Kaleidoscope Eyes Page 13

  Jed grunted, removing his now steaming brew from the microwave, and tossed back a swallow of the thick black concoction. Only fierce determination kept his throat from tossing it back.

  Fighting the overwhelming urge to spit the gritty mess into the sink, he forced it down, then pasted a satisfied smile on his stiff features as he chewed the grounds now coating his tongue.

  Andy eyed him. “You are seriously warped, my friend.”

  Jed shrugged and started to turn, but before he could make his escape, Andy shoved the note in front of his face. The handwritten words danced their defiance: “Thanks, but I’ll pass … ”

  “Nice handwriting.”

  Andy just stared at him.

  Keeping a stubborn grip on his nonchalance, Jed lifted the coffee mug to force down another drink, but apparently Andy had had enough. He plucked the mug from Jed’s hand, shoved the letter in its place, then marched to the sink and dumped the evil glop where it belonged: down the drain.

  “You don’t drink crud, man—” Andy poured some of the freshly brewed coffee into Jed’s mug and handed it back to him—“and you don’t accept defeat. You fight, man. Stare it square in the eye and wrestle it to the ground. But give in? That’s just not your style.”

  Jed looked down at the note. Andy was right. So Annie Justice was a harder sell than he’d anticipated. Did that mean he was beat?

  No way.

  So his plans hadn’t worked so far. Did that mean he’d run out of ideas for convincing her?

  Hardly.

  In fact, thoughts were swirling through his mind right now. Fueled by Andy’s words, the thoughts swept doubt out of the way, pounding it into the ground as they circled, coalesced … and created a truly intriguing idea.

  That familiar surge of adrenaline hit him. Oh, man. Forget intriguing, this idea was great.

  No doubt about it. Annie Justice was as good as signed.

  He lifted the mug and took a sip, then paused as the rich, robust flavor filled his senses. Ahh … now that was coffee.

  “Better?”

  Jed’s concession slipped out on a smile. “Definitely.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some calls to make.”

  Andy leaned back, resting his elbows on the counter. “I know that look. You have a plan.”

  Jed took the letter and tacked it to the wall above his desk, right next to Annie’s picture. He studied that picture, then turned back to his friend. “‘Action is eloquence,’ my dear Andrew.”

  Andy’s exaggerated sigh drew a smile to Jed’s face. “If you try to tell me that’s Obi-Wan Ke—”

  “Nope. That’s Shakespeare.”

  “And it means?”

  “It means, my man, that you’re right. I have a plan. And I owe it to you.”

  “Now, don’t go gettin’ all mushy on me.” Andy pushed away from the counter. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

  Jed punched a number into his cell phone. “Get packed.”

  “Packed?” Andy crossed his arms over his chest. “To go where?”

  “Heaven on earth, ol’ bud.” Jed grinned. “Heaven on earth.”

  Dan Justice stood on the sidewalk, staring from the building in front of him to the white sheet of paper in his hand.

  He’d been hoping against hope he was wrong. Praying he was wrong. But there was no denying it any longer.

  “So, were you right?”

  Dan turned to the man next to him. Frank Weeks was a solid cop. He’d been working in the cybercrimes unit for a couple of years and was as close to a computer genius as Dan figured he’d ever meet. “I was right. The letter Annie received in her mailbox was on Expressions stationery.”

  Killian’s stationery.

  Frank pulled the gallery door open. “Well then, let’s check it out.”

  As they went inside, Dan schooled himself to stay calm. There had to be an explanation. One other than the obvious.

  Killian looked up from where he was standing, studying a painting on the wall, and his brows arched up above the rim of his glasses. “Well, well. Deputy Dan, as I live and breathe. What brings you to my humble gallery? And who’s your friend?”

  Dan introduced the two, then held the paper out to Killian. “This is what brings us here.”

  Killian took it, a frown pinching his brow as he read. “Is this some kind of joke?”

