Chapter 7
Clara
M y heart’s still racing after I went to collect my mail. My hands are shaking as I grip my phone and call my neighbor. After what seems like an age he finally picks up.
He answers calmly, “Miss Clara. You’re up early.”
“This isn’t a friendly neighbor to neighbor chat. You’re not going to believe what just happened.”
He responds dryly, “It’s pretty damn early in the morning for guessing games. Wanna give me a hint?”
“Someone signed me up for dozens of dirty magazines.”
“Are you offering to share, or are they all for women?”
“Get real, Tex. There were too many to fit on the box beside my door, so they’re scattered all over the porch. If the school catches wind of this, they’re going to fire me for lewd and indecent behavior. This is a small town, Tex. They don’t want people addicted to porn to be put in charge of vulnerable children.”
“Calm down, Clara. I’ll be right over. We’ll figure this out.”
“We better, because if word gets out to the wrong person, I could be in trouble.”
After ending the call, I go to gather up all the magazines before someone can see them but think better of it. We might need to fingerprint them or something. I pace back and forth on my porch, waiting for the man I made fool out of myself flirting with last night. I should have known that hot bikers don’t hook up with mousy schoolteachers. He is just a nice guy trying to do the right thing. I huff out an exasperated breath and fling myself down one of the chairs flanking my door.
It only takes Tex a few minutes to leave his house, but it seems like ages. When I realize he has his teenage son in tow I panic and jump up to alert them. “Don’t let your son come any closer. There are big breasted porn stars on every cover.”
They both walk up on the porch anyway. Tex looks amused. “I’m sure my son will be fine seeing a fully clothed woman in a low-cut shirt.”
I fling my arms open wide and set the record straight. “They’re wearing skimpy swimsuits and leather miniskirts and booty shorts. Seriously, one is even a sexy nurse.”
His son picks up one of the magazines and turns it around for us to see. “Look Dad, they’ve even got a sexy teacher.”
I snatch the magazine out of his hands and stare down at the cover. It’s a woman wearing a plaid skirt, white button up shirt and thigh high stocking. Snorting a laugh, I say, “She not a teacher. How did you get that?”
Tex leans over to have a look. “The pigtails and horn-rimmed glasses give it away.”
I bring the magazine closer to my face and stare at it. Whatever. I don’t see it. Tossing it back down onto the ground, I gesture at them. “I don’t understand why anyone would mail me dirty magazines.”
“They didn’t,” Tex responds. “Look how they’re all laid out. All of them are face up and oriented towards the door, for maximum shock value when y’all opened your door.”
I gasp. “You’re right. Why would a mail carrier do that?”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” he says gently. “There’s no postage on any of the magazines. Whoever did this, hand delivered this mess of porn to you.”
When my eyes rise from the magazines strewn about on my porch to look at him, I ask, “How do I get this to stop?”
He reaches out to me and tugs me closer, wrapping one arm protectively around me. “The only way to make it stop is to figure out who’s doing this.”
“What about those teens from last night? Do you think they had anything to do with this?” I ask.
“What teenage boy is gonna waste good porn,” Tex mutters.
“It’s all online nowadays,” Levi adds. “Only old people buy magazines.”
Tex glances at his son and pulls out his phone. “We met a handful of rich pricks a block away from here. Do you recognize them?”
His son’s face lights up with recognition. “Yeah, they’re brothers, except this one,” he says pointing to the photo of the one with dark hair. “The Darbys go to my school. They’re obsessed with getting into medical school or something. I don’t think they’d get their kicks harassing a teacher.”
Tex admits, “They gave me fake IDs last night. If I were a betting man, I’d say they didn’t have anything to with your vehicle alarm or the magazines. Though I’m gonna have a word with their parents about the underage drinking.”
“Dad, don’t I don’t want to be called a snitch,” Levi moans.
Rubbing his chin, he thinks it over. “We’ll see. This feels more like something an adult would do. Especially given the cost of the magazines. This haul must have cost at least a hundred and fifty dollars.”
