Chapter 21
“What are you doing today?” Henry asked, his deep rumble puffing warm air against her neck.
“I didn’t know you were awake.” Maia turned to face him and, on impulse, kissed his nose. “I need to work on my manuscript and get in some training. I’ll hook up with Isabella if she’s free. What about you?”
“I have a job in Roxburgh and a quote near Gabriel’s Gully.”
“Gabriel’s Gully? That’s where they first struck gold in New Zealand.”
“Correct. You could join me, and we’ll have lunch somewhere,” Henry said.
“I’d love to, but I must train if I want to play a bigger part in next week’s game.”
“I understand.” Henry checked the time. “It’s my turn to cook breakfast. Levi is an early riser and creates havoc if he’s unsupervised. Last week we had breakfast cereal over the counter and floor.”
Maia laughed and rolled over to get out of bed. Henry stayed her with a hand on her bare hip.
“A good morning kiss, first.”
Maia’s thoughts turned to morning breath, but after dreaming about Henry for so long, she wasn’t turning down a kiss. She sank into his embrace, and it ended way too soon.
“Any sore muscles after playing?”
“Nothing too bad, but I’ll have a hot shower before I dress.”
Henry stole another kiss and slid out of bed.
He dressed with efficiency and slipped from his apartment.
Maia stared after him, a tiny smile playing on her lips.
She was halfway—no, maybe three-quarters of the way to falling in love with him.
Every additional detail she uncovered intrigued her.
There was a lot to like about the somber man.
After her shower, Maia changed into leggings and a long-sleeved training shirt.
She pulled on thick socks to combat the cold.
These chilly temperatures were not to her liking, and right now, she’d prefer Auckland’s winter rain.
She called Isabella and organized a training session before she found London and Megan in the communal kitchen, the men and Levi long gone.
“I’m running home to take care of business stuff before I hook up with Isabella,” she said.
“Is that safe?” Megan asked. “Henry told us you had to call Laura and Charlie again.”
A shudder ran through Maia. “Creepy clowns are best in a movie, not breaking into my house.” She still had the skeleton and had decided to visit Caroline at the dress shop for help. “I’ll take Juno. Besides, I’ll have my phone.”
“Henry won’t approve.” Megan took one look at her face and backpedaled. “Ah, not that he should tell you what to do.”
“Exactly,” London said with a grin. “Megan means we’ll worry about you, given the things that have occurred.”
“I’ll keep the doors locked and have Juno inside.”
“Ring us once you reach your house,” Megan suggested.
“I can do that.” Since she’d been alone for years, having people worry about her was agreeable. “Where will I find Juno?”
“I’ll show you,” London said.
Ten minutes later, she and Juno were on their way.
Maia jogged slowly because, despite the hot shower, she sported a few ouchies.
Now that it was later, it was a magnificent autumn day with a crisp blue sky overhead.
The sun shone warmly on her back, and each breath emerged with a puff of steam.
They followed the road, and her steady pace got them to her property faster than she’d envisioned.
Her steps slowed when she neared her house, and she carefully scrutinized the vicinity. Nothing appeared out of place.
The big dog whined, its ears pricked.
She glanced at Juno. “I should check around the house before I declare everything normal.”
She backtracked and walked a circuit of her section, pausing frequently to listen. When she saw nothing unusual, heard nothing except a cow mooing and birds tweeting, the tension that had invaded her body eased back.
Maia unlocked the front door and stood aside for Juno to enter. The naked skeleton stood in the kitchen corner, and she scowled since it still wore a clown costume.
“Let’s get you a bowl of water and a treat then I’ll get to work.” She had two hours and fifteen minutes before her appointment with Isabella. Maia powered up her computer and immersed herself in a fae battle in an enchanted kingdom where everything was suspect.
A knock at the door had her head jerking upward. When the knock repeated, Maia cautiously approached her door. She peered outside to see a woman, her face obscured by pink flowers. Maia glanced at Juno, but she didn’t bark or growl.
Maia opened the door.
“You are at home. I wasn’t sure whether to leave the flowers or not. The order didn’t specify. Are you Maia Jacobs?”
“Yes,” Maia said, eyeing the flowers. Samuel had always apologized with flowers, and given that thought, she wondered if Laura was monitoring his whereabouts. She’d told Maia she didn’t think he was responsible for Maia’s problems, but she was keeping tabs on him through her police contacts.
“Then these are for you.” The woman thrust the flowers into Maia’s hands and retreated to her courier van.
A white card nestled amongst the pink flowers and green foliage. Maia marched into the kitchen and deposited the flowers on the table. Juno barked.
“Ah, yes.” Maia returned to lock the door. “Thank you for reminding me.”
With the door bolted, Maia plucked out the card. The flowers were charming, their perfume decadent. They’d look beautiful on the side table, but she wanted to know the sender. Henry struck her as practical. Organizing a courier to a country address would’ve been expensive.
She ripped open the envelope, annoyed to find her hands trembling. Three kisses in bold black writing were on the card. Nothing else. Maia shot the flowers an aggravated look and left them where they sat before returning to work. Unfortunately, her concentration had gone AWOL.
Maia made a cup of coffee and read her emails, answering fan letters before moving to her business email account. She’d underestimated how long these admin duties took and needed to look at hiring outside help, especially since rugby took more of her time.
London was the solution, especially since she already worked for Megan. She’d understand Maia’s needs and require minimal training. Yes. She’d speak to London. Maia dealt with the three remaining emails.
She had time to visit Caroline’s shop. The skeleton caught her eye, and she paused. Yeah, it might be easier if she took the skeleton and explained what she wanted.
“You want to what?” Caroline eyed the skeleton dubiously ten minutes later.
Beside her, Isabella cackled, the blonde personal trainer holding her side as if laughing were hurting her.