  “Hardly” Dan shoved his hands in his pockets. “Annie’s been receiving threatening notes. First on e-mail, and now this was put in her mailbox.” He kept his attention trained on Killian’s features. “Notice anything about the paper?”

  Killian looked up, an odd light in his eyes at Dan’s tone. Then he studied the paper … and his frown deepened. He held it up to the light.

  When his gaze met Dan’s, there was a hint of something there. Anger? Fear? Dan couldn’t quite tell. “Killian, is that Expressions stationery?”

  “It is.” Killian tapped the bottom right-hand corner of the sheet. “That’s our watermark.” He handed it back to Dan. “But if you think I had anything to do with this, you’re mistaken.”

  Dan folded the paper and slipped it into his shirt pocket. “You’ve never been fond of Kodi.”

  “Dan, get serious!”

  “That’s quite a temper you have there, friend.”

  Killian nailed Frank with a glare. “Yes, I have a temper. And no, you are not my friend.” He turned back to Dan. “Do you really believe I’d do anything to hurt Annie? I adore her. What’s more, I need her. She’s my star artist. You know as well as I do that anyone could have walked into my office and taken some of the stationery. It’s right there, on my desk.”

  Dan looked past Killian, toward the office at the back of the gallery. “You have a computer?”

  “Of course.”

  Frank cocked his head. “Is it password protected?”

  Killian blinked. “Do you speak English? I have no idea what you just said.” He waved his hand again. “Ryan deals with the computers, not I.”

  Dan pursed his lips. That was convenient. Gave Killian plausible deniability.

  “Look, just go back there and ask him yourselves.”

  Dan nodded. “We will. You mind if we look around your office a bit?”

  “Look around until you both turn old and gray You won’t find anything, because I didn’t send that horrendous note.” Killian’s tone was decidedly wounded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have crates to unpack.”

  With that, he spun on his heel and stalked away

  “Testy sort, isn’t he?”

  Dan inclined his head. “He is that. But then, I would be too if someone accused me of terrorizing a friend.”

  “You think he’s innocent, then?”

  “I wish I knew.” Dan headed for the office. “Let’s check out the computers.”

  As Killian had said, Ryan was there, sitting at the computer. He looked like a startled owl when Dan and Frank came in.

  “Dan! What are you … ? Is everything okay?”

  Dan explained what was happening, and horror filled Ryan’s features.

  “Who could do such a thing?” His mouth fell open. “Oh, now wait a minute. Surely you don’t think Killian is involved?”

  “That’s what I’m here to find out.” Frank looked at the computer. “Is the system password protected?”

  “Sure.” Ryan grabbed a piece of paper and jotted the password down. “Killian wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Dan frowned. “Killian wouldn’t?”

  “Are you kidding? I was here all of a week when he had me sitting here, learning everything I could about computer protection and security. He’s a great instructor, you know Taught me everything I know.”

  “Killian did.” Frank glanced at Dan. “Taught you about computers.”

  “He’s a veritable Bill Gates.” Ryan handed the paper with the password to Frank. “Here, feel free to get on and check things out. But I haven’t noticed anything out of
the norm. And I’m on this system almost every day.” He scooted his chair back and stood. “Now I’d better go see if I can soothe Killian’s ruffled feathers.”

  “You ask me, those feathers needed some ruffling.”

  Ryan cast a quick look over his shoulder at Frank. “Easy for you to say” He opened the office door. “You don’t have to work with the man every day.”

  “Thank heaven for small favors.”

  Dan managed a tight smile at his friend’s mumbled comment, but his gaze followed Ryan as he hotfooted it to the back rooms of the gallery Right now, there was only one favor he begged from heaven.

  Find the creep threatening Annie.

  Because for all his efforts to convince himself these notes were just a prank, Dan couldn’t escape the sense that something was coming. Something bad.

  Something with his little sister smack dab in the middle of it.

  SEVENTEEN

  “Don’t let us make imaginary evils,

  when you know we have so many real ones to encounter.”