I raise my eyebrows. Both at the cost and how Tex can calculate that. I have no idea how much porn magazines cost.
He continues, “I’m liking your ex for this whole mess. What do y’all think, Clara?”
I explain, “To be honest, he was pretty pissed that I wouldn’t listen to his excuses about cheating, that I threw him out, and immediately filed for divorce. He slept with my sister and honestly thought I would just get over it if we talked about it.”
“What about your sister? Is she as pissed as he is?”
I frown at him. “She was pissed that I didn’t just put this behind me and forgive her. She’s got a birthday party coming up that I refused to attend.”
“So, y’all are saying she’s a maybe?”
I sigh, “Gina has a serious impulse control problem. She doesn’t marry up actions with consequences in her own mind and can’t seem to stay on task long enough to execute anything. Life happens to her, and she reacts.” Gesturing to the multitude of magazines, I tell him, “I don’t see her pulling something like this off, much less being sneaky enough to set off my car alarm without me seeing her.”
“Tell me about the two of them, are they together, or do they blame each other for blowing up your marriage?”
“She threw her husband out and my soon-to-be-ex is living with her even as we speak. So, I’m gonna say they get along great.”
Tex stretches and I get a glimpse of his stomach when his t-shirt pulls up. Hot damn, he’s got abs of stone. “I agree that your sister might not be involved but I believe your husband might be responsible for this whole debacle. If y’all lost your job, would he think y’all might get hard up enough to take him back?”
I snort a laugh, “Not in a million years. But he tends to cling to any hope, so he might think getting me fired might make me come crawling back to him.”
“Well, seventy-six percent of female murders are committed by an ex-husband or boyfriend. I have to assume if he would go to this length to get y’all fired, that he might think if he can’t have you no one can.”
I shake my head. “Chris is an asshole, but I can’t see him getting violent. His preferred method of getting his own way is to usually whine until I give in. But not on this matter.” I pause while I roll over what he said about murder in my head. That statistic sounded familiar from the shows I watched. “Do you think I’m in danger? Is someone after me? Should I stay with my parents until this whole thing blows over?”
Tex looks me in the eye and murmurs, “You could always stay with me if you’re really worried.”
His son speaks up from his knees where he’s gathering up the magazines. “I don’t want her at our house. She called me a delinquent and accused me of harassing her.”
Before I can apologize again, Tex says soothingly. “She already apologized for that. Plus we can’t leave a woman in danger just because she made a rude comment about y’all.”
“Yeah, I guess,” he reluctantly agrees as he flips through one of the magazines.
I tug it from his hands, “Don’t look at that stuff. It’ll rot your brain.”
Levi looks at me and shakes his head, “I’m liking you less and less.”
Tex looks thoughtful, “The magazines could be escalation. I’m not seeing anything to suggest you’re in immediate danger. If you’re worried, I can ask my prez if you can stay at our clubhouse?”
“At your biker place? I don’t know how much better that would make me look than subscribing to dozens of porn magazines,” I say.
“Hear me out, I’m in charge of our club’s security business. We’ve got cameras and stuff we can set up. It might take a few days, but if you stayed at the clubhouse while we have your house under surveillance, we might catch whoever is doing this.”
“If you think it’ll work, then yes,” I concede.
“Levi, go back in the house and pack some stuff, we’ll gather up all the magazines then head to the clubhouse.”
His son speaks up firmly, “You promised that I’d always get a vote and you’re just deciding things for me again. Like here, I never wanted to leave Texas.”
Tex stoops down in front of him and says, “How about I make you a deal. We’ll stay at the clubhouse for a few days and if y’all play nicely, I’ll find y’all a chess grandmaster to train under.”
His son’s eyes light up, “You really mean that, Dad?”
Tex nods solemnly. “Of course I do. If my boy wants to learn chess, he’s gonna learn from the best. Besides that, you’re really turning down the chance to hang out with a bunch of bikers?”
Levi rolls his eyes in the way that only a teenager can do and gets to his feet, they shake on it, and he heads off into the house.
