my chair and took a deep breath. “That’s not entirely true.” I met Eslinda’s gaze. “I did something really stupid yesterday. I lied to you.”
Her lips twitched. “Oh, honey, if that’s the worst thing that happened yesterday, we could all be grateful.” She leaned against my desk. I felt as if I should give up my chair but couldn’t bring myself to rise.
“I think I’d better explain.” I glanced at the door, and Nascha moved to close it.
My story should have been polished to a fine sheen after my time with the police, but I was so tired I’m not sure I made much sense. Still, they listened with occasional murmurs of sympathy and sounds of shock at Jay’s behavior.
“I should have called the police right away,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
Eslinda rubbed my arm. “That was pretty foolish. But I can understand. You certainly aren’t the first girl who’s been talked into something stupid by a man, and Jay put you in an awful position.”
“It may be even worse now. His father threatened to fire me if I involved Jay, and I just told the police everything.”
Eslinda drew herself up like an offended quail. “How dare he! You’re my employee, not his. I’m the only one who can fire you.”
That didn’t exactly put me at ease.
She pushed away from the desk. “I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. Don’t you worry about Lewis Preppard.” She stormed to the door but turned back with a motherly smile. “You should get out of here. Nascha, go buy Audra a drink or something.”
“You heard the boss,” Nascha said. “You want a drink?”
“But it’s only…” I glanced at the clock. Huh, after four. How time flies when the day sucks. And realistically, I wouldn’t get any work done in the next hour. I hauled myself out of the chair. “If I drink alcohol, I’ll be asleep in five minutes. But I’ll give you—” I almost said “my right arm,” but that brought back the memory of the one-handed man. “—anything for an ice cream sundae.”
“Even better, since I don’t drink, but I do eat ice cream.”
She drove. I gazed idly out the window as we passed slowly down Center Street looking for parking. A man stepped out of the hardware store. I recognized him even before I checked for his missing hand. When I glanced at his face, our eyes met and held for a long moment as we drove past. A shiver slid down my spine.
“Nascha, do you know who that was?”
She began to back into a space by a meter. “Who?”
I resisted the urge to turn around in my seat. “The man who just came out of the hardware store.”
She craned to look in the rearview mirror. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“He was in the woods yesterday. After the police got there.” I shrugged. “It’s probably nothing.”
She gazed at me. “But you think he’s connected.”
“I’d just like to know who he is. I saw him in the parking lot and his truck was making a strange sound.” I shook my head. “Not the truck itself, something inside it.”
She checked the rearview mirror again. “He’s still looking this way. Okay, now he’s turning away. Was it a blue truck?”
“Yes.” This time I couldn’t resist twisting around. The man was opening his truck’s door. He tossed a small bag inside and closed the door, then crossed the street. Nascha and I watched him until he was hidden by parked cars, then we looked at each other.
“You heard something strange in his truck?”
I nodded. “In the back. Kind of like screaming, but inhuman somehow.”
She frowned. “Let’s take a look.”
We got out of the car. I was glad to be on the sidewalk side, better hidden from the one-handed man. Nascha joined me and we strolled the short distance to the blue truck, acting casual.
We glanced around. No one seemed to be paying much attention to us. I stepped behind the truck and shaded my eyes to peer through the tinted window. Nascha did the same.
It took a moment for the shapes to make sense. Cages.
Her lips twitched. “Oh, honey, if that’s the worst thing that happened yesterday, we could all be grateful.” She leaned against my desk. I felt as if I should give up my chair but couldn’t bring myself to rise.
“I think I’d better explain.” I glanced at the door, and Nascha moved to close it.
My story should have been polished to a fine sheen after my time with the police, but I was so tired I’m not sure I made much sense. Still, they listened with occasional murmurs of sympathy and sounds of shock at Jay’s behavior.
“I should have called the police right away,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
Eslinda rubbed my arm. “That was pretty foolish. But I can understand. You certainly aren’t the first girl who’s been talked into something stupid by a man, and Jay put you in an awful position.”
“It may be even worse now. His father threatened to fire me if I involved Jay, and I just told the police everything.”
Eslinda drew herself up like an offended quail. “How dare he! You’re my employee, not his. I’m the only one who can fire you.”
That didn’t exactly put me at ease.
She pushed away from the desk. “I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. Don’t you worry about Lewis Preppard.” She stormed to the door but turned back with a motherly smile. “You should get out of here. Nascha, go buy Audra a drink or something.”
“You heard the boss,” Nascha said. “You want a drink?”
“But it’s only…” I glanced at the clock. Huh, after four. How time flies when the day sucks. And realistically, I wouldn’t get any work done in the next hour. I hauled myself out of the chair. “If I drink alcohol, I’ll be asleep in five minutes. But I’ll give you—” I almost said “my right arm,” but that brought back the memory of the one-handed man. “—anything for an ice cream sundae.”
“Even better, since I don’t drink, but I do eat ice cream.”
She drove. I gazed idly out the window as we passed slowly down Center Street looking for parking. A man stepped out of the hardware store. I recognized him even before I checked for his missing hand. When I glanced at his face, our eyes met and held for a long moment as we drove past. A shiver slid down my spine.
“Nascha, do you know who that was?”
She began to back into a space by a meter. “Who?”
I resisted the urge to turn around in my seat. “The man who just came out of the hardware store.”
She craned to look in the rearview mirror. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“He was in the woods yesterday. After the police got there.” I shrugged. “It’s probably nothing.”
She gazed at me. “But you think he’s connected.”
“I’d just like to know who he is. I saw him in the parking lot and his truck was making a strange sound.” I shook my head. “Not the truck itself, something inside it.”
She checked the rearview mirror again. “He’s still looking this way. Okay, now he’s turning away. Was it a blue truck?”
“Yes.” This time I couldn’t resist twisting around. The man was opening his truck’s door. He tossed a small bag inside and closed the door, then crossed the street. Nascha and I watched him until he was hidden by parked cars, then we looked at each other.
“You heard something strange in his truck?”
I nodded. “In the back. Kind of like screaming, but inhuman somehow.”
She frowned. “Let’s take a look.”
We got out of the car. I was glad to be on the sidewalk side, better hidden from the one-handed man. Nascha joined me and we strolled the short distance to the blue truck, acting casual.
We glanced around. No one seemed to be paying much attention to us. I stepped behind the truck and shaded my eyes to peer through the tinted window. Nascha did the same.
It took a moment for the shapes to make sense. Cages.
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