“I want you to design outfits for my skeleton. I’m going to stand him outside on my verandah,” Maia said. “It will be a statement.”
Finding Isabella here had been a surprise, but she remembered London or Ambar had told her Isabella helped Caroline during her free time.
“I thought a pink tutu would be fun and maybe a cowboy or no! A Mexican cowboy with a sombrero. A sixties housewife vibe might be fun, too, and I’ll need a Christmas outfit.”
“You’re serious,” Caroline said.
“As a heartbeat.”
Isabella chortled again, laughing long and loud before controlling herself. “You should help, Caroline. You were wondering what to do with the scraps of material you have. Designing skeleton outfits might be fun. You’ll need a Halloween costume.”
“And maybe one for Valentine’s Day and King’s birthday. I thought I could post them on my social media pages.” Maia didn’t reveal she’d post under her author pen name, with no mention of her location.
“All right,” Caroline said. “If you’re pranking me, there will be trouble.”
“No, I’m deadly serious. I’d also like you to design an evening dress for me. Something formal yet pretty to wear at an awards dinner.”
“I’d love to,” Caroline said, whipping out a tape measure. “I’ll take your measurements now. Can you leave the skeleton?”
“Sure,” Maia said.
She and Isabella walked out of the dress shop together.
“Laura told me your stalker dressed the skeleton as a clown.”
“Yeah. I left the outfit at home.”
“Creepy. How did the game go yesterday?”
“Despite the loss, my performance satisfied me. I evaded most tackles.”
“Excellent. We’ll continue with stretches and keep the workout light until your doctor clears you for vigorous activity.”
When Maia arrived home, two parcels and a balloon bouquet sat on her doormat. The pink helium balloons danced in the breeze.
She edged past to unlock her door and peered inside.
Juno greeted her, and Maia let her outside.
Juno trotted around the lawn, sniffing until she found the perfect spot.
With her business tended, Juno returned to Maia’s side.
Maia started to go inside but caught a white flash on the tree trunk several feet away.
It was the same tree where she’d found Alba.
Maia took one step in that direction before reconsidering. She called Laura.
“Problem?” Laura demanded.
“I’m not sure. I’ve been out, and there are parcels and balloons at my door. There’s another object fastened to the tree where I found the puppy. It seems innocuous, but I thought I should contact you. I wasn’t expecting any deliveries.”
“Touch nothing. Charlie’s doing a coffee run. We’ll be there as soon as he returns.”
Maia left the parcels and the balloons where they sat and ushered Juno inside.
She walked to the sink and poured herself a glass of water, her attention out the window.
When she glanced back at her glass, she dropped it with a shriek.
It shattered in her sink, splashing red liquid over her T-shirt.
That was blood pouring from her tap. For a long moment, she gaped before turning the tap off with shaky hands.
“Well, I won’t be drinking that water. Juno, we’re checking the windows and doors to ensure everything is locked tight.”
Laura and Charlie arrived, and she met them at the door.
“I’ve put your number on speed dial,” Maia said.
Charlie’s laugh faded. “Is that blood?”
Maia led them into the kitchen and turned on the taps. Red water gushed from the cold tap while the hot tap ran clear for long seconds before turning a faint pink.
“That’s disturbing,” Laura said, staring at the sink.
Charlie stuck a cup underneath the tap and sniffed the contents. “It doesn’t smell like blood.”
“You’re on tank water,” Laura said. “I remember seeing the tank out the back. We’ll check it out. What else?”
Maia turned off the taps. “I received flowers before I left this morning. When I returned, the balloon bouquet and the other things were at my door. There’s also something attached to the tree.
After I called you, I checked the windows and rear door.
I was going to have a shower next.” She shuddered. “So glad I had a glass of water first.”
Laura grimaced. “Ugh, showering would’ve been creepy.”
Juno nudged Maia’s leg. “Juno didn’t seem worried when I let her out, but she probably barked when someone delivered the items to the door.”
“Stay put. Charlie and I won’t be long.”
Maia watched Charlie and Laura photograph the items at the door before cautiously opening them. She sighed and checked her kettle. She had enough uncontaminated water to boil for a cup of tea.
“Juno, what is going on?” she asked as she pulled a mug from the cupboard. She dumped a heaped spoon of masala chai tea leaves into her green teapot and, once the jug boiled, poured the water over them.
Troubled, she plonked her butt on a stool at her kitchen counter and stared moodily out the window, watching Laura and Charlie by the tree.
They were in an intense discussion, and Laura gestured toward the house.
Charlie snapped several photos of the white thing—Maia presumed a note—attached to the tree.
He plucked an evidence bag from his pocket before carefully removing the object and placing it inside.
Meanwhile, Laura disappeared around the side of the house.
Maia stood to grab milk and added a little to her mug. She reclaimed her seat and poured a cup of tea. It was weak, but she desperately needed a hot drink to chase away the chill in her veins.
She couldn’t stay here tonight, and it irked her that someone was driving her away from her home.
Maia stewed and sipped the tea, the tang of ginger, cloves, and black pepper hitting her palate. By the time Laura and Charlie appeared, Maia felt marginally calmer.
“Learn anything?” she asked.
“The cards on the items at the door say the same thing. The time is coming… It looks as if someone has tampered with the food items. We’ll take them for testing.
I don’t think we’ll get fingerprints, but we’ll try.
As for your water tank, the red is a combination of blood and food coloring,” Laura said.
“Blood?”
“An animal is floating in there.” Laura took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was frigid. “It looks like a possum that someone hit on the road.”
“I agree,” Charlie said, grimacing. “It looked flatter than it should.”
Maia’s phone rang, the screen display showing an unfamiliar number. “Hello.”
A clownish laugh rang out, and a creepy voice crooned, “The time is coming, coming, coming!”