Tex turns to me, “Y’all wanna shake a tailfeather and get yourself packed for a short vacation?”
“Okay,” I say before rushing into the house to grab a shower, wrangle my unruly red curls under control, and pick out a suitable outfit that’s flattering, but won’t attract too much attention if I’m going to be in a building with a bunch of tough bikers. By the time I make it back downstairs with a suitcase, the magazines are bagged, my cat is in her carrier and all her supplies are bagged up.
I shoot Tex a questioning look and he responds, “We can hardly leave your cat behind to be abducted or accosted. My cat just gives a long-suffering meow from his carrier.
***
We load up in Tex’s truck and head to the Savage Legion clubhouse. It’s a bit of a trek but Levi is fascinated by my cat, who seems every bit as fascinated by Levi, as Levi is with him. I can’t help but glance at Tex, because he’s all kinds of amazing for stepping up and helping me when he could have just walked away. He’s a gentleman and a good decent man, I decide.
The big bad biker clubhouse is nothing like what I expected it to be. The building is brick, has a huge sign that says ‘Savage Legion MC’ on the outside, but the inside looks like a sports bar only with motorcycle memorabilia all over the walls. Looking over their club artifacts feels like capturing a glimpse of their past.
They give us a room to relax in, actually it’s more like a suite, there’s two bedrooms, one master with an ensuite, a small separate bathroom, a kitchen area, and a living area with a couple of sofas and a large TV.
“This was Rigs’ suite,” Tex says. “He lived at the clubhouse full-time until he got married. We use it for anyone who needs a longer term place to stay. The brother who took it over, recently moved out, so we can use it as long as we need.”
Levi immediately takes the cat out of the carrier to roam free. I scramble to make a box of kitty litter so there are no accidents on the carpets. Tex disappears to talk to his club officers, leaving Levi and I alone together for the first time.
I sit on the floor beside him as he holds the cat in his lap.
“So you go to St. Mary’s High. Right?”
“Yeah. They have entrance exams, and I scored high enough to get a scholarship.”
“That’s an amazing opportunity for you.”
He tosses me a frown. “I think you have that backwards. It’s me that’s doing them a favor. My high scores on standardized testing drags the whole school up.”
I can’t keep from smiling at his take on the situation. “I never really thought of it that way before, but you’re right. They’re lucky to have you.”
Giving me an assessing gaze, he discloses, “I never wanted to come here. But as long as I’m here I should probably make the best of it, don’t you think?”
“Well, sure. Being stubborn and grumpy never solved anyone’s problems.”
“If I did that, I’d end up turning into my old man. He’s cornered the market on stubborn and grumpy.”
I smother back a smile. “Your dad might be a little stubborn and grumpy but he’s also a good, decent person.”
His eyes flash up to mine. “He didn’t want to come here either. He loves Texas. Says it’s in his blood.”
“He must have had some good reason for moving to California. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man to run off half-cocked, doing impulsive things.”
“It’s like you said, I’m a delinquent.”
“Now, Levi, I didn’t mean that when I said it. And I sincerely apologize. It was wrong of me to jump to conclusions and to say bad things “
“I know. I haven’t done bad things here, but in the past, I hung around with the wrong crowd while they committed petty crimes.”
“Any idea why you did that? Hanging out with people who are making bad decisions sounds dangerous.”
“I think after my mom died, I just stopped caring about stuff. I kind of drifted along. My friends back in Austin were nice people. They were just really messed up. I didn’t see exactly how messed up they were for the longest time. My dad saw it though. He saw it and decided to give me a fresh start here in Las Salinas.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how’s that working out for you?”
“Pretty good. School bores me. I found two men at the park who turned me on to chess. I studied the rule book and can’t wait to get a real chess partner. I’m gonna practice every move I ever saw in those books.”
“Well, that sounds all kinds of fun. I hope you have a ball.”
“Thank you,” he responds politely. “What about you? Why did your husband and your sister end up having an affair? Do you even know?”
