forward. In my peripheral vision, I saw Elijah tackling Rufus, so I continued my attack on Eric. With plenty of knots and bumps on the hard wood cane, each stroke caused multiple points of damage. After the first few hits, I started whacking Eric randomly over his entire body.

He was curled up in a ball on the ground and I was still whacking him in vulnerable spots when someone touched me on my arm. I swung, almost losing my balance I was so worn-out, and Eli ducked just in time to avoid the cane. “It’s enough, Harmony. You can stop now.” I looked away from my victim to see Rufus also on the ground, apparently unconscious. Elijah had his cell phone in one hand, and Eric’s gun in the other. “The police are on their way,” he said.

Exhausted, I leaned on the cane with both hands and tried to catch my breath. I shut my eyes for a moment and tried to stop the shaking threatening to take control. I needed to do one more thing before the police showed up. And I didn’t care that Rufus was out.

I took four short steps needed to stand over him, contemplating my next move. With a grim smile, I drew my foot back and drove it into his side. The orthopedic shoe would leave quite a bruise. He deserved it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I swear the questioning at the police station was almost as bad the grilling I got when they arrested me. They separated me and Elijah, but at least he was in the next office and visible through the glass wall. Every once in a while, he’d look up at me and slowly shake his head.

Naturally, I didn’t have any identification on me, and I couldn’t pull off the Aunt Martha masquerade any longer, so at the earliest opportunity, I took off the wig and thick glasses. I was sweating from my exertions and the heavy foam padding I wore under the dress didn’t help, but at least my head would be comfortable. All five officers on duty made it a point to stop by and stare in the office window, and a couple of off-duty officers came by as well.

At least they kept me supplied with as much coffee as I wanted. It kept my mouth moist as we went over my story again and again. And again.

By the time they decided to let me go home, I was worn out. Dolores was still held captive in the police impound lot, and it was closed for the night. I needed a ride. They did give me my purse and laptop back, and a quick inventory assured me nothing was missing. Elijah’s interview finished at the same time, and we met in the lobby while we waited for transportation. Officer Felton drew the short straw and got assigned that duty, so at least I didn’t have to take a cab. Cabs are hard to come by on Sunday evenings in our little town.

We headed to the park first, Elijah’s car was there, and it was closer. Then I decided I’d go with Elijah and get my clothes from the hotel. And it would be only logical for Elijah to take me home so Officer Felton could take care of more important things, right? But if it made so much sense, why did a piece of me hesitate?

As I stood by his car, waiting for him to unlock it, I decided to take the initiative. “If you’re going to yell at me, I’ll just walk home.” Yes, it was almost dark, and home a mile away and uphill, but at least I was wearing decent shoes.

Startled, Elijah looked up at me over the roof of the car. “Get in, Harmony,” he said softly, as he pushed the button to release the door locks.

“I’m tired. Tired and hungry and cranky, and I’m not in the mood for you to point out how foolish I was.”

Even in the fading light, I saw the muscles in his cheek twitching. He took a deep breath, released it loudly, and walked around the front of the car. He took the laptop bag and my purse away from me and set them on the ground. With his hands holding mine, he stared into my eyes until I looked away.

“You scared me. I saw you standing there and I prayed you’d run away. I guess I should’ve known better.”

With one hand, he lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You saved my life. Since you got away, they were going to kill me to send a message to Jake.”

I shivered. “For a second, I thought you were working with them,” I admitted, “until I saw the gun. And then I knew I wasn’t going to let you get hurt because of me.”

“I never thought of a cane as a deadly weapon,” he chuckled, “until you worked that guy over. If I hadn’t stopped you, you might have killed him.”

I shivered again. Was I really capable of killing a man? Me, a small town ex-librarian? I didn’t want to think about it.

Elijah reached around me and opened the car door. “Are we all good now? Because I’m dying to get back to the hotel and find out what the guys have pulled from the police computers.”