The doorbell cut the conversation short. I checked through the peephole before I opened the door. I wanted to be certain there was a person in uniform on the other side before I opened it.
There was, and I did. The deputy accepted the pen, thanked me, and then departed. I reset the alarm, and we headed for the stairs. When we reached the second-floor landing, I glanced up to see Haskell peering at me over the railing from near the top of the stairs to the third floor.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes, just one of your fellow deputies coming by to pick up something. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”
“Right.” The head vanished, and Diesel and I continued into my bedroom.
I eyed the laptop and considered turning it on again and having another look at the contents of the thumb drive. But the day had been long enough, and it was nearly time to call Helen Louise. I would have time tomorrow to dig into those files.
I debated whether to tell Helen Louise about the smashed windshield and the gunshot tonight, because I didn’t want her to get upset and not be able to get the rest she needed. She had enough on her mind without worrying about me. Then I realized how furious she would be if I didn’t tell her tonight and she heard about it from someone else first, so I decided I had better.
Right after I told her about both incidents, I stressed the security measures we were taking, and she was relieved to hear that Haskell would be staying in the house for a few days.
“As long as you don’t do anything risky,” she finally said, “you should be safe.”
“I don’t plan to do anything risky,” I replied.
“I know.” She yawned. “Sorry, honey, I’m about wiped out. Promise me you’ll be extra special careful until Kanesha and her officers have the killer behind bars.”
“I will, love, I will. You go to sleep, and I’ll do the same.”
We exchanged a few more words, then ended the call. I soon dropped off to sleep and slept soundly until morning.
Diesel and I had our usual Saturday lunch date at Helen Louise’s place, and I ate a lighter breakfast than the one Azalea made for me during the week. Cereal, yogurt, and a couple of bananas. I felt virtuous for now, but that wouldn’t last past lunch, not with the thought of one of Helen Louise’s delicious pastries for dessert.
I was at work in the den, cat at my side, by the time I heard Stewart and Haskell downstairs. I left them to their breakfast in peace, though Dante came in search of Diesel right away. The two of them played on the floor while I worked my way through the folders and files I had copied last night from the thumb drive.
Other than the pictures of the jewels, I found nothing out of the ordinary. Spreadsheet after dreary spreadsheet, and one folder full of PDFs and scans of invoices. I took an occasional break to let my eyes rest and to rub my neck and shoulders, but I was determined to wade through as much of these documents as possible today.
Diesel and I had a welcome break with Helen Louise. He scarfed down the boiled chicken she provided, while I enjoyed one of her delicious quiches and a salad. The bistro was busy, and Helen Louise didn’t have much time to chat, but at least we got to spend a little time together. She spent most of the time adjuring me to be careful and not put myself—or Diesel—in harm’s way again.
“See you tomorrow, love. I promise I’ll be extra careful.” I gave her a quick kiss before Diesel and I left. She blew kisses after both of us.
The house was quiet when Diesel and I returned. I attended to the alarm, and Diesel visited the utility room. Stewart’s car was here, and I supposed he and Haskell were upstairs. I headed straight for the den to resume work on those files.
First, however, I decided to check my work schedule for the coming week. I wanted to see if Lisa, Delbert, and Cassandra had made appointments as I had requested. If they had communicated with Melba, the appointments would be on my calendar.
I logged in to the college network and opened my e-mail. I scanned the messages, but there was nothing urgent. I clicked on the calendar and examined it. I focused on Wednesday. I saw appointments with Lisa and Delbert, but none for Cassandra.
She was obviously determined to defy me. I had told her to make an appointment through Melba before the end of the day, and she hadn’t done so.
I wasn’t going to put up with this.
All right then, Ms. Brownley. Time for a little hardball.
I composed an e-mail to her that wasted no words. I also copied Penny Sisson on it. The message read:
You have failed to make the appointment for Wednesday as I requested. I will expect you in my office at nine o’clock Monday morning, and I will request that a representative from Human Resources join us to discuss your insubordinate and unprofessional behavior.
I signed it simply, Charles Harris, Interim Director, and sent it. I sent a follow-up to Penny to explain why the message was necessary and to request her presence at the meeting.
Cassandra could always claim she hadn’t seen the message, I realized, so I looked up her office number and called it. I left her the exact same message on her voice mail.
The challenge had been issued, and I was curious to see what she would do.
Would there be another incident like the smashed windshield? A bullet fired in my direction? Or perhaps something worse?
I had better be on my guard.
THIRTY
The following day, Sunday, passed quietly, at least in terms of the murder investigation. Diesel and I had a leisurely morning with Stewart, Dante, and Haskell. Stewart insisted on cooking breakfast, and I didn’t argue. He made us bacon and cheddar omelets, one of my favorites. He made sure to fry extra bacon for Diesel and Dante. Everyone stepped away from the breakfast table thoroughly satisfied.
I thought about opening the laptop and doing a bit of work, but then decided I deserved a day off, especially after the last several days.
We had a delightful potluck family luncheon and had to put the leaf in the table to accommodate the four couples. Haskell appeared a bit uncomfortable at first, but my children and their spouses soon made him feel like a part of the family. Sean and Laura had accepted Stewart almost as an uncle. I tended to look on him as the younger brother I’d never had, and since Haskell appeared to be in the picture for the long run, he became part of the family, too. Diesel and Dante were beside themselves with so many hands willing to stroke and scratch and hand out tidbits.
I looked at Helen Louise at the other end of the table and thought how beautiful she was, and how amazingly lucky I was that this exceptional woman cared for me as much as I cared for her. She caught me looking and smiled. We shared the moment while the conversation flowed around us.
After lunch, with the table clear and the kitchen clean, my children and their spouses departed. Stewart and Haskell headed upstairs with Dante, leaving Helen Louise and me to ourselves. With Diesel, too, of course.
We snuggled on the sofa in the den and chatted. Diesel lay beside Helen Louise with his head in her lap. I kept the conversation away from anything to do with work, either hers or mine. Instead we talked about a trip we hoped to take in mid-May. Neither of us had been to Italy, and we planned to see Florence, Siena, and Rome.
Late in the afternoon Helen Louise reluctantly took her leave. She had to plan her menus for the coming week, and Diesel and I walked her to her car on the street. We nodded at the policeman sitting in the car near hers, and I was thankful for the extra security.