I nod. This teen had come clean with me so It’s only fair that I do the same. “I already told your dad how impulsive and irresponsible my sister is. As for my husband, he’s always been the kind of man who thinks the world owes him a favor, and the rules that apply to everyone else, for some reason, don’t apply to him.”
“Did you have a bad marriage or something?”
“Absolutely not. But even if we did, it doesn’t justify cheating. You’d think people would talk about it, consider counselling, or couples therapy, before throwing their marriage down the plughole.”
“When things get bad between my dad and I, that’s what we do. We talk it out or get counseling. It’s helped in the past, particularly when my mom was dying.”
“I’m truly sorry for your loss, Levi. That must have been so hard on you.”
“Yeah. I had a lot of therapy and finally came to terms with it. Getting cancer is nobody’s fault, so there was no need to keep on blaming myself.”
“Oh God no, your mom getting cancer was in no way shape or form your fault, Levi.”
He sat quietly for a few moments before saying, “My dad’s coming. He’s got someone with him, probably company for me so the two of you can sort out your stalker issues.”
“How can you know that?” I ask curiously.
He presses his hand to the rug. “I know how my dad walks and can feel the vibrations of his footsteps. Put your hand down and see if you can feel it too.”
I pressed my hand to the carpet and felt very slight vibrations. It really does feel like someone walking up the steps. Within moments the door flings open. Tex and a younger brother wearing a prospects’ vest came into the room together.
Levi smiles at the prospect. “Hi, Evan. I guess you drew the short straw today and ended up being tapped to be my childminder.”
The older teen chuckles. “Nope. You’re off by a mile. I volunteered, because I like spending time with you, especially now your dad told me you want to learn to play chess.”
Suddenly, Levi dumps the cat gently out of his lap and comes to his feet. “I didn’t you know you played chess.”
“My old man and I play all the time,” Evan replies. “I’m pretty good at it, the perfect starter partner for a new player to match his wits against.”
“I never even knew Rigs played either,” Levi says with astonishment.
“My dad’s into a lot of cool stuff. If you want to come down to the bar with me, we can play, drink virgin drinks, and visit with the brothers.”
Levi perked up even more. “That sounds amazing.”
“Not the bar,” Tex says, his voice carrying a hint of warning.
“Yeah, Dad. Whatever.”
As they’re walking out the door, Tex calls out, “Call me if y’all need anything, son.”
I stand up and brush cat hair off my clothing. “I don’t think he’s gonna be needing anything. He and his friend seem like they’ve got their day all figured out.”
Tex shrugs, his expression light and happy. “Those two get along like a house on fire. I never worry too much when they’re together. Evan’s a good kid, I know Rigs was worried about him growing up too fast, but he’s finally accepted he’s still a kid.”
“So what happened downstairs. Am I allowed to stay?” I ask.
“Yep. I talked a little with my club officers and we came up with a plan of action.”
“I can’t wait to hear it,” I tell him, feeling more optimistic that my situation would get resolved.
“First of all, you and I are gonna review your doorbell camera and see if we can get a glimpse of who dropped off those magazines.”
“I didn’t even think about that,” I say.
“It was the first thing on my radar, but I didn’t want to get too deep into the process of tracking this asshole down with my son hanging around seeing it all.”
“Of course. I understand that was a smart move on your part.”
“After we review your doorbell cam, I’m gonna add some extra cameras all the way around your place. That way if anyone comes on your property, we’ll know immediately whether we’re home or not. I want eyes on all angles.”
“This feels like overkill, but I honestly don’t know how else to figure this out. So how long will it take?”
“To set up the surveillance equipment, a day or two. But I think what might be better is that you and I stay here a week, and I send some prospects to keep an eye on our houses while we’re gone. The car alarm getting set off happens pretty much every day, so hopefully after a few days we’ll find out who’s doing this.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Let’s get moving then. Zen tried to access your doorbell camera remotely, but he couldn’t, so we’ll leave Levi here, and head back to your place.”