  OLIVER GOLDSMITH

  “Woe to those who go to great depths

  to hide their plans from the LORD,

  who do their work in darkness and think,

  Who sees us? Who will know?’”

  ISAIAH 29:15

  It wasn’t working.

  He’d done all he could, tried every avenue available, all to no avail.

  Fine, then. So be it. Annie would not listen to him? Would not surrender? Then he would go after her. It would be inconvenient. Take him away from all he needed to be doing. And yet …

  If this was what it took to secure her, then he was willing. So much to be gained if it worked out as he planned. So much to benefit him.

  And her. There was good in this for her. She might not see it, not at first. Then again, who knew? If he painted it just right, put it in the proper packaging, she might well see it as a gift. A blessing.

  Yes, that pleased him. Being a blessing. That fit with who he was. With the benefactor he longed to be.

  Good. It was settled. He would go to her. It was the right thing to do. The only thing to do if he wanted to win.

  And he did want that.

  More than he’d wanted anything in a very, very long time.

  EIGHTEEN

  “Want to make God laugh? Tell Him you’ve got plans.”

  ANONYMOUS

  “‘Stop right where you are! Look for the old, godly way,

  and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your soul.’”

  JEREMIAH 6:16

  OCTOBER 2

  Jed and Andy arrived at the Medford airport while it was still dark.

  That’s what happened when you booked a flight at the last minute. You got stuck on the red-eye special. They loaded everything into the rental car and followed the map they’d found on-line to Annie’s home on the outskirts of Central Point, a small town just outside Medford.

  The operative word there being small.

  Andy stared out the passenger window as they drove down Pine Street, Central Point’s main drag. “Good grief—” he glanced at Jed—“what’d we do? End up in Mayberry?”

  “Come on, Andy. You’re just used to LA. It’s not that small.”

  “Yeah, well … it’s not that big either.”

  “Maybe not, but you’ve got to admit that ten minutes to get from the airport to the other side of town beats an hour and a half in traffic any day.”

  “Hmm.”

  Trust Andy to be succinct. Jed fought a yawn. “You have the map?”

  Amazing what you could find on the Internet these days. They’d typed in Annie’s name and address, and up popped a map leading them right to her home. Jed wasn’t sure if that was cool or scary.

  Maybe a little of both.

  “Yup, right here. And that’s the road we want.” Andy pointed at the T intersection, then to the left. “Turn here.”

  Jed looked up at the street sign. “Old Stage Road, huh?” As remote as they were, he wouldn’t be all that surprised to see a stage ambling down the road toward them.

  “Yee-haw, dude. We’re in the Wild West.”

  Jed raised a brow and shook his head. “There are cities here, Andy.”

  “Hey, compared to LA, this is Hicksville, man.”

  “Compared to LA, most anything is.”

  “Yeah, well … ” Andy looked around at the hills. “Let’s just say I’ll be happy to get back to my concrete and bright lights. It’s dark out here. I mean, we’re talkin’ dark!”

  Jed couldn’t argue there. They’d apparently outdistanced any streetlights, and since the sun hadn’t seen fit to make an appearance yet, blackness surrounded them. He leaned forward, looking out the windshield. “Yeah, but look at the stars. You don’t see stars like that in LA.”

  Andy crossed his arms over his chest and slumped down in the seat. “I prefer my stars with two legs, thank you.” He tipped an imaginary hat. “Aenie, how’s it goin’? Tom Hanks, long time no see.”

  “Anybody ever told you you’re a funny man?”

  Andy grinned. “Sure!”

  “They were lying.”

  “Ha-ha-ha.” Andy propped his feet on the dashboard. “So let me get this straight. We’re going to stake out Annie’s place, follow her to some public setting, then arrange a way to meet her in person.”

  “No.”

  Andy shot him a look. “No?”

  “We’re not going to do anything. I am.”

  “Riiiight. Because once she meets you, shell be so overwhelmed that she won’t be able to refuse you anything.”

  Jed scowled. “Don’t be an idiot.”

  “Oh, I’m the one being an idiot.” Andy nodded. “Whatever you say, bro.”

  “Look, if I can just meet this woman, get to know her a little, earn her trust, then there’s a chance shell agree to do the show.”

  “But you’re not going to tell her who you are.”

  Jed stared straight ahead. “Not right away … ”

  “And if she asks your name?”

  “I’ll give it to her. Jed.”

  “Jed. Just Jed. No last name.”

  “Andy, the whole point is that she get to know me without knowing who I am.”

  Andy’s gaze went to the roof of the car. “Do you hear yourself? This is crazy, man. You’re going to lie to this woman to gain her trust? How is that supposed to work? And you don’t think she’ll want to rip your face off when she finds out who you really are and why you’re here?”

  “No way She won’t be mad. More like flattered that I’d go to so much trouble.”

  Andy fell silent, which Jed counted as a true blessing. Sadly, it didn’t last long.

  “Look, I’ve been with you on a lot of crazy things. And I admit, they’ve all worked out, but—”

  “Well, there you have it. And this one will work out too.”

  “—but this one? It’s just nuts, Jed. Worse, it’s wrong.”

  Irritation ruffled Jed’s nerves. “Wrong? What do you mean wrong?”

  “I mean wrong, as in not right! As in lying and deceiving and playing games with people’s lives.”

  “Whoa, bud. I’m not touching this woman’s life.”

  “Then how about her heart?”

  Enough. Jed jerked the steering wheel and pulled to the side of the dark road. He met Andy, glare for glare. “Her what?”

  “Come on, Curry Don’t be stupid. You’re playing in dangerous waters. Women see things differently than we do, and you know it.”

  “Things? What things?”

  “Men. Relationships—”

  Jed held up a forestalling hand. “Relationships? Pal, you are way off the mark here. This is not a relationship. Not even close. I’m just going to meet the woman. Spend a little time with her.”

  “Get her to like you. To trust you.”

  Jed slipped the car back into gear and pulled onto the road. “Exactly. See? Nothing like a relationship.” />
  “And once this nonrelationship is established, you’ll tell her the truth.”

  Uh-oh. Andy wasn’t going to like this. “Sort of.”

  His friend’s narrowed gaze did not bode well. “There is no ’sort of’ with the truth, Jed.”

  “I know. But it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll just tell her I didn’t know it was her when I met her. That it was all circumstantial. I was here to visit my mom, went for a walk, and met a nice woman. How was I supposed to know she was the Annie Justice I’d called and talked with?”

  “Because there are so many Annie Justices who live in the area and have big, black German shepherds.”

  He ignored Andy’s cutting sarcasm. “I’ll tell her that once I realized it was her, I didn’t want to ruin things by saying who I was. Not until we had a chance to get to know each other. You know, to be friends.”

  “And she’ll buy this load of twaddle? What, is her IQ the same as her shoe size?”

  “She’ll buy it because she wants to. Because by then she’ll like me and trust me.”

  Andy leaned against the passenger’s door. “Well. You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you? I’m along for the ride … why?”

  “To annoy me?”

  Andy didn’t reply to that, so Jed went on. “You’re here so that when Annie agrees to the taping, we don’t have to wait to get started. That’s it. Plain and simple.”

  “Simple.” Andy nodded slowly, but Jed could tell it wasn’t because he agreed. “Tell me something, Curry. Why this woman? I mean, it’s not like she’s the only person we can feature on the show.”

  Jed wished he had a good answer for that, but he didn’t. When it came right down to it, he didn’t know why he was so interested in Annie Justice. Sure, her story would be perfect for Everyday Heroes. And viewers always loved seeing animals do amazing things. But if Jed was honest, he had to admit that his interest went far deeper than even he understood.

  Fortunately Andy saved him from having to come up with an answer.

  “There it is. That’s her place.”

  Jed pulled over, and the two of them studied the wrought-iron gate blocking the long driveway.

  “Man.” Andy shook his head. “No way we’re gettin’ through there unnoticed.”