Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Nick
When Angel and I arrived at Greg’s, Gabe was on the couch and the two of them were watching National Geographic . Greg wasn’t a bad guy—he’d just gotten himself mixed up in something and he’d had no idea.
Shep made us bring food for both of them—originally just Gabe, but JJ thought that was rude. Greg smiled and was grateful since he said he needed to get to the store.
Angel, Gabe, and I went over the plan for Lenny’s arrival while they ate.
“Are you going to hurt Lenny?” Greg asked.
“Right now, I simply want to ask them some questions.” I furrowed my brow. “Greg, how does Lenny identify?”
“How do you mean?”
“Man, woman, nonbinary, pangender…”
Greg nodded. “Oh, Lenny’s a guy.”
A guy . I guessed Four was wrong about it being a woman. I couldn’t even revel in the fact that he was wrong, though. We were betting a lot on the fact that Lenny was the guilty party here.
“Did he always go by Lenny?” Angel glared at Greg, which was usually how he generally looked at people.
“Uh, yeah.” Greg laughed. “It’s his name, after all.”
“Thing is, we did a search on Lenny, and there’s no one by that name that fits your friend living in this area, or close to it.”
Greg frowned, that seemed to throw him off. “Really?”
“You said he worked with animals. Where does he work?” Gabe finished eating and was bringing his plate to the sink.
“He’s a veterinarian. Has his own practice.”
Angel nodded. “Ever been to his business?”
Greg tilted his head. “Well, no. I usually pick up my babies at the shelter where he brings them, but mostly he just brings them right to me. He comes and does the checkups and shots for them here because it’s hard to load all of them up.”
How convenient. “Well, there’s no Leonard, Lenny anything near here. If he was a vet, why isn’t that showing up?”
That clearly stumped Greg. He’d had no reason to ever doubt his friend. They’d known each other since they were kids, but while Lenny could be his real name, he was going by a different one here.
Greg’s phone vibrated and he took it out. It was a message from Lenny.
Hey bud, how you doing? Listen, I had a pipe burst at my house, are you good, can I come by Tuesday instead?
Motherfucker.
“What do I say?” Greg looked at all of us.
“What can you say?” Angel sighed. “Can he make it Tuesday morning?”
Greg asked and sure enough, Lenny sent back a thumbs-up.
“Gabe, why don’t you go home and get some rest? Ask Shep to come in for a few hours. Angel was gonna head out to sit in his car for the night, but the two of us will be fine for a while.”
“You sure? What if Lenny is lying?”
I glanced at Greg, but he was still battling with the news we’d laid on him. “We’ll be good. Take your car; we have Angel’s here. When Shep gets here he can chill outside.”
Gabe nodded, grabbed his things, and left.
Monday was a long-ass day. Matt was pissed that I’d been stuck here longer than I’d anticipated, but he understood. He’d be working with JJ all day and promised he’d stay put. He had to get to work on Tuesday, so Gabe had promised to drive him to work and pick him up. Of course, I made Matt promise not to leave the building under any circumstances until one of us got there.
I hoped that by the time Matt was done with work, this would be put to bed.
Shep and Angel kept swapping who sat in the car. It was boring as hell, and I missed Matt.
By Tuesday morning I wanted to scratch my skin off. I liked cats, but they were everywhere I turned—I couldn’t even go to the bathroom alone.
I was just finishing a cup of coffee when Greg rushed over.
“Lenny said he’s on his way.”
“Finally.” I placed the mug in the sink and texted Shep, who was in the car, to stay alert.
Angel stood in front of Greg. “As soon as he knocks on that door, you answer it how you always do. He gets spooked and runs, that means I gotta run…I hate fucking running, Greg.”
“I…yeah, okay.”
“Good boy.” He patted Greg’s cheek and moved to the spot at the opening of the hallway by the door.
Lenny wouldn’t be able to see him there, and that was the entire point of this. I had to hope Lenny wasn’t on to us at all.
I was in the kitchen. Greg had an open concept, so when he and Lenny rounded the corner, Angel would be behind them, and I would be in front of them. Shep would likely walk up after Lenny entered the building.
The apartment was silent except for the occasional cat scampering by. My phone vibrated, and I saw it was Shep.
Someone’s coming up. Black pants and shirt, hoodie and ball cap.
“He’s on his way up,” I said out loud for Greg and Angel to hear.
It was cooler out, so the outfit didn’t surprise me, but it was odd. My thoughts were derailed at the knock on the door.
Greg looked at me, and I nodded. He was out of sight to get the door, but I knew Angel had eyes on him.
“Thank you for…oh, where’s Lenny?” Greg asked and I froze. It wasn’t Lenny.
“He’s busy.” It was a female voice, soft-spoken, maybe familiar, but honestly I was shit at voices.
“I see.”
“You look good,” she said.
Holy shit. Invite her in, Greg.
“Oh, yeah, um.”
“Can I come in?”
Finally.
The door closed and I could hear footsteps. She obviously hadn’t seen Angel and was talking to Greg like nothing was amiss.
“How are your cats?”
“Good, good…so where’s Lenny?”
“He was on his way here, but he said he forgot he had an appointment. Asked me to come see how you were. He worries about you.”
Greg hummed and I saw him round the corner a second before her. All the blood in my veins turned to ice, my heart sped up, and my throat swelled. Maybe it shouldn’t have shocked me to see her standing in Greg’s living room, but it did.
“What’s going on here?” Her eyes widened and she stepped back, but Angel was right there.
“Jenny, this is Nick and Angel.”
“Jenny?” I tilted my head.
She opened her mouth to speak but was obviously terrified. It didn’t fit the makeup of the person tormenting Matt.
“Yeah, Jenny is Lenny’s wife.” Greg chuckled. “Jenny and Lenny.”
I waved off his ridiculousness. “This isn’t Jenny, Greg.”
Her nostrils flared. “Of course I am.”
Angel snorted. “Where’s your husband, Jenny ?”
“Busy. I said so.”
I looked at a confused Greg. “Let me clear it up for you, Greg. This here may be Jenny to you but to me and Angel, she’s Nicole Somers. So tell me something, Nicole, where’s James?”
She was shaking, and her eyes filled. “I’m so sorry. He made me come here. Didn’t say why.”
“Where. Is. He?” I stepped forward and raised my gun.
Tears poured from her eyes. “He’s obsessed.”
I faced Angel. “Tell Gabe to stay with Matt. Have Noel track Matt through his necklace.”
Angel nodded and took out his phone. I glanced at Nicole; she was a mess.
“You’re helping him with this obsession.”
She sobbed, and Greg wrapped an arm around her. “I have no choice.”
“Jenny, come sit.” Greg led her to the sofa.
She pushed away from Greg, yanked a gun from inside her hoodie, and pointed it right at me.
“He never stops. I thought I was enough—he promised I was. But to love him means I have to love his things.”
His things . “You wrote the notes.” Four was right.
“I wanted to tell Matt so many times. James found out I went into Matt’s apartment once. I was trying to leave something to warn Matt.” She sobbed, the gun shaking in her hands. “He was so cruel.”
I couldn’t care less at this moment what James did to Nicole. Angel stepped back into the room.
“Gabe said he dropped Matt off at work and left. He’s going to head back. Noel said Matt’s tracker reads that he’s still in the house.”
Fuck, of all the days to forget that thing. I looked at Nicole. “Put the gun away. I won’t hurt you.”
She chuckled darkly. “I don’t fear you, Nick.” She pressed the gun to her own temple. “I’ve failed him.”
“No!” I shouted, and the gun went off.