Chapter 19 #2
When he lifted his head and released her, her knees wobbled. Maia lifted her hand to her tingling lips.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“Look after my rugby girl.” He brushed his knuckles across her cheek before striding from the room.
Juno drifted to the door, and Maia slowly followed. She waved goodbye and decided a run would settle Juno, and after a shower, she’d work on her book.
Later that night, Maia sat watching television with Juno sprawled at her feet. She’d chosen to watch the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, a show she’d seen countless times, but she enjoyed the witty banter.
She was about to watch the third episode when a foreign sound intruded. At first, she thought it was the nearby cattle, but the noise moved location. Juno bounded up, her head cocked. She barked when a loud groan broke the silence.
Maia’s pulse jumped, and her fingers curled into the chair cushions. “That is not a cow.”
The wail, which sounded ghostly, came from a different direction, and fear spiked in Maia. This time, she wouldn’t go outdoors. With a trembling hand, she dialed Laura. To her relief, the call connected immediately.
“Laura, It’s Maia Jacobs. Someone is outside my house, playing spooky moans.”
“Stay on the line. Charlie and I will arrive soon. We’ll come in silent and block the lane where the person has been parking. If we’re lucky, they’ll think they’re safe there.”
“We hope it’s the same person,” Maia muttered. It had never occurred to her she’d have problems when she moved to Middlemarch, and she was an author who enjoyed writing and reading creepy scenes.
“Did you call Henry?” Laura asked.
“He’s away on a job.”
“On my way. Can you still hear the noise?”
Maia jumped when a throaty laugh cut through the air. It was spooky, and the hairs on her arms and legs stood to attention. “Y-yes. It sounds like a creepy clown from a horror movie.”
“Almost there,” Laura said, her manner calm.
Maia inhaled sharply but couldn’t prevent the tremor that sped down her body. She was so tired of this…this stalking. It would be a relief to fly to Wellington and avoid her problems. At least for a day.
“I’m pulling up in the side lane now. Charlie’s already here. Hang tight. We’ll be with you shortly.” Laura disconnected, and Maia listened to the tone for long seconds before tucking away her phone.
The clownish cackle repeated, and Juno barked, her attention fixing in a different direction.
Maia listened intently and started when a crash came from the rear—a window breaking.
She swallowed hard. Instead of investigating the broken glass, she crept to her front entrance and unlocked the door but left the security chain in place.
She couldn’t see anyone. Juno scratched at the door, clearly wanting to go outside. Laura appeared in Maia’s thin line of vision. Maia removed the chain and opened the door. Juno sprang out and sped into the darkness before Maia could restrain her.
“Is that one of Henry’s dogs?” Laura asked.
“Yes.”
The clownish noise pierced the night, and Laura frowned. “That sounds like a horror movie.”
“That’s what I thought,” Maia said as the evil laughter tailed off.
Juno’s bark cut the taut silence. A masculine shout.
Laura glanced at Maia. “Stay there, and if you see anyone, lock yourself inside.” Then she sped into the darkness, the bob of a torch showing her progress.
“They went that way!” Charlie shouted.
Maia watched the torchlight veer to the right. Seconds later, a car engine roared.
“Damn it, they’ve gone.” Laura sounded nearer. “Did you see them?”
Laura and Charlie came into sight, and Maia straightened.
The clown cackled its evil laugh.
“Where the hell is that coming from?” Charlie demanded. “It’s damn creepy.”
“That’s what I said,” Maia muttered. “I heard a crash from the rear of the house. A broken window.”
“Stay there while we check it out. Shout if you see anyone,” Laura ordered.
“You’ll hear me scream,” Maia said dryly. “Half of Middlemarch will hear me. Did you see where Juno went?” Maia was worried about Juno. She’d hate to tell Henry she’d lost his dog. His favorite.
As if she’d sent a message, Juno appeared from the darkness. She ran to Maia, and Maia petted her, full of relief.
Laura trotted around the corner of Maia’s house. “Can I check your window? It’s too dark to see the damage.” Laura’s tone had her warning antenna pinging.
“What’s going on?”
“Not sure yet. We need light.”
Maia led the way to the rear bedroom. Her steps slowed, and she halted in the doorway, reaching around to flick on the light. Her gaze went straight to the broken window and she let out an eep of alarm before her eyes and her brain caught up.
The upper torso of a skeleton, decked out in a clown’s costume and curly red wig, was halfway through her window. It even had a red bubble nose on its leering face.
She took an involuntary step back. “Who does that?”
“They appear to be working to a theme,” Laura said. “The laughter was evil-clown from a horror movie. I’m impressed. This prank shows planning.”
“Laura,” Maia chided. “They scared me half to death.”
“You didn’t see anyone?”
“No, the creepy music started. It moved, which means someone had a portable speaker and wandered to give me a surround sound effect.”
Laura snorted. “That’s one way of putting it. Charlie, you still out there?”
“Yeah. Do you want me to pull it out?”
“Let me take photos first.” Laura whipped her phone from her pocket. She snapped several shots before shouting at Charlie to do the same.
Once they’d taken evidence, Charlie pulled the clown skeleton back through the window.
“Let’s get the entire effect,” Laura said, and they headed for the front door.
Maia opened the door to find Charlie leaning against a verandah support, his arm around the clown skeleton and wearing a broad grin. “How do you like my mate?”
“Not much,” Maia said. Someone wanted to scare her. “He’d look better dressed in a tutu.”
Laura let out a laugh. “We don’t have any use for it; we have evidence photos. Why don’t you use it as a scarecrow?”
“I could have fun with the skeleton. Could you take a photo of me and the clown so I can send it to Henry? He won’t believe this. Actually, on second thought, could Laura be in the photo too? Then Henry will believe me when I tell him I did everything right.”
Laura nodded approval. “I like to keep two steps ahead of my husband.”
Maia led the way inside. “We should take this inside in case the person is watching.”
“I agree,” Laura said.
“Would you like tea or a coffee before you head out?” Maia ran her hand over Juno’s shoulder, and the dog leaned into her. Juno seemed calmer now, which told Maia the person had left.
The two cops shared a glance.
“That would be great,” Charlie said. “Why don’t we do the photos first?”
To Maia’s surprise, their photo session was fun, and the chuckles and laughter dispelled her residual fear. Once they were done, she sent the photo to Henry and told him she’d call in the morning. She also added she’d had an issue but Laura and Charlie were here.
“Henry will call and demand answers, but I’ll sort out a hot drink. Tea or coffee?”
“Tea for me,” Laura said. “If you have peppermint, great, but normal tea is fine.”
“I’ll take the same,” Charlie said. “Either peppermint or regular. I bet you get that call from Henry in five minutes flat.”
Maia’s phone chirped. “Henry,